iphone blog

March 16, 2010

NPR, WSJ plan Flash-free Web sites for Apple iPad

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , — @ 7:50 pm

By Katie Marsal

Published: 03:50 PM EST

In addition to new App Store software, National Public Radio and The Wall Street Journal also plan to create specific versions of their Web sites completely devoid of Adobe Flash for iPad users.

This week Peter Kafka with MediaMemo revealed that both NPR and the Journal will convert at least some portions of their Web site to load properly on the iPad. The custom-built sites will feature the same content and run concurrently with the traditional and iPhone/mobile-friendly versions of each Web site.

“Visitors to the newspaper’s front page will see an iPad-specific, Flash-free page,” Kafka said of the Journal’s iPad Web site. “But those who click deeper into the site will eventually find pages that haven’t been converted.”

The news comes weeks after Virgin America revealed it dropped Flash content from its new Web site in order to allow users with iPhones to check in for flights.

But the Journal and NPR are both also creating App Store software specifically for the iPad, suggesting that content providers are taking a multi-pronged approach to Apple’s forthcoming multimedia device. Kinsey Wilson, head of digital media for NPR, declined to give Kafka an advance look at the organization’s forthcoming iPad application or Web site, but did provide a hint as to what the experience could be like.

“Wilson says that while iPhone apps are a ‘very intentional experience’ –you load the thing up and seek out specific content — he thinks the iPad will be a ‘lean back device,’” Kafka wrote. “That’s traditionally the distinction multimedia types use to differentiate between a computer and a TV. Intriguing.”

The exclusion of Adobe Flash from the iPad and subsequent comments attributed to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, in which he allegedly called the Web standard a “CPU hog,” have led to a considerable amount of debate over its merits and shortcomings.

Contributing to the conversation in January was Google, which added support for rival format HTML5 to the most popular video destination on the Internet, YouTube. The beta opt-in program is available only for browsers that support both HTML5 and H.264 video encoding. Apple, too, has placed its support behind HTML5.

For more on why Apple isn’t likely to add support for Flash in the iPhone OS, read AppleInsider’s three-part Flash Wars series.

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NPR, WSJ plan Flash-free Web sites for Apple iPad

25 Things You Can Remote Control With Your iPhone [Apple]

Filed under: gizmodo — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 7:40 pm

One of the more interesting things you can do with the iPhone is use it as a remote control for other devices. Since the iPhone App Store launched almost two years ago, developers have created hundreds of remote control applications. More

Video: How the iPhone Helped Make Game Startup Unity a Winner

Filed under: gigaom — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 4:31 pm

It goes without saying that timing is everything. You can be like Friendster and show up too soon to the social networking party and then blow it. Or you can be like the iPod and make a splash despite being a late entrant to the MP3 player market. Unity Technologies, a 3-D gaming platform, has seen this movie from all sides. After struggling for nearly six years, the company’s gaming platform took off when Apple released iPhone and iPod touch.

With a platform that lets developers build lightweight, online 3-D games — perfectly suited for the iPhone OS-based devices — Unity became a disruptor in the games business virtually overnight. And it’s been on a bit of a roll over the past year, with a client roster that includes big names like Electronic Arts, the Cartoon Network and Disney. Mobile developers love the company, which secured a $5.5 million Series A round led by Sequoia in October of 2009. But it wasn’t always salad days for the company, which was originally based in Copenhagen, Denmark and is now headquartered in the Bay Area, as is made clear in my chat with Unity CEO David Helgason.

Helgason recounts how the company made it through some some of the darker days during its eight-year history. Some highlights from our talk include:

  • The co-founders would live off bread that was supposed to be thrown out from the cafe in which Helgason worked.
  • Since the company had no money, the three co-founders could focus on development and customer support, building a loyal fanbase.
  • When Apple included Unity at a developers conference, the company didn’t have the infrastructure to support the publicity, so that opportunity was wasted.

