iPhone & iPod touch tips and tricks | Touchtip

More Free iPhone Games Today

Dean Lucas — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:09:30 +0000

With so many iPhone games now available in the App Store, game developers are struggling to find ways of making their wares stand out so you and I can even find them. One of the newest marketing tricks being…

If You Must Mount Your iPhone, Do it for Free

Dean Lucas — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:45:24 +0000

The flow of iPhone freebies continues with today with Phone Disk, a little Mac utility that enables you to access your iPhone or iPod touch’s file system from your desktop. Mounting your iPhone might sound a bit perverse, but…

Four Fantastic iPhone Utilities, Free For 61 Hours

Dean Lucas — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:42:45 +0000

Must be March madness, App Store style, ’cause the deals don’t stop coming. This weekend only, Level 61 is offering all of their iPhone apps for free. Grab one, grab them all. We like each one of them for…

The Best Dollar You’ll Spend on an iPhone App This Year

Dean Lucas — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:11:43 +0000

Simply amazing. That’s pretty much all we can say about MotionX GPS Drive, the iPhone app that not only measures up to its competitors, it flat out trumps most of them and at an eye-popping “wtf!” price.…

What’s Hot? Eco Punk iPhone Game is Free, Today Only

Dean Lucas — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:41:11 +0000

We just got word from Nitako, the developers of Rasta Monkey and Eco Punk, that for today only you can snag yourself a copy of Eco Punk absolutely free. Eco Punk is a 3D skate boarding game…

Box.net for iPhone Adds Powerful Features for Business Users [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:00:13 PST

Back in September, cloud content management provider Box.net rolled out its OpenBox Mobile platform, thereby allowing developers — and users — to access and integrate Box.net’s cloud storage with their own files and applications. Today the company is releasing a bunch of new updates that enhance mobile collaboration.

Box.net was one of the first collaboration companies to enter the iPhone space, back in October of 2008. Since that time, the company has been working hard to bring the Box.net experience to your pocket. The new version of the Box.net iPhone app adds a bunch of new features that go a long way to achieving that goal.

Opera readies mini browser for iPhone [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:56:54 PST

Watch out Safari. There's a new browser looking for a spot on the iPhone.
Norway-based Opera announced Wednesday that it will unveil its new Opera Mini 5 browser for the iPhone at next week's 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The developer of the desktop Opera Web browser is touting Opera Mini as faster than Apple's Safari, thanks to its use of compression. Opera said it compresses pages by up to 90 percent before they're sent to the mobile device.
Opera Mini 5 will also offer such features as tabbed browsing, a password manager, and Speed Dial, a splash page that displays thumbnail images linked to your favorite sites. An Opera link feature will let you synchronize your Speed Dial page and bookmarks between the mini and desktop browsers. Opera has already found a home and some success on Java-based cell phones such as the BlackBerry and on Android smartphones.

iPad needs to focus on multitasking, multiple users [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:55:01 PST

With the hullabaloo over the announcement of the iPad in the not-too-distant past, I’ve been thinking about what we were shown in Steve Jobs’ presentation of the new device, and what might be missing. It turns out that there are two features that were either not presented in the demo, or that are not included on the iPad, and which are essential to what I think the device will become. Both of these features, coincidentally, contain the word “multi”: multitasking and multiple users.

My colleague Rob Griffiths, writing about the iPad’s five worst surprises, lamented the lack of multitasking, or the ability to run two programs at the same time. As he pointed out, “It’d be pretty simple to design an interface to allow toggling between two running apps; some variant on Exposé, or a three-finger twist-swipe. I’m not talking about full OS X-style multitasking (though that’d be great), but just the ability to keep a key app or two open in the background.”

iWrap – Unparalleled Protection for Your iPhone or iPod

Dean Lucas — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:20:24 +0000

iPhones, iPods, iPads…it’s Apple mania out there and chances are you have at least one of these products in your pocket or purse this very moment. Many of you probably have even more than one. People are crazy for…

Is the iPad Another Game Changer from Apple?

