iPhone Firmware » iPad http://www.iphonefirmware.com Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:30:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Epic’s Mike Capps talks about Epic Citadel and the future of iOS gaming http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/02/epics-mike-capps-talks-about-epic-citadel-and-the-future-of-ios-gaming/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/02/epics-mike-capps-talks-about-epic-citadel-and-the-future-of-ios-gaming/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:30:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/02/epics-mike-capps-talks-about-epic-citadel-and-the-future-of-ios/
Gamasutra cornered Epic Games' Mike Capps (he of the very impressive Epic Citadel demo yesterday at the Apple special event), and Capps confirms that what you see running on your iPhone is the real deal -- Unreal Engine 3, with all of the bells and whistles that it has on the major HD consoles. The actual game that Project Sword will become is being designed by Chair (which is the same group that did the popular Shadow Complex game for Xbox 360), and we'll see the full project soon.

Capps also confirms that UE 3 needs at least an iPhone 3GS to run, but he says that in terms of hardware, Apple's devices are right where they need to be. High-resolution textures are an issue (you can't install a 15gb game on an 16gb portable device), but the memory and speed are actually there, says Capps. "You've got 16 gigs of flash memory," he says, "which is way better, faster memory than what most people have generally on a home PC. So that stuff works really well."

The biggest issue holding handheld gaming back is larger environments, but game developers are getting better and better at designing worlds that render quickly and well to all kinds of platforms. And Capps looks into the future, and sees even more possibilities for Apple and their product lines. "It doesn't take a whole lot of leaps of faith to say, 'Right now, I can display from my iPad to my Apple TV on a big screen TV.' How far away are we from 'that's my game console, and it's displaying wirelessly to my television set?' It's not far away."

That's kind of a trippy thought -- that Apple had to finally move away from the Mac to earn a larger foothold in gaming. It's very heartening, as a gamer and an Apple fan, to hear Capps as excited as he is about the possibilities for iOS and the App Store.

[via Joystiq[

Epic's Mike Capps talks about Epic Citadel and the future of iOS gaming originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Epic's Mike Capps talks about Epic Citadel and the future of iOS gaming originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/02/epics-mike-capps-talks-about-epic-citadel-and-the-future-of-ios-gaming/feed/ 0 Twitterrific 3 for the iPad: change, tough love, and better http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/02/twitterrific-3-for-the-ipad-change-tough-love-and-better/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/02/twitterrific-3-for-the-ipad-change-tough-love-and-better/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:00:00 +0000 TJ Luoma http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/02/twitterrific-3-for-the-ipad-change-tough-love-and-better/ Here's a good sign that you've made some pretty significant changes to your application: three different people from the company write three different posts about the new design. That's what the folks from Iconfactory did about Twitterrific 3. David Lanham wrote about Redesigning Twitterrific, not just the timeline, but also the settings, contacts, filtering, and more to "optimize the user experience." Gedeon Maheux wrote about Twitterrific's Tough Love, and realizing that Twitterrific had gotten out of hand, along with the steps they took to make it better rather than just pile more on top of it. Craig Hockenberry wrote about not designing for early adopters, whose expectations may limit making something better by expecting you to simply build on what you had before.

I was an early adopter of Twitterrific on the Mac, and still compare all other applications to Twitterrific when I am using them. When I first heard about the changes in Twitterrific 3, I was sure I was going to hate them. After having used it for awhile, I still think Twitterrific is my favorite iPad app. I've been using it since I bought my iPad back in mid-June, and although I've tried some of the others, I keep coming back to Twitterrific. Many others have just started using Twitterrific 3 for the iPhone or iPad because Twitter turned off "basic authorization" logins. All Twitter applications now must use Twitter's (severely, thoroughly flawed) OAuth system for logging in.

Read on for my thoughts on the app, as well as what TUAW heard directly from Iconfactory about the future of the app.

Continue reading Twitterrific 3 for the iPad: change, tough love, and better

Twitterrific 3 for the iPad: change, tough love, and better originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Twitterrific 3 for the iPad: change, tough love, and better originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/02/twitterrific-3-for-the-ipad-change-tough-love-and-better/feed/ 0 Official Twitter app updated for iPad http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/02/official-twitter-app-updated-for-ipad/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/02/official-twitter-app-updated-for-ipad/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000 TJ Luoma http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/02/official-twitter-app-updated-for-ipad/

A few months ago, Twitter announced that they had acquired Tweetie and the web (I refuse to use the word "blogosphere" because it is a stupid word) exploded with predictions that they had effectively killed off the market for 3rd party Twitter applications.

With the release of Twitter as a universal app that now includes iPad support (read the official announcement here) I feel confident to say that the reports of the death of 3rd party Twitter applications has been greatly exaggerated.

The UI for Twitter for iPad is, without question, unlike any other Twitter application that we've seen. Opinions around the TUAW offices on whether this difference is "awesome" or "an abomination." I definitely range towards the latter end of the scale, and judging by most of the comments of people that I follow on Twitter, the initial reaction is definitely one of "too busy" and "over designed."

