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First Look: JetSet 1.1 for iPhone
Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store
BriteMac has announced special pricing for their JetSet iPhone expense tracker to celebrate the release of the update to version 1.1. Through October 6th, you can purchase JetSet 1.1 for US$4.99, five dollars off of the regular App Store (click opens iTunes) price of US$9.99.

There are a number of other expense managers for iPhone, but I use JetSet for some specific features -- the ability to capture iPhone photos of receipts and attach them to expenses, being able to export expense information to Google spreadsheets or to Excel, and global expense views that "package" expenses that are for a particular project or trip.

JetSet also has 15 major expense categories, visible in the screenshot here, as well as well over 100 subcategories. This speeds up data entry since it's usually not necessary to type in category names.

If you're not using JetSet for expense tracking, what do you use? Leave us a comment.
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App Store quietly changes review policy
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, App Store

Since its inception in July, a more fair user-review process has been one of the most constant complaints/requests for the App Store. The old process, which was the same as the existing policy for podcasts, movies, TV shows and music, allowed anyone to review an applcation, regardless if that person had purchased the app or not. The frequent result is as you might expect: 100 reviews kvetching about price by people who never even purchased the application. That isn't fair to developers, and it isn't fair to potential buyers.

Fortunately, Apple has decided to change the review process. Starting today (well, I noticed it for the first time today, and so did Matt Gemmell), you have to actually own the application in order to review it. Go ahead and try to enter a review for an app you haven't downloaded or purchased, you'll get the dialog box at the top of this post.

This is a GREAT step to making the App Store more equitable for both users and developers. Certainly, it doesn't make up for all of the other valid complaints about the NDA and Apple's non-transparent app review process, but it does address the issue that arguably can have the most impact on application sales.

Although free apps will surely still be littered with reviews that solely exist to complain or try to promote another product or continue Internet wars like we're all 12 years old, I don't expect BS reviews to continue to appear on paid apps. After all, is someone really going to pay to trash a competitor's app? This means that the reviews, both postive and negative, can become more reliable, and that would-be customers have a better chance of actually parsing their opinions before making a purchase.

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DoYouFeed.com turns RSS into an iPhone web app
Filed under: Productivity, Freeware, Internet, Internet Tools, iPhone

Reader Stéphane M sent us news about a website he's put together called DoYouFeed that will apparently turn any RSS feed out there into an iPhone web app -- just punch your RSS/XML feed URL into the site itself, and you'll get a TinyURL back that you can bookmark in your iPhone to read the feed on demand. I'm not sure how scalable it is (there's probably a strain on both Stéphane's site and the RSS feeds themselves that could turn into trouble if too many people use it), but as a tool, it works just fine. There aren't ads on the first page you see of the feed, but there are some ads on the permalink pages of the reader, which again probably isn't too much trouble if you're just using the site for personal use, but on a larger level might ruffle some features.

Still, until the site goes down (for whatever reason), it's a pretty handy feed-to-web-app converter, and it loads quickly and easily on the iPhone (which is what all good web apps should do). NetNewsWire is free in the App Store, but if you don't want to get bogged down with a bunch of feeds at one time, DoYouFeed.com might be what you're looking for.
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Rumor: Is the Apple TV being replaced?
Filed under: Rumors, Apple TV

We just got an e-mail from an anonymous Apple reseller, stating that they received an e-mail from Apple with instructions to remove all Apple TV displays and literature and to destroy them (which I assume means throw away the literature, send back the Apple TVs) by September 30, 2008 at 5 PM. Additionally, the e-mail says that there will be a webcast "kick off" on September 30.

Incidentally, September 30 IS a Tuesday (and the last day of the September quarter), making all of this information, very, very interesting.

So, what does this mean? Could this potentially be the introduction of the Mini/Apple TV hybrid we've all been begging for? Is this related to the rumors of "The Brick?"

I guess we'll have to wait until Tuesday to find out for sure. Hey, it's Saturday, so speculate away in the comments!

Addendum: In the comments and in some subsequent e-mails, we're receiving the impression that the licensing for the shows/images displayed in the literature has run out, and that the actual physical units may not be disappearing. Of course, that still leaves the issue of the webcast event on Tuesday...
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How to make three free pseudo-apps for your iPod, touch or iPhone
Filed under: iPod Family, Multimedia, How-tos, Odds and ends, iPhone, iPod nano, iPod touch, iPod classic
Yes, you can roll up your own lighter app by videotaping a lighter. Yes, you can create a soundboard by recording noises and creating a playlist. And yes, coin-flipping apps are a dime a dozen since most of us have ready access to some form of coinage. Along these lines I'm going to show you how to create three "apps" using nothing but a Mac (or PC) and your iPhone, iPod (must be able to display photos) or iPod touch. The apps? A "mood lamp" (or color-changing night light), a futuristic medical scanner (aka Tricorder) and a simulated energy blaster (aka Phaser).

The gallery will walk you through the process step-by-step and on the next page I'll show you a video of these in action. Essentially I'm making playlists: one each for the futuristic devices (with only one "song" in a playlist, set to loop) and a looping slideshow for the mood lamp. Much easier than Xcode, I'm sure. Got a similar DIY trick for you machine? Let us know in the comments. No doubt there are much better ideas than mine!

