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- TUAW Faceoff: Pandora vs. AOL Radio
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPod Family, Internet, Reviews, iPhone, TUAW Faceoff, App Store
When the App Store first launched last Thursday, I saw Pandora and AOL Radio and immediately wondered if they would work on my first generation iPhone using EDGE. The quick answer is yes, however, you do make some sacrifices in one of the applications. Read my full review below to get the full details.
About Pandora (Download Link)
Pandora is a part of the Music Genome Project and allows you to create "stations" of your favorite artists. Pandora then pairs those artists to others you might like and plays an unlimited playlist based on your favorite artists. Pandora tracks your likes and dislikes and will play songs based on those results. Pandora lets you find new music for free, and who can argue with that?
About AOL Radio (Download Link)
AOL Radio is a CBS Radio partner that provides online streaming radio stations. Unlike Pandora, AOL Radio is a true streaming radio station in the sense that you can play local stations which support in-audio advertising. AOL Radio can use the location feature in order to find CBS affiliate stations that bitcast near you.
User Interface
Both Pandora and AOL Radio follow a similar user interface design: they both look like the iPod feature on iPhone/iPod touch. Both of the interfaces are nice, however, I have the same gripes for both. The volume controllers in both seem to be independent of the iPhone's volume controller. This can cause the audio to be distorted if you turn it up too much in the applications themselves since you can use the volume buttons on the side to control the audio volume as well.
Secondly, I would love to be able to quit the application and have the audio keep playing (I know, this is an Apple/SDK restriction, but it would still be nice). You can, however, lock the phone and keep the audio playing (which is a nice feature).
Both applications allow you to purchase the currently playing song from the iTunes WiFi Music store. AOL Radio also provides a link to find out more about the currently playing song on AOL Radio's site.
WiFi (or 3G) vs. EDGE Use
When you are playing the music over WiFi (or the 3G cell network), you get awesome audio quality. Both applications seem to provide audio quality that matches that of purchased iTunes songs. On EDGE, however, AOL Radio falls short by providing very low quality audio (I would guess 56k audio). However, Pandora on EDGE seems to maintain good audio quality when you have a signal that is greater than 2/5 bars.
So, who wins?
Since both of these applications are absolutely free and have equal pros and cons, I would recommend downloading both to see which one fits you the best. If you are on a 3G iPhone, both will work well no matter where you are (assuming you're within 3G coverage). However, if you have a 2G iPhone, you might prefer Pandora because it provides better audio quality over EDGE. You can download both applications by clicking the download links above.
Disclaimer: The Unofficial Apple Weblog and AOL Radio are both owned by AOL.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Did Apple set developers up for failure?
Filed under: Bad Apple, Developer, iPhone
As I'm sure many of you have noticed, many of the applications from the App Store are crashing frequently. Basically, an app I want to launch opens a blank screen, pauses for a moment, and then drops me back to my home screen without so much as an apology. Worse, it may even reset the phone. I've found with most of them that a simple reboot will allow them to launch again, but that's getting old and doesn't always help. You're probably, like me, thinking that it's a shame that so many developers rushed so quickly to make the App Store deadline and ended up putting out unstable applications. According to the development community, though, it's not their fault ... it's Apple's.
Anonymous developer sources are reporting that they've been poring over crash logs and discovering that the reported crash has nothing to do with their application. There's a growing consensus that Apple has released a highly unstable "final" version of the 2.0 firmware. So, maybe it's more of a shame that Apple, who laid the groundwork for a multitude of useful and exciting applications, rushed development and failed to build a better foundation.
Personally, I haven't seen the crash logs, and I am -- legitimately, in my opinion -- accepting the word of veteran developers. I also can't speak for individual applications, there are some pretty shoddy offerings in the App Store which may have their own reasons for crashing (i.e. "I look like I was written by a Windows developer, I can't show my face!"). There are also several applications whose requisite servers were overloaded initially, but are getting back on their feet now. But for a lot of the random crashes, it has nothing to do with the app itself ... so, before you write that complaint email, check your tone ... you might be getting snarky with the wrong party.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Talkcast is back Sunday 10pm ET with special guest Ged Maheux
Filed under: TUAW Business, Podcasts
This week has no doubt been a busy one. So to kick the new week off right, we've got a special guest for you: Gedeon Maheux from the Icon Factory will join us to talk about Twitterrific mobile and we will also get his thoughts on the iPhone 3G. We will also be talking about MobileMe and iPhone applications. In addition, we will be taking your questions, so be sure to join us tonight at 10 p.m. ET on Talkshoe.
You can also catch up on the past few weeks' worth of shows (including our show last week) from Talkshoe, play them from the Flash player in the continuation of this post, if you like, or pick them up on iTunes.
Read on for details on how to join in for tonight's call.
Continue reading Talkcast is back Sunday 10pm ET with special guest Ged Maheux
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Unfair practices in the App Store?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Developer, App Store
The App Store might be only a few days old, but it has already proven itself to be a viable and potentially lucrative outlet for developers. With so many apps (and more being added all the time) for sale, getting exposure is extremely important if a developer wants to stand out in the crowd. Unsurprisingly, the market, especially in the games sector, is very competitive. But is the quest to compete leading to some unfair, and ultimately consumer unfriendly practices? Note: All of this data refers to the U.S. App Store, I'm unsure of the situation in other parts of the world.
