Mac Daily News

When British tourists Shanti Andrews and Rebecca Turner touched down in Brazil earlier this month on the last leg of a nine-month world tour, they came in search of sun, sand and samba.

Instead the 23-year-old law graduates ended up in "Cell Zero-Zero", a damp and overcrowded jail on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, home to nearly 150 Brazilian prisoners accused of drug trafficking, robbery and murder.

The two former Sussex University students, who were due to fly home last Monday, told police they had been robbed while travelling to Rio from Foz do Iguacu, a popular tourist destination on Brazil's border with Paraguay and Argentina.

Police records show that among the £1,000 worth of property the women said had been robbed was an Apple iPod Touch, a Canon 8015 NUS camera, and a laptop.

According to reports in the Brazilian press, the police immediately suspected something was wrong since the two women still had their passports. The police asked to be taken to the beachside hostel where the women were staying and, inside, they claim to have found the belongings that had supposedly been stolen in the women's hostel's lockers. Rio's tourist police say the "luggage trick", by which tourists pretend to have been robbed in order to claim on insurance, is a growing trend in this seaside city.

"It's another way of financing your trip," said a European tourist who admitted to filing a fake police report at the same station in Rio in order to claim on insurance. "It's one hour at the station in exchange for €700-800. That's an air fare."

Andrews and Turner were taken to a holding jail in Mesquita, a rundown neighbourhood on the city's western outskirts. There the women, who do not speak Portuguese, were photographed before being locked up alongside dozens of impoverished Brazilian prisoners. According to the jail's warden, the majority of the prisoners are drug mules who were caught smuggling cocaine, marijuana and crack into other prisons for their husbands.

"They are being treated like any other Brazilian prisoner," said one of the British girls' lawyers, Eduardo Tonini, as he walked to Casa Parana, a nearby supermarket that is stocked with everything a prisoner could want: toothpaste, disposable razors, toilet paper and chocolate bars. Tonini bought a coconut cake, four chocolate and vanilla bars, and a roll of toilet paper. "They are not eating. They are very nervous," he said. "They are sleeping on the floor. They have to sleep on their sides because there is no room. These are the terrible conditions of the Brazilian prison system."

When the Guardian visited the Polinter jail, Andrews and Turner declined to be interviewed, saying they would talk only after being released.

"I'm the one taking care of them," a prisoner who identified herself as Auntie Claudia said through a small opening in the cell's metal door. On the wall behind her, prisoners had scrawled the letters CV, the insignia of the Rio drug faction the Red Command, or Comando Vermelho.

Carlos Pereira Araujo, a prison guard, tried to put a brave face on conditions inside Polinter, where exposed wires hang from the ceilings and a broken typewriter, pieces of a photocopy machine and two stray dogs adorn the entrance. "The food is great here: rice, beans and a bit of meat. Here it is total luxury," he said.

But Araujo later admitted: "It is super-full here. There's no space. People sleep on the floor."

Under Brazilian law, prisoners with a university degree have the right to special accommodation, away from "common prisoners". But Rio authorities say they have yet to receive proof that the pair graduated from Sussex University in 2007.

Section: Software Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for July 31, 2009:

Macintosh

• Vela Design Group has announced VelaClock Deluxe 2.1.14 and VelaClock 2.1.14, Dashboard widgets. VelaClock is a world clock widget with a highly configurable user interface. Users can quickly display the time of sunrise, sunset, or twilight, duration of daylight, moonrise, moonset, phase of moon, time zone information and more. It can easily be configured to use a minimum amount of screen space or if the user wishes, more detailed information about the currently selected city can be displayed.
• You can hardly turn on a computer or surf a Web page these days without being asked for a password, and choosing and managing passwords has become a pain for many Mac users. Fortunately, it is possible to avoid headaches while using sensible and secure passwords, and for the many people who are stumped on this topic, TidBITS Publishing Inc. has just released the second edition of Take Control of Passwords in Mac OS X, by Mac expert Joe Kissell. In this 120-page ebook, readers can learn the ins and outs of choosing appropriate passwords, smart ways to store passwords, and how to solve password-related problems.
• The Remedy Laptop Shoulder Bag is a minimalist messenger bag with finely detailed features. Each of these models is designed to accomodate the Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro and PowerBook line of notebook computers. The Remedy features a snug-fitting notebook section with high-density padding and an organizer pocket on the front for all your essentials. A stylish and comfortable handle allows the Remedy to be carried as a brief; the removable strap converts it into a shoulder bag.

iPhone/iPod

• Aemade has announced that v1.1 of Roadee—an Openstreetmap based navigation system for the iPhone—is now available in the AppStore. The most important new feature is voice guidance. Included in Roadee is one english voice for giving routing instructions to the user. The next version will give the user the opportunity to buy new voices from within Roadee. Theses voices are of High Quality and available in different languages.
• 4us has released 1Hand Mailer Keyboard, their first application for iPhone/iPod touch. 1Hand Mailer Keyboard is designed for users to write e-mails faster and easier with just one hand using their original keyboard layout.
• xCube Labs is proud to announce the launch of our new iPhone application—Game of Fate - Free (iTunes App Store link)—on the App Store. Game of Fate - Free is a straight-forward, simple application made to tease your curiosity. We all believe in fate and destiny in some way or the other, we all have some tickling questions in our minds that we very much want to know the answers or outcomes. Funny as life is, we are made without the ability to peep into the future. Game of Fate - Free comes in here to make fun of our infirmities in a pleasing way.
• Random Ideas, LLC has announced the worldwide release of The Joy of Being 1.0, a new guided meditation application for iPhone and iPod Touch. The Joy of Being is a set of three guided meditations to help you find inner peace, relax, empower yourself, and open your mind to creativity and freedom. Entitled Beach, Forest, and River, the meditations are professionally recorded with specially selected imagery chosen to enhance the user’s meditative experience.
• Old Jewel Software has announced How Much 1.0, its new bargain shopping application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. In the shortest time possible, How Much lets anyone figure out the exact price they will pay at the register, including sales tax and discounts. Users can enter everything about their bargain purchase in one simple, fast interface. The final price of their purchase appears at the top of the iPhone screen immediately.
• idealius.com has introduced LookItUp! 1.0, their new search engine utility for iPhone and iPod Touch. Developed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique abilities and interface, LookItUp! offers a radically improved approach for searching anything. From a single search, gain instant access to millions of pages from hundreds of search engines. Tap into thousands of company websites, job boards, newspapers, images, audio, video, articles, blogs and associations.
• ZTak Software has released Fart Match 1.12, an update to their hilarious card matching game for iPhone and iPod Touch. Fart Match puts a humorous twist on the traditional card matching game. Instead of matching card faces you will be matching farting sounds. With the release of version 1.12 a new timed game called Fart Match Speed has been added. With it you will play against the clock while tying to complete the 56 levels of the game.
• AGF, the design force behind many popular accessories for major mobile brands, has added to its new retail line with the Precision HSD case/carry solution for iPhone 3G and 3G S. The Precision HSD product line features an ingenious case design that unites superior protection, quality construction and ease of use.
• Following the popularity of the recently released Zgrip iPhone Pro by Zacuto USA, a leading maker of camera gear and accessories for professionals, the custom house has launched their consumer version: the Zgrip iPhone Jr. Specifically designed for Apple iPhone 3Gs shooters, this mini-rig comes with multiple fingers to quickly lock the iPhone in place and offers a stable solution for shooting video.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section:

Haven’t caught all of the Appletell news this week?  Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• Apple tablet coming sooner than next year?  Thanks to record labels?
  ” The Financial Times is reporting that Apple is planning on releasing the long rumored “iTablet” device much sooner than next year as more recent rumors were pinpointing as the release date. No, apparently thanks to EMI, Sony Music, Warner…” MORE »
• Appletell reviews Bento for iPhone, iPod touch
  “Category: Productivity Seller: FileMaker, Inc. Requirements: iPhone OS 2.2 or later Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch File Size: 3.1MB Version Reviewed: 1.0.1 Price: $4.99 Age Rating: 4 Bento for iPhone should cost $15 more…” MORE »
• Top ten reasons to buy Windows 7 (i.e. switch to Snow Leopard)
  ” It’s widely known now that Windows 7 will be released on October 22nd of this year, and Mac OS X Snow Leopard will also come out to the public in September. There’s no doubt that each operating system update…” MORE »
• Appletell reviews iMeem Mobile for iPhone, iPod touch
  “Category: Music Developer: iMeem Minimum Requirements: iPhone OS 3.0 Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch File Size: 0.6 MB Price: Free Availability: Now Version Reviewed: 2.0.1 I really can’t figure out why iMeem…” MORE »
• Appletell reviews Comcast Mobile App for iPhone, iPod touch
  “Category: Entertainment Developer: Comcast Minimum Requirements: iPhone OS 2.1 Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch File Size: 2.2 MB Price: Free (Comcast account required) Availability: Now Version Reviewed: 1.0 If you’re a…” MORE »
• Appletell reviews Clip2Mobile for iPhone, iPod touch
  “Category: Productivity Developer: The App Nursery Requirements: iPhone 2.1 software, Adobe Air installed on computer Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch File Size: 0.6 Mb Version Reviewed: 1.1 Price: Free Clip2Mobile is a program that lets you…” MORE »
• UPDATE: No promo codes for apps with a 17 rating. Really, Apple?
  “It’s very well known that Apple has some major issues when it comes to what they are doing with the App Store. App submissions commonly take longer than four weeks (and may I remind you, some people’s…” MORE »
• Appletell reviews Prowl: Growl Client for iPhone & iPod touch
  “Category: Notifications (Growl client) Developer: Zachary West Minimum Requirements: iPhone OS 3.0 Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch File Size: 0.2 MB Price: $2.99 Availability: Now Version Reviewed: 1.0 One of my favorite Mac programs is MORE »
• The iPhone is more powerful than the Wii?
  ” So says a developer at Telltale Games, according to a report at IGN. Addressing the framerate issue of the WiiWare game “Tales of Monkey Island: Episode 1” on the company’s online message boards, a developer…” MORE »
• Apple hangs up on Google Voice
  “As quickly as Google Voice was beginning to pick up some steam—with a public beta version due out in September—it has been effectively shunned from one of the biggest smartphone platforms out there. Apple has removed Sean Kovacs’ GV Mobile…” MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iTunes, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Originals

Category: Productivity
Developer: Apple
Requirements: iPhone OS 3.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch
File Size: 2.2MB

What is it?

