CEO Says the iPhone App Store is Crashing

by Guest Author on Aug 19, 2010

This week at Europe’s GDC (Game Developer Conference) Bigpoint CEO Heiko Hubertz claimed the iPhone App Store is headed downhill. He states that the profits boasted by Steve Jobs aren’t put into perspective. However, according to TUAW, Hubertz also acknowledged Apple as a flagship of mobile space. So which is it? A bit of each can be true.

Perhaps you have noticed that the average price of apps (especially games) has trended downward. Why you ask? The reasons for the decline are probably more intricate to explain in just a simple article so we’ll leave that alone. However I think that the CEO is generally off-base in his declaration. With record number of iPhone owners, there has never been a better time to cash out in iPhone development. More people equals more potential revenue.

The very nature of the App Store wasn’t to support huge pre-existing gaming corporations. Quite the opposite is true. Allowing every Mac owner the opportunity to help create apps for the product they use was the point, and in that respect the App Store has surpassed these owners expectations. Every time we hear of a kid creating applications, Apple looks like the hero.

There are plenty of platforms for big corporations to thrive in gaming. iPhone developing can be another but that isn’t the purpose of it. Do you agree with Heiko Hubertz? Has the App Store maximized itself, or have we only seen the beginning of the App Store’s capabilities? Let us know in the comment box.

 

iPad Ad Parody: Adjust Your Expectations

by Sebastien on Aug 18, 2010

This morning I was telling you about the new iPad TV ad. Well it didn’t take long for people to make a parody out of it. It’s not as funny as the banned iPad promo video but I still had a good laugh with it. What do you think?

[CrunchGear]

 

Justin “I’m a Mac” Long Has a Jailbroken iPhone

by Guest Author on Aug 18, 2010

In what might be the biggest exposure Cydia has ever gotten, Justin Long showed off his jailbroken iPhone on Jimmy Kimmel Live Wednesday night. Long appeared before in a series of Apple commercials where he played “Mac” in the Mac vs. PC ads running from 2006 to 2009. The jailbroken app featured was TVOutTuner (available in the Cydia Store) which allows a user to display the content on their iPhone screen to their TV.

While no mention of Cydia (however at the end you can see the icon clearly) exists in the clip, the ability to display your phone’s screen is not permitted by any of Apple’s approved applications.

The once Apple spokesman showcased a series of text messages that were sent by an obvious teenager who had the wrong number. Justin played along with the youngster (apparently for months) by replying with assorted responses where he imitated the mangling of language. The clip goes on for 7 minutes but is a hilarious watch. Aside from good material, viewing the video will make a non-jailbreaker think twice about their stock device. Trust me.

Like many of your probably know, The U.S. Liberty of Congress declared you can legally jailbreak your iDevices. However the hacking and downloading of applications not approved by Apple could result in voiding your warranty. At least that’s what Apple says.

 

NES Games Sneak Back Into the App Store

by Guest Author on Aug 18, 2010

We’ve been here before. It seems as if a variety of Nintendo NES games have sneaked their way back into the App Store. 8 bit Gamepack and 8 bit Gamepack LITE are direct off-shoots of Ice Climber and Wild Gunman, both exclusive Nintendo titles. A more popular game called Duck Hunt needs no explanation of its thievery.

The legality of this will probably send the entertaining games into oblivion, but if you get the chance go and get them as I was able to get Duck Hunt. Nintendo games have came and quickly left in the past. However a closer look at Duck Hunt shows that the game has been in the store since June 18th of this year. If these apps are pulled, it once again shows Apple’s shortsightedness in allowing illegal applications into the App Store. Then again the store’s director has been busy lately.

 

iPhone App Store Director Makes Fart Apps

by Guest Author on Aug 18, 2010

This is a nice little find. The folks over at Wired report that the man in charge of regulating what gets into the iPhone App Store actually makes his own line of Fart apps. I’m not blowing wind here. Phillip Shoemaker has a few apps that we know of that include Animal Farts, iWiz (which is actually a urine simulator), and a refrigerator magnet app called Medical Poetry.

His company titled Gray Noodle doesn’t make the apps for the love of undesired bodily sounds either. The apps cost between $1-$2 and his highest rated entry holds a 3 1/2 star mark. Seems that Shoemaker has pulled all reference to his prestigious selection off his social media sites after learning his secret was out. Embarrassed much?

