January 27, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

Here it is folks, the Apple iPad. The screen is gorgeous, tilting is responsive, and the thing is super thin. Still, if you’ve used the iPhone before — and you can see the two devices side-by-side here — there’s not a lot of surprises here so far. Here are some initial thoughts on the iPad:

• It’s not light. It feels pretty weighty in your hand.
• The screen is stunning, and it’s 1024 x 768. Feels just like a huge iPhone in your hands.
• The speed of the CPU is something to be marveled at. It is blazingly fast from what we can tell. Webpages loaded up super fast, and scrolling was without a hiccup. Moving into and out of apps was a breeze. Everything flew.
• There’s no multitasking at all. It’s a real disappointment. All this power and very little you can do with it at once. No multitasking means no streaming Pandora when you’re working in Pages… you can figure it out. It’s a real setback for this device.
• The ebook implementation is about as close as you can get to reading without a stack of bound paper in your hand. The visual stuff really helps flesh out the experience. It may be just for show, but it counts here.
• No camera. None, nada. Zip. No video conferencing here folks. Hell, it doesn’t have an SMS app!
• It’s running iPhone OS 3.2.
• The keyboard is good, not great. Not quite as responsive as it looked in the demos.
• No Flash confirmed. So Hulu is out for you, folks!

[Via engadget.com]

January 27, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

iSpazio has posted a video demonstration of iBlueNova, the update to iBluetooth for the iPhone 3.x firmware

iBlueNova is in beta 4 and will be released very soon. It is an application by MeDevil which enables bluetooth file transfer via iPhone.

[Via iClarified.com]

January 26, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

It had to happen. Somebody had to be the first to announce software for a still-nonexistent piece of hardware.

A lot of us in the business of reporting Apple news and rumors were waiting for the shoe to drop on tablet-related software announcements. Sure enough, developer Ben Gottlieb has taken the bold step of announcing an “iPad” (please let that not be the name…) app in development.

Gottlieb’s Stand Alone, Inc. announced today that they’re working on a larger version of their popular Crosswords iPhone app. As Gottlieb mentioned, “The main constraint in developing a Crossword app for mobile devices has been the distinct lack of screen real estate. We have been anticipating the Apple tablet as the greatest piece of hardware for App developers since iPhone itself, and Crosswords will be even better on the new device.” Read more…

January 26, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

McGraw-Hill’s CEO Terry McGraw is obviously very excited that he’s been asked to work with Apple on a brand new type of computer, and he just couldn’t wait another 24 hours to tell somebody — he showed up on CNBC today to talk about his company’s latest earnings, and he more or less spills the beans, saying that Apple will “make their announcement tomorrow,” that the tablet will be “based on the iPhone operating system,” and that it “will be transferable” (so anything on iTunes now will go straight on the tablet?). Read more…

January 26, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

A new Zune software update today contains references to the illusive “Zune Phone”, according to I Started Something.

As some of you might know, an .INF file is essential component of a driver package responsible for identifying the driver and associating it with compatible USB hardware IDs, and in this case, the Zune.inf file is responsible for associating devices with the Zune driver.

New to this version of the driver (generated October 20, 2009) are several lines which reference a phone device. Read more…

January 25, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

Yes, you read well, this is the end. The end of Install0us.
Most of you would not appreciate what follows, just as we definitely do not, yet some of you will be strangely happy…

Why is this happening?
Legalities. When I started up solo, it was for legal reasons, and that still stands: I was fed up of hiding behind other people and wanted the freedom to develop apps without being in the shadows of the law.
For Install0us to offer the same services as other installer apps : browse / download / install, without providing any links to cracked materials, I thought we had something legal and legitimate to offer.
Some really nice people proposed me their help, and from a small blog we evolved to these forums, which just kept growing and maturing, thanks to a wonderful team. That was not appreciated by everybody…but anyway, that is another topic. During all this time I have been actively searching for a lawyer to know how legal we were. Not the lawyer you can find just anywhere, but one that understands Internet legislations and specializes in copyright laws. Read more…

January 25, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

Faced with a large number of users stealing their applications, iPhone developers have found ways to earn money even from those who pirate App Store software.

Developers of popular iPhone and iPod touch applications Tap Tap Revenge and Shazam were a part of the MIDEM Music Conference in Cannes recently. According to Moconews.net, when Tap Tap Revenge garnered 2.5 million downloads in its first two months, a million were pirated copies.

But Tim O’Brien, head of business development with game maker Tapulous, said many of those pirates now buy legal music downloads from within the game. In the end, the developer is making a profit from many of those who initially stole their software.
Read more…

January 25, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

Flurry Analytics has identified about 50 devices thought to be pre-release Apple Tablets in testing. These devices have been placed geographically on Apple’s Cupertino campus. Testing increased dramatically in January with signs of life beginning as early as October.

On these devices, Flurry observed approximately 200 different applications in use by testers. Studying category trends provides insight into the kind of user Apple is targeting and how it expects the device to be used. They’ve compiled a chart that shows the number of applications in use by category across test devices. Read more…

January 25, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

Ryan Petrich and Chpwn have released an update to their ProSwitcher utility to easily switch between background iPhone apps.

ProSwitcher 1.0 can be installed from the BigBoss Cydia Repository. It is a Palm Pre-styled application switcher which integrates with SpringBoard for a simple and smooth experience.

To force applications to run in the background you must use the Backgrounder application which can also be installed from Cydia.

What’s New In Version 1.1:
- Many bugs fixed
- Lock SpringBoard card
- Better LA support
- Improved settings
- Return of a few settings
- Check git commit logs for more!

[Via iclarified.com]

January 25, 2010 :: Posted by - SoSly :: Category - News

Apple is expected to announce Verizon Wireless a carrier for its upcoming tablet and the end of AT&T’s iPhone exclusivity, according to the NYPost.

Apple is expected to name Verizon Wireless as one of its carriers with its anticipated unveiling of a new tablet device on Wednesday, sources told The Post. That means Apple head Steve Jobs will probably introduce a Verizon iPhone, ending AT&T’s exclusive hold on the hot smartphone.
Read more…