Double Bubble

Important Battle.net Mobile Authenticator / iPhone OS 3.0 Notice

Ziv — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:49:37 +0000

Sometime later today, June 17, 2009, Apple will make available their OS 3.0 for the iPhone (and iPod Touch). In anticipation of this, Blizzard started sending out emails yesterday to Battle.net account holders regarding the Battle.net Mobile Authenticator and the new iPhone OS 3.0 software update.

If you are planning on updating to the new OS 3.0 and are using the Battle.net Mobile Authenticator, be sure to sync your iPhone with iTunes before doing so. This is important because with the installation of the new OS, all your apps and information are deleted and then restored by iTunes after the update. Since your Battle.net Mobile Authenticator is linked to your account, losing your currently installed version of the mobile authenticator could mean being locked out of accessing your account.

So to prevent a potentially large hassle, just be sure to sync your iPhone with iTunes first.

Here's the email that came from Blizzard:

From: donotreply@blizzard.com
Date: June 16, 2009 6:40:01 PM PDT
To: [email address]
Subject: Important Battle.net Mobile Authenticator / iPhone OS 3.0 Notice

Hello [name],

This is an automated e-mail regarding the Battle.net Mobile Authenticator attached to the Battle.net account [email address here].

In anticipation of the upcoming release of iPhone OS 3.0, we highly recommend that you back up your iPhone or iPod touch to a computer using iTunes before performing the iPhone OS 3.0 software update. By taking this important precaution, you will be

able to quickly restore your previous install of the Battle.net Mobile Authenticator if you encounter any issues during the update process.

iPhone App: WoW Companion

Ziv — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:49:16 +0000

The WoW related iPhone / iPod Touch app called WoW Companion [iTunes link] has actually been available on the App Store for a while (a few weeks at least), but I'm just getting to write about it now. This little app is actually two apps in one, a command, macro, and emote reference, as well as an Arena calculator. It's being developed by Audacity Software Pte. Ltd. for the low, low price of free or should I really say ad-supported free. Yes, it's a free advertisement supported app, so there's small ads on each screen of the app.

Here's the application description from the iTunes Store:

*** DISCLAIMER: This is not an official reference for the game and is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard or World of Warcraft. ***

This app is a handy tool and reference for beginners and veterans alike. It is designed to help players improve their game and reaction time as well as learn new commands.

Ulduar Achievements Aplenty

Ziv — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:40:56 +0000

I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had much of a chance to play WoW except for a few dailies here and there. This past weekend however, I wasn't only able to play a little, I was finally able to raid Ulduar. I've only been in Ulduar once before when I PUG'd a Heroic Ulduar and downed Flame Leviathan a week ago, so I was anxious to get back in there and see more of it.

Though I have a great time raiding, I haven't been able to raid with the guild since Ulduar was released. Schedules haven't worked out for me to raid consistently, but every now and then on our "off" days we'll have enough for another raid. Usually by the weekend, the core raiders have already been pushing through both normal and heroic Ulduar so it's hard to get a guild run. This weekend however, there was enough interest and people for a second 10-man Ulduar run. I was hoping for a second 25-man run but there just wasn't enough people and we didn't want to PUG the remaining people.

As a raiding guild, Ascended, has a lot of experienced raiders and though this was a spontaneous run, we were organized and coordinated enough to really move through 10-man Ulduar easily. Over two three hour raids, this "off" team went 10/14.

Since it was my first time through on 10-man, I racked up 11 Ulduar Achievements!

iPhone App: ArenaPoints 1.1

Ziv — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:37:22 +0000

There's a new update to the iPhone/Touch app, ArenaPoints [iTunes link]. This brings the current version to 1.1 and includes the following updates:

GUI improvements
"2on2" and other team sizes changed to the standard form "2v2"

The app and UI was pretty simple and straightforward originally, so I'm not sure I can tell what "GUI improvements" were made. However, I may be responsible for the change from "2on2", "3on3", and "5on5" to "2v2", "3v3", and "5v5" respectively since I wrote the developer and mentioned that it would be more consistent with how they are in WoW. The developer said he'd make the change, and it's good to see that he did.

iPhone App: WoWiQuest 1.1

Ziv — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:22:36 +0000

There's been an update available on the iTunes App Store for the iPhone/Touch app called WoWiQuest [iTunes link] for a little while now, but I'm just getting to it today. If you'll recall from my rather lengthy review of it's initial release, it's a pretty feature rich application that the developer has listed for $4.99 (USD).

