Fresh Apple: TheAppleBlog (13 сообщений)

На что подписаться? | Управление подпиской

TheAppleBlog
TheAppleBlog, published by and for the day-to-day Apple user, is a prominent source for news, reviews, walkthroughs, and real life application of all Apple products.
http://theappleblog.com
рекомендовать друзьям >>

Apple Replacing iPhones With 2.2.1-Related Wi-Fi Issues

This is news to me, and scary news at that, but it seems as though firmware update 2.2.1 has been causing some problems with Wi-Fi for many iPhone users.

I’ve not had any problems, but then again, I use Wi-Fi only sparingly, and even when I do, it’s never for an extended period. Also, I’ve updated to the 3.0 beta firmware, so I might have dodged a bullet there. If you have been having issues, and were hoping for a quick software fix, it looks like you may be out of luck.

Some users have reportedly been told by Apple to have their hardware replaced, and to make sure that when they call for a replacement, they specifically ask for an iPhone that’s running firmware of a version earlier than 2.2.1. All of which would seem to indicate that for the moment, Apple doesn’t know how to undo what they did with 2.2.1.

No one knows for sure what exactly is causing the problems, which seem to affect primarily 2G and older 3G model phones, but some believe the issues stem from Apple lifting an artificial throttling cap on the iPhone’s Wi-Fi chip, which enables faster speeds but also overheating. The theory seems to be supported by the fact that the issues are resolved and connectivity is restored when affected units are placed in the fridge for a little while and left to cool down.

As per usual, there’s no official word from Apple on the matter, and gauging how widespread the problem actually is will be difficult in this case, since a number of other factors could be affecting Wi-Fi performance. If you’re having the same problem, let us know, and maybe we can start to see just how deep this goes.

Переслать
iPhone Ad Breakdown: Itchy, Office, Student

Apple has started showing three new TV spots in its “There’s an app for that” series. These new ads focus on the outdoors, small business, and college students. Here’s a breakdown of the three apps highlighted in each ad. I’ve also provided a handy list of all the apps that appear on the screen just so you don’t have to spend 20 minutes scrubbing through the video yourself.

Itchy

In the “Itchy” ad, the iPhone tells you where are headed on your hike, what bird you are looking at, and if you are standing in Poison Oak or not.

Compass Go works by using the GPS tracking in the iPhone 3G to try and infer which direction you are headed. Although there are rumors of magnetometers in the next version of the iPhone, there is no such capability in the current iPhone. The accuracy is limited, of course, but it is still interesting. Compass Go is $1.99.

iBird Explorer Plus is a complete bird spotter’s field guide for North America. While fairly expensive at $19.99, this app is a pretty good replacement for a pocket book. The search feature gives it a huge advantage over any paper book.

Howcast is an interesting service where users can upload their own videos that explain how to perform certain tasks. The web site has some pretty interesting listings. This free iPhone app lets you browse through the videos to find what you are looking for.

Cameo appearances by: Dietician, AllRecipes, DiggTest, VegOut, CityMint, MySpace, Go Green, Scrabble, Health Cubby, Surf Report, Google, YosemiteEnvi, Trails, Heart Monitor, Pandora, MultiLevel, Metronome, Hotel…earMe, LinkedIn, iXpenseIt, iCam, InnTouch, Anatomy, FedEx Mobile, GetGreen, iTranslate, EleMints, KICKmap, iTalk, Scoops, vlingo, Yelp, Peekaboo, LogMeIn, Pizza Calc, Facebook, YPmobile, NYTimes, Kineo, GoodGuide, Starmap, Photogene, Mint.com, PanoLab, Weightbot, AIM, MacGourmet, JetSet, Print n Share, MobileFiles (Pro?), eBay, Keynote Remote, Shop Lucky, Guitar Toolkit, SnapTell, ViewTi N, Yoga Stretch, Molecules, Where To?, Tuner, Recorder, Spanish, Evernote, Google Earth, Wine Snob, Twitterific, Keener, Mobile News, World Traffic, Gigotron, WeatherBug, Nike Training, Flick Fishing, Remote, Flights, Pano.

Office

In “Office”, the iPhone lets you process a customer’s credit card transaction, print shipping labels, and check your package tracking status.

Credit Card Terminal is one of the most expensive app store purchases at $49.99, but it is a pretty useful business tool in the right situation. When you compare this to dedicated mobile credit card terminals, it is actually a decent deal. You will still need a merchant account and payment processor to use with this app. There is an offer to sign up with Authorize.net through the app itself.

