Apps

Google Books on Your iPhone

I’ve always wanted an easy way to have a digital library of what I’ve read, what I’m reading, and what I want to read. A Kindle or iBooks library is helpful in having reference on what to read and what has already been read.

However, I haven’t found a good way to handle the recording of physical books I’ve read or books that I’ve read online in another format. I’ve been searching for an easy, cloud-based digital “shelf” for my reading life.

How silly of me to not look farther than Google for my answer. I am reliant on Google in my daily life for email, documents, RSS feeds, and of course, search. I’ve used Google Books only a couple of times to find something like an excerpt from a public domain book. It was not until today that I saw the “My Library” feature of Google Books. Lo and behold it was exactly what I was looking for...

Netflix iPhone App Now Gets Video Out

The latest update for the Netflix iPhone app just hit the App Store. It now boasts video-out capabilities for the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4th generation. This update is huge for those of us who use out iDevice for everything.

I'm a little curious if this will make any difference in quality for those on the 3G/3GS using DisplayOut, TVOut2, or Resupported. Regardless, I'm excited to test out the new functionality, and may opt for some extension cables to make my iPhone AV cable reach the TV from the couch.

Yap Transcribes Your iPhone Voicemails

Yap is a new application available in the App Store that will turn your iPhone voicemails into a readable text. If you think listening to voicemails is a waste of time (I do), then Yap will be the perfect companion for you.

Google Voice already offers the option of receiving transcribed voicemails but not everybody has a Google Voice account. Yap is available in the App Store for free. Give it a try.

[TechCrunch]

Yup, You Can Install Apps on the Apple TV

iOS developer Steve Thoughton-Smith confirmed earlier today on Twitter that it is indeed possible to install applications on the new Apple TV. Great news, right?

Well don't rejoice just yet. While you can install apps on the Apple TV, you actually can't launch those applications. So in short, the apps are on your Apple TV but they are useless since there is nothing to make them work.

Since the Apple TV has already been jailbroken, my guess is that the jailbreak community will come up with a way to actually run applications on the Apple TV. And of course, Apple will most likely natively run apps by next year's next big software update.

Thoughts?

Apple Approves a BitTorrent Application

Apple has approved a BitTorrent‐based app for the App Store despite rejecting other BitTorrent apps in the past, citing piracy concerns.

The app was developed by Derek Kepner and is called IS Drive. Available now at the App Store for $4.99, it basically utilizes ImageShack Drive, which is a paid, torrent‐based service for downloading files. Users search for torrents on the app and can also download torrents from ISOHunt and Mininova...

EU Drops Investigation into Apple

When we reported that Apple had relaxed their App Store guidelines we anticipated the arrival of apps that had been put on hold. What was left out of the conversation was the affect it would have on its pending investigation by the European Commissions office.

It was over a month ago when we originally brought you the news that the EU would be joining the Federal Trade Commissions in investigating Apple for their conduct in the dispute regarding Adobe and Flash. It turns out that when Apple opted to relax their rules it relaxed the temperament of the authorities...

Compare Hotel Prices with HotelCalculator App [Sponsored]

Suddenly you have to change your hotel reservations or immediately book accommodation. It does not have to be another stressful situation anymore. Wherever you are, with HotelCalculator’s iPhone app you can book hotels in almost every city across the globe. You can use the HotelCalculator iPhone app anywhere you can get an Internet connection.

This “pocket size” search engine will help you find absolute best market prices available because it compares prices of accommodation found on the various travel websites. Save your time with this app that can automatically search aggregates data from over 20 hotel reservation websites and compare the prices for you. Smaller screen but still the same efficient and affordable way to hunt for the best deals...

Google Voice App GV Mobile+ Free For A Few Hours

A quick alert to let you know that GV Mobile+, the Google Voice application by Sean Kovacs is free in the App Store for a few hours. According to Sean's Twitter update, GV Mobile+ will go back to its normal price ($2.99) at around 10pm PST.

GV Mobile+ was released in the App Store last week after Apple loosened up the app approval process. It is the second Google Voice iPhone app to be approved in the App Store this since Apple changed the app approval process. GV Connect was the first one.

You can download GV Mobile+ from here. Hurry up!

UPDATE: The developer of GV Mobile+ is apparently pissed that we (and other sites) shared the news. As a result, the app is not free anymore.

UPDATE 2: The dev says on Twitter the app should be free again for just a few minutes. Hurry!

Adobe CEO Gives Apple Just Minor Praise

I thought when Apple announced they were loosening up their restrictions as far as the App Store was concerned, that life things would snap in the other direction as far as the relationship with Adobe went. Turns out wounds don't heal at the drop of a few guidelines.

While it is certainly better, 9 to 5 Mac reports that an Adobe CEO calls the effect that Apple's new stance has had is "muted". It didn't stop there though. The entire conversation has Shantanu Narayen talking about anything except the iPhone or Apple as a whole...

Wow! This App Lets You Identify Planes in the Sky

There are a few apps that I like to use to show people what the iPhone can do. Star Walk has always been my favorite show off app but it seems that it's going to be dethroned by Plane Finder AR.

Plane Finder AR uses the iPhone augmented reality capability of your iPhone to show you information about planes flying around you. Simply point your iPhone at a plane flying by and you will see the flight number, aircraft registration, speed, altitude and how far away it is...

What Features Will Never Come to the iPhone?

Reality can suck sometimes. As bad as the truth can be however it is usually almost always best to come to terms with certain aspects of reality. As far as this piece is concerned it's iPhone's reality.

We always spend lots of time trying to dig through the rumors when a new iPhone or version of iOS is released and pinpoint the newest features. What we spend comparatively less time on is coming clean on what features we know the iPhone will never get..

This iPhone App Lets You Type Upside Down

I was just tipped by iDB reader Plot66 about this application called Flip / Bubble Text which allows you to type uʍop ǝpısdn or in ⓑⓤⓑⓑⓛⓔ ⓛⓔⓣⓣⓔⓡⓢ, then easily copy the text to another app or post the text directly to Facebook and Twitter.

I posted an upside down tweet earlier today and many of you asked me how I did it so I figured I'd share the trick with you...