It’s been a long time in the making, but Apple’s MobileMe iDisk iPhone app has finally gone live. With this app, MobileMe users can now easily manage their iDisk, in a multitude of ways.

How does it work?

The MobileMe iDisk app, like all other Apple-developed iPhone apps, sports a very simple and familiar interface. The file hierarchy you’ve already set up in your iDisk folder is displayed, and you can see a full list of every file you have on your iDisk. File names are displayed and are editable, and filesizes are shown directly under the file name.

With a simple tap on an icon (similar to the ubiquitous RSS icon), the file can be shared with the world. Rather, you choose a list of recipients and they will be sent an email with a direct download link to the file you have chosen to share.

An ...

Read the full story here, from MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors

A "serious memory corruption bug" in the iPhone can make it vulnerable to being taken over by a single specially-crafted text message, security researchers showed today.

So if you get a text message that consists of a square on your iPhone - perhaps you should worry. Or, much more likely, it's a prank from a friend trying to freak you out.

The Black Hat conference in Las Vegas saw a demonstration by Collin Mulliner and Charlie Miller, who are independent security experts, who proved the weakness by taking control of an iPhone belonging to CNet's Elinor Mills.

Mills described it thus:

While I was talking on the phone to Charlie Miller, his partner, Collin Mulliner, sent me a text message from his phone. One minute I'm talking to Miller and the next minute my phone is dead, and this time it's not AT&T's fault. After a few seconds it came back to life, but I was not able to make or receive calls until I rebooted.

The researchers told Mills that "an attacker could exploit the hole to make calls, steal data, send text messages, and do basically anything that I can do with my iPhone".

How many iPhones are vulnerable? All of them. How many will be affected? Ah, that's a lot harder. Not the majority. Not even a large minority. It depends on whether Apple can fix the problem before the malicious hackers out there figure out how the hack is done.

But as Dwight Silverman points out, it's not doomsday - not by a long chalk. Even once they've figured out what the hack is, the hackers would have to know what phone number to send the Evil Text Message to (that is, know it's an iPhone); and figure out how to get it automated. And what they'd want to do once they had. Grab all your contacts? Wow, that could be good - if they can only figure out Steve Jobs's number.

Silverman reckons (and it sounds reasonable) that Apple, which has been informed about the flaw for more than a month, has about two weeks before someone does figure this out.

..And then later in the session, two other researchers step up and say that pretty much any GSM phone is vulnerable to maliciously crafted text messages. Oh, hell.

As a result, [they] could send phones hidden commands, profile phones, or even exploit vulnerabilities that remotely disable a targeted phone's ability to send and receive calls or text messages.

Based on the behaviour of the phones they tested, they were able to create several kinds of automated attacks for various phone models, and determined a method an attacker could use to silently connect to mobile phones and retrieve information that permits the attacker to identify the make and model of phone, and other profiling information.

Still, there's good news and bad news:

The researchers are currently working with all major carriers and phone manufacturers to fix the problems, but warn that it may take some time before the vulnerabilities have been patched.

Windows netbook price leap

FAM Microsoft is betting ultra-thin laptops can steal business from netbooks and Apple this Christmas while providing the opportunity to sell more expensive copies of Windows.…

read more

Adobe has released a patch for a critical Flash Player problem that could let attackers take over people's computers through content viewed in a browser.

The vulnerability affected a file that shipped with Flash Player 9.x and 10.x for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, and with Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat 9.x for Windows, Macintosh and Unix. Adobe said on Thursday it fixed the problem in a security advisory, and Adobe's Matt Rozen posted a note on Twitter that directed people to download the patched version from Adobe's Flash download site.

Section: Software Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for July 30, 2009:

Macintosh

• iFunia has announced the new DVD Ripper family, a series of DVD ripping applications for the Mac, iPhone, PSP and other devices that addresses the primary conversion needs of Mac users. With its ‘3-step’ and intelligently styled interface, iFunia DVD Ripper family enables consumers to efficiently and effectively rip unprotected DVD to appropriate format for enjoying entertainment on personal consumers or portable devices such as Apple iPod, iPhone, Sony PSP, Zune and Smartphones.
• ShareAppScreen has launched a new service that uses a Dashboard Widget to share the iPhone home screen with Mac OS X. With it users can share the iPhone home screen, as well as post ratings, comments, and videos. The interface retains the look and feel of the iPhone OS
• Nodhead Software has announced Warranty Hero 1.3, a major update to their product and warranty utility for Mac OS X. Warranty Hero allows anyone to manage receipts quickly and easily keep track of a products life-span and its accompanying warranty guarantee. With a focus on ease-of-use, adding new product information is as simple as entering its name, vendor, purchase dateand a time the warranty expires. Optional information for serial number, price, product image.
• Macweed has announced their new Macweed Creative Bundle of thirteen applications for Mac users. Offered at an incredible price, the Bundle is offered for a limited time. It’s a unique bargain for some great software and at the same time helping the Italian Red Cross. 20% percent of all proceeds from this bundle will be donated to the Italian Red Cross in an effort to help the thousands of people displaced by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit the Abruzzo region of Italy.
• Vinotekasoft has announced Vinoteka 1.2, a major update to their ultimate wine cellar management solution for Mac OS X. In a unique and gorgeous interface showing bottles, cellars and tasting notes, Vinoteka brings the best wine cellar management experience to Mac users. Customizable and user-friendly, straight-to-the point and nevertheless very professional, Vinoteka is the ultimate companion every wine lover needs. Version 1.2 sports many new feature improvements and a recommended update.
• DEVONtechnologies, LLC has released the sixth public beta of version 2.0 of all editions of its information manager DEVONthink as well as of the smart note-keeper DEVONnote. The sixth public beta of DEVONthink 2.0 and DEVONnote 2.0 adds a first bunch of PDF annotation functions to DEVONthink, a further enhanced interactive web interface and many further enhancements.
• 360Works has announced the launch of 360Works SafetyNet, the first automated offsite backup plugin designed specifically for FileMaker Server solutions. SafetyNet makes it easy to set up remote backup routines for FileMaker Server administrators. Files are stored on Amazon’s cloud-based online file storage service, which runs on the same reliable and fast infrastructure that Amazon uses to run its own global network. Easy to use, low cost remote backup solution for FileMaker files.
• Every month, FMWebschool releases an exciting FileMaker newsletter to over 8500 FileMaker enthusiasts. Each issue is chock full of free FileMaker sample files, how-to workshops and articles on how to grow your business. This month we include two free unlocked sample files. FM Messenger enables you to chat with other FileMaker users. Think of a FileMaker Instant Messaging system built with FileMaker. Mac Address Book Sync enables you to sync your address book with FileMaker and the iPhone.

