Month: October 2008

Sneak peek: FlightTrack for flight status

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

This is a guest post from Ben Kazez, developer of iCal Events. Ben is telling us more about his upcoming application called FlightTrack.

Hey everyone!

Some of you may know me from my popular Dashboard widget, iCal Events. Today I'm happy to be showing off a sneak preview of an up-and-coming iPhone app, FlightTrack.

It's a flight tracking and status app that's going to hit the iTunes App Store this fall. We're very excited about some awesome features and user interface innovations we've got up our sleeves. We're also excited to be partnering with FlightView, a professional-level flight tracking company that powers the US government and several of the world's largest airlines and airports.

While the app is still in development, now's your chance to comment on what awesome features you'd like to see in FlightTrack!

Ben Kazez

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The new iPhone killer

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated June 1, 2016

Is the INQ1 gonna whack the iPhone? I was going to write a lengthy post about this new phone and all the sudden, I found myself thinking "why would you waste your time on something that's doomed to fail?".

So I'm not going to tell you anything about the new INQ1, but instead, I will direct you to this Business Week article for you to read. Here is a sneak peek

Frank Meehan isn't even officially in the cell-phone business yet. But already he has plans to shake it up.

Meehan is a top executive at Hutchison Whampoa (HUWHY), the Hong Kong conglomerate that operates ports, retail stores, and wireless-service providers around the world. On Oct. 13 he plans to unveil a new Hutchison subsidiary, INQ, that will make cell phones in competition with Nokia (NOK), Motorola (MOT), and Apple, among others (AAPL). Hutchison wants to slash the price of phones that let people surf the Net and tap social networking sites. The goal is to get more people to use the phones—and let companies such as Hutchison profit from selling Net services. "We're tired of paying a fortune for phones that are unusable," says Meehan.

The INQ1 has no chance to survive in this wild market. Meehan says he needs to hit 90% of people who don't buy a higher price phone so he can make money. That is a very conservative number.... NOT! Come on, don't you have anything else to do with your money? Buy Apple stocks, they need it...

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Is there anything the iPhone can’t do?

Cody Lee ∙ October 9, 2008

The device that set out to replace 3 devices, (phone, mp3/video player, Internet) might eventually replace everything in your pocket. Like an idiot I assumed I knew a majority of what the iPhone was capable of. But browsing the internet the other day, proved me more wrong than Bush's policy on foreign relations.

Control your car

Meet the Delphi car control concept web app (watch video here). Capable of doing everything your ordinary key fob does, and more. It'll start your car, roll your windows up and down, and even gather engine diagnostics for you in case you smell something burning. I haven't heard anymore about it since they debuted it last January, so hopefully the project didn't get shelved.

Control your home

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Trapster alerts you of police speed traps

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 14, 2018

Trapster is an iPhone application I was really looking forward to as I think it may save me a few hundred (thousands?) dollars every year in speeding tickets... I had signed up for a Trapster account a couple weeks ago to be alerted of when the app would officially be available and I'm glad to learn that you can get it now for free from the App Store.

What is Trapster?

Trapster is a mobile application that lets you see and log the location of police speed traps directly from your iPhone (note that it also work with other mobile and GPS devices). Once installed, Trapster [iTunes Link] combines technologies such as GPS and wireless location, voice transcription, geocoding, reverse geocoding, and SMS, with a central database server. It communicates in real time, using the Internet and alerts you in real-time of any reported speed traps in your area.

How does it work?

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Stay away from iDontCrash

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 5, 2016

BigBoss posted a warning about iDontCrash, and its developer Brandon Rose.

A week ago, a developer tried to send me an app called iDontCrash to host. Being curious, and a developer myself, I asked a few questions about this app before hosting it. The answers proved to me that it is total fraud on the community. It should be called iDontWork or iAmFake. This app gave me hours of enjoyment while we were picking it apart. In short, do not trust this app or its developer Brandon Rose. It is upsetting when someone tries to harm our community, therefore, I decided to post all about this app and its pseudo developer.

