R.I.P APPULO.US

POST BY RENE818 OF iPHONE ENTHUSIAST

It's official, Appulo.us will be shutting down soon due to the dev not being able to manage, optimize, develop or scale Appulo.us to meet the demand of millions (yes millions) of users. So what now?...

TDDebug (one of the Admins at Hackulo.us) has created AppTrackr which is said to completely replace Appulo.us. AppTrackr will also inherit Appulo.us current database and will be significantly better then Appulo.us

Highlights of the user interface

• Ajax is used for almost all operations, making the website more responsive and faster. Javascript will render and construct the page instead of our server.
• App icons are fully rounded instead of being sometimes rectangular and ugly (like on Appulous).
• Screenshots are viewed in a small frame which can be navigated with buttons. The screenshots will fade/slide in from each other.
• Categories and sorting options are easy to access and manipulate.
• Search is easy to operate.
• Default options on submission are tailored for mass-submission.

AppTrackr is currently in Beta and the only way you can try it out is if your part of Hackulo.us Tier 3 Donators list.

But at $30 dollars to be Tier 3 I rather just wait for the public release which is said to be by the end of this month.

More info as it comes in.

I'll Be Back After The Xmas Break

Sorry that I haven't been blogging much lately, but it is that time of year when there are so many things to be done, as I'm sure you can all appreciate. And in true' GEEK' style, as my wife would say =) , I've also been caught up with Call Of Duty MW 2!

I will be back blogging in the New Year, so keep a look out for me. And I will have lots of reviews, installs, tweeks, etc to bring you up to date with.

So, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all ( and your iDevices ) a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, enjoy the season! - I WILL BE!

Fring First To Bring Video Calling To iPhone

Fring are the first to bring video calling to iPhone, sort of ! Due to the iPhone not having a front placed camera users can only see who is calling them, and currently the service is only available via wi-fi, although if your jailbroken i'm sure Voipover3g or 3gunrestrictor might work and enable use over 3g and edge.

Fring developers have stated that as soon as a front camera is added to iPhone real video calling will be available enabling both callers to see each other. That would be great, lets hope we see some major hardware updates on future iPhones.

Dragon Dictation Coming To iPhone Soon

I cant wait for the release of this app, its called Dragon Dictation For iPhone. Its based on the award winning pc and mac application which allowed you to use your microphone to write words by using only speech recognition.

Well on iPhone it works much the same way, you press record and talk into your iphone clearly in 20 second clips, clips can be added together for longer notes. After stopping recording your text is displayed and can then be used in-app for messages, e-mails etc.

Check this video out and see for yourselves how accurate it looks, its almost 100%. No price or eta has been given yet but I for one will def be buying it!

Looks Awesome Eh?

TomTom Update Submitted & Awaiting Apple Approval

TomTom have just submitted an update to their popular satelite navigation app. This will be a free update to all current users and has some great new additions included, which should bring it back in line ( feature wise ), with some of the other leading iphone sat-nav apps.

Updates Include ;

1. Text to speech

2. Ability to control ipod music from within the app

3. Advanced lane guidance in both landscape and portrait mode

4. Direct access to emergency numbers

5. A database update to its map and safety camera database

6. Customisable audio warnings for approaching safety cameras, or driving over the speed limit

I have tried several of the top iphone sat-nav apps, at great expense I might add ;

eg. Navigon / Co-Pilot / Sygic / And TomTom

Personally, I have stuck with Tomtom as I have so far found their maps the most up to date, but features have been lacking compared to the others, so this update is both welcome and much needed, this will put Tomtom back in the running for best sat-nav app for iphone, BRING IT ON! And keep bringing out these updates for your loyal users!

Another SSH Worm, There Could Be More On The Way

I posted a blog recently reporting on an SSH iPhone hack that was injecting iphones with a message on their lockscreen saying they had to pay a fee to get their iphone unlocked again. Well another hacker, called Ikee, has just created another hack, this time injecting iphones with a picture of 80's singer Rick Astley, and a message saying " Ikee is never going to give you up". This hack again uses a worm to access iphones that are running open ssh and are still using the default " alpine " password.

This really highlights the importance again of switching off ssh when not in use, and of changing the default password.

Read my earlier blog on how to do this.

These hacks could become more and more frequent, so be warned, change your password now to protect your iphone, or an ssh hack could be on its way, TO YOU!

Widgets on iphone ( Concept Video )

Ocean Observation, the folks who came up with the concept of expose for the iPhone, have now come up with another concept, dashboard widgets on the iPhone. Here is a video, check it out and see what you think about it. There is no current release date yet, but fingers crossed it will happen sometime !

Will Apple Give Go Ahead For Google Maps Navigation?

Google and Apple have recently come into conflict over a couple of applications, like Google Voice and Google Latitude.

Apple claimed these apps would duplicate the core functionality of the iphone.

Will Google Maps Navigation fall under the same category we wonder?