Note: you'll need speakers attached to your iPods, or you'll look like a fool pointing the thing at people and pretending you shot or scanned them. You might look like a fool anyway, but at least with some external speakers they'll be in on the joke.

Gallery: Creating pseudo-apps for iPhone/iPod touch
Continue reading How to make three free pseudo-apps for your iPod, touch or iPhone
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Lightsaber Unleashed returns to the App Store, with ads and dialogue
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Freeware, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Yes, in case you haven't grabbed it yet, Lightsaber Unleashed has been rereleased into the App Store. Originally it was called Phonesaber (and it was one of our favorite freebies), but of course Lucasfilm wasn't going to let an unofficial app fly, and now they've passed it off to THQ and rereleased it as a tie-in with The Force Unleashed, a console game that came out last week.

The first rumors we've heard about it say the app isn't quite as awesomely spare as the old one -- there's a splash screen ad for the new game, as well as fewer saber choices and even some dialogue and music sounds (part of the charm of the old one was that all it did was make lightsaber sounds, in our humble opinion).

But fortunately it looks like creators Alex & Duncan are still aboard, so the core of the app is still there, even if Lucasfilm has dictated a few changes. Better to have an officially licensed lightsaber than no lightsaber at all, right? What kind of uncivilized fighters would we be if we just carried around those inelegant blasters all the time?
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iYo Yo-Yo almost certainly doesn't work
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Odds and ends, iPhone

Seriously? I have to say: I don't buy it. I really don't believe that you could pull enough power to charge an iPhone out of an inducting yo-yo, but that is apparently exactly what the iYo Yo-Yo claims to be. It's not actually in production yet (or even produced, singular -- there's a demo of a rendered unit running on the site), so I'm as skeptical as James Randi at an astrologists' convention.

Not to mention that nothing developer Peter Thuvander would actually be able to release could have that logo on it -- even if it did work, Apple would just release their own anyway, and then pay Pete twenty years later, right? But some people will do anything for alternative energy these days, including believing that a yo-yo could power your iPhone. Someone call the Mythbusters!

[via Engadget]

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Apple and the App Store: meme of the moment
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Bad Apple, App Store

It's been a couple of months since I first posted my thoughts on the iPhone App Store review process and called for greater objectivity, transparency, and consistency from Apple. Apple's review process has become the meme of the moment this week. Here's a quick run-down of some of the big (and less big) stories out there at the moment:

Engadget
Ryan Block, with the help of Geek Lawyer (and TUAW buddy) Nilay Patel, looks at the App Store review system and finds it lacking. (Full disclosure: I had a very minor hand in this post.)

Joy of Tech
Here's Joy of Tech's hilarious take on the App-Store review process. (Thanks, Jonathan K!)

Mobile Chat
The authors of Mobile Chat are offering refunds, as they can't tell if or when they will ever be accepted to the App Store with a functioning product.

LateNiteSoft
Here's a thoughtful essay about the "Cruel Economy of the App Store." It's really a terrific read.

Macworld
Don't ascribe malicious intent to what can be explained by incompetence and too-rapid growth of the App Store, suggests this Macworld writeup.
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According to Hoyle, it's 2009
Filed under: Gaming, Software
Encore Software apparently has a time machine, and it's not the one built into Leopard. They have just introduced three new entries in their Hoyle series of Mac games -- Hoyle Puzzle & Board 2009, Hoyle Cards 2009, and Hoyle Casino 2009.

Hoyle Puzzle & Board 2009 features puzzle games, including Sudoku, Anagrams, Hangman, Mahjongg, and over 1,200 crossword puzzles. The "Board" part of the game is actually Freeverse's Big Bang Board Games, which includes Backgammon, Checkers, Chess, and four more classic games. You can play against virtual or real opponents, and you gain Hoyle Bucks to purchase new music and backgrounds.

Hoyle Cards 2009 has hundreds of card games, and you can now play online against other card sharks in the Royle (sic) Suite. Hoyle Casino gives you slots, roulette, and all of the other casino favorites, now with access to the Royle Suite and online tournaments.

The games are available for $19.99 each and require Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later. Be sure to check out the system requirements before you buy, since some of the games require Intel processors, and then party like it's 2009!
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Rumor: Is 'The Brick' a wireless hybrid handheld-slash-Mac?
Filed under: Rumors
There's a substantial amount of whispering about an anticipated "October Surprise" around the corner, but it's not the usual sort -- multiple sources have suggested that there is an Apple product introduction due on or about October 14. This hinting, combined with the refresh clock ticking away on the laptop line, leads us to suspect that new MacBooks and MacBook Pros are coming up soon -- but what of The Brick?

If another Apple product announcement is coming on the heels of a mid-October laptop refresh, and if it's the "product transition" mentioned in the earnings call last quarter, where Apple's margins will be squeezed enough to merit a warning to analysts, it's going to have to be something different. A TUAW source has passed along the following (unconfirmed) details on a possible new product -- and several of our commenters may be on the right track.
Continue reading Rumor: Is 'The Brick' a wireless hybrid handheld-slash-Mac?
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