Gizmodo: apps

G-Park iPhone App Lets the Forgetful Bookmark Their Car

John Mahoney — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:20:00 EDT

Park your car and tap "Park Me" to take a GPS reading; on the way back, hit "Where Did I Park" for turn-by-turn directions back to the whip. It'll work for first-gen and iPod touch users (although not as well, I would imagine) via Wi-Fi and cell-tower positioning but 3G users will get turn-by-turn directions via GPS. Sure, you could just drop a pushpin in Google Maps, but part of the charm of these apps is going to be the simple execution of simple ideas, Xbox Live Arcade style. I recommend just remembering where you've parked. [PosiMotion]

uXM For iPhone Streams XM Satellite Radio

Jason Chen — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EDT

The same guys who made uSirius for jailbroken iPhones are back with uXM, which does exactly the same thing except with XM. An XM subscription is necessary, but you'll be able to listen to your stations on the toilet, in the office, in the office toilet, or even at Starbucks—anywhere where you can get a decent connection. Never be alone with your thoughts again. [iSmashPhone]

iPhone Hacked to Run Flash Lite, Looks Quite Lovely

Adrian Covert — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:59:15 EDT

Belgian iPhone coder Thomas Joos posted this video up on YouTube showing his iPhone running Flash Lite. No, this isn't official or Adobe-backed in the slightest way, but rather a port of the software hacked into the iPhone OS using the two apps b.Tween and eyeGT. He only browses one site in the video, so it's hard to have too strong an opinion, but it doesn't look bad at all. And at this point, with the inability to render Flash being one of the iPhone's biggest Achilles' heels, I'll take any sense of hope I can get it. [9to5 Mac]

First Full Facebook App for Windows Mobile

matt buchanan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Windows Mobile users have had to look on in envy as people poked and drew penises on their friends' walls with dedicated apps for BlackBerry and Palm, wistfully hoping that joy could one day be their own. And now it is! Apparently the first full Facebook app for Windows Mobile, FriendMobilizer will let you do all of the basics like stalk your newly single friend, send messages or ignore requests from people you've never met. It's a lot greener (and uglier) than the Centro's app (which I like a lot) but hey, beggars can't be choosers. And I mean, you guys were begging for this, right? [Face of Mobile via ReadWriteWeb]

iPhone Apps To Be Very Cheap, Mostly Free

Mark Wilson — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:50:00 EDT

Gene Munster took an informal poll on the floor of WWDC of 20 developers working on apps for the iPhone. And while they may or may not be a representative sample of the show's 5,200 attendees, he dug up some interesting stats all the same. Notably, 71% of iPhone apps discussed wouldn't cost a penny (or nickel, dime, quarter, etc.) to download.

For the 29% of apps that will need to be actually purchased, the average price was a pretty reasonable $2.29. But since Apple ultimately foots the bill for distribution through iTunes and those costs can be most directly recouped through software sales, it may (ironically) not be the software developers who want to charge for iPhone apps, but Apple instead. [AppleInsider]

Android Will Have an App Store Like the iPhone

matt buchanan — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:15:00 EDT

This is good news: It looks like Android will have a one-stop shop for applications, making it easy for developers to get their goods out there and users to pick 'em up. While the "Android Store" isn't confirmed, project lead Andy Rubin said at the Google I/O developer conference yesterday:

"It would be a great benefit to the Android community to provide a place where people can go to safely and securely download content and where a billing system would allow developers to get paid for their effort...We wouldn't have done our job if we didn't provide something that helps developers get distribution."

An Android app store would sure fit the bill.

Unlike the iTunes app store fiefdom though, apparently Android's Apache license means a phone could be released with its built-in "store" stocked only with, say, Yahoo! apps—or no store at all—since third parties can do whatever they want to the code. Still, having a centralized distribution point bodes well for Android development, which was looking a little haphazard for a while. It'll be interesting to compare third party development for Android and the iPhone come this time next year, that's for sure. [The Register]

IntelliScreen Brings Useful Widgets to iPhone's Home Screen

Jason Chen — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Instead of just staring the time, date and your choice of wallpaper when you start up the iPhone, why not make it more Windows Mobile-y by putting useful information there*? The app IntelliScreen lets you show either your upcoming calendar items, recent emails, recent text messages, the weather, or even an RSS feed up on the standby screen, letting you see what you need to see without even unlocking your phone. Useful? Definitely. Cluttered? For sure.