Print n Share is a pretty nifty little app that lets you print emails, attachments, photos, and web pages from your iPhone. You install helper software on your Mac or Windows computer that receives the print request from the iPhone and then your computer actually sends the job to any printer it can see. Print n Share is $6.99.

FedEx Mobile is a simple app that lets you track packages that you have sent through FedEx. Anything you have done through FedEx Manager using the same account will automatically appear, as will any packages you have added to My FedEx online. And it won’t cost you anything, either.

Cameo appearances by: Clinometer, ABC Animals, ACTCurrency, MySpace, BeatMaker, Photogene, Ambiance, Bloom, BofA, CameraBag, CityMint, Classics, Cor.kz, Apartments, NYTimes, WeatherBug, 365XWords, AIM, Open Table, FlightTrack, VegOut, Currency, iXpenseIt, Facebook, ZAGAT ‘09, YPMobile, Eventful, Flights, DiggTest, Baby Monitor, Dynolicious, YosemiteEnvi, Bee Book, Anatomy, iBird Plus, WeightBot, 1800Flowers, Preschool Adventure, Dietician, AmbiScience Brain Power, French, Drync Wine, MobileFiles Pro, LogMeIn, GetGreen, MacGourmet, LinkedIn, Keynote Remote, JetSet, Spanish, iCam, Pandora, iTranslate, ???Map, Kineo, Compass Go, Mark On Call, Starmap, Gigotron, Mint.com, World Traffic, Mobile News, GoodGuide, PanoLab, Keener, Google, Trails, Remote, GuitarToolkit, NYTimes, Scoops, Shop Lucky, Nike Training, PA Traffic, eBay, Beacon, Tipulator, InnTouch, ViewTi G, All Recipes.

Student

During “Student”, the iPhone lets you find an apartment, find the best price for a textbook, and crop some drunk jerk out of your photo so you can send it to your mom.

Apartments will help you find its namesake for free, basically. It allows you to search for rentals using either your current location, or by entering city, state, and zip information into a search field. Results have photos, driving directions, links to maps, and contact information. You can’t specify search criteria like price range or number of bedrooms, though.

SnapTell is an app that also pretty much does what its title suggests. Just snap a picture of something with your iPhone’s camera, and it’ll return a description complete with the thing’s name, rating, and links to sites with more information like Google, IMDb, eBay, etc. Probably won’t work with your cat, but DVDs and and books are fine.

Photogene lets you do basic photo editing work directly on your iPhone. Obviously, it’s nowhere near as powerful as Photoshop, but it does let you make up for a lot of the failings of your iPhone’s built-in camera quickly and easily, as well as add text and other effects to your photos. Photogene will cost you $2.99.

Cameo appearances by: Airsharing, Health Cubby, Peekaboo, Kineon, Color Expert, Where To?, eBay, Open Table, Compass Go, iCam, Evernote, Trails, Dietician, FedEx Mobile, WordBook, GoodGuide, MySpace, Fieldrunners, VegOut, Surf Report, Weightbot, Spanish, Todo, Tactile, Bloom, AIM, Pandora, Pizza Calc, EleMints, Threads, Howcast, Scoops, YosemiteEnvi, dB, iBirdPlus, Heart Monitor, FlightTrack, Barista, Clinometer, MySpace, SpeakEasy, Google, BofA, ZAGAT ‘09, X-plane, AllRecipes, Ambiance, ColorSplash, RepairPal, TideGraph, 365XWords, StarMap, CityMint, CoffeeBreak, WeatherBug, Ocarina, Anatomy, Keynote Remote, Facebook, Scratch, GuitarToolkit, AroundMe, Nike Training, Pano, Srabble, Dynolicious, Primrose, Shop Lucky, Gigotron, Face Melter, AmbiSci BP, Remote, Twitterific.

Переслать
iPhone Dev Sessions: How To Make An Orientation-Aware Clock
For this tutorial we’re going to build a simple clock that is orientation-aware, meaning that when you rotate your iPhone, the time rotates with it. I’m assuming you have a basic knowledge of the iPhone SDK.

To get started, you will need a label for the time and a background image. You will also need a timer. To get started, you must declare your outlets in code before Interface Builder will be able to use them. I’ll show you how to do that now.

