Crenk » iphone

Doom Game App Now Available in iPhone App Store

Steven Finch — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:48:29 +0000

This new application for the iPhone brings back a lot of old memories. Doom has to be one of the most legendary shoot em up games ever made.

Doom is now available in Apples App store and includes the original three episodes as well as Episode Four, Thy Flesh Consumed, spread across 36 levels of non-stop carnage and action.

You can choose from customizable control schemes, all designed by id Software co-founder and industry legend, John Carmack.

In DOOM Classic, multiplayer action is reborn! With a wireless connection, battle up to four players in Deathmatch mode, or work together cooperatively and fight back against the demons of Hell.

It will set you back a measly $6.99 and you can download it from here.

Jibbigo: New English to Spanish Speech Translation App for iPhone

Steven Finch — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:19:16 +0000

Jibbigo has just release their bilingual translation app for the iPhone and iPod touch with the capability of translating a user’s speech directly into another spoken phrase.

Users record one sentence of English or Spanish at a time, which the app then translates into a synthesized counterpart. A vocabulary of 40,000 words is included, generally skewed towards travelers and doctors.

Unusual in the software is the requirement of an iPhone 3GS for full functionality. Two-way translation is supported, but only on the 3GS. Older iPhones and the second-gen Touch are limited to unidirectional translation, and also said to operate more slowly. The app costs $25, and requires iPhone 3.0 firmware.

iPhone Synchronization with Linux

Augusto Alvarez — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:31:39 +0000

I guess there are tons of Linux users that were waiting for this kind of project; Marcan42 is developing Usbmuxd, that it is capable to synchronize your iPhone/iPod Touche with your Linux distribution.

Well there are a few applications already available that are capable to achieve this functionality, but at a small cost, iPhone must be jailbreaked. Usbmuxd represents a library that will be in charge to generate the communication with the device and your machine. Usbmuxd name actually was created from “USB multiplexing daemon”.

Using this daemon, plus other Linux libraries, you will be able to proxy requests from the USB cable to the specific port on the iPhone. Here are some of the libraries involved:

libusb-1.0 provides an advanced API to access USB devices under Linux, replacing the old libusb-0.1 API
usbmuxd coordinates application access to the device and talks the specific iPhone/iTouch USB protocol
libiphone implements the Apple-specific protocols that are tunneled through usbmuxd: it can launch services through lockdown, retrieve device info, send notifications, and access the filesystem via AFC.
iFuse and gvfs-backend-afc both provide access to AFC to regular Linux apps. iFuse does this by mounting via FUSE, while gvfs-backend-afc is obviously a backend for gVFS.
libgpod (the library that traditionally has managed music databases for iPods) is being extended to support the new SQLite format, the new hash, and also to talk to libiphone to properly put the device in to and out of sync mode.

Ok, I know, if you are not a Linux user, some of these concepts might confuse you; but you can be certain about one thing: it is so great to have the opportunity to use your favorite technology and gadgets no matter which platform are you using.

Going Backpacking? Then CouchSurf!

Dean Sherwin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:39:21 +0000

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” – Roasalia de Castro

This famous quote and many others like it inspire hundreds of thousands of people to buy a big backpack, a pair of Levis jeans and hit the road every single year between college and ‘life’. Yet, sleeping in a bus stations isn’t too appealing. And seeing as this is a technology site I thought I’d offer a solution – CouchSurfing.

Couch Surfing basically means living life to the fullest and recharging your batteries on people’s couches. And now there is a social network by the same name that is dedicated to finding you a place to lay your head down at night. They now have more than one million members who are travelers and hosts willing to let you spend the night on their couch. All you have to do is take out your iPhone while you’re on the coach to Budapest, do a little search and give whoever lives there a call to see if you can do a spot of couch surfing. Easy.

The site covers in excess of 55,000 cities in over 230 countries all over the world so no matter where you’re going you’ll find somewhere.

Scoreloop Helps iPhone Developers Add Social Abilities and Scoreboards With Ease

Steven Finch — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:00:05 +0000

Scoreloop is announcing today that it will make it easier than ever for iPhone game makers to put social networking features in their games.

Scoreloop is a small startup that has 20 employees and has raised $3 million in funding so far. The technology they are introducing today is called CoreSocial and it is described as a white label social gaming platform. The software allows iphone game developers to insert features such as leaderboards, achievement medals, cross promotions and virtual currency with ease. The aim of these features is of course to get gamers to always aim for the next level or achievement and remain active on the game for longer.