iPhone/iPod

• For over 30 years, the Weekly World News has been “the Worldʼs ONLY Reliable News Source,” revealing the truth about UFOs, aliens, monsters, Elvis’ whereabouts, cryptids, popular celebrities, and the mutant freaks who live among us. Now, for the first time, you can download the finest and most hysterical Weekly World News covers straight to your iPhone or iPod Touch without visiting the supermarket!
• Spendthrift Studios has released a new iPhone game titled Blockit! (iTunes App Store link), a simple and addictive game where you try to stop spikes from popping a bubble. Taps create up to three blocks to stop the spikes, but the catch is that the blocks don’t stay forever—adding a fourth block makes the first block created disappear. It’s pick-up-and-play fun for newbies but allows a deeper game for the pros, since block placement can become very strategic.
• iHanWel has announced iDay Deluxe 3.0, an update to their popular day calendar and event utility for iPhone and iPod Touch. iDay makes it easy to keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or any special event. Version 3.0 now supports the Apple Push Notifications Service. iDay will automatically update its badge to display any event as well as any new upcoming events for today, all without starting the application.
• Chillingo has launched their 3D survival shooter game for iPhone and iPod touch—Minigore—in Apple’s App Store. Minigore is all about John Gore, a little square fellow who finds himself surrounded by the Furries—hairy, round creatures with particularly sharp teeth. Your mission is to defend John at all cost from these creatures. The Furries come in three shapes and sizes: the small Minifurry, the Furry, and the lamentable Giant Furry. When hit, Giant Furries split into several Furries that, if destroyed, will further split into Minifurries. It’s Russian nesting dolls with a vengeance.
• CVZ Productions has released Daily Tracker 2.3, an update to their innovative personal organizer for iPhone and iPod Touch. Daily Tracker is a versatile organizer that allows you to track almost anything. Choose from an existing category such as calories, workouts, sleep, body weight or create your own. Version 2.3 features iPhone 3.0 support and sports many new improvements, including ability to add RSS Feeds to user defined lists and multiple themes.
• Bulkypix has announced the release of Daily Quizz: What Happened Today? for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Daily Quizz: What Happened Today? is a quiz that allows you to increase your general knowledge while having fun.
• Hog Bay Software has released WriteRoom.iPhone 2.0 for people who want to write and take notes on their iPhone. WriteRoom is a distraction free writing environment. Unlike Notes, WriteRoom provides a clean interface and tether free syncing. Full-screen editing is a new WriteRoom.iPhone 2.0 feature. In full-screen mode toolbars and the status bar fade away, leaving you with a distraction free view of your text.
• PlayScreen has taken puzzle gaming to a new dimension with Match 3D Flick Puzzle for the iPhone. Building on its founders’ decades of experience in the video game and entertainment industries, Match 3D Flick Puzzle takes puzzle gaming to the next level of graphics, animation and intensity.
• TechPad Productions today announced a contest, run via Twitter, to support its new iPhone application, iMEvil.  iMEvil is a deliciously evil new entertainment application featuring 32 professionally voiced lines by David Sobolov, one of the most notorious voices of evil in Video Games, TV and film.  As an incentive to new subscribers who would like to participate in the contest, the price of the app will be reduced from $1.99 to $.99.
• Indie game maker, Kieffer Bros. releases its first foray into the world of multiplayer apps. The game Hyper Puck turns a regular game of air hockey into a mad battlefield, pitting player against player over Wi-Fi. Players can also test their mettle against the CPU.
• Roundthird Interactive has released Radial 50 for iPhone and iPod touch. Radial 50 pays tribute to the classic brick-breaker games of past, but its new “spin” on the game features 360 degrees of action through 50 increasingly difficult rounds.
• Speck’s designers are at it again. Not content with “just another case” for “just another iPhone,” the team has crafted a whole new spin on the company’s popular CandyShell line â€" five new delicious two-tone color combos designed to take the award-winning outer hard shell/soft interior case to a new level. All CandyShell cases, past and present, are compatible with the new iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 3G.
• Scosche Industries, an award-winning innovator of mobile electronics and iPod accessories, has announced availability of the new “Works With iPhone” and “Made for iPod” certified IDR350M (Increased Dynamic Range) noise isolating earphones for the iPhone 3GS, iPod shuffle (Gen 3), iPod touch (Gen 2), iPod nano (Gen 4) and iPod classic 120GB.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Listed in: News , Opinions & Analysis Tags: Nintendo , iPhone , Telltale Games , Telltale O 10 A Telltale games employee who goes by the username Yare has claimed on the official Telltale forums that the Apple iPhone packs more power than Nintendo 's Wii home console.

"Apple is a member of the trad...

Read the full story here, from MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors

Section: Apple, Apple News, Steve Jobs, Conferences, Rumors

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple may be making a comeback to a technology convention held in January. No, not Macworld (which will be held in February in 2010), but instead, the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES. Macworld ‘09 was Apple’s last, leaving investors, consumers, reporters and bloggers alike wondering if Apple was permanently abandoning communicating information through the convention platform. CEA (the group that puts on CES) is looking to rebound from a 20% decrease in attendance at CES 2009 compared to the previous year. Its chief executive Gary Shapirio may have a trick up his sleeve to help the show out.

At a dinner with journalists this week in San Francisco, CEA’s Shapiro was asked whether he’s invited Jobs, who recently returned from medical leave, to keynote the show. Yes, Jobs has been asked, but nobody from Apple has gotten back to him, Shapiro said.

(I’ll pause as Apple fanboys collectively gasp.)

Should this hold true, a frailer-than-before Jobs will make his return to the keynote stage for the first time since 2008, barring any appearances in the remainder of 2009.  Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer and Intel’s Paul Otellini have already said they will conduct keynote presentations at CES, but if rumors turn into reality, Jobs will be there to steal the show.

However, gdgt’s Ryan Block, in retort to the WSJ report, has stated:

At no point did Gary even remotely imply that Apple would be present at a future CES—let alone state flatly that Apple “will be there” in 2010. In fact, at one point, someone asked if, hypothetically, Apple did want to attend CES, whether the CEA could accommodate them. Gary said flatly that if pressed, they might be able to come up with a small 2,000 square foot booth, but they couldn’t do anything, say, Microsoft-sized on such short notice.

Do you think Jobs will make a return to the keynote stage, or are Steve’s keynote days behind him?

Read [Engadget]

Full Story » | Written by Indraneel Purohit for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Apple News, Updates, iPod iTunes, iTunes, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps

It is very well known that there are some issues with Apple’s App Store in general. One of those issues—up until this point—has been how hard it is to find certain applications that may have an unusual name. In order to help solve this problem, Apple is now asking developers to add 255 characters worth of keyword search terms to their applications. These words, which developers separate with commas, will feed into a search algorithm to make it easier to locate applications. Hopefully Apple won’t be accepting or denying these search terms.

“It is important to enter keywords for all applications as soon as possible so your application can continue to be successfully located on the App Store,” the update from Apple reads. “Keywords can be updated with the submission of a new binary.” It’s nice to see Apple taking some steps towards improving the App Store. I hope, however, that this leads to the solutions of the larger problems, such as the submission process.

Via [AppleInsider]

Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Software Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iPod nano, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for July 29, 2009:

Macintosh

• IDG World Expo has announced that they are now accepting discount hotel reservations for Macworld 2010 from February 9 through February 13, 2010. The hotels are the San Francisco Marriott ($259 per night, 1 block from Convention Center) and InterContinental San Francisco ($229 per night, adjacent to the West Hall and 1 block from North Hall). To reserve your room, visit resweb.passkey.com/go/MW2010, or view the full hotel list and early bird rate offers (which end on Sunday, November 15th) at www.macworldexpo.com.
• Matthew Butch of Volitans Software and Rudy Boonstra of R Engineering Inc. have announced ModbusProbe 1.0.0, an application for Mac OS X to poll ModBus enabled control system devices. The application allows connecting to a device and displaying the register data in the device. ModBus Probe is based on ModBusKit, a Mac OS X framework that is being released as open source software to encourage further development of ModBus applications.
• iPresentee has released iWeb Themes 5.0 to be used with Apple’s Web site building application. iWeb Themes 5.0 include five new superb themes. The new release extends iPresentee’s iWeb themes collection up to forty five themes. Each iWeb theme incorporates a number of different graphic elements which can be easily removed, moved and changed in size, opacity or color. All themes incorporates endless background, therefore website can be filled with different amount of information.
• Macware is offering a discount at over half-off for MacBurn until August 1st. MacBurn brings the power of CD and DVD burning in one easy-to-use application for data DVDs, multi-session data CDs, audio CDs and more. Burn backups of your data or make a mix of your favorite tunes with a few simple clicks. You can even burn discs that can be read on Mac’s, PC’s or both. Burn backups of your data or make a mix of your favorite tunes with just a few simple clicks.
• Prosoft Engineering, Inc. has announced the availability of Drive Genius 2.2, an update to its award-winning disk utility. Drive Genius 2.2 now supports Snow Leopard, improves defragmentation functionality and repartition performance, and adds other improvements.
• RadTech has announced the STM Turtle hard shell laptop sleeve. The horizontal-loading STM Turtle keeps your notebook protected from impacts, soiling and scratches within a rigid, protective shell. Constructed from compressed EVA with a simple and attractive post and band closure system that speeds access to your notebook. The unique and stylish Turtle is designed to keep your laptop safe from the bumps and scratches that it normally encounters on a daily basis.
• Macgamestore.com has announced the release of Burger Shop 2, the sequel to the wildly popular restaurant management game created by GoBit, Inc. In Burger Shop 2 you must rebuild your restaurant empire, adding new twists to your menu to entice new customers while uncovering the truth about what happened to your original restaurant chain. Burger Shop 2 features 120 levels of story mode, 120 levels of expert mode and endless play in Challenge and Relax Mode.
• Jumsoft has added a new product to its selection of templates for Apple’s iWork: Numbers Templates, created for both home and professional users to assist in work that requires careful planning or calculation. The package includes 10 spreadsheet templates. Each template includes appropriate tables or checklists and illustrates the given information with graphs and charts where applicable.
• Eltima Software has released Recover PDF Password, their popular password recovery tool for Mac OS X. The new version of Recover PDF Password enables Mac users to drag and drop a file into the app, press the Decrypt button and immediately save a copy of the file with protection removed. It supports all character encodings and is able to recover passwords, typed in any language and in any keyboard layout. Recover PDF Password can retrieve Unicode Passwords for protected Acrobat 9.x files.

