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- App Store review shenanigans, real and imagined
Filed under: App Store
We first heard from iPhoneography and SCW last week about their two-man campaign to have skeevy developer Molinker pulled from the App Store (I included a link to their post, possibly a bit too subtly, in Sunday's post about the NYT story). Molinker was allegedly using the underhanded (and unfortunately under-caught) trick of distributing promo codes to 'puppet' reviewers who gave the company's photography apps five stars... and noticeably fail to review anything else on the store.
Since the independent reviewers of the same apps were uniformly one-star, this resulted in star distribution graphs for the apps that looked like sideways versions of the devil's horns. Satanic mischief, indeed. After the site delivered its investigation results via email to App Store top cop Phil Schiller, the offending applications were summarily yanked from the store.While it's good news for the App Store ecosystem that this kind of behavior is being monitored and corrected, and the iPhoneography team are to be commended for their diligence (although I doubt they'll be getting the requested "investigations reward for unearthing this blatant attempt at misleading and stealing from the public"), review manipulation schemes are seldom this blatant or easily identified -- and sometimes we start seeing them even when they may not really be there.
Our reader Noah emailed in this morning to strongly suggest that Gameloft was indulging in some chicanery around reviews for its game Modern Combat: Sandstorm, which has gotten a spike in one-star ratings due to a networking issue affecting multiplayer mode; users needed to adjust the UPnP setting on their wireless router to get the game to work as expected. On December 7, according to Noah's allegation, a slew of reviewers (many of whom have only ever reviewed one app, in similar fashion to the Molinker review squad) announced the UPnP fix while delivering a five-star review. Virtually all of the reviews suggesting the UPnP fix also have either eight or nine "found this helpful" votes... a bit of unexpected consistency.Is this an example of App Store sockpuppetry, or just a legitimate audience response to unfair bad reviews for an otherwise good game? I'm generally inclined to give the developer the benefit of the doubt -- and, to simplify matters, I just asked them. Gameloft representative Sanette Chao, asked whether Gameloft had solicited or encouraged 5-star UPnP reviews, replied that "[t]his is a surprise to us, and we are not aware of anything of the sort."
The most suspicious bit, to my mind, is the 'helpful' votes; it really does appear a small group of people swept through the reviews looking for UPnP-related entries to vote up. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that, I guess; in this case, though, it's not the vendor doing the reviewing or voting.Noah's reaction of suspicion, though apparently unwarranted, may be primarily a consequence of some of the genuine bad actors who are gaming the reviews system. The problem of false-fives isn't new on the App Store or in e-commerce at large; we've heard many, many stories of Amazon or iTunes reviews driven by friends, family or gift-carded strangers. The counterbalance to that is to encourage more legitimate user reviews to drown out the engineering; the only question is whether that's going to be enough to keep App Store shoppers' confidence high that the reviews mean something. Perhaps a review flag saying 'a promotional code was provided to this reviewer' would identify the worst of the abuses.
TUAWApp Store review shenanigans, real and imagined originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AppStore - Apple - ITunes Store - Modern Combat: Sandstorm - TUAW
Переслать - Create a Time Capsule gift box
Filed under: Hardware, Hacks, Mods
If your Time Capsule is among the recently deceased, don't toss it just yet. The folks at Instructables have published photos of a dead Time Capsule that's been converted into a quite handsome gift box. The process looks like it was simple enough: Just remove the guts (here's how to get inside one), insert some attractive felt and a meaningful photo. Next, re-connect the top and bottom with simple hardware store hinges and you've got a gift box designed by Apple in California. Sort of.
We love to see hardware re-purposed in clever and novel ways, especially broken bits that would typically occupy a landfill. For instance, check out the G4 mailbox and the ever-popular Macquarium. Old laptops can always become digital picture frames. The grandparent set loves these.
[Via Gizmodo]TUAWCreate a Time Capsule gift box originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple's purchase of Lala sparks price confusion
Did Apple's purchase of music streaming service Lala cost the company $80 million, or 17 million? Probably the latter, at least according to Techcrunch. $80 million seemed like an awfully large price tag for a service that's only a couple years old. Michael Arrington at TC claims to have sources who say the purchase price was $17 million instead of the previously reported $80 million. He also explains that the sources aren't directly related to the purchase, they just have some mysterious knowledge of the situation.
Good source or not, the math makes more sense after reading into it a little bit more. Lala itself was valued at about $180 million but so far has only gathered $35 million in investments. With the theoretical purchase price of 40 to 50 cents per dollar, it could look like $80 million is a viable purchase price... but then you have to take into account that the company only raised $35 million in venture capital. Would Apple really pay more than double the company's total even if the valuation is much higher? If you take in the probability that Apple paid 40 to 50 cents per dollar on the $35 million, that would give you the $17 million figure pretty easily.
