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iOS 4.3-ready apps begin turning up in the App Store
Apple still isn't offering much of a hint about an iOS 4.3 release date -- other than a busier than usual beta schedule -- but it looks like we could now be one step closer to a general roll out. What appears to be the first app that takes advantage of some iOS 4.3-specific features has now garnered Apple's approval and turned up in the App Store, which would seem to suggest that there's no more major changes or bugs that need to be ironed out (though that can certainly always change). The app itself is Matthew Gallagher's StreamToMe, which runs $2.99 and now incorporates the AirPlay video support that has come to apps in the a latest revision of the OS -- hit up the source link below to check it out for yourself.
Handyscope attachment turns your iPhone into a dermatoscope, no residency required
Just think -- a decade from now, you won't even need to spend eight grueling years in the books to be able to practice medicine. Instead, you'll be able to drop endless cash on smartphone attachments while letting the robots handle the rest. FotoFinder Systems is one company working hard to make that future a reality, with its recently updated Handyscope iOS app working in conjunction with the camera attachment shown above. To do what, you say? To turn your iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 into a digital dermatoscope for mobile skin examination. It'll probably make quite a few stomachs turn, but the peripheral + app combo allows mere mortals to take dermoscopic photos which can be viewed with a magnification of up to 20X, enabling users to email them directly to their physician (Dr. Spaceman, we hope) for a second opinion. In all seriousness, we can't imagine anyone at risk for skin cancer even waiting for this thing to arrive before going to get checked out, but if you're willing to pay big bucks to play doctor, the attachment is on sale now for €1,166 ($1,582), with the accompanying app going for a comparatively modest $11.99. Vid's after the break, if you're into it.
Real-life mailbox mod tells your iPhone when you've got snail mail (video)
Do you spend your days desperately awaiting credit card bills, coupons to Pizza Hut, and reminders from your dentist's office that it's time for another cleaning? We've pared down our dependence on USPS, but for those who still get physical communications of note, Make has developed an Arduino-based mailbox mod that sends push notifications when the post is in. Back in 2005, we saw a clunky device called POSTIN that did much the same thing. Thankfully, this system doesn't require an extra gadget, instead it sends messages straight to your iPhone. The postal alert system uses a snap-action switch, connected to an Arduino sensor, to signal when your mailbox is opened. A piece of code waits for the signal and then requests a URL from a PHP-enabled server, pushing an alert to your cellphone using the Prowl iPhone app. Die-hard USPS fans can check out the instructional video after the jump.
Microsoft releases OneNote app for iPhone, free for a 'limited time'
Well, here's something of a surprise -- Microsoft has just brought its OneNote app to the iPhone, and it's made it available as a free download "for a limited time" to boot. As with the Windows Phone 7 app (previously the only mobile version), the iPhone app will let you manage notes and shopping lists (and even add pictures taken with the iPhone's camera), and then sync those with Windows Live SkyDrive so you can access them in either the Windows desktop application or its web-based counterpart. As ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley notes, however, perhaps just as interesting as the app itself is the question of what else might follow -- a native OneNote app for iPad, perhaps, or even iOS versions of other Office applications? Microsoft unsurprisingly isn't commenting on those possibilities, but it did note that the OneNote app is the culmination of some 18 to 24 months of development from a team of Microsoft Mac Office and OneNote engineers, which is either a sign of some serious slacking or a fairly significant commitment on Microsoft's part. No word on when the "limited" free period will run out (so you'll probably want to grab it while you can), nor is there any world on a worldwide release -- it's currently only available to US users, unfortunately. [Thanks, Pradeep]
Griffin StompBox pedal board brings authenticity to iPad rocking
Users of the iShred Live iOS app (no relation to this thing) now have a pedal board to do the job of, well, a pedal board. Up until recently, the app allowed players to connect their electric guitars to an iPhone or iPad, and use said device as an amplifier, with a near endless array of pedal effects at their fingertips. Looking for a way to make the experience more authentic, Griffin teamed with the folks at Frontier Design Group to create the StompBox, which, according to Griffin's website, "effectively recreates the experience of an actual pedal board." It features four separate foot switches, which can be assigned particular effects by the user, and connects to the iPad or iPhone with a 1-meter-long dock connector cable -- guitar connection cables are sold separately. Now the future Peter Framptons of the world can scale back on setup time and concentrate on making their guitars talk.