iPhone/iPod

• Appmodo is holding its first promotional code and grand prize giveaway next week, beginning August 3, 2009 at 12:00AM PST and ending August 7, 2009 at 11:59 PM PST. Each contestant has the chance to win a promotional code good for one (1) iPhone or iPod Touch application, or two winners have the chance to win our grand prize, a $20 dollar gift card sponsored by Gameloft.
• Until September 30, MiRE Software will be holding an iPhone app idea contest. Simply give them the best idea for an iPhone application. They’ll develop the winning suggestion and offer you 25% of the profit from your idea for as long as the application is available in AppStore. Developing an idea can be very expensive if you don’t know anything about programming, but this is not a problem since MiRE will cover all the costs during the making of the application. October 1st, they will announce the winner/winners.
• WalletWhiz is your personal financial tool for easily tracking your spending habits against a budget. Unlike most budget applications on the App Store, WalletWhiz gives you the choice of managing your budget through a unique Calendar view, a traditional Categories view, or both. By using the Calendar view in tandem with the Categories view, you can manage your budget more efficiently.
• Ultimake Ltd today has announced MyPhone 2.0, an update to their popular dialer and Facebook synchronization application for the iPhone. MyPhone is an all-in-one premium dialer and Facebook synchronization application. It provides all dialing options: keypad, contact list and favorites, while keeping the iPhone contacts up to date with the latest profile picture and information from Facebook.
• Zepherella, the creator of No-Surprise Healthcare Pricing, has begun piloting an iPhone compatible application to supplement zepherella.com.  Building on the belief that healthcare pricing should be upfront and available to patients, Zepherella gives physicians a quick and convenient way to inform their patients about the cost of their medical care from inside the exam room.
• Bulkypix has announced a 50% promotional price drop on Hysteria Project for iPhone and iPod Touch. Hysteria Project is the first ever live action interactive game series, which features quick-time events interspersed with user-made decisions that branch the intense, atmospheric horror/survival storyline.
• Los Angeles Entertainment Group have introduced a 7-day sale for their Power Grid game, allowing users to buy it at 80% off. Power Grid is a game with a basic concept of restoring power to an apartment building through the manipulation of blocks into various positions. Power Grid has recently generated a lot of media attention for its addictive gameplay and mass appeal to a large demographic of iPhone users.
• Connect2Media invites you to find the hero within yourself with the first update for the action-puzzler Go! Go! Rescue Squad (iTunes App Store link). Plus, get a whole free section of the game with Go! Go! Rescue Squad! Lite on the App Store now for free. This first update has been closely developed with fan feedback in mind, remedying all known issues and revamping several key elements, such as the control method and smoothing off the often harsh difficulty spikes.
• Joby, the world renowned designer of the Gorillapod line of innovative camera tripods, is pleased to announce the Gorillamobile. Representing the first product in a new product line, the Gorillamobile promises unparalleled tripod compatibility for almost all mobile devices. Featuring the critically acclaimed ball‐and‐socket tripod legs that affix to and balance on any surface, the Gorillamobile provides consumers with a universal system for mounting any portable device. Photo‐taking, video‐recording, talking and movie‐watching have never been easier!

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Software Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for July 27, 2009:

Macintosh

• CampSoftware has released FMSmallBusiness 1.4.1, which includes thirty one updates. The majority of the updates were items requested by users including the “Copy to Clipboard” items and “Common Documents” features, making referring to text and documents simple. Videos and Screenshots are available including screenshots of the updated iPhone interface. FMSmallBusiness is a FileMaker based database great for managing the contacts, calendars, invoice, and more for small businesses.
• IGG Software, has announced its “Why Wait Another Day?” rebate offer to all Quicken users. Frustrated Quicken users still searching for an alternate, Mac-based program to manage their personal finances now have 20 more reasons to switch to iBank. Paid iBank downloads from the IGG Software online store are qualified for this rebate offer, as are all registered purchases of iBank made after July 10, 2009.
• This month, Mariner celebrates 19 years of being in business. While they would like to thank you personally for your support over the past year, they thought a better way might be to have a one-of-a-kind blowout in our online store. For the next few days, receive 40% off any of their products! To order, just visit their eStore, enter the promo code “HB19,” click the Go button, and continue on with your order.
• Livescribe, Inc., and Vision Objects announced today the availability of a handwriting-to-text transcription service for Mac users, bringing handwriting-recognition software to a larger community of Pulse smartpen users. Mac users can download a 30-day free trial or buy MyScript for Livescribe online from Vision Objects, an expert in ergonomic, easy-to-use alternatives for text input.

iPhone/iPod

• Alex Jordan at Mactropolis wants Apple to fix the App Store, and he’s got the whole earth behind him.
• Have you ever wanted a simple “Yes” or “No” answer to life’s many questions, served with a dose of advice and a splash of wit? Then this is the app for you! Ask Happy Buddha is designed to simplify your life with a sense of humor. His answers may not always be what you seek but they will surely amuse you.
• Potis Productions has released iToss (iTunes App Store link), its newest app for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. iToss is a ridiculously fun App that turns any iPhone or iPod Touch into a virtual Frisbee.  iToss has two different games built into one: Target Practice and City Smack. Target Practice is a fun and easy way to get comfortable throwing the virtual Frisbee. It has three increasingly hard levels. City Smack takes users on a tour of major cities around the world and puts their target practice to the true test of their skills: hitting stuff!
• Independent developer Assyria Game Studio has revealed its debut mobile title due for release on iPhone and iPod Touch. The incredibly slick Future Racer is a high speed, anti-gravity racer boasting fully 3D environments and a wide range of fiendish tracks set to test your reflexes to the limit.
• Tiki Labs has announced Tikitic, a mix of Tetris, Boggle and Memory. The purpose is to shoot the letters that fall down the screen, making words before they hit the ground and pile up as in Tetris. The distinctive feature of Tikitic is that the game plays with a brand new keyboard that allows you to slide and reach an astonishing speed rate.
• dPompa has introduced Matalot 1.0, their new intelligent task manager for iPhone and iPod Touch. Developed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities, Matalot offers a unique yet fresh perspective on ToDo management. All relevant tasks are exactly one touch away, and intelligently organized in real time based on various task properties, including priority, schedule and real time filtering by the users physical location.
• eCOMPOSITE has announced 321run 1.1, an update for the running coach app on the iPhone. 321run builds on its success and adds exporting your runs to other applications, such as Trailrunner, or web applications, such as TrailMapping. Of course you still get the coach and trainings that makes 321run so special. Having a coach to track your progress allows you to plan when you want to run, and listening to the coach helps you start easily and get in better shape day after day.
• Sauce Digital has announced Nano Rally for iPhone and iPod touch. Nano Rally is a top-down driving game in which you drive miniaturized cars around various tracks, all based on different household environments, to see what time you post.  One minute you could find yourself power-sliding around the end of a spring onion, then falling off a precariously balanced ruler the next.
• Bulkypix and Motion Twin have announce an 80% promotional price drop on My Brute iPhone iPod Touch. My Brute is a crazy, off-the-wall game of combat that gives you the chance to challenge fighters from all over the world. You simply take on a series of challenges, gain experience, unlock new skills, and crush your enemies with ever-greater speed.
• SlotZ Racer from Freeverse and Strange Flavour has been updated. Now fully compatible with iPhone OS 3.0, SlotZ Racer’s Music Playback and gameplay are now perfected for the most exhilarating iPhone and iPod Touch racing experience possible. Players can now step up their game with new Snow and Dirt scenery objects. Slippery tracks and dirt traction make SlotZ Racer an unbeatable thrill for the slot car enthusiast and speed demon alike! To celebrate, the price is being dropped to 99c for a limited time.
• Sunset Lake Software has released a free version of their Pi Cubed visual math application for iPhone and iPod touch. Pi Cubed Lite shares the same animated equation typesetting and evaluation engine as the full version of the application. Students, scientists, and engineers can use this application to perform calculations just as they would on a chalkboard. The free Lite version lacks the advanced equation storage, organization, and export features of the full version.
• Phonex Communication Inc., a Japanese software publisher, has introduced a series of three talking aids running on Apple’s iPhone for English speakers traveling abroad, entitled “YUBISASHI JAPAN”, “YUBISASHI CHINA” and “YUBISASHI SPAIN” respectively.
• Geppetto, Inc., has announced the release of iYamato Lite for iPhone and iPod touch. iYamato is a shooting game that allows you to operate the Yamato, the largest and strongest battleship that was said to be unsinkable. This application reproduces a vicious attack against your enemies. The unsinkable battleship Yamato won’t be damaged by some of the enemies attacks, so anyone (even those not good at shooting games) can enjoy the heat of battle.
• Rock Ridge Games has announced the release of Solution Zero for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed by a Mensa member and noted video game AI author, Solution Zero offers 4 levels of difficulty, providing age-appropriate challenges for everyone from elementary students to math geniuses. Future game updates will feature an online leaderboard, where players can compute and compete against other puzzlers worldwide.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

FROM GADGETELL - Although Steve Jobs once dismissed the idea of an Apple e-reader by proclaiming people don’t read, the rumors that Apple plans to release an internet tablet later this year has many believing it’s the company’s answer to Amazon’s Kindle.
MORE »

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Section: Software Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for July 23, 2009:

