Applefreaky's Weblog

Can’t find the apps you need? Of course there’s an app for that.

applefreaky — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:56:10 +0000

If you’re like me, you find it impossible to keep up with the constant stream of apps being written for the iPhone and iPod touch. As a result, you wind up missing some useful or fun apps that you would buy if you just knew that they were in the App Store.

Searching the App Store using iTunes doesn’t work very well, and there are plenty of sites that review apps (including TUAW), but there are so many apps out there that finding what you want can be a matter of luck rather than skill.

That problem has largely been solved with Appsaurus [iTunes link], a U.S. $0.99 app that can quickly focus on what kinds of apps you like and make decent suggestions for new apps to try or buy.

Here’s how Appsaurus works. When you launch the app for the first time, it presents you with an explore mode. It displays a list of apps, and you tap the ones that are of interest to you. You may have some of the apps, but you probably won’t have all of them. When you select a favorite you’ll get a new list that includes apps that match the general description of the app you clicked on. Run through a few iterations of this process, and the app begins to learn your preferences.

If there isn’t anything on the list that appeals to you, just ask for a new list. If the title of the app doesn’t give you enough information, tap on the right side of the title, and you’re transferred to the app store. You can actually buy the app if you want to. When you tap on Appsaurus again you’ll be right back where you left off. As you explore apps you can mark them as favorites, or tell Appsaurus you don’t want to see an app again.

In no time at all I had some great picks, and bought a few apps that I simply would not have discovered any other way. However, that’s not the end of the Appsaurus playbook.

You can create custom searches, like “all free chess games,” or “photography apps under $0.99.” You can save those searches, and then let Appsaurus do the heavy lifting and find them.

In my experience, the app worked very well, was easy to use, and was well executed with an attractive GUI. If there is a downside, be prepared to spend some money on apps you find; I was glad to find them, though, and don’t think I would have encountered them without the guidance from Appsaurus.

Of course the app store on the iPhone has a ‘genius’ function built in. It scans the apps you have and makes some recommendations, but they get a bit strange. It suggested I get an app for a Chicago TV station because I had CNN. Well, they are both news apps, but interest in Chicago news doesn’t necessarily follow from my interest in general news.

Appsaurus isn’t a big investment. I’d urge you to give it a try and see if it gives you some intelligent navigation through the rough seas of app finding.

Multitouch, multiscreen iPod touch Pong

applefreaky — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:52:27 +0000

Oh my. Still need convincing that the iPhone/iPod touch is the greatest gaming platform ever made? Then check this video of a couple Japanese researchers playing a game they claim to have put together “in about an hour”: multiscreen, touch-based Pong.

On first glance, it looks like the game is even checking orientation of the iPods, but if you watch it a little further, when things go faster, you can see that it’s actually just pushing the ball from screen to screen as it leaves. Still, if nothing else, a quick demo like this shows that multiple Touches (via a certain website, or on the same WiFi network, maybe, or — hopefully — just in close proximity to one another through Bluetooth or another protocol) can easily be made to connect multiplayer gamers.

As a demo, very nice (and it seems fun as a game as well). Can’t wait to see a full-featured game that takes advantage of all of the iPhone’s connectivity options.

Mac users don’t like people touching their stuff

applefreaky — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:37:57 +0000

Over at Cognitive Daily (part of theScienceBlogs network), as part of a larger informal survey, Dave Mungercontends that Mac users are less likely to let friends try out their new gadgets than users of other platforms.Munger noted, “in this context, the fact that Mac users (and ‘other’ — mostly Linux users) are so dramatically more stingy with their new gadgets is truly a striking finding, even acknowledging the fact that our readers may not be representative of the public at large.”

StyleTap officially bringing Palm emulator to the iPhone / iPod touch

applefreaky — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:36:05 +0000

StyleTap has announced their intention to bring StyleTap CrossPlatform to the iPhone and iPod touch. It will be available in “early July 2008″ and more details will be released at that time.

I wonder if they delayed a bit too long. Obviously, they were waiting for iPhone 2.0, but with native software coming at the same time I wonder how much Palm software people will want. That said, there is a huge catalog of Palm software out there and having come from a Treo I can think of several applications (especially finance related) that I would love to have on my iPhone. What do you think; is there any Palm software out there you really want running on your iPhone?

Double trouble for Windows Safari users

applefreaky — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:30:06 +0000

Windows users might have more of a headache when it comes to the Safari“carpet bombing” bug. Macworldreports that combined with a bug in Internet Explorer, attackers can run malicious applications on a victim’s computer (obviously without their consent) using Safari for Windows.

Aviv Raff, according to Macworld, reported the IE bug over a year ago, and warned of its consequences when paired with a carpet-bombing-like scenario. He recommends to stop using Safari for the time being.

Microsoft issued a security advisory in response to the “new public reports of a blended threat” combining the two problems. Microsoft suggests in the advisory that changing the default folder that Safari uses for downloads will protect users from these attacks.

