Download Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gifDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comen-usCopyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/No killer app for iPhone?http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/13/no-killer-app-for-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/13/no-killer-app-for-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/13/no-killer-app-for-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , ,

That's sort of like saying there's no killer app for the Internet. Oh wait, there is! It's called a "browser." Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch bemoaned the lack of a "killer app" for the iPhone but wound up admitting "...the app I use the most is Gmail, followed by Web browsing." So email and web-browsing? Sounds like the killer apps that launched the current explosion of technology and brought computing home again for the average user (would people really get off the Xbox 360 if their computers had no net access?). Today's killer apps are stored in the cloud, not locked away in your hardware.

The fact is that modern computer user habits are staggeringly fragmented once you move out of the email/browser/office apps arena. Just like browsing habits-- who goes to a generalized portal like AOL.com or Yahoo.com on a regular basis? Computer use is now specialized. A video editor will use apps pertinent to his job, while a cook would likely use a suite of apps for food planning and prep and purchasing. There's not likely to be a killer app outside of your specialization, unless it has to do with massaging data-- something along the lines of syncing your contacts, for example.

Ultimately the new killer apps are fixes for existing applications. One of the reasons 90% of iPhone users browse the web on their phone? Mobile Safari is hands-down the best portable web browser out there. It still isn't as robust as the desktop equivalent (hence the plethora of iPhone-tuned pages out there), but it is much better than the competition. The ultimate killer app is your window to the web, and the competition keeps making things better all the time. Hear that Mozilla? We're ready for mobile Firefox already!
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]]>iphoneopinionVictor Agreda, Jr.2008-08-13T12:00:00+00:00Steve Jobs confirms iPhone app "kill switch"http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/12/steve-jobs-confirms-iphone-app-kill-switch/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/12/steve-jobs-confirms-iphone-app-kill-switch/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/12/steve-jobs-confirms-iphone-app-kill-switch/#commentsFiled under: , ,

There's been some debate about whether Apple's ability to remotely disable apps on users' iPhones is for real. At Download Squad, we've had readers both affirming and denying the "kill switch" rumors. For a while, it seemed like an app blacklist had been found, but it turned out that it was just a list of apps that aren't allowed to access Core Location. Steve Jobs finally ended the debate today in The Wall Street journal, where he admits that the kill switch is real.

In the WSJ piece, Jobs "argued that Apple needs it in case it inadvertently allows a malicious program -- one that stole users' personal data, for example -- to be distributed to iPhones through the App Store. 'Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull,' he says." This shouldn't be a big deal, since Apple already has some control over what becomes available through the App Store. If something nasty does sneak by them, though, at least there's a countermeasure available.

[via Daring Fireball]
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]]>AppleiPhone app storeiPhone appsIphoneAppsIphoneAppStorekill switchKillSwitchSteve JobsSteveJobsJay Hathaway2008-08-12T02:00:00+00:00Another iPhone app pulled: this time it's PhoneSaberhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/09/another-iphone-app-pulled-this-time-its-phonesaber/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/09/another-iphone-app-pulled-this-time-its-phonesaber/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/09/another-iphone-app-pulled-this-time-its-phonesaber/#commentsFiled under: ,

Earlier this week, I told you how the $1000 do-nothing application called I Am Rich had been pulled from the iTunes app store. While I doubt many people miss that particular bit of software, the latest app to be removed from the store was actually kind of fun: it's PhoneSaber, a lightsaber simulator for your iPhone. It uses the accelerometer in your device to respond as you swing your phone, making noises straight out of Star Wars. It was also free.

According to TheMacBox, the creators of the app, "I've had a chat with a guy from THQ Wireless (who own the rights for Star Wars apps on mobiles) and as we were always expecting, PhoneSaber is not allowed to be on there." Apparently THQ discussed the idea of an official, licensed PhoneSaber app, which could be tied to Star Wars advertising. TheMacBox is being given access to the original saber sounds to develop the new app, and they're pushing for it to remain free. If you have PhoneSaber already, you're probably safe: since the creators removed the app voluntarily, Apple probably won't remotely delete it from your device.