Recent comments and images show if allowed the go ahead, Google Maps Navigation will include such features as ;

a) Turn by turn directions

b) Voice recognition

c) Google street view

Well this sounds, ( and if these images are real ) looks great, and free?

Who knows, lets wait and see what the outcome is!

Picture from modmyi.com

R.I.P RIPDEV TEAM

The ripdev team is no longer in the iphone development business, over the past couple of years they have had some successful releases like Installer and Icy, these and all there other software packages are still available to download but will only work on the firmware they were created for, no updates will be made in future, the doors are now closed. No reasons have been given at this stage, but here is a copy of their last statement from their site ;

GOOD BYE

"It's been a great two years, but unfortunately, the time has come for Ripdev to close its doors. There are many reasons for this, most of which we probably will never disclose (unless we are forced to). The important thing is that due to circumstances we will likely be unable to support the titles we have created over the years further. They will be perfectly operatable on the firmware versions they were created for, and you will be able to download and use them — but they will no longer be supported and updated (except for i2Reader Pro that is not being developed by us and that will be kept in sync with its App Store version). We will, of course, transfer the licenses to the new devices — just email us. Our Cydia repository will be operational until at least next year, so be assured that the products you liked and paid for will be available for you to (re)install.

Icy, our lightweight DPKG installer, is now available in source form under MIT license. You're free to do whatever you want with it. It would be nice if someone picks up the project…

It was a honor to be in the iPhone jailbreak community, and we are proud that we have certainly made a ripple or two. Farewell!"

FAREWELL AND GOOD LUCK IN ALL YOU MAY DO IN FUTURE, R.I.P RIPDEV

Push Notifications On Next Facebook Update

According to a recent tweet by Joe Hewitt (developer of the popular iPhone app Facebook), the next update to the Facebook app, will be version 3.1, and the update will include push notifications!

Facebook with push notifications is a great idea, but is it for the people with 300+ friends? No, but luckily, there will be a option for the notifications. What do we mean by this? Don’t you hate logging into Facebook, and having over 20 new notifications? Yeah, us too. Just imagine having all those notifications coming in together, for those with not so many friends on their lists, this will be a great addition.

Overall, we are all very excited for the next update, hopefully there will be a few more new options besides push.

In App Purchases In Free Apps?

Apple recently announced that all iphone app developers will now be able to use the in app purchase system for free apps as well, in the past this has only been available for paid applications.

What exactly does this mean?

a) No More Lite Versions;

Developers can now ( If they choose to ), package their whole app under a free title, letting you try it, then if you really like it purchase it, just unlock the full game / app through the in app purchase system.

b) The End Of Piracy ?;

Probably not, but it will make it more difficult. Since in app purchases are verified through Apple to check that your account has in fact purchased the feature before being unlocked, it wont be as easy anymore as just finding and adding a cracked .ipa file.

c) No More "40 Free Prestige Points" Littering The Free Apps Section;

Developers for those MMO games can now sell these through the app itself

Is all this good or bad? Decide for yourselves

Stack V3 Alpha2 Released

Stack V3 has been released for those of you who are willing to try it out and contribute if you like what you see.

Stacks basically resembles mac stacks, but for iphone, click on an icon in your dock and multiple icons will spring up from it, its a quick way to get to your favourites if you have a lot of apps on your device.

Whats new in alpha 2;

a) Multiple stacks

b) Dimming of screen when opening a stack

c) Reflective dock support

d) Support for iTunes 9 app management

e) Stack update notifications

f) New grid view animations

g) Stacks are findable to open using spotlight

Please keep in mind, this is still in alpha stage of testing so there will be bugs and glitches, so install at your own risk.

If you want to go ahead at this stage and try it, there are many sets of instructions I have found, ( but wont post), so be carefull, as you can see in the pictures, I installed an older version of stack via cydia which worked great, but it only installs one stack, try that first to make sure you like it. When I later tried to install the alpha version it crashed my device resulting in another restore, but there have been numerous successes according to many posts, maybe its just me!

Watch the video and decide for yourself, try now or wait for a Cydia release, the one thing I will say, is it looks great!

Download Link

Stack v3 Alpha 2 First Look from Steven Troughton-Smith on Vimeo.

Postman Does Turn As MJ

Watch this british postman in action, this is a must see video for all MJ fans !!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Look At Expose For iPhone

Steven Troughton Smith, a twenty year old independant iPhone developer, has just created Expose, this is basically like Spaces on mac, but on your iPhone.

Its not yet available as its in its final stages of development, with some last minute modifications and tweaks to be made, but we hope to see it soon.

Watch the video below and see Expose in action, I think you'll agree, its looking good.

The Return Of Earthworm Jim

Gameloft have just released this video demo of their upcoming game for iPhone / iPod Touch, EarthWorm Jim.

This really is a blast from the past, anybody that owned a Playstation 1 will remember the first outing for this classic game!

Its basically a side scrolling platform game in 2D, make your way through different levels which increase in difficulty as you progress, defeat enemies, overcome obstacles and puzzles along your way.

