Category: I-phone

iOS app developer FutureTap has received a crash report from a device running iOS 5. FutureTap notes the crash involved MKUserLocationBreadCrumb, which 9to5Mac notes is related to the maps/location functions in iOS and could mean these APIs have been altered in iOS 5.

Since Apple is now testing third-party apps with iOS 5, it likely puts the next version of the iPhone’s operating system on-track for a public unveiling in June at WWDC. It’s still not clear if we’ll see iOS 5 released in mid-summer as we have previous major iOS updates, or if Apple will wait until the fall to release iOS 5 alongside updated hardware.

Developer gets crash report from device running iOS 5 originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sadly, the south central US has been hit with a powerful cluster of tornadoes today, and scores of communities have been affected. Tuscaloosa, AL has been particularly hard hit, with several fatalities, scores of injuries and thousands of structures and vehicles damaged.

While the human and fiscal cost of today’s storms has yet to be calculated, in one small way AT&T helped to ease the challenge for a TUAW reader. Adam T. wrote in to say that his home in Huntsville, AL is likely to be without power for several days, meaning that his Internet connectivity is also going to be knocked out. He planned to use his 3G iPad to keep track of weather alerts and emergency information, but realized that he was rapidly going to overflow his 250 MB data plan.

Adam called AT&T customer service to explain the situation and request a data plan upgrade to the 2 GB plan. To his surprise, the service rep gave him the bump to the 2 GB plan at no charge. A small gesture in the scheme of today’s events, perhaps, but one that Adam appreciated — and so do we.

AT&T does right by weather-impacted iPad owner originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Apple hold off on releasing the iPhone 5 (or as Richard Gaywood amusingly names it, the “4S”) until September or early fall? Your guess is as good as ours. And yet, while brainstorming this morning, TUAW staffers noted arguments that had us going “hmmmm.”

We’ve shared them for your consideration. Here are several points that could support a later release date than usual. Or not. What do you think?

Verizon and the White iPhone

With the Verizon iPhone 4 shipping in February ’11 and the white iPhone debuting in April ’11, it’s natural to allow for a breathing space (especially considering the 2-year contracts these units carry) before the next generation of handsets replaces current models. An October shipping date would give those with white iPhones time to enjoy their purchases without temptation from the Next Great Thing.

Continue reading Three reasons Apple might ship the iPhone 5 in the fall

Three reasons Apple might ship the iPhone 5 in the fall originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile is having some fun challenging its adoptive parent AT&T and its competitor Verizon Wireless to a speed test that pits the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy S 4G against the iPhone 4.

Starting Friday April 29, iPhone owners can challenge the Galaxy S 4G to see which handset is the fastest. If the iPhone beats the Galaxy S 4G in two of three tests, the iPhone owner will walk away with a cool $1000.

Before you start spending that cash prize, be aware that the Galaxy S 4G is a HSPA+ handset. It’s capable of download speeds up to a blazing 21 Mbps, while the iPhone 4 is limited by its 7.2 Mbps HSDPA radio. Undoubtedly, T-Mobile chose Seattle based on the disparate speeds of the two networks in this wireless market.

If you don’t mind falling for a marketing tactic, then by all means head out to one of the participating Seattle T-Mobile stores and risk public embarrassment. Otherwise, iPhone owners may want to steer clear of their taunting T-Mobile friends for the next few days.

[Via BGR]

Seattle T-mobile stores challenging iPhone originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YouTube user PSPfano has posted a video of GarageBand for iPad running on an iPhone 4. He accomplished this by using a hack (detailed on 9to5) which allows users to modify jailbroken iPhones and allows them to run most iPad apps on them. After applying the hack, PSPfano moved the GarageBand for iPad app with altered metadata to an iPhone 4 via OpenSSH.

The hack isn’t perfect though. As PSPfano states on his YouTube page, “I got GarageBand running on my iPhone 4. Obviously, it isn’t properly formatted, but for some reason the track editor worked really smooth and is fully functional.” As always, with any hack or jailbreaking, proceed with caution, lest you end up with a non-functioning iPhone. You can check out the video of GarageBand running on an iPhone 4 after the break.

Continue reading GarageBand for iPad running on an iPhone 4

GarageBand for iPad running on an iPhone 4 originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those wild and crazy guys from Taiwan’s Next Media Animation have weighed in on the Locationgate blow-up, and as usual they haven’t let the facts get in their way.

The video states that the location information is sent to Apple’s servers for all sorts of nefarious purposes — but of course, it was made before Apple’s announcement today. As we posted earlier, the data is used to help your phone zero in on its own location as quickly as possible, and it may represent cell towers that could be 100 miles away. Take a peek and see what you think.

The video is a little bit NSFW, so think before you click.

Continue reading NMA explains Locationgate in animated form

NMA explains Locationgate in animated form originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fring has updated its popular iOS IM app to allow group video calls on the iPhone. This is a first for group video calling on any iOS device as far as I know and its a much welcome feature. The group video calling allows you to video chat with up to three of your other friends over 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi.