Let’s Get Our Hands in Some Code

Edit SimpleClockViewController.h so it looks like this:
```
  #import <UIKit/UIKit.h>  @interface SimpleClockViewController : UIViewController { 	IBOutlet UILabel* clockLabel; 	NSTimer *myTicker; }  @end 
```
The myTicker is going to be responsible for updating the clockLabel. We will implement that code later.

The next thing you want to do is drag background_image.png to your project (see image below). You can get the image here.

You want to copy the item to the project’s directory so put a check mark next to “Copy items into destination group’s folder (if needed).” Your settings should look similar to this. Click Add.

Open SimpleClockViewController.xib. Drag UIImageView from the Library to the View window. This will act as a placement holder for our background image.

Bring up the Attributes Inspector. Set the Image to background_image.png. Set the Mode to Scale To Fill so that the background_image.png stretches out when we rotate the iPhone.

Bring up the Size Inspector and change the Autosizing settings to look like this. The arrows in the Autosizing box act as outward springs, which cause the view to resize itself proportionally based on the width or height of its superview. The “I”s act as struts that keep a fixed distance when the View is changed when you rotate the iPhone. If that’s hard to visualize, Interface Builder has an animation to the right of the Autosizing box will help you visualize its current settings.

Drag a Label to the View window and resize to approximately the width of the window. Center it. This makes the time larger and also positions the time to be rotated around its center point when you turn the iPhone into landscape mode.

Change the font of the label by selecting the Label and hitting Command-T. Change the settings so you’re using Helvetica, Bold, size 48.

Bring up the Attributes Inspector. Change the Layout Alignment to Center. Again, we’re doing this so the time rotates around its center. Change the font color to white so it looks good on the dark background. It should look similar to this:

Bring up the Size Inspector and change your Autosizing settings to look like the image below. This makes sure the time rotates and positions itself correctly around its center.

Lastly, Control-Drag from File’s Owner to the Label and choose clockLabel when the outlet box pops up. This tells your Label which variable it is in the code.

Save and close Interface Builder. Back in Xcode, open SimpleClockViewController.h and add runTimer and showActivity methods. These declare the functions we’re going to write.
```
  #import <UIKit/UIKit.h>  @interface SimpleClockViewController : UIViewController { 	IBOutlet UILabel* clockLabel; 	NSTimer *myTicker; }  /* New Methods */ - (void) runTimer; - (void)showActivity; 
```
Open SimpleClockViewController.m and add the methods we just declared.
```
  - (void)runTimer {   // This starts the timer which fires the showActivity   // method every 0.5 seconds   myTicker = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval: 0.5                         target: self                         selector: @selector(showActivity)                         userInfo: nil                          repeats: YES];  }  // This method is run every 0.5 seconds by the timer created // in the function runTimer - (void)showActivity {    NSDateFormatter *formatter =           [[[NSDateFormatter alloc] init] autorelease];     NSDate *date = [NSDate date];      // This will produce a time that looks like "12:15:00 PM".     [formatter setTimeStyle:NSDateFormatterMediumStyle];    // This sets the label with the updated time.   [clockLabel setText:[formatter stringFromDate:date]];  } 
```
The runTimer method only has 1 line of code split into multiple lines. All it does is call the showActivity method every 0.5 seconds.

The showActivity method formats the clockLabel so it looks like “12:15:00 PM” and sets it to the current time. As mentioned above, this method is called every 0.5 seconds.

We want to call runTimer after the view loads. This is a common method that, when Xcode generated SimpleClockViewController.m, they included a method called viewDidLoad. This method is called immediately after the View items are loaded. Find the viewDidLoad method and uncomment it.

Add [self runTimer]; to the end of the method. It should now look like this:
```
  // Implement viewDidLoad to do additional // setup after loading the view, typically from a nib. - (void)viewDidLoad {     [super viewDidLoad];  // This calls the runTimer method after loading // SimpleClockViewController.xib   [self runTimer]; } 
```
When Xcode generated SimpleClockViewController.m, they also included shouldAutorotateToInterfaceOrientation. By default, views display only in portrait orientation, so you need to implement shouldAutorotateToInterfaceOrientation method if you want to support other orientations.