Griffin Beacon universal remote control system hands-on
We visited Griffin's CES booth to check out the Beacon universal remote control expecting yet another Redeye clone, but instead wound up walking away impressed. Two notable features of the prototype Bluetooth to IR converter device are that it's battery powered and includes a 360 degree IR blaster. These are key since they give users the freedom to place the transmitter almost anywhere around an entertainment center. The free iPhone remote app built by Dijit was the real highlight though. The UI and functionality was incredibly intuitive, and we especially liked that the setup process doesn't require inputting device model numbers. Instead, users just pick the brand and then test a series of code cycles to see if their components respond. The TV guide and Netflix integration are also points of distinction over competitors -- since you can select shows or movies to watch directly from the app. Last but not least, your remote settings can be saved and downloaded to as many devices as you like. To give you a feel for the system, we've included plenty of shots of the app's UI in the gallery below along with more photos the device. %Gallery-113456% %Gallery-113458%
Pure launches Contour, One Flow and i-20, also debuts FlowSongs cloud-based music service
It's a heavy day at CES, and it's also a big day for the folks at Pure. Not only have they provided an updated release time table for the Sensia ("later in 2011" for an unknown amount) and Sirocco 550 (March for $499), but it's also branching out with a few unexpected launches. In order to get even more tunes to the outfit's blossoming line of WiFi radios, Pure has revealed its FlowSongs cloud-based music service -- put simply, it enables consumers to buy music directly from their radio and Pure's Lounge iPhone app. Users are instructed to 'Like' songs on FM or internet radio, and then within the same interface, they're able to click 'Buy' while simultaneously scratching that Instant Gratification itch. Customers can download high-quality versions of the MP3 onto their Mac and PC, and it'll work on any Flow radio. Currently, the service is expected to launch as a public beta in North America this spring, with individual tracks priced between $0.99 and $1.49 depending on the publisher. Unfortunately, there's a $5.99 yearly subscription to actually use FlowSongs, which all but guarantees failure in a world where $1.49 tracks feel too pricey on their own. Moving on, the company is also dishing out a few hardware announcements. Up first is the Contour (shown above), an iPod / iPhone-friendly WiFi radio that touts a black crescent shape (not too unlike Meridian's M80), touch-sensitive controls and a trio of video outputs (composite, component and S-Video). The One Flow ($149) is about as basic as it gets, rocking a truly retro motif, a 3.5mm auxiliary input and a pair of alarms. Wrapping things up, there's the i-20, which is hailed as the only digital iPod dock available that supports component, S-Video and composite outputs. In a nutshell, it's a video output stand for your iPod or iPhone, which may or may not be worth the $99 asking price. Head on past the break for specifics on availability, and tap that source link once your credit card is ready. %Gallery-112399%
Withings fittingly debuts iPhone-connected blood pressure monitor at CES
Trust us -- no one on the Engadget staff wants to know what their blood pressure is right about now. For those trapped in the hurricane that is CES, there's probably no better product to have laying around than this... but only if you're looking to confirm your suspicions about being in a high-stress career. Withings, the company best known for its connected scales, has just revealed the planet's first iPhone-connected blood pressure monitor, with an aim to make measuring vitals as easy as pie for iOS users. The idea is fairly simple: just plug the arm band into your iPad, iPod touch or iPhone, dial up the gratis app and start the process. All of the data is logged on the user's secure online space, and there's even a secure sharing feature that'll beam your abnormally high rates right to your frightened physician. It'll go on sale tomorrow around the globe, with the asking price set at $129 / €129. Update: Looks like iHealth beat these guys by a dozen hours or so. Splitting hairs, but there it is. %Gallery-112205%
VerbalVictor app gives voice to disabled
With iTunes overrun with apps that do little more than find creative ways to promote products or otherwise suck time, it's nice to see mobile technology doing something that's, well, not so trivial. VerbalVictor, a $10 program, which should be available in the App Store next week, uses iPhone and iPad touch screens to allow people with disabilities to communicate with the outside world. Paul Pauca -- whose son suffers from Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes delays in cognitive development, motor skills, and verbal communication -- developed the app as an affordable alternative to non-verbal communication devices. It touts functionality similar to the device used by Steven Hawking, but is far more accessible than the professor's $8,200 setup. VerbalVictor allows parents and caregivers to take pictures and record accompanying audio; the entries are then turned into buttons, which the user presses when they want to communicate -- sort of like a very advanced and customizable See N' Say. The device can be used for simple expressions, like an image of a dog that speaks "dog" when pressed, or for recording commonly used phrases and complete sentences. It may never reach the popularity of, say iFart, but it's sure to win some dedicated users.
