Apple has decided that applications that are 'overtly sexual' no longer have a home in the App Store. Apple's new App Store content policy has resulted in over 5,000 companies' apps being purged. The companies whose apps were deemed 'overtly sexual' were notified last week that their applications were going to be removed due to their content. This doesn't come as a huge surprise, because of iTouch, the App Store needs to cater to children as well as adults; it would seem to be graphic content and wouldn't be good for business.
What's strange about the recent purges, isn't that they are removing sexual content, it's who they are not removing. Playboy has an application that has not been removed from the App Store yet. Companies whose apps were removed are scratching their heads, wondering what makes Playboy special. Did Apple feel like Playboy is as "American as 'Apple' Pie"? It would seem so, or maybe they struck a deal, who knows. I do know that Playboy's app is more graphic than any other apps I have seen, it appears that thousands of companies are being treated unfairly by Apple. Companies should have and ought to have the right to stay in business if Apple is going to allow Playboy's app inside the App Store.
The new App Store policy, it will not accept applications that in any way imply sexual content or include the following:
Images of women in bikinis
Images of men in bikinis
Images of skin
Silhouettes indicating that the app includes sexual images
Apple's iPad might have some competition in the coming months with the recent talk about a Google Tablet. Google just released the Nexus One which was their version of the iPhone in the US. It looks like Google now wants to curb the iPad (release date March 2010) sales with their own spin. Glen Murphy, Google's user interface designer, presented what the Google Tablet might look like and created a video of how one will use the device. If I had to guess, the Google Tablet will possess many things that the iPad lacks.
In 2009 Google announced that they would be releasing an Operating System, Chrome OS, which would work and be based around a web browser. This would be mainly for small netbooks, which would have fast boot up times and give the user ease of access to the sleuth of Google applications. Along with releasing a Chrome Netbook this year, Google is considering applying the same platform to a tablet, desktops, and flat screen T.V.s. It will be very interesting to see how we will apply Chromium to our lives.
"Chrome OS is still in development and we are constantly experimenting with various user interfaces to determine what designs would produce the best user experience". Now Apple and Google are in a feud! This is a good thing, because it will force them to one up each other which is great for the consumer. Without competition Apple could take its sweet time making the iPad the way that the users want it. Now Apple has to cater to the needs and demands of the consumer which is the way it should be. Apple will still be the powerhouse in this field of devices; they are ahead of the game in many ways. "It's easy to do hardware, it's really hard to create an ecosystem and Apple's got a head-start on everybody because they've been doing this for four to five years, based around iTunes", said Gartner analyst Robin Simpson.
Apple's latest creation will be in your hands in 60 days and may revolutionize the way you or I compute. Steve Jobs clarified just what we can expect from Apples iPad, a device that appears to be an iPod Touch on steroids. The iPad platform is very similar to the iPod Touch but its capabilities are far more advanced. "It's the best web experience you've ever had. Way better than a laptop, way better than a phone," Steve Jobs said.
Here are the Specs:
only 1.5 lbs
only .5 inches and a 9.7-inch LED display
powered by Apple's own silicon technology, a 1 GHz Apple A4 chip
available in memory configurations of 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB
Bluetooth 2.1
802.11N WiFi
speaker
microphone
accelerometer
compass
10 hours of battery life and over a month of standby time
on-screen keyboard
Apple has already released an SDK program so that after market developers can create amazing new applications that are befitting to a device like the iPad. Apple is launching a brand new service called iBooks (and the corresponding iBookstore). Apple has reached an agreement, similar to the deal struck with record labels, with all the major publishers to market their content on the new iBookstore. Reading on the iPad will be very similar to Kindles, giving the reader the least strain possible on their eyes. There will be an external keyboard available for when you're in the office, something that we begged Apple to provide with the iPhone. One of the most important features on the iPad is the fact that you will not need a contract with AT&T to access the 3G network; $30 a month will give you unlimited access.
I have saved the best for last, "The Price is Right"! Only $499 for 16GB model, $599 for 32GB, and 64GB for $699. Models with built-in 3G (like the iPhone) will cost more, adding about $130 dollars to the price of each unit. I could make a pretty long list of what the iPad is missing. However, there is no sense in getting worked up about the 1st generation iPad; naturally as the product evolves and is tested by consumers more advancements will find their way to the iPad. I would much rather marvel at the sheer potential this product has to revolutionize the work place as well the classroom than complain about what the device lacks - which seems to be the trend with all the critics. The iPad is scheduled for release in April 2010.
