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Instacast HD Review: It’s Incredible

I remember when I first reviewed Instacast for the iPhone back in March, declaring it the Twitter of Podcast apps. While possibly dramatized, what Instacast has done for mobile podcasts is what Loren Britcher did for Twitter apps. The interface, lightweight and smooth, capitalizing on common sense gestures and thoughtful design elements, quickly made Instacast one of my favorite iPhone apps. Instacast is the only non-Apple app that has a spot on my iPhone’s dock. An intelligent conversation, a good laugh, and Geek Friday are always just a tap away.

Instacast got smarter. Sure there were times when enhanced podcasts didn’t work or a wonky update caused weird crashes, but they were fixed and plenty of new features were added. Continuous playback always kept a friendly voice on the loudspeaker. Later, iCloud syncing was added in preparation for future updates. Future updates that of course would finally see Instacast taking on bigger endeavors.

There were lots of days on the couch when I thought about Instacast coming to the iPad. Until recently of course, I hadn’t known what to expect before I was invited to take a look at the first beta. I imagined that Instacast, containing a library of podcasts, would take on a form similar to iTunes. I imagined the interface as a grid, where you would easily scroll through podcast cover-art and see badges revealing the number of unplayed episodes. How silly!

Martin Hering first hinted at the design in September, and I later had the privilege of revealing more of the interface near the end of October. An excited Joshua Schnell and Myke Hurley have also been eager to share the new interface, giving it due praise on the App Orchard and at Macgasm. The hype around Instacast HD for the iPad has been astounding, and for good reason. Instacast HD is incredible.

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Apple to Approve Streaming iPad Games for a Monthly Charge

Bloomberg is reporting that for the first time Apple has agreed to let a game development studio break away from the pay once per-game business model. The company, Big Fish Games, will attempt to peddle their iPad games through a monthly subscription.

The company’s founder, Paul Thelen, says that the service will be similar to that of Netflix. Consumers will pay a monthly fee to play iPad games streamed directly to their device over a wifi connection without having to download each game from the iTunes App Store. Big Fish Games currently have 99 iPad games available for download and it sounds like there may be even more to choose from by the time this new service launches early next year. It appears that the launch will include a single app available for download that users will be able to browse available iPad games – similar to Big Fish Games “Game Finder” app.

Thelen reports that there will be several options for gaming subscriptions starting at $4.99 a month. There will also be an ad-supported and time limited free version.

Big Fish also will offer a free version of its game service that limits play to 30 minutes a day and includes advertising. The subscription will initially cost $4.99 and will increase early next year to $6.99 after more titles are added, Thelen said. Apple collects a 30 percent commission.

It will be interesting to see if there is actually a demand for a streaming game service on the iOS platform. Apple reportedly seemed hesitant to agree to the let the game development studio use the business model that has been previously reserved for digital periodicals. If this trial run is a success, we will likely see a flood of new apps utilizing this model. Hopefully it doesn’t have an effect on the quality of iOS games we have seen to date.

 

[Bloomberg via MacRumors]

Apple Looking To Recruit Senior-Level Executives For iCloud Services

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal today, Apple has been looking to recruit senior-level executives “with backgrounds in Web-based software” to bolster the talent pool at Apple for iCloud and their other cloud and web based services. Curiously, the report also notes that Apple is also considering new iCloud apps that will “reduce the need for people to carry around numerous devices at once”.

The company doesn’t have specific Web-centric positions in mind, and it is looking broadly for talent to fill director-level positions and above, including senior executives if they find a candidate that is a good fit, this person said.

As the article notes, Apple has been hiring a number of lower-level staff for their web and cloud offerings since 2010 - including poaching web engineers from companies such as Quantcast and Yahoo. This move also follows on from Eddy Cue’s recent promotion to the role of Senior Vice President Internet Software and Services after leading Apple’s iTunes, App Store, iBookstore and iCloud offerings.

[The Wall Street Journal via MacRumors]

MacStories Product Review: AViiQ Portable Charging Station

MacStories Product Review Banner

MacStories Product Review Banner

It’s true that we can’t leave home without our myriad of chargers and gadgets, loosely stuffed into any available backpack pocket and bundled with the endless length of cords required to recharge such devices. Every charger, every USB cable, and every associated gadget can take up an amazing amount of space, and while I’m careful not to lose anything, keeping track of everything you bring with you becomes a drag. And if those Cables get entangled together? Game over.

Instead of taking four different individual chargers for our iPads, iPods, and Bluetooth headsets, what if we reduced that to one item that could contain all of our cables and smaller gizmos that we don’t need immediate access to? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could unfold a mat and have all of our cables neatly presented for immediate charging? Past the break, we’re taking a look at something as convenient, and we advise everyone that this could possibly be on your holiday wish-list by the time you’re done reading this review.