Locate the shouldAutorotateToInterfaceOrientation method and uncomment it. You can support only some orientations such as portrait or landscape with Home button on the right, but we don’t need to limit ourselves to those scenarios. We want to support all orientations so the view rotates correctly no matter how we’re holding the iPhone. To do this, replace return (interfaceOrientation == UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait); with return YES;.
```
  // Override to allow orientations other than // the default portrait orientation. - (BOOL)shouldAutorotateToInterfaceOrientation:(UIInterfaceOrientation)interfaceOrientation {     // Return YES for supported orientations     return YES; } 
```
Now you can build and run it! Hit Command-Left to see your UI rotate with the iPhone simulator. You can Build and Run the project to make sure everything is compiling and running.
Переслать
Recent Survey Lauds Tap Tap Revenge, Advertising Power of App Store

Tapulous is obviously aware they have a hit on their hands with Tap Tap Revenge, hence the individually branded Weezer and Nine Inch Nails versions, the paid Tap Tap Dance, and the wildly successful sequel, Tap Tap Revenge 2. But a recent survey reveals that they may be more successful than anyone could have guessed, since they have the largest installed base of any application currently available from the App Store. That’s no small feat in a competitive field of tens of thousands.

According to comScore, the market research firm behind the recent survey and an accompanying report, Tap Tap Revenge has been installed by 32 percent of iPhone and iPod touch users as of February 2009. That means one-third of the millions who use the App Store have downloaded Tap Tap Revenge at one point or another. I know one company who won’t have any trouble selling advertising space.

The purpose of the survey was in fact to give marketers a bird’s eye view of the App Store landscape. It also revealed some interesting facts about what kind of apps users are most likely to download and use. The top three categories that app users gravitated towards were retail, social networking and entertainment, respectively. Although I’m a little confused by the retail category (I can think of Amazon, and maybe Stanza and the Amazon Kindle app that might fit this description and be widely used), the other two make sense, especially if entertainment is broad enough to include games.

In a report accompanying the survey, comScore also pointed out that people who downloaded apps were likely to occupy mid- to high-range income brackets, who as a consequence probably have a lot more disposable income to spend on things like fart simulators and sexy pen apps. It notes that 35 percent of app store customers were likely to belong to households with an income of more than $100,000, while over 50 percent earned at least $75,000.

Basically, the final takeaway of the report is that advertisers would do well to look at the App Store as a potentially game-changing outlet from which to sell their shiny baubles. With the ad industry facing a crisis and pulling out of print and online sales, the App Store could present an attractive alternative. Since it has proven reach in a much sought-after demographic, and because of the unique content delivery method offered by apps, it avoids some of the usual failings of Internet advertising. There are no ad-blockers for individual apps, and there’s less competition for the viewer’s attention.

Personally, I’m conflicted. I like free stuff, but I hate ads, and therefore ad-supported software. My solution? Offer an ad-supported lite or trial version of all software, and I’ll buy whatever I actually use just to get rid of the marketing material. Any better ideas?

Переслать
Google Updates Gmail and Calendar for iPhone

Yesterday, Google dropped a number of updates and improvements for their web-based Gmail and Calendar apps for the iPhone. A lot of the changes made are on the backend, so while you may not see a huge difference right away, you will likely notice snappier and more consistent performance in both apps, though I found the most significant difference was in Gmail. Apparently this is due to aggressive caching using a completely redesigned system architecture. In other words, Google gave the app one heck of a tune-up.

Part of that tune-up includes making sure that you won’t have to worry about losing valuable data or not being able to check that important email you’ve just received, even if you’re in an area with a bad cellular data connection. Basically, you now get limited offline support in Gmail for iPhone thanks to Gears integration in the new system architecture.

You also get some very handy usability improvements, including a new way to perform batch commands, which should save you a lot of headaches. The big change in this area is the addition of a floating menu bar which scrolls with you as you move through your inbox. It means that you can check as many messages as you want, and then, using the menu, batch delete, archive, mark as read/unread or spam all without returning to the top of the page.

Search has been moved to the top for easier access, and individual message appearance has been overhauled, so that reading your emails on the iPhone more closely resembles the desktop Gmail experience. Overall, it’s actually a much better experience than Mail.app, but I still prefer a software to a web-based email solution. Calendar gets the same look and feel as Gmail, and the same underlying engine, but I don’t use Google Calendar much so you’ll have to see for yourself about overall usability improvements. Check out Gmail.com on any iPhone or iPod touch to see the changes.