[via Macenstein]
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]]>app storeAppStoreiphoneiphone appsIphoneAppslightsaberLucasArtsPhoneSaberStar WarsStarWarsthqJay Hathaway2008-08-09T12:00:00+00:00Useless $1000 iPhone app disappears - did Apple remove it?http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/07/useless-1000-iphone-app-disappears-did-apple-remove-it/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/07/useless-1000-iphone-app-disappears-did-apple-remove-it/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/07/useless-1000-iphone-app-disappears-did-apple-remove-it/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It looks like Apple has removed one of the most talked-about iPhone apps in its app store. The app doesn't do chat, it doesn't connect you to any web services, and it doesn't even let you enter any text. It's called I Am Rich, and it does absolutely nothing. The price tag? A reasonable $999.99. Apparently having its red gem icon on your iPhone's home screen is supposed to bring you a grand worth of prestige.

When this app was first discovered, there was an immediate flurry of folks wondering how it got past Apple's screening process. Although I can't find any comment from Apple, and the app's creator hasn't updated his website, the app store link to I Am Rich no longer works. I wonder whether the author made any sales before it was removed. At around $100 to develop, a single sale would leave him with 10 times what he put in.
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]]>funnyiPhone appsIphoneAppsoverpriceduselessJay Hathaway2008-08-07T09:00:00+00:00iPhone app review: Mocha VNC Litehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/17/iphone-app-review-mocha-vnc-lite/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/17/iphone-app-review-mocha-vnc-lite/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/17/iphone-app-review-mocha-vnc-lite/#commentsFiled under: ,

VNC allows you to remotely manage one computer from another. But the thing is, you usually have to be at another computer to do this.

MochaSoft has just released a Mocha VNC Lite a VNC client for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch allowing you to control another computer all from your finger tips. We tested VNC Lite with a Mac Mini and an iPhone and after enabling remote management on the Mac connecting with the iPhone was a breeze.

The app supports both portrait and wide screen modes as well as the zoom in and out gestures. Along the bottom edge you have buttons for the on screen keyboard, options and to enable/disable mouse clicks.

Screen refresh on the iPhone was a bit slow but adequate but because the iPhone/iPod Touch sole input device is your finger it was hard to do any meaningful task.

Generally, when you're using remote management software like VNC you're using a keyboard an a mouse. Without these devices, trying to administer a computer with one finger proved to be slow and awkward.

VNC Lite is a great application, but we couldn't recommend it for any type of serious administrative task.

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]]>app storeAppStoreiphoneipod touchIpodTouchitunesvncJoey Celis2008-07-17T14:00:00+00:00How-To: Take iPhone or iPod Touch screenshots!http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/16/how-to-take-iphone-or-ipod-touch-screenshots/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/16/how-to-take-iphone-or-ipod-touch-screenshots/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/16/how-to-take-iphone-or-ipod-touch-screenshots/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you've been following the new iTunes app store, you might be wondering how all those screenshots got there. Some people seem to think you need to run an iPhone simulator or install an app to create them, but there's actually a built-in way to do it right on your phone or pod. We thought this would be a good time to go over it.

Step 1: Briefly hold down the power button on the top of your device. While it's down, press the ... uhh, well, the only other button these things have. The one on the front. And that's all! Your screen should flash momentarily, and your screenshot should be saved in a new folder under Photos.

Appropriately, it's called Saved Photos. When you want to get your photos from your iPhone/iPod to your Mac, without having to mess around with syncing in iTunes, you can just pop open Image Capture -- it comes standard with OS X -- and pick the ones you want.
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]]>cameraiPhoneiPodphotoscreenshotJay Hathaway2008-07-16T15:00:00+00:00iPhone App Review: Send gifts on the go with Gifterhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/15/iphone-app-review-send-gifts-on-the-go-with-gifter/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/15/iphone-app-review-send-gifts-on-the-go-with-gifter/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/15/iphone-app-review-send-gifts-on-the-go-with-gifter/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We love to see iPhone apps that are designed with phone users in mind. Ports of desktop apps -- chat clients, games, etc. -- are all well and good, but the mobile-specific stuff really shines. Take Gifter, for example. It's an app that lets you buy and send gifts from your iPhone.

Can someone please write Gifter into a romantic comedy? We could totally see Tom Hanks frantically ordering flowers from his iPhone on the train. You can send more than flowers, though: Gifter is hooked up with vendors for books, movies, jewelry and even teddy bears. Now when you see those birthdays in your iPhone's address book, you can do something about them. It might not be the app with the most geek cred -- hey, they didn't drop any vowels from the name! -- but it works.
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]]>GiftergiftsiPhoneiPhone appsIphoneAppsshoppingJay Hathaway2008-07-15T12:00:00+00:00iPhone App Tracker - What's on Yours?http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/15/iphone-app-tracker-whats-on-yours/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/15/iphone-app-tracker-whats-on-yours/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/15/iphone-app-tracker-whats-on-yours/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

iPhone - What's on Yours?The Lockergnome brand and Chris Pirillo know their technology, and now they're opening the doors up to a new iPhone App tracking site just for you and run by you.

