Thursday, January 8, 2009

10 Most Awesome iPhone Apps of 2008

10 Most Awesome iPhone Apps of 2008

By Brian X. Chen
01.02.09
The iPhone alone is an amazing device. But it's the phenomenal App Store that's made the iPhone truly revolutionary, by giving thousands of independent developers the ability extend and transform the device with their creativity.
Not even half a year old, the store has surpassed a milestone of 10,000 pieces of software available. Since the beginning, Wired.com has paid close attention to the gems that shine among the dross.
We've plucked out a list of 10 apps — from mapping software to musical instruments to games — that deserve applause for their quality, innovation and breakthrough achievements. Here they are — Jay Leno style — with our top pick at the very bottom.
10. StanzaA book reader that grabs free titles from public domains, Stanza has
— making the iPhone a worthy competitor to Amazon's Kindle. And if those free books aren't enough, Stanza recently expanded to incorporate a . The app did a good job pleasing Wired.com's Charlie Sorrel, who so he could embed his iPod touch in it. (That way, he could read e-books at the cafe while exuding an aura of pretentious artiness, instead of pretentious geekiness.) (Free)
9. SayWhereYou get used to typing on the iPhone after some time, but punching in addresses to look up directions is by far the biggest drag. DialDirections was the first to introduce speech-recognition capabilities to the iPhone with SayWhere, which translates users' speech into queries for Google Maps, Yelp, Traffic or Yellow Pages. It's a nifty app, especially for keeping drivers' eyes on the road rather than the iPhone's virtual keyboard.
(Free)
8. TweetieTwitter, a new form of micro-blogging, became more legitimate when it of the deadly Mumbai attacks. And Tweetie is the best app we've found to follow your Twitter friends. The app neatly separates Twitter feeds into categories, and the interface resembles the bubbly iChat interface that most of us have come to love. It even lets you search Twitter and save those searches for later. A must-have for Twitterholics. ($3)
7. NetShare This app is so cool you can't have it anymore. Nullriver's NetShare, an application that turns your iPhone into a wireless modem, disappeared from the App Store shortly after its release. Later, we learned because NetShare violated AT&T's terms of service agreement. So only a lucky few (including some Wired.com staff) got the benefits of unlimited iPhone tethering, which normally costs about $30 a month, for a one-time price of $10. Bummer!
6. ShazamEveryone's familiar with this scenario: You hear a really catchy, unfamiliar song on the radio and you have no idea what it's called. You hum it to yourself repeatedly and attempt to memorize the lyrics, only to forget it after slamming a few shots at the bar. Shazam will never leave you struggling to recollect these thoughts again: Hold the iPhone up to a speaker playing the unknown tune and the app will identify it — album, artist and song title — just like that.
(Free)
5. OcarinaThe hottest music app in the App Store, Ocarina thought beyond the iPhone's touchscreen and found a unique way to use the handset's microphone. Blowing into the mic simulates the experience of tooting into a flute; you play around with four virtual " a to Download Link the TapTapRevenge< (Free)
3. Trism Trism is such an addictive and appealing game that it
blessed its developer Steve Demeter with $250,000 in profit in just two months. And deservedly so, because the game's really well designed and plays something like a Bejeweled with an accelerometer to move around the puzzle pieces. It wouldn't be fair to call it one game, either: There are three different modes to keep you hooked. ($3)
2. PandoraWhoa whoa whoa — free downloaded music on a portable device? You don't say. Pandora's alternative music distribution made this happen, and the app is cool as hell on the iPhone. Add a station for an artist you like, and the app will play that artist's music as well as similar tunes you might like. What better way to find new music with the wealth of new bands out there? (Free)
1. Google EarthWhen Steve Jobs called the iPhone "Your life in your pocket," he probably didn't expect Google to deliver the world in your pocket. Well, virtually. Displaying satellite imagery around the world in a 3-D globe, Google Earth is one of the most intense, mindblowing apps that truly
. If you want to impress your grandmother with a demonstration of just how far technology has come since she was a girl, this ought to do the trick. (Free)
Free calls from Skype could come soon to iPhones
By JESSICA MINTZ – 1 hour ago
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Free calls over Skype, the Internet communications service, could be coming soon to the iPhone.
Skype, a subsidiary of eBay Inc., said Thursday at the International Consumer Electronics Show that a version of its Internet calling and instant-messaging software is available for Google Inc.'s Android cell phone platform as a free download. And it indicated an iPhone Skype program isn't far behind.
Scott Durschlag, Skype's chief operating officer, said Skype's iPhone application is still under development. Engineers are still working on cutting the amount of power the application consumes, he said.
Skype would not be the first iPhone program that makes use of Internet calling technology to save people from having to spend their cellular minutes. But when Apple started letting outside companies make programs for the iPhone, it barred voice-over-Internet applications from connecting to the cellular network, leaving them functional only when the user is in a Wi-Fi hot spot.
Apple representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Skype's Durschlag opened his presentation on a bright note despite undercurrents of economic gloom in the tech industry.
"My biggest concern, to be honest with you, is an abundance of opportunities," Durschlag said. "The take-up of Skype is accelerating."
He said more than 370 million people have signed up for Skype, with about 30 million new users coming aboard each quarter.
New Skype software for Windows computers will be available in early February. It overhauls the user interface and makes full-screen video-calling features more prominent. According to the company, the new version also marks an advance in audio quality.
This week, Skype launched a new version for Apple's Macintosh computers. The company also is releasing an open-source version for an emerging category of small Intel-based computers that run Linux software.
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Porn-Free: Kid Friendly iPhone Browser Released