It's also in beta, and may crash or even wipe some of your data if it conflicts with some of your other apps. Be careful.

* Yes this is one of the few times that people want to make the iPhone more like Windows Mobile.

[ModMyiPhone via Just Another iPhone Blog via Lifehacker]

Lextech App Turns Your iPhone into a Surveillance Device

AddyDugdale — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:45:00 EDT

A company called Lextech has created an application that lets you control surveillance devices via your iPhone. As well as watching the action on the phone, the app also lets you control the cameras via its touchscreen. See the system in action in a couple of videos after the jump.

I guess this means no more security guards numbing their arses as they sit, bored, behind banks of monitors. [Lextech via Nowhere Else 2.0]

Snapture Improves the iPhone's Camera With Digital Zoom, Burst Shooting and Auto-Rotation

Jason Chen — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:15:00 EDT

The lack of extraneous features on the iPhone's Camera app is great for most people, but heavy-duty cameraphone aficionados want to be able to adjust stuff like digital zoom, greyscale, auto-rotation and burst mode. Snapture is the solution. If you've got a jailbroken phone just install the app from Installer.app's Utilities section and you'll be able to do all the things we listed above, plus even silence the shutter sound without having to silence the entire phone in case you want to take some "covert" pictures. [Snapture via Wired]

Quake 3 Arena Ported to iPhone; Let the Networked Games Commence

Haroon Malik — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EDT

Holy butt-clencher, Batman! Quake 3 Arena has somehow found itself ported to the iPhone. Details are thinner than my scalp is on hair, but the video clearly shows a networked game going on in full swing. You may be thinking this sounds semi-neat, but let me tell you this; the game uses the freaking accelerometer for direction control, while shooting is done simply by tapping on the touchscreen. Now, I'm off to collapse in a euphoric pile, you check out the video and then do the same. There's no word on the release yet, but hopefully it will show up somewhere once I am out of my aforementioned, euphoric pile state. We'll keep you posted. [Crunchgear]

iTunes Store Private Page Shows Unidentified iThingy

Haroon Malik — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:30:00 EST

iTunes will offer private developer pages, which will host app stores for a select audience only; e.g. specialized for universities, etc. Some of the pages have already been opened to those select individuals with audio and video content on offer. One such example is the Education First Educational Tours site the above picture was taken from. The site hosts an interesting, teeny-weeny image showing an iPod/iPhone hybrid type device, which seems to have a home button built in to the dock connector. What is it? We cannot say, but with all the fuss it is generating on the tubes, we thought we'd let you take a peek. Jump for a shot of the original page.

We would not get too hot under the collar. If Apple were planning to drop an iPhone nano touch OMFG pod, you can bet your ass they would have an event bigger than CES to unleash it to the public. [iLounge]

Epocrates and Apple Bringing iPhone App for Medical Professionals

Haroon Malik — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:25:00 EST

Epocrates is working directly with those fruity chaps at Apple, in the hope of bringing an application for medical professionals to the iPhone. The app will support a drug search feature, as well as providing updates with recent, relevant medical information. Epocrates is one of the few companies that is working directly alongside Apple to create software for the newly opened iPhone, and the development is promising because it proves the iPhone has some serious worth in a professional capacity. Expect pharmacists to be made extinct once Epocrates unleashes the drug-searching monster app. Jump for the full PR release.