What does iDontCrash claim to be? It claims to be an app that prevents crashing due to low memory. Sounds great right? It sounded pretty dubious.

iDontCrash claims to run and close instantly then putting a daemon onto the system that monitors memory usage. This does not happen. Instead, the app crashes because it is an invalid binary for the system.

Although the application is harmless, BigBoss recommends to beware of this Brandon Rose guy.

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15 things you do that make you an iPhone whore

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 27, 2018

[digg-me]1. You're a member of an iPhone forum 2. You posted more than 500 posts in this forum 3. At home or the office, you've moved photo frames of your loved ones to make space for your iPhone dock/charger 4. You know what BSD Subsystem is 5. You say the word "iPhone" more than 20 times a day 6. You're googling "porn for iPhone" 7. You tuck your iPhone in at night 8. You think the iPhone could save lives if used properly 9. You have a nickname for your iPhone (mine is iPhoney) 10. Your gf is not allowed to use your iPhone 11. You don't talk to people who own a BlackBerry 12. The Verizon Voyager's ad makes you laugh 13. You look at Helio's owners with pity 14. You feel like your penis got bigger since you got your iPhone 15. You would buy an iPhone even if it was $1000 16. You take your iPhone out naked in hopes of meeting another iPhone mate

Do you have more to add to the list?

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Find the name of your baby with your iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 15, 2018

Expecting? Forget lugging around a stack of baby-names books: Finding a name for the new arrival is as easy as shaking an iPhone, thanks to Name That Baby [iTunes Link]!

Created by Shona Killoughery-McKenney, a stay-at-home mom of two kids under five years old, Name That Baby! is a new iPhone application that lists thousands of baby names. Parents-to-be simply choose a gender and a starting letter, then give the iPhone a shake. Name That Baby!, which makes a gentle baby rattle sound when the iPhone is shaken, delivers a scrollable list of baby names, complete with origins and descriptions, in whatever quantity the user chooses. Another shake produces additional names, until the perfect name is found.

The app is currently available in the App Store for $3.99. Next step might be Name That Dog!, Name That Cat! I don't know, I'm just wild guessing...

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Ads pay for your free iPhone apps

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

An article on CNN Money today highlights how mobile devices, with the iPhone leadng the way, have caught the attention of advertisers. According to this article, the mobile ad market is expected to grow to $12 billion by 2013, up from an estimated $1.72 billion for 2008.

It's interesting to see how the iPhone changed forever the way we're getting apps. Before the iPhone, you most likely had to pay for an app that you would have downloaded from your carrier. Now, many apps are made available for free, but follow the ad-subsidized models.

What does that mean for app developers?

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New iPhone Developer Cookbook to be released October 15th

Guest Author ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

Addison-Wesley Professional is releasing a new Programming Reference Book called The iPhone Developer’s Cookbook, The: Building Applications with the iPhone SDK. It will be released by InformIT on October 15th and Amazon is listing it as October 25th.   As many of you are probably aware there hasn't been a plethora of iPhone 3G programming books out there. I have three on pre-order at Amazon, but I,  keep getting notices that the dates have slipped. This book promises to targeted toward all levels of developers.  Follow this blog to get an in depth review before the end of October. According to InformIT this book is described as follows:

Leading iPhone developer Erica Sadun begins by exploring the iPhone delivery platform and SDK, helping you set up your development environment, and showing how iPhone applications are constructed. Next, she offers single-task recipes for the full spectrum of iPhone/iPod touch programming jobs:

Utilize views and tables Organize interface elements Alert and respond to users Access the Address Book (people), Core Location (places), and Sensors (things) Connect to the Internet and Web services Display media content Create secure Keychain entries And much more
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iPhone Tech Talk World Tour

Guest Author ∙ Updated October 16, 2017

I just got an email saying that apple will soon be "traveling the globe" to talk about technology and the iPhone. According to the email:

Learn about the tools and technologies you'll use to create great iPhone applications, then work with the experts to optimize your code, refine your user interface, and apply the knowledge you gain from the sessions.

Whether you're new to iPhone development, a seasoned professional, or an IT pro, you'll find a session designed just for you. Plus, learn how to get your application in front of millions of users on the App Store. Don't miss this unique opportunity. The event is free, but space is limited. Register for an iPhone Tech Talk today.
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