This will be a great addition to Gamelofts already impressive list of titles, going off this video, it looks and sounds great, lets hope for a quick release.

Apple Developing Radio App For iPhone

Allegedly according to some recent reports, Apple is building a new app for its iPhone and iPod Touch that will bring FM Radio to the devices.

"Not such a new idea", you might say, with such Apps as Wunder Radio present which can already stream internet radio to your device.

The difference is that Apple's will have similar functionality to that of its newly released iPod Nano, with the ability to pause live FM transmissions and fast forward when you resume play.

Apparently, the delay in getting the App to the App Store is Apple's decision to intergrate it with the iTunes Store, which is built into the devices. With this intergration, you will be able to tap on a song you hear on the radio and buy it through iTunes.

Personally, I already use Wunder Radio, but must admit if Apple release this new App, I'll be trading it in!

What If I Had,,,"Cover Flow Multitasking?"

A recent video by Ocean Observations, shows a unique cover flow system which enables iphone users to open an app whilst other apps are still running in the background, a feature that so far, the iphone has been seriously lacking. Lets hope this app really does one day present itself as it looks great and would be a great feature.

The idea is that all the running apps will be shown with a miniature (full screen) representation together at the bottom of the home screen in a cover flow system, all other apps would remain on the home screen also, to make room for this the bottom row of icons would be removed and the dock would be removed completely.

Since the running apps will more than likely match your favourites, they will still be easily accessible. A running app will also be indicated by a backlighted app icon with blue text, you can still also bring a running app to full screen by pressing its icon.

You can tap or swipe any of the cover flow miniatures to move it into focus, tap again to bring it to full screen to use. Double tapping the home button now will bring up the cover flow letting you jump between running apps, tapping the home screen once will minimize the app into the cover flow. Apps are arranged in the order you started them, the most recent to the left.

To close a running app, simply drag the miniature out of the cover flow and it moves back to its original state as an app icon on the home screen. The number of running apps may depend on the performance of your device.

This is looking great so please rate, comment, and subscribe to this dev team to show some support.

Lockscreen Widgets Coming To iPhone

The name of the app in question? SmartScreen. It brings the option to add informal widgets to the lock screen ( eg weather etc ).

Widgets are similar to those on Apples dashboard, with a familiar look and feel. They can be re-arranged on the lock screen just like moving apps on your iphone / ipod springboard, its the same tap and hold to move system.

The application will work on all models of iphone / ipod touch that are running 3.x.x firmware, but will only be available for download on jailbroken devices via Cydia etc.

Beta testing will be underway shortly and a smartscreen sdk will be available to everyone in November 2009, as for a release date to the general public, nothing has been given away yet.

This app wont appeal to everyone, but any app that adds extra functionality to your device is certainly worth a look!

Rock Band Coming To iPhone

This ones for all you music lovers, word is that Rock Band should be with us before the end of the month, going off what ive seen so far I hope so because its looking great.

There are many different game modes and in game options;

• Quickplay ; Pick up and play with any song and any musician
• World Tour ; Progress through the songs in the game which increase in difficulty the further you get and unlock achievements along the way
• Multiplayer ; Play with up to 4 players via bluetooth for a group jam. I also imagine there will be online challenge matches as well, but thats not clear at this stage
• Music Store ; Start the game with approx 15-20 songs, but extra songs can be purchased here through your itunes account
• More EA Games ; Check out some of EA's other titles
• Messages ; Its looking like you can send game invites to your friends via facebook etc
• Extras

To start play, select desired game mode, song and difficulty level, musician ( you can choose between 4 different types of musicians, guitar, bass, drums, vocal? Karaoke on iphone? ), then lastly easy, medium, hard.

Controls are much better in my opinion than other guitar apps, to start with the buttons are on the bottom of the screen, but the markers used to line up your music notes as they scroll down the screen are further up, so your fingers dont obstruct your view. There are also power ups available which increase your score by tilting your device when meters fill up.

The graphics overall are very pleasing and the look and feel of the game is very much like that of its console counter parts. Up to now Id rate this game 9/10, but have a look at this clip and decide for yourselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBttybo7rlw

The Game Of Cat & Mouse Continues

Dont take the bait just yet!

We knew this would happen, with all the jailbreak hype this week and the exploit being posted over the internet, Apple were going to release an update ASAP, and they have!

Firmware 3.1.2 is now available as an update in iTunes, if you are interested in jailbreaking please dont upgrade, 3.1 jailbreaks are imminent, and I have no doubt this is one of the main reasons Apple have released this update, though there are some other fixes ;

• Fixes a problem that can cause sporadic iPhone does not wake up after suspension
• Fixes an intermittent problem that can cause the interruption of mobile network services until you restart
• Corrects a problem that could cause occasional crashes during video streaming

Again I stress, dont upgrade if you want to jailbreak!!!!

Dont let the mouse get caught!!!!