Macintosh

• CrumplePop has announced the availability of CrumplePop Reflector, a set of high quality reflection effects that can be dropped directly onto the Final Cut Pro timeline. CrumplePop Reflector includes 26 different reflection effects. It lets you easily apply reflections to any clip or image by simply dragging and dropping. Reflections can be applied to full-motion video or still photos, against any background color or video layer.
• Blue Crowbar Software has released Aperture2Twitter 1.5 and iPhoto2Twitter 1.5, upgrades to its Twitter-plug-ins for Aperture and iPhoto, Apple’s photo editing and management applications. Both plug-ins let you send tweets and photos to Twitter without leaving your favorite Mac photo application. The new versions now add support for posting to Mobypicture, a service that makes it trivial to share photos and movies.
• Sona Software LLC has announced the release of Sona Vocabulary Assistant 1.0, a powerful multimedia tool for language learners, for Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista. Nine automatically generated activities provide engaging exercises for vocabulary enrichment. Sona Vocabulary Assistant gives users the ability to integrate sounds, images, video, examples in context, notes on usage, web links, and internet searches into word lists.
• Other World Computing (OWC) has announced that it has lowered prices on its Mercury Pro Blu-ray “Quad Interface” External Drive line and has introduced two new special Mac bundles that include the full $149.99 retail version of Toast 10 Titanium Pro, the easiest tool for Mac users to burn music, video, photos, and data files onto CD, DVD, and Blu-ray discs. The Mercury Pro Blu-ray Quad Interface External Drives are the only Blu-ray burners on the market that provide the flexibility of a Quad Interface of FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, & eSATA for Plug & Play compatibility with both Windows and Macintosh systems.
• FontGear, Inc., has announced the release of FontGenius for Macintosh v1.0. FontGenius is a font identification utility for Macintosh that examines pictures and identifies typefaces of any text within a picture. Using advanced recognition technology, FontGenius will produce a list of likely fonts that match selected characters within an image, and will generate character previews of the matched fonts.
• InfoLogic, Inc. has announced MathMagic 6.4, their award-winning equation editing suite for Mac OS X. This release includes MathMagic Personal Edition, MathMagic Pro Edition for Adobe InDesign, and MathMagic Pro Edition for QuarkXPress. With a focus on ease-of-use and equation quality, MathMagic is an equation editor for mathematical equations and symbols. Version 6.4 adds more OpenType fonts, supports automatic font activation, Macros for file naming, and includes new or enhanced features.

iPhone/iPod

• Today at Comic-Con International, Iconology Inc. announced the launch of its Comics by comiXology app (iTunes App Store link). The Comics by comiXology App is a digital comic store, library and reader for iPhone and iPod touch that is launching with over 100 titles available from twenty popular comic publishers and many independent comic writers.
• Cellnavi Corporation has released an adventure game, iEscaper! - Escape from the Ninja’s Lair, for iPhone and iPod touch. The player must escape the ninja’s lair by searching for items and hints concealed in the rooms to solve the mysteries.
• 3Side Studios has released Crush Bunny 1.0. Crush Bunny sees the player protecting a field of rabbits from meteorites and other hazards. Crush Bunny includes 25 action packed levels, which introduce the player to new hazards, mini games and power items power items that can be used to protect the bunnies or influence their behavior.
• Zicron Software Limited has introduced Years 1.0, their new event calendar for iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and interface, Years is a year calendar for easily referencing dates and tracking daily events using colored scribbles. Simple and easy-to-use, Years is helpful for tracking holidays, shift work, medical treatments or any other daily events.
• Curious Toys has announced that the Sea Captain video game for iPhone and iPod Touch is now available for purchase in the iTunes App Store. Sea Captain is an action/strategy game that has players acting as the navigator of all ships docking into their respective ports.  Players use fingers to direct the path of each ship to its dock of the same color.  The simplicity ends with the convergence of multiple ships, all in danger of colliding with one another, wily pirates and floating icebergs.
• Marigo Holdings has announced the release of its first iPhone application under its new SpeedDial program. Under this new program, pre-paid calling card companies will be able to license Marigo Holdings’ Card Caller technology to offer existing customers with iPhones the convenience of direct dialing at calling card rates.  SpeedDial for Pingo is the first auto-dialer under the program.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

FROM GADGETELL - Another week, another round up of ideas that could use some time in a facility upstate.  This week, we’ll look at the craziness brought about thanks to: RadioShack, Barnes & Noble, Apple forces Google to go web app, and MS up APPL down. 
MORE »

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Section: Apple, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps

Google has announced an iPhone compatible version of their Latitude mobile app. Latitude provides the same functionality as the Google-owned Dodgeball (now defunct), but also allows users to track their friends on Google’s Gmail contact list via Google Maps. Previously, Latitude was available for Google Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Symbian’s S60.

Curiously, Latitude has been released as a web app for the iPhone, as the iPhone OS 3.0 enables Mobile Safari to determine the location of your device.

We worked closely with Apple to bring Latitude to the iPhone in a way Apple thought would be best for iPhone users. After we developed a Latitude application for the iPhone, Apple requested we release Latitude as a web application in order to avoid confusion with Maps on the iPhone, which uses Google to serve maps tiles.

Ouch. Apple has even denied a Google app from the App Store. Apple and Google could have integrated the functionality into Maps on the iPhone, but perhaps that would have been dangerous for the average iPhone user.

Try Google Latitude on your iPhone by visiting Google.com.

Read [Google Mobile Blog]

Full Story » | Written by Indraneel Purohit for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Software Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iPod nano, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for July 29, 2009:

Macintosh

• IDG World Expo has announced that they are now accepting discount hotel reservations for Macworld 2010 from February 9 through February 13, 2010. The hotels are the San Francisco Marriott ($259 per night, 1 block from Convention Center) and InterContinental San Francisco ($229 per night, adjacent to the West Hall and 1 block from North Hall). To reserve your room, visit resweb.passkey.com/go/MW2010, or view the full hotel list and early bird rate offers (which end on Sunday, November 15th) at www.macworldexpo.com.
• Matthew Butch of Volitans Software and Rudy Boonstra of R Engineering Inc. have announced ModbusProbe 1.0.0, an application for Mac OS X to poll ModBus enabled control system devices. The application allows connecting to a device and displaying the register data in the device. ModBus Probe is based on ModBusKit, a Mac OS X framework that is being released as open source software to encourage further development of ModBus applications.
• iPresentee has released iWeb Themes 5.0 to be used with Apple’s Web site building application. iWeb Themes 5.0 include five new superb themes. The new release extends iPresentee’s iWeb themes collection up to forty five themes. Each iWeb theme incorporates a number of different graphic elements which can be easily removed, moved and changed in size, opacity or color. All themes incorporates endless background, therefore website can be filled with different amount of information.
• Macware is offering a discount at over half-off for MacBurn until August 1st. MacBurn brings the power of CD and DVD burning in one easy-to-use application for data DVDs, multi-session data CDs, audio CDs and more. Burn backups of your data or make a mix of your favorite tunes with a few simple clicks. You can even burn discs that can be read on Mac’s, PC’s or both. Burn backups of your data or make a mix of your favorite tunes with just a few simple clicks.
• Prosoft Engineering, Inc. has announced the availability of Drive Genius 2.2, an update to its award-winning disk utility. Drive Genius 2.2 now supports Snow Leopard, improves defragmentation functionality and repartition performance, and adds other improvements.
• RadTech has announced the STM Turtle hard shell laptop sleeve. The horizontal-loading STM Turtle keeps your notebook protected from impacts, soiling and scratches within a rigid, protective shell. Constructed from compressed EVA with a simple and attractive post and band closure system that speeds access to your notebook. The unique and stylish Turtle is designed to keep your laptop safe from the bumps and scratches that it normally encounters on a daily basis.
• Macgamestore.com has announced the release of Burger Shop 2, the sequel to the wildly popular restaurant management game created by GoBit, Inc. In Burger Shop 2 you must rebuild your restaurant empire, adding new twists to your menu to entice new customers while uncovering the truth about what happened to your original restaurant chain. Burger Shop 2 features 120 levels of story mode, 120 levels of expert mode and endless play in Challenge and Relax Mode.
• Jumsoft has added a new product to its selection of templates for Apple’s iWork: Numbers Templates, created for both home and professional users to assist in work that requires careful planning or calculation. The package includes 10 spreadsheet templates. Each template includes appropriate tables or checklists and illustrates the given information with graphs and charts where applicable.
• Eltima Software has released Recover PDF Password, their popular password recovery tool for Mac OS X. The new version of Recover PDF Password enables Mac users to drag and drop a file into the app, press the Decrypt button and immediately save a copy of the file with protection removed. It supports all character encodings and is able to recover passwords, typed in any language and in any keyboard layout. Recover PDF Password can retrieve Unicode Passwords for protected Acrobat 9.x files.