When Apple released the long awaited iPhone it completely changed the mobile technology forever. Gone were the days of flip phones, mobile computers that could make phone calls became the bar. Every technology company has tried to create a rival to Apple's iPhone technology and have failed miserably. What's strange about the apparent lack of competition is the fact that Apple created a product that was far superior to AT&T service capability which in turn has created a lot of very unhappy customers. Since the beginning it has been one thing right after the other with the iPhone features and AT&T's inability to make certain features work. I personally know several people who gave up on the iPhone altogether, in search of finding a better product that can facilitate their needs. Google is one of those companies who have taken on the challenge of trying to provide mobile Internet users what they need. Their success with the Android was little and didn't do much to weaken Apple's grip on the market; so what did Google do, they went out and tried to make a better product.
Now, Google readies launch of an iPhone rival, the Nexus One. Named after the 'replicants' in Ridley Scott's science-fiction film Blade Runner and the Taiwanese company HTC procured the contract to create the Nexus One. Google will have full control over the Nexus One and it will have the Google logo right on the phone. Retailers expect Google to sell the Nexus One direct to customers through its website. I am optimistic that Google with not make the same mistakes that Apple has made and I am hopeful that they will create a product that is not hindered by the network providers inability to serve its customers.
All I can say is that in the UK there are four network providers that can service the iPhone, but in the United States there can be only one. "Google has approached several mobile phone operators in the UK, including T-Mobile and Vodafone, to gauge their interest in supporting its rival to the iPhone ahead of its launch in Britain next year", reports the Guardian. How is it that an American company like Apple could throw their American customers under the bus?
I feel like I am part of a group that feels that Apple is not letting us use our iPhones to the fullest. The iPhone is amazing, its abilities surpass all others and that should be noted; however, the restrictions that Apple has can be bothering regarding bluetooth keyboard ability, tethering, and having to have AT&T. My iPhone is not cracked and I have no plans to jail break my phone, but I feel like Apple is not letting us use the iPhone the way its designers intended; in turn this causes people to want to jail break their phones - go figure. Fortunately, independent companies have been working on ways to harness bluetooth capabilities with the iPhone; it gives us with iPhones running OS a preview of what we could have if Apple would come to their senses.
Modder ZodTTD, creator of the iControlPad, uses a Wiimote to play a MAME game on the iPhone. Zod has not announced the availability of this mame4iphone version yet. The same principle could easily be applied to a bluetooth keyboard and make every iPhone user's life that much easier. Those are just my thoughts, I encourage you to watch the short video below:
To keep track of the ever changing list of applications for the iPhone and the iPod Touch AppShopper is a great resource.
As you look across the top of the page you may choose to search on All, Paid, or Free apps. There is also a button for Updates, New Apps and Price Changes.
One of the more convenient ways of keeping track of new applications you may be interested in is to use RSS feeds which will alert you of new changes.
The RSS Feeds come in a variety of choices as well. You may choose to be alerted to all changes in the app store, only new apps, only paid and updates as well as price changes have their own feed.
Last week the Apple App Store reached a new milestone with the sale of their billionth application. It took only 9 months for the feat to occur! It's pretty amazing how applications have become a staple in most of our lives. There are very few things that I cannot figure out with my iPhone: translation, exchange, communicate, or level a table.
I believe this to be a sign of the future of mobile computing and cellular communication in our world. With more than 35,000 apps available and there are more than 37 million devices that run Apple's mobile OS, more than 21 million of which are iPhones; it is easy to see which way the trend is moving - Up!
The thirteen year-old kid that purchased the one billionth app will be rewarded with a bunch of Apple products, including $10,000 in iTunes credit, a 17-inch MacBook Pro, a 32-GB iPod Touch and an Apple Time Capsule. Lucky Kid!
Apple released a new iTunes Update and the iTunes DJ. The iTunes Remote turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a dedicated, wireless remote control for any iTunes library on your local network, whether you're running iTunes on Windows or OS X. Take control of your music via iPhone! iTunes DJ allows your friends and family to have a say in whats being listened to. Setting up Remote is simple and safe. A unique passcode pairs your iPod touch or iPhone with your computer and Apple TV.
The New iPod shuffle seems to be smaller and has a sleek look to it.Quite thin in size and can holdup to 4GB of songs (up to 1000 songs). Like the previous shuffle, it does not have a display on it and comes with a clip. This shuffle comes with additional features which the previous version did not have...
Now you can have your iPod shuffle talk to you as you listen to your song. It has the capability to tell you the name of the artist and the song name by the push of a button by a new feature called VoiceOver. It also tells you the name of the playlist since this iPod lets you have multiple playlists for your songs.
One of the negative features I find is the location of the control buttons. The play, pause, next/previous buttons are location on the wire of the earplugs which means you have to use Apple's earplugs in order to use this iPod. Everything is controled from there except the on and off switch which is on the shuffle itself. Apple did say they would provide an adapter for 3rd Party headphones so lets see what that looks like.
