We had always wondered if releasing a jailbroken application hindered a developer’s chances of having subsequent legal apps approved by Apple for the App Store, and now we have our answer. It seems releasing a jailbroken application has done fring no harm at all, as a fully legal and free version of its VoIP app is now available for the iPhone on the App Store.
Sadly, because of Apple’s strict restrictions on the iPhone SDK, the iPhone version of fring does not have access to the iPhone 3G’s 3G connectivity, meaning that for the time being anyway, this is strictly a wifi application.
The other concession is that it cannot run in the background, so you will need to load fring each time you want to make a VoIP call, unless you just want to leave it running all the time, which is unlikely for the average iPhone user. Even so, as an early release, fring have made the very best of the SDK in among Apple’s various restrictions.
Continue reading ‘fring brings VoIP calls to the iPhone (and this time with Apple’s blessing)’
Some days it seems like the whole world has gone iPhone mad. It’s only a bloody phone, for goodness’ sake - you don’t need to actually genuflect in its presence, no matter how many stories you might hear of people having minor ailments cured just by having someone wave one over their gammy leg or dicky tum.
Despite this, companies are still falling over themselves to offer goodies to iPhone owners. Next up is Dublin-based wifi mongers Free-Hotspot.com.
For the next three months, Free-Hotspot are offering all iPhone and iPod touch users free access to their network of wireless hotspots. The network comprises about 3,500 access points worldwide, with that number expected to hit 5,000 in the nexyear.
In return, users are expected to watch a short advertisement.
Luckily for Free-Hotspot, there is absolutely no way a non-iPhone user could attempt to get around their terms and conditions by - for example - manually changing the user agent string in their web browser.
Ok folks, the long wait for the iPhone/iPod touch SDK is over and it seems the reason it took so long to arrive is because Apple has been cooking up so many features to accompany its release. As Steve Jobs took to the stage at the special event held in Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino yesterday, he could barely conceal his enthusiasm.
Perhaps the biggest reveal, at least for prospective business users of the device, is that Apple has licensed Exchange ActiveSync from Microsoft. Not only that but the software is being built right into the iPhone for out-of-the-box connectivity to the Microsoft Exchange Servers in order to deliver over-the-air push email, contacts, calendars and global address lists.
Continue reading ‘iPhone SDK launch news blowout’
The release of Apple’s hotly anticipated iPhone/iPod Touch SDK is nearing ever closer and as is typical on the run up to such a launch, the rumor mill is going into overdrive. The thing that everyone expects is that Apple will lockdown any iPhone/iPod Touch applications with a verification scheme meaning that any third-party application will need to worm its way through a stringent approval process before arriving on iTunes for a price.
Rumors that flared up over the weekend over at iLounge seemed to suggest that this will in fact be the case. In a typical twist however a counter rumor has since cropped up on electronista claiming that these restrictions will only be applicable to applications that carry a price tag and that freeware will be much more widely accessible and not privy to the same approval process.
We are keeping our fingers crossed and our iPhones jailbroken (just kidding, our iPhones are as pure as the driven snow) until we know more, which should hopefully be before the end of the week. Stay tuned.
(Via engadget mobile)
PumpOne, the company that company that has made a name for itself with fitness videos for thee Apple iPod, has just launched a new service called Pump10. The new service is for the iPhone and iPod Touch and is geared towards helping users of the devices get fit with a series of ten-minute work out videos.
PumpOne’s exercise physiologist Declan Condron commented
We designed Pump10 workouts to help iPhone users get in shape, 10 minutes at a time. The iPhone’s fantastic portability and access to rich internet content anywhere and anytime means there are no excuses for not getting into better shape in the new year.
The video can be downloaded for free by pointing your iPhone/iPod Touch Safari browser here. Could be useful to help shed some of those extra inches acquired over the festive season.
(Via MobileWhack)
According to electricpigtv, a very senior source at Sling has let slip that the company’s famous Sling Player software is coming to the iPhone and iPod Touch.
iPhone and iPod touch are OS X devices, and we can write OS X apps with our eyes closed. It’s coming.
If true, it sounds like a pretty clear indication to us. With the imminent arrival of iPhone/iPod Touch software development kits, revelations such as this one are sounding ever less far fetched and the chances are that Sling and other big third party app companies are just waiting on the necessary tools to get the ports done.
The wait is almost over folks.
(Via electricpigtv)
Apple’s iPod Touch is basically an iPhone, except with double the memory and no phone module, right? Wrong.
Analyst iSuppli has been pulling the iPod Touch to bits, and has discovered that while the two devices share 90% of the same components, there are other design differences between them. For example, the iPod Touch uses space-saving components in its wireless LAN module that aren’t in the iPhone.
Meanwhile, the iPod Touch uses a single printed circuit board design, rather than the two-PCB design used for the iPhone. iSuppli also estimates that Apple charges roughly double for a Touch than the cost of its constituent parts.
(via InformationWeek)
This is a slightly geeky story that’s currently only relevant to hacky types, but its implications mean it’s worth reporting. Some iPod Touch owners have discovered that the device’s audio input pins work, which means you can theoretically connect a microphone to it.
Why does this matter? Well, it opens the way for Voice-over-IP (VoIP) applications to be developed for the Touch at some point, allowing people to make calls over its Wi-Fi connection. This, of course, is some way in the future, once Apple has released the software development kit for iPhone and iPod Touch. And even then, it’s likely to be a bit fiddly.
Nevertheless, a voice-enabled iPod Touch could cannibalise some iPhone sales, although not enough to be a bona-fide threat to Apple’s handset. I do wonder why Apple hasn’t developed its own VoIP software for the Touch - or partnered with a big player like Skype. Perhaps that’s yet to come…
(via TUAW)
It’s certainly possible: with hackers having cracked the iPhone — which runs the same OS X as the forthcoming iPod touch — the only missing part of the equation is a microphone.
If hackers can get the iPhone’s mic headset working with the iPod touch, along with a software hack that allows a VoIP app to be installed on the device, the iPod Touch could end up being a delightfully cheap, all-singing all-dancing mobile VoIP device.
Of course this does require the separate purchase of an iPhone headset but it’s a small price to pay for free calls. Something tells us that Apple’s stance on homebrew might not be so neutral if this does come to pass.
Continue reading ‘Could the iPod touch be a mobile VoIP wunderkind?’
With both Sony and Nokia (which recently announced its service) offering over-the-air music purchases, it was only a matter of time for Apple to do the same. The arrival of the new iPod touch (shown right) has given Apple the opportunity to roll out the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, which does pretty much what it says on the tin.
Songs can be browsed, previewed and purchased direct to either the iPhone or the iPod touch, and then synched-back to your home computer next time you link the device up. Pricing and selection of songs remains the same as in the standard iTunes app — it’s the full service, gone mobile.
In addition, Apple and Starbucks have tied-up in the States to offer an innovative service through which you can purchase the song you’re listening to in a Starbucks branch through a one-click process. Your iPod or iPhone will have access to the Starbucks location’s current playlist, allowing you to find it instantly. Over 600 locations will initially offer the service, which includes free wi-fi access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, starting 2nd October.