Epocrates Executive Available to Discuss iPhone Software Roadmap Demo Epocrates®, Inc., developer of mobile applications used by more than 500,000 healthcare professionals, is excited to announce that it has begun development of its clinical software products for the iPhone operating system. Epocrates was one of only five companies, including Salesforce.com, AOL, EA and Sega, to be highlighted by Steve Jobs during the iPhone Software Roadmap media briefing. "By putting so much computing power into such an elegant mobile device, Apple has opened up tremendous opportunities for application developers," said Kirk Loevner, Chairman and CEO of Epocrates, Inc. "The technology and software in the iPhone OS will allow us to create new and innovative applications that help improve patient safety and provide healthcare professionals with an unsurpassed user experience." How Epocrates is Working with Apple® to Develop Clinical Software for iPhone Epocrates is one of a few companies who have been working directly with Apple to create an application that can be stored directly on the device. This will enable healthcare professionals to always have immediate access to vital clinical information wherever and whenever they need it, regardless of Internet connectivity. When a connection is established, the device will be automatically populated with updated drug and safety information and important medical news. A customized Safari version of Epocrates' free web-based drug reference is currently available at m.epocrates.com, which users can access via an Internet or Wi-Fi connection. Speak With Physicians Using the iPhone Physicians have been extremely vocal in their need for a version of Epocrates software that resides directly on the device. Based on this high demand, as well as the benefit of the product in helping to improve quality of care, Apple selected Epocrates to be closely involved in development efforts. Physicians using the iPhone during patient consultations or "on call" are available to discuss how they helped drive the development of Epocrates software for Apple devices.

[Medgadget]

App Store Exclusive Distributor of iPhone Apps

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:04:47 EST

Today in Cupertino, Steve Jobs announced that Apple would sell iPhone (and iPod touch) applications over App Store, which can be used over-the-air on the iPhone itself, or can be sideloaded via iTunes on a computer. It comes with the 2.0 firmware update. Apple says it's exclusive, meaning it's the only place people will go to get iPhone apps.

It looks a lot like installer.app, but with icons. It's got top 50 apps and search. The apps will automatically update programs, like installer.app.

On the developer side, developers pick price, and get 70% of the revenue. There's No credit-card or hosting fees. Free software will be supported, too, but porn and other raunch will be omitted. [Apple SDK Live Blog]

iAno iPhone App Gives Your iPhone C-Minor Key

Haroon Malik — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:30:00 EST

Between iAno - the newly released iPhone app that turns your cellphone into a piano - and the earlier released PocketGuitar, which does much of the same but with a guitar, it is only a matter of time before we see the first iPhone band. That will be awesomely groundbreaking, and what we ask is that you send us the video. We'll post it, we promise*. Back to the present, iAno installs on Jailbroken iPhones and offers a fully functioning multitouch piano, as you can see in the great video above. A four-octave keyboard is represented in iAno, and the arrow keys at the top are used to navigate around. The software was put together by a developer going by the name of Mr Aardvark, and he managed to pack in polyphonic sound that allow five key presses to be heard simultaneously. Sweet.

Mr Aardvark also plans on updating iAno with a complete 88-key keyboard, switchable sample sets, recording and playback, as well as support for loading .MID tracks. Well, what are you waiting for? Get composing.

*If it isn't a steaming turdfest, and it involves a great tune selection, e.g. Bohemian Rhapsody. This isn't legal advice—I'm not even an attorney. [Technabob]

PSP Time Machine Lets You Restore Firmware Versions of Old

Haroon Malik — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 09:55:00 EST

Dark-AleX has just released a hack for the PSP that boots from the Memory Stick, and will allow you to select any firmware version you so choose. The app, dubbed Time Machine, will also boot-up PSPs with destroyed firmware, a second life for you not-so-great hackers out there. It functions via Pandora, and looks a bit tricky to get to grips with at the moment.