True, it all starts when the user follows a link, so (as always) be careful what you click on.

Griffin PowerDock: quadruple your charging pleasure

applefreaky — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:22:29 +0000

Perennial iPod peripheral maker Griffin announced that their new PowerDockmultiple-iPod / iPhone charging station would be available in June, and now it’s apparently almost here.

Available in two- or four-dock models, the charging station is designed for nerdy families like mine with multiple iPods, or perhaps just gadget freaks. It supports most every flavor of iPod and iPhone, with adapter inserts included, and it’s made of brushed metal which is always a lovely choice.

No word on a street date, but presumably it’s still on schedule for a release this month. The two-dock version will run $49.99 and the four-dock version will be $69.99.

iClooly: make your iPod into a baby iMac

applefreaky — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:20:09 +0000

This is the cutest damned thing I’ve seen in a while. The iClooly, from Japanese manufacturer RockRidgeSound, is a stand for your iPod Touch that makes it look like a lil’ baby iMac — and, as a side effect, serves as an actual useful way to watch movies on your iPod Touch without having to get your greasy mitts all over it.

The iClooly even pivots 90º for landscape/portrait swapping goodness and has a dock connection inside. It’ll be ¥4,980 (roughly $47)

Ifbyphone promises “voice broadcast” app in the App Store

applefreaky — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:18:06 +0000

Well this is interesting — apparently a company called Ifbyphone has announced that they will be releasinga “Voice Broadcast” app through the iPhone’s App Store in June. The application will apparently let you “transmit” voice messages to multiple recipients, like sending a voice memo out to multiple people at a time.

The actual app isn’t very impressive — apparently a subscription will be required to use the service, and who knows how it works — but the repercussions for the App Store might be interesting. What if someone releases a VOIP app through Apple’s official store? What would AT&T have to say about that?

We still, even a week before WWDC, have no real idea exactly how the store is going to work and how a company or private developer will be able to get their programs on Apple’s official listing, but it’s conceivable that if a developer drops functionality that intersects with Apple or AT&T’s profitability we could have a problem here. We’ll have to watch and see if Ifbyphone’s app shows up with all the functionality they claim.

Apple Bought Me.com? .Mac’s New Name?

applefreaky — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:13:33 +0000

Earlier today, John Gruber of DaringFireball.net suggested that Me.com might be the name for Apple’s .Mac rebranding. There was no real evidence, however, except that Me.com was registered under MarkMonitor’s domain service. MarkMonitor is a domain management service that Apple (and many others) use. Gruber admited that this was mostly speculative at that time:

This is proof of nothing, of course, since MarkMonitor provides domain name parking for any company that pays for their services.

Me.com currently redirects users to Snappville.com - a social networking community. Snappville used to be called Me.com but changed names in December 2007 with little fanfare.

MacRumors reader Matthew Yohe, however, pointed us to Netcraft page which curiously lists Kenneth Eddings (eddingsk@apple.com) as the DNS administrator for Me.com. This email address, however, was nowhere in the ownership (Whois lookup) information for Me.com. As it turns out, Mr. Eddings’ email address is only listed in the SOA Record of the DNS record.

In this case, Markmonitor controls the SOA Record for Me.com. Eddings is also the official technical contact for many of Apple’s domain names. So, Apple does appear to own Me.com. It was likely purchased sometime in December 2007, and it (along with MobileMe for iPhone) could very well be the rebranding for Apple’s .Mac service. With Apple’s ongoing product expansion outside the Mac platform, it makes sense that they may need to rebrand their services to something more platform neutral.

In today’s domain market, the purchase of Me.com could run well into the tens of millions of dollars, so it is unlikely Apple would buy it without a specific plan.

Free iPod Touch with Mac Purchase for College Students?

applefreaky — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:06:43 +0000

Apple is expected to launch its Back to School promotion tomorrow, and on the eve of its launch, we’ve learned that Apple is indeed going to be making it their biggest ever.

According to our sources, Apple will be offering a free 8GB iPod Touch ($299) to college students who buy a qualifying Mac (MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Pro). Alternatively, students may choose to get an 8GB iPod Nano ($199). The promotion will run from June 3 to September 15th, 2008.

With this aggressive promotion as well as the rumored 3G-capable iPhone launch, Apple is rapidly expanding their Touch OS X platform over the next few months, giving developers a large audience for their iTunes Store apps and games.

There remains one uncertainty, however. When Apple releases the 2.0 firmware for the iPhone and iPod Touch, iPod Touch owners will be required to pay a small fee for the upgrade. Customers who purchase an iPod Touch now may be required to pay this fee when the upgrade arrives in late June. More details may be available tomorrow or at WWDC next week.

Details of the Back to School promotion, including eligibility should be officially announced tomorrow.( 3rd June 2008 )