This is in sharp contrast to Twitterrific which just released a major update for the iPad and iPhone where they made dramatic simplifications to the app, while retaining the most important features for the most users. (Craig Hockenberry talked about those changes here.)

Continue reading Official Twitter app updated for iPad

Official Twitter app updated for iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Official Twitter app updated for iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/02/official-twitter-app-updated-for-ipad/feed/ 0 Game Center coming in iOS 4.1, Epic Games working on Project Sword http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/01/game-center-coming-in-ios-4-1-epic-games-working-on-project-sword/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/01/game-center-coming-in-ios-4-1-epic-games-working-on-project-sword/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/01/game-center-coming-in-ios-4-1-epic-games-working-on-project-swo/ Steve Jobs just showed off some screenshots and functionality for Game Center, which will be officially releasing with iOS 4.1 next week. The official app will provide social networking features for App Store games, including friends lists, achievements, "auto matching" (the rest of the world calls that matchmaking), challenges and a host of other cross-platform features for gamers on Apple's mobile platform.

Jobs also invited a few gentlemen from Epic Games onstage to show off "Project Sword," a gorgeous title running in the Unreal Engine inside iOS. It's an action RPG title that's coming soon with full Game Center integration, and the demo featured practically instant multiplayer fighting from a third-person perspective, as well as first-person world exploration. Seriously, this thing looked great, but you don't have to take my word for it -- Epic has already uploaded the very same environment shown in the demo as a free app, so go download and check it out now. It does require an iPhone 3GS or better, but man that's a good looking game.

Game Center is finally coming out with iOS 4.1, which Jobs said would be available next week. Looking forward to it!

Game Center coming in iOS 4.1, Epic Games working on Project Sword originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Game Center coming in iOS 4.1, Epic Games working on Project Sword originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/01/game-center-coming-in-ios-4-1-epic-games-working-on-project-sword/feed/ 0 CoPilot GPS nav app adds ActiveTraffic http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/01/copilot-gps-nav-app-adds-activetraffic/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/01/copilot-gps-nav-app-adds-activetraffic/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Mel Martin http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/01/copilot-gps-nav-app-adds-activetraffic/ ALK Technologies today is releasing a new version of the CoPilot Live app with a feature called ActiveTraffic. It uses real time traffic flow information that mates with dynamic routing technology to get you to your destination by selecting alternate routes, then accurately estimating your new arrival time.

The traffic information comes from INRIX, which is a leading provider of traffic data. I tried the new app, and it certainly showed some traffic snarls. But here in southern Arizona, things don't get too dicey even at rush hour, so there wasn't any need to select a new route. I could see very detailed information in Phoenix, where traffic can be downright hellish.

The ActiveTraffic feature is US$9.99 for a 12 month subscription. Current owners of CoPilot Live v8 US Traffic subscribers will get upgraded to TrafficLive for free.

Gallery: CoPilot Live screen shots

Continue reading CoPilot GPS nav app adds ActiveTraffic

CoPilot GPS nav app adds ActiveTraffic originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)CoPilot GPS nav app adds ActiveTraffic originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/09/01/copilot-gps-nav-app-adds-activetraffic/feed/ 0 Daily App: Plex http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/31/tuaws-daily-app-plex/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/31/tuaws-daily-app-plex/#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/31/tuaws-daily-app-plex/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/31/tuaws-daily-app-plex/feed/ 0 TUAW’s Daily App: No, Human http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/30/tuaws-daily-app-no-human/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/30/tuaws-daily-app-no-human/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/30/tuaws-daily-app-no-human/
No, Human is an intriguing little morsel of gameplay for both the iPhone and the iPad. The clever premise is that humans are planning to go out and explore the Universe, and the Universe, in turn, has decided that's not a good idea. So, you're actually playing against humans (who are lobbing fiery meteors out into space) and human-created objects like space stations and rockets.

The gameplay is simple but fun, and the graphics are minimalistic but quite stylish. There are 50 levels to go through, and while they're pretty quick plays, there is a high score board element. The developer also promises that there are more levels on the way. (Knowing humans as I do, I'm guessing that they won't get the lesson.) All in all, No, Human is an inventive title that's worth the US$1.99 on the App Store. It's not really innovative in any specific way, but as a whole package, it's a pleasure to play through and figure out.

TUAW's Daily App: No, Human originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)TUAW's Daily App: No, Human originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/30/tuaws-daily-app-no-human/feed/ 0 Angry Birds fever continues http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/27/angry-birds-fever-continues/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/27/angry-birds-fever-continues/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:00:00 +0000 Keith M http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/27/angry-birds-fever-continues/ Angry Birds Here's one Angry Birds fan who took things to a whole new level. An industrious fan decided to recreate one of her favorite iPhone games using balls, clay, eggs, slingshots and cardboard boxes for a sort of "live" version of the popular iPhone/iPad game. I sure hope that's not a wick on the top of the big black bird ... or do I?

Meanwhile, everyone's talking about the previously-reported rumors of an Angry Birds movie. Variety recently spoke with Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio, creator of Angry Birds, where he talked about the success of the game and a short word on a probable sequel.

