Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Hardware, Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone, SDK, iPod touch
This is interesting -- Alex Winston, Ltd. has come up with what they call the Wolfenstick, a little iPhone app that can control Wolfenstein 3D Classic with a second iPhone through the audio port. Obviously this isn't a very practical setup, as buying a second iPhone just to control games on the first one probably isn't in anyone's interest. But it does open up a whole slew of possibilities for how a connection like this might be used -- as you can see in the video above, not only are controls and the accelerometer able to be transferred, but even game and app information can be sent across the cable.
Of course, the 3.0 update casts a nice large shadow across ideas like this -- we know for sure that there will be more hooks for accessories to work with apps on the iPhone, so having to go through the audio port may end up being more of a novelty, as it'll likely be much easier to go through the connector on the bottom of the iPhone. But if you want to play while the unit is charging (or just want to connect two iPhones with nothing more than an audio cable), there's definitely some promise here.
TUAWThe Wolfenstick app can send and recieve data through the iPhone audio port originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple orders 100 million 8Gb flash chips, for new devices?
Oh Apple, what are you up to? Just like we saw right around this time last year in preparation for Apple's new iPhone 3G and updated iPod touch, Apple is placing huge orders of NAND chips thereby threatening the supply in demand by other tier-one vendors.
Attention world: The iPhone dislikes moisture
Filed under: Hardware, Apple, iPhone, ipod shuffle
There's a story at Click2Houston (I would have embedded the video if I had that option) about iPhone users who have had their devices ruined by excessive exposure to sweat. Specifically, they've been bringing them to the gym to provide a soundtrack to their workouts. Of course, sweat leaks into the iPhone's two moisture sensors (one in the headphone jack, one in the docking port) and it stops working. From the article:"Both [customers] Keneker and Pittman use their iPhones at the gym to listen to music or use the calorie-counting fitness applications that actually come with the phone. They said Apple employees told them their sweaty palms are the likely culprit here."
There are no calorie-counting fitness applications that "...come with the phone." Sure, you can buy them in the App Store, but they're not built in. Also, Apple just so happens to make an iPod that was designed specifically as a workout accessory and it costs less than $80US. My guess is, if you can afford an iPhone, you can swing a shuffle -- or a case that blocks the dock port, which is a pretty accessible area for moisture.
I know it sucks to have your sweet iPhone ruined, but this was completely avoidable. Plus, aren't most phones with cameras banned from gyms?
[Via CNET]
TUAWAttention world: The iPhone dislikes moisture originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Dictionary.com for iPhone. Everyone should have it
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Freeware, iPhone, iPod touch
Every so often a free app comes along for the iPhone/ iPod touch that I think everyone should have. That certainly applies to Dictionary.com [App Store link]. It's an iPhone version of the Dictionary.com web site which gives you definitions, a thesaurus, audio pronunciations, and my favorite, word origins. (I was interested to learn that the word 'waver' goes back to the 13th century German word for moving about. I love stuff like that.) The app also provides a word of the day, and examples of your specified word in sentences. This app is every bit as good as the paid dictionary apps, and oh so more versatile. Happily, Dictionary.com does not need an internet connection for the dictionary and thesaurus, but does need it for the rest of the features. With all that information on board, the download is about 36 megabytes.
As you type a word, the dictionary auto-completes, saving you some time, and when you go back to your 'recents' list you have a choice of seeing the thesaurus or the dictionary. Nice. Pronunciations of the words are quite handy. Sometimes you get a female voice, other times a male.
One small nitpick. You should be able to click on words that the thesaurus finds and get a definition. You have to retype them.
Dictionary.com was released in late March, and I don't think the word is out sufficiently so people know it is there. Consider this the 'word', and consider the occasion a propitious one. Look it up.
Screen shots:
TUAWDictionary.com for iPhone. Everyone should have it originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TUAW Review: XRoad G-Map US
Filed under: Software, Reviews, iPhone, App Store, Road Tested
During the discussion earlier in the year about why Apple was blocking turn-by-turn GPS navigation apps for the iPhone 3G (it will be "legal" in iPhone 3.0), a reader pointed out that there have been a pair of turn-by-turn navigators in the App Store for quite a while.Upon following the reader hint, I was surprised to find that XRoad G-Map US West (click opens iTunes) and East have the United States covered for navigation. These apps, US$24.99 each, don't have the voice prompts that most of us appreciate, but they do provide surprisingly accurate directions and a 3D navigation view that rivals the more expensive Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan dedicated navigators.
