DataViz, a company that develops and markets Office compatibility and productivity solutions across a variety of platforms, quietly announced on its blog that they will soon be releasing the iPhone version of "Documents To Go", an application that let's you create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.
There is no excel word about when this app is supposed to be released.
That's a type of application that many business users have been waiting for a long time.
]MiVTones used to be called Videostone. Don't ask me why they changed the name because I have no idea. Maybe a trademark issue or something? Anyways. MiVTones is a new application by iFoneTec available in Cydia that allows you to have video ringtones on your iPhone.
You may use MiVtones 2.0 with basic features for free,but you have to purchase a $20 license (ouch!) to use MiVTones 2.0 with advanced features. To enjoy video ringtones on your iPhone, you will first have to register your phone and create an account at http://www.MiVTones.com. Then you will have to install miVTones, which is available through the ModMyiFone repo. In case you don't see it, make sure to add this source: http://app.ifonetec.com/cydia.
Once you have activated your account and installed MiVTones, you'll finally be able to add your own videos to your iPhone. Use Winscp or CyberDuck to upload your own video ringtones to /var/mobile/Media/VideoTone/Video
So here we go, from the same people who brought you the application Say Where?, comes another decent attempt at voice recognition software. Or is it?
The idea is quite simple. It allow users to dial their contacts by speaking their name. Always interested in shortening lengthy tasks, I downloaded this application to see if I could eliminate the 4 step manual dialing process (press phone, go to contacts or recent calls, scroll to find number, and press call).
At first glance it seemed as though this application might find its way into an exclusive spot on my springboard. Clicking the icon opens up a single screen that has a large square button to press when you are ready to speak a contact's name. Well that's only 2 steps, so Say Who wins, right?
Wrong. It's 2 steps to get to your first attempt at dialing a contact. While the previous app I reviewed from Excuse Me Services shined in the voice recognition department, this one fell flat on it's face. Both voice dialing and speaking the contact's name returned horrible results. Sure, in exact silence, using perfect diction, I was able to get a few right answers.
But I don't live in solitary confinement, I live in the real world, and the real world has background noise in it. Especially when traveling in my car, which is where I would find this app most useful anyways.
Maybe if they were to combine this with their Say Where application with more accurate voice recognition, it'd be worthwhile to download. It would also be advantageous to continue to run in the background, or at least when the screen is locked (once again in my car dock). We continue to see innovative software from these guys, but unless you're accustomed to yelling obscenities at your iPhone driving down the turnpike, I suggest you stay away.
This one definitely falls in the "look-what-my-phone-can-do" category, but may throw you under the bus when trying to demonstrate to your friends. "Call Randy" , "Calling Mom." "No I swear it usually gets it on the first try, watch!"
Last month, I talked to you about a fun yet useless application called Sonic Lighter. At the time, we even got an interview with Jeff Smith, the CEO of Smule, the company behind Sonic Lighter. A month after Smule launched its Sonic Lighter to worldwide acclaim, they release their newest complementary product, Sonic Boom in the App Store.
Sonic Boom [iTunes Link] turns your iPhone into a virtual firecracker that can be ignited using your finger as a virtual match or a second phone running Sonic Lighter. Strike the match, ignite the fuse, wait...BOOM!
Sonic Boom’s real-time explosions can be documented around the world – since it first became available about 36 hours ago, over 7,500 explosions have been detected. While explosions thus far have been concentrated in North America and Europe, several recent explosions were detected in the town of Curepipe, Mauritius in the Southwest Indian Ocean.
It's still useless but it's still fun!
In my ongoing quest to find iPhone applications that will revolutionize the way we live, I found a cool app that I think will come in handy for anyone who uses e-mail on their iPhone.
vMail xPress Voice eMail has been out since September 3, according to the App Store. But, I heard no buzz about it and it sold for $9.99 in the Business category. A few days ago, the developer of the app released a Free Lite Edition [iTunes Link]. So, I decided to give it a try.
The app allows you to bring up a contact by simply saying his or her name and then you can send that person an audio e-mail and a picture. It's e-mail creation without typing at all! I found the process to be very simple.
First, you enter your name and an e-mail address (presumably the one you're going to use to send the e-mail). This app gets brownie points for not having to register and figure out another password. Then, you SAY your contact's name. I found that slower is better. On the down side, the contact name and e-mail address you send to need to be in your iPhone contact list. I used my Gmail account and, for some reason, I thought the app was going to search my contacts in Gmail. Maybe that would be asking too much for a free app. As soon as the app has the contact you want to send to, you can choose to record an audio message as well as post a picture that will go in the e-mail. The picture can be taken on the spot or from your photo library. After you review your audio e-mail, you hit the send button and you're done!
Your recipient will get an internet link to your audio e-mail and picture. I had hoped that the audio and picture would simply be attachments in the e-mail but I suppose it's too tempting for a developer to get instant traffic on its website.
Looking at the paid and free versions, it doesn't look like there are any differences (and one reviewer on the App Store pointed that out). The developer, AdelaVoice, has not hinted in its app synopsis or website that the free version will be out for a limited time. My advice is to get it while its free even if you don't think you'll use it.
UPDATE: The Free Lite Edition of vMail xPress Voice eMail allows you to send up to five vMail messages. After that, you'll have to buy the $9.99 app. The app also lets you send your voice message and picture as an attachment in addition to the link.
LogoMe is a new application available in Cydia that will change your boot logo without having to rejailbreak or restore. All you need to do is installing the application, launching it and typing in the URL where the photo can be downloaded from (that means that your photo has to be somewhere online - ie. Flickr). You will not be able to change your boot logo by using a photo from the library.