Переслать
New Boxee Alpha for Mac and Apple TV Released

Do-it-all media software Boxee just got a new update that should have Apple users jumping for joy. It incorporates elements from recent test releases and is now relatively bug-free compared to early antecedents. Those elements include Hulu and Pandora integration, as well as other App Box releases.

The alpha will get Hulu working again, in case you haven’t already downloaded the test fixes. The reason for Boxee’s renewed ability to play Hulu video is the new XULRunner browser it uses to play video, which sidesteps Hulu’s recent limitation of playback to non-browser based devices and applications. It also enables Boxee to play pretty much any video you can find on the web by adding URLs with video RSS feeds as sources. In the new alpha release, all of these features — and the new support for Pandora, PBS and RadioTime — are present, minus the bugs and connection issues that were present in the test builds.

The big news for developers is that Boxee also released its official API late yesterday to the public, so that anyone can develop their own plug-ins for the software. Development is supposedly open to all, with Boxee claiming they won’t decide what is and what isn’t published. Users will be able to install new applications via the App Box. The API is Python-based, and comes with full documentation. You can learn more about the API at Boxee’s developer web site.

Now that Boxee is open for community development, it truly has become more or less exactly what Apple TV should’ve been. Apple should be taking notes, or at least thinking about not trying to bar access to its hardware every time it releases a firmware update.

Переслать
App Review: The Void — Where No iPhone Has Gone Before

App Quick Stats

The Void

$2.99
iTunes Link

An epic RPG has arrived on the iPhone, featuring battles, leveling up, upgradeable weapons and online features. Forget goblins and warlocks though, The Void takes the adventure to the final frontier.

The gaming section of the App Store has been subject to a serious cute overdose as of late, with Rolando, Topple and even Zombieville USA leading the colorful pack. Now it’s time for everything to get a little darker — a little more Star Wars Episode II — with the release of The Void.

Beaming down to the App Store, The Void is an RPG that aims to blend traditional leveling up with Asteroid-esque space combat.

Launch Configuration

Before even purchasing your first ship, you’ll discover that the instructions are bewildering, and the size of the soon-to-be-conquered galaxy, overwhelming. This blend of information and visual overdose culminates in the idea that you’re about to delve into an epic adventure.

In fact, it’s a multisense overdose as the music — a sci-fi soundtrack featuring ’80s-esque sweeping orchestral synthesis — instantly sets the scene. While the in-game sounds are somewhat lacking, the music is to be applauded, as it draws the player in and intensifies the atmosphere.

Flight Path

Jumping into a battle and making your way across the galaxy requires a ship and considerable weaponry. The game hub is where all of the planning, purchasing and managing occurs. The hub is broken down into four sections: Galaxy Map, Weapons, Equipment and Shipyard.

The Galaxy Map provides access to different areas of The Void’s sprawling world. The galaxy is, however, separated into stages that need to be completed in order to advance. As such, it’s worth noting that The Void is not free-roaming, à la Elite, but takes a more traditional, non-RPG approach.

Throughout the game, you’re represented by your ship. There’s no avatar or character and, in fact, seemingly no other individual characters with which to interact. Setting that issue aside for a moment, the Shipyard allows you to choose from a selection of ships, each carrying a stack of stats detailing their varying defensive and aggressive ability.

Once a ship has been purchased, it can be armed and upgraded in the Weapons and Equipments sections, respectively. During battle, you’re able to pick up new weapons and equipment from defeated enemies.

There’s a spectacular range of gear available to unlock — homing missiles, machine guns, turn thrusters — all of which bring an added element to battles, whereby you’ll be scavenging dropped gear from defeated alien craft. Additionally, you can sell scavenged gear, which is great for raising funds or ridding yourself of duplicate items.

Battle Stations

The main game takes its inspiration from Asteroids and, after all the anticipation, is underwhelming. Missions are disappointingly simple, too — a typical level sees you having to destroy all the enemies or all the space crates on a given stage. Although the game makes use of the iPhone’s motion-sensor for turning your ship, the rest of the controls are poor.

Dogfights are slow, flight is sloppy and each stage ends up feeling like a sci-fi chore — more akin to cleaning up the galaxy. If the game was called Space Janitor, my expectations would have been appropriately set and I probably would have enjoyed it more.

Impact Imminent

Despite the fact it’s pitched as an RPG, The Void most certainly is not. The game is light on story, barely establishing the player’s role within the intergalactic milieu. Throughout playing, I felt unsure as to what the purpose of all this space combat was.

