Apple App Reviews

Filed under: iPhone Sprint has released an ad that features the iPhone with its Overdrive 3G/4G Hotspot mobile router. The Overdrive allows you to use Sprint’s 4G network with any WiFi capable device. The ad features “Matt” and the appropriately-named iPhone-owner “Steve.” “My friend Steve’s iPhone is cool, but it’s limited to AT&T’s 3G speeds,” Matt says. “So I’m going to use the Overdrive 4G mobile hotspot to make it up to ten times faster. And while that’s happening, I’m going to enjoy this tasty snack,” at which point Matt pulls out an apple and takes a bite. Steve connects to the Sprint 4G WiFi network on his iPhone and quickly begins streaming a music video which leads him to exclaim, “Whoa. Done.” The ad ends with Matt asking, “What can you do with 4G?” before the narrator chimes in, “Whatever you do, do it up to ten times faster than 3G with 4G from Sprint.” Sprint was one of the first to attack the iPhone but now, like most wireless providers , wants to be an official iPhone carrier. Last September Charlie Rose asked Sprint CEO Dan Hesse how the Pre was stacking up against the iPhone, to which he replied, “It’s… it’s doing well, but you can almost put the iPhone, to be fair, in a separate category. The Apple brand and that device have done so well, it’s almost not… it’s like comparing someone to Michael Jordan.” Well, if you can’t beat the star, why not make some sweet accessories to go along with those Air Jordans?

Filed under: iPad MacRumors reports that Apple has begun offering iPad 10-packs to educational institutions at discounted rates. The discounts are relatively minor: $20 off of each iPad in a set of 10, or $40 off per iPad if they are ordered with AppleCare . The iPad 10-packs are shipped in a single box, which eliminates individual packaging. In addition to the ten iPads, the packs contain ten power adapters, ten USB-to-Dock cables, and one set of documentation. Currently, only the WiFi models are available in the educational 10-packs. Like the iPhone, there are no iPad educational discounts currently available to students or teachers. Many believe that the iPad can revolutionize the tools for education . This educational 10-pack could be an early sign that Apple will aggressively pursue the iPad as an educational tool. The iPad 10-packs begin shipping in April. TUAW Educational institutions: Get your discounted iPad 10-pack originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST.

Filed under: OS Charles Miller , a computer security researcher who’s worked with the NSA, is planning to reveal 20 zero-day security holes in Mac OS X at CanSecWest , a digital security conference, in Vancouver BC next week. A zero-day security hole is a weakness in software that neither the makers of the software nor other individuals have any knowledge of. Hackers then take advantage of the exploit on the day it becomes general knowledge. Miller revealing that Mac OS X has twenty of them makes Apple look like they didn’t do the job right the first time and also suggests Apple needs glasses to see what they’ve missed – and he’s not wrong. “Mac OS X is like living in a farmhouse in the country with no locks, and Windows is living in a house with bars on the windows in the bad part of town,” Miller said, suggesting that while both OSes have their security flaws, the Mac OS is safer because of the lack of people threatening to exploit it. But software is software, and no matter how much more secure Mac OS X is than Windows, it’s still bound to have some security issues. I’m all for Charles Miller digging around the OS to find flaws, but come on, if you find them, why announce them to the world and open up a potential new round of attacks

Filed under: Gaming Do you need a weapon that’s not as clumsy or random as a blaster, or perhaps, an elegant weapon from a more civilized age? Soon, there will be an app for that. THQ Wireless , the maker of several Star Wars -themed iPhone apps including The Force Unleashed and Star Wars: Trench Run , will release a new app called Lightsaber Duel early in April . Overall, the app sounds similar to another app called Lightsaber Unleashed , which allows you to swing your iPhone around and make ” vvvmmm, vvvmmm, tssshh! ” noises come out of the speaker. Lightsaber Duel will expand on that idea. Rather than merely going all Star Wars Kid with your iPhone, you’ll actually be able to engage in duels with your fellow wannabe Jedi or Sith via a Bluetooth connection with their iPhone. You’ll also be able to play music during the duel.

