Posts tagged Apple
Multifl0w for iPhone 4 (or 3GS…)
Aug 26th
Oh how iPhone users are just loving multi-tasking. Even though it was possible in iOS 3.1.3 with Cydia hack “Backgrounder”, the new native environment for multi-tasking is so clean. But now there is an even fancier method for multi tasking, and it is called Multifl0w.
Multifl0w is an Expose-like backgrounding interface for iOS 4 and iPhone 4 (also works with iPhone 3GS and iPad). Multifl0w allows for a graphical display of open applications down to the last screenshot of that app loaded onscreen. This brings the true Expose feel one might be accustomed to on a Mac straight to their iDevice on the go.
You can find Multifl0w in the Cydia store for $4.99. Let us know what you think!
[video via adampollack]
Apple Holding “Special Event” September 1
Aug 25th
In vintage Apple fashion, they have announced a “special event” in San Fransisco slated for September 1st. This does not come as too much of a shock as Apple usually holds some sort of event in the Fall to announce new and updated product lines. Internet rumblings are suggesting a new version of Apple TV, or possible a new iPod line. Any guesses?
[via Engadget]
NHL 2K11 A Must Have For iPhone Users
Aug 25th
Hockey lovers who have been waiting for a solid, affordable NHL game for the iPhone can finally rejoice. NHL 2K11 is an incredibly entertaining game of hockey with enough bells and whistles to keep you playing all throughout the season. Perhaps the best part about it is the price - only $1.99 right now in the App Store. There is also a free “Lite” version, however it only allows you to play for 1 period, as either the Chicago Blackhawks or the Philadelphia Flyers.
The full version provides you with a surprisingly vast experience. You are able to play a Quick Game - jumping straight into an exhibition match as any of the 30 NHL teams with fairly updated rosters. You can also choose Shootout Mode, which is fairly straight forward. Free Skate mode, which is essentially a practice allowing your 5 players to skate around and try to score without any defensive opposition aside from the goalie. Lastly, there is Season mode, which is almost shockingly extensive. As you guide a team through the journey towards the Stanley Cup, you can adjust lines, change strategies and even trade players. There is a trade deadline and salary cap as well to give this the feel of a full console title.
Of course you can toggle almost any setting as you would in a normal game from penalties and offsides, to period length and difficulty. The menus flow naturally and the loading time is surprisingly quick. It definitely has the feel of a console hockey game from roughly 2-3 years ago which is certainly impressive for a mobile device.
To go along with the positives, there are some negatives. The graphics aren’t the smoothest to be seen on the iPhone, and the game has not yet been optimized for the retina display of the iPhone 4. The ice surface looks fantastic, but the players feel a little blocky and the crowd is very flat.
The controls are simple to pick up, with players being controlled by an on-screen joystick on the left side, with passing, shooting and speed boost in the right. After a couple of games it starts to feel “normal” like a console controller, however passing can be a bit tricky at times.
NHL 2K11 does work with multitasking, however there is no auto-pause when switching out of the app, so make sure to pause the game manually otherwise you may return to see the game completed. The game description boldly states that this is not compatible with 1st Gen iPhones, iPhone 3G’s, or original iPod Touch. So unfortunately if you don’t have an iPhone 3GS, 4, or a newer model iPod Touch you will not be able to play this game.
For the $1.99 price tag, NHL2K11 is literally worth every penny. All the teams, all the players, and a bevy of options will surely keep players on the ice as the NHL season rolls around.
Apple.ca Begins Shipping iPhone 4
Aug 18th
Good news has finally arrived for those patient Canadian iPhone 4 purchasers who didn’t want to wait in line on launch day. Apple’s Canadian website Apple.ca appears to have finally begun shipping the unlocked iPhones to those who bought on, and around, the release date.
Initially Apple.ca had stated there would be at least a 3 week delay in shipment due to overwhelming interest, and lack of supply. The wait seems to be up as several customers have reported receiving their shipment notices in their email. If you ordered from Apple.ca, have you received shipment confirmation yet? Or are you still waiting?
[via iPhoneInCanada]
Do You Tumbl?
Aug 17th
In the year 2010, if you don’t have a blog and a Twitter account, you are rapidly falling behind the times. One of the more recent, popular, blogging websites has been “Tumblr” which is what some have dubbed “The ADD of blog sites.”
In all honesty this is a fair description. Users tend to post much shorter blogs with a variety of different media. I have recently made the switch from standard blogging to “Tumbling” and I have enjoyed it quite a bit. One of the bigger positives for me was the ease in which you can post from your iPhone. The official Tumblr app is available in the App Store free of charge, and has all the options you would typically find on the website.
