Apps

Vonage Offering Free Calls to Facebook Friends

Guest Author ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

So you've probably added all your old friends from your hometown via Facebook. While it's fun to "like" their latest pictures and status updates but you really don't want to waste your minutes on them, your problem is solved. Vonage has teamed up with Facebook, creating an app for your iPhone, (& Android), entitled Vonage Mobile for Facebook that allows free calls over Wi-Fi or 3G to anyone domestic or overseas, for free.

After you download the free app, just sign in with your Facebook account and you'll see a list of your friends who've done the same, and are ready to be called for free. You will also see whom you can chat with over IM. If you don't have unlimited 3G, or a Wi-Fi subscription, your first move should be checking with your carrier to figure out any charges that may apply to you.

Of course the program has its own Facebook page, which will allow you to invite your friends to the download the free app. This all sounds great, but I have one question. How many people are actually going to do this? Are you?

How’s your APPetite?

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

I have a confession to make that might put my Fanboy status in jeopardy. I wasn't part of the iPhone click until the iPhone 3G veiled its beautiful body to us. It's a humbling revelation that I feel necessary to share. I have only been able to enjoy the iPhone with the App Store available. Having done my share of downloading and reviewing, (72 apps on my iPhone 4 today), I often wonder if I have maximized the potential that the App Store can cultivate.

It took me quite a while to break down and purchase paid applications. Probably too long. When I started adding iTunes credit to my account, it was if I was the conductor of entirely different ship. A much nicer ship.

I first hit apps which reflected the interests related to my lifestyle. Engadget, ESPN Radio, Echofon, Words with Friends, Tiger Woods, and those similar were the first to gain spots on my device. Then I gathered productivity enhancing apps like Docs 2 GO, Rowmote Pro, iStudiez, etc... Eventually I dabbled in games that already exist in "real life", then branched out to highly rated selections. I will admit I'm not much of a gamer, though I do enjoy a challenge as much as the next guy, (like eating 4 saltines in 60 seconds, minus water).

After a couple of years of wonderful, (and sometimes expensive) experiences, I noticed that the zealous downloading had subsided a bit. Don't get me wrong, the App Store is the single most important piece of the iPhone puzzle in my opinion. The ability to allow and include anybody with the ability and knowledge to develop, is a beautiful thing. My expectations are high, thus the reason behind the words you read. Does this leveling off of sorts include you?

I believe Apple has headed in the right direction with adding featured genres and categories now each week. I can honestly say it helps with both navigation, as well as keeping my wandering brain matter excited; believe me, this in itself can be a full-time job. Posting "Apps of the week" is another good utilization on Apple's part, though I might suggest adding a category-based App of the Week couldn't hurt.

All in all for the size of and population that App Store is, my concerns are very few. Let's not forget that most every credible source states that Apple's App Store is far ahead of any of its competitors. Perhaps my sometimes stagnant perception of the selection, is just simply the usual calming down effect that happens after a kid gets a new toy. Like that Tickle Me Elmo that has been sleeping under your kids bed for 2 years, untouched.

Let me know if you appetite is as intense as it once was. If not, there's always White Castle.

Signal Maps the Cell Towers Your iPhone is Connected to

Sébastien Page ∙ August 3, 2010

Signal is a new jailbreak app by Dev Team member PlanetBeing that lets map the cell towers your iPhone is connected to and displays detailed cellular information from the baseband. I can't see much use for this app unless you're the kind of guy who really wants to know where is cell phone signal is coming from.

The app is available in the Cydia Store for $4.99, which I think is a bit pricey for such an application. The good thing is you support PlanetBeing and keep it motivated to work on baseband-related stuff (ie. iPhone unlock).

If you download this app, please let us know what you think about it.

Geeky iPhone Apps Coasters Will Be the Life of the Party

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 12, 2018

Thirsty? There's an app a coaster for that!

Because they're made using the original high resolution artwork, these coasters come out looking great, crisp with a glossy finish. And to those of you wondering, no, they will not turn your coffee table into an iPad, but we sure hope they did.

These iPhone app coasters come in 3 sets of 6 icons. Each set is about $32. You can get them from here.

If you call yourself an iPhone lover then you owe it to yourself to get the geekiest of all iPhone accessories: the iPhone apps coasters.

SpringFlash: the First Jailbreak App for iPhone 4 Only

Sébastien Page ∙ July 31, 2010

With the iPhone 4 jailbreak to be released soon, BigBoss has created a jailbreak application dedicated to this device only. The app is called SpringFlash and like the name suggests, it is an application that takes advantage of the iPhone 4 LED Flash to serve as a flashlight.

SpringFlash will be a Springboard Activator-based application which means you will have to use Activator to define a gesture or activation method to launch the app (ie "tap and hold the status bar). Since it is Activator-based, the great advantage of SpringFlash is that you won't have to look for the app icon to launch it when you need it.

I'd like to say that I have tried SpringFlash but since there is now iPhone 4 jailbreak yet, that would be a lie...

SpringFlash will be available under the BigBoss repo for free. Now we just need a jailbreak!

[BigBoss]

OpenAppMkt is a New App Store Alternative [No Jailbreak Required]

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

OpenAppMkt is a new App Store alternative that takes full advantage of iPhone web apps, which means that no jailbreak is required.

Remember when the iPhone first came out and Steve was praising those web apps? Well OpenAppMkt gathered some of them and packed them up in a nice and convenient web app.