on 08 January 2009, 10:32by mark selfe
showInitialOdiogoReadNowFrame ('32285', '0', 290, 0);

Apple's iPhone, which has become the touch-screen icon of the 3G mobile computing revolution, leaving its forerunners Palm and Blackberry in its clean cut wake will now be able to run a browser that blocks adult content at the source.With a reported 8 percent of American teenagers now owning the slick white status symbol parents, for the first time parents can will be able to have peace of mind in the knowledge that their children will be able to surf the web safely and in a squeaky clean way.The new browser software from InternetSafety.com's new Safe Eyes Mobile browser blocks the more unsavory side of the web from young, prying eyes was launched this week at MacWorld in San Francisco and at the 2009 International CES exhibition in Las Vegas.Safe Eyes Mobile works by checking requested websites against a massive blacklist of potentially objectionable URL addresses that is updated on a daily basis. It prevents iPhone/iTouch access to pages deemed to be inappropriate categories by default.Previously, the only option for parents was to cut off web access entirely for the iPhone. AT&T's—Apple's sole service provider—wireless MEdia Net Parental Controls simply don't work on the iPhone. Safe Eyes Mobile filtering fixes the problem works on both the AT&T cellular network and individual Wi-Fi networks to which the iPhone automatically connects when in range.Safe Eyes claims the browser speeds are not hindered by the filter and cannot be overridden by children because it is controlled from the Safe Eyes website with password-protected setup. A challenge for hackers for sure.No doubt the majority of parents will be delighted, but I am sure they'll be more than a few teenage boys will be less than thrilled.
Life after iPhone
The device has been great for AT&T. What will the telco do for an encore?
By Jon Fortt, senior writer
Last Updated: January 7, 2009: 4:21 PM ET


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(Fortune Magazine) -- What will AT&T do after the iPhone?

The nation's No. 1 wireless operator has benefited handsomely from its deal to be the exclusive U.S. carrier of Apple's runaway hit. Since AT&T joined forces with Apple, the phone company has welcomed about five million iPhones onto its network and gained much-needed cred in the wireless Internet space. Its iPhone subscribers are less likely to jump to a competitor, and they spend twice as much on their monthly bills as the average wireless user.

As a result, AT&T (T, Fortune 500), with 75 million wireless users, has widened its lead over No. 2 Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500), which has 71 million users. The iPhone's only shortcoming may be its incompatibility with some corporate IT systems. (See "Can the iPhone go corporate")

But the iPhone isn't forever. Neither Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) nor AT&T will say when their monogamous relationship will end, but industry analysts estimate that AT&T has only a few more years as Apple's American one-and-only. With the clock ticking, AT&T is scrambling to find ways to maintain and bolster its ability to sell high-volume, high-margin wireless services to consumers and businesses.

Now CEO Randall Stephenson and other executives of AT&T are pushing the notion of its wireless phones as indispensable lifestyle devices that customers will use to surf the web, remotely program their DVRs or home-alarm systems, and securely connect to their corporate networks.

To make that vision a reality, AT&T is making some Silicon Valley-flavored moves. Its purchase of Wi-Fi provider Wayport should help business customers get work done faster on the road. And a project brewing in the company's labs would let consumers send video from a touchscreen phone to an AT&T digital video recorder with the flick of a finger.