Add to all of this that Angry Birds is slated to hit the Sony PSP, PS3 and the Nintendo DS. Is it possible we'll get sick of all this Angry Birds-ness before it's allowed to become as big as Hed hopes? The title is certainly primes for moving in more directions, so long as Hed gets the ball rolling quickly.

Angry Birds fever continues originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Angry Birds fever continues originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/27/angry-birds-fever-continues/feed/ 0 TUAW’s Daily App: Zentomino HD http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/27/tuaws-daily-app-zentomino-hd/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/27/tuaws-daily-app-zentomino-hd/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/27/tuaws-daily-app-zentomino-hd/
There are lots of frantic action games available on the App Store, but sometimes all you want to do is get home, sit down with your iPad, and relax with a fun puzzle. Zentomino is a game that lets you do exactly that. It's a very zen take on the "pentomino" puzzle game, requiring you to fit a certain set of shapes into a specific outline. The game's about as relaxing as it gets. While the music is somewhat repetitive, you're free to move as many pieces around as much as you want, and just pushing the big, colorful shapes around can be almost as entertaining as actually completing the puzzle. There's not a lot of flair, but what's there is intuitive and fun, and when you just want to sit on the couch and relax, that's what you need.

Zentomino HD is the brand new iPad version of the game, and it's available as an ad-supported app. The first set of puzzles is completely free, with others available through in-app purchase. The game's also available for iPhone (either as a US$1.99 paid version, or a lite version with ads).

TUAW's Daily App: Zentomino HD originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)TUAW's Daily App: Zentomino HD originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/27/tuaws-daily-app-zentomino-hd/feed/ 1 Netflix app hits the iPhone and iPod touch http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/26/netflix-app-hits-the-iphone-and-ipod-touch/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/26/netflix-app-hits-the-iphone-and-ipod-touch/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:00:00 +0000 Mel Martin http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/26/netflix-app-hits-the-iphone-and-ipod-touch/ Here's some great news for Netflix subscribers. The free Netflix app has finally made it to the iPhone and iPod touch. Netflix members on plans as low as US$8.99 a month can instantly watch movies and TV shows streamed from the Netflix servers.

This has been an eagerly-awaited app (the iPad version was available at launch), and I downloaded it this morning to give it a test. It works fine on both 3G and WiFi, and the 3G feature is a bit of a surprise given AT&T's position of holding back on some streaming apps. Slingbox, for example, found dealing with AT&T tough sledding, but the company finally did get the app approved for 3G.

tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/26/netflix-app-hits-the-iphone-and-ipod-touch/'; tweetmeme_source = 'tuaw';
My TUAW colleague Richard Gaywood points out that with many AT&T users no longer on unlimited data plans, the company may see apps like this as a profit center. The new Hulu Plus app also works over 3G.

The new iPhone version has excellent image quality, supports fast forwarding and rewinding of the video stream, and like other incarnations of Netflix, allows you to pick up where you left off if you stop a movie and restart it. As Netflix members will appreciate, you can pause a movie you are watching on a Netflix device at home, and start the movie on the iPhone app and it will resume at the same place.

Continue reading Netflix app hits the iPhone and iPod touch

Netflix app hits the iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Netflix app hits the iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/26/netflix-app-hits-the-iphone-and-ipod-touch/feed/ 0 TUAW’s Daily App: Chapters http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/26/tuaws-daily-app-chapters/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/26/tuaws-daily-app-chapters/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/26/tuaws-daily-app-chapters/ Chapters (US$3.99 on the iPad) looks like a terrific app for your various notetaking enterprises. I haven't yet been completely sold on the iPad as a blogging or writing device; so far, I've stuck with my MacBook rather than an iPad when I need to be out remotely somewhere keeping notes or writing things down. But Chapters is exactly the kind of app that could change that. With a simple and powerful interface and a set of features that steps aside and lets you write in whatever fashion you want, it could easily help your iPad replace a more powerful notebook computer.

The ability to add photos, edit text formatting, and quickly find and export text you've written into the app is all icing on the cake. Whatever your implementation would be (the reviews in iTunes have a teacher keeping notes, a photographer tracking trips, and a journal writer just documenting random thoughts), Chapters seems like a great app to keep notes, large or small, on the iPad. And that introductory price of $3.99 makes it pretty easy to check out, too.

TUAW's Daily App: Chapters originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)TUAW's Daily App: Chapters originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/26/tuaws-daily-app-chapters/feed/ 0 Pinball Magic turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a tiny pinball machine http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/24/pinball-magic-turns-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch-into-a-tiny-pinball-machine/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/24/pinball-magic-turns-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch-into-a-tiny-pinball-machine/#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:30:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/24/pinball-magic-turns-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch-into-a-tiny-pinbal/ I still haven't seen an actual iPad arcade cabinet for sale (all the ones we've seen so far have been made by hobbyists for themselves), but here's a pretty cool case/accessory for your iPhone or iPod touch. Pinball Magic is a little device that you can slide your handheld into, and with the help of a free app, you can play a full pinball game live on a little miniature table. There's a real ball plunger, flipper buttons, a full LED backlit display, and even a Tilt detector, so you can hit all the usual lights and gadgets (albeit in an extremely small form factor) without throwing quarters in at the local arcade. Assuming they still have those local arcades -- I haven't seen one around in a while now.