We got a tip from an iPhone developer, who requested anonymity, about some shady techniques being employed by some developers to obtain a higher app ranking in the App Store. As it stands right now, if you choose to browse the App Store in iTunes, not using the search but using the "All iPhone Applications" category, apps are visually displayed in alphabetical order. Well, they are supposed to be displayed in alphabetical order. As it stands right now, only five of the 21 titles displayed on the first page actually fit that criteria -- and they are the last five apps on that page.
Some developers have figured out that adding a symbol or space before the game name will promote the app to the first page. Thus, Solitaire City, which alphabetically should be on page 26, is the very first app listed in the store. Other tiles like Whack the Groundhog, $0.99 Sudoku and 'ColorRise 3D' are all listed on the first page, instead of where they should be cataloged.Continue reading Unfair practices in the App Store?
Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Best of the Week
Filed under: Features, TUAW Business, Weekend Review
Welcome to the latest installment of TUAW's best of the week, where we gather up our favorite posts for your easy clicking enjoyment. Apparently, there was some phone released this week, but we didn't get the memo on it.
Apple and Rogers falling out?
Apparently Apple is a little mad after the charges Rogers would be putting on the iPhone customers. So what does Apple do? They divert shipments of iPhones. Brilliant! Now all of Canada is mad about not getting a 3G, eh?
Apple, Amazon offer boxed versions of MobileMe
Both Apple and Amazon started selling/shipping boxed version of MobileMe this week. Even though you probably weren't able to use MobileMe until after the 48 hour maintenance was cleared up. However, Amazon is giving MobileMe hopefuls a small discount.
WWDC '08: Charlie Wood (Spanning Sync)
Brett finished up his latest awesome interview video from WWDC. In this video, he talks with Charlie Wood from Spanning Sync about the newest version.
Why you shouldn't buy the iPhone 3G on Friday
In the midst of everyone hurrying to by the latest iPhone, Erica would like to take a moment to share this public service message with you.
Saying "goodbye" to .Mac
This week ushered in the .Mac replacement we had all been waiting for. Too bad we had to wait even longer once the maintenance had started.
Five ways the App Store will change the world
Mike gives us five reasons of how the App Store will change the world. Not mentioned? World domination -- I was always hoping for this one for some reason.
iPod touch 2.0 update now for sale, for real
If you've heard about the iPhone 2.0 firmware and have an iPod touch, chances are you totally wanted it! Well, iPod touch users, your dream has finally come true.
iTunes: Free Tuesday
Get some free tunes.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Apple's Bluetooth headset gets price reduction
Filed under: Apple, Deals, iPhone
If you've been looking to get the Apple Bluetooth headset for your iPhone (really, it works on any Bluetooth enabled phone/device/computer) then now is the perfect time to buy. That's because Apple has lowered the price by $30 (US). So you can now pick up a Bluetooth headset for $99 instead of the previous $129.
However, Apple did make some sacrifices to get the price down: they no longer include the Dual Dock that allows you to dock both your iPhone and Bluetooth headset for charging/pairing. This is a huge bummer seeing as the Dual Dock now sells for $49.
Apple does still include the docking travel cable, which allows you to charge your iPhone/headset, however, it is definitely not as nice to look at as the Dual Dock.
Thanks, Dylan!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - First Looks: AppEngines ebooks
Filed under: iPhone, App Store
No doubt by now you've noticed that many of the "applications" available on the iTunes App Store are various ebooks by AppEngines (iTunes Link). I thought I'd take a look so you can see what you're getting for $0.99. Each of these applications is a single classic (and thus copyright-free) book. For my tests I chose Jane Austen's delightful comedy of manners, Emma (iTunes link).
When you first open one of the AppEngines ebooks you get a nice "leather" cover splash screen with the name of the book. Then you're taken to the first "page." You can advance pages by either swiping (right to left) or merely by tapping the screen. You can go back a page by swiping in the other direction. There are three font sizes which you can choose via the pinch gesture.
At the top there are two buttons: a table of contents button that lists chapter titles and a search button that allows you to search for text. When you search on a term, it is highlighted in yellow throughout the text. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell there does not seem to be an easy way to move to the next instance of the search term. You just have to page through the book until you see the next highlight.
While there are several book reader applications in the App Store for both commercial (i.e DRM-ed) and open-source texts, I think the AppEngines editions are basically worth the modest purchase price for the convenience. Personally, I find it nice to have separate home screen buttons for each book, and the presentation is more than adequate. Be sure to check out the gallery below.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - First Look: Super Monkey Ball
Filed under: Gaming, iPod Family, iPhone, App Store
After the WWDC '08 Keynote, everyone wanted this iPhone game -- it received almost as much hype as the iPhone itself. Super Monkey Ball from SEGA definitely has some good qualities, however it does have some bad qualities as well. First off, this game costs $9.99 -- a little steep at first glance, but totally worth it after you notice that it comes with 100+ levels.
The graphics are beautiful, and it definitely pushes the system, but I do have some complaints about the game. First off, the game is extremely hard to control with the tilt-sensors -- perhaps an update with some refined calibration is in order. A bigger complaint about the game: when you have the silent switch flipped on (meaning that the phone shouldn't make ANY noise), the game overrides this and plays the sounds anyway. So, be sure to change the sound settings before you start trying to play this game in a very quiet library or doctor's office. You also cannot pause the game, go to the home screen, and reopen it to start playing again (this might be an SDK issue, rather than a specific SMB problem).
Overall this is a solid game with good performance/graphics. While you won't be able to play this game in the car, it still provides hours of fun sitting extremely still so as not to anger the tilt-sensors. This game is available for $9.99 from the App Store.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать
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