It is unclear if any phone company can make the leap from wireless operator to applications developer, but the iPhone certainly has made AT&T's job a bit easier by introducing millions of consumers to the possibilities of wireless data - and that's a benefit AT&T will enjoy long after the end of its exclusive deal with Apple

Who's buying first?


Start drooling, dudes and dudettes - the stunning new Nokia touchscreen 5800 XpressMusic phone has arrived in India!
And here's the barnburning news - Nokia 5800 is priced at Rs 21,800 (almost Rs 9,000 less than 8GB iPhone and Rs 14,000 less than 16 GB iPhone).
Lets get straight to the specs - the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is loaded with a stellar 3.2in wide screen touch display laced with a resolution of 640x360. It can play back full screen video at 30fps.
In case you didn't already know, 'The Tube' is Nokia's second attempt foray into the touch screen segment, the ill fated Nokia 7710 never peeped out of the factories.
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone features a stylus for navigation rather than poking with the finger (like on the Iphone). Other goodies include HSDPA at 3.6Mbps, built in 802.11b/g WiFi, an aGPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, an accelerometer and a 3.2Megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, auto focus, a dual LED flash.
The Nokia 5800 comes with an 8GB microSD card in the box, because the internal memory of 81mb wont let you load many of your favorite Bollywood songs and videos. There's a top mounted 3.5mm audio jack and the supplied headset also features a 3.5mm jack if you want to use your own headphones with it. The Tube also supports TV-out via the headphone jack.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

100 (Really) Beautiful iPhone Wallpapers

Few products have generated the kind of hype that the iPhone has. Its beautiful design and large multi-touch screen are irresistible. Although its interface is beautifully designed, some of us want to put a little something extra in it to suit our style, personality and profession and to further beautify this magical masterpiece.
Here, we proudly present the 100 Beautiful iPhone wallpapers, designed by some of the finest and most creative artists around. The wallpapers are 320×480 pixels in resolution and are usable on the iPod Touch as well. In this post we cover typography, nature, retro and vintage, illustrations and artwork, Apple wallpapers, abstract, space. Other topics will be covered in next posts. All of the images are clickable and linked to their source. You can explore further artistic treasures and more wallpapers by using the links.
You might also want to take a look at the following posts:
(Really) Stunning Desktop Wallpapers
More (Really) Stunning Desktop Wallpapers
Selected Wallpapers For Your DesktopCovers wallpapers, dev kits, Flickr pools, widescreen and HD monsters and even wallpaper-related social communities and wallpapers for gamers.
More Creative and Beautiful WallpapersCovers fresh, original and creative wallpapers.
Selected Wallpapers: For Desktop and Web DesignCovers Web design-related wallpapers, and has dozens of references for Mac fans.
35 Space and Nebula wallpapers
Engadget's Comprehensive CES Coverage


UiRemote is like a remote... in your iPhone
by
Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 6th 2009 at 9:01PM
Yeah, sure, name any IR-equipped phone in existence and odds good to excellent that you can find a universal remote app for it, but you probably can't think of many for the iPhone, now, can you? They exist, yes, but they tend to carry a home-automation slant since the lack of an infrared port leaves the thing relegated to WiFi duty. Enter UiRemote, an ambitious little project undertaken by a handful of scrappy University of Toronto students that uses a fingertip-sized IR blaster connected to the headphone jack paired with a totally customizable app to get the job done. Novel? Not necessarily, but when you consider that a dedicated remote with these specs would probably run half a grand, it's an interesting way to save money and still end up with the coolest AV controller on the block. The devs are still tweaking both the module and the app, but hopes are high that they'll be available to all interested parties in the next couple months.
WebEx on Your iPhone, Finally


If I had to name one collaboration application that I to use on an almost daily basis, with the exception of Google Docs, my answer would be Cisco’s WebEx. A lot of companies make pitches to me using WebEx. Despite its patchy performance on the Mac, it is still an easy way to get through a PowerPoint. Well, WebEx just got better, thanks to the new WebEx for the iPhone app. It also works on the iPod Touch.

In other words, you don’t need to be in the office to get going — you can totally do meetings from anywhere — as long as AT&T’s temperamental 3G network is working. Your WebEx system needs to be iPhone compatible at the back end, though, and for now you can view the presentations but not start them from your iPhone. I think that, despite all the reservations about iPhone in the enterprise, apps such as WebEx for iPhone indicate that it will find footing inside corporations.