iPhone/iPod

• Appmodo is holding its first promotional code and grand prize giveaway next week, beginning August 3, 2009 at 12:00AM PST and ending August 7, 2009 at 11:59 PM PST. Each contestant has the chance to win a promotional code good for one (1) iPhone or iPod Touch application, or two winners have the chance to win our grand prize, a $20 dollar gift card sponsored by Gameloft.
• Until September 30, MiRE Software will be holding an iPhone app idea contest. Simply give them the best idea for an iPhone application. They’ll develop the winning suggestion and offer you 25% of the profit from your idea for as long as the application is available in AppStore. Developing an idea can be very expensive if you don’t know anything about programming, but this is not a problem since MiRE will cover all the costs during the making of the application. October 1st, they will announce the winner/winners.
• WalletWhiz is your personal financial tool for easily tracking your spending habits against a budget. Unlike most budget applications on the App Store, WalletWhiz gives you the choice of managing your budget through a unique Calendar view, a traditional Categories view, or both. By using the Calendar view in tandem with the Categories view, you can manage your budget more efficiently.
• Ultimake Ltd today has announced MyPhone 2.0, an update to their popular dialer and Facebook synchronization application for the iPhone. MyPhone is an all-in-one premium dialer and Facebook synchronization application. It provides all dialing options: keypad, contact list and favorites, while keeping the iPhone contacts up to date with the latest profile picture and information from Facebook.
• Zepherella, the creator of No-Surprise Healthcare Pricing, has begun piloting an iPhone compatible application to supplement zepherella.com.  Building on the belief that healthcare pricing should be upfront and available to patients, Zepherella gives physicians a quick and convenient way to inform their patients about the cost of their medical care from inside the exam room.
• Bulkypix has announced a 50% promotional price drop on Hysteria Project for iPhone and iPod Touch. Hysteria Project is the first ever live action interactive game series, which features quick-time events interspersed with user-made decisions that branch the intense, atmospheric horror/survival storyline.
• Los Angeles Entertainment Group have introduced a 7-day sale for their Power Grid game, allowing users to buy it at 80% off. Power Grid is a game with a basic concept of restoring power to an apartment building through the manipulation of blocks into various positions. Power Grid has recently generated a lot of media attention for its addictive gameplay and mass appeal to a large demographic of iPhone users.
• Connect2Media invites you to find the hero within yourself with the first update for the action-puzzler Go! Go! Rescue Squad (iTunes App Store link). Plus, get a whole free section of the game with Go! Go! Rescue Squad! Lite on the App Store now for free. This first update has been closely developed with fan feedback in mind, remedying all known issues and revamping several key elements, such as the control method and smoothing off the often harsh difficulty spikes.
• Joby, the world renowned designer of the Gorillapod line of innovative camera tripods, is pleased to announce the Gorillamobile. Representing the first product in a new product line, the Gorillamobile promises unparalleled tripod compatibility for almost all mobile devices. Featuring the critically acclaimed ball‐and‐socket tripod legs that affix to and balance on any surface, the Gorillamobile provides consumers with a universal system for mounting any portable device. Photo‐taking, video‐recording, talking and movie‐watching have never been easier!

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Reviews

Category: Productivity
Developer: The App Nursery
Requirements: iPhone 2.1 software, Adobe Air installed on computer
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch
File Size: 0.6 Mb
Version Reviewed: 1.1
Price: Free

Clip2Mobile is a program that lets you wirelessly send text and files (including pdfs, video, and music) between your home computer and your iPhone/iPod touch. Now this is a dead useful thing to do, especially since Apple has gone out if its way to not implement such features.

Hey, does anyone else feel that iPhone ownership is kind of like being in a bad relationship? Apple goes crazy lavishing you with features and making you feel like you’re the bestest guy in the world when you’re seen in public together, but from out of nowhere you’ll ask for something that seems simple and/or reasonable, and they turn cold and say, “No. You can’t have that.” Why not? “If you have to ask I’m not going to tell you.”

The last feature Clip2Mobile tries to implement is the ability to add contacts. A pop-up dialogue will ask you if you want the information to be added in your Contacts application, and that works fine. But when I clicked “no,” the information would sometimes disappear all together: I didn’t even get a copy of the note I’d sent myself.

FROM GADGETELL - For all the time we’ve been using cell phones, we’ve never had to worry about someone else trying to control them, unless they steal them, that is.  It’s just not something one would think about, especially not when using the iPhone.  Apple has a history of security with its desktops,… MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Why would Apple let an iTunes rival run on the iPhone? Seb Janacek offers several plausible explanations.

Gloriously sexy online music service Spotify has submitted an iPhone app to Apple for entry into the iTunes Store.

Simon Fox, chief executive of HMV, and Pascal Cagni, the Apple European head, said to be on ITV chief executive shortlist

Simon Fox, the chief executive of HMV, and Pascal Cagni, the head of Apple's European operation, have emerged as leading candidates in a shortlist to become the next chief executive of ITV.

About six candidates are understood to have met ITV's board last week in what is considered to be potentially a final round of interviews to find a replacement for Michael Grade.

The shortlist is thought to include Guillaume de Posch, the former chief executive and chairman of ProSiebenSat.1, and former BSkyB chief executive Tony Ball.

Ball had been an early frontrunner, promoted heavily by a faction of ITV's shareholders, however his appointment as a non-executive director to BT's board last month raised questions over conflicts of interest.

The early public lobbying of Ball is not thought to have played well with ITV's nominations committee, which is chaired by former HBOS chief executive James Crosby. Although Fox lacks direct media experience his role in turning around beleaguered music retailer HMV is thought to have played well with the task facing embattled ITV.

Internal candidate John Cresswell, ITV's chief operating officer, is now considered to be an outside option and Rupert Howell, ITV's managing director of operations, is not thought to have progressed to the final stage of the recruitment process.

Some analysts have held out hope that an appointment might be announced at ITV's half-year results, due to be reported next Thursday, although many observers believe this timeline to be overly optimistic. It is expected that September is more likely for an announcement.

According to a source close to the process the hunt for a new chief executive may not yet be in its final stages. Headhunter Russell Reynolds pledged to conduct a full and thorough review of all candidates.

It is not known if candidates including John Smith, the chief executive of BBC Worldwide, who is away this week, and Malcolm Wall, the former head of Virgin Media's content division, are still in contention.

Michael Grade will remain non-executive chairman after the appointment of a new chief executive.

ITV, the UK's largest commercial broadcaster, is struggling to cope with the global ad slump. Revenue at ITV1, which accounts for 39% of all UK TV ad spend, fell 20% year on year in the first six months.

Simon Fox, the chief executive of HMV, and Pascal Cagni, the head of Apple's European operation, have emerged as leading candidates in a shortlist to become the next chief executive of ITV.

About six candidates are understood to have met ITV's board last week in what is considered to be potentially a final round of interviews to find a replacement for Michael Grade.

The shortlist is thought to include Guillaume de Posch, the former chief executive and chairman of ProSiebenSat.1, and former BSkyB chief executive Tony Ball.

Ball had been an early frontrunner, promoted heavily by a faction of ITV's shareholders, however his appointment as a non-executive director to BT's board last month raised questions over conflicts of interest.

The early public lobbying of Ball is not thought to have played well with ITV's nominations committee, which is chaired by former HBOS chief executive James Crosby. Although Fox lacks direct media experience his role in turning around beleaguered music retailer HMV is thought to have played well with the task facing embattled ITV.

Internal candidate John Cresswell, ITV's chief operating officer, is now considered to be an outside option and Rupert Howell, ITV's managing director of operations, is not thought to have progressed to the final stage of the recruitment process.

Some analysts have held out hope that an appointment might be announced at ITV's half-year results, due to be reported next Thursday, although many observers believe this timeline to be overly optimistic. It is expected that September is more likely for an announcement.

According to a source close to the process the hunt for a new chief executive may not yet be in its final stages. Headhunter Russell Reynolds pledged to conduct a full and thorough review of all candidates.

It is not known if candidates including John Smith, the chief executive of BBC Worldwide, who is away this week, and Malcolm Wall, the former head of Virgin Media's content division, are still in contention.

Michael Grade will remain non-executive chairman after the appointment of a new chief executive.

ITV, the UK's largest commercial broadcaster, is struggling to cope with the global ad slump. Revenue at ITV1, which accounts for 39% of all UK TV ad spend, fell 20% year on year in the first six months.

iPhone apps could soon be bigger than YouTube. But who is making all the money here? Apple, the developers,or no one at all?

One day, Lance Stewart was trying to get out of Oxford Circus tube station in a hurry. "I got off the train and suddenly found myself behind a huge crowd of people blocking my way to the exit. I was just an average Joe in the rat race getting frustrated by being stuck behind the crowds."

Then Stewart had a brainwave. What he needed was to get the jump on the crowds by knowing which carriage he should board to arrive at the platform exit. If he somehow knew, for every station platform on the London Underground network, which carriage would arrive at a station next to the platform exit, he would never be stuck behind foot-dragging tourists again.

And then he had an even better idea. He would put all this information into the form of an iPhone application for other commuters. He would sell it to them and quit his job working for Virgin. Only one problem: there are more than 700 platforms at London Underground's 268 stations. "At first I hired somebody to go round the stations compiling the data, but they didn't do a very good job, so I did it myself." He then approached an apps developer with his idea. "I know nothing about creating an app â€" I didn't even have an iPhone at the time. I just had the content."

Tube Exits has been a popular iPhone app since its launch on 16 June. It comes in two versions: one is free but only gives you the information for the Underground's busiest 12 stations, the other costs £1.79 and covers the whole network. "The idea was that it was the price of a zone 1 ticket, but you could use it again and again." Has the app made the 33-year-old Australian rich? "Nah. It's covered my costs, which were about £3,000, but it certainly isn't a retirement plan." That said, Stewart is now developing a similar app for the Paris Metro and sees no reason why his original idea can't be applied to other metro networks around the world. I point out to Stewart that his isn't a new idea: there used to be a little booklet giving London Underground users the same information. "The great thing about my app is that it can be changed really quickly when users report errors," counters Stewart. "I made a mistake about how to get out of Temple station and have now corrected it. I can revise and revise until it's perfect."