Scoreloop gets paid through the purchase of virtual currency. For instance, if gamers want to challenge each other to a match, they have to purchase Scoreloop Coins. Then they can engage in a multiplayer match.

Gumpinger said the platform is good for developers who don’t want to reinvent social gaming features and instead want to concentrate on making a game fun. Big brands will probably like this kind of platform because it gives them an easy way to get into the iPhone game market.

Apple To Launch iPhone in China End of October

Steven Finch — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:02:16 +0000

Apple (AAPL) will begin selling iPhones in China at the end of this month, company executives said during today’s Q3 earnings call. Apple will be launching with China Unicom and this is going to obviously be a great opportunity for Apple to gain even more market share in the smartphone market.

New details:

Apple will have 1,000 points of sale.
Plans will range in price from $18/month to $100/month.
With higher-priced plans, users will get their iPhones “free.”

Hype Machine The Music Blog Aggregator is Working on an iPhone Application

Steven Finch — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:43:49 +0000

The Hype Machine which is a very influencial music blog aggregator has announced while speaking at the In The City music conference in Manchester, UK, that they are already working on an iPhone application.

The site’s founder Anthony Volodkin discussed his plans for an iPhone app that would provide a “radio-like” experience with royalties for the music paid for by charging for the initial download of the app. There’s no word on when this would be released as of yet.

I know that The Pirate Bay and other such torrent sites has been getting a bit of a lashing of late, but sites like The Hype Machine which lets users listen to files add to the internet, seems to get away with copyright issues. The majority of the files that Hype Machine links to are copyright infringing, but no one really seems to care that much.

The Hype Machine is still in independent site, but the sites owners are always open to acquisition offers. The site currently makes the majority of their revenues from advertising and their audience seems to be growing at a very nice pace, so an iPhone application will only accelerate the growth.

Giorgio Armani Mobile Phone with Windows Mobile

Steven Finch — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:30:37 +0000

I dont know why but obviously some people think that their iPhone looks tacky with their Giorgio Armani suit. Thus, you can now purchase your own Giorgio Armani branded mobile phone.

The phone itself is branded in bronze and currently costs 700 Euros, plus it comes running Windows Mobile 6.5 which im not too sure is a good thing.

Giorgio Armani have partnered with Samsung to produce the phone and it features a 3.5 inch AMOLED screen, 8 GB of storage, a 5 megapixel camera and built-in GPS. Still, if you’re a business-minded millionaire (think “new money” vs. “old money”), WinMo’s built-in productivity tools, such as Word and Excel, will keep you connected to work even when you’re hobnobbing at high-class social events. Armani, in a statement, said the phone is “perfect for today’s managers.”

Seattle Woodland Park Zoo Now Have Their Own iPhone and iPod Touch Application

Steven Finch — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:09:08 +0000

These days there seems to be an iPhone application for practically everything! Well thats what the ads tell me anyways.

The Seattle Woodland Park Zoo has launched what it is calling a first-of-its-kind iPhone application, one which uses the device’s GPS functionality to track your movements as you watch penguins, pythons and pole cats.

The 99 cent app also supports a good cause too, since money will go toward animal care, conservation and education programs.

Here are some of the features:

–GPS-enabled zoo map with “Near Me” recommendations for animal exhibits, play areas, concession stands and restrooms.

–Daily schedule of zoo activities including zookeeper talks and children’s programs.

–“Friend Finder” to locate other iPhone users in your party on zoo grounds.

It would be cool if they added animal sounds, territorial ranges and other information about the animals. You can get an inside look at the app in this video:

Nissan iPhone App Helps Drivers Be More Eco Friendly

Steven Finch — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:55:28 +0000

The iPhone currently isn’t very big in Japan, but that hasn’t stopped Nissan from developing an iPhone application for Yokohama City residents.

The app is called E1 Grand Prix and here is how it works: The app connects to your car’s On-Board Diagnostics (OBD), and extracts information in real-time to determine how efficiently you’re driving (you know, from a saving fuel perspective). Step on the gas and then break too much, and you’ll get a low score; accelerate just enough to coast to the corner before the light turns red, and you’ll get high marks. The app connects to your OBD via in-car mobile Wi-Fi, and then spits back your results on your iPhone screen and via e-mail. The results are also uploaded to an online site, where you essentially compete with other folks to be the most ‘eco-efficient’ driver — hence the ‘Grand Prix’ name).

Nissan is still yet to announce if they will be launching the application in locations all over the world, but im sure it is only a matter of time.

Rock Band: Coming To an iPhone and iPod Touch Near You

Steven Finch — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:26:38 +0000

It has been reported over at MobileCrunch that Rock Band will soon be getting its own iPhone and iPod Touch version.

