iphoneapp
Latest
Engadget app update: iPhone app passes the 1m download mark, Android and webOS get an update!
Hey cats and kittens, here's an exciting little piece of news we wanted to share with you. Thanks to the love and support of our readers, our iPhone app has just crossed the million downloads mark in the App Store! That is, of course, just iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users -- we're growing our numbers steadily across BlackBerry, webOS, and Android formats as well. And Speaking of Android, we've got a little update that's available right now in the Market which should fix those nasty force close issues some users were seeing. If you're still having issues, make sure you reach out to us -- we really love the feedback! We've also just issued a webOS update, so look for that on your Pre or Pixi. We have even more stuff in the pipeline as far as apps are concerned, including a major forthcoming iPhone update, as well as updates and tweaks for the other existing apps... and we're at work on a dedicated iPad application as we speak! Yes, exciting times are ahead people, but for now, you can grab our current offerings right here: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad Android webOS BlackBerry Update: The Android update was released two days ago, so you may have already downloaded it (for those in comments not seeing it). If you're not sure, the most recent version is 1.0.4.
iPhone 4.0 OS: Now with iAds
Today at the iPhone 4.0 preview event, Apple announced that one of the new features coming in 4.0 is the iAd network. According to Steve, an average iPhone user is on their phone using apps about half an hour a day. So at one ad every three minutes, that's 10 ads on each device each day, and with almost ten million devices out there, Apple claims they'll be serving a billion ad opportunities every day. And yet this isn't the huge news about iAds. Here is what makes it a big deal: Apple built the network and is offering it up to developers to use how they'd like, with 60% of the revenue made on those ads going to developers themselves. That's up a bit from the standard "Apple gets a 30% cut" rule of thumb, but more than half seems more than fair. Apple hosts and sells the ads, and developers take home over half the revenue. The ad demonstrated live actually looked cool: they showed off little Toy Story 3 ad at the bottom of a news app. Tap the ad, and it comes up with some options (a character list, sounds from each character, etc) and even a game to play, including an option to buy a game from right within the ad. Steve even asked if anyone had seen anything like this before, and among the gathered press, he got silence in response. Currently, the most educated of guesses is that the AdKit API will be a developer source as well as an iTunes source (iTunes sources are where the App Store and Music Store get their content.) After the event in the Q&A session, Steve said they attempted to buy AdMob and got sniped by Google, so they bought Quattro and are trying very hard to come up to speed on what web advertising is like, presumably so they can change it. As long as they aren't trying to get me to refinance my mortgage or whiten my teeth, I'm looking forward to the future of advertising on the iPhone.
iPad apps: Twitter and social networking essentials
As you might've notice, either here on the site or likely elsewhere on the internet, we at Engadget have somewhat of an affinity to social networking. With a new screen sitting here saving us some screen real estate, we decided to give a number of Twitter and other pro-social apps a go for perennially staying connected to our online friends -- so long as there's a decent WiFi connection nearby. Here's the highlights from what we've toyed with, and stay tuned for even more roundups on the horizon. Twitterific for iPad (free; $4.99 for Pro account) - Definitely the best Twitter app on the iPad so far (pictured above). It works great in portrait and landscape, contextual links conveniently pop out and photos even get special format treatment. No option to upload photos when tweeting, but we're guessing with a lack of a camera, it didn't seem as necessary an addition -- we like to show off our screen captures and saved browsing images, but hey, that's just us. The only deterrent for power users is that you can only view one column at a time, but with lists, saved searches, and all other thread options easily accessible from the leftmost column, we didn't find it too inconvenient whatsoever. [See in iTunes]
Smart Car's Smart Drive Kit for iPhone demonstrated (video)
Daimler hasn't had a sales success on its hands lately with its line of Smart cars, with sales festering after an initial boom. To try to re-capture the imagination of we smartphone-loving Americans with short attention spans, Smart unveiled the Smart Drive Kit last month and now, at the NY Auto Show, is giving it a proper demonstration. The iPhone app effectively takes the place of an infotainment system like Sync, including internet radio, navigation, and hands-free calling. It's all demonstrated in a video after the break, and it looks cool -- cool enough to even warrant $9.99 for the app and, maybe, the $49.99 annual fee for maps and navigation. What we still needing clarification on is whether that cradle will actually be priced at a ridiculous €240 ($326) and, if so, from which precious materials it has been crafted.