Tube Exits is just one of an estimated 100,000 apps that will exist by the end of this year. Apps are mobile applications designed to be used on smartphones such as iPhones or BlackBerrys or devices such as the iPod Touch. Ilja Laurs, chief executive of GetJar, a leading independent application store, told the MobileBeats conference in San Francisco earlier this month that apps could be bigger than the internet by 2020. Some 65,000 apps are currently available for Apple's iPhones from the corporation's App Store, which marked its first anniversary earlier this summer. But in that year, the apps industry has grown exponentially â€" the total number of Apple's App Store downloads recently passed the 1.5bn mark.

The App Store's success is reportedly a surprise to Apple, but presumably an even bigger and nastier one to competitors such as Research in Motion (who make BlackBerrys) and Nokia (the world's biggest mobile phone maker). The App Store's staggering success has led nearly every maker of a smartphone operating system to mimic Apple's business model: make it very easy for smartphone users to buy or freely download software created by from third-party developers.

At the moment Apple has something of a stranglehold on apps: Tube Exits is typical in that it can only be used on Apple mobile hardware (ie iPhones and iPod Touches). Apple has even won, if unwittingly, the battle of nomenclature: apps could have just as easily been called programmes or software but instead they are called apps, echoing the corporation's first syllable and thus stressing their seemingly umbilical link to one particular supplier of smartphone hardware.

What are apps? Some are games (such as Who Has The Biggest Brain?, which was played by 25 million people on the internet before being launched as an iPhone app, and its rival The Moron Test), some are silly (one allows you to download the image of a fan on to the screen of your iPhone, the aim being to make you feel cooler), some are edifying (one app consists of an audiobook of Hegel's Lectures on the Philosophy of History, whose text scrolls on the phone's screen as you hear it read aloud). Among the most popular is a now venerable one called iBeer, which transforms your iPhone into the simulation of a beer glass. Tilt it to your mouth and you seem to be drinking beer. There is even a way of seeming to pour virtual beer from one iPhone to another. And they say technology is all about progress.

In the first few months of the App Store, amateur software developers made tens of thousands of pounds each from fatuous software downloaded by iPhone-owning hipsters with, or so you might think, more money than sense â€" and far, far too much free time. Thus, Kostas Eleftheriou, 25, spent a week developing the iSteam application, allowing iPhone users to scrawl messages on the virtual steamed-up screen of their phone, complete with droplets of condensation and squeaky sound effects â€" and made £40,000 from sales. Joel Comm developed iFart, which in its first few weeks earned him £5,000 a day. It allowed you to use your iPhone to make farting noises. Classy.

More recently, the most popular apps are those that enrich the users life in rather more sophisticated ways â€" or at least take the edge off some of life's (admittedly petty) problems. Hence, then, the success of an app such as Tube Exits or the free app Urbanspoon, which uses GPS to provide you with a list of restaurants near where you happen to be. It also allows you to check reviews of the restaurant before booking. Now, you can use an app to do the shopping, play a musical instrument or type an email as you walk along the street without getting (justifiably) filled in by oncoming pedestrians â€" see panel overleaf. Annoyingly, there was also, for a while, an app that enabled you to find train times while out and about. But, if you go to the website, you'll find only this message from the nameless developer: "I'm afraid National Rail Enquiries have asked us to take down our site, as we are using their resources server without permission." Shame.

What's especially striking about apps is how quickly they have become moneyspinners for Steve Jobs, founder and CEO of Apple. When the iPhone was launched, there were many sceptical voices. It was too expensive, too readily nickable, too much of a triumph of what techies could do over what customers wanted to be for it to be a success. Apps have changed all that. Apple's net revenue from apps â€" it takes 30% of each app sale â€" could overtake YouTube in 2010, says James Mitchell of Goldman Sachs. But, in a sense, that is not what is really important to Apple. What's really important is the sales of hardware these products generate. The iPhone, after all, is the major reason Apple's App Store exists in the first place. And they are selling well. Earlier this month, announcing recession-bucking quarterly revenue figures (up 12% on the same period last year, and generating record profits of $1.23bn), Jobs said: "iPhone is off to a great start â€" we hope to sell our one-millionth iPhone by the end of its first full quarter of sales â€" and our new product pipeline is very strong."

Bizarrely, given Apple's success, the California technology giant declined to be interviewed for this article, but analysts such as Jack Gold at J Gold Associates point out that apps have made iPhones and iPod Touches more desirable than initially seemed likely. "It's a great thing for Apple, and has established a whole ecosystem around the iPhone," says Gold, "but I'm not sure how much money the developers selling applications on it are making." Indeed, this is the most resonant aspect of the story: people such as Lance Stewart with a clever idea can get their apps developed in a cottage-industry milieu, but it is still the Apple empire that benefits most from their work and that seems zietgeisty and counter-cultural by association. Some 90% of apps don't make profits for those who create them. Apple would not tell me how much money it makes from its App Store.

Many apps are free. They seem, then, to demonstrate the truth of the freeconomics thesis developed by Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine, whereby consumers will have less and less cause to dip into their pockets to pay for product since the price is borne by advertisers. And this has happened with apps: advertising â€" to which apps users are exposed â€" bankrolls both Apple and the developers. That said, a recent survey found that most free apps don't make any money. Why? Because 54% of free apps have fewer than 1,000 users and as a result advertisers don't care to have their wares displayed before such meagre audiences. What's more, a large proportion of apps are bought or freely downloaded and then hardly ever used. Apple's business model seems to rest precariously on faddy customers' tastes.

Apple is ruthlessly astute in protecting its business model. Right now, it is considering whether to allow Spotify, the Stockholm-based music streaming service, to run an app on iPhone. It is a tricky issue for Apple because what Spotify plans to offer iPhone users â€" an unlimited on-demand music service â€" competes with Apple's own iTunes.

Simon Oliver's story typifies how app development has fostered creativity. Oliver dreamed of being a video games developer, but never managed to succeed in a cut-throat, heavily competitive market. Then he realised that he could design games as iPhone apps: the entry costs were lower and the competition less intense. He developed a game called Rolando, posted it on YouTube and was as a result approached by a games company, Ngmoco, which develops games apps for iPhone. Oliver says that the low barrier to entry means "that almost anyone with an idea can get their content out there".

Games apps, though, don't dominate the App Store. "There has been a shift since the App Store launched just over a year ago," says Stewart. "Originally the most popular were games devised to fill up the empty minutes of our lives or daft apps like the one that fogged your screen. Now, more and more, the successful apps are ones that actually improve your life or iron out real-life wrinkles." At this point in the interview, Stewart yelps loudly. He has just been informed by his ECB (English Cricket Board) app that Australia have lost another wicket in the test match. Whether that app has helped him with his life is a moot point.

But Stewart makes a good point: lifestyle apps are the new thing, and perhaps the only thing that will make the fad for apps endure. One indication of how apps are mutating came the other week on Top Gear, when Stephen Fry disclosed that there was a new app for cruising gay men. Called Grindr, it uses GPS technology to determine your exact location and gives you data on other cruising gay men nearby. "Guys into other guys are just a quick download away," says the blurb for Grindr. If you're new in town, the blurb adds, Grindr can help you find Mr Right or Mr Tonight. Hopefully it also helps you to give wide berths to Mr Wrong and Mr Never.

It's not just libidinous gay men who are finding that iPhone apps can appealingly finesse their lifestyles. The Catholic church has an app called iBreviary, which "allows the believer to pray simply via an intuitive interface", according to a communique from the Vatican's Council for Social Communications. iBreviary, which is free, is updated with prayers each day. There is also an app that keeps its users updated with the pope's recent speeches, so if the pope condemns gay social networking apps such as Grindr, they will probably be the first to know.

My favourite religious app is iBlessing, which is billed as "keeping you kosher via iPhone" and tells you the correct prayer to recite in Hebrew over a particular dish. Another Jewish app called Siddur uses the same GPS technology to give prayer times. I also like two Islamic apps: Ela-Salaaty reminds Muslims when to pray, while Face Makkah also uses GPS to tell you where Mecca is in relation to you, so that you can kneel in the right direction during prayer. The same GPS technology is also behind an app that enables you to find local marijuana suppliers. The $2.99 application, using information from the iMedicalCannabis.orgwebsite, aims to help people locate legal medical suppliers in the US.

Apps have often crossed the line between the sacred and the profane. There was a free app called BeautyMeter, which let users upload photos of themselves that were then rated by others. It was removed by Apple when the image of a topless and mostly bottomless 15-year-old girl appeared on the app last month. Apple also acted quickly to suppress Baby Shaker, an app that, for 99 cents, featured the image and sound of a crying baby. You shook your iPhone and the drawing of a crying baby would be replaced by a calm and silent one. "Not only are they making fun of shaken baby syndrome but they are actually encouraging it," said Marilyn Barr, founder of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. "This is absolutely terrible."

Then there was an app called I Am Rich designed by satirical German developer Armin Heinrich. Once downloaded and activated, it displayed a glowing, red "ruby" on the user's iPhone screen â€" an enduring testament to the owner's lack of taste and their excess of wherewithal. Heinrich wrote in his App Store description: "The red icon on your iPhone or iPod Touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were able to afford this . . . It's a work of art with no hidden function at all." Reportedly, eight customers paid $999.99 for I Am Rich, before Apple decided to withdraw it from the store.

How will apps evolve? Michael D Cohen, founder and CEO of the Cohen Research group, argues that the quality needs to improve. Many, he says, are poorly made and therefore disposable. "Low prices lead to poor-quality applications, limited applications, and others that are in such poor taste they hurt the Apple brand and everyone who is developing for it."

