“The iPhone 4 is so much more than just a new iPhone. It is a new phone! But…”
Featuring Jonny Five, Phill Schilz and Gregg Joswack, Vice President of iPhone Reinventions.
[via 9to5mac]
Banned iPad and iPhone 4 Promo Videos
Moodagent, Tweeb, MoneyBook Winners Announced
Thanks everyone who entered our giveaways in the past week. We’d also like to thank all the developers who offered their products to MacStories readers, so be sure to drop a “thank you” in case you’ve won something!
Anyway, you’ll find the winners after the break. Congratulations!
Folio Case for iPad, A Beautiful PDF Reader. Review and Giveaway!
Folio Case received a ton of buzz yesterday as it launched on the iTunes App Store, garnering the attention of thousands of iPad owners looking to download the perfect PDF reader. While the timing is unfortunate as an updated iBooks will offer native PDF viewing in iOS 4, Folio Case should be fairly acclaimed as the iPad’s most elegant solution for displaying PDF files yet. It doesn’t offer functionality pursued by power users such as highlighting, searching, or even bookmarking, but it does present a minimal reading experience, characterized by the page metaphor.
Life Web Browser: Yet Another Alternative to Safari?
So many developers have tried to build alternative browsers for the iPhone on top of Webkit. See, Apple gives you the tools to create your own customized browser, and I’m not blaming them for the attempt. I’m blaming them for the experience they failed to achieve, developing alternatives just for the sake of it. And people, the average App Store users, seem to appreciate this trend, perhaps because they’re willing to accept every single alternative some devs give them. Look at the success of Opera Mini for iPhone, and look at how bad it is when you compare it to Apple’s MobileSafari.
What I’m trying to say is, you don’t mess with MobileSafari. Sure you can try to add thousands of features, and you can also promote your app by saying that it does whatever MobileSafari doesn’t. Seriously, it’s fine. But you can’t really think someone won’t notice and eventually talk about your crap. That’s why we usually avoid to talk about these “alternative browsers” on MacStories.
Developers are now realizing that, with 2 million iPads out there, the tablet might indeed be a profitable market for “alternatives”. I won’t go into all the details, but just so you know - this thing has been the top paid iPad app for days. Is it possible to develop a decent alternative to Safari for iPad?
Let’s look for the answer in Life.
iPhone 4 Shortages to be Caused By Display Delays
Manufacturing is an intense process that requires cooperation amongst a variety of vendors. Preparing to launch a new product isn’t simply a matter of ramping up production, due to the limited availability of product in our ever increasing demand for electronic devices. With the industry under enormous pressure to support multiple clients like Hewlett Packard, Dell, and of course Apple, the answer isn’t simply, “You should have prepared for this.” It’s an incredibly complicated issue.
Because the iPhone 4 is in such huge demand, customers outcry against Apple’s foreboding delays. Of the issues Apple faces between customer relent and manufacturing woes, The Mac Observer sources the problem in obtaining plane switching displays. While the issue is expected to be resolved by this holiday season, Apple’s initial demand for the new iPhone 4 may be met with later shipping dates as they wait to receive the necessary components.
[The Street via The Mac Observer]
Publishers Comment on the iPad “Changing Business”
Has the iPad revolutionized the publishing industry? Not quite, but according to publishers it is providing them with a new avenue of integration for video and text that’s just starting to transform business. While publishers are taking advantage of a new market that’s engaging early adopters worldwide, CEOs are responding with rather mixed results.
iPhone 4 Camera and Video Quality Sampled in Prague, Czech Republic
This morning, sample iPhone 4 pictures and video arrive courtesy of the Czech Republic, which look absolutely fantastic for a smartphone. According to AppleInsider, the iPhone 4’s new camera is, “Orders of magnitude more sophisticated than anything previously attempted in a smartphone.”
The tipster who went hands on with Apple’s latest and greatest also noted the potential of the stainless steel band to become scuffed over time, and complimented the iPhone’s impressive battery life; during an hour of heavy use, the iPhone’s battery only dwindled by 10%.
JooJoo: Now Running OS X
Remember the JooJoo? Yeah, that tablet that should have become a success and sold less than 90 copies in March. A smashing hit, indeed. If you happen to be in those 90 lucky customers who purchase the JooJoo instead of an iPad, well - you should be happy to know that you can install OS X on it.
HD Radio May Come to Future iOS Devices
Apple hasn’t included any form of HD Radio radio in their ever expanded line of iPods and iPhones, but that could soon change. For those familiar with HD Radio, one of the main benefits is Music Tagging, which allows currently playing songs to be reviewed later and purchased through iTunes. Taking advantage of this capability, Apple may implement HD Radio to open a new market for iTunes Store purchases, according to a recent patent.
While iPod Nanos currently implement iTunes Tagging via FM Radio, HD Radio would provide listeners with higher quality broadcasts and access to exclusive HD stations if they exist in the local area.
[AppleInsider via TUAW]