Dean Lucas — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:53:14 +0000

Yesterday, Steve Jobs finally quelled the maniacal hype surrounding the mythical, mobile touchpad device from Apple. No tablet has been so highly anticipated since Moses revealed the ten commandments. Jesus pad, anyone? The Apple iPad converges media and mobile…

Apple responsible for 99.4% of mobile app sales in 2009 (Updated) [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:52:52 PST

The latest report from market research firm Gartner suggests that mobile apps are big business, and that business should only grow in the next few years. According to Gartner's numbers and those reported by Apple, Apple completely owns this market, likely grabbing almost every one of the 4.2 billion dollars spent on mobile apps in 2009. Based on Gartner's estimates and our own analysis, Apple could hold on to at least two-thirds of the market if current sales trends hold for 2010.

Apple's Proposed Multi-Touch UI System [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:35:09 PST

A few years ago, I took stock of several Apple patents that opened up new interaction possibilities by rethinking the ways people could provide input through multi-touch, virtual interface controls, new physical controls, sensors, and more. Several of these including the "multi touch mouse" (now released as the Magic Mouse) have made their way into shipping Apple products.
Yesterday, in anticipation of Apple's "latest creation," Patently Apple compiled a similar list of Apple patents that may see the light of day soon. Looking through their article and at several additional patents from Apple, I compiled a list of the new interaction design capabilities these patents cover. In aggregate, these interactions began to look like an integrated system for managing applications and content.

Yelp Takes On Foursquare in Latest iPhone App Upgrade [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:34:05 PST

Yelp has added a “check-in” feature to its latest iPhone app upgrade It’s a direct challenge to the hot startup Foursquare, whose core function is letting others know where you go and when you’re there.

Yelp has always encouraged members to review the places they’ve gone, and to use the reviews of other members to pick places to go. But its feel was always more database than real-time social network, good for the discovery of destinations but not for putting together an ad hoc meetup. That was the Big Idea of Foursquare, which caught fire at last year’s connectivity-challenged South by Southwest.

Yelp isn’t even bothering to hide its direct aping of FourSquare with version 4.0.0 of its iPhone app, which allows you to “‘Check-in’ to businesses when you are out to tell your friends where you are.” That’s the exact same language Foursquare uses to encourage users to report their location.

Watch Obama’s State Of The Union Speech Live From Your iPhone Next Week [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:32:29 PST

The White House has announced on its blog that they have released an official iPhone / iPod Touch application dubbed ‘The White House’ app (here’s the iTunes link).

The application comes packed with content, including the latest news items, videos, photos and blog posts from The White House. One feature that stands out is live video streaming, which enables iPhone and iPod Touch owners to watch the President’s public events at the White House as well as other events like key speeches and press briefings in real-time.

Next week, U.S. President Barack Obama will address the nation, and his State Of The Union speech will be broadcast live both from the White House website right here and from the iPhone application.

GTA Chinatown Wars brings the battle to iPhone [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:31:19 PST

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars keeps driving around for an audience, with the excellent handheld entry in the crime sim franchise quietly releasing on iPhone last night. TouchArcade notes that in its third platform iteration, behind DS and PSP, the $10 game uses on-screen buttons similarly to Gameloft's Gangstar and retains the DS stylus minigames.

It would seem that those who can get around the button-less interface are in for a full GTA experience that costs less than a dime bag.

iSites Will Let Publishers Simultaneously Build Apps For iPhone And Android [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:27:06 PST

It’s becoming increasingly common for the web’s many publishers to offer their own native smartphone applications in addition to mobile-optimized web versions. But few web publishers have the resources to actually develop an app for themselves. iSites is a new service launching today that allows publishers to quickly build applications for the iPhone, allowing them to create a customized and branded app in as little as 10 minutes. And soon, you’ll be able to use the platform to simultaneously publish Android apps from the same platform.