To take advantage of the new group video calling features, you’ll need an iPhone 4 or the latest iPod touch with front-facing camera. Technically, the app will work with devices with only rear-facing cameras, but that kind of defeats the purpose of video calling if you need to have the rear camera on you and can’t look at the screen and see the people you are chatting with.

Best of all, Fringe works cross-platform, so you can video chat with people on Android devices. Android requirements are pretty much the same as iOS requirements, users just need Android 2.2 or later and a phone with front and rear cameras.

Fring is available now as a free download.

[via Engadget]

Fring app brings group video calling to iPhone originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wired got an early look at an app marketplace designed by the Army for the Army. It will be populated with titles specific to Army operations and will support both desktop computers and mobile devices. The Army Marketplace will launch with 16 iPhone apps and 17 Android apps, most of which were designed as part of the Apps for Army contest. These apps will be available for a nominal fee to Army employees.

The marketplace will let soldiers submit ideas for new apps which can be discussed by fellow soldiers and developed in-house if possible. Apps that require outside help will be put out to bid and developed by a third-party contractor. Unfortunately, the store is limited to Department of Defense employees only and requires a secure login to gain access to the Marketplace website.

This need for tight security poses a problem as the Army does not have a solution in place for authenticating applications on a mobile device. Right now, the Army Marketplace is useful for designing cool apps, but they cannot be downloaded to Army handsets.

Last week, the Army took steps towards securing a mobile platform by confirming it is testing Android as the OS to power its first smartphone prototype. This military branch may be examining this iOS competitor closely, but it has not chosen Google’s mobile OS as its final solution.

In fact, no Android handset has started the certification process overseen by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. A phone has to be approved by this board before it can be considered secure enough to contain government data. The iPhone has entered this process, but it is still months away from approval.

US Army to launch its own app store originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thanks for joining me here on TUAW TV Live today. Whether you’re just watching the show or taking full advantage of the chat room tool, you’re sure to have a lot of fun.

Live demonstrations are always a challenge, and today I’m tempting fate by demoing several iPad apps. Provided the technical bits work properly (and I am making sure I have a fallback plan), I’ll be your guide through several fun, useful, and even educational iPad apps that you may not have been aware of.

To watch the show from your Mac or PC, click the Read More link at the bottom of this post. There you’ll find the livestream viewer and chat tool. Use the chat tool to ask questions or make comments.

If you’re driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you’re stuck in traffic, please don’t — keep your eyes on the road! However, if you’re a passanger, you can watch the show on your iPhone and join the chat with the free Ustream Viewing Application. If you’re on an iPad, you should be able to use the Skyfire Browser to watch the stream, although chat will be unavailable.

We’ll start at about 5 PM ET, so if you’re seeing a prerecorded show, refresh your browser until you see the live stream. Those who miss the live broadcast can view it later this evening on our TUAW Video YouTube channel and as part of the new TUAW TV Live podcast viewable in iTunes or on any of your Apple devices.

Continue reading TUAW TV Live: In-depth iPad app demos for your viewing pleasure

TUAW TV Live: In-depth iPad app demos for your viewing pleasure originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It seems like just the other day we were chatting with Pioneer about its interfaces for iPhones in the car, and sure enough, it seems the company has plans for even more integration between its in-car units and Apple’s smartphone. A filing with the FCC has revealed something Pioneer is calling the AppRadio, which appears to be an in-dash unit that will hook up with apps on the iPhone, essentially turning your smartphone into the backend of your car’s radio system.

Details on what the device does are slim, but presumably this will do what Pioneer’s other devices have done and hook into iPhone apps like Pandora and Aha Radio for content, while allowing you control that content more safely than bumbling around your car with the iPhone while driving.

We’ll keep an eye out for this one — once it wins approval, we’ll probably see a formal announcement from Pioneer with lots more details.

Pioneer registers with the FCC for AppRadio originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Square Enix has announced three different iOS products in the pipeline for later on this year in both Japan and eventually the US. First up, original iOS title Chaos Rings is apparently getting not one but two different followup titles. The first will be called Chaos Rings Omega, and it will apparently be a prequel (shouldn’t it be called Alpha, then?), with the story set before the first game begins. Square Enix has also placed ads in a Japanese gaming magazine for a full-fledged “Chaos Rings II” sequel, though information on that is slim so far. But fans of the first game (which predated Infinity Blade as a full-featured, original AAA title for iOS) will have plenty to play through.

Square Enix has also announced an interactive comic book called Imaginary Range, which offers game-related elements and minigames in conjunction with a full comic book story. It sounds intriguing, in part because it doesn’t sound like your average comic or game — and it will probably be an interesting experience built just for iOS. Imaginary Range will be out on May 5 in Japan, and presumably we’ll see an English translation here in the US soon after that.

Square Enix working on two followups to Chaos Rings, Imaginary Range comic originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s senior vice president of Mac and iPhone hardware engineering, Bob Mansfield, has sold 99% of his Apple holdings, leaving him with only 501 shares left. The news comes from a recent SEC Form 4 filing which lists Mansfield selling 38,863 shares of AAPL at $351.89 each; total proceeds from the sale are in excess of $13.6 million.