Nevertheless, the nifty bit of software will work on both the original PSP and the skinny, prettier version too. We just tried to grab the app from the link over at DCEmu, but it appears the servers are down from all those individuals trying to resurrect their PSPs like a phoenix from the flames. It's a waiting game for now, but as ever, proceed with caution. [DCEmu]

Buddy Beacon 2.0 Launches Facebook and iPhone Apps, Reaches Multiple Carriers

AddyDugdale — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:59:08 EST

Buddy Beacon, the friend-finding service so beloved by Helio users, is to widen its circle of friends, as of today. As well as being available on multiple carriers (which means that you and your mates don't need to share the same mobile provider) version 2.0 includes applications for Facebook and iPhone, which will allow users to stalk each other from their computers. Press release is below.

uLocate Communications Enhances and Extends Buddy Beacon™ Functionality Revolutionary friend finding service offers cross-carrier interoperability on five mobile carriers, as well as applications on iPhone and Facebook

Boston, MA - February 13, 2008— Today, with the release of a new version of HYPERLINK "http://www.where.com/buddybeacon" Buddy Beacon™, uLocate Communications introduced the world's most advanced location enabled mobile friend finding service. With Buddy Beacon, users can choose when to share their location, and what they are up to, with their friends. Buddy Beacon is the first location enabled friend finding application that is interoperable between multiple carriers.

In addition to cross-carrier interoperability, the Buddy Beacon platform allows users to update their location and status on leading online social networking sites, including Facebook. As a compliment to this feature, uLocate has also unveiled a HYPERLINK "http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=5989766750" Buddy Beacon application on Facebook. This functionality extends the Buddy Beacon user experience beyond mobile devices.

"Historically, consumers who use mobile friend finding applications have been limited to interacting only with other users who share their same carrier," said Scott Ellison, VP of Mobile and Wireless Communications at IDC. "With Buddy Beacon, uLocate has removed this limitation by providing a friend finding product that transcends the single carrier barrier. Additionally, the introduction of cross-platform functionality with online services, such as Facebook, provides the potential for viral adoption of the application. uLocate has clearly emerged as a leader in the mobile friend finding space."

"Helio has always been committed to providing our members with innovative ways to communicate with their trusted circle of friends," said Greg Hayes, Head of Convergence at Helio. "The new Buddy Beacon experience provides better context for location sharing, enhances ease of use and creates new occasions to publish location as a social networking activity. We know that our members will benefit from the enhanced capabilities that we have developed in conjunction with uLocate."

"Consumer adoption of Buddy Beacon has been remarkable. We are delighted to now offer the service across numerous carriers and the HYPERLINK "http://www.where.com/buddybeacon/iphone.php" iPhone, as well as extend the service functionality to the web," said Walt Doyle, CEO of uLocate Communications. "Buddy Beacon is a revolutionary application that offers a new way to interact with your friends and keep them updated on where you are and what you are up to. We plan to continually advance the functionality and availability of the service in the months ahead."

For more information, or to get Buddy Beacon on your phone, please visit www.where.com/buddybeacon.

About uLocate Communications Inc.
HYPERLINK "http://www.ulocate.com" uLocate Communications is the market leading developer of location based applications. In addition to developing location based applications for strategic partners, uLocate markets and operates WHERE™ and Buddy Beacon™. HYPERLINK "http://www.where.com" WHERE is the leading location based application platform that offers consumers access to a library of over 60 location based widgets on multiple operators in North America. HYPERLINK "http://www.where.com/buddybeacon" Buddy Beacon is the world's largest mobile friend finding solution that lets consumers leverage the power of location based technology to connect with their friends. For more information, please visit: HYPERLINK "http://www.ulocate.com" www.ulocate.com.

Contact:

Dan Gilmartin
VP Marketing
uLocate Communications, Inc.
HYPERLINK "mailto:dgilmartin@ulocate.com" dgilmartin@ulocate.com
617-502-3100

ShakeSMS Lets You Shake Your Nokia to Read Text Messages

Jason Chen — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:30:48 EST

Shaking a phone to read text messages is as intuitive as swiping your finger across the screen to unlock it, but once you're trained it becomes second nature. In this case, ShakeSMS is an app for Nokia phones that lets you jostle your phone to view an incoming SMS. Jigger it again to go back to the home screen. That's pretty much all the app does, but it does it well. [ShakeSMS via Phonemag]

Google Optimizes More Apps For iPhone

Jason Chen — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:45:21 EST

Following up on their optimization of GCal and GDocs for the iPhone, Google's gone and made their entire Google portal Apple phone friendly. There's now a tab bar at the top of the page that lets you switch quickly between Gmail, Calendar, Reader, Docs and the rest of the mobile-capable apps. All you have to do is hit up google.com. If this is the kind of optimization Apple gets, when Android hits the market, Google will probably have a Barbara Eden pop out and rub your stomach.

