November 23rd, 2009

Apple's latest TV ads defend AT&T

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 12:20 pm

Categories: AT&T, Advertising, Apple, Television, iPhone

Tags: Advertisement, Network, Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Corp., Apple Inc., TV, Jason D. O'Grady

It seems that Apple is jumping into the AT&T vs. Verizon battle royale that has been playing out on television sets and computer screens everywhere.

In case you’ve been living under a rock Verizon has been publicly trashing the AT&T 3G network in the United States and AT&T sued, lost, then released a response ad to counter the Verizon claims.

Now Apple’s getting in on the action, albeit, from a distance.

Apple will debut two new television ads, “Did you see my email?” (embedded) and “What time is the movie?” tonight on major U.S. networks that promoted the iPhone’s ability to use the Internet while on a voice call – something you can’t do on Verizon’s CDMA network.

The message in the new commercials is “all without leaving the call.” Although the ads don’t specifically mention Verizon, it’s obvious that they’re a response to the ongoing AT&T/Verizon tiff. Especially when it closes with the sarcastic-sounding “Can your phone and your network do that?”

Is Apple a caring partner or is it required to defending its spouse’s honor?

November 23rd, 2009

New iPhone worm found in the wild

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:27 am

Categories: Jailbreak, Malware, Security, Vulnerability, Worm, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Worm, Cyberthreats, Viruses And Worms, Security, Jason D. O'Grady

On November 2 a hacker was able to identify jailbroken iPhones unning SSH on T-Mobile’s Netherlands network via port scanning and used the vulnerability to change the wallpaper to display a message that demanded a 5 Euro ransom.

One November 7 another malware, dubbed ikee, “rickrolled” compromised iPhones by changing the wallpaper to a picture of Rick Astley (pictured).

Today a new, more nefarious worm that attacks jailbroken iPhone and iPod Touch devices has been discovered. According to Sophos this latest iPhone worm was discovered when a Dutch ISP reported unusual amounts of data traffic. Slashdot posted a link to a translation of a Dutch security blog post with more details.

There are some significant differences from the 5 Euro scam, the most notable of which is that this worm uses command-and-control like a traditional PC botnet. It configures two startup scripts, one to execute the worm on boot-up, and the other to create a connection to a Lithuanian server (HTTP) to upload stolen data and cede control to the bot master.

Security.nl reports that the new worm changes the SSH root password making it more difficult to stop.

This worm attacks IP ranges from a larger range of ISPs, including UPC (Netherlands), Optus (Australia), and T-Mobile (Many). When an infected device is hooked up to a WiFi connection, the worm can spread more quickly to more IP addresses than on a typical 3G connection.

It’s difficult to tell if your iPhone has been compromised, but one symptom is that battery life becomes very, very short when the device is connected to WiFi, because the worm is generating so much network activity. The recommended method to remove this malware from your iPhone is to restore the Apple factory firmware using iTunes.

If you’ve jailbroken your phone and are running SSH, change the default password.

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 16th, 2009

Apple contemplating free, ad-supported iPhone?

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 8:38 pm

Categories: Advertising, Patent, iPhone, iPod

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

When I first read the piece in the New York Times about Apple’s recent patent application for forced advertising I was as shocked as most.

The technology can freeze the device until the user clicks a button or answers a test question to demonstrate that he or she has dutifully noticed the commercial message.

After all, who wants to view and acknowledge ads via an “enforcement routine” that gives the user no other choice? Certainly not someone who paid $100-$300 for the iPhone (plus $75+ per month) – that’s for sure.

However, someone who doesn’t want to plunk down $100-$300 may be interested in an ad-subsidized iPhone if it brings the initial price down. Heck, Apple could even subsidize the monthly fee, although that’s less likely because most of it goes to the carrier, in this case AT&T.

What about a digital equivalent of washing dishes when you forget your wallet at the restaurant? Apple could allow users to “pay down” their tab by watching advertising and taking a quick quiz. Got some time waiting in the doctor’s office or in line at the DMV? Why not take Ford lifestyle vehicle “quiz” and take $10 off your bill.

Any form of forced advertising makes me a little uncomfortable, but then again I’m not the target demographic for the technology. My 18-year-old cousin, on the other hand, would probably kill to get his mitts on an ad-supported iPhone if it was free.