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Analyst: The iPad 3’s Retina Display is now in Production

According to DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim in an interview with CNET, the iPad 3’s 2048 x 1536 QXGA display is currently in production, with names like Samsung, Sharp, and LGD now laid on the table. The iPad’s possible Retina Display, which would double the pixels from the current 1024 x 768 display found in the iPad and the iPad 2, is rumored to find its way into the next generation iPad by 2012. Excited yet?

Shim says that finished iPad 3s with their aluminum shells and upgraded 4:3 displays could be finished in December following the few weeks it takes it takes to assemble Apple’s latest tablet. 9to5 Mac has already found hints of Apple’s next iPad, codenamed J2 (supposedly the 3G model with J1 being Wi-Fi only) in the iOS 5 source code, following a DigiTimes report that 2 million iPad 3s would be produced by the years end.

Keep in mind that an iPad 3’s Retina Display would have more vertical pixels than the 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display currently on the market, with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. Provided Apple could even sell such a pixel precise display, what would it mean for developers and designers creating new and unique interfaces for the iPad? And remember the transition period from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4? Yikes. Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

[CNET via 9to5 Mac]

Charity: The Humble Introversion Bundle!

In the giving mood? Why not head down and meet up with the other fine gamers hanging out at the Humble Bundle, who’re offering a bunch of cross-platform games (DRM free) to raise money for Child’s Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Donate for a couple of great causes and get a bundle of excellent games in return. If you donate more than the average, you can acquire some bonus titles not otherwise available with the initial line up of games and tech demos. The $70 bundle can be yours at any price, but we recommend at least slapping down a Jackson if you can. Contributers also have the option of bragging rights and posting their handle on the Humble Bundle wall of fame.

The Humble Introversion Bundle includes lots of great titles such as Aquaria, Multiwinia, and DEFCON, giving you plenty of adventure, multiplayer, and virtual gaming environments to romp through over the holidays. Given the choice of exploring underwater caverns and blowing up computer viruses, there’s something here for players of all ages. You can find links to all the great games below.

There’s fourteen days left to donate, so you have plenty of time to cash in your paycheck and donate to a worthy cause. Be sure to check out The Humble Introversion Bundle official launch video after the break and get amped up!

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A Reality Check On The Life Of An Independent Developer→

A Reality Check On The Life Of An Independent Developer

With the massive successes of Rovio (Angry Birds), Lima Sky (Doodle Jump), ZeptoLab (Cut the Rope) and other independent developers, a certain assumption has been established in which any developer who creates a reasonably successful app is thought to be profiting handsomely from the venture, maybe even becoming a millionaire. But as Shifty Jelly (developers of Pocket Weather and Pocket Casts amongst others) have pointed out in a blog post today, the reality of being an independent developer isn’t as idealistic as the success stories make it seem.

You put an enormous amount of effort (and yourself) into every product you make. Sometimes you find people deriding it, or dismissing it after spending 13.2 seconds using it. People tell you not to take that personally. Good luck with that. When you invest 6 months of your life, day and night, creating a product there’s no way in hell you can’t take other people’s comments personally. Reading App Store reviews can be as much fun as slapping yourself in the face with an ice cold trout on days where you manage to ship a bug with your product.

It is a little depressing in some respects, but it is also an important reality check on the difficulties of being an independent developer. The frustration of piracy and complaints about pricing really come through in the post - and whilst they aren’t the first to write about these problems, the post is a succinct and clear representation of their reality. Fortunately there is also a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, noting that it is the positives of the job that make it all worth it.

If you have the right personality, then sure, being an independent developer is a huge blast. Don’t come expecting millions of dollars to fall into your lap though, it’s damn hard work. Chances are you’ll make less than you would working for a giant, faceless corporation…but you’ll enjoy life so much more.

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Apple Posts New iPad 2 Advert: “Love”

Apple has tonight uploaded a new iPad advert to their YouTube channel. This latest advert, “Love”, follows the general style of their previous iPad 2 adverts — with a strong narrator intertwined with people using the iPad, highlighting an emotional connection. This advert highlights the emotional connection between people using the iPad for things that they love doing. There are shots of a basketball coach using an iPad to show his team a strategy, a group of friends in a band using the iPad to control levels, a person painting a landscape with an iPad, a person creating a home movie with iMovie on the iPad and a young child learning about dinosaurs on an iPad.

For some, it’s a life long passion. For others, its something discovered yesterday. We all have things that speak to us, they drive us to get up early, and stay up late. Getting lost in the things we love has never felt quite like this.

Jump the break to see the advert for yourself and jump over to Apple’s website or YouTube channel to see more of their iPad adverts.

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