This mindless feeling stemmed from there being no establishing story — and thus no story arc — as I advanced through the game. As such, it feels like The Void has a large portion of the experience missing: There is no actual role-playing and no interaction with other characters.

Summing Up

The Void succeeds in several ways: the sci-fi atmosphere, complete with Jean Michel Jarre-esque music, is a real joy. Plus, the range of weapons on offer, alongside being able to unlock and purchase new ships, really pushes you to keep playing. However, there’s nothing inventive or inspiring about the actual levels and they end up feeling more like a grind than an epic adventure.

Perhaps if the combat was executed more effectively, it would draw attention away from the lack of story. Unfortunately though, the plot is severely lacking and, in essence, the game is a nothing more than a beautified rendering of Asteroids. And although Asteroids is great, it’s certainly not epic.

Переслать
iPhone App Roundup: Corporate Use
For corporate users, there are many apps within the iTunes App Store that enhance the default iPhone experience. Let’s take a look at the available options and see how you might be able to leverage these apps to improve the use of your iPhone within the Enterprise.

Email + Calendar

Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync

Although this doesn’t fall into the standard “app” category, having this collaboration toolset is fundamental to most users within medium to large enterprises. In the iPhone 2.0 release, Apple added Exchange ActiveSync support, giving every user access to both their corporate email and calendar.

Unfortunately, a limitation of this support is that you can only accept meeting invitations; you cannot send them. Compared to the native Exchange support on Windows Mobile, BlackBerry Enterprise Server or Motorola’s Good Mobile Messaging, this is an oversight on Apple’s part.

For users in environments without Microsoft Exchange, other third-party Mac software vendors have stepped in to provide alternate ways to support ActiveSync. These include Communigate, Notify Technology and Google.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Having your customer data with you when you’re away from the office is pretty important. Thankfully, the major vendors in the CRM space have provided apps to connect to your corporate data.

Salesforce Mobile (free, but requires a Salesforce license)

Salesforce.com recently released the 3.0.1 version of their Salesforce Mobile application. If you have a Mobile User License, you can view/edit all of your Salesforce.com data.

Oracle CRM On-Demand (free, but requires an Oracle license)

The team at Oracle released five applications for connecting with their on-demand CRM product.
Daylite Touch ($49.99/year per user)

The team at Marketcircle released this app last week. For more information about Daylite Touch, please read my First Look article.

Search2GO for Salesforce CRM ($9.99)

The Search2GO app enables Salesforce.com users to search for leads, contacts, accounts and so-called “opportunities” within their account. The cool feature of Search2G0 is that users can access their Salesforce.com data without the additional Salesforce.com mobile license. There’s also a Lite (free) version that provides read-only searching.

Expense Management

Another important tool for business travel is being able to maintain your expenses. Here are some great choices.

Expense2Go for Salesforce (free)

Expense2GO lets folks manage their business expenses and synchronize the data with the online expense management application in Salesforce.

XpensTracker (7.99)

In terms of popularity, Silverware Software’s XpenseTracker is at the top of the iTunes Business Apps list for expense management. It’s rich feature set, combined with its pleasant UI, provides a complete solution for the corporate traveler.

Others in the category: iXpenseIt ($4.99) and iXpenseIt Lite (free).

File Management & Manipulation

As a corporate user, having your files with you is critical. Plus, being able to have PDFs of your boarding passes and itineraries is just plain helpful when you don’t always have access to a printer.

MobileFiles Pro ($9.99)

The folks at QuickOffice built MobileFiles Pro for the true mobile professional. This application makes it very easy to add your files to the iPhone via a simple web browser interface. You can read many different file types (Microsoft Office, iWork 08, PDF) as well as create/edit Microsoft Excel 2003 files (.xls) right within the application. Further, if you use MobileMe, you can access your iDisk files as well.

Documents-To-Go (price unknown)

Dataviz is the file management king of the SmartPhone world. They are currently at work on their version for the iPhone. Dataviz expects their iPhone version to ship sometime in the second quarter of 2009.

Others in the category: ReaddleDocs, Air Sharing and DataCase.

Task Management

For corporate users, having your tasks with you on the road and being able to update/sync with them back at the office is crucial to “Getting Things Done.”