Does this piss anyone off (pun intended)? Should the head of the App Store even be allowed to include his own entries? Surely his own applications don’t get put under the same amount of scrutiny that those submitted by the rest of the developers. Perhaps I’m wrong but I think Phil should stop being so anal, and get back to his respected position at Apple. Thoughts?

 

iPad is Delicious

by Sebastien on Aug 18, 2010

This is Apple’s new iPad commercial. Does this make me want to buy an iPad? Not really. We’ve seen better from Apple before. By the way, can you name all the apps that appear in this ad?

 

Unofficial PwnageTool Jailbreak for iPhone 3GS iOS 4.0.2

by Sebastien on Aug 18, 2010

PwnageTool, the famous jailbreak that helps cook custom firmwares, hasn’t been updated by the Dev Team in a few weeks. Some hackers decided it was time to revive PwnageTool and released an unofficial version of it.

Since this is unofficial, I do not endorse or even recommend it. I’m just sharing the news with you. Now if you want to use it, do so at your own risks.

The steps to jailbreak your iPhone using PwnageTool remain the same but keep in mind this will only work for the iPhone 3GS (old bootrom only).

If my words haven’t killed your motivation to use this unofficial version of PwnageTool, you can download it here. Please let us know what your impressions are by leaving a comment should you decide to give it a try.

[RP]

 

USB Spy Stick Allows Access to Deleted Content From Your iPhone

by Guest Author on Aug 18, 2010

Well this sucks. Yesterday iDB reported on comments from the Chicago Police about the usefulness of recovering data from seized iPhones. Now Gizmodo says that a product eerily called the iPhone Spy Stick can access deleted data from your iPhone via USB.

For those asking how on earth a USB device could plug itself into your device, the stick comes with the necessary adapter. Nice eh?

Directly from the Spy Stick’s website is the indicated abilities attached to the $199 priced accessory:

Features:

  • Get access to deleted information
  • Download text messages and view calls made
  • Recover deleted contacts and calendar items
  • View pictures and other multimedia
  • Get access to map history to see locations searched on the iPhone’s map with exact GPS coordinates
  • Get access to notes, voice memos, multimedia files, and dynamic text data
  • Downloading data is as simple as attaching the iPhone and iPhone Data Recovery Stick to a computer and pressing start
  • iPhone information is saved on any computer and can be moved to other drives as a regular file
  • Looks like an ordinary USB flash drive

Popular Uses:

  • Catch a cheating spouse
  • Monitor your kids iPhone text messaging and Internet use
  • Check on employees using company issues iPhones
  • Restore deleted files

Before you freak out about your iPhone’s security, it is worth mentioning that the not-so-friendly USB stick is currently only usable on iPhone iOS 3.2.1 and earlier. I’d venture to say this mostly targets those still using the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G. However the October version is said be coming for iOS 4 devices.

Will this stop users from selling their old iPhone when it comes time to upgrade? Please tell us your thoughts in our totally secure comment section.

 

Apple Has Already Tested Their LiquidMetal Alloy

by Guest Author on Aug 18, 2010

More and more is being revealed regarding a story we brought you last week concerning Apple’s new purchase of Liquidmetal Technologies. Ars Technica reports that the futuristic sounding material isn’t so bizarre after all. Remember those hand SIM ejector tools that came with the iPhone 3G? You guessed it, those were composed of the very morphing material that they recently acquired. We should have known that Apple wouldn’t have spent a bunch of cash on an item they hadn’t tried out.

The co-inventor of Liquidmetal’s materials, Atakan Peker, had no doubts about the tool’s composition when he unveiled his very own iPhone 3G. Peker said “I recognized it immediately” and “Take it from an expert, that’s Liquidmetal”. The mind behind the mastery predicts Apple could use the alloy to design a new and improved antenna than the current iPhone 4 sports. The light and rigid material could also be used to make some very creative cases he says, however I don’t see Apple going that route.

I’m just glad that the facts behind Liquidmetal’s abilities are having some light shed on them. Why you ask? I saw today that the company’s stock is trading just under $1 which makes it a potentially lucrative investment. Perhaps there are many exciting plans for the new material and perhaps not. I see the alloy having a behind-the-scenes type use, based on the initial use in the SIM ejector. So now that you have seen it in action, where do you suppose we’ll see it next?

 

Man Loses His Finger in Violent iPad Theft

by Sebastien on Aug 17, 2010

I guess some people who’d be ready to do anything to get themselves a free iPad.

[9 to 5 Mac]

 
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