While wandering the halls of CTIA convention in San Diego today, we spotted a small kiosk dedicated to Rock Band Mobile. Sure enough, no iPhones in sight – just a couple of Verizon handsets. Above the kiosk, however, was an LCD screen endlessly looping through a demo reel of EA Mobile’s portfolio – and therein lied the gold. Right at the end of the reel, it pops up clear as day: Rock Band for iPhone and iPod Touch.

The screen only pops up for about half a second (we actually had to watch the reel loop through three times to get a good shot of it), so we didn’t see much in person that you aren’t in a photo. They’re obviously rolling with the same kinda-grungy, kinda-cartoony look and feel as they have on all of the other platforms. You can see just a smidgen of the game mechanics on the right; the notes flow down the fretboard in the same manner as all of the other games, with 4 guitar pick shaped buttons that I presume are pressed to trigger a note.

The first issue that pops into our head, here: Where does this leave Tapulous, with their Tap Tap Revenge series? Tap Tap Revenge already has a massive following on the platform, but it’s very similar to Rock Band. They’ve just launched Tap Tap Revenge 3, which banks heavily on premium content through In-App Purchase. After the success of the console series, the Rock Band name would likely carry a bit more weight with content/license owners than that of Tapulous/Tap Tap Revenge; are we about to see a content war, or will the two games roll together harmoniously?

iPhone Pong Case That Reduces Radiation

Dean Sherwin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:34:42 +0000

Radiation from cell phones is known to cause cancer and other ailments. After the Millennium when the average person walking down the street had a mobile phone the tabloids carried reports of how radiation from mobile phones will be seriously damaging people’s health. As of now, the problem has existed for such a short period of time that it is difficult to precisely say how dangerous it is – one thing’s for sure; new cell phones are producing as much radiation as ever with GPRS and 3G thrown into the mix.

Now, there is a new silicon case for the iPhone that will eliminate much of the radiation coming from the device without diminishing the signal strength. Scott Estro from Dig Communications, the company who make the ‘Pong iPhone Case’ talked to Crenk.

“The Pong iPhone Case is a sleek silicone skin containing a proprietary technology module that redirects cell phone radiation away from the user’s head. The case reduces the specific absorption rate (SAR, a mobile industry standard of measurement) by 60% and reduces intense ‘hotspot’ cell phone radiation (Electric Field Intensity) by 85%.”

As you can see from the screenshot, it doesn’t look bad at all but at almost $60, it may be priced a little high. But then I suppose you cant put a price on your well-being.

See www.pongresearch.com to get a Pong iPhone Case.

iBible: A Good Web App to Read the Bible

Dean Sherwin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:36:52 +0000

Reading the Bible, for those who are interested can be difficult in some regards. The most obvious being that the thing is huge with thousands of years worth of literature crammed in one binding, not exactly making it a pocket-sized reader.

iBible is a web app which makes reading and referencing the Bible easy.

Basically, because it’s all so simple and plain; consisting mostly of buttons for each chapter and the rest being text, loading it on any device connected to the internet is quick and easy. This makes it suitable for PC users as well as when you’re on the go such as on a mobile phone using GPRS Internet, a PSP or iPhone.

It’s available in several languages including English, French, German and Polish. The home screen is where you select you language and the screens after this whittle your choice down from Testament, to books, to chapters such as the one I read; Genesis 6.

Tap Tap Revenge 3 Launching Today on an iPhone Near You

Steven Finch — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:26:13 +0000

According to Techcrunch and TUAW the new Tap Tap Revenge 3 game for the iPhone and iPod touch should be live by now, but still doesnt seem to be.

The new app brings with it plenty of gameplay enhancements, but the biggest change here is support for in-app song purchases. This means you’ll be able to choose from a roster of premium songs created by well known artists and buy the ones you like — giving users more choice than ever, and giving Tapulous a lucrative new source of revenue.

Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem says that the company has sold over 500,000 premium apps at $5 each, so obviously they weren’t exactly struggling. Now they’re be able to sell track packs through a single application.

Up until now the basic Tap Tap Revenge games have been completely free with Tapulous only selling premium games for specific artists. However, with the release of the iPhone 3.0 firmware in which now allows in-app purchasing, this now means that Tap Tap Revenge 3 costs $0.99 in the USA iTunes store.