The idea is similar to Digg in that you can submit iPhone apps and people can vote them up or down, giving you a nice community snapshot of what app is performing, and what app isn't at any given time.

It also has implications for when new apps come out, and you want to be the first kid at school to get it.

Sure, you can read reviews in the Apple Store, but you don't get the full story like you do on a site with simplicity and ease of use.

It's rough around the edges but the idea seems clear. Submit, rate, and interact. But the difference here is that it's so granular and dedicated solely to iPhone Apps.

Chris gave us the early link to the Apple App Tracker too, and we'd like to see one for PC apps and maybe even Linux distributions. Since he can build communities, it'll be interesting to see how big of a community pops up around this new venture.
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]]>app trackerAppTrackerchris pirilloChrisPirillodiggiphonelockergnomeDrew Olanoff2008-07-15T10:00:00+00:00iPhone App Review: Shazam helps you 'Name that tune'http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/13/iphone-app-review-shazam-helps-you-name-that-tune/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/13/iphone-app-review-shazam-helps-you-name-that-tune/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/13/iphone-app-review-shazam-helps-you-name-that-tune/#commentsFiled under: , ,

ShazamHave you ever heard some music, be it in the background in a shop, or played on the radio and ever wished you knew the track's name? That's the dilemma Shazam sets out to solve.

By launching the application, holding your iPhone to the sound source you want to 'tag' and waiting a few seconds to sample the track, Shazam will tell you what that track is, and present you with links to buy the song using the iPhone's built-in iTunes store, as well as doing a YouTube search for the track to see if there's any related videos you could see.

In our testing here at Download Squad HQ, the application performed very well with all the music we threw at it (classical, jazz, rock and pop) and even when tested in the middle of a busy city-centre street playing music from another iPhone's external speaker, the application still correctly identified our tracks. Best of all, Shazam is a free application from the App Store and available now.

Gallery: Shazam for iPhone

Welcome ScreenShazam in Listening ModeHey Presto!
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]]>AudioiPhoneiPhone 2.0iphone2.0shazamNik Fletcher2008-07-13T15:00:00+00:00iPhone App Review: iPhone port of AIM is close, but not quite therehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/13/iphone-app-review-iphone-port-of-aim-is-close-but-not-quite-th/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/13/iphone-app-review-iphone-port-of-aim-is-close-but-not-quite-th/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/13/iphone-app-review-iphone-port-of-aim-is-close-but-not-quite-th/#commentsFiled under: , ,

One of the most striking things about the first crop of iPhone apps is the divide between those that work with the phone's user interface, and those that either don't take advantage of the phone or ignore the design specs altogether. The AOL Instant Messenger app for iPhone scores points in some UI areas, but could be more intuitive and feel more like an iPhone app in others.

We've got no complaints about the look of AIM, but there are some places where it doesn't feel right. For example, we were really hoping for a horizontal mode in this app, to take advantage of the wider keyboard. Groups are supported, but you can only view them one at a time, which makes them much less useful than on desktop versions of AIM. While a mobile AIM app like this is a dream we've had since high school, we favor the more intuitive Meebo mobile web app. It supports mutliple chat clients, too ... can we get an app store version of that?

Oh, and here's a tip, because we've seen a lot of people confused by this: to change your screenname, you have to go to your iPhone Settings. It's not in the AIM app itself.
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]]>AIMAOL Instant MessengerAolInstantMessengerapp storeAppStorechatiPhoneiphone applicationsiphone appsIphoneApplicationsIphoneAppsJay Hathaway2008-07-13T12:00:00+00:00iPhone App Review: Pandora for iPhone and iPod touchhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/12/iphone-app-review-pandora-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/12/iphone-app-review-pandora-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/12/iphone-app-review-pandora-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Friday amidst the fury new iPhone application releases, Pandora released an application for iPhone and iPod touch that allows users to take their personalized radio stations with them. Existing Pandora users can download the free app and instantly have access to all their current radio stations as well as add new ones. If you're not already a Pandora user then the process is slightly more difficult to get started and involves authorizing your mobile device on Pandora's web page.