There are two things to take away from Mansfield’s sale:

1. It in no way reflects his belief in the future of the company. Mansfield is just a smart investor. Sell high, buy back low. That’s just his style and always has been. Plus he gets the usual 15% off employee stock purchase plan shares when he does buy through the ESPP.

2. Don’t feel sorry for Mansfield because he only has 501 shares left. He’s still got a fully vested option to buy 30,000 shares of AAPL at $36.54 — that’s a discount of almost 90% on today’s prices — and he also has 100,000 restricted stock units that will fully vest in 2014.

Drinks are on Bob at WWDC, everyone.

[via Apple 2.0]

Apple hardware VP sells 99% of AAPL holdings originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac software bundles come and bundles go — some with an emphasis on pretty apps with limited shelf life, others with more of a gaming or business bent. It’s not clear whether ‘bundle fever’ will still be with us well into the Mac App Store era, but depending on your needs and your timing you can still get fantastic deals from app bundles… assuming you don’t already own more than half the apps.

The good news about the new US$49.99 MacLegion Spring bundle, announced today and available for two weeks, is that it’s tightly focused on utilitarian apps that deliver clear and lasting value for power users (and those who aspire to become so). With no obvious clunkers in the batch (with one potential caveat, noted below), the bundle might make a good gift for the new Mac user in your life who keeps pestering you with “How do I do that?” questions.

The bundle consists of ten apps, with retail prices ranging from $20 to $99. Here’s the lineup:

• Prosoft’s Data Rescue, a powerful data recovery and repair tool — TUAW coverage
• Telestream’s ScreenFlow, a screencasting capture & editing tool — TUAW coverage
• Contactizer Pro, a personal information and task manager
• Intego VirusBarrier X6, an antivirus utility — TUAW coverage
• ForkLift 2, an FTP/SFTP and WebDAV client
• LaunchBar 5, a menubar utility for launching apps and finding files — TUAW coverage
• Amadeus Pro, a sound editor
• Radio Gaga, an internet radio recording manager
• Printopia 2, an AirPrint enabler for Mac — TUAW coverage
• MacPilot, a settings tweaker and preference manager

About that caveat: Reasonable people can disagree over whether Mac OS X users actually need antivirus protection under normal circumstances, so just because VirusBarrier X6 is included in the bundle that doesn’t mean you need to install it. Given my experience with Intego’s approach to marketing its products (which leans toward the sensational rather than sober assessments of security risk) I wouldn’t be particularly inclined to use their app if I needed AV. Rather, I’d suggest the free ClamXAV or the free home edition of Sophos Anti-Virus.

MacLegion bundle focuses on utility, value originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google-owned YouTube plans to expand the premium on-demand video rental services offered through its website.

Earlier this week, Google and YouTube reportedly closed deals with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Universal, and Lionsgate to offer filmed content from these studios as streaming rentals — including access to new releases the same day as competing movie-on-demand services. YouTube’s new service is expected to compete with market leaders in the online video rental market: Apple and Amazon.

In an effort to generate revenue with professionally produced content, YouTube began offering premium video rentals on its website about a year ago, starting with a limited number of films from the Sundance Film Festival, Weinstein Co., and MGM. But the Google subsidiary has struggled to transform its 130 million monthly users into a sizable audience for its paid and ad-supported feature films. This week’s licensing agreements that expand YouTube’s library of rental titles may help more customers see value in paying the website for access to Hollywood films and make it a more competitive rival to Apple’s iTunes and Amazon’s Instant Video services.

Google isn’t the only big brand making big moves in the streaming video business. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both DirecTV and Dish Network are exploring subscription streaming service businesses to challenge Netflix and iTunes. Meanwhile, cable television provider Comcast is trying to negotiate deals to offer premium video-on-demand options that would allow cable subscribers to enjoy new movies only 6-8 weeks after their theatrical release dates.

YouTube seals deals with major studios to compete with iTunes originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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During the 2Q 2011 Apple Results Call last Wednesday, we listened with rapt attention as the number for “Cash and Cash Equivalents” figure was announced. The number, as you may recall, was US$65.8 Billion. One question that many of us always ask is “What could Apple do with that money?”

Asymco analyst Horace Dediu always provides fascinating insights, and in a post yesterday he not only did a breakdown of the sources of that cash, but did some comparisons just to show how huge the cash stash is. The pile of simoleons is made of “only” $15 Billion in cash, about $14 Billion in short-term marketable securities, and the rest — about $37 Billion — in long-term marketable securities.

Dediu’s comparisons are staggering:

• If Apple’s revenue stream was cut off today, the company could sustain operations (research and development, sales, general and administrative expenses) for seven years
• Apple’s folding money is worth half of Google’s enterprise value
• Those funds place Apple’s CFO office into the top 100 of fund managers in the world, bigger than any hedge fund manager
• The cash growth in the last quarter was higher than the market capitalization of many companies.

What’s really amazing is that the rate of growth of Apple’s hoarded lettuce appears to be increasing. What do you think Apple should do with all of that cash? Leave us your ideas in the comments.

[via The Apple Investor]

Apple could survive on current cash alone until 2018 originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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