One item of note: If you use Microsoft Entourage, you’ll have to wait for the new update that supports Exchange Web Services to have Notes and Tasks synchronization capabilities.

iMExchange ($7.99)

iMExchange enables you to sync your Outlook Notes, Tasks and Categories to your iPhone. It works with both Exchange Server 2003 (SP1) and 2007.

Others in the category: Keynotes and Key Tasks

Itinerary Management

If you’re on the road, the best way to keep track of the flight and travel information on your iPhone is by using one of the following apps.

FlightTrack Pro ($9.99)

Using this app, as long as you have a TripIt account, you can synchronize your flight itinerary. FlightTrack Pro lets you see where planes are in-flight (only if you’re tracking other flights, as you can’t check your own flight status in-flight), and it has a fantastic UI.

TravelTracker ($9.99)

TravelTracker uses more of the TripIt API to sync not just your flight information, but your notes and itineraries, including hotel and car reservations. Although this is more expensive, it’s also a more comprehensive application.

Others in the category: FlightTrack and Flight Status

Virtual Meetings

Cisco WebEx Meeting Center (free)

Using the WebEx Meeting Center App, you can easily join an online/virtual meeting. The app sizes the information appropriately for the iPhone screen so you can view the meeting data accurately. The bonus to this application is that it’s free to join meetings. If you want to schedule meetings, you will need an iPhone-enabled WebEx account.

Conclusion

I’m sure that I haven’t included every potential corporate application available in the App Store. However, the purpose of this article is to expose you to which apps will best help you as a corporate user of the iPhone. Please comment below and provide additional suggestions/recommendations of apps you think are best for use within the Enterprise.
Переслать
Variable iTunes Pricing Goes Live

We warned you that this day was coming (OK we were actually off by one day, but that only means you had more time to buy that coveted All-American Rejects track), and now it’s here: Apple has finally made good on their promise to introduce variable track pricing in the iTunes store. Songs now range from 69 cents to $1.29, with most still occupying the 99-cent mid-point that, up until today, was the only price tag available.

The pricing change just feels weird, but that’s probably because I’m so used to the old ways. For instance, I clicked on a Lady Gaga album (not because I was keen on buying it, honest) and saw that of the 14 tracks available for individual purchase, seven cost 99 cents and seven cost $1.29. I’m not really familiar enough with Lady Gaga’s career to say, but I suspect the higher-priced songs are singles or popular club songs. If you buy the whole album, you still pay only $9.99. Conversely, Flo Rida’s latest CD is $11.99, and every track costs $1.29 individually.

While examples of $1.29 songs are plentiful and hard to miss, I failed to locate even a single 69-cent song, despite checking Weird Al Yankovich’s back catalog and looking through a number of albums priced under $6.99. I was sort of hoping Apple would conveniently place a big, blinking button somewhere in the iTunes’ store that would lead me to the cheap tracks, but I guess they’re being coy about it. Or maybe it’ll become more of a limited-use promotional tool than a price point for general catalog items.

Only time will tell if the record labels have shot themselves in the foot with this new pricing scheme. One thing’s for certain: Flo Rida wants more of your cash.

Переслать
Apple Updates Xserve With Intel Xeon "Nehalem" Processors

It’s a Tuesday, and that means that if Apple is updating anything this week, it’ll happen today. And it has happened today. Apple announced early this morning that they’ve upgraded their Xserve-brand server hardware. The update includes new Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processors, which, when paired with a completely redesigned system architecture, are supposed to provide up to twice the performance of the previous Xserve generation. The upgrade was leaked earlier via Apple’s own Hong Kong store web site.

There are two base models of Xserve available. The lower-priced server at $2,999 comes with a single 2.26 GHz Quad-core processor, 3 GB of RAM, one 160GB 7200-rpm SATA drive, and Mac OS X Server 10.5 Unlimited Client edition. The second model, priced at $3,599, gives you eight cores of processor power with two 2.26 GHz Quad-core “Nehalem” chips. Upgrade options include 2.66 and 2.93 GHz versions of the processor, up to 24 GB of RAM, and up to 3 hard drives with a max capacity of 1 terabyte. You can also optionally add-on a 128 GB SSD that won’t occupy any of your drive bays and will be configured as the Xserve’s boot disk, which is quite the handy (though somewhat expensive) option.

Apple is also hoping to improve their green image with the latest Xserve, which it claims is 89 percent more energy efficient measured by performance per watt compared to the model it replaces. They also tout the PVC-free construction of the Xserve body. And thanks to a new feature that puts processor cores into low-power mode when not in use, the Xserve also boasts a 19 percent reduction in power consumption when idle.

