Monthly Archives: May 2009
Beta 5 of iPhone OS 3 downloadable
Filed under: Beta Beat, iPhone, SDK
Version version, who’s got the new version? iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 is now downloadable, along with a new build of iTunes 8.2 — log into developer.apple.com to pick up the latest build.
What’s tweaked and changed? Well, editing the carrier file in iTunes to enable tethering is now apparently blocked, and MMS support on AT&T is also ‘hidden’ per the iPhone Blog. It’s not 100% clear whether these feature drops are deliberate, as some reports say a clean install preserves the capabilities. Parental control features for apps now seem to be visible… and yes, the new beta has already been jailbroken.
Eliss releases version 1.1
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Unfortunately, I missed Eliss the first time around, but I won’t make the same mistake this time. It’s a game designed by a French and Portugese graphic designer named Steph Thirion, and it’s sort of an abstract multitouch puzzler — you can pull and push together differently colored planets all floating around in a sort of space-like environment, with some groovy synth sound effects and music cuts to back up the gameplay. The game got nominated for an IGF award, and for anyone interested in fun puzzlers (not to mention the possibilities of multitouch in gaming), it’s a must-see.
I say “the first time around,” because it’s been on the App Store for a while now, but the game just got updated to version 1.1, and the main tweak is in the difficulty — there are now 25 levels instead of 20, and the curve has been adjusted to make moving through the stages a little smoother. And the game got a price drop, too — you can pick it up for a mere $3.00. As I said, definitely worth it to get a little multitouch practice in for what might be the future of gaming.
First Look: Moments
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Have you wanted to remember an event, or just remember a small bit of information for later? On the Mac there’s a cool application called Stickies, but there really wasn’t a great application for doing this same thing on the iPhone … until now. Enter Moments [iTunes link]. This small application is your one stop for remembering small pieces of information or events.
Even though this application has a simple agenda and interface, it is executed beautifully. Moments has an interface composed of three gorgeous themes: corkboard, steel, and a fabric print. Sticky notes are aligned in a grid of 2 x 3 across the screen. You can reorder your stickies, and when you run out of room a new screen will be created that is similar to the layout of the iPhone home screen. When you create a new sticky, you are able to create just a note, or a “moment.” A moment has a date associated with it, and can be something in the past or future. A note just has a larger text area that will let you add more information.
First Look: 24: Special Ops for iPhone
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Odds and ends, Freeware, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Digital Chocolate has nabbed the 24 license (along with a few sounds and music bits) from Fox, and they’ve released an iPhone game based on my favorite TV show ever. Unfortunately, things don’t get quite as good as they probably should, but the run-and-gun gameplay mixes it up with a nice variety of minigames, so if you’re a 24 completist (and have an iPhone — apparently this doesn’t work for iPod touch at the moment), it might be worth spending the $5.
If not, there’s a “lite” version on the App Store which will take you through the game’s first few “hours” (in reality, just a few minutes per segment) of stages. The game itself features Jack Bauer backed up by Chloe doing what else but saving Los Angeles from various terrorist threats. The grid-based action gameplay is simple but fun, and the shooter stages are broken up with encryption and driving minigames. None of it is brilliant, but just like the show, watching Jack Bauer kill bad guys is usually good enough.
From the “what took them so long” department — AT&T myWireless Mobile
Filed under: Software, Freeware, iPhone
The iPhone has been on the market for almost a year and a half, but it took until last week for AT&T to come up with a way for iPhone owners in the U.S. to be able to manage their accounts from their devices.The new myWireless Mobile app (click opens iTunes) is free and provides much of the functionality of the AT&T Wireless website through a cleanly designed iPhone interface. After loading the 1.7 MB app onto your iPhone, you’ll need to enter your wireless number and the password that you’ve previously set up on the AT&T myWireless website. The app doesn’t provide for account creation on the device at this time.