Unlike the cardboard iPad arcade units, this one's on sale and ready to go -- you can pick it up from Best Buy for US $39.99. Sure, that's a little steep (especially since it only works with the one app), but it's a small price to pay to take yourself back to those heady days of reaching for high scores while pushing a little silver ball up and down ramps. If you happen to pick one up and try it out, let us know how it works for you.

[via TouchArcade]

Pinball Magic turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a tiny pinball machine originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Pinball Magic turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a tiny pinball machine originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/24/pinball-magic-turns-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch-into-a-tiny-pinball-machine/feed/ 1 Facebook iPhone app has 105m users? http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/24/facebook-iphone-app-has-105m-users/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/24/facebook-iphone-app-has-105m-users/#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:30:00 +0000 Megan Lavey http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/24/facebook-iphone-app-has-103-5m-users/ Facebook has posted some pretty impressive numbers regarding its mobile users recently, including a developer saying there are more than 150 million active mobile Facebook users. The site itself has more than 500 million members.

- 12 million are using the Android client
- Nearly 59 million are using the Blackberry client
- 105 million are using the iPhone client*
- The rest are using clients built for Palm, T-Mobile's Sidekick and more.

*Note these numbers were pulled at 11:20 a.m. EST and are updated frequently.

Wait a minute ... 105 million? Steve Jobs indicated at WWDC in June that the 100 millionth iOS device (spanning iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) would be sold that month. With the flurry of iPhone 4 sales since then, it's no surprise that there's more than 100 million iOS devices out there in the wild. But are all of them really running Facebook?

You can log into multiple Facebook accounts from a single iOS device, and those probably count. The number provided by Facebook isn't the number of downloads the app has had, but the number of people actually using it. The client itself is still ranked among the top 10 free App Store apps. Even so, a penetration rate hovering somewhere around 90 percent -- if you take into account the number of iOS devices sold since June and the fact that there's not a Facebook app for the iPad -- is a little hard to swallow.

[via Mobile Entertainment]

Facebook iPhone app has 105m users? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Facebook iPhone app has 105m users? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/24/facebook-iphone-app-has-105m-users/feed/ 0 Naturespace gets a welcome update for iOS 4 http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/23/naturespace-gets-a-welcome-update-for-ios-4/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/23/naturespace-gets-a-welcome-update-for-ios-4/#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000 Mel Martin http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/23/naturespace-gets-a-welcome-update-for-ios-4/ We looked at Naturespace Holographic Audio back in May of 2009. I liked it then, and I like it more now. Naturespace is a free iPhone app that plays back carefully recorded natural environments designed for listening on headphones.

The recordings are created using the binaural technique, where two closely spaced microphones approximate the distance between your ears. When you put headphones on, the results can be dramatic and hyper-realistic.

The free app has no ads, and comes with six audio environments which are very relaxing and can simply transport you to another place. With good headphones (I use the B&W P5) you get a 3D illusion, at times even hearing things that appear to be above or behind you.

Gallery: Naturespace screen shots


Continue reading Naturespace gets a welcome update for iOS 4

Naturespace gets a welcome update for iOS 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Naturespace gets a welcome update for iOS 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/23/naturespace-gets-a-welcome-update-for-ios-4/feed/ 0 Angry Birds: The Movie? http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/22/angry-birds-the-movie/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/22/angry-birds-the-movie/#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0000 Keith M http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/22/angry-birds-the-movie/ angry birds There's no questioning that the iPhone/iPad game Angry Birds is a huge success. The company is close to seven million downloads of the game, all without any direct advertising of their own.

Now the company that developed the game, Rovio, is taking a serious look into more commercial avenues for the title, including movies. The company has already done a great job with the animation within the product, including a cinematic trailer released on YouTube (which I guess you could say is technically advertisement -- check it out after the jump). But is there enough to this to make for a good story?

According to Rovio, the company has been approached by several very interested parties, including movie studios, and they're giving all offers serious consideration. Chief exec Mikael Hed has grand ambitions to see the Angry Birds brand become much more than games, akin to Pixar with Toy Story, so games and movies would just be the tip of the iceberg.

Do you think something like Angry Birds could translate well enough to other mediums? Is there a potential story in there worth developing?

Continue reading Angry Birds: The Movie?

Angry Birds: The Movie? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Angry Birds: The Movie? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/22/angry-birds-the-movie/feed/ 0 Doodle Jump gets a Retina Display update http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/21/doodle-jump-gets-a-retina-display-update/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/21/doodle-jump-gets-a-retina-display-update/#comments Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/21/doodle-jump-gets-a-retina-display-update/ Doodle Jump has released a free update, available now, that not only brings out that underwater content that Igor Pusenjak promised us in that interview a little while back, but also updates the graphics on the app to take full advantage of the iPhone 4's Retina Display, so you can see the little doodle jumping up those platforms clearer and sharper than ever. Only three stages have been updated with Retina Display graphics so far, but Pusenjak says that "the rest of the Retina Display graphics is almost done and we'll be releasing it soon!" The update is of course free for the game's owners, or you can pick up the "Insanely Addictive" title for just 99 cents.