Pandora for the iPhone offers the same features as traditional Pandora for your PC. Stations can be easily created around a particular artist or song that you enjoy. As you're listening to a song you can give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down to help customize the station to your preferences. Songs can be skipped if you really don't like them, bookmarked if you do, or immediately purchased through the iTunes store if you can't live without them a moment longer. The app also has an information button where you can read about why a particular song was selected to play on your radio station.

We gave the app a little test drive last night. We were really impressed with the app's interface and love that looks a lot like traditional Iphone music player, complete with full screen cover art. If you're still rocking a first gen iPhone and live somewhere where your EDGE data tends to be a little hit or miss, then so is your Pandora. We drove around town and had a few instances where the music would skip, or in some cases stop entirely which is no fun when you're trying to rock out. Most of the issues seemed to happen in-between songs so the app may be designed to work a little ahead of itself to compensate for passing through areas that aren't EDGE friendly.
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]]>internetradioiphoneiphone 3giphone3gpandoraEmily Price2008-07-12T17:00:00+00:00iPhone App Review: Twitterrific is even better than the desktop versionhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/12/iphone-app-review-twitterrific-is-even-better-than-the-desktop/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/12/iphone-app-review-twitterrific-is-even-better-than-the-desktop/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/12/iphone-app-review-twitterrific-is-even-better-than-the-desktop/#commentsFiled under: ,

Sometimes Download Squad has to agree to disagree about a new app, and this is one of those times. Although some on the team have knocked the iPhone version of Twitterrific, I actually like it better than its big brother on the desktop. What can the iPhone version do that the desktop version can't? Well, for one, it can pop Twitter open within the app - sometimes you want to scope someone's page (to see what a friend was replying to, for example). I haven't seen another iPhone app that uses the same trick to browse web pages without quitting and switching to Safari.

Just like the browser trick, the rest of the UI is elegant. Tweets look great and are easy to read - the premium version lets you switch to a lighter theme that also looks good, if that's up your alley. @reply links are clickable, and short profiles are viewable without opening a webpage at all. I'll grant that there seem to be some issues with icon caching - when a tweet goes off-screen, the icon has to be reloaded when you scroll back to it -- but I'm not sure if that's an iPhone issue or a Twitterrific one. Throw in the ability to update your location with the iPhone's built in location services, and this is an app that uses the platform to its fullest.
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]]>IconfactoryiPhoneiPhone applicationsiPhone appsIphoneApplicationsIphoneAppsTwitterTwitterrificJay Hathaway2008-07-12T16:00:00+00:00iPhone App Review: Twitterrific exercises your EDGE connection and your patiencehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/12/iphone-app-review-twitterrific-exercises-your-edge-connection-a/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/12/iphone-app-review-twitterrific-exercises-your-edge-connection-a/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/12/iphone-app-review-twitterrific-exercises-your-edge-connection-a/#commentsFiled under: , ,

TwitterificSlick UI seems to be the norm for most 'big name' iPhone applications on the AppStore. Twitterrific easily gets the top spot in terms of having attractive UI and navigation. However, UI and usability are not synonymous. When I use my phone, I want to accomplish what I want to do quickly and easily. Unfortunately Twitterrific falls short in a few area which makes it one of the most frustrating apps to use on the iPhone.

Until recently, the only way for developers to test an iPhone application was to use the simulator. While it does a great job in allowing developers to see and interact with the app as they develop it, it doesn't show how the app performs in real-life situation.

There are two major differences between the simulator and the real iPhone that are at play here. One is the computer speed and the other internet connection speed. Even the slowest MacBook Air runs faster than the iPhone and thus any performance issue would be masked. Likewise with internet connection, there is no straightforward way to simulate the speed and latency of a EDGE connection and therefore any deficiency of the code in the app would not be exposed until the developers try it out on the real iPhone with spotty EDGE connection.

Twitterrific suffers from both of these problems. The scrolling performance of the message list is so jerky and slow that initially I thought there was something wrong with my iPhone. As I waited patiently for the list to scroll up and down, I also noticed that Twitterrific loads and re-loads every single user picture, even if it has previously been loaded. I stared at my iPhone in dis-belief because I could not comprehend how any sane developers would be as inefficient as that. My hunch that the reloading issue is tied to connection speed was confirmed last night when I got home and connected to the net via wi-fi. Both scrolling and picture reloading sped up because of the much faster connection I have at home.

