Filed under: WWDC , iPhone , iPod touch I can’t count the number of hours I spent at the UT Music Library on a Performa or Quadra or Centris (I had a Centris 610 at the time) playing Daleks. Strangely addicting but incredibly simple, the game mechanic has been repeated often in the casual game universe, and Daleks was essentially a rip of Robots on UNIX . You try to get away from something, one step at a time, as those somethings inch ever closer, one step at a time. It’s turn-based “tag.” There’s a terribly unsatisfying and buggy version called SuperDaleks for OS X here. Zombies is a bit of an update for the venerable classic, although there’s also a classic game called Zombies using the very same mechanic — nothing new under the sun, eh? But intead of dusting off that old IIsi, you can play Zombies on your iPhone or iPod touch. The developer added spells, allowing you to do something out of the norm each round. So, for example, you could teleport (sometimes seen in variations of this game). You can also destroy zombies with a spell, handy when you’re in a no-win position. The preview you see here is the unfinished version, but it’s shaping up to be a pleasant reimagining of a classic. We’ll post on Twitter when it’s available. TUAW WWDC Demo: Zombies, a modern update of Daleks (preview) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted by Dennis Sellers XtraLean Software’s Shutterbug—a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) web site creation tool for Mac OS X—is one of the apps in the latest TheMacBundles . It normally costs US$39.95.
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Shutterbug featured in latest MacBundle
iPresentee has announced iWeb Intros, a set of Flash welcome clips meant for Apple’s iWeb design tool. The templates can either stand on their own, or be incorporated into an existing static template. Arrangements in the initial package include Desert, Groove, Paint, Splatter, Dreamy Intro and Multilingual Greetings….
Facebook is preparing an update to its popular iPhone app, with several features designed to take advantage of the latest firmware, according to Inside Facebook. Facebook 3.0 integrates a new menu selection for news feeds, along with a section for organizing events or sending RSVPs. Users can create new photo albums, view profile picture albums or upload content, while image viewing supports zoom….
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Facebook iPhone app to get image zoom, uploads
App Store Rejections: Apple rejects iKaraoke app, then files a patent for a karaoke player
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion , Bad Apple , Apple , iPhone , iPod touch As if the waters surrounding the App Store approval process weren’t murky enough, one developer has just hit an unprecedented wall . Apple rejected his app, iKaraoke, citing that it duplicated functionality of the iPod application. Of course, the “duplicate functionality” reason is nothing new, but Apple’s next step is: just a few weeks after rejecting the application, they have filed a patent for including karaoke functionality into the iPod app. A brief look at the demo iKaraoke’s website will quickly tell you that, while the app does bear a light resemblance to some of the menus found in the iPod application, the actual interface that the user interacts with to select and download a song is far from duplicating the iPod’s polished interface. Another key point is that the file format used by iKaraoke is known as the .kar format — an unofficial extension of the MIDI specification that enables lyrics to appear in time with music. The lyrics are then displayed on the screen, and highlighted as the song is played. Does any of this sound like functionality found in the iPod app? We didn’t think so. So what exactly was duplicated then? According to apple, iKaraoke ” duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application, iPod, without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality. ” But they didn’t just stop there. The reviewer went on to say that the application ” downloads media files that are not managed by the iTunes application, which also manages media files, we believe this would be confusing to the user. ” Now, hold on a minute here… it’s fine for several other apps to stream and download media files that are supported by the iPod without being managed by iTunes , but it’s not OK for an app to download media that isn’t natively supported, and provide functionality that isn’t natively provided by the iPod? This wouldn’t be much different from your typical app rejection if the story stopped there, but it doesn’t. This morning, Apple filed a patent [application here ] which details built-in Karaoke functionality being added as part of the iPod application, with some additional bells and whistles such as monitoring the pitch of the user’s voice. So it seems the functionality that was duplicated is functionality that Apple has not yet released, and possibly not yet even begun to develop. Maybe the $99 iPhone Developer Program fee should include a crystal ball for testing apps before submitting them. As with the many other patents Apple has filed, this feature may never see the light of day . But is it really acceptable to reject an application, based solely on what appears to be a duplication of a feature that may or may not even be released in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. TUAW App Store Rejections: Apple rejects iKaraoke app, then files a patent for a karaoke player originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read