Pusenjak also told us that after the water-related content was done and out, the iPad version of the app would be next up for development, so we'll keep an eye out for news on that soon. Good to see that just because this little game is so popular, its developers aren't taking success lying down.

Doodle Jump gets a Retina Display update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 21 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Doodle Jump gets a Retina Display update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 21 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/21/doodle-jump-gets-a-retina-display-update/feed/ 0 iPad ship times shrink from seven to three days http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/19/ipad-ship-times-shrink-from-seven-to-three-days/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/19/ipad-ship-times-shrink-from-seven-to-three-days/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0000 Keith M http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/19/ipad-ship-times-shrink-from-7-to-3-days/ It seems like only yesterday when anyone chomping at the bit to get their hands on an iPad had to wait a painfully long time to get one. Then the shipping time dropped down to anywhere from seven to 10 days, and new customers didn't have the shakes of anticipation for too long.

Just recently, though, Apple has dropped the expected ship date for iPads down to as few as a mere three days. Word is that the wait for an iPhone 4 may drop significantly by the end of September as well.

Something I'm wondering about with these wait times is whether it's dissuaded people from purchasing. Have you ever visited the Apple store, seen that the wait time was longer than you were willing to hold out and changed your mind?

iPad ship times shrink from seven to three days originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)iPad ship times shrink from seven to three days originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/19/ipad-ship-times-shrink-from-seven-to-three-days/feed/ 0 App Review: Tafl brings Norse asymmetry to your game table http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/app-review-tafl-brings-norse-asymmetry-to-your-game-table/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/app-review-tafl-brings-norse-asymmetry-to-your-game-table/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:00:00 +0000 Sebastian Blanco http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/17/app-review-tafl-brings-norse-asymmetry-to-your-game-table/ Mancala. Chess. Backgammon. The number of ancient board games available in the App Store is long and somewhat predictable. A fresh new entry that deserves notice is Tafl, a pretty and interesting abstract strategy game that has existed in Northern Europe since at least 400 C.E. Exactly how the game was played has been lost to history, but the general idea was to have one player move a king pawn from the center of the board to the exits, which maybe have been simply off the side or maybe into the corners. Given the wide variety of boards and locations where the game was played - and knowing what we know about how ancient games traveled - it's entirely likely that the games in the tafl family were all played differently. Well, now you can play it on a touch screen on your iPad or iPhone (or iPod touch). There is a great history of the board game(s) here; keep reading for the rest of our review.


Gallery: Tafl

Continue reading App Review: Tafl brings Norse asymmetry to your game table

App Review: Tafl brings Norse asymmetry to your game table originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)App Review: Tafl brings Norse asymmetry to your game table originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/app-review-tafl-brings-norse-asymmetry-to-your-game-table/feed/ 0 Adobe on Flash in iOS: ‘We’ve moved on’ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/adobe-on-flash-in-ios-weve-moved-on/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/adobe-on-flash-in-ios-weve-moved-on/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:30:00 +0000 Chris Rawson http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/17/adobe-on-flash-in-ios-weve-moved-on/ The Telegraph has published a lengthy and fascinating interview with Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen. Most of the interview focuses on Adobe's deteriorated relationship with Apple, particularly Apple's refusal to allow Adobe's Flash Player to run on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Narayen had many things to say during the interview, but here's the bottom line: "They've made their choice. We've made ours and we've moved on."

Narayen continues to characterize Apple's shunning of Flash as a business decision rather than one based on technical considerations: "There are companies that are choosing to provide a complete end-to-end experience and control every aspect of it and want all the business model gains from it," he says. "There are other companies that have chosen to say that the open eco-system is the way to go and that's how you would contrast Apple and Google's business models. We're on the side of the open."

It's interesting that Adobe, purveyor of some of the most ubiquitous proprietary software out there, keeps using that word, "open," without any sense of irony. But regardless of whether Flash can rightly be characterized as "open" or not, this latest word from Adobe's top executive proves one thing for certain: Flash is not coming to iOS devices. Not now, not in the near future, and probably not ever.

Adobe is working with "19 out of 20" handset companies to get Flash working on their devices, with Apple as the lone holdout. Will Apple's continued anti-Flash stance hurt its iOS device sales in the long run? Probably not. Many pundits predicted the iPad would be a market failure because it lacked support for Flash video, and yet its sales have taken even Apple by surprise. The iPhone 4 continues to sell out worldwide nearly two months after its debut, and it doesn't run Flash, either. Following an expected refresh of the iPod touch's hardware next month, Apple will sell millions of them over the holiday quarter, and not one of them will support Flash. Adobe needs Flash to run in iOS far more than Apple does, and if sales are anything to go by, more than most iOS users do, too.

Narayen says Adobe's "doors are open" if Apple decides to change its stance on Flash. However, it's highly unlikely that Apple will ever open its doors to Flash, so as far as this debate goes, it really is time to move on.