The Dashboard is also viewable, which means all of the other Tumblr blogs you follow are available in mobile view without having to launch Safari. The posts all load quickly and easily, and have the option to send a message to your Twitter account as well.
Most blogging apps on the iPhone are very minimalistic in design and leave much to be desired. Perhaps it is the initial simplicity of Tumblr that allows the app to be so well-rounded, but either way it is a great way to blog while you’re on the go.
Sony PSP Ad Kicks Apple In the Bumper
Aug 16th
Lately, Apple has been the topic of most phone-related jokes for its reception-plagued device, and for good reason. But now, Sony is joining in on the fun, this time from a different angle; gaming. And the ad couldn’t be funnier.
[Click here for mobile friendly viewing]
Notice how Sony calls the iPhone “A phone built for texting your grandma”, not gaming.
We all know the iPhone has some pretty stellar graphics for gaming, but nothing really compares to the PSP when it comes to playing on the go. I wonder how, or if, Apple will respond to this latest competitive chirp.
[via IntoMobile]
Follow me on twitterNokia maintains handset market share lead, HTC cracks top ten
Aug 14th
| Company | 2Q10
Units |
2Q10 Market Share (%) | 2Q09
Units |
2Q09 Market Share (%) |
| Nokia | 111,473.8 | 34.2 | 105,413.4 | 36.8 |
| Samsung | 65,328.2 | 20.1 | 55,430.1 | 19.3 |
| LG | 29,366.7 | 9.0 | 30,497.0 | 10.7 |
| Research In Motion | 11,228.8 | 3.4 | 7,678.9 | 2.7 |
| Sony Ericsson | 11,008.5 | 3.4 | 13,574.3 | 4.7 |
| Motorola | 9,109.4 | 2.8 | 15,947.8 | 5.6 |
| Apple | 8,743.0 | 2.7 | 5,434.7 | 1.9 |
| HTC | 5,908.8 | 1.8 | 2,471.0 | 0.9 |
| ZTE | 5,545.8 | 1.7 | 3,697.9 | 1.3 |
| G’Five | 5,208.6 | 1.6 | NA | NA |
| Others | 62,635.2 | 19.30 | 45,977.2 | 16.1 |
| Total | 325,556.8 | 100.0 | 286,122.3 | 100.0 |
Nokia sold 111 million phones in the second quarter of 2010 to maintain its lead on top of the mobile phone market, at 34% market share. Based on rumours we hear in North America about Nokia’s inevitable demise, this comes as quite a shock to me, and, I’m sure, to a few of you.
RIM kept its 4th place hold on the market with 11 million handsets, and only 3.4%, but enough to keep it ahead of Apple, who sold 8.7 million iPhones last quarter for a 2.7% market share.
HTC is the big surprise here, with a 139% year-over-year increase in handsets. This is mainly due to Android’s huge proliferation in the United States, and HTC’s increased brand recognition worldwide as a favourable and reliable company.
Android, as we mentioned previously, is the number one platform in America, overtaking RIM in the last quarter. Worldwide, it still trails Symbian by a lot, and BlackBerry by a small amount, but has overtaken iOS to take third place at 10% worldwide marketshare.
Two years ago, few would have predicted that Android would become as successful and ubiquitous as it has in such a short amount of time. But here we are, two years later, and it’s a thriving brand, product, and platform.
Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System in 2Q10 (Thousands of Units)
| Company | 2Q10
Units |
2Q10 Market Share (%) | 2Q09
Units |
2Q09 Market Share (%) |
| Symbian | 25,386.8 | 41.2 | 20,880.8 | 51.0 |
| Research In Motion | 11,228.8 | 18.2 | 7,782.2 | 19.0 |
| Android | 10,606.1 | 17.2 | 755.9 | 1.8 |
| iOS | 8,743.0 | 14.2 | 5,325.0 | 13.0 |
| Microsoft Windows Mobile | 3,096.4 | 5.0 | 3,829.7 | 9.3 |
| Linux | 1,503.1 | 2.4 | 1,901.1 | 4.6 |
| Other OSs | 1,084.8 | 1.8 | 497.1 | 1.2 |
| Total | 61,649.1 | 100.0 | 40,971.8 | 100.0 |
(via Gartner Research)
BumperGate
Aug 12th
The word “Antennagate” might as well be added to the Webster’s dictionary it has been written so many times. We all know the of the reception issue of the iPhone 4. Most of us know of the solution Apple offered, which is a free bumper - or if they are out of stock, the ability to purchase a 3rd party case.