It's all up to speculation at this point: the price and the purpose. Some say that Apple doesn't give a rip about the actual streaming service, but that they really purchased it for the engineers behind the project. Others are getting excited to see what music streaming would mean to Apple and iTunes. I'd encourage you to leave your hope where it is... the possibility of a music streaming package on iTunes seems a little weak. However, we've been surprised before. Either way, the $17 million purchase price would make it a steal of a deal considering that Lala supposedly had $14 million in the bank. If Apple is allowed to retain Lala's deal with Google (search results and streaming for titles of popular songs), it would make that $3 million investment look pretty good.TUAWApple's purchase of Lala sparks price confusion originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple reveals iTunes top sellers from 2009
It's December, and that means list season. Early this morning, Apple released the top sellers from the iTunes stores across several categories. The top music, television shows, movies, audiobooks, podcasts and apps sold in 2009 are displayed on a special page in the store [iTunes link], called "iTunes Rewind 2009." Here are some highlights.
The top three songs sold were "Boom Boom Pow" by Black Eyed Peas, "Right Round" by Flo Rida and "Poker Face" by Lady GaGa. I've never heard the first two, but "Poker Face" is a huge hit with my 6-year-old. It's nice to see kids music do so well. As for podcasts, I'm very happy to see my beloved Adam Carolla podcast [iTunes link] among the most popular.
The top-selling games (note that apps and games were separated) included The Sims 3, The Oregon Trail, Need for Speed: Undercover and Madden NFL 10 (Boom!). Top-selling apps included ReelDirector, which we reviewed here, Star Walk, MLB.com's app and a number of GPS apps.
For some insight on this year's winners as well as the editor's picks, check out the latest episode of the iTunes Weekly Rewind podcast [iTunes link].
[Via the Loop]TUAWApple reveals iTunes top sellers from 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Beta Beat: Google Chrome beta for Mac available
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Beta Beat
Earlier today Google released a beta of their Chrome browser for the Mac, nearly 14 months after the Windows version. Chrome is built on the WebKit engine, just like Safari. I've only used it briefly (I'm writing this post with it now), yet a couple of things are immediately apparent.
First is the lack of a search box. Instead, Google has built the "Omnibox," which combines the search and address field. Begin typing and a list of results appears beneath the text field, including recent browsing history, search options and more. For a complete view, browse all of the results in a new tab. That's neat, but it'll take some getting used to.
When first launched, it offered to import my Safari bookmarks; a task it completed so quickly I thought there was an error. Tabs slide in and out of view and are smart enough (supposedly, I haven't tested this) to isolate crashes and keep them from bringing the whole browser down.
Give it a try, but remember that it's a beta. Leave your mission-critical tasks to the tried and true.TUAWBeta Beat: Google Chrome beta for Mac available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Bento for iPhone / iPod touch reaches sales milestone
Filed under: Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
While it's no big deal for a free game or social networking app to reach a million downloads from the App Store, it is definitely news when a brand-name productivity app sells 100,000 copies. Bento for iPhone / iPod touch [US$4.99, iTunes Link] reached that milestone today, according to a press release from FileMaker, Inc.
Bento works very well as a standalone iPhone app, and becomes even more powerful when synced with the desktop version of the app (2.0v5 or 3.0 for Mac). The app comes with 25 pre-defined templates that can be customized to your needs, or you can create your own databases (Bento calls them "libraries") by opening a blank template and adding your choice from a selection of fifteen different field types. I've personally found the standalone app to be a lifesaver when I need to create a custom database for storing information on my iPhone.
The FileMaker announcement should come as welcome news for developers who are working on more mainstream or enterprise-oriented apps for the iPhone / iPod touch platform.TUAWBento for iPhone / iPod touch reaches sales milestone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Moneydance 2010 for Mac arrives; another personal finance alternative
Filed under: Software
Whenever TUAW reports on personal finance applications for Mac, particularly if we're reporting about Quicken for Mac, we get a flurry of comments from readers who recommend one solution or another. Lately, many of those comments have been about Moneydance, a Java-based cross-platform personal finance manager from The Infinite Kind, LLC.
Available in Windows, Linux, and Mac flavors, with an iPhone client on the way, Moneydance 2010 is the latest version of this US$39.99 application. This newest update, available now from the Moneydance website, includes these features:- Sidebar for always-visible account status and navigation between accounts, budgets, reports and graphs
- Downloads transactions from all online connected accounts in the background
- Downloaded transactions are automatically merged, no manual confirmation required
- Improved automatic cleanup and categorization of downloaded transactions
- More reports and graphs including capital gains reporting
- More options for filtering reports and graphs by tags
- Account register filtering by date or cleared status
- Quick-search to find transactions right from the home page
- Budget bars on home page show budget status details at a glance
- Create, edit and record scheduled reminders and transactions right from the home page calendar
What's your favorite personal finance manager for the Mac? We'd like to know! Leave a comment below, and let us know what Mac application reigns supreme for keeping your checking, savings, investment, and credit card accounts up to speed.TUAWMoneydance 2010 for Mac arrives; another personal finance alternative originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - V-Studio 100: not a piece of cake but a great piece of hardware
Filed under: Hardware, Software, Productivity, Music
Most aspiring musicians, at least those of us who are computer nerds, have spent time recording their music to distribute it digitally ... to Grandma. Most of us pass GarageBand with flying colors, graduate from Logic Express and eventually get a masters in Logic Pro. I'm admittedly in the learning stages of Logic Pro. I've graduated from my analog mixer and have just begun to learn the real world of DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations). Please keep in mind that I'm admittedly not a sound engineer, just a musician who likes to dabble with audio recording.