European and Canadian versions of the app are expected to be released by the end of this quarter, while Central / South America and Asian versions should arrive by the end of 2009.
Since I am the resident GPS geek at TUAW, I decided to give XRoad G-Map US West v1.3 a test drive and see how it performed compared to my Garmin nüvi navigator. While the XRoad product has some shortcomings, it's still worthy of a look if you're thinking about purchasing a navigation app. Click Read More to see how G-Map worked...or didn't.
Continue reading TUAW Review: XRoad G-Map US
TUAWTUAW Review: XRoad G-Map US originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
New iPhone: Apple Creates a Sudden Lack of Flash Memory in a Depressed Market
In order to reduce the volume of their stocks and artificially maintained the price of flash memory, many manufacturers decided to strongly reduce or stop their manufacturing lines till the market demand is back and on the raising curve. In such depressed market, Apple's order for 100 millions GB of flash memory, mostly from Samsung, has created an non-artificial lack for this type of product. In addition, prices went 16% up from the beginning of April.
If officially, the final usage of such volume of NAND is unknown, one can easily hypothesized that it will be integrated in the future iPhone models that should be produce soon in order to be ready for an expected release date in June (at the WWDC?)
Intel Provides Information about Its Future Processors
During its IDF taking place in Beijing, Intel unveiled some details about the forthcoming mobile platforms as this should be the only one experiencing a sustained growth in the near future.
They demoed the future generation of ATOM CPU. Thanks to new power consumption management tools and engraving process, it should reduce energy draining by 90% when in idle status. In 2010, Intel should offer an all-in-one ATOM, having a graphic chipset integrated to the CPU die (most probably a GMA950).
Concerning high-end notebooks, corresponding to Apple models of MacBook and MacBook Pro, Intel confirmed that the Nehalem-based mobile CPU and chipset should arrive for the second semester of the year. As for the new Mac Pro, the performance gain should be huge, and both MacBook and iMac should benefit from it.
Last but not least, Intel announced that the first video solution based on Larrabee architecture should arrive by the end of the year, beginning of 2010. This has been floating around for years, and we are curious to see what will be the result and if, according to Intel's expectations or claims, it could compete discrete GPU-based solutions.
The Wolfenstick app can send and recieve data through the iPhone audio port
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Hardware, Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone, SDK, iPod touch
This is interesting -- Alex Winston, Ltd. has come up with what they call the Wolfenstick, a little iPhone app that can control Wolfenstein 3D Classic with a second iPhone through the audio port. Obviously this isn't a very practical setup, as buying a second iPhone just to control games on the first one probably isn't in anyone's interest. But it does open up a whole slew of possibilities for how a connection like this might be used -- as you can see in the video above, not only are controls and the accelerometer able to be transferred, but even game and app information can be sent across the cable.
Of course, the 3.0 update casts a nice large shadow across ideas like this -- we know for sure that there will be more hooks for accessories to work with apps on the iPhone, so having to go through the audio port may end up being more of a novelty, as it'll likely be much easier to go through the connector on the bottom of the iPhone. But if you want to play while the unit is charging (or just want to connect two iPhones with nothing more than an audio cable), there's definitely some promise here.
TUAWThe Wolfenstick app can send and recieve data through the iPhone audio port originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple orders 100 million 8Gb flash chips, for new devices?
Oh Apple, what are you up to? Just like we saw right around this time last year in preparation for Apple's new iPhone 3G and updated iPod touch, Apple is placing huge orders of NAND chips thereby threatening the supply in demand by other tier-one vendors.
Attention world: The iPhone dislikes moisture
Filed under: Hardware, Apple, iPhone, ipod shuffle
There's a story at Click2Houston (I would have embedded the video if I had that option) about iPhone users who have had their devices ruined by excessive exposure to sweat. Specifically, they've been bringing them to the gym to provide a soundtrack to their workouts. Of course, sweat leaks into the iPhone's two moisture sensors (one in the headphone jack, one in the docking port) and it stops working. From the article:"Both [customers] Keneker and Pittman use their iPhones at the gym to listen to music or use the calorie-counting fitness applications that actually come with the phone. They said Apple employees told them their sweaty palms are the likely culprit here."
There are no calorie-counting fitness applications that "...come with the phone." Sure, you can buy them in the App Store, but they're not built in. Also, Apple just so happens to make an iPod that was designed specifically as a workout accessory and it costs less than $80US. My guess is, if you can afford an iPhone, you can swing a shuffle -- or a case that blocks the dock port, which is a pretty accessible area for moisture.