Переслать
Apple Updates iTunes to 8.1.1

Apple today released an update for iTunes, bringing the version number to 8.1.1.

The new version (currently available from Software Update) supposedly fixes syncing issues with the iPhone and iPod touch (which I’ve been lucky enough not to encounter) and with VoiceOver, the we-don’t-need-no-stinkin’-display substitute for the iPod Shuffle.

It’s also supposed to bring HD movie rental support to the media management software, though a cursory investigation by yours truly does not reveal any movies that are currently available for rent in said format, in either the Canadian or the U.S. iTunes stores. Maybe the standard $3.99 rental price now includes an HD resolution copy when available? I’m too scared to try it out, so let us know if you’re a braver soul than I.

Переслать
Stanford and Apple Offering Free iPhone Development Course Through iTunes

If you ever wanted to be an iPhone developer, but weren’t sure where to start, this might be the place.

Stanford University is now offering an entire course (iTunes link) in iPhone development through Apple’s iTunes store, absolutely free. The only cost will be the $99 iPhone Development Program fee (if you aren’t already a registered developer). Plus, you don’t even have to commute to Palo Alto, Calif., which will definitely save a buck or two.

The course, the first installment of which is available now, is aimed at students who already have a basic familiarity with programming languages like C+ and C++, so if you were hoping to go in blind and come out with a game in the same league as something from ngmoco, you might want to consider heading back to school for that CS degree you always regretted not getting. That said, the course might prove very beneficial if you already have some development experience but haven’t felt brave enough to venture into the realm of Cocoa Touch.

The class currently available is basically just an introduction and a basic outline of the semester. During the course, students are expected to develop a number of basic apps, escalating in complexity and difficulty. Students will learn how to develop a native iPhone Twitter client, then are expected to develop their own app for the final project. The course covers the iPhone 2.0 SDK only, since the 3.0 beta is still restricted by an NDA. Still, if you want to gain a better understanding of the building blocks of iPhone development, there are far worse ways you could go about it.

Переслать
Apple's Stance Gets Sterner on Jailbreaking in Latest Developer License Agreement

We know they don’t like it, since they recently took steps to try and make it illegal, but now Apple is letting developers know directly that they won’t stand for any jailbreaking funny business on their part, either.

The news from Ars Technica comes via changes to the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement, which is part of signing up for the iPhone Developer Program itself. Updates to the Agreement now prevent developers from jailbreaking their own phones, assisting in jailbreaking efforts, and developing apps for use with jailbroken devices. The exact wording of the new clauses are as follows:

(e)You will not, through use of the Apple Software, services or otherwise, create any Application or other program that would disable, hack or otherwise interfere with the Security Solution, or any security, digital signing, digital rights management, verification or authentication mechanisms implemented in or by the iPhone operating system software, iPod touch operating system software, this Apple Software, any services or other Apple software or technology, or enable others to do so; and

(f) Applications developed using the Apple Software may only be distributed if selected by Apple (in its sole discretion) for distribution via the App Store or for limited distribution on Registered Devices (ad hoc distribution) as contemplated in this Agreement.

Basically, Apple’s now gone and drawn a line in the sand. It’ll be interesting to see how high-profile developers like Ars Technica’s own Erica Sadun, who has a foot planted firmly in both the legit and the jailbroken community, react to this latest development. Apple has the advantage of commerce on their side, but can they really twist the arm of independent developers who are only developing free apps to begin with? It’s still not clear whether they can do much beyond booting people out of the Developer Program for any violation, which it seems to me will only serve to strengthen the ranks of the jailbreaking community.

Apple’s probably hoping that this will curtail insider knowledge of development builds and SDK updates, which would hopefully hamper the ability of the DevTeam and others to jailbreak new OS updates so quickly (the newest version of 3.0, for instance, can already be jailbroken on Windows). I seriously doubt the effectiveness of the new clauses, however, until Apple shows that they have some teeth by providing a real-life example of what the consequences of violating the new rules are.

Rather than trying to close their fist on this issue, Apple should really be looking to address the problems that drive developers to the jailbreaking community to begin with. That means making serious changes to the app submission/review process, and taking a look at the strict set of rules they impose on anyone who wants to develop legitimately for their devices.

Переслать