November 22nd, 2009

Schiller: App Store isn't broken

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:41 pm

Categories: App Store

Tags: Apple Inc., Store, Approval, Phil Schiller, Smart Phones, Telecom & Utilities, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

In his first extensive interview on the subject Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller, gives BusinessWeek some insight about the App Store approval process which is both feared and loathed by developers.

Schiller puts a lot of emphasis on security as a reason for the App Store approval process being as tight as it is, saying:

We’ve built a store for the most part that people can trust… You and your family and friends can download applications from the store, and for the most part they do what you’d expect, and they get onto your phone, and you get billed appropriately, and it all just works.

The volume of app submissions to the App Store is ferocious, 10,000 are submitted each week. Of those, 10 percent are denied for being inappropriate, meaning that they “steal personal data, or which are intended to help the user break the law, or which contain inappropriate content.”

According to Schiller about 1% or fewer fall into some gray area that Apple hasn’t anticipated — like apps that help users cheat at gambling.

Another big source of rejections is concerns over intellectual property, although Schiller concedes that Apple’s trademark rules can be applied “inflexibly.”

If you don’t defend your trademarks, in the end you end up not owning them. And sometimes other companies come to us saying they’ve seen their trademarks used in apps without permission. We see that a lot.

In its short 28 month life many people have become dependent on their easy to lose (and steal) iPhones and store copious amounts of personal data on them. The author concludes that it “makes a good deal of sense to have someone keeping a close eye on what those apps do.”

The personal nature of smartphones and the particular nastiness that malware could inflict (surreptitiously recording your voice and location, for example) seem to be his biggest reasons for supporting the iPhone’s existing police state, but I don’t buy it.

There has to be a middle ground between keeping the platform secure from malware and approving updates in less than eight weeks though – and Schiller doesn’t appear ready to cede that point. Don’t expect anything to change any time soon, especially if Schiller’s interview is any indication.

Is he right? Is Apple just protecting us from ourselves?

Photo: Cult of Mac

November 20th, 2009

First serious iPhone app for DJs: Touch DJ

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:00 pm

Categories: App, App Store, DJ, Music

Tags: Apple iPhone, Track, App, Touch DJ, Smart Phones, Apple Mac OS X, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Operating Systems, Software

After languishing in app store purgatory for eight weeks, Apple finally blessed Touch DJ (iTunes, $19.99) and approved it for sale in the App store. Touch DJ is a powerful DJ app that allows you to mix and blend two independent MP3/M4A music tracks on the fly.

In addition Touch DJ allows you to scratch and loop your tracks, adjust the pitch and equalization and even add effects – and it’s quite intuitive. I was up and running almost right away and found myself around by experimenting with the various buttons in the well-designed interface.

There’s two modes. Visual mixing allows you to beatmatch by lining up the low-bass (kick) parts of each track by dragging the waveforms up or down. Split mode requires a special L/R splitter and allows you to monitor the tracks on one channel while the other provides the master output. Like other music apps Touch DJ sounds best when connected to a good set of headphones or powered speakers.

Touch DJ isn’t going to fully replace a real pair of Technics 1200s or Pioneer CDJs and a mixer, but it’s getting close. In 2004 Serato’s Scratch Live revolutionized DJing by liberating DJs from their heavy crates of vinyl records, now a new breed of high power iPhone apps like Touch DJ has the potential to replace thousands of dollars in decks and mixers.

Touch DJ doesn’t allow you to work with music from your own iPod library however, it’s only drawback. But it’s not Amidio, the developer’s fault. A note on their Web site says that it’s “a technical restriction which cannot be resolved.” The workaround is to load tracks directly onto the iPhone with free companion software for Mac OS X and Windows.

November 19th, 2009

GrooveMaker is a loop junkie dream come true

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 1:00 am

Categories: App, App Store, Music, Review, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Loop, GrooveMaker, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

Groovemaker is one of my favorite new iPhone apps. It’s an 8-track loop machine that comes preloaded with five songs and hundreds of loops that you can remix into unlimited unique jams.

Start by tapping the “random” button in the upper right, then tap on each of the eight pads in the center and swap out loops for each. Each loop is dropped exactly on beat and the music never stops. You can perform an entire set with just one of the included songs, thanks to the high-quality seamless loops.

If you prefer to start from scratch just pick a drum beat, add a bass riff and some effect loops and you’re up and running in seconds. The best part is that you can experiment with hundreds of loops and change the tempo with no stop to the music. You can even mute, solo and control the volume and pan or each individual pad. It’s really quite impressive.

When you’re done with your masterpiece you can save it all as a new remix and export it on your Mac/PC for your own compositions, compilations or video soundtracks. The pop-up reminders to join their Facebook group, enter contests, etc. at launch are a minor annoyance but it’s otherwise an amazing app that allows anyone to be a remix DJ – instantly.