Free copy of iPhone Life Magazine

iPhone Life magazine hit the newsstands last year, chock full of news, reviews, and tips for both consumers and enterprise users.

If you missed the premier issue you can now get a free copy in digital format that you can read on a Mac, PC, iPhone or iPod Touch.
The 100-page premier issue includes:
• Full coverage of [...]
http://www.iphonestalk.com/
very good site
http://www.iphonedownloadblog.com/

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

About iPhone and iPod Accessories
The iPhone uses the same dock connector as the iPod, so properly designed accessories can be used with both the iPhone and the iPod. While there are thousands of accessories that have been designed specifically for iPod, not all of these are fully compatible with iPhone yet. This is because cell phones can cause
audio interference with some accessories that have the "Made for iPod" label.
Products Affected
iPhone Accessories, iPhone
To ensure the best possible experience, Apple has created special iPhone compatibility requirements for accessory manufacturers. Products that are engineered and certified to be compatible with the iPhone will have a "Works with iPhone" label on their package. To ensure compatibility, look for third-party accessories that are authorized to use the "Works with iPhone" label when purchasing accessories for use with iPhone.
It is possible, however, to use many existing iPod accessories that have the "Made for iPod" label. When you connect iPhone to one of these accessories, the iPhone will alert you that the accessory was not made to work with the iPhone. With the alert, you are presented with an option to go into Airplane Mode, which will turn off the communication ability of the iPhone while it is connected to that accessory.Note: While avoiding potential audio interference, you will not be able to make or receive calls, browse the web, or send or receive email when in Airplane Mode. If you choose not to enter Airplane Mode, you can still make and receive calls, but they may experience some audio interference.
"Made for iPod" means that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards.
"Works with iPhone" means that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPhone and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards.
Why The iPhone Has Stumbled In India

By Dianne See Morrison - Tue 11 Nov 2008 08:07 AM PST

The original iPhone generated a lot of interest in India, selling well on the grey market, so it went to reason that when the 3G version launched officially in the world’s fastest growing wireless market, that it too would sell well. But apparently, that’s not what happened, with sales of the iPhone 3G falling far short of Apple’s own internal goals of moving 100,000 units by December 2009. Livemint.com reports that analysts tracking the Indian handset market estimate that half that number has been imported, with just a fraction—11,000 phones—sold so far. Given that every handset marker from the market leader Nokia (NYSE: NOK) to up and coming HTC have been anxious to capture the rapidly expanding Indian market, it seems odd that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) hasn’t taken sales in the country more seriously.

So what hurt the iPhone 3G’s uptake in India? For one, pricing was always going to be part of it. At $800, the gadget was without a doubt, expensive, especially considering a typical IT worker’s annual salary ranges from $12,000-$24,000. But cost isn’t the entire reason. As Livemint points out, Nokia’s N96, Samsung’s Omnia and BlackBerry Bold all cost even more than the iPhone. “Pricing communication” was a bigger reason. Indian consumers were well aware that the iPhone was selling in the US for $199, but Apple made no attempt to explain the sizable cost difference—that subsidizing handsets isn’t common practice in the Indian market as it is in the US. Even worse, the phone was locked to the carrier, despite consumers being charged full price. Apple also left too much to its operator partners—Bharti Airtel and Vodafone—which didn’t have the experience of aggressively selling handsets. They only sold the phones in their own stores, instead of branching out to the numerous retail phone outlets in India that sell 50 percent of all handsets. Marketing was another downfall. Again, it was left to Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) and Airtel, which didn’t push the phone that hard, and certainly didn’t position the iPhone as a “lifestyle” product, or make it seem “aspirational.” (Apparently, selling the iPhone as a lifestyle product could have compensated for the fact that India doesn’t yet have 3G networks, rendering the phone’s 3G capabilities useless).

Nokia, meanwhile, will be happy to learn that Apple’s strategy “was not to sell a million phones in India” and that “it only wanted to establish a presence in the country,” as Airtel’s CMO Sanjay Gupta told Livemint. Nokia dominates the Indian smartphone market, with research firm Gartner estimating they have an up to 70 percent share of it.

In a separate story, Reuters reports that India added a record 7.7 million mobile users in October to its GSM-based networks, according to the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI). Total GSM mobile users at the end of October numbered 241.4 million, up 3.3 percent from 233.7 million in September. The number does not include India’s CDMA mobile users. At the end of September, number two network Reliance Communications, which is CDMA-based, had 56.1 million users.