Here’s a sampling of the tracks available:

BLINK 182 – “Adam’s Song” / “All the Small Things” / “Dammit” / “First Date” / “The Rock Show” / “What’s My Age Again”

FALL OUT BOY – “Thanks for the Memories” / “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” / “Dance, Dance” / “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” / “I Don’t Care” / “American Suitehearts”

FOO FIGHTERS – “The Pretender” / “Wheel” / “My Hero” / “Best of You” / “Monkey Wrench” / “All My Life”

THE KILLERS – “Mr. Brightside” / “Sweet Talk” / “Human” / “When We Were Young” / “All These Things That I’ve Done” / “Read My Mind”

DropBox for iPhone Released!

Augusto Alvarez — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:32:59 +0000

We’ve mentioned DropBox as one of the coolest free file sharing options available in the market. And now, as most of the cool web apps, the iPhone version has been released to the public. Download it from here (iTunes link):

DropBox has a very intuitive and easy-to-use interface, using your Mac, Linux or Windows client; or even using the web interface. You can simply synchronize your files everywhere; it doesn’t matter from which computer you are connecting. And now, it won’t matter if you are using your laptop, desktop or iPhone.

Some of the other features included are:

Possibility to use public links for your files: Instead of using rapidshare, megaupload or any other file hosting; you can upload your files to DropBox in a public folder and share it with the community.
Usability similar with Subversion: With the local client, you can store your files in your hard drive. And every time you put files in there, they are automatically synchronized.
2gb of storage.

And some of the features that you can see with the iPhone app:

Download files for offline viewing: Add files to your ‘Favorites’, and they’ll be accessible at any time.
Take photos and videos and sync them to your Dropbox: Take a photo from your iPhone and email its public link to a friend in less than a minute.

Take a quick look:

10 New Points About The New Apple Tablet: To Be Announced in January 2010

Steven Finch — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:47:32 +0000

Over at iLounge they have got a tip from a very reliable source about the specifics of the new Apple Tablet that a lot of people have been talking about. On Crenk we first talked about the Apple tablet back in May and then again in August. The iLounge source also correctly called the iPod nano 5G, iPhone 3GS and Chinese iPhone 3G months ago.

Apple has created at least three separate prototypes of its tablet computer. Let’s call it “iPad.”
Version 1 was designed with a 7” screen, which was judged to be too small. The latest version has a 10.7” screen.
It runs iPhone OS.
There have been reports that it looks like an iPhone. They’re sort of true. It looks like an iPhone 3G, complete with a curved back.
It will come in two different variations: one with 3G networking capabilities, and one without 3G networking capabilities. Think of the 3G version as a bigscreen iPhone 3GS, and the non-3G version as a bigscreen iPod touch.
Screen resolutions will obviously jump considerably from the iPhone and iPod touch 480×320-pixel displays, enabling easy reading of full-sized book and magazine pages, plus cropped newspaper pages. Expect something like 5-6 times the resolution of an iPod touch or iPhone screen (720p or thereabouts) and 7 times the touchable surface area.
It is designed to expand the iPhone and iPod touch media concept to its next potential level: as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines, plus all of the media, gaming, app, and web functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch.
It is not meant to compete with netbooks. It’s an iPhone OS media player and light communication device.
Apple is currently planning to announce it on or before January 19, 2010, and to use an iPhone-like hype buildup period to start selling it in May or June.
It is apparently awaiting a final green light from Steve Jobs; chances of it appearing in the market are believed to be 80% at this point.

Purchase a New iPhone on Orange! O2 Dont Have Exclusivity in the UK anymore

Steven Finch — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:37:34 +0000

O2 has had the exclusivity for the iPhone since launching in the UK back in November 2007. Now that is set to change with Orange announcing its plans to sell the iPhone very soon.

A news release this morning states:

Orange UK and Apple have reached an agreement to bring iPhone 3G and 3GS to Orange UK customers later this year. Orange globally now offers iPhone in 28 countries and territories.

Orange, which has the largest 3G network covering more people in the UK than any other operator, will sell iPhone in all Orange direct channels including Orange shops, the Orange webshop and Orange telesales channels, as well as selected high street partners.

This is great news for consumers who are interested in getting the iPhone but didnt want to switch to O2. A pre-registration site for customers to register their interest has been launched at www.Orange.co.uk/iPhone. More information on pricing, tariffs and availability dates is set to be released “in due course”.