TomTom iPhone app hits 1.3, gains real-time traffic and Google local search
Here lately, Navigon has been crushing it on the iPhone GPS front. Every couple of weeks, it seems that MobileNavigator is getting yet another fantastic update, all while TomTom's lackluster offering hangs back in the land of complacency. Thankfully for us all, the outfit has just pushed out the v1.3 update, which adds real-time traffic (an unfortunate $19.99 add-on), Google local search, updated roadways, automatic music fading between text-to-speech instructions and the ability to add locations from other apps and websites. We'd still recommend Navigon's software if you're looking to buy into iPhone GPS for the first time, but this is certainly a boon for those already locked into the TomTom alternative. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
FCC comes through with a Consumer Broadband Test app for iPhone, Android and the home
We talk about the FCC a lot here, but usually the ways ye olde Commission affects our lives are indirect. A little extra spectrum here, a nice leaked image there, that kind of thing. Not this time, though, as the FCC is getting involved directly with its own Consumer Broadband Test app, designed to probe network latencies and download speeds on your home connection or mobile device. Part of the hallowed National Broadband Plan, this will furnish the FCC will useful data to show the discrepancy between advertised and real world broadband speeds, and will also -- more importantly perhaps -- serve as a neat way for users to directly compare network performance in particular areas. It's available on the App Market and App Store right now, with versions for other operating systems coming up, so why not get with the program and give it a test drive?
Daimler's Smart Drive kit for iPhone gives you big buttons, a dent in your wallet
If you're one of the trendy hipsters driving a Smart Fortwo, here's another way of pimping up your ride: Daimler has announced a Q2 2010 launch for its Smart Drive kit for the iPhone. As pictured above, the kit consists of a cradle for handsfree communication plus charging, and an app that "combines all the features needed on the road" by the means of "extra-large buttons and extra-large letters." You'll get access to your usual music library (plus Internet radio), contacts, phone functions and map by Daimler (points-of-interest data from Microsoft Bing). There's also the handy "Assist" feature that can automatically mark your parking location when undocked, and can provide GPS coordinates to the Smart hotline for roadside assistance. What's more, Daimler's currently working on a camera for this kit that can identify speed limit signs, and can then warn you if you're speeding. Want it? You'll need to fork out a dear €240 ($326) for the cradle (which may or may not be necessary), then a one-off €9.99 ($14) for the app, and finally the optional annual €49.99 ($68) for on-board European and US maps plus live traffic data. We'll reconsider if the app can also start our car. [Thanks, Jason]
Caption contest: iPhone as a CPR device
Alright, we'll leave all the zingers for you and our mercurial staff to deliver, and just use this space to dish some info on the hardware. Ivor Kovic, an emergency physician from Croatia, has recently demoed a new iPhone cradle that turns the already multifunctional handset into a CPR assistance device. By using an app titled Pocket CPR and the built-in accelerometer, he can get audio and visual feedback to tell him if he's doing it correctly, while his basic (but awesome) cradle allows for longer CPR sessions if necessary. Check out the video after the break, then hit the comments with your finest witticisms. Paul: "Come on Luke Wilson's Career, stay with me now, you're not going to die on me!" Darren: "Man, I could really get a better look at what's going on if this thing had a 9.7-inch IPS panel..." Chris: "Everyone is either dying or staying alive these days, and we began to ask ourselves: is there room for something in the middle?" Nilay: "He then died." Vlad: "Our other cradle also measures rhythm and depth, though its purpose isn't entirely medicinal." Andy: "A rare case where a lack of multitasking is actually helpful to the task on hand." Thomas: "Can you stop dying for a second, I have to take this call." Joe: "This actually adds an intriguing level of complexity to Super Monkey Ball 2." Richard Lai: "Come on... COME ON!! Wait a tick... AT&T? No wonder it isn't working. Dammit." Tim: "Looks like this guy's heart (puts on sunglasses)... has dropped its last call." Yeeeaaaaaahhhh...
Sling says it didn't change iPhone SlingPlayer for AT&T (Updated)
AT&T certainly made a few of us happy yesterday when it announced that the iPhone SlingPlayer app would now be allowed to run over its 3G network, but the carrier apparently embellished the facts a little when it said Sling had optimized the app to be "more bandwidth sensitive" -- Sling's John Santoro told Ars Technica that it "didn't change anything," and that "AT&T never discussed specific requirements with us." So much for that happy narrative -- we thought AT&T's line sounded odd, given that SlingPlayer has always run just fine on AT&T Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and S60 devices. It's cool, though, Sling isn't sweating it: "Whatever the reason, we're just glad AT&T has approved it." Now it's just up to Apple to let it through the App Store -- any day now, guys. Update: Sling just called us to clarify the above statements -- while it didn't make any specific changes to iPhone SlingPlayer, its engineers did work with AT&T to make sure the app didn't interfere with other customers and clog up the network. Sling says that once AT&T was involved in the testing process and "saw how the app worked," things went smoothly, and that the app was "refined" to meet AT&T network requirements -- refinements we were told would come to other platforms over time. Sounds good to us, although we're still wondering why this wasn't the party line in the first place.