Pioneer's 3D Blu-ray compatible, Netflix streaming player triumvirate now shipping
After debuting quietly at CEDIA Pioneer's 2010 line of Blu-ray players is finally available for purchase, including the low end BDP-430 and its two Elite cousins, the BDP-41FD and BDP-43FD. Other than the obvious addition of Blu-ray 3D compatibility, key upgrades from 2009 include WiFi readiness with optional dongle, streaming from YouTube (after a firmware update), Netflix and Pandora, an expanded continue mode to make sure you start The Twilight Saga: Eclipse right where you left it and the return of Pioneer's iControlAV remote app for iOS devices. Starting price? $299 for the BDP-430, $399 for the BDP-41FD and its home automation-friendly RS-232 port, while $499 is required to bring home the "armored chassis" of the BDP-43FD
TomTom's Map Share update brings crowdsourced navigation to iPhone GPS app
Buckled early and sprung for TomTom's iPhone GPS app, did you? If so, that very app just got a lot better today, as version 1.6 has brought TomTom's Map Share -- a crowdsourcing aspect that'll keep your maps more up-to-date than you ever thought possible. Map Share enables iPhone users to make changes instantly to their own maps and to benefit from free map updates made by the TomTom community and verified by the company itself. That means that users will now be able to edit street names, set driving directions and block / unblock streets directly on their maps, and if you're kind enough, you can share those updates with the rest of the TomTom community. Furthermore, the app will automatically check for new verified updates (including turn restrictions, speed limit changes and crossing changes), so the previously tried-and-true "my maps were old!" excuse will sadly no longer work. Give and take, as they say.
NavFree launches free US iPhone navigation app with offline map data
There's no shortage of iPhone navigation apps out there, but we can't say we've seen too many that come with 1.6GB of offline map data -- especially for free. That's the hook for NavFree USA, which just went live in the App Store -- sure, it also has some interesting social features like crowdsourced map updates and navigating to friends, and you can buy add-ons like traffic and speed camera info, but we think most people will use the free turn-by-turn and call it a day. That is, until Apple builds navigation directly into the OS. PR after the break. Update: Commenter marklarson just pointed out the hilariously misguided compass icon in the upper left there, and now we are downloading this app just to look at it whenever we need to be cheered up.
Google Voice app now supports iPad and iPod touch, brings Click2Call
So, how exactly does a voice app work on devices without any cellular ties? Glad you asked! Google has just updated the iOS Google Voice app to include support for the iPod touch and iPad, but neither of them can make cellular calls directly. Instead, you can use the app to initiate GVoice calls with a nearby phone. The process is known as Click2Call -- users simply click any 'Call' button within the app and then choose which of their phones they want to ring. It's probably more time consuming than just grabbing your phone from the start, but hey, there it is. In other news, the app now disables text forwarding when you enable Push Notifications (to avoid double alerts), and there's a new Do Not Disturb option in the Settings tab for those who'd prefer to disconnect. Hit the iTunes link below to get your download on, and let us know how things shake out in comments.
Snapstick shows off iPhone-controlled internet TV prototype
It's still not an actual product just yet, but upstart Snaptick has given CNET an early look at its eponymously-named internet TV system, which it says will challenge the likes of Google TV and Apple TV. The company's hook is that it simply delivers the "full web" to your TV, which can be controlled using either your phone or a laptop. In the case of the company's iPhone app, you can actually flick content from your iPhone to the TV, and even have multiple people control the same TV with their respective iPhones. Things get a bit more complicated when it comes to the actual device, though. It seems the company still isn't sure what form it will take -- it could be a separate set-top box, or it could be built-in into a Blu-ray player or TV. Given that state of things, it shouldn't come as much surprise that there's no indication of a price or release date, but the company is now accepting applications for a private beta, and you can get an idea of what might be in store in the video after the break.
Google Latitude makes brief appearance in App Store, gets yanked post-haste
Ah, the games that grown-ups play. It's a situation that's beginning to feel an awful lot like the Google Voice fiasco that made the rounds in mid-2009, but if it ends in a similar fashion, you won't find us kvetching about the teases. As the story goes, a bona fine Google Latitude app made its appearance in Japan's App Store hours ago, only to be yanked before it could sashay over to any other nation. TechCrunch reckons that it was El Goog doing the pulling -- it's quite possible that the folks in Mountain View weren't quite ready to publicly reveal it, and with all that Chrome action going down yesterday, it's not hard to imagine how an impending launch was overlooked. At any rate, the description of the app as well as most of the screenshots were in English, so we're cautiously optimistic that it'll resurface in the near future once a few Is are dotted and Ts crossed. With iOS 4 supporting background location, there's hardly a reason to wait any longer, right?