Perhaps the best (or grimmest, depending on your point of view) advice Helgason has for entrepreneurs is that when you find your idea, devote your whole life to it, almost like a religious movement.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Unity

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Video: How the iPhone Helped Make Game Startup Unity a Winner

When your iPad battery dies, dig out $99-plus

Filed under: cnet — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 4:14 pm

by Lance Whitney
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Once your iPad’s battery conks out, Apple will give you a new device, but it’ll cost you.

As with the iPhone, the rechargeable lithium-polymer battery in the soon-to-be-released Apple iPad is not user-replaceable, meaning you have to send the gadgets to Apple for servicing. And under the iPad Battery Replacement Service you’ll get a new iPad to go with that new battery.


(Credit:
Apple)

But the service won’t come cheap. It’ll cost you $99 plus $6.95 shipping for a grand total of $105.95 per unit. You may also have to pay local taxes on the deal.

The purchase price for the iPad itself starts at $499 for a Wi-Fi-only version with 16GB of memory and ranges up to $829 for the Wi-Fi + 3G edition with 64GB of memory.

Apple will replace your iPad only if the battery has lost its charge through normal use. So if you make your battery kaput by spilling hot coffee on your iPad or accidentally dropping the device out the window, you’re out of luck.

And beware that the replacement iPad won’t have any of your personal data on it. You’ll need to make sure you have a fresh backup of your contacts, calendars, e-mail account, and other information. That’s one reason why it’s a good idea to sync your iPad with iTunes on a regular basis.

To get your replacement iPad, you can contact Apple Tech Support or visit a local Apple Store or authorized service center. Apple says you can expect service to be done within a week after you send in your old iPad.

iPhone and iPod owners know that Apple makes it a practice to sell devices without user-replaceable batteries and then charge a healthy fee to replace them. Many iPhone customers were initially miffed that they couldn’t replace their phone’s batteries themselves, with one unhappy customers even filing a lawsuit against Apple.

iPhone owners with dead batteries pay $79 plus tax to get a new battery within the warranty period. iPod users have to cough up anywhere from $49 to $59 to get a new battery installed, while iPod Touch owners pay $79 for the same privilege. Of course, for people who don’t want to spend that much money, there are ways of replacing the battery yourself.

The iPad is due in stores April 3, and preorders have already begun.

See also: FAQ: All about the Apple iPad

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When your iPad battery dies, dig out $99-plus

Microsoft Creates Whole New UI Experience, Copies iPhone App Store Experience

Filed under: tipb — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — @ 3:27 pm

thumb_450_Marketplace_Hub_inDevice_web

I watched WMExperts‘ coverage of Microsoft’s big Windows Phone 7 Series keynote at MIX10 yesterday and while I once again wasn’t wowed by the hyperactive quadrilateral tiles of the home screen, the workflow/funflow of moving through the panoramic hubs continued to impress. While Microsoft deserves a lot of credit for creating one of the few new, post-iPhone user experiences/interaction models, however, it’s interesting to note that they’re pretty much copying entirely Apple’s closed iPhone App Store model.

That’s right, free developer tools (like iPhone), no app distribution outside the market (like iPhone), except for beta and enterprise (like iPhone), which means no side-loading (like iPhone), and little-to-no multitasking (like iPhone… at least until iPhone 4.0), and push-notifications to handle alerts (like iPhone). (They do, however, claim they will be far more transparent than Apple has thus far been with the App Store approval process).

On one hand that’s a huge compliment to Apple’s highly successful, if sometimes controversial App Store model. On the other hand, users of previous Microsoft handsets up to and including the most recent Windows Mobile 6.5.x have seen open app installation and ubiquitous multitasking as bragging rights over the iPhone going on 3 years now. The mainstream consumer Microsoft is obviously targeting with WP7S will no doubt find it simple and clear. The traditional base of tinker-happy, ROM-cooking, power users? Likely not.

What think you, is Apple’s App Store model something Microsoft should have emulated?

Microsoft Creates Whole New UI Experience, Copies iPhone App Store Experience is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

iPad Accessories Already Facing Delays, Shortages?