(Headphones or powered speakers are highly recommended as the teeny speaker in the iPhone and iPod touch simply doesn’t do the app justice.)

Eight Grovemaker Packs are available including Hip-Hop, House, Trance and Club ranging from $5 to $10 and a free version is available that you can try before you buy.

If you’re going to be in Fort Lauderdale, Florida tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 20) you need to stop by the iPDJ event at Voodoo Lounge to see history being made as DJs battle with Groovemaker on their iPhones/iPods. DJ Chris Domingo, DJ Scratch-D and DJ Speechless will be in the house shredding it up on their iPhones.

November 16th, 2009

Google Earth for iPhone revved to 2.0

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:22 pm

Categories: App, App Store, Google, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Google Inc., Google Earth, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

Google Monday revved the iPhone version of Google Earth (free) to version 2.0. The major update to Google’s venerable map app adds the ability to log in and see maps created on your desktop computer, explore the app in new languages, and improved icon selection and performance.

As a bonus, you can also view maps that others have created and shared:

Maybe you’re on a trip and want to see where Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of Lonely Planet, most likes to travel. Or perhaps you’re walking around looking for a restaurant and you want to see where world-famous chef Ferran Adrià likes to eat. All you have to do is click “Save to My Maps”, open Earth on the iPhone, log in with the same account information, and voilà, you have your same collection of My Maps right in your pocket.

Nice work.

November 13th, 2009

Rogue Amoeba: App Store 'broken'

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:22 am

Categories: App, App Store, Developer, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple Macintosh, Apple Inc., App, Rogue Amoeba, Desktops, Smart Phones, Hardware, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s story about how Joe Hewitt, developer of the Facebook app, is leaving the project in protest of Apple’s ridiculous review process comes another high-profile defection.

This time Rogue Amoeba has announced that they will no longer develop apps for the iPhone following frustrating treatment by the App Store team.

Rogue Amoeba’s Airfoil Speakers Touch 1.0 app (pictured) was approved months ago, after discovering a bug the company submitted an update to the App Store. The update took Apple three and a half months to approve because the company used Safari logos and Mac images as part of the User Interface.

The company contends that the logos and images were only used as navigational elements - usage that’s permitted in Apple’s Mac development rules.

Paul Kafasis, CEO of Rogue Amoeba, said it this way:

We urge you to do two things. First, be aware that Apple is acting as a gatekeeper, and preventing you from getting the software that developers such as ourselves are trying to provide you. We wanted to ship a simple bug fix, and it took almost four months of slow replies, delays, and dithering by Apple. All the while, our buggy, and supposedly infringing version, was still available. There’s no other word for that but “broken.”

Kafasis goes on to say that Rogue Amoeba won’t develop additional apps and that updates to its existing iPhone applications “will likely be rare.”

The iPhone platform had great promise, but that promise is not enough, so we’re focusing on the Mac.

Tip: 9 to 5 Mac

November 12th, 2009

Facebook app dev posts scathing indictment of App Store

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:52 am

Categories: App, App Store, Facebook, iPhone

Tags: Software, Facebook, Mobile, Apple Inc., Joe Hewitt, Tools & Techniques, Channel Management, Management, Marketing, Jason D. O'Grady

Joe Hewitt is mad and he’s doing something about it. He’s stopping developing his immensely popular FaceBook iPhone App in protest. TechCrunch reports that Hewitt tweeted that he’s done with the project:

Time for me to try something new. I’ve handed the Facebook iPhone app off to another engineer, and I’m onto a new project.

(Anyone else find it fitting that Hewitt chose to post his resignation on Twitter, instead of, well, FaceBook?)

Hewitt told TechCrunch that he quit the project over Apple’s tyrannical App Store approval policies:

My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple’s policies. I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer.

The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users.”

I’m with Hewitt. Apple’s app review process borders on insane, doesn’t scale well and is about as opaque as can be. Although Apple’s new status tracker for developers is a step in the right direction, it’s not much. The App Store review process needs to be reformed if it’s going to maintain its aggressive growth. A bunch of pissed off developers aren’t going to help.

The free Facebook app has over 500,000 reviews and is a flagship app that’s visible in many Apple television commercials.

Photo: Flickr user snackfight

November 10th, 2009

Apple bans bobble head Congress app

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:14 am

Categories: App Store, iPhone

Tags: Apple Inc., App, GPS, Telecom & Utilities, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

Apple has banned an app from the App Store that depicts our members of congress as bobble head caricatures. Not because the app put them in compromising positions or contained foul language, violence (or god help us, nudity) but because it “ridicules” them.

Really?