Peel turns your iPhone into a universal remote -- using a wireless external IR blaster
The idea of using an iPhone or iPod touch as a universal remote has been tossed around for years, but it's always required either a finicky external dongle or an extravagantly expensive home automation rig. Instead, we've been treated to a host of single-device remote apps for everything from FiOS, DirecTV, Comcast, and Dish Network DVRs to the Apple TV to the Boxee Box to... well, you name it. A little company called Peel has a dramatically different idea, though -- it's launching the Peel Universal Control system, which is designed to take your iPhone or iPod touch head-to-head with universal remote heavyweights like Logitech's Harmony system. The company is made up of a bunch of former Apple engineers, and their solution is extremely novel: instead of attaching a dongle to the iPhone itself, they're controlling your A/V rack using a pear-sized (and Yves Behar-designed) wireless IR blaster that's supposed to live quietly on your coffee table. The blaster (called the Peel Fruit) connects over ZigBee to a tiny network adapter (the Peel Cable, also designed by Behar) that attaches directly to an open Ethernet port on your WiFi router -- a two-part hardware setup that seems fussy, but is designed to obviate the need for software configuration during installation, and allows the IR blaster to run for nine months on a single C battery. %Gallery-109522% %Gallery-109524%
Engadget Podcast Bingo gets an app; nobody's feelings get hurt because we're all made out of rubber
Oh, sure, funny-ha-ha. There's an Engadget Podcast Bingo app available now, which lets you play a relevant game of bingo on your iPhone while you listen to Engadget, Engadget Mobile, or Engadget HD podcasts stored on your phone, or stream one live from your computer. It's full of funny jokes. But you know what the thing is about humor? Every humor thing has an element of truth in it. That's what makes it funny! But that's also what makes it hurt people's feelings. Sure, you might tap "Nilay Gets Fired" on your phone while chuckling quietly to yourself, but how do you think it makes Nilay feel? Or when someone accuses Chris of being "Paid by Apple," all Chris can think of is his poor upbringing where he didn't even have shoes to wear, and how he wishes someone would pay him for his mobile expertise. Or how when someone in chat says to somebody "can you be quiet for another 4 minutes" just because they want to fill in another bingo square. How do you think that makes that somebody, you know, theoretically, feel? How much psychic pain are you willing to cause? Go ahead, download the app, we don't mind. We're just robots, anyway.
ThinkFlood's RedEye universal remote control becomes web compatible, leaves past woes in the dust
After going through some rough times with its RedEye mini dongle and doing right by replacing them, ThinkFlood appears to be running full beam ahead once more. Specifically, the company has announced that RedEye owners will soon have the ability to setup and control their remote systems straight from their PC or mobile browser. On the mobile front, apparently the web app will even work on Android and BlackBerry devices, despite being optimized for Safari on iOS -- hinting that non iPhone owners could possibly let their phones control more than their social lives soon. Setup wise, the web version also allows users to automatically align and move multiple buttons at once, plus assign commands to over 70+ keyboard shortcuts. Combined with the ability to make adjustments using a mouse on a computer's larger screen, tweaking custom RedEye remote layouts just got infinitely easier -- you hear that Harmony? The iOS app 2.0 update is also now available as a free 'Plus' download in the iTunes store, and finally supports the iPad's lovely screen in either orientation. In a sense, it's further substantiating the tablet's new career path as a jumbo-buttoned geezer remote of the future, but hey -- no gripes here.
App Review: Penki light painting for iOS
Ah yes, the future! It's nice when it arrives on your front doorstep... or on your iPod. It's even nicer when you ask for something and then you get it: a few months back, we drooled over Dentsu London's light extrusion tech demo and humbly demanded its App Store release. Now, app in hand, we're busy running around our houses trying to become some sort of half-baked Jenny Holzer. It's called Penki, and it takes your text / symbol input and turns it into 3D-flavored imagery via long-exposure photography. Sounds bodacious, right? But, as we all know, the future isn't perfect -- read on for the full account of our shiny journey into the third dimension. %Gallery-108680%
Movea turns your iPod touch or iPhone into an Air Mouse for just $2
Not so keen on plopping down a Benjamin for Movea's Air Mouse? A full two years after the introduction of that very product, there's now an acceptable, bargain-bin alternative: the Air Mouse. Er, the Air Mouse app for iPod touch / iPhone. This here nugget of code, which is selling for just $1.99 in the App Store, taps into your iDevice's inbuilt gyroscopes as well as the company's own MotionSense technology in order to convert your handheld into a mouse. No need to fish for a surface, though -- simply wave your iPhone around in order to take advantage of in-air cursor control and gesture recognition. It's a dream come true for HTPC owners (Macs and PCs are supported), though critics are suggesting that Mobile Mouse may actually be superior. If you've already parted ways with your buck-ninety-nine, let us know how things are panning out in comments below.