[Via Mac Rumors]

Adobe on Flash in iOS: 'We've moved on' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Adobe on Flash in iOS: 'We've moved on' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/adobe-on-flash-in-ios-weve-moved-on/feed/ 0 Rovio sells 6.5M copies of Angry Birds without advertising once http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/rovio-sells-6-5m-copies-of-angry-birds-without-advertising-once/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/rovio-sells-6-5m-copies-of-angry-birds-without-advertising-once/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/17/rovio-sells-6-5m-copies-of-angry-birds-without-advertising-once/ I got to meet the creators of Angry Birds back at E3 earlier this year, but because of our busy schedules, didn't get too much of a chance to really talk with them in-depth about their experience on the App Store so far. Fortunately, GamesBeat has done just that, providing a nice profile of Rovio's Peter Vesterbacka and Mikael Hed, the two Finnish creators of one of the App Store's most popular titles. They're actually mobile app veterans -- while Angry Birds is their biggest hit as a company, they've also developed for lots of other groups, including Real Networks and Electronic Arts.

The game was created to be casual, open to anyone to play, and use some really memorable characters that would resonate with anyone who picked it up. They accomplished those goals -- the game has found a surprising following around the world, and almost everyone who owns an iPhone recognizes the birds and pigs characters. A US$4.99 iPad version has also taken off, and Rovio plans to bring the app to lots of other mobile devices as well. The growth has been entirely organic, too -- they haven't spent a single cent on advertising the game, instead relying completely on word-of-mouth and Apple's own promotional tools.

And while their success is already quite widespread, the two say their goals are even bigger than what they've accomplished so far: they hope to eventually see 100 million paid downloads. Definitely possible -- it's interesting to see how iPhone-created brands are growing so quickly.

Rovio sells 6.5M copies of Angry Birds without advertising once originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Rovio sells 6.5M copies of Angry Birds without advertising once originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/rovio-sells-6-5m-copies-of-angry-birds-without-advertising-once/feed/ 0 Time Warner Cable entering the iPhone app game http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/time-warner-cable-entering-the-iphone-app-game/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/time-warner-cable-entering-the-iphone-app-game/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:15:00 +0000 Keith M http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/17/time-warner-cable-entering-the-iphone-app-game/ TWC appI've been a Verizon FiOS subscriber since the day it rolled out in my neighborhood, and I couldn't be happier (my bank account's demeanor is another story). Actually, I take that back, because I got a tad bit happier when the cable company released an official iPhone app that allows for DVR scheduling and management. Joy!

If you're a Comcast subscriber, there's a similar app available. And, coming soon, Time Warner Cable will be rolling out their own answer to the iOS app scheduling game. Just as with the Verizon and Comcast apps, you'll reportedly be able to manage your DVR recordings, view TV schedules and setup recordings from afar.

What the Verizon and Comcast apps do not have is the ability to view your recordings on your device, which, reportedly, could be a possibility with the TWC app. Imagine watching part of a recorded program on your iPad, then pick up later where you left off at home.

Check out the YouTube video after the jump, which shows off a glimpse of a prototype of the app.

Continue reading Time Warner Cable entering the iPhone app game

Time Warner Cable entering the iPhone app game originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Time Warner Cable entering the iPhone app game originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/17/time-warner-cable-entering-the-iphone-app-game/feed/ 0 Code shows future iOS devices currently in testing http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/16/code-shows-future-ios-devices-currently-in-testing/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/16/code-shows-future-ios-devices-currently-in-testing/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/16/code-shows-future-ios-devices-currently-in-testing/

I don't know how much of a newsflash it really is that Apple is working on brand new versions of the iPhone and iPad, but just in case you thought that the current iterations were the last, let's set the record straight. Code in the latest iOS release shows that Apple is currently working on "unreleased hardware." The code, which bypasses the required iTunes activation, assuming that you have the right hardware, tends to show up before an iPhone revision -- in other words, while the new hardware is out, about, running the iOS system, and in testing. The code then disappears as the hardware goes off to launch.

The code does mention "iPhone 3,2," "iPhone 3,3," and "iProd 2,1," but those names don't tell us anything about the actual hardware, just that they'd be new versions, obviously. And we've seen these names before hidden in iOS documentation, so these aren't new developments -- whatever these versions are, Apple has been working on them for a while. Still, if you haven't been following along over the last few iterations of the iPhone, yes, we can tell you that we'll see new iOS devices at some point in the future. Maybe someone will even leave one sitting around a bar.

Code shows future iOS devices currently in testing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Code shows future iOS devices currently in testing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/16/code-shows-future-ios-devices-currently-in-testing/feed/ 0 Dragon Search now available for medical professionals http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/14/dragon-search-now-available-for-medical-professionals/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/14/dragon-search-now-available-for-medical-professionals/#comments Sat, 14 Aug 2010 19:30:00 +0000 Mel Martin http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/14/dragon-search-now-available-for-medical-professionals/ Here's something that will be welcomed by the health community. Nuance Communications has released a free, medical version of Dragon Search called Dragon Medical that lets mobile physicians and other health workers search a variety of medical publications on their iPhone or iPad by just speaking search phrases.

Information on drug interactions, latest medical news and diagnoses are available from the app, as well as a search though Google.

The original Dragon Search allows general information lookup using several search engines. Nuance is now moving toward more specialized apps for professionals.

