The new build of iPhone OS 2.0 now features contact search. Alleluia! I have over 1,500 contacts I’ve been collecting over the past ten years. After flicking through the list a few dozen times does get old. Anyways, the search function is also included with the revised iPhone Simulator that comes with the SDK build 9M2158a, beta 3.
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Written by Vincent Nguyen on April 9th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on iTunes and iTunes Store and 3G iPhone and iPhone SDK and Featured and App Store and iPhone 2.0.
After reading about the iPhone for a while, memorising facts from its spec-sheet is just an occupational hazard. So, Apple’s cellphone has a maximum screen resolution of 640 x 480 for compatible content… doesn’t it? Ars Technica say no, and they’ve been playing with video that encoded at 720 x 576, 25fps on both the iPhone and the iPod Touch, a figure that’s funnily enough exactly the same as a PAL DVD. Videos encoded at that resolution can be viewed both through mobile Safari and funneled over from iTunes, although of course it only shows up at the 480 x 320 resolution of either device’s screen.
So why is this important, if you can’t see the difference? As Ars Technica explain, it’s all about optimising your video library for playback on multiple devices:
“[It] can be [useful] if you want the same files to be playable the mobile device and on the computer screen or TV. If you are interested in experimenting yourself, don’t forget to stick to baseline H.264 encoding and remember that these files will not play on older generation iPods”Iljitsch van Beijnum, Ars Technica
The upside is that movies bought from the iTunes store are actually being delivered in higher resolution than you might expect, given Apple’s quoted compatibility for the iPhone; Iljitsch found his copy of Punch-Drunk Love came in at 853 x 366, which would look far better through, say, an Apple TV than a 640 x 480 version might.
[via Gizmodo]
Written by Chris Davies on April 8th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on iPhone and iTunes and iTunes Store and iPhone content and iPod Touch and Media and iPhone archive.
This Tuesday rumors were buzzing and news items published around the globe reported that Adobe has chosen to finally join the game, forgoing a collaboration with Apple and instead deciding to independently develop a Flash player of their own for the iPhone. Well, just as the saying goes, it seems to be all talk and no walk.
During a video conference held two days ago, Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen said that in order to provide users with a complete web-browsing experience, support for Flash must be enabled. “Flash is synonymous with the internet and frankly, anybody who wants to browse the web and experience the web’s glory really needs Flash support”, said Narayen. “We are also committed to bringing the Flash experience to the iPhone and we will work with Apple. We’ve evaluated the SDK, we can now start to develop the Flash player ourselves and we think it benefits our joint customers. So we want to work with Apple to bring that capability to the device."
The only catch is, Adobe still desperately needs endorsement and approval from Apple, not to mention some help.
It turns out that the folks at Adobe haven’t quite digested all of the terms and conditions of Apple’s recently announced SDK package before making these kind of declarations. Contrary to the statements made by Adobe, a Flash player is in no way considered a third party application, such as games or instant chat applications, but rather an add-on which is to be embedded in the iPhone’s Safari browser, and completely dependent on the device’s operating system – just as any other video player.
In the terms and conditions of the SDK, it is clearly stated that the development of add-ons is frowned upon by the design gurus at Apple – developers are allowed to develop only third party apps unless given Apple’s blessing and approval.
Even if Adobe will eventually develop an independent player as a third party application, Apple’s approval would still be required in order to include the new player in Apple’s official application download store, the AppStore. Personally, I don’t see Adobe releasing a player meant for iPhones that have been through the Jailbreak circuit or allowing the installation of unofficial third party applications.
For obvious reasons, Adobe will instead prefer to develop an application which is to be installed via the AppStore, or officially embedded by Apple in the iPhone’s future releases.
Was Narayen’s statement a miserable blooper, or a genius stunt in public relations?
Adobe and Apple are well-known for their collaborations over the years. On the one hand, Apple head honcho Steve Jobs has claimed that Adobe’s Flash player is not suited for the iPhone, being too “heavy”, and that the Flash Lite player, which is tailored specifically for mobile devices, doesn’t meet Apple’s vision for the ultimate viewing experience on the iPhone.
On the other hand, Adobe is left wondering how come the Flash Lite player, which was adopted by big names in the mobile industry, such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and Sony-Ericsson, just isn’t good enough for the likes of Steve Jobs.
One delightful notion is that Adobe and Apple are indeed in cahoots developing a Flash player that will be incorporated in future versions of the iPhone, just as they were when they developed a Flash player for the Mac’s operating systems, and that Narayen was just stirring up some drama.
Whatever the real story is, iPhone users are still waiting for a Flash player.
Until then, here is a partial solution – a Java application which converts Flash videos for the following sites:
blip,
clipfish,
godtube,
metacafe,
myspace,
myvideo,
putfile,
rofl,
sevenload,
video.google,
videotube,
youtube ,
youpornHere is a video explaining how to use this application and access videos on your iPhone:
Written by Derrick on March 25th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on iPhone and iTunes and Apple.
The Hollywood writers’ strike from earlier this year has had some tragic consequences. For one, we never got to see this year’s Christmas episode of “The Office.” For another, even more reality TV was rushed into production.
But Apple is taking steps to remedy at least the most immediate problems that arose for customers of its iTunes Store. Anyone who purchased a Season Pass for a show that was disrupted by the strike will receive a refund for any episodes that won’t air, as well as credits good for the purchase of two additional TV episodes.
It’s an inevitable step, but the additional credits from Apple constitute a nice gesture that it didn’t need to make.
Thanks, Kimra!
Written by Pete Mortensen on March 20th, 2008 with no comments.
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Though the Financial Times is without question a vastly more reliable source than most places that spawn rumors of Apple’s impending moves, I just can’t convince myself to buy into reports that Apple wants to create a monthly iTunes subscription plan or all-you-can eat music business model with the purchase of an iPod or iPhone. It isn’t their style
While denials from Steve Jobs are usually a good way to spot what he’s working on, this is an area where he has remained steadfast. He believes that people want to own their music, and I believe that he’s right. Sure, I love to sample music as much as anyone else, but the songs that I keep are really personal to me. Renting music just doesn’t work out. Even if Nokia is doing it, too.
Moreover, the monthly subscription business model is one that Apple hasn’t ever offered before to anyone. Not for movies, TV, or software. In fact, Apple’s only experience of recurring payments are with the iPhone’s service fees, which the company gets just a small slice of. There are far too many accounting headaches to resolve to make it worthwhile, and the record companies are angry at Apple. At Apple’s restaurant, they dine ala carte.
Written by Pete Mortensen on March 20th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on iPhone and Rumors and iTunes and Music and Apple.