iFlix iPhone Netflix Queue App Almost Better Than the Real Thing

Jason Chen — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:13:49 EST

I got five words for you: Drag and Drop Netflix Queue. This app by Brent Jensen that supports multiple accounts, downloads thumbnails of movies, lists new and top 100 movies, also has a search function.

iPhone Malware Demo Freaking Me Out, Man

Jason Chen — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:12:34 EST

Maybe it's the eyes. Don't be too alarmed, but this video shows the iPhone being accessed by terminal using a program installed by a webpage. Since the program, like all unofficial apps, runs as root, they've got access to data stores for mail, call lists, contacts, and voicemail, which are served up via terminal. And no, that guy isn't hacking your ghost with those piercing eyes. I think.

This is why a managed SDK with sandboxed apps like the one Jobs proposes for February is going to be a lot better than opening up the device outright, like it or not. Since this is a hack done via a website, it's likely the 1.1.1 TIFF exploit that can be patched by a) installing Apple's 1.1.2 patch or hacking your 1.1.1 iPhone using the Jailbreakme.com installer website. The guy runs all this on a LAN, knowing IPs, but it wouldn't be hard to have malware ping home, either. Nothing to scoff at, but also not surprising given the unofficial nature of the apps developed so far, and maybe nothing to freak out over. [FC via CrunchHickey]

Video: Steve Jobs Bobblehead iPhone App Says "Boom!"

Brian Lam — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:15:43 EST

Here's a funny Steve Jobs Bobblehead app by Spiffy Tech's Sean Haber. Every couple of moments, Jobs spits out a "Boom!" giving fanboys the comforting feeling of new Apple producs dropping at keynotes. Use jailbreakme.com to get this on your iPhone, but note some caveats...[Here]

Top Five iPhone Apps of the Moment

Jason Chen — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:03:18 EDT

Here are the top five most useful iPhone apps we've come across so far.

• iPhone AIM Chat: No iChat? Use Web-based iChat. AIM only.
• The Gas finder app and OneTrip shopping list: Save money and time
• Digg: An interface to browse digg. Great until Digg makes an iPhone-friendly version of their site.
• Chess: No games on the iPhone means this bandwidth light app will occupy you on the bus, plus make you look like a pseud-intellectual if you play this instead of Bejewelled.
• LivePhone: Look up Xbox Live profiles. Great for gamerscore nerds like us. Ok, me.

Mizpee Finds a Toilet in the City

Jason Chen — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:20:04 EDT

Had to run into the city for a meeting but can't seem to find a toilet? Enter MizPee. Either visit mizpee.com in your phone's web browser or text your city and state (e.g. "New York, NY"), to 415-350-2290 and MizPee will give you a list of toilets near you. It even specifies a bathroom's cleanliness and whether a purchase is required.

MizPee [via Red Ferret]

Unconfirmed: Third Party Native iPhone Apps Coming

Jason Chen — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 16:40:12 EDT

There's no confirmation other than some guy's word, but Macapper says third party native (Cocoa) iPhone apps are coming soon. Apparently, during one of the WWDC evening parties, an iPhone engineer responded, "Yeah. There will be" to the question of "are there going to be third party Cocoa apps on the iPhone."

The iPhone engineer either didn't know or wouldn't reveal when the apps were coming, and neither does just about anybody else. We'll keep an eye on this rumor, just because it would probably fill in a lot of gaps that the iPhone currently has.

Update: A source tells us the rumor is pretty bogus.

Exclusive: Third Party Cocoa iPhone Apps Coming [Macapper]

Official: Third Party iPhone Apps Later This Year

Jason Chen — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:00:26 EDT

From the D Conference Q&A:

Question: We'd love to write apps. Will it open up?

Steve Jobs: This is a very important trade-off between security and openness. We want both. We've got good ideas, and sometime later this year, we can open it up to third-party apps... – Jason Chen