This solution seemed all well and good when it was announced on July 16. Now almost a full month later, just how efficient has the “iPhone Case Program” performed in Canada?
From the people I spoke to, no one has received his or her bumper yet. iPhone owner Derek Masters states, “I got the iPhone on launch day and sent away for the bumper. I Haven’t heard anything back from them yet.”
Granted Apple specified it could take up to 5 weeks for the bumper to be delivered, but an updated confirmation is preferred by most customers.
There has also been some confusion about the selection of bumpers available. Some have pointed out that certain Rogers locations are only allowing iPhone owners to purchase black bumpers, which should not be the case at all. Users are open to the full range of colours, as the bumper is coming directly from Apple and has nothing to do with Rogers or any other provider.
Masters has been among those who have experienced some reception issues, although still feels the issue is blown out of proportion. “Sometimes the call will break up a bit, but none of them have been dropped entirely. I’d rather have the bumper just for protection.”
One would have to think that manufacturing large quantities of what is essentially an elastic band would be swift, but according to the Apple website they are completely sold out. For Masters and other owners, hopefully they ship soon.
“I’m not one to complain about free merchandise, but it is odd it is taking this long to solve an issue I shouldn’t even have to deal with anyways.”
So what’s the deal with the white iPhone 4?
Aug 3rd
Other than the now annoying “Antennagate” saga, one of the most popular questions related to the recent iPhone 4 launch is “So when is the white version coming out?”. Apple won’t give a straight answer leaving many blogs and fan boys to speculate and create rumor.
Tuaw decided to do some digging and found an interesting discovery. Supposedly, the issue with the release has to do with the manufacturing of the devices parts, frankly, they weren’t done well, resulting in a ”rough & bent” condition. It appears that the top case is rendered less-than-perfect in manufacturing, and as a result doesn’t sit completely flush when the phone is assembled.
Supposedly the issue has been rectified and the device in mass production for release later this year.
If you just CAN’T wait, you can pick up the white housing for personal assembly here.
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Half of BlackBerry Users are Ready to Jump Ship to Android and iPhone
Aug 2nd
Today Nielsen let loose a few smartphone-related numbers from a recent study they conducted and things don’t look good for BlackBerry’s creator, Research in Motion. The results really aren’t shocking with just 42% of current BlackBerry owners looking to replace their current device with another BlackBerry, meanwhile 21% plan to pick up an Android device and 29% are hoping to switch to an iPhone when they get rid of their BlackBerry.
As a fan of BlackBerry I admit, I’m bummed to hear this, however, I’m not surprised one bit with the news. Research in Motion has done a piss-poor job making their platform enticing over the last several years. The truth is the last few OS upgrades have been drawn out, and relatively insignificant iterations of an already dated platform. While BlackBerry users are seeing trivial feature additions like threaded messaging, a bad attempt at a two-way Gmail sync solution, and a still unbearable browser; platforms like Android, iOS, webOS, and now even Windows Phone 7 are leapfrogging the once dominant BlackBerry.
I want to believe that BlackBerry 6 will fix all the problems and make the BlackBerry a competitive device again, but I’m just not sure it’s going to deliver all that. Sure, the browser looks decent (finally) and there are some built-in services like RSS, podcasts, and social feeds. But will it really hold a candle to current offerings? I’m afraid that it won’t. Application development is still absurdly difficult and unrewarding when compared to Android and especially iOS, and the iPhone definitely taught us how important a solid app ecosystem is to the success of a smartphone platform.
There are a lot of things that I like about BlackBerry-mostly the convenience and speed of messaging-but that’s not enough to keep most people from looking at alternatives that offer much more. Email used to be the BlackBerry’s one big dealmaker, but currently I think it falls behind both Android and the iPhone. I mean seriously, we still don’t have good HTML email viewing and two-way sync is a joke. Not only has RIM fallen behind with email but even integration with calendar, tasks, and contacts is non-existant unless you’re on a BES.
To sum this up I think RIM needs to either start really appealing to consumers or drop it entirely and just hammer on the best enterprise device available, because right now they’re just doing both poorly. If I can go ahead and contribute my vote to the survey, I’m with the 21% jumping to Android. I appreciate my BlackBerry, and I can’t wait for BlackBerry 6 to hit my 9650, but if given the choice right now I would buy an Android handset without a thought of buying another BlackBerry. I’m sorry RIM, but you did this to yourself.
[Via Nielsen]
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