Luna Voyager: iPhone and iPod Touch Alarm Clock for the Traveller

Steven Finch — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:28:08 +0000

Here at Crenk we were lucky enough to get our hands on the Luna Voyager from XtremeMac.The Luna Voyager is a compact, full-featured alarm clock and personal audio system for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Features include:

Wake to iPhone, iPod or buzzer
Compact design perfect for home or travel
Easy-to-read display with brightness control
Set clock automatically from iPhone
AC power with battery backup for alarm
Line-in jack for connecting iPod shuffle and other devices
Charges iPhone/iPod while docked
Custom speakers ideal for personal listening

Im a really big fan of the design of the Luna Voyager however for my personal needs im not too sure where an iPhone specific alarm clock fits into it. I already have a very basic alarm clock right next to my bed and it seems as though the alarm clock can pretty much do exactly the same things as the iPhone itself. The key difference is that the Luna Voyager has much better speakers and it is great for someone who travels a lot, apart from that another key difference is that the Luna Voyager is $79.95 from the Apple store, when I could potentially just get an iPhone app that does the same thing for $0.99 via the app store.

iPhone 3.1 Firmware is Now Available for Download

Steven Finch — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:56:16 +0000

Apple has released the new iPhone OS 3.1 to the masses, and its now directly available for download through iTunes.

A handful of new features are available in this new OS update, both for the users of iPhone and iPod Touch. Here are some.

Apps organization through iTunes
Genius recommendation for Apps
Save video from Mail to Camera roll.
Better saving options for video clips in 3GS.
Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe.
Anti-phising features for Safari on iPhone.

Commodore 64 Emulator for iPhone and iPod Touch Has Been Approved by Apple for iTunes Store

Steven Finch — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:30:54 +0000

A previously rejected iPhone title offering emulated play of Commodore 64 titles has been approved after the developer made changes to align it with Apple’s SDK. It allows the iPhone to act as a system that was what was once Apple’s staunch competitor.

According to a report by TouchArcade, Manomio’s $4.99 C64 title was rejected in June despite having lined up all the proper licensing rights.

Spotify iPhone and Android Applications are Now Live

Steven Finch — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:19:49 +0000

The Spotify iPhone and Android applications are now live. Here is a quick look again at both demo’s.

Brilliant New iPhone App: Girlfriend Not Included

Steven Finch — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:36:49 +0000

A new very funny iPhone ad but not from Apple. The movie is by New York artist Adam Sacks. via DivineCaroline

The iPhone Design Template Sketchbook

Steven Finch — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:10:11 +0000

The iTunes app store is reportedly worth $2.5 billion and this is bringing more and more developers to the platform. If your a develop the first thing you do is sit down and sketch out your idea.

Introducing the iPhone Design Template Sketchbook:

Now available in “most countries” for $16,99 at appsketchbook.com.

Alternatively take a look at how the people at CulturedCode solved this ‘problem’:

Two new AR Apps Go Live!

Dean Sherwin — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:59:35 +0000

We recently reported here on Crenk that the iPhone’s first ever augmented reality (AR) app had been officially released to the iPhone. This was called Metro Paris Subway. It was widely believed that this would be the only AR app released until the new iPhone OS came out in a month or so. But now, two more AR apps are live in the app store causing people to rush in to snap them up.

Basically, these three developers have found a way around the supposedly necessary jailbreak that the new OS was going to remove. So naturally seeing apps that shouldn’t even be released yet is pretty cool.

One of the new apps is from the popular app company Yelp and the other is from the same company that made Metro Paris Subway – Presslite. Now, Presslite have made a similar app for London that allows users to point their iPhone camera at a location in London and an overlay of information (primarily public transport) will pop up on the screen. This app is suitably named ‘London Bus’.

It’s important that we remember that there are dozens of AR developers who have already developed their apps for the new OS so in a couple of months we here at Crenk are expecting a rush of AR apps into the marketplace.

iYunque: Rainforest App with Maps, Routes and More..

Dean Sherwin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:35:51 +0000

So the summer is nearly over and you’re wondering what to do. Sure, it’s not long now until big yellow busses start pulling up outside houses to cart kids all over the US back to school and as such the summer is over and the monotony of life kicks back in for a cold winter. However, there is one app that could appeal to your adventurous side before that too is shut away until next July – it’s called iYunque and it offers advice for, and indeed a virtual experience of the only rainforest in the US – El Yunque.

The main feature of this app is giving advice. There are maps, photographs, warnings and local information about the rainforest that will help you stay on track, literally. The maps are detailed and up to date with all the popular tourist and adventure routes taken today in the rain forest. The maps also point out good places to get a good view and nice places to take a little break and how to get to the area if you have to travel first.

Because it’s a rainforest it also offers a few words of warning about travelling alone into the forest and about the wildlife in there.

The virtual tour feature is also really cool for those who can’t make it. It allows you to tap on the map and it gives you information of that area and some pictures.

iYunque is available for download right here.