The app is free for a limited time, and Nuance intends to bring out more apps for health workers, including a version of Dragon Dictation so patient notes and other information can be turned into text and saved.

You can watch a video of the app in action here.

Dragon Search now available for medical professionals originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Dragon Search now available for medical professionals originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/14/dragon-search-now-available-for-medical-professionals/feed/ 0 Rage demo’d at 60 fps on iPhone, id games on sale http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/12/rage-demod-at-60-fps-on-iphone-id-games-on-sale-2/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/12/rage-demod-at-60-fps-on-iphone-id-games-on-sale-2/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/12/rage-demod-at-60-fps-on-iphone-id-games-on-sale/ QuakeCon is going down this weekend in Austin, Texas -- the annual celebration of everything id Software (makers of Quake and Doom, among a few other classic PC titles) features tournaments and panels on some of the hottest PC games around. But there's already been one big Apple announcement: John Carmack has demonstrated id's newest game, Rage, running at a full 60 frames per second on the iPhone.

We first heard of this game at QuakeCon a couple of years ago, and Carmack has always said that making sure it ran on the Mac would be a priority, but it looks like he's delivered the goods. The demo was run on an iPhone 4, but Carmack said it worked great on the iPad as well. Carmack said the iPhone version would be out sometime this year, before the full version of Rage arrives on consoles and PC.

Oh, and icing on the cake? All of id's iPhone titles are on sale during the show this weekend -- Doom II RPG is down to just 99 cents, along with Wolfenstein 3D. Doom Classic and Doom Resurrection are US $1.99, down from the usual price of $6.99. If you're in Austin, don't forget that QuakeCon is free and open to the public as well. All hail the great id!

Rage demo'd at 60 fps on iPhone, id games on sale originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Rage demo'd at 60 fps on iPhone, id games on sale originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/12/rage-demod-at-60-fps-on-iphone-id-games-on-sale-2/feed/ 0 TUAW’s Daily App: Solipskier http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/12/tuaws-daily-app-solipskier/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/12/tuaws-daily-app-solipskier/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/12/tuaws-daily-app-solipskier/ Solipskier is kind of a mix of the growing line drawing genre and the classic Line Rider game. A little headphone wearing skier (at least he wears headphones as long as he can keep them on) travels along a snow ridge that you actually draw with your finger as you play the game; he speeds up or slows down based on the slope that you trace out with your finger. The gameplay is simple to pick up, but it turns out to be pretty deep. You can draw quick ramps to make him jump, or you can draw sliding slopes that really send the guy moving along through all of the gates, tunnels, and jumps that get placed in your path.

There's a really great pick-up-and-play vibe to the title, and it's fun enough to keep you coming back again and again. If you don't believe me, give it a shot online right now for free. If you enjoy it enough to spend the money, you can grab a universal version on the App Store for just US $2.99.

TUAW's Daily App: Solipskier originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)TUAW's Daily App: Solipskier originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/12/tuaws-daily-app-solipskier/feed/ 0 iOS 4.0.2 for iPhone/iPod touch, iOS 3.2.2 updates available now http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/11/ios-4-0-2-for-iphoneipod-touch-ios-3-2-2-updates-available-now/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/11/ios-4-0-2-for-iphoneipod-touch-ios-3-2-2-updates-available-now/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:40:00 +0000 Steven Sande http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/11/ios-4-0-2-for-iphone-ipod-touch-ios-3-2-2-updates-available-now/


Within the last few minutes, iOS 4.0.2 for iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, and iPod touch 2nd and 3rd generation (late 2009 models with 32 or 64 GB) has become available for download. In addition, the iPad has received an update to iOS 3.2.2.

The updates fix a security vulnerability that was associated with viewing malicious PDF files. It doesn't appear that there are any fixes to any other issues (i.e., the proximity sensor glitch), but the fix to the PDF exploit insures that the iOS platform remains secure.

For a security fix, the update is huge -- the iPhone update is 580MB in size and the iPad update is 457MB. For a look at more detailed information about what the updates patch, check out the iOS 4.0.2 Update description and the iOS 3.2.2 Update description on Apple's website.

iOS 4.0.2 for iPhone/iPod touch, iOS 3.2.2 updates available now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)iOS 4.0.2 for iPhone/iPod touch, iOS 3.2.2 updates available now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/11/ios-4-0-2-for-iphoneipod-touch-ios-3-2-2-updates-available-now/feed/ 0 Waze still has a ‘waze’ to go http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/10/waze-still-has-a-waze-to-go/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/10/waze-still-has-a-waze-to-go/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:00:00 +0000 Mel Martin http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/10/waze-still-has-a-waze-to-go/ The free nav app for the iPhone, Waze, has just been updated with a new 2.0 version that sports some new features and some of the same old problems.

Waze is basically a navigation app with some crowdsourced features. If you are using the app, Waze keeps track of your location, and if you get stuck in traffic, it will tell others along or near your route that something is amiss. It's a good idea, but only if there are a lot of people using the app on your route.

New to this version are commuting groups, which allows you to create groups of drivers and see them on the map. There is an improved 3D view, and a better, simpler, search menu. The app works in landscape as well as portrait mode, and does give voice directions.