Photo Credit: Kartihksn

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Posted in: Companies, Apple, Countries, Asia, India, Gadgets
Bharti Airtel and Apple to Bring iPhone 3G to India
NEW DELHI and SAN FRANCISCO—June 9, 2008—Bharti Airtel and Apple® today announced that they will be bringing the highly anticipated iPhone™ 3G to customers in India later this year. iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK.

“We are delighted with the opportunity to bring the innovative iPhone 3G to India,” said Manoj Kohli, president and CEO, Bharti Airtel. “As India’s leading telecom operator, Bharti Airtel has always stood for innovation and customer delight. With our reach across the country and iPhone’s revolutionary features, we have a valuable proposition for our customers in India.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Bharti Airtel, India’s leading integrated telecom company, to bring iPhone 3G to millions of mobile customers in India,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “We can’t wait to get this revolutionary product in the hands of even more people around the world.”

Soon customers will be able to purchase iPhone 3G at Airtel Relationship Centers. Details of pricing and availability will be announced at a later date. Airtel customers who wish to receive more information on iPhone 3G can send an SMS with keyword "iPhone" to 54321 (toll-free).

*Based on 3G and EDGE testing. Actual speeds vary by site conditions.

Bharti Airtel Limited, a group company of Bharti Enterprises, is India’s leading integrated telecom services provider with an aggregate of 66.69 million customers as of end of April 2008, consisting of 64.37 million mobile customers. Bharti Airtel has been rated among the best performing companies in the world in the BusinessWeek IT 100 list 2007.

Bharti Airtel is structured into three strategic business units—Mobile services, Telemedia services and Enterprise services. The mobile business provides mobile and fixed wireless services using GSM technology across 23 telecom circles. The Telemedia business provides broadband and telephone services in 94 cities and is foraying into the IPTV and DTH segments. The Enterprise business provides end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national and international long distance services to carriers. All these services are provided under the Airtel brand. Airtel’s high-speed optic fibre network currently spans over 73,787 kms covering all the major cities in the country. The company has two international landing stations in Chennai that connect two submarine cable systems - i2i to Singapore and SEA-ME-WE-4 to Europe. For more information, visit www.bhartiairtel.in.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Press Contacts:
Jill Tan
Apple
Apple iPhone in India on Airtel

Bharti Airtel released a press release that they “had signed a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to India, later this year”. That surely heats up the race to sell Apple iPhones in India, since Airtel is India’s leading integrated telecom services provider with over 60 million customers!

Last year Apple iPhone premiered at Apple Retail Stores in US and instantly topped the most wanted gadgets lists worldwide. Now Indians can become proud owners of Apple iPhone thanks to Airtel and Vodafone.

You can buy an unlocked iPhone in India from the gray market for Rs.25000 ($600 approx), but soon you can buy iphones legally and flaunt it to your friends. Apple crashed the iphone prices by $200 last year and recently Apple doubled the memory, so a 8GB iphone is now available for $399 at Apple stores. Lets await the pricing in India with the call service pack…

i phone

About Iphone

iPhone is a revolutionary new mobile phone from Apple, that allows you to make a call by simply tapping a name or number in your address book, a favourites list, or a call log. It also automatically syncs all your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet service. And it lets you select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want — just like email.

Main Features
Phone calls

With iPhone, making a call is as simple as touching a name or number. In addition, you can easily construct a favourites list for your most frequently made calls, and quickly merge calls to create conference calls.
SMS

iPhone includes an SMS application with a predictive QWERTY soft keyboard that prevents and corrects mistakes, making it easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smart phones.

Voicemail

An industry first, Visual Voicemail allows you to go directly to any of your messages without listening to the prior messages. So you can quickly select the messages that are most important to you.

Photos

With a 2-megapixel camera and an advanced photo management application, iPhone goes beyond anything on a phone today. It automatically syncs photos with your PC or Mac when you dock. It displays albums with a flick of a finger. And can post your pictures directly to a Mac web gallery.

Ring tones

You can create iPhone ring tones from over 500,000 songs on the iTunes Store. You can even pick the section of the song you want. Just choose a track with a ringtone symbol, and then get creative. You can edit, loop, fade in and out, preview, and play around until your ring tone is just the way you want it. And each ring tone is only 99¢ plus the cost of the song.

3G

3G technology gives iPhone fast access to the Internet and email over cellular networks around the world. iPhone 3G also makes it possible to do more in more places: Surf the web, download email, get directions, and watch video — even while you’re on a call.

For more details check out:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

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