Filed under: tipb — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — @ 2:35 pm

iPad accessories shipping delays

9to5Mac has been keeping a close eye on official Apple iPad accessories [Apple Online Store link] and while the iPad dock and iPod Dock to VGA adapter remain on April 3 schedule, the iPad Case is now listed as shipping in mid April while the iPad Keyboard Dock and iPad 10W USB Power Adapter have fallen to May. What’s more:

Perhaps even worse then those accessory delays is the iPad Camera Kit’s current situation. The kit which allows you to connect an SD card or digital cameras to your iPad is not even on Apple’s online store.

Did Apple underestimate demand for some of the iPad accessories? Did you manage to order one before the delays?

iPad Accessories Already Facing Delays, Shortages? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Lessons in Phone Marketing, or Why the Nexus One Is Sucking Wind

Filed under: gigaom — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — @ 2:30 pm

When it comes to selling a lot of a new phones in a fairly short amount of time, an educated customer base, a pre-holiday launch and picking a carrier with a huge subscriber base are essential, according to an analysis released today by Flurry. The provider of high-end handsets app analytics looked at the first 74 days of sales for the iPhone, the Droid and the Nexus One to see how each had sold in that time frame. It chose 74 days because that’s how long it took Apple to sell 1 million of the original iPhones.

To the Flurry team’s surprise, however, even more Droids were sold in that amount of time, prompting them to come up with the above lessons. The Droid came out two and half years after the original iPhone, so people were primed for a touch-enabled, app-happy handset, and its November launch positioned it perfectly for holiday shopping. Launching with Verizon and its 89 million subscribers also helped. So the moral of this story is that the Google experiment of making a really cool phone with the Nexus One and just tossing it over the fence isn’t working so far.

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Lessons in Phone Marketing, or Why the Nexus One Is Sucking Wind

39% of BlackBerry owners say they’d switch to an iPhone

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , — @ 1:20 pm

By Sam Oliver

Published: 09:20 AM EST

A new study found that nearly half of all BlackBerry owners would be likely to switch to another smartphone, with a majority of those eyeing Apple’s iPhone.

A study released this week from Crowd Science found that 39 percent of BlackBerry owning respondents said they “definitely or probably would” switch to an iPhone if they had to buy a new handset “tomorrow.” Another 29 percent said they were unsure, while 31 percent are unlikely to buy Apple’s handset.

The survey carried even more good news for Apple, as 92 percent of iPhone users said they are satisfied with their purchase and would likely make their next smartphone another iPhone.

Users of the Google Android mobile operating system were also satisfied, with 87 percent saying they would buy another Android handset. In addition, 34 percent of BlackBerry owners would strongly consider buying an Android phone if they were to make an immediate purchase.

The study also found that 97 percent of iPhone users would recommend the product to their friends, and 52 percent of BlackBerry owners and 51 percent of other smartphone users would recommend the iPhone to others.

The study was of 1,140 respondents recruited via the Crowd Science Sample Beta program from Web sites serving more than 20 million unique visitors. Totaling 44 percent, most respondents were users of a traditional cellphone rather than a smartphone. iPhone users represented 17 percent of those polled, BlackBerry users amounted to 15 percent, Nokia 10 percent, Windows Mobile 4 percent, Android 3 percent and Palm 2 percent.

Crowd Science

It’s not the first study to find astronomically high satisfaction rates with the iPhone. Last August, one survey found that 99 percent of respondents said they were overwhelmingly satisfied with the latest iPhone model.

In fact, when compared with other companies in surveys, the Cupertino, Calif. company consistently outperforms its competitors in customer satisfaction and service.

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39% of BlackBerry owners say they’d switch to an iPhone

Is "social sharing" enough to separate Windows Phone 7 from the iPhone?

Filed under: zdnet — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 12:01 pm

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 5:01 am

Categories: Microsoft, Mobile Technology

Tags: Apple iPhone, Platform, Handset, Microsoft Corp., Microsoft Windows, Smart Phones, Operating Systems, Software, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

There’s a lot of Windows Phone 7 information flowing out of MIX10. One of the key features of the Windows Phone 7 being pushed is “social sharing.” The idea being that unlike the iPhone, a Windows Phone 7 handset will become the hub for all your social interactions.