Recently, we were contacted by the awesome folks at Cakewalk who asked us if we'd like to review the V-Studio 100. I jumped at the chance to test it out and was pleasantly surprised at how versatile it really was. For the last two weeks, I've learned the hardware and software included in this package that helps you sound good: the end goal of any musician. I'll just do a brief overview of what's included because there's a lot there and the conclusion is that it's a winner. It's a lot to learn, especially if you're not familiar with the software or DAW controllers for that matter, but it's a huge step up from my analog mixer. Hit the read link to learn about its abilities.Continue reading V-Studio 100: not a piece of cake but a great piece of hardware
TUAWV-Studio 100: not a piece of cake but a great piece of hardware originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Dragon's Lair ships for iPhone and iPod touch
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store
Guys, if there was any doubt that the iPhone is a serious application platform, just go ahead and put it to rest right now -- Dragon's Lair has officially been ported over. The Don Bluth-animated laserdisc game was immensely popular upon release in 1983, and since then has been ported to almost every single system that can run it. Now, the iPhone joins those ranks, and seems well done. If you want to play the original Arcade mode, you can, though apparently it's so original that not even the developers recommend it -- you end up skipping sequences and it's really, really hard. Much more appetizing to today's whiny easy mode gamers is the Home mode, which not only can include a "guide" on the screen to show possible controls, but will let you play through sequences over again until you get them right.
Touch Arcade says that even at $4.99 [App Store link], it's a must-buy for nostalgia's sake, and if you have any interest in playing the game at all, it's worth the price (especially if you hung around arcades when it came out, as you've probably already put that much and then some into the game). If, on the other hand, you aren't impressed by the gameplay above and/or are too young to remember what a laserdisc is (it's like a record-sized DVD... wait, did you just ask what a record was?), you might not be intrigued.TUAWDragon's Lair ships for iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Dragon Dictation comes to the iPhone. Wow.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Review
Put this into the 'I didn't think they could ever get this to work on an iPhone' category.
I'm talking about Dragon Dictation [iTunes link] from Nuance, the developers of the very popular Dragon Naturally Speaking for the PC. Nuance also provides the speech recognition engine for MacSpeech Dictate on the Mac platform.
To dictate on the iPhone you just launch the app, press the record button, and start talking. Your dictation can be a brief sentence, or a much longer treatise. Once the text has been created from your speech, it's possible to email it, send it as a text message, or put the result in your clipboard. After recording your message, you can edit the resulting text before you send it off for others to read.
It's pretty slick! When you record your message, it is quickly transmitted to Nuance servers where a speech recognition algorithm is run against your data. The resulting text is returned to your iPhone very quickly; my informal benchmarks showed that it took about a second for text to be processed on a Wi-Fi network, and less than 5 seconds over 3G. You'll need a data connection for the app to work, but having this speech-to-text capability is going to be very important to a lot of people, who will find all sorts of uses for it.
I tested the app for about a week and found the accuracy to be very good. Accuracy diminishes if you are in a very noisy environment, as I found when I tried some dictation while being driven down the interstate. There were a few errors, but they were easy to correct. To add punctuation to your text, you can say 'period', 'question mark', or 'new paragraph,' and Dragon Dictation adds the appropriate punctuation.Continue reading Dragon Dictation comes to the iPhone. Wow.
TUAWDragon Dictation comes to the iPhone. Wow. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Boxee goes beta
Filed under: Multimedia, Music
After what has seemingly been a never-ending "alpha" period for the famous XBMC fork, Boxee, tonight the Boxee crew have finally (as expected) unveiled the first beta release of Boxee.
For starters, they have totally revamped the user interface especially surrounding the home screen. Up top are the usual suspects movies, TV shows, music, etc. On the far left is the news feed which aggregates content recommendations from friends on Boxee, Facebook and of course Twitter. Proudly, in the middle, is the "featured" section which contains recommendations from Boxee staff and associated partners (read: this is where money is made). And on the right is a list of items in your queue, but more on that in a moment.
Read on for the TUAW overview of the Boxee pre-release beta.Continue reading Boxee goes beta
TUAWBoxee goes beta originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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