In a letter to the developer Apple denied the app because “it contains content that ridicules public figures.” That act of ridicule violates Section 3.3.14 from the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement which states:

Applications may be rejected if they contain content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, sounds, etc.) that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable, for example, materials that may be considered obscene, pornographic, or defamatory.

My problem with banning Bobble Rep – 111th Congress Edition is that its completely bipartisan and doesn’t discriminate against one party or another. Also, as Philip Elmer-DeWitt duly notes in his piece, it’s every American citizen’s Constitutional right to question and hold our elected leaders accountable.

So, is bobbling the head of a carcicature Nancy Pelosi ridicule? Personally, I don’t see it. There’s an entire category of bobble head apps already in the App Store.

My other issue with the ban is that the app’s real purpose is to give people more access to our elected officials by providing quick and access to public information like their office address and phone number. It even uses groovy location-based technology like GPS, which might appeal to - (shudder) kids.

The caricatures that Apple finds objectionable are by Tom Richmond, of Mad Magazine fame.

“The really sad part,” writes Richmond, “is that here is an app that might get people interested in who represents them in Washington, especially kids and young adults, and connects people to their senators and representatives via fun and PARTISAN FREE way.

Who’s minding the ’store over in Cupertino, anyway?

Tip: Apple 2.0

November 4th, 2009

I Am T-Pain enjoys 10,000 downloads per day

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 8:20 pm

Categories: Announcement, App Store

Tags: App, Smart Phones, Digital Music, Handhelds, Digital Media, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Hardware, Jason D. O'Grady

Apple today announced that the App Store now offers more than 100,000 apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, making it the largest application store in the world.

Apple has a pretty substantial head start in the market with 10 times the apps of its nearest competitor, the Android Market, which has 10,000 apps. Rounding out third place is Blackberry App World with 3,000.

The most surprising part of the Apple press release was Jeff Smith’s (CEO of app wunderkind Smule) admonition that his I Am T-Pain ($2.99) app gets a whopping 10,000 downloads per day.

Apple also noted that 2 billion apps have been downloaded since the App Store opened on July 10, 2008.

November 1st, 2009

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Best iPhone & iPod touch apps

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:24 pm

Categories: App Store, Holiday Gift Guide, iPhone, iPod touch

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple iPod, Twitter Inc., Video, Road Trip, Apple iPod Touch, App, Smart Phones, Corporate Communications, Consumer Electronics

It’s that time of the year again! It’s hard to believe, but this time last year, we only had 5,000 apps to choose from in the App Store – this year there’s more than 85,000 apps to choose from. What a difference a year makes. Whether you’re looking for an app for yourself or to give to the iPhone or iPod touch user on your list, look no further.

I’ve got a couple of recommendations that will help you keep up with Twitter friends, store all your passwords, be more fuel efficient, count calorie and have a little fun in the process! Can’t decide? That’s ok too, you always give your special someone an iTunes gift certificate, they’re great for apps and music.

TweetDeck for iPhone

TweetDeck is best Twitter client on the desktop, so it’s not surprising that it’s also the best Twitter client on the iPhone (App Store, free) and iPod touch.

It features multiple accounts, growl notifications and a unique column interface that allows you quickly swipe between all friends, mentions, direct messages and saved searches – or any combination thereof. You can even sync your column preferences between the desktop and iPhone apps. TweetDeck for iPhone could use a better trends interface, but it’s other

Although there are literally hundreds of Twitter clients on the App Store, TweetDeck is still the top dog. (Don’t agree? Tweet me your pick @JasonOGrady)

[Vendor site] [App Store]

Bonus pick: Boxcar is a free app that displays a push notification any time someone mentions you or sends you a DM, and it works for Twitter and Facebook.

Go to the next page »

October 16th, 2009

Apple allows in-app purchases in free apps

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 1:46 pm

Categories: App Store, iPhone

Tags: Developer, Apple Inc., App, Jason D. O'Grady

Apple sent emails to iPhone developers yesterday notifying them that in-app purchases are now permitted in free apps. Until now, the ability to offer in-app purchasing capabilities was limited to paid apps. This new functionality now allows developers to release free apps that include a free level (for example) with a payment required to unlock additional levels.

The move is the closest thing that we’ve seen to real trial software in the App Store and allows developers to ship a free app – with optional paid features – instead of having to develop and maintain a separate, “light” version in addition to the paid version of the app. The change in policy will be a boon to creative developers that can convert free users into paying users.

It’s also being suggested that Apple may have opened in-app purchases in free apps to help to stave off the piracy that is gaining momentum in the iPhone universe.

ComiXology was one of the first developers to jump on the bandwagon and quickly changed the price of its Comics by comiXology app to free. The free version of Comics comes with over 60 quality free comics, with additional comics available for purchase.

Are you likely to spend more at the App Store via in-app purchases now that they’ve been expanded to free apps?

Photo: The Apple Lounge