The latest release brings it to version 1.1 and has some new features added to it. Here is what is in this new version:

- Bug fixes.
- NPCs, Items and Objects now list "Objective of" if available.
- Items now list NPC/Object "Source" if available.
- Database updated and bandwidth increased.
- View NPCs, Items and Objects in 3D if available.

The functionality of the application is still the same as it's initial release, but the addition of the 3D models for some of the NPCs, items, and objects is pretty cool. There aren't 3D models for all the items or NPCs, but those that do have them, the models are fully rotatable and can be zoomed in on to an extent. Here's some screenshots of the new 3D models feature:

Been Busy

Ziv — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:11:53 +0000

These past few weeks have been pretty busy for me so I haven't had much time to make any new posts, let alone even play much WoW. I do have a few iPhone related posts in the works, but I just haven't had the time to complete them yet. I'm hoping I may have some time this weekend to at least catch up on those "in progress" posts, but I don't know when I'll get them actually up. Hell, I may even try to get some more WoW play time in outside of the one or two dailies I've only had time for lately.

iPhone App: WM Match Tracker 1.2

Ziv — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:30:05 +0000

An update to WM Match Tracker [ iTunes link] is now available on the App Store. This iPhone / iPod Touch app is for use with the WoW Miniatures Game. The new version is 1.2 and it's still available for free!

Here's what's new:

Added the possibiliy to manage the honor for the part (to reflect the use of equipment cards)

iPhone App: ArenaPoints

Ziv — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:05:31 +0000

There's a new iPhone / iPod Touch application that is available on the App Store. This application has actually been out for a few days now but I'm just getting to a write up now. The application is called ArenaPoints [Tunes link], and costs $0.99 (USD). It's developed by Josepf Schuh.

Here's the application description from the App Store:

Tired of using Alt+Tab or Apple+M commands to switch between the World of Warcraft window and a browser just to check how many Arena Points you will get this week?

ArenaPoints helps you with this problem. Just open the app and update your Arena Rating after each battle to be informed if you need to play more matchs this week to buy the item you want of if you can stop and enjoy the daily fishing quest.

iPhone Screenshots of ArenaPoints. Opening screen (left), entering your team's arena rating will have the amount of points you'll get (right).

iPhone App: WOW Lifecounter

Ziv — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:37:24 +0000

There's a new iPhone / iPod Touch application that is available on the App Store. The application is for use with the WoW Trading Card Game and not the MMO directly. The app is called WOW Lifecounter [iTunes link] and costs $0.99 (USD). It's being developed by Series Six Software.

Here's the application description from the App Store:

This is a basic health counter for the World Of Warcraft Trading Card Game.
It keeps track of games won, and allows the players to customize the life totals.
Using it is simple! Input the health amounts of the heroes into the small text area and use the damage buttons during the course of the game.
The game win totals will update automatically when the health total is exceeded.

From the description it sounds straightforward to use and as you can see from the screenshot, it has a very basic and functional UI. It seems to work as intended. I don't play the TCG so I don't have much to really can't assess how useful this app would be to the TCG community. Perhaps if someone out there that plays the TCG can tell me if it's worth the $0.99 (USD) and if it's something a TCG player would use.

iPhone App: WoWiQuest

Ziv — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:39:18 +0000

Amidst new C&D's and disappearing apps, there's a WoW related native iPhone / iPod Touch application on App Store. This application was actually released a few days ago, but I haven't had the time to really sit down with it and try it out until now. This new application is being developed by Steven Melton and it's called WoWiQuest [iTunes link]. It's available on the App Store for a whopping $4.99 (USD).

Here's the application description from the App Store:

iQuest is a World of Warcraft player's companion for the iPhone and iPod Touch. As you play WoW, use iQuest to search for detailed information, stats, locations for Quests, NPCs, Items and Objects. We are constantly updating our database so you will have the latest game information to help you while you play.

Features:

- Quest objective, details, rewards, start and end locations.
- NPC stats and locations.
- Item stats and spell information.
- Object details and locations.
- Bookmark information for quick access.

*Internet connection required.

www.wowiquest.com