Louie is a small orange fish with a big eco-friendly attitude! Your job is to help him reach his goal of cleaning the ocean by directing him to the trash and debris created by humans. Controlling Louie is easy, just tap your finger where you want him to swim. Litterfin Louie has to munch everything from tires and boots to light sticks and soda cans while trying to avoid harmful mines and jellyfish. The game is split into levels that get progressively harder the longer you play. Play continues until you lose all of your health from mine or jellyfish encounters or the water becoming too dirty. The more trash you miss, the dirtier the water becomes.

Filed under: iPad Thursday’s Macworld article from Jason Snell on the relative merits of waiting for the 3G iPad sets out a good case for the superiority of the more flexible — and expensive — AT&T-enabled units. If you can keep your powder dry during the interminable wait through most of April, while your friends are flaunting their WiFi-only units, you might be better off. For the investment of $130 up front, mobile users get GPS capability plus the wireless broadband equivalent of a reserve chute ; whenever you find yourself without solid WiFi access, you can buy into the 250 MB on-demand plan and surf as needed. He also points out one of the undersung prizes of the AT&T plans; they give unlimited access to the company’s WiFi infrastucture across the country, including thousands of Starbucks hotspots and former Wayport networks (lots of hotels and airports, where the daily fee for broadband could quickly add up to the $14.95 you’d pay for a month of 3G). That alone is a noticeable benefit. I agree with Jason’s main point: unless your iPad use model is restricted to known hotspot zones, it makes good sense to consider the 3G units. It’s only at the end of the post, in the crystal ball ‘n tea leaves department, that I wonder if he’s right: anticipating a relatively near-term scenario where the iPad product line unifies to an all-3G offering, and the WiFi-only iPad simply goes away. It’s certainly true that “Apple is a company that prefers simplicity in its product lines,” as Jason says

AppAdvice has teamed up with Martin Andersson in order to offer you a chance at winning one of eight (8) promo codes for gFiles ($.99). gFiles is a fast and easy way to view and share your Google Docs documents while on the go. The app features the ability to view your documents online or download them to your iPhone for offline viewing. Documents can be viewed in portrait or landscape mode, and zoomed in and out of using the usual pinch and pull mechanics. Documents can also easily be shared via email. gFiles supports a wide variety of file types, including iWork, Word, Excel, Rich Text, Google Spreadsheet, and more. A free Google account is required to use this app.

As reported earlier , Apple started taking iPad apps submissions last night for the iPad App Store grand opening. While we knew it’s coming, Apple had been very discrete so far as to when these iPad-specific apps everybody is going crazy about would be made available. Well, contacted by TUAW after the announcement, Apple confirmed that iPad apps will be made available starting April 3rd, along with the iPad. “[W]e are looking forward to having an amazing line up of apps available when the iPad ships on April 3.” The iPad App Store will launch at the same time as the iPad device. Alright, it’s not much of a surprise, but at least it’s official now. On the other hand, we’re still in the dark as to how will Apple present these on the store and I’d love to survey you about it. I’m thinking dedicated category, you? Related Posts Apple Now Accepting iPad Apps, Be A Part Of The iPad App Store’s Grand Opening

Filed under: iPhone , Music Earlier we were hearing that Apple might get involved in location-based ad-hoc social networking , and now it looks like Plastikman might beat them to the punch. That’s the DJ, not the superhero — he’s released an iPhone app that’s designed to be used at his concerts this summer, giving you some personal involvement on your iPhone while the music and video of the show goes on around you. It’s a free download , and while at a concert on a free Wi-Fi network, the app will receive real-time information about the music and video during the show, and even give access to some of the samples being used. Outside of shows, the app says it will work as an “atmospheric location shifter,” using the iPhone’s microphone and headphones to wrap users “in a Plastikman environment.” Whatever that means. The point here is that this is an app actually built for a specific location, adding in specific funcationality when you’re on a certain Wi-Fi network. That’s a very cool idea.

Didn’t get enough cheap and free games yesterday ?  No problem!  We have another handful of quality free games for you to download today, including the highly anticipated We Rule , which isn’t just for Canadians anymore. We Rule (Free): A kingdom building sim that will have you growing crops and expanding your empire in order to level up.  The game is extremely social, requiring you to sign up for a Plus+ account in order to interact with your friends’ kingdoms by buying and selling items. We Rule employs ngmoco’s freemium model, which means it will always be available for free and include ads.  Mojo, an item in the game that speeds up the leveling process, is available as an in-app purchase.