Overall I'm not a big fan of the shuffle since I would like to see the song I am listening to rather than hear a VoiceOver tell me about it so that I can shuffle through them. Seems to have a very sleek look to it and is tiny compared to the previous version.
This a list of the Best Selling iPhone Apps 2008 with a short description:
1. Koi Pond: Imagine gazing into a pond of crystal clear water. Picture bright, playful koi swimming through its shallow depths. So close... Can you touch them?
2. Texas Hold'em:Play like a pro against realistic opponents or with your friends over a Wi-Fi Network. Use all of the hints, tips, tells, and your mastery to gain access to exclusive rooms with higher-stakes and even bigger rewards!
3. Moto Chaser: Moto Chaser is an all-out pedal to the metal motorcycle race in the palm of your hand! With turns, jumps, and evil bikers lurking just around the bend.
4. Crash Bandicoot: Nitro Kart 3D: The richest 3D kart racing experience! Speed your way through 12 thrilling tracks and multiple environments! Race and battle against zany opponents and turn them to dust with 8 devastating weapons.
5. Super Monkey Ball: Let's Roll! Guide a cute little monkey encased in a transparent ball to victory by tilting and rolling him through a variety of slopes and turns.
6. Cro-Mag Rally: Cro-Mag Rally is the wildest racing 3D game since man invented the wheel! You are a speed-hungry caveman named Brog who races through the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages.
7. Enigmo: A 3D puzzle game where you direct animated streams of flowing liquid so that the droplets get to their destination.
8. PocketGuitar: Turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a virtual guitar. You can press and strum strings, just like a real guitar.
9. Recorder: Record memos, discussions, interviews and ideas on your iPhone. Use it as a voice recorder or a sound recorder. Record for seconds or hours. Extremely simple one button interface.
10. iBeer: Brew and drink beer on your iPhone and iPod touch. This hilarious sight-gag is fully interactive and behaves like a real glass of beer thanks to the iPhone sensors and our spare time.
The iPhone has made a surge in the creation of applications by aftermarket companies. With everyday that goes by the iPhone becomes more universal and applicable for everyday life. Whether you are using the iPhone for business or pleasure, you are sure to find an application for your needs. IPhone applications are becoming more technical and more expensive! Here are three applications that are very neat and cost an unbelievable amount:
iRa Pro $899.99 - Provides touch based viewing and control of IP based video surveillance equipment. Inspired by the mobility needs of the high-end security industry, iRa Pro enables users to view multiple live video feeds directly from cameras or from video management servers and to directly control pan-tilt-zoom cameras using the intuitive touchscreen interface of the iPhone and iPod touch.
My Accounts To Go (MATG) $449.99 - Is an innovative Apple iPhone application which allows its user to remotely access their corporate account information from corporate financial management systems such as Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains) and SAP BusinessOne. CBR Technology is also an Apple Authorized Developer and uses the latest version of Apple's SDK to produce its high-quality iPhone-compatible applications.
Lexi-COMPLETE $299.99 - Lexi-COMPLETE provides detailed information on drugs, drug interactions, diagnosis, disease management, patient education, and more. Lexi-Comp's in-house clinical team conducts constant surveillance of the FDA, pharmaceutical industry, and clinical literature to develop timely, unbiased information that helps health care providers make more informed decisions, reduce adverse drug events, and deliver better patient care.
Kevin Rose, of Digg fame, demos the new Qik.com app for unjailbroken iPhones. For those of us who did not want the chance of having an iBrick you will no longer have to jailbreak your iPhone to install this new Qik app once released. Did you watch the above video? Excited yet?
What does Qik on the iPhone do?
The Qik iPhone app Streams video to the Qik.com site,
The Qik iPhone app notes the location of the video,
Chat with the folks watching the live stream at Qik.com from your iPhone.
The iPhone 3G the Swiss Army Knife of SmartPhones, just keeps getting better and better.
Microsoft signed Jerry Seinfeld to do advertisements with Bill Gates almost two weeks ago. This is Microsoft's attempt to show how Windows connects everyday common people through a series of dry humor comedy. This campaign is a part of approximately $300 million overall investment developed by edgy ad shop Crispin, Porter and Bogusky. Jerry Seinfeld earned $10Million dollars from the first ad alone, which is 3% of Microsoft's annual advertising budget alone.
The videos will probably not benefit Microsoft at all considering this is their first attempt to compete with Apple's videos which get straight to the point. Apple's advertisements concentrated on comparison of Apple vs PC where as Microsoft's attempt so far is well, umm, no words to describe it really.
According to an article by Reuters, "Microsoft said the commercial is part of a broader, long-term initiative to change consumers' perception of Windows, which will include setting up a retail corner at several hundred Best Buy and Circuit City stores staffed by "Windows Gurus" to explain the benefits of Windows."
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