Apple In Talks to Make Bing the Default iPhone Search Engine? [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:25:49 PST

We know that Apple and Google aren’t on very friendly terms anymore. These two companies once shared top executives – Google CEO Eric Schmidt was on Apple’s board of directors – but after Google started directly competing with Apple, especially with Android and, more recently, the Nexus One, they’ve become bitter rivals.

It doesn’t surprise us, then, that Apple might be in talks with Microsoft to turn Bing into the default search engine on the iPhone.

JavaScript Hack Enables Flash on iPhone [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:39:27 PST

A rather clever programmer has managed to get the iPhone to run interactive apps created using Adobe’s Flash platform. And because it works inside the Safari browser, it isn’t subject to the dictatorial rules of Apple’s App Store.

The software is called Gordon, and it doesn’t actually allow Flash itself to work on the iPhone. Instead, Gordon is a JavaScript runtime written by Tobias Schneider which allows the browser to play and display .swf files (the Shockwave Flash file extension). A runtime is a collection of software that allows the running of code inside it. A helpful analogy is a software emulator for a games console which allows you to play the actual code of, say, Super Mario World on your PC.

Huge Holiday Sale on iPhone Games from EA mobile!

Dean Lucas — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:23:26 +0000

A holiday surprise from Electronic Arts! They bring it to the house and put it under the tree with a HUGE sale on the EA catalog of games for iPhone and iPod touch. EA’s calls it, “The Game On!…

Risqué iPhone Game Finally Approved for App Store [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:06:14 PST

Six months after being submitted for approval, IUGO Mobile Entertainment's A.D.D. - a package of mini-games ranging from silly to straight-up tasteless, finally has been cleared for sale on Apple's iTunes App Store.

iLingual's Virtual Phrasebook App Brings Us Closer to the Babel Fish ... [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:28:23 PST

In Douglas Adams’s best-selling novel The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a space traveler could stick the Babel fish right into his ear, making it so he could understand speakers in any language. Emirates airlines’ iLingual iPhone app doesn’t realize his dream, but it’s a step in the right direction. Take a picture of your mouth with this free app (iTunes link), select from up to 400 English phrases and hold your iPhone or iPod Touch in front of your lips to make it look like you’re saying the phrase in Arabic, French or German, depending on which version of the app you have.

iPhone Hints: Access MobileMe site via iPhone [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:03:56 PST

Honestly, we hope you never need this week’s iPhone tip, but just in case, you may be glad that you have it. Say you’re out shopping in this run-up to the holiday season and, when your back is turned, your iPhone mysterious vanishes—purloined by the sticky fingers of an opportunistic thief.

You probably already know that if you’re a MobileMe subscriber, you can track your missing handset using the Find My iPhone feature of the MobileMe Website. The downside? If you try to access the MobileMe site on your iPhone, Apple will show you a screen telling you that in order to actually login to the service, you need to use a computer. So even if one of your friends has an iPhone with them, then you’re out of luck until you can get to a Mac or PC.

textPlus 2.0 Hits The App Store For Free Texting [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:03:18 PST

textPlus, a text messaging app that’s powered by GOGII, has just hit the App Store. textPlus lets any iPhone or iPod Touch send free text messages to any cell number by using in-app advertising to cover its costs. There is no limit on how many text messages you can send per month, it’s just a matter of getting WiFi, 3G or an Edge connection. GOGII was one of the first companies that was funded by iFund, the partnership between venture capital firm KPCB and Apple, which was announced at the Apple SDK roadmap event.

With version 2.0 of textPlus, GOGII is announcing the availability of textPlus usernames, which can effectively serve as a stand-in for a phone number, which is great for iPod Touch users. Your friends can send standard text messages to you from any phone, simply by sending a text to the shortcode 60611 that leads off with your username followed the rest of their message (so a text to me would look like “DanielBru Hi are you coming to the movie tonight?”).