iPhone Alley - RSS

Apple Releases iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 5 For iPad Development

Michael Johnston — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:22:42 -0400

Today Apple released an updated version of the iPhone SDK 3.2 beta for iPad development on the iPhone Dev Center (developer account required). So far we haven't heard of any significant changes in beta 5, although previous releases generally provided bug fixes and minor improvements for developers.

Beta 4 was released earlier this month for developers to work on iPad applications ahead of the launch. Apple plans to begin shipping the iPad on April 3rd.

Apple Removing Screen Protectors From Online & Retail Stores

Darren Beckett — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:57:55 -0400

For reasons yet to be determined, Apple has informed its vendors that, starting in May, they will no longer be carrying a number of screen protectors in their online and retail stores. This includes both stand-alone screen protectors and products which include screen protectors. The new policy includes clear, anti-glare, and mirrored film, which are not just popular iPhone accessories, but also a big seller for owners of the newer glass-screen laptops. In addition, Apple isn't just removing film protectors that cover the screen but also any film that protects areas such as the laptop palm area or the back side of the iPhone and iPod.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater to "Drop Soon" for the iPhone, Screenshot Leaked

Chris Barylick — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:30:52 -0400

Per a leak on the official Tony Hawk Twitter account, a picture has been released of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater being played on an iPhone. The tweet that linked to this picture seems to be gone, though it promised that "This is real & dropping soon."

The screenshot appears to show the hangar level from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. Screenshot below!

NAVIGON MyRegion GPS App Updated to 1.4, Receives New Features

Chris Barylick — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:27:05 -0400

Yesterday Navigon AG announced the launch of Navigon MyRegion [App Store, $24.99], the company's new iPhone navigation app that allows users to purchase only the region they need instead of a more expensive, full US map. Access to the first region is available an introductory price of $24.99 (normally $29.99) until April 12th with no hidden charges or additional monthly fees. Additional regional maps can be accessed as an In App Purchase for an introductory $12.99 (normally $14.99) MobileNavigator with map access for all of North America (including Eastern, Central and Western U.S. as well as Canada) is available for $79.99.

Navigon MyRegion includes all the features and capabilities as MobileNavigator 1.4 plus Navigon MyRoutes, which will be added to MobileNavigator North America via an upcoming update to 1.5.0 due this spring. Navigon MyRoutes is feature that learns from the users driving style to provide customized and better route recommendations. The feature also offers up to two alternative routes clearly displayed on a map including ETA, distance and driving time.

Apple Delays Certain iPad Accessories Until May

Chris Barylick — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:35:41 -0400

Per AppleInsider, Apple has announced shipping delays on some of its forthcoming iPad accessories with both the keyboard dock and 10W USB power adapter now being listed as having ship dates in May.

In addition, the $39 iPad soft case, which was originally scheduled to ship on April 3 when pre-orders began last Friday, has been delayed until mid-April. The $69 keyboard dock was originally scheduled to ship in mid-April, and the $29 USB power adapter in late April.

AT&T-Compatible Nexus One Now Available

Chris Barylick — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:24:03 -0400

According to MobileCrunch, the Nexus One, which may not have sold incredibly well, but is still regarded as a capable Android unit, is now compatible with AT&T's 3G network. The T-Mobile version of the Nexus One, which worked with AT&T provided you didn't hop on AT&T's network, has gained additional functionality according to a post on Google's Nexus One blog.

The announcement comes as a bit of a surprise given that the Nexus One has yet to clear the FCC and Google made no mention of it whilst heralding
that the Verizon Nexus One was "Coming Soon!".

Quickly Cut, Copy, Paste Entire Paragraphs

Darren Beckett — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:03:08 -0400

It's well documented that when editing text on the iPhone you can double-tap to quickly select a word for copy and paste. But there's an undocumented feature that also lets you quickly select an entire paragraph. Quadruple-tapping on any editable text highlights the entire paragraph, not just the single word. It might take a little practice to get it just right, but after only a couple tries it becomes much faster than double-tap-dragging to select a block of text. This feature only works when editing text, so don't expect it to work while in Safari or other apps.

id's John Carmack Confirms Game Development for iPad

Chris Barylick — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:28:17 -0400

Although generally known for top-of-the-line 3D games, id software's John Carmack has become a passionate iPhone app developer. Per Kotaku, Carmack has personally cited the platform as a return to the older school of game design, where a single enthusiast can turn out a great game in a matter of a couple months, id software’s iPhone ports of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom were basically pet projects of Carmack himself.

Carmack has recently offered the following: "Apple doesn’t give us anything ahead of time either, so haven’t put hands on it ourselves, but we certainly are expecting to try to have our Rage title for the iPhone, iPad, whatever, working across there."

PayPal Updates iPhone App, Includes New Look, "Bump" Money Transfers

Darren Beckett — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:27:45 -0400

Today PayPal introduced a significant update to its free iPhone app that not only includes a complete interface overhaul, but some unique new features as well. The most unique addition is the collaboration with Bump Technologies, the company behind the popular contact sharing app, Bump [App Store, Free].

To use "bumping" to send or request money, both users need to be running the most recent version of the iPhone app. Then simply "bump" the phones together, enter the transaction amount and the exchange takes place. It's the easiest and most clever way to loan cash to a friend... or pay back that loan!

Get Travel Times Based on Traffic in Google Maps

Michael Johnston — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:33:26 -0400

Even though there are plenty of great navigation apps in the App Store, Google Maps on the iPhone is still one of the best ways to get basic navigation info. I especially like it because it gives me a good idea of how long it'll take to get to a destination. However, in some cases it'll be necessary to get travel times with current traffic conditions factored in. To do this, simply enable the "Show Traffic" option before requesting directions, and traffic will be factored in. If it's working, you should see your estimated travel time followed by the words "with traffic."

Bonus tip; if you've already requested directions but forgot to enable traffic, simply enable it, tap "Edit," then "Route," and Maps should recalculate based on traffic. Enjoy!