Turning Technologies has launched a new version of its poll creation and sharing software, TurningPoint Anywhere 2.0. The software features a floating toolbar, which allows users to poll in any application and receive a display of both questions and results. Version 2.0 delivers an improved interface, a function for creating and storing questions in advance, and dynamic charts for real-time result…
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TurningPoint AnyWhere 2.0 upgrades interface
Owners of an iPhone with a broken screen can now have the display replaced at an Apple Store, reports say. Apple has typically kept most of its iPhone repairs out of retail, instead relying on central facilities to have a device fixed if it is not simply swapped. Replacing a display involves a special machine, which removes the old one using suction, allowing a new one to be attached with minimu…
Posted by Dennis Sellers RG Entertainment has announced the availability of the “Super Capers Comic #1 – Back to the Feature” for the iPhone and iPod touch. Designed exclusively for the Apple devices, this “interactive motion comic” is the official prequel/sequel to the independent film, Super Capers .
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RG Entertainment releases interactive motion comic for the iPhone
Filed under: Humor , Software , Odds and ends , iPhone , iPod touch Jokes are relative. What’s hysterically funny for one person may not even crack a smile on another person’s face. iLaugh [App Store], a database of over 50,000 jokes for the iPhone and iPod touch from developer Azure Talon, uses sheer volume of bon mots to ensure that you’ll be able to find a funny story for just about every taste. You can pick from a variety of genres from Animals to Yo Mama!, and turn on/off sex or rude jokes as well as important categories such as Chuck Norris Facts. Each joke or story can receive a thumbs up or down from you and other iLaugh users, and the app allows you to filter out jokes that don’t meet a certain minimum score. Want to share a laugh with friends? iLaugh has Facebook and Twitter buttons that send the joke on to the rest of the world, and you can also use cut & paste on iPhone OS 3.0 devices to email the offending lines to your friends. All of the chuckles are available for US$0.99, and iLaugh would be a smart purchase to make before those 4th of July picnics. TUAW iLaugh, therefore I exist originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read
Sprint this week staked its ground and claimed it would be the first US carrier to have a 3G femtocell. The company was already the first American firm to have any kind of femtocell in the Samsung Airave but now says to Unstrung that it should beat AT&T to having a device that can share 3G data with the home, improving reception for some smartphones and other devices that don’t have their own Wi-…
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Sprint plans 3G femtocell before AT&T
Posted by Dennis Sellers ExactCode has updated its ExactScan Pro scanning software for Mac OS X (10.4 and higher) to version 2.7. According to its developers, ExactScan 2 has grown to a product-family, adding this professional version with OCR and Barcode recognition to create searchable document on the Mac or just to convert existing…
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ExactCODE updates ExactScan Pro for Mac OS X
An investigation of Microsoft’s licensing for Windows 7 has revealed today that the company plans to introduce a Family Pack bundle for the new OS when it ships in October. Kristan Kenney has found installation rights for “qualified” Family Pack owners that give owners of that special copy the option of installing it on two extra PCs without encountering activation problems. The Family Pack only…
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Microsoft to sell Windows 7 family packs
Posted by Dennis Sellers QuickerTek has announced the US$44.95 Apple Juicz External iPhone/iPod Battery that works for the first, second generation iPhones and 3G iPhones, iPod and the iPod touch. The company says it offer users up to three times the battery life.
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QuickerTek releases Apple Juicz External Battery for the iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis Sellers Monkeybread Software has released version 9.4 of the MBS plug-in for REALbasic. The MBS plug-in comprises a collection of several plug-in parts which extend the REALbasic development environment with 1,500 classes featuring over 29,000 documented functions.