Apple’s latest patent isn’t just for iPhones and iPod touches. According to the NYTimes piece there’s also a version planned for music players that inserts commercials with an audible prompt to verify the listener’s attentiveness. So free ad-supported iPods could be on the horizon as well.

While the technology is more than a little tacky and sounds a tad Orwellian to me, Apple is obligated to its shareholders to pursue all revenue oppotunities when it comes to its golden goose, the iPod. Can you blame them?

My main qualm with this latest patent is that if it’s really about capturing more market share and ultimately, revenue, why doesn’t Apple consider a music subscription service?

November 16th, 2009

iPhone UI: The age gap and other stats

Posted by David Morgenstern @ 1:01 pm

Categories: Developer, iPhone, iPhone 3.1

Tags: Apple iPhone, Developer, Apple Inc., Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, David Morgenstern

Sessions at this month’s iPhone Tech Talk in Seattle revealed differences in usage by age groups, according to a developer report from the conference.

Developer Brian Lane, posted a rundown of the sessions he attended, including sessions on UI design, application purchasing, networking and database handling. He pointed to a number of interesting stats about iPhone use.

At the UI Design Essentials session, Lane was told that a majority of users purchase new apps from their phones. He was surprised by this and so am I since I never buy on the fly and instead check out on iTunes reviews and other editorial before buying.

Because of this buying behavior, developers were told to refine their icons and app titles.

Your icon is your business card and it will make or break the success of your app. Most users buy with their phones (this surprised me, I buy with iTunes) so all they see is your icon and the name of your app in their search results. The brain processes shapes and colors first, then texture and smaller details. This means your icon should have distinctive colors and a clear outline, not a complicated and cluttered design.

Read the rest of this entry »

November 14th, 2009

Chemical detection? There's an app for that

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:08 am

Categories: General, Hardware, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Researcher, Smart Phones, Semiconductors, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Hardware, Jason D. O'Grady

Researchers at NASA have developed a killer hardware/software combination for the iPhone and iPod touch that is capable of identifying low concentrations of airborne ammonia, chlorine gas and methane in the air.

The as-of-yet unnamed iSniffer peripheral senses chemicals in the air using a “sample jet” via a multiple-channel silicon-based sensing chip and 16 nanosensors. When paired with a specialized app the combination turns an off-the-shelf iPhone into a compact, low-cost, low-power, high-speed nanosensor-based chemical sensor.

Reminds me of the new LUCAS imaging platform which has been successfully installed in a mobile phone. LUCAS captures an image using a short wavelength blue light to illuminate a blood, saliva or other fluid sample. Using LUCAS a simple mobile phone can montior the condition of HIV and malaria patients and testing water quality in undeveloped areas or disaster sites

The NASA proof of concept device hasn’t been tuned to detect other pathogens or explosives yet, but it’s not hard to imagine it morphing into a full-fledged tricorder.

Tip: Gizmodo via Ryan Kaplan

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 12th, 2009

Apple ranks 3rd in smartphones, nipping at RIMs heels

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:20 am

Categories: Apple, Blackberry, Nokia, RIM, iPhone

Tags: Research In Motion Ltd., Smart Phone, Apple Inc., Smartphone Sale, Sales Strategy, Sales Force Management, Smart Phones, Cellular Phones, Handhelds, Sales

A new report out from Gartner indicates that Apple Inc. ranked third in worldwide smartphone sales in Q3 2009.

Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users in 3Q09 (Thousands of Units)

Apple’s 3Q09 smartphone sales totaled just over 7 million units, commanding 17.1 percent of the market.

What’s more surprising is that Apple is just 1.5 million sales (about 21 percent) behind Research In Motion (RIM). The second place Blackberry weighed in at 8.5 million units sold and almost 21 percent of the market. Nokia continued to dominate the smartphone market in the third quarter with over 16 million units and a commanding 39.3 percent of the market.

I’d be worried if I were RIM. The Cupertino Kids could pass RIM in sales during the key Q4 holiday shopping quarter. Especially if the rumor of a $99 8GB iPhone 3GS pans out.

Table: MacRumors