Since Apple opened up the ability for developers to control attached accessories, I have been waiting for products like this to start pouring into the market. iRemoco is a mini helicopter that comes with an attachment for your iPhone or iPod.
An iOS application gives you full control of the iRemoco helicopter, using the dock connector attachment to transmit the signal. Andrew Ayres and Tom Sisterson have been working on this project for 18 months and it's finally ready for the masses...
This one definitely belongs in the 'cool concepts' category. We've seen a lot of neat ideas involving the use of the iPhone outside its normal spectrum of capabilities. We've seen iPhones used in invisible instruments and 3D modeling, but we've yet to see something like this.
Rockmoon Singapore is a serious mobile game development company based out of... Singapore. While they develop for all major mobile platforms, they have a preference for iOS. What have they been working on lately?
We've reported in the past that Apple is looking to update the Maps app in iOS. Outside of turn-by-turn directions and Street View, the application is fairly limited in its current form. This has allowed other companies like Navigon and TomTom to compete in the App Store with their GPS applications, derived from years of navigation experience.
If Apple is looking to compete with the heavyweights, they really need to beef up the Maps app's feature set. Obviously we all hope to see spoken turn-by-turn directions added, but what other functions would you want in an iOS navigation app?
When Apple unveiled their multitasking bar in iOS 4.0, they were fairly late to the party. As with multiple features, the jailbreak scene had already had multitasking apps like Backgrounder out for a while. Although it was belated, a lot of people really took a liking to Apple's new multitasking support.
Then there are people like me, who are constantly searching for a better alternative for switching between applications. Sure, there are apps like Stacks and Dock that make multitasking easier, but is there anything else available?
If you haven't discovered how awesome DropBox is just yet, I highly recommend checking it out. The ability to sync content from your iPhone to your computer without wires or multiple steps makes transferring photos and other media a snap.
Not only is the service free, but you constantly have folks in the jailbreak community developing neat extensions for it. FullDrop is a nice one that allows you to use DropBox to transfer files between your iDevice and your computer outside the scope of the App Store's app. Today, another app for the popular sync service has surfaced in Cydia...
If you have a 2nd generation Apple TV and have been looking for a way to stream content to it from your Mac computer, you should check out Plex. For users who want to share videos with their Apple TV, outside of their iTunes library, there many not be a better option.
Plex is a popular media server for streaming audio and video files to iOS devices. While it has been in the App Store for quite some time, it hasn't become available for Apple TV owners until the last 6 months.
A developer by the name of Quiqueck made a plugin to work with jailbroken Apple TV2s. This means that you are able to stream media from your Mac, right to your HDTV. The plugin is still very primitive but if you are the adventurous type, you can try out The Tech Journal's tutorial.
It's important to note that Plex is for Macs only. If you are using a Windows machine, you'll have to go with the alternative XBMC plugin. If you have the option, I think the user interface of Plex makes it the better option of the two.
For folks who are still running stock Apple TVs, don't feel left out. The Plex iOS app has been confirmed to have AirPlay support on the way, which would allow you to stream content from your iDevice to your Apple TV.
Of course the real solution to this mess would be for Apple to just open up an App Store for the Apple TV. Then Plex and other media server software companies could just build client apps strictly for the ATV2.
What do you think? Do you use Plex or another jailbroken app to stream content to your ATV2?
Apple has been dropping firmware updates like they were going out of style lately. Just 2 months after iOS 4.3 was released, a third update is on the horizon. Luckily, the jailbreaks are keeping up with the releases, but are you?
While most folks don't appreciate rebuilding their iPhone, I relish it. I love starting with a clean slate and making my iPhone look completely different than it did before. If you haven't upgraded to a recent firmware in fear of losing all of your stuff in Cydia, check this out...
Why should you jailbreak the iPhone? That's a question that gets asked here at iDB all the time. If you consider yourself a jailbreak expert, you've most likely been asked the same question once or twice.
There's perhaps no one man more qualified to answer that question than Jay Freeman, a.k.a. "saurik." Saurik created Cydia- the hub of the jailbreak world. He is the man responsible for what the jailbreak community has become today.
Apple is taking fitness to a whole new level. The folks over at Patently Apple have come across a new patent Apple filed back in October of 2009.
The patent for a Fitness Center app that Apple seems to have been working on for a while now was published today by the U.S Patent & Trademark Office. The Fitness Center app includes various capabilities such as social networking features, giving users the ability to find a workout buddy. The app also seems to include Nike integration, illustrating a list with "The Nike Club Training Club Class."
Would you complete a "special offer" to legally download a paid app for free? The folks at OfferedApp think so, and they've created an advertiser-supported service for delivering paid apps for free.
OfferedApp is almost like Woot.com, except only for apps. The service gives you an app originally priced anywhere from $1-$10 and offers to for a free download. The only catch is that you must first complete anything from an online survey to sitting through a video advertisement.
Sound interesting? Let's take a closer look...
It's not real hard to figure out what an app called ScreenSaver does. The Cydia application has been making some noise around the web the last few days, so we figured we should mention it on iDB.
For those who don't know, ScreenSaver takes .mov files stored in its Library folder and automatically plays them when the iPhone auto-locks itself. It sounds pretty cool, but does it really work as advertised?
We've covered some cool products and innovations involving Apple's tablet before, but this application could take the cake.
Does anyone remember that tablet concept from Microsoft that garnered so much attention last year? Well if you don't, let me give you a quick refresher.
The dual-screened device, dubbed the Courier, was an extremely interesting take on a tablet device. Resembling a notebook, the Courier allowed you to use your fingers or a pen-like device for input.
Although the concept received a lot of positive feedback, the project was eventually shelved by Microsoft. Lead designer, J. Allard, reportedly left Microsoft in wake of the scrubbing of the tablet project. The reason for the Courier's cancellation and Allard's departure are unknown.
Well it looks like a couple of software engineers liked the Courier's functionality so much that they didn't want it to go to waste. They have been working on an upcoming iPad app called Tapose, and hope to capture the essence of the Microsoft concept in their software.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTjRhANBQL4
If they do it correctly, this would be one of the most unique applications to land on the iOS platform. They are promising Courier-like features such as integration with native apps like Mail and Safari. Imagine dragging a photo from Safari, directly to an email to send off.
Unlike other Kickstarter projects we've mentioned, these guys don't need your help. They've already met their $10,000 goal. However, they are still taking donations, and any pledge of $10 or higher buys you a copy of Tapose when it gets released.
What do you think?