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The jailbreak community is always working on the “next thing” that will make your friends go “wow” when they see your modded iPhone. Developer Apocalypse is working on a new tweak called 3DBoard that will add a subtle 3D effect to the icons on your Springboard when you tilt your device. There is a demo video embedded below, but I’m not sure how much the effect can be spotted in the video.
Anyway, it will be available soon in Cydia at $4. [Gizmodo via Youtube] Read more
How would you like the option of using your MacBook without ever needing to plug it in for charging? Voltaic has posted details on how to do this. The setup requires Voltaic’s own 15 Watt Solar Panel and HyperMac’s 60 Watt external battery. Read more
As news spreads about Verizon’s unlimited data plan being available for the iPhone, AT&T could fight back by rewarding previous customers (who had an unlimited data plan before AT&T’s new policies took effect) with the option to subscribe to an unlimited plan. For AT&T customers who switched off the unlimited data plan, they’ll have the option to attain it once again.
From the Associated Press,
Verizon Wireless will start offering the iPhone on Feb. 10 with a draw that AT&T no longer offers to new subscribers: a plan with unlimited data usage. But The Associated Press has learned that some AT&T iPhone users on limited plans won’t need to move to Verizon for unlimited data.
In an unadvertised loophole, AT&T Inc. has allowed subscribers who have had an unlimited data plan in the past to switch back. That includes anyone who had an iPhone before June, when the limited plans took effect.
You’d never see this kind of fighting over an Android phone - I don’t see AT&T extending their policies for the upcoming Motorola Atrix, which has a laptop dock available for greater productivity. Clearly the iPhone is more important to these carriers than its competitors. Between AT&T changing eligibility dates, and their previous mudslinging before the iPhone 4 launch, AT&T is vying to keep customers on their network.
But why is AT&T worried? While it isn’t clear to the public yet on how Apple will update the iPhone 4 on Verizon, customers can expect that the next generation iPhone will appear on AT&T’s network this summer. Does AT&T know something we don’t? Customers may stick around on AT&T just to have the latest hardware: I don’t expect many to pay a large termination fee on AT&T when Verizon launches their iPhone 4 - that switch would more likely happen when those contracts finally run out. I’m not in the camp that exclaims AT&T would suddenly lose a massive base of their customers…unless Verizon would get the next generation iPhone at the same time as well. I doubt it: I’d like to think Apple purposely misaligned their launch dates between carriers so Apple could maintain (and protect) their relationship with AT&T, while carefully extending their phone to a base of new customers. It’s not AT&T that should be worried about mass defection, it’s Android manufacturers selling phones on Verizon that should be worried.
[Associated Press via MacRumors]
You would think developers have something better to do than creating piano apps for the iPad that sound like cats. Well it turns out, no: someone did. In the video embedded below, an adventurous iPad user has recreated Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” using only music apps for the tablet, including Cat Piano.
The result, gentlemen, is quite surprising. Read more
MacWorld has begun! Here’s today’s deals on iOS, Mac, and Mac App Store apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get ‘em while they’re hot! Read more
Desktop organizer and quick launcher Berokyo has been around on the Mac and Windows for quite some time now. On the desktop, the app allows you to organize, sort and manage your most used files and folders for quick access and media consumption. The developers recently released a universal iOS version of the app, which like the Mac counterpart puts the focus on letting users visually organize their documents on a virtual bookshelf; unlike the desktop, though, iOS devices don’t have the possibility to display a file system. The developers thus had to rethink the whole approach of Berokyo, changing the way users get files into the app. Berokyo for iOS can create unlimited bookshelves for documents coming from other apps on your iPhone and iPads (like Pages and Numbers) but, most of all, can sync with Dropbox. Read more
If you feel sad about the removal of VLC from the App Store and you didn’t purchase the app in time before it got pulled, Movie Player is an interesting alternative I’ve been this past week you might consider for your portable movie needs. The app is universal for iPhone and iPad, it will cost you $2.99 and it’s got nice interface design and animations. Most of all, Movie Player can play most any video format you have on your hard drive, ready to be synced via iTunes.
The huge list of supported formats includes: divx, avi, flv, mov, wmv, mpg, mpeg, mpeg1, mpeg2, mpeg4, mp4, m4v , mpv, vob, ts, ogv, ogm, mkv, dv, asf, 3gp, m2p, m2ts, m2v, gxf, wm. I have tested the app with avi, mkv, mp4 and mov files.
In my tests, the app played most formats smoothly, launching files of 2GB in 2-3 seconds. I also would like to point out that I’ve run Movie Player against iOS 4.3 beta, which isn’t officially supported yet. I’ve only noticed slow downs with large movies that had .srt subtitles, also synced with iTunes’ file manager. The app recognized the subtitles but didn’t generate a thumbnail, and moving the scrubber through the movie was a little too slow. Anything else, however, worked perfectly under the new OS on the iPad and iPhone 4.
Movie Player allows you create playlists to watch videos one after the other without interruptions, very useful for TV shows and video podcasts. A small detail I particularly appreciated is the curtain-like animation that shows up when opening and closing a movie.
Movie Player definitely gets its job done, it hasn’t got many additional features but playback is smooth. At $2.99 in the App Store, give it a try. More screenshots below. Read more
OnCue is one of those iPhone apps you don’t know you need until you start playing with it. The concept is simple: Apple’s default iPod app allows you to import playlists from iTunes and customize the way you listen to music by combining different songs and artists in a single list, it lets you shuffle your music, but it’s doesn’t come with any queue functionality.
While you’re listening to music on your iPhone or iPod touch and you’re on the go, it’d be nice to be able to select the songs you want to listen to without having to pull out the device from your pockets every time. Use a playlist, you might suggest. But what if I don’t want to create a playlist for each day? I just want to say “hey, today I want to listen to these songs in this specific order”. You can’t create a new playlist every day, yet you know what songs you want. You need a queue function. OnCue does just that, and it works with both songs and podcasts. Read more
At only one and a half pounds, you’d think the iPad would be fine on its own being slipped in and out of a messenger bag. If the iPad isn’t portable enough for your day job (or you’re ultra-paranoid about pickpockets), Assero has slimmed down a backpack so you can wear it over your chest. Opening out and presenting the iPad as a typing surface, they’re designed to be mobile “offices” where you can quickly access your most used gadgets and accessories. Of the two models, the Protector is a slim version at $89.99 that can be worn underneath clothes (the aluminum iPad would make for good body armor), and the Defender is a more expensive workhorse that has more pouches and pockets for $129.99. You can preorder the cases at Assero’s landing page, but I can’t say I’m jumping at the opportunity to actually get one.
[via CNET]