Once you've typed in the location URL, tap "Download" and LogoMe will download the file. After having downloaded it, you'll be able to preview your boot logo. When I previewed mine, it showed a white bar at the top but I decided to install anyway. When you're done, reboot your iPhone and you should see your new custom logo. Note that the white bat doesn't show on my custom boot logo anymore once installed.
[digg-me]So you have a spanking new iPhone or iPod Touch and you can't wait to download all these applications from iTunes until you realize you need a Credit Card to have an iTunes account. Or, maybe you do have a Credit Card but the app you want is not available in your country? Don't panic, there is an easy solution to this problem, and best of all, it's totally legit and should take you about 2 minutes to set up.
This tutorial will teach you how to create an iTunes account in any country whether you have a credit card or not. All you need is 2 minutes, an Internet connection and have iTunes already running on your computer.
I thought it was funny that Warner Bros. came out with an iPhone app that could draw the Joker's signature logo from "The Dark Knight" over people's faces. "The Dark Knight: HaHaHa" [iTunes Link] was a small way to keep a mega-popular film in the back of people's minds. Little did we know that other studios would be seriously considering iPhone applications as a way to market films.
Next, came the Columbia Pictures app "James Bond - 007." [iTunes Link] It features everything you'd want to know about the film "Quantum Of Solace," not unlike the content you'd find on the official movie site. I think it's brilliant. Only the ultimate Bond fans would sit at home at their desktops watching production videos. But when you're on the go and need to kill time, this app would come in handy.
Warner Bros. struck back with an app directed at fans of another recent movie "Sex And The City." Although "Sex And The City: Carrie's Closet" [iTunes Link] is a bit late to promote for the big screen showings, there is no doubt the studio is trying to up its DVD sales.
The most curious movie-tie in, however, is the "School Of Rock" [iTunes Link] app. Why would Paramount Pictures go through the trouble of making a $6.99 app based on a movie that is five years old and been out on DVD for years? Well, there have been rumblings that a "School Of Rock" sequel is in the works. But, an article from aceshowbiz.com last month says that the director of the film is not sure he will do it. My guess is the studio made the app to see how much interest there really is in a "School Of Rock" sequel. I am downloading the 114 MB app as I write this blog, and I will post my findings in a future article.
And, at least one television show is getting into iPhone marketing. "South Park" will have an app on the App Store that will stream clips on your iPhone among other features. Boingboing.net has some screenshots of the upcoming app.
Firemail is a new application that does exactly what TouchType does, except that Firemail is free...
As soon as you launch Firemail, it will allow you to type your emails in landscape mode. Type in your subject line and email body, then you can choose to "send to MobileMail", which opens your default email. From there, you can select the recipient and send the email. You can also "Save to bookmarks", which saves the snippet of text to use it in another email.
Firemail [iTunes link] is free and is currently your best option for typing emails in landscape mode... well, at least until Apple decides it's a must-have feature.
Available in Cydia today is a fun little application that display quotes on your locked screen. This is the description of the widget by its author, Allen:
Entertain yourself and your friends with famous quotations everytime you go to your lockscreen. This widget for WinterBoard contains hundreds of quotes and each time you lock your iPhone/iPod Touch, a new one is displayed. Works on top of other Lockscreen themes.
While "entertaining" me and my friends with this widget sounds a little too much, I think it's a really cool app to have. It just makes your iPhone look a little smarter...
One thing I'd like to be able to do is add my own quotes. Maybe for future releases?
So let's pretend you are a start-up iPhone software developing firm. Now, let's say that you have developed a hot application. So hot, that Apple actually uses it in an iPhone commercial for a nationwide marketing campaign. I mean, your foaming at the mouth trying to predict your first month sales numbers.
But, when the App store launches in July, there is another application that looks exactly like yours. What's worse is, yours cost users $2.99, and their app is a free download.
My guess is that you would be Hottrix, creators of iBeer, and you'd probably be pretty steamed.
And they are. They are suing the Molson Coors Brewing Co. for 12.5 million dollars in lost profits thanks to iPint. iPint was identical to Hottrix' iBeer, but with a Carling Beer advertisement banner.
What's funny is Steve Sheraton, inventor of iBeer, was actually approached by Beattie McGuinnes Bungay Ltd. ad agency for promission to use iBeer to market Coors products. Obviously Sheraton didn't say no loud enough, and after just a short life on the App store, iPint was removed due to a cease and desist order.
After months of trying to settle the matter outside of court, the Arizona based software company has decided to bring in the attorneys.
I believe that if there is a direct correlation between Hottix declining iBeer profits, and a copyright law broken by Molson Coors, this should be a no brainer.
One thing is clear, as Sebastien stated in his Tap Tap Tap divorce article, this iPhone software developing game is "serious business."(now accepting applications for my new start-up iPhone software company ;op)
Extended Preferences is a new app available in Cydia that allows you to take the customization of your iPhone a step further. Something quite unusual about Extended Preferences is that after downloading it, you have to "activate" it in WinterBoard.
Once it's activated, you can go set your preferences in Settings > SpringBoard (note that this "SpringBoard" tab has been added by Extended Preferences.
Extended Preferences will allow you to:
hide internal apps such as Safari, YouTube, etc... Set fake signal bars, time, or carrier Display a numeric battery or wifiI downloaded Extended Preferences 1.0 and tried to set a numeric battery. It wouldn't work. Have you guys been luckier than me?