Home security on your iPhone
We all know how the iPhone can secure itself, but you can get it to secure your entire house as well. A while back, I briefly toyed with the idea of going without a landline. It's an alluring prospect, and strikes me as satisfyingly post-modern. But one thing held me back: my home security system, which relied on a landline to connect it to central monitoring. So even though I went through a brief affair with Vonage until Verizon FiOS Triple Play pulled me back in, I had to keep a limited line connected to the house for our security system. I tried to get rid of it. Oh, how I tried. But until recently, retrofitting the system to go cellular, or swap it out with a more modern system using (for example) a secure cellular connection, always cost more than it was worth. Then our home security monitoring contract price went way up and all of a sudden, the price difference between retrofitting and acquiring a new system went down. That made getting the new system worthwhile. I went about trying to find a security system that would give me the flexibility I needed, as well as the knowledge that I wasn't compromising home security. I already ran a small security program in the house to run a video baby monitor, but for the whole house, I needed some kind of central monitoring. Enter Alarm.com.
Make your personal iPhone app in just 10 minutes
Have you ever secretly wished that you could have your own personal iPhone app? An app that you could give to friends, relatives, and your adoring fans? Now you can have your own iPhone (or Android, if you swing that way) app featuring all of your personal feeds from sources such as Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Posterous, Tumblr, and more. The really cool thing is that it's not going to take you much time, nor will you need to learn how to program. Through a new service called iSites, you can take all of your life feeds and have an iPhone app created just for you. The cost? Only US$25. If you think that your hordes of faithful followers are going to download and use the app, you can spend another $99 to integrate AdMob ads into your personal app, meaning that you might be able to become rich (you're already famous, right?) beyond your wildest dreams by giving away your app in the App Store. Everything about the iSites app you create is customizable; the feeds that make up the content (see photo above), the colors, even your icon and store banner. Anyone using your app can easily share an article with others via Twitter, Facebook, or email, and the app has support for video, image thumbnails, and the ability to mark a post as a favorite. I'm not sure that I'm ready to bore the world with my personal iPhone app, but when I finally get to that point, I'll probably use iSites to create it. [via Mashable]
White House intros official iPhone app in lieu of universal health care
White House Engadget Price Free (tax revenue notwithstanding) Free Customized blog reader Yes Yes Streaming video Yes Yes Platform availability iPhone iPhone, BlackBerry, webOS, Android (coming soon) Led by Joshua Topolsky No Yes Official blog of CES 2010 No Yes Current iTunes download rank in News category #3 #1 Resident Nobel laureate Yes No (coming soon) Change you can believe in Unknown Have you seen our site lately? When you head to the polls this coming Election Day, we trust you know who to choose.
iPhone and Magic Mouse linked up by BTstack (video)
Even though you probably still can't figure out what good the ability to connect your Bluetooth keyboard to your iPhone will do, the BTstack project is steaming ahead with this demo of a connected Magic Mouse twirling its pointer all over Apple's handset. The driver code is still unreleased, but we get to see some nice lag-free interaction between the two devices, suggesting it shouldn't be too far away from public consumption. As if to answer your earlier quandary, the video also features a Celluon CL800BT virtual keyboard, which projects onto and responds to your touch of any flat surface. A gimmick most likely, but a fun journey into the dream of nomadic computing nonetheless. Check out all the action after the break. [Thanks, Daniel]
OnLive shows off UI and iPhone use in marathon tech demo (video)
Sure, OnLive has already done live demos of its "cloud gaming" service, but it never hurts to get another comprehensive 48-minute video on the subject. In a presentation at Columbia University, CEO Steve Perlman goes over the nitty gritty of how game streaming works, the OnLive user interface (11:53), an inevitable Crysis Wars demo (16:35), Brag Clips (17:49), and of course the iPhone app (19:31). Though cellphone integration is still limited to primarily spectating and social networking functions, PCs and Macs can get gaming via a 1MB browser plugin, or you can grab the microconsole streaming box for your TV, which Steve suggests might be given away for free with OnLive subscriptions. If you have any more unanswered questions, check out the audience Q&A at 33:14, and the full vid awaits after the break.
Engadget for iPhone / iPod touch: available now!