It's striking that one of the most talked-about stumbling blocks for the future development of apps is Apple itself. Apple's App Store has been described as being like a bucket. It needs to become more like an online supermarket, says Cohen, so customers can wander down aisles and select what they want, rather than stumble across it by accident.

Another problem is that many apps may be provided in future by other forms of hardware, thus depriving Apple apps of their USP. This is certainly the line taken by Google, which expects to be offering similar apps through its browser in future. Google's engineering vice-president Vic Gundotra told the MobileBeats conference that the App Store trend is just a fad.

But Google would say that, wouldn't they? And the two technology giants are currently facing off over an app called Google Voice, which allows users to send free text messages and make cheap calls using Google's own number. Apple has banned the Google app from its store.

FROM GADGETELL - Welcome back to InterrupTech.  Catch up on the week’s most important tech stories in a hurry.  We cover Barnes & Noble’s new eBook reader, RIM’s non-hype, new iPod nanos, Microsoft struggles while Apple excels, and Palm Pre plays with iTunes.
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Section: Apple, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iTunes, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps

As quickly as Google Voice was beginning to pick up some steam—with a public beta version due out in September—it has been effectively shunned from one of the biggest smartphone platforms out there. Apple has removed Sean Kovacs’ GV Mobile and Riverturn’s Voice Central, the excellent Google Voice apps, from the App Store.

Kovacs recounted his experience on his blog:

Richard Chipman from Apple just called - he told me they’re removing GV Mobile from the App Store due to it duplicating features that the iPhone comes with (Dialer, SMS, etc). He didn’t actually specify which features, although I assume the whole app in general.

“Duplicating features,” huh? Apple’s getting a little too protective with its selection for application entry into the App Store, this blogger thinks. This marks the second time Apple has diverted a Google app from the App Store, providing another twist between Apple’s and Google’s relationship.

Though users can still use their phones to access Google Voice, it can only be through the tough and tedious way, the precise problem the now-banned applications were created to solve. Google Voice makes phone calls like any other regular cell phone: through the cellular provider. In a sense, Google Voice is merely a different way to make phone calls, but still requires users to use cellular voice plans to do so.

It’s 2009, but it’s beginning to seem like 1984 all over again.

Read [Sean Kovacs] and [Riverturn]

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FROM GADGETELL - Although Steve Jobs once dismissed the idea of an Apple e-reader by proclaiming people don’t read, the rumors that Apple plans to release an internet tablet later this year has many believing it’s the company’s answer to Amazon’s Kindle.
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Section: Software Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for July 27, 2009:

Macintosh

• CampSoftware has released FMSmallBusiness 1.4.1, which includes thirty one updates. The majority of the updates were items requested by users including the “Copy to Clipboard” items and “Common Documents” features, making referring to text and documents simple. Videos and Screenshots are available including screenshots of the updated iPhone interface. FMSmallBusiness is a FileMaker based database great for managing the contacts, calendars, invoice, and more for small businesses.
• IGG Software, has announced its “Why Wait Another Day?” rebate offer to all Quicken users. Frustrated Quicken users still searching for an alternate, Mac-based program to manage their personal finances now have 20 more reasons to switch to iBank. Paid iBank downloads from the IGG Software online store are qualified for this rebate offer, as are all registered purchases of iBank made after July 10, 2009.
• This month, Mariner celebrates 19 years of being in business. While they would like to thank you personally for your support over the past year, they thought a better way might be to have a one-of-a-kind blowout in our online store. For the next few days, receive 40% off any of their products! To order, just visit their eStore, enter the promo code “HB19,” click the Go button, and continue on with your order.
• Livescribe, Inc., and Vision Objects announced today the availability of a handwriting-to-text transcription service for Mac users, bringing handwriting-recognition software to a larger community of Pulse smartpen users. Mac users can download a 30-day free trial or buy MyScript for Livescribe online from Vision Objects, an expert in ergonomic, easy-to-use alternatives for text input.

iPhone/iPod

• Alex Jordan at Mactropolis wants Apple to fix the App Store, and he’s got the whole earth behind him.
• Have you ever wanted a simple “Yes” or “No” answer to life’s many questions, served with a dose of advice and a splash of wit? Then this is the app for you! Ask Happy Buddha is designed to simplify your life with a sense of humor. His answers may not always be what you seek but they will surely amuse you.
• Potis Productions has released iToss (iTunes App Store link), its newest app for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. iToss is a ridiculously fun App that turns any iPhone or iPod Touch into a virtual Frisbee.  iToss has two different games built into one: Target Practice and City Smack. Target Practice is a fun and easy way to get comfortable throwing the virtual Frisbee. It has three increasingly hard levels. City Smack takes users on a tour of major cities around the world and puts their target practice to the true test of their skills: hitting stuff!
• Independent developer Assyria Game Studio has revealed its debut mobile title due for release on iPhone and iPod Touch. The incredibly slick Future Racer is a high speed, anti-gravity racer boasting fully 3D environments and a wide range of fiendish tracks set to test your reflexes to the limit.
• Tiki Labs has announced Tikitic, a mix of Tetris, Boggle and Memory. The purpose is to shoot the letters that fall down the screen, making words before they hit the ground and pile up as in Tetris. The distinctive feature of Tikitic is that the game plays with a brand new keyboard that allows you to slide and reach an astonishing speed rate.
• dPompa has introduced Matalot 1.0, their new intelligent task manager for iPhone and iPod Touch. Developed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities, Matalot offers a unique yet fresh perspective on ToDo management. All relevant tasks are exactly one touch away, and intelligently organized in real time based on various task properties, including priority, schedule and real time filtering by the users physical location.
• eCOMPOSITE has announced 321run 1.1, an update for the running coach app on the iPhone. 321run builds on its success and adds exporting your runs to other applications, such as Trailrunner, or web applications, such as TrailMapping. Of course you still get the coach and trainings that makes 321run so special. Having a coach to track your progress allows you to plan when you want to run, and listening to the coach helps you start easily and get in better shape day after day.
• Sauce Digital has announced Nano Rally for iPhone and iPod touch. Nano Rally is a top-down driving game in which you drive miniaturized cars around various tracks, all based on different household environments, to see what time you post.  One minute you could find yourself power-sliding around the end of a spring onion, then falling off a precariously balanced ruler the next.
• Bulkypix and Motion Twin have announce an 80% promotional price drop on My Brute iPhone iPod Touch. My Brute is a crazy, off-the-wall game of combat that gives you the chance to challenge fighters from all over the world. You simply take on a series of challenges, gain experience, unlock new skills, and crush your enemies with ever-greater speed.
• SlotZ Racer from Freeverse and Strange Flavour has been updated. Now fully compatible with iPhone OS 3.0, SlotZ Racer’s Music Playback and gameplay are now perfected for the most exhilarating iPhone and iPod Touch racing experience possible. Players can now step up their game with new Snow and Dirt scenery objects. Slippery tracks and dirt traction make SlotZ Racer an unbeatable thrill for the slot car enthusiast and speed demon alike! To celebrate, the price is being dropped to 99c for a limited time.
• Sunset Lake Software has released a free version of their Pi Cubed visual math application for iPhone and iPod touch. Pi Cubed Lite shares the same animated equation typesetting and evaluation engine as the full version of the application. Students, scientists, and engineers can use this application to perform calculations just as they would on a chalkboard. The free Lite version lacks the advanced equation storage, organization, and export features of the full version.
• Phonex Communication Inc., a Japanese software publisher, has introduced a series of three talking aids running on Apple’s iPhone for English speakers traveling abroad, entitled “YUBISASHI JAPAN”, “YUBISASHI CHINA” and “YUBISASHI SPAIN” respectively.
• Geppetto, Inc., has announced the release of iYamato Lite for iPhone and iPod touch. iYamato is a shooting game that allows you to operate the Yamato, the largest and strongest battleship that was said to be unsinkable. This application reproduces a vicious attack against your enemies. The unsinkable battleship Yamato won’t be damaged by some of the enemies attacks, so anyone (even those not good at shooting games) can enjoy the heat of battle.
• Rock Ridge Games has announced the release of Solution Zero for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed by a Mensa member and noted video game AI author, Solution Zero offers 4 levels of difficulty, providing age-appropriate challenges for everyone from elementary students to math geniuses. Future game updates will feature an online leaderboard, where players can compute and compete against other puzzlers worldwide.

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Section: Apple, iPod iTunes, iPod touch, iTunes, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps

It’s very well known that Apple has some major issues when it comes to what they are doing with the App Store. App submissions commonly take longer than four weeks (and may I remind you, some people’s livelihoods rely on this), and app updates can even take longer than two weeks. Furthermore, there is no way for developers to respond to reviews on the iTunes Store (although Apple has done a little bit to make this better).  And most recently, Apple started enforcing a strict rating system for applications. The worst part about this? Apparently, apps with a 17 rating can no longer be obtained through promo codes.

What?! This makes zero sense whatsoever. The app has already been forced to have a strict rating, and everyone knows it does who visits the App Store. Why can’t it still be given away for free? The most important part about these promo codes is how they are used when it comes to getting reviews of applications from blogs as well as distributing it to friends and family. Come on, Apple, this is going way too far.

UPDATE: According to SlashGear, Apple has fixed this “issue” dealing with apps with a rating of 17 . Developers will again be able to give out promotional codes for apps with this rating.

Via [The Unofficial Apple Weblog]

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