Continue reading iPhone App Review: Twitterrific exercises your EDGE connection and your patience

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]]>appstoreedgefacebookiphoneiphone2.0NetnewswiretwitterrificAlex Hung2008-07-12T15:00:00+00:00iPhone App Review: Apple's Remote works, and it's freehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/11/iphone-app-review-apples-remote-works-and-its-free/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/11/iphone-app-review-apples-remote-works-and-its-free/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/11/iphone-app-review-apples-remote-works-and-its-free/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

If you've been looking for a reliable way to make your iPod or iPhone work as a remote for iTunes, look no further than Apple's Remote application. Just when you thought there was no way to tie the iPod and iTunes closer together, Apple's found another way for them to intereract. And It's free!

Just pop open remote, click to add a new library, and then enter the resulting 4 digit code in iTunes to give your iPhone access to your library. Now you've got an interface that looks just like the one you use to play music on your iPod. This'll work with any iTunes equipped computer on your network, and once you've set them up, you can switch between them easily. We even set up a little ad-hoc network with just a Mac and an iPod Touch, and Remote's performance was excellent. Did we mention it's free?
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]]>Appleiphone applicationsiphone appsIphoneApplicationsIphoneAppsiPodiTunesRemoteJay Hathaway2008-07-11T20:30:00+00:00Who needs a real iPhone when you can get an AIR iPhone?http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/11/who-needs-a-real-iphone-when-you-can-get-an-air-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/11/who-needs-a-real-iphone-when-you-can-get-an-air-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/11/who-needs-a-real-iphone-when-you-can-get-an-air-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

For those of you out there who haven't been lucky enough to get your hands on a new and coveted iPhone 3G, let alone the original iPhone, there's always the AIR iPhone. We're not sure whether to be amused or horrified by this Adobe AIR app but, either way, we had to download it to see what it has to offer. The answer is sadly, not much. At the end of the day, it's simply a desktop app for Ribbit, which we mentioned earlier this year. The AIR iPhone's only connection to Apple is the opportunistic use of the iPhone's interface - and we're not sure how long Apple's legal team is going to let this one slide.

As for the app itself, according to its developer, you can make and receive calls, check your voicemail, add contacts and send voice messages, as long as you have an account on Ribbit. We weren't able to actually test it out as Ribbit hasn't opened its doors to the public just yet.

You can also rotate the AIR iPhone at a 90 degree angle and mess around with a few buttons that all lead you to dead-ends, so until Ribbit launches it service, the AIR iPhone is just AIR iCandy.
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]]>adobe airAdobeAiriphoneribbitNancy Messieh2008-07-11T16:30:00+00:00MixMeister lets you get your scratch on with an iPhonehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/11/mixmeister-lets-you-get-your-scratch-on-with-an-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/11/mixmeister-lets-you-get-your-scratch-on-with-an-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/11/mixmeister-lets-you-get-your-scratch-on-with-an-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The team at MixMeister wasted no time developing a scratch app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The MixMeister Scratch allows you to scratch anywhere and anytime you feel the need to.

The app comes with audio clips that you can scratch to by sliding your finger back and forth on the vinyl portion of the screen. We found the scratching fairly responsive but lacks the feel of an actual record (for obvious reasons).

If anything this is just an app to have fun with. Sounds are realistic and should impress your friends as you pretend to be the next DMC world champion.

MixMeister Scratch is free and available now at the iTunes App Store.

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]]>audiodjiphoneitunesJoey Celis2008-07-11T12:00:00+00:00iTunes App Store open for business, with 500+ apps for downloadhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/10/itunes-app-store-open-for-business-with-500-apps-for-download/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/10/itunes-app-store-open-for-business-with-500-apps-for-download/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/10/itunes-app-store-open-for-business-with-500-apps-for-download/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Apple opened the iTunes App Store today, just ahead of the Friday release of the iPhone 3G. The phone is already out in some parts of the word -- lucky Aussies and New Zealanders! -- but while North America is waiting, there's the iPhone 2.0 firmware update and a new version of iTunes to play with. If you install these updates, you don't have to wait for a new iPhone before you start buying apps! iPod Touch users, however, will apparently have to wait until tomorrow for the firmware update, which will cost $9.95 -- compared to a free update for the iPhone.