Good news, everyone! Our very own iPhone / iPod touch app is finally really available in Apple's much talked about and critically acclaimed App Store! That's right, all the excitement and info you've come to know and love from Engadget is now bottled in an easy to digest and delicious iPhone form. The application -- easily downloadable from your device or iTunes -- features a whole bunch of useful features such as offline viewing, built in streaming for The Engadget Show, in-app tipping (you know, for when you see the next iPhone), and all kinds of customization options. You can download the app right here, or click on the image above. Even better than this? We've got more apps on the way! Before CES (fingers crossed), you should see both a BlackBerry and webOS version of the Engadget application, and plans for the Android version are already in motion. Lastly, a big, big, big thanks to the team at AOL that actually made this thing a reality: Sun Sachs, Andy Averbuch, Hareesh P, Anibal Rosado, Rajesh Kumar, Rich Foster, Claudeland Louis, Mike Wolstat, Eric Wedge, Vikas B R, Milissa Tarquini, Asha Indira and Bob Gurwin. You guys rule.
Pedal Brain iPhone kit smartens up your bicycle
Cyclists already have a range of dedicated devices to choose from that will help them with their training, and it looks like they'll soon have an iPhone app / accessory kit to call their own as well. While the folks behind it are apparently still working on the finishing touches, they've nonetheless decided to get official with their so-called Pedal Brain kit, which more or less promises to be a Nike+ alternative for cyclists. That means it comes with an accessory (a case) that relies on the ANT+ wireless protocol to relay all the necessary information form your bike, which in turn is processed and analyzed by the Pedal Brain app (all of which will also work with an iPod touch). Pedal Brain also goes one step further with a coaching component, which will actually let you make your own training plans and sell them through the app (you'll also be able to determine the price, but Pedal Brain will apparently take a $4 a month cut). No word on an exact price or launch date for the kit itself just yet, but it will apparently sell for somewhere between $130 and $200 (or more if you want the spiffy carbon fiber case).
Tiki'Labs virtual keyboard for iPhone takes shot at Swype, one-handed typing wars commence
One-handed touchscreen typing is the hip new thing, apparently, since mere weeks after getting our first whiff of Swype, Tiki'Labs has debuted its own free TikiNotes app for the iPhone with a proprietary "large target" sort of keyboard. We've seen the idea before, specifically with some accessibility devices, which lets the user drill down into one of six alphabet sectors, and then pick one of six characters. TikiNotes improves upon that by not only predicting the word you're currently typing, but also often correctly guessing the next word you were planning on typing. To be honest, we find that second feature just a little depressing -- all that money the government spent on our two years of high school education and we still form sentences like everybody else -- but certainly useful (Tiki'Labs claims a 40% success rate). We tried out the free app for a couple of minutes and found it more akin to a Brain Age-type exercise than a typing utility, but we're sure we could get used to it. What we can't get used to, however, is how hilariously great it is that Tiki'Labs spliced a Swype demo video (originally pitted against the iPhone keyboard) to serve as a typing race example... and still only barely squeaked through with the victory. It can be found after the break, naturally. The app will be available on Windows Mobile and Android soon.
Kindle App for iPhone goes international, starts to get a little annoying at parties
We get it, Amazon Kindle App: you've just become available in over 60 countries, you're something of a jet setter now. But you don't have to go around and rub it in our faces. So what if we've only been to Mexico that one time by accident and can't sync books and page placement via Amazon's Whispersync technology... that doesn't make us any less valuable as a person. Oh, and you're coming to the Mac and BlackBerry "soon," huh? Well, aren't you special.
Chevy Volt to get iPhone, BlackBerry apps
They may not let you actually drive the car James Bond-style, but it looks like there will be some apps for the iPhone and BlackBerry launching alongside the Chevy Volt, with apps for other devices apparently also a possibility. That word comes from Chevrolet's soon-to-be-retiring VP Brent Dewar, who unfortunately had little to say about the apps themselves, but did briefly flash the above slide during a presentation at the LA Auto Show last week. The apps will apparently let you control when the car charges, however, and even include integrated real-time features from OnStar, which should include things like electricity rates from utility companies by the time the Volt rolls out. [Thanks, Dave]
The first iPhone development reality show?
We've heard stories of rapidly-developed iPhone applications before, but we've never seen the process play out live before our eyes (well, some of us haven't). That's exactly what the guys at Command Guru are doing: Developing an iPhone app from scratch with an international team and streaming the whole thing live over the course of 7 days. Command Guru's founder and CEO, Alessio Zito Rossi, told prmac, "There are over 100,000 Apps and millions of users who do not have any idea of how they are developed. The stork doesn't deliver iPhone Apps! We will show the world how they are really born -- live and streaming!" It started on December 6th and will continue through the 12th. The final product, described as "A sexy social networking app," will be available for free, as well as the source code. I've been watching a bit here and there and it's fun. They take questions from Twitter and literally go about their work as you watch. Witness coding sessions, meetings and more. In fact, the project timeline is laid out on the site. Granted, this will appeal to a limited audience, but those in the audience should really enjoy it.