I know it sucks to have your sweet iPhone ruined, but this was completely avoidable. Plus, aren't most phones with cameras banned from gyms?
[Via CNET]
TUAWAttention world: The iPhone dislikes moisture originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Dictionary.com for iPhone. Everyone should have it
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Freeware, iPhone, iPod touch
Every so often a free app comes along for the iPhone/ iPod touch that I think everyone should have. That certainly applies to Dictionary.com [App Store link]. It's an iPhone version of the Dictionary.com web site which gives you definitions, a thesaurus, audio pronunciations, and my favorite, word origins. (I was interested to learn that the word 'waver' goes back to the 13th century German word for moving about. I love stuff like that.) The app also provides a word of the day, and examples of your specified word in sentences. This app is every bit as good as the paid dictionary apps, and oh so more versatile. Happily, Dictionary.com does not need an internet connection for the dictionary and thesaurus, but does need it for the rest of the features. With all that information on board, the download is about 36 megabytes.
As you type a word, the dictionary auto-completes, saving you some time, and when you go back to your 'recents' list you have a choice of seeing the thesaurus or the dictionary. Nice. Pronunciations of the words are quite handy. Sometimes you get a female voice, other times a male.
One small nitpick. You should be able to click on words that the thesaurus finds and get a definition. You have to retype them.
Dictionary.com was released in late March, and I don't think the word is out sufficiently so people know it is there. Consider this the 'word', and consider the occasion a propitious one. Look it up.
Screen shots:
TUAWDictionary.com for iPhone. Everyone should have it originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TUAW Review: XRoad G-Map US
Filed under: Software, Reviews, iPhone, App Store, Road Tested
During the discussion earlier in the year about why Apple was blocking turn-by-turn GPS navigation apps for the iPhone 3G (it will be "legal" in iPhone 3.0), a reader pointed out that there have been a pair of turn-by-turn navigators in the App Store for quite a while.Upon following the reader hint, I was surprised to find that XRoad G-Map US West (click opens iTunes) and East have the United States covered for navigation. These apps, US$24.99 each, don't have the voice prompts that most of us appreciate, but they do provide surprisingly accurate directions and a 3D navigation view that rivals the more expensive Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan dedicated navigators.
European and Canadian versions of the app are expected to be released by the end of this quarter, while Central / South America and Asian versions should arrive by the end of 2009.
Since I am the resident GPS geek at TUAW, I decided to give XRoad G-Map US West v1.3 a test drive and see how it performed compared to my Garmin nüvi navigator. While the XRoad product has some shortcomings, it's still worthy of a look if you're thinking about purchasing a navigation app. Click Read More to see how G-Map worked...or didn't.
Continue reading TUAW Review: XRoad G-Map US
TUAWTUAW Review: XRoad G-Map US originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
New iPhone: Apple Creates a Sudden Lack of Flash Memory in a Depressed Market
In order to reduce the volume of their stocks and artificially maintained the price of flash memory, many manufacturers decided to strongly reduce or stop their manufacturing lines till the market demand is back and on the raising curve. In such depressed market, Apple's order for 100 millions GB of flash memory, mostly from Samsung, has created an non-artificial lack for this type of product. In addition, prices went 16% up from the beginning of April.
If officially, the final usage of such volume of NAND is unknown, one can easily hypothesized that it will be integrated in the future iPhone models that should be produce soon in order to be ready for an expected release date in June (at the WWDC?)
Intel Provides Information about Its Future Processors
During its IDF taking place in Beijing, Intel unveiled some details about the forthcoming mobile platforms as this should be the only one experiencing a sustained growth in the near future.
They demoed the future generation of ATOM CPU. Thanks to new power consumption management tools and engraving process, it should reduce energy draining by 90% when in idle status. In 2010, Intel should offer an all-in-one ATOM, having a graphic chipset integrated to the CPU die (most probably a GMA950).
Concerning high-end notebooks, corresponding to Apple models of MacBook and MacBook Pro, Intel confirmed that the Nehalem-based mobile CPU and chipset should arrive for the second semester of the year. As for the new Mac Pro, the performance gain should be huge, and both MacBook and iMac should benefit from it.
Last but not least, Intel announced that the first video solution based on Larrabee architecture should arrive by the end of the year, beginning of 2010. This has been floating around for years, and we are curious to see what will be the result and if, according to Intel's expectations or claims, it could compete discrete GPU-based solutions.
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