What about the apps themselves? Well, for starters, there are over 500 of them, and 25% of those are free. So far, games are leading the pack, with Sega's much-hyped Super Monkey Ball as the most downloaded app. Other hot games in the Top 10 are Enigmo, Cro-Mag Rally and Bejeweled 2. Apart from games, the most popular download thus far is OmniFocus, the powerful productivity app from Omni Group, coming in at #4.
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]]>app storeAppleAppStoreiPhoneiTunesmobileJay Hathaway2008-07-10T21:00:00+00:00Mobile carriers worst nightmare has come true, thanks to Qikhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/07/mobile-carriers-worst-nightmare-has-come-true-thanks-to-qik/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/07/mobile-carriers-worst-nightmare-has-come-true-thanks-to-qik/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/07/mobile-carriers-worst-nightmare-has-come-true-thanks-to-qik/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Live video streaming from your mobile phone is probably a mobile carrier worst nightmare simply because the amount of bandwidth video consumes. And leading that nightmare is Qik.

Simply put, Qik takes your mobile phone's built in video camera and transforms it into a webcam that connects to the Qik site where it will host live feeds of your video, as it happens. That's right, people can now watch you make a fool of yourself anywhere you go.

We were able to test the Qik service on our 3G connected Windows Mobile phone. The installation was quick and only required a few SMS messages be sent back and forth to authorize our account. Once configured just launch the application and your video will automatically appear on the Qik website. Video quality is acceptable and we only experienced slight delays due in part to our mobile connection and location.

Once you end your transmission the live video is then archived to the site for later viewing. Of course like any good site, they offer 2 different privacy settings for your feeds, public and private. At least this way not everyone in the world can see that you haven't cleaned up your room.

Currently in alpha, Qik supports a handful of Windows Mobile and Symbian phones with iPhone testing starting soon. We hope that future updates to the service will also include the ability to adjust video size and image quality. They do recommend an unlimited data plan and in the few days that we used the service we would also recommend it as well.

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]]>iphonemobilemobile videomobilephoneMobileVideosymbianwindows mobileWindowsMobileJoey Celis2008-07-07T09:30:00+00:00On the go reservations with OpenTable mobilehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/03/on-the-go-reservations-with-opentable-mobile/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/03/on-the-go-reservations-with-opentable-mobile/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/03/on-the-go-reservations-with-opentable-mobile/#commentsFiled under: , ,

OpenTable is a great way to make a reservation at a restaurant without having to speak to anyone. Their website is easy to use thanks in part to the drop down menus. So when it was time for OpenTable to release their mobile site we're glad they kept to the same, easy to use interface.

We tested the mobile site on Pocket Internet Explorer, Skyfire and iPhone's Safari and had no problems using the site on any of these browsers.

The mobile version is very straight forward. Pick a city, a restaurant, a date and time to make your reservation. And while it's quick and to the point the mobile version lacks any type of reviews or recommendations if you need a little help choosing a place to eat.

What would make this service even better would be the integration with sites like Yelp. Read a review of a restaurant and if it interest you, click on an OpenTable link to make the reservation right on the spot.

Still, given the lack of any reviews or recommended of places to try, the site is still a fun way to make a reservation while on the go.

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]]>iphonemobilewindows mobileWindowsMobileJoey Celis2008-07-03T13:00:00+00:00Evernote launches into open beta, introduces premium accountshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/24/evernote-launches-into-open-beta-introduces-premium-accounts/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/24/evernote-launches-into-open-beta-introduces-premium-accounts/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/24/evernote-launches-into-open-beta-introduces-premium-accounts/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

If you're not one of the 125,000 people who got a chance to try out the cross-platform note capture app Evernote during its private beta, don't despair. Evernote has launched an open beta, so now everyone can give it a try. If you were already in the beta, does this change anything for you? Yes, indeed it does: there are now two types of Evernote accounts, free and premium.

Free users keep all the features of the closed beta, with the caveat that you're now limited to 40mb a month of uploaded notes. If you're a power-user, or someone who's really sold on the Evernote lifestyle, go premium for 5 bucks a month or $45/year and get rid of that cap. Premium also comes with the option of SSL for all your uploads (for all those pictures of the enemy base, we guess) and priority access to the queue for Evernote's text-recognition features.
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]]>captureEvernoteGTDmobilenoteOS XOsXpublic betaPublicBetaWindowsJay Hathaway2008-06-24T19:00:00+00:00