To install OpenAppMkt simply point Safari to http://www.OpenAppmkt.com/ and follow the onscreen instructions.

Installing OpenAppMkt won't install anything but a Safari bookmark on your iPhone homescreen. Hitting the bookmark will take you to OpenAppMkt web app from where you'll be able to browse web apps and install their bookmarks on your homescreen.

To be clear, these are just web apps. by installing any of these apps, you aren't actually installing anything but a Safari bookmark on your homescreen.

I love the concept and its implementation. You sure are limited to what you can do with a web app but OpenAppMkt is a nice and convenient alternative to the App Store or even Cydia.

Update: A few people are missing the point here. I'm going to quote Mike Masnick from TechDirt who sums up why OpenAppMkt is good and different:

Overall, this fascinates me for two reasons. First, it's good to get more people realizing that HTML is already pretty damn good at creating app-style experiences, without having to create special compiled code and, second, it's a really clever way to totally route around Apple as a gatekeeper (without requiring a jailbreak), and is a reminder that even on "closed" systems, openness will often find a way.

[TechDirt via B00b1]

An iPhone App That Makes Popcorn

Sébastien Page ∙ July 28, 2010

Of course it's a fake...

BlindType, A Keyboard You’ll Most Likely Never See on the iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ July 22, 2010

BlindType is a keyboard that learns from your keystrokes and predicts what you intend to write. Additionally, BlindType constantly adjusts to the user's "perceived" keyboard and typing style. Does that sound impossible? Then check out this video.

Don't rush to the App Store yet as BlindType hasn't been released yet. The chances of seeing BlindType in the App Store one day are actually pretty slim but it might get its way to Cydia.

Thanks Git59 for the tip.

Want to Get Rid of iAds? There’s An App for That

Sébastien Page ∙ July 20, 2010

We saw before that it is possible to opt out of targeted iAds. But what if you don't want to have any iAd at all on your iPhone? You guessed it, there's an app for that...

Don't even waste your time looking in the App Store because you won't find anything there. However, if your iPhone is jailbroken, head over to Cydia and add the following repo: http://apt.macosmovil.com/

When you're done, search for iAdKiller on Cydia and install the app. Finally, reboot your iPhone or iPod Touch, and voila!

Obviously, iAdKiller is for iOS 4.X and will only work on jailbroken iDevices. Now enjoy your iAd free iPhone!

Thanks Ydro for the tip.

Confessions Of A Jailbreaker With No Jailbreak

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you probably know by now that I am a firm believer in jailbreaking the iPhone. To me jailbreaking opens up all the doors that Apple intentionally closes on the iPhone.

Thanks to the jailbreak community, we had copy/paste before Apple introduced in with iOS 3. Thanks to the jailbreak community, we were able to run multiple apps in the background a year before Apple introduced this new feature in iOS 4. Well, you get my point.

Before getting my new iPhone 4, I was stressing out about not having a jailbreak on it, thus not being as productive as I used to be. I was hoping the Dev Team would release an iPhone 4 jailbreak within a day or two of the i4 launch but even though they confirmed Spirit will work on the latest iPhone, the jailbreak has yet to be released.

It's now been about 2 weeks since I became jailbreakless and to be honest with you, I don't miss it as much as I would have thought. I am actually doing pretty well without my jailbreak.

What jailbreak apps am I missing the most?

MyWi - Not being able to tether my iPhone 4 is almost painful. How am I supposed to get internet access in airports if I can't tether my iPhone?

Winterboard - Even though iOS 4 lets you customize your home screen, I am really dying to get rid of this ugly dock, change some of the icons (mostly the folders icons), and get my matte UI mod.

InfiniDock - That's another app I'm missing a lot. I love having 5-6 apps in my dock so I can easily get access to them from any page on the home screen.

ActionMenu - I kinda replaced this app with PasteBot, which is doing the job pretty well but it's not as convenient as ActionMenu.

Xpandr - I use PasteBot as well to replace this application. Again, it's working ok but it's not as convenient as using Xpandr as I have to switch back and forth between apps to do things I was able to do in 3 taps before.

At first I was missing ProSwitcher but I got over it. Sure I like being able to choose what apps I want to run in the background but I'm getting used to Apple's way.

I am still anxiously waiting for an iPhone 4 jailbreak and I'll sure be right on it as soon as it comes out but in the end, I'm doing much better without a jailbreak than I expected.

What about you? How are you doing without a jailbreak? What apps are you missing the most?

Turn Your iPhone 4 LED Flash Into A Flashlight

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

This was only a matter of time until someone figured out how to use the LED flash of the iPhone to turn it into a useful flashlight. It's not a pretend flashlight, it's the real deal and definitely a must-have for iPhone 4 users.

Download LED Torch Flashlight for free in the App Store.

iMovie for iPhone 4 Now Available for Download

Sébastien Page ∙ June 24, 2010

iMovie, Apple's own video editing app for iPhone 4 is now available for download in the App Store. With the new iPhone 4 bringing HD recording in our hands, iMovie for iPhone becomes a must-have.

iMovie lets you create video postcards, movies, and more right from your iPhone. The app also lets you use preset themes and you can even add music from your iTunes library. After creating your movie, you can decide to share on YouTube, via email, MMS, or simply sync it with your computer.

The downside? iMovie is only available for iPhone 4. You can download iMovie from the App Store for $4.99.