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Monkeybread Software releases version 9.4 of the MBS plug-in for REALbasic
Filed under: Multimedia , Odds and ends , iPhone Remember that time you were on tour with The B-52’s and had a great idea for a song, but there was no recording equipment to be found? Oh wait, that was The 88 . Well anyway, The 88 recently recorded their latest single with nothing but an iPhone and the Sonoma Wire Works Four Track application, according to The Loop . The 88 recorded the song, Love is the Thing , with a few tricks: to make sure the drums didn’t overpower the iPhone speaker, they covered the drums with a sheet and uses brushes instead of drumsticks to deaden the sound. Four Track records at 16 bits and 44.1 kHz and can make unlimited-length tracks. The band recorded 14 separate tracks, including various guitars, vocals, and effects, and combined them on a Mac for the final mix. The band documented the process in more detail on their website. The song sounds great quality-wise and is now available in the iTunes Store for $0.99, and Four Track is in the App Store for $9.99. TUAW The 88 song recorded on iPhone and released in iTunes Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read
Posted by Dennis Sellers Readdle has updated Cheiftent , the online project management tool for the iPhone and iPod touch, to version 1.2. The update adds time tracking features to the app, which is available for US$9.99 at the Apple App Store .
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Cheiftent for the iPhone adds time tracking
Filed under: Hardware , Apple The relationship between Apple and NVIDIA, the manufacturer of the graphics chips in most Macs for quite some time now, appears to be souring at an exponential rate. Electronista reports that negotiations between the two companies to continue their business relationship are not going well, with Apple accusing NVIDIA of being arrogant. According to a source with access to NVIDIA, Apple is on track to cut NVIDIA off as a graphics chip provider for the next 3-4 years. If the two companies cannot reach an agreement, NVIDIA would continue to provide chips for models that currently use NVIDIA, but Apple would be likely to drop NVIDIA chipsets in updates to their product line, particularly in iMacs and MacBooks currently based on Intel’s Nehalem architecture. A significant factor in the disagreement is the way NVIDIA handled the graphics failures of MacBook Pros carrying the GeForce 8600M video chipset, which had a tendency to overheat and eventually stop working. Apple had to extend the warranty on MBP models sold from June 2007 to October 2008 to three years (the Apple support page on this issue can be found here ). The relationship between Intel and NVIDIA hasn’t exactly helped, either. Both businesses filed opposing lawsuits over NVIDIA’s license to make mainboard chipsets with their own internal memory controllers. If Intel wins, NVIDIA could not make another chipset like its GeForce 9400M model that supports Core i7 processors, and would oust NVIDIA from Macs by exclusion. Neither Apple nor NVIDIA have publicly spoken on the matter so far. Apple does have a history of severing relationships almost without warning, as they dropped ATI (now AMD) from Power Mac G4s after the company revealed Apple’s plans ahead of a Macworld keynote address. However, if Apple does indeed drop NVIDIA, they may have to return to AMD in order to maintain their current graphics standard. TUAW Apple rumored not to renew contract with NVIDIA for graphics chips originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read
The iPhone 3GS launch on June 19th produced a “best-ever sales day” for AT&T’s retail stores, a leaked memo is said to claim. The carrier similarly notes that it experienced its second-largest amount of one-day foot traffic, and the most transactions and upgrade eligibilities it has ever had to process. This comes despite also recording the largest-ever number of phone and feature orders through…
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iPhone 3GS behind AT&T’s ‘best-ever sales day?’
Posted by Dennis Sellers In a new edition of The MacJury , the jurors convened to look at the new iPhone 3G S.
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MacJury looks at iPhone 3G apps
In some good news for local cell phone manufacturers, the European Union’s plan to introduce new taxes for handsets sold throughout Europe has been scrapped, says a Wednesday report. The new taxes would have raised prices customers pay for new phones and most likely lowered the sales numbers of an already falling market. The decision came from Sweden, which hosts the rotating presidency of the EU,…
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EU scraps plan to tax phones with GPS, TV