Continue reading Waze still has a 'waze' to go

Waze still has a 'waze' to go originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Waze still has a 'waze' to go originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/10/waze-still-has-a-waze-to-go/feed/ 0 Madden 2011 out for iPad and iPhone http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/10/madden-2011-out-for-ipad-and-iphone/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/10/madden-2011-out-for-ipad-and-iphone/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/10/madden-2011-out-for-ipad-and-iphone/

This year has just flown by -- it's almost that time again, when the leaves start to change color, the kids head back to school, and footballs fill the air. That also means the new Madden is now out, and for the first time, EA has brought the game to the iPad. By all accounts, it's pretty good -- the graphics are not quite comparable to the console versions, but they look nice, and you also get the ability to draw out hot routes and use an adapted version of the GameFlow feature from the console versions. Plus, the iPad version is also getting multiplayer soon, as well as a "Vintage Voltage Football" mode, a Madden-style homage to the old electric football games.

The only drawback is that the game's not cheap -- EA is going all out with a price for the iPad of $12.99. The game's also available for the iPhone for $7.99, which ain't real cheap, either. But this is EA's most premium game on the iOS to date, as well as their perpetual moneymaker every year around this time, so if they're going to try inching up the prices on their iOS titles, this would be the one to do it on.

That said, EA's also been learning the value of the sale recently, so I'll bet that if you give this one a month or two, you'll be able to pick it up for much cheaper. Too bad there's no lite version yet -- the football fans who've taken the leap seem to really enjoy the game so far.

Madden 2011 out for iPad and iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Madden 2011 out for iPad and iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/10/madden-2011-out-for-ipad-and-iphone/feed/ 0 Pocket Legends updated to Pocket Legends: Adventures, a full MMO on iOS http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/10/pocket-legends-updated-to-pocket-legends-adventures-a-full-mmo-on-ios/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/10/pocket-legends-updated-to-pocket-legends-adventures-a-full-mmo-on-ios/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:00:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/10/pocket-legends-updated-to-pocket-legends-adventures-a-full-mmo/
I tried Pocket Legends for the iPhone a while back, and found it to be pretty interesting. It's a full 3D MMO inside the iPhone, where you create a character, equip it with weapons, and then jump in with a few other people to hack, slash, and cast your way through a dungeon. It could use a little polish (the particular dungeon I played wasn't exactly tuned for my difficulty level, and the people I played with weren't exactly forgiving), but if you're looking for this kind of cartoony MMO gameplay, Pocket Legends actually delivers quite well. And since it's completely free, there's not a huge investment barrier anyway.

And the game just recently got a big update, adding in an actual explorable world, a bunch of new quests and items to play with, and some optimization to the game engine that makes it a little more forgiving on older devices (but the game looks pretty good, given what it is, on the iPhone 4 already). It's available on the App Store for free right now for both iPhone and iPad -- what Spacetime Studios has done in implementing a full PC-style MMO on Apple's handheld device is impressive, and the new update makes it even moreso. If you've never given Pocket Legends a look, but can appreciate a solid MMO, definitely check it out.

Pocket Legends updated to Pocket Legends: Adventures, a full MMO on iOS originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Pocket Legends updated to Pocket Legends: Adventures, a full MMO on iOS originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/10/pocket-legends-updated-to-pocket-legends-adventures-a-full-mmo-on-ios/feed/ 0 Guy moving to New York wants a roomie who doesn’t have an iPhone http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/06/guy-moving-to-new-york-wants-a-roomie-who-doesnt-have-an-iphone/ http://www.iphonefirmware.com/2010/08/06/guy-moving-to-new-york-wants-a-roomie-who-doesnt-have-an-iphone/#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:00:00 +0000 Mel Martin http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/06/guy-moving-to-new-york-wants-a-roomie-who-doesnt-have-an-iphone/ An ad posted to Craigslist yesterday is from an open-minded sort of guy who wants a roommate for an apartment in Soho. Sounds typical, right? Here's the catch: He insists that prospective roommates not have an iPhone or an iPad.

The ad states that "I refuse to live with anyone that has sold their immortal soul to Steve Jobs." He's also looking for a guy with Starcraft II experience, and wants any potential live-ins to post a link to their battle.net profile and to prove to him that they don't own an iPhone.

The New York Observer found the guy, Vince Thomas, and he said he currently lives with another fellow who is a Mac fan, and Vince says he "just can't take it anymore." Vince has a Droid phone from Motorola, and apparently he'd rather talk about that instead.

Vince has a point. Some of us love our iPhones. In social situations I don't bring it up unless someone asks. I'm even feeling a bit guilty about the 'Sent from my iPhone' tag on my mail. If I write Vince I'll be sure to change it to 'Sent from my wonderful Droid, which is so much better than the iPhone I ditched.'

On the other hand, I've been around a few Droid owners, and let me tell you, that's no picnic either. Good luck Vince. May you find a roommate just like you.

[Via The New York Observer]

Guy moving to New York wants a roomie who doesn't have an iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Guy moving to New York wants a roomie who doesn't have an iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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