Now, before you all point out to me that you can Facebook and Twitter using your iPhone, I know, but your access to your social network via the iPhone is through a disparate selection of apps. What Microsoft seems to be doing with Windows Phone 7 is create a platform that allows you to seamlessly interact with your entire social network using a unified platform.

And it’s a good idea. After all, while Apple likes to appear as hip and “with” the latest trends, it isn’t a company that’s known for opening doors and creating platforms that third-parties can make use of without extreme levels of control-freakery getting in the way.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, maybe not …

See, the problem here as I see it is that we (the tech users) have been waiting for years for Microsoft to finally see the light when it comes to mobile and actually deliver a platform that gives uses the cutting-edge tools they need for work and play. We’ve been waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Now, finally, Microsoft seems to be delivering what people want, but it’s just too early to get excited. Why? Well, here are just a few reasons:

  • First, Microsoft moves with glacial speeds. Let’s start off by acknowledging that Windows Phone 7 is a platform that’s already some 18 months behind Apple, more if you measure maturity and support, and we’re still months away from being able to buy handsets.
    Want more proof – well, the browser on Windows Phone 7 is based on IE7, not IE8. Sure, there’s talk of some features being back-ported from IE8, and jokes that it could be called IE7.5, but it’s still a step back.
  • Then there’s what we can expect from Windows Phone 7 in the future. History is littered with products released by Microsoft that didn’t become overnight successes and were then left to erode away in the hands of people who bought into the hype. It’s not the Windows Phone 7 handset that you buy during the latter part of 2010 that matters, but how relevant and upgradable that handset will be a year or two down the line. Apple has managed to keep the iPhone platform stable enough over the years so that a first-gen handset is still relevant today, several hardware iterations later.
    Microsoft needs to assure potential buyers that it’s building a platform that it will care for and nurture for years to come, not change or abandon on a whim.

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Is "social sharing" enough to separate Windows Phone 7 from the iPhone?

High prices make Apple reluctant to strike longterm NAND flash deals

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 11:55 am

By Katie Marsal

Published: 07:55 AM EST

Apple, which takes up the the lion’s share of global NAND flash memory supply, has been reluctant to negotiate with suppliers in 2010 due to high prices.

According to DigiTimes, though demand for NAND memory in devices such as memory cards and flash drives has been soft, it has not significantly pushed down chip prices. Major chip suppliers like Samsung have given priority to profitable partnerships over shipment volume, which doesn’t work to the advantage of major buyers like Apple.

In addition to slower demand, the situation has become even more volatile because tight foundry capacity is expected to disrupt shipments and have an effect on NAND flash pricing, industry sources reportedly said.

“Some NAND flash controller suppliers,” the report said, “have indicated that their supply may not be able to satisfy customer demand in the second quarter if their foundry partners continue to see tight capacity, the sources said. This supply disruption is likely to impact NAND flash prices for the quarter.”

Industry sources expect the situation to improve in the second quarter of 2010, when they believe Apple may start negotiating long-term supply contracts for NAND flash. The report noted that Apple’s consumption of flash memory will “continue to play a significant role” in the industry this year.

Earlier this month, another report alleged that success for Apple’s forthcoming iPad tablet computer could increase prices of solid state drives. Apple consumes nearly one-third of total NAND flash memory supplies, and its share is expected to grow even more with the launch of the iPad on April 3.

It was noted multiple times in 2009 that Apple had created a flash shortage, with its iPod and iPhone line of products consuming the largest share of NAND flash. Industry sources expect the price of NAND flash to continue to rise in 2010.

In addition to most of the iPod lineup and the iPhone, in early 2008, Apple embraced the solid state drive by offering it as an option in its MacBook Air, with a premium price.

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High prices make Apple reluctant to strike longterm NAND flash deals

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