Rotating Maps For iPhone By Schmap

Schmap, offers iPhone consumers new rotating city guides, local search and maps. These new map-services on the web allow you to feel a uniquely interactive experience: maps and guide content are dynamically integrated, allowing intuitive, real-time access to reviews and photo slideshows for places of interest.

Directing your iPhone Safari browser to www.schmap.com takes you to your Schmap homepage, where you can choose to browse through "City Guides" broken down by categories (restaurants, shopping, etc.) or search for local businesses in your area.

Schmaps gives you a unique opportunity to browse through their "City Guides." With the iPhone in portrait orientation, Schmaps presents a list of local businesses. But, turn the iPhone into the landscape (horizontal) orientation and Schmap will rotate the screen and list the businesses next to a map showing the location of each business.

Schmap's local search function is currently unavailable as the service is still in beta development. To see how it works, visit the site with your iPhone and enter access code 724627.

Schmap is a leading publisher of digital travel guides for 200 destinations throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The innovative technology behind Schmap Guides also lets end users publish their own ‘schmaps’ (to share trip itineraries, local reviews and more), and powers a popular range of Schmap Widgets, displaying maps with content and event schedules for travel, sports, concert tours and more on a fast-growing network of websites and blogs. Founded in 2004, Schmap is privately owned and based in Carrboro, North Carolina.

References:

http://www.schmap.com/iphone/

CodeMorphic Developed Rotarly Dialer iPhones

Would you like to have the extraordinary rotarly dialer iPhone? If you would, you really have a chance.

The founders of Minnesota-based company CodeMorphic, Bill Heyman and Damon Allison has developed RetroPhone for those iPhone consumer, who would like to have rotary dialer phones.

They're also announcing Aloha, a photo-annotating program inspired in part by Comic Life. Both apps will be among the flood of iPhone programs hitting Apple's App Store in a few weeks.

Co-founders, Bill Heyman and Damon Allison, are experienced software developers and consultants, who have worked for the big names in software development: IBM, Microsoft, and Accenture, as well as many clients who have needed deep and sharp skills to solve their software requirements.

The mission of CodeMorphic is to seek the first name in native iPhone software development.

References:

http://yourtech.typepad.com/main/2008/05/want-a-rotary-i.html

iPhone Waters Your Plants

We know that iPhone is a fascinating gadget with its innovative and various functions. But its new gardening opportunity is really amazing. Now people have a chance to use the iPhone to water their plants. As someone created a robotic system that when controlled by your iPhone’s Safari web browser waters your plants!

Sure you would be astonished, but here is how it works: It is possible by checking Mobile Safari Position. Whenever Mobile Safari changes position from horizontal to vertical, a web server notices the changes and via a JavaScript, and some electrical engineering, changes the position of the can and moves it up and down.

P.S. Who knows what would be another surprise from iPhone?

References:

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2008/05/iphone_waters_plants.html

Apple Has Signed Up 200,000 developers For iPhone

Apple has revealed that over 200,000 iPhone developers have downloaded Software Development Kit (SDk) so far. Apple also announced that in mid-March, the iPhone SDK had been downloaded 100,000 times. According to Apple CFO Oppenheimer Apple is signing up more developers each week.

Oppenheimer called the response to the SDK "tremendous" and said that interest in developing enterprise applications for the iPhone is also going well. More than 400 higher educations are now creating applications for the iPhone, and more than one-third of Fortune 500 companies are actively creating software for the iPhone as well.

Apple plans to deliver a free update to the software that runs the iPhone -called iPhone 2.0 in late June. That update will introduce the App Store, a new feature that will enable iPhone users to purchase, download and install third-party application software for the device. Apple also plans to release a similar update to the iPod touch delivered for a nominal fee that will enable iPod touch users to access the App Store as well.

Apple has sold 1.7 million iPhones in the quarter and is now selling phones in Austria and Ireland. Apple's COO, Tim Cook, reiterated to analysts who questioned him after Oppenheimer's preamble that Apple is on track to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of the year.

References:

http://www.macworld.com/article/133146/2008/04/iphonedevs.html

World's First Photography Portal For The iPhone

Cameratown.com, a popular digital photography information website announced the World's First Photography Portal for the iPhone. It provides all the latest news from the world of photography. The new site is specifically designed for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users. So by the help of Cameratown.com they can get all kind of latest photography news.

“The World’s First Photography Portal for the iPhone was launched by Cameratown. The new site, specifically designed for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users, provides readers with quick access to “what’s new” in photography. Visitors can easily find the latest camera reviews from the best and most trusted sources around the web, new product announcements, the latest headline news, and camera information by brand and model. Photography information is now more accessible than ever,” - CameraTown webmaster Ron Risman said.

About Cameratown:

Cameratown.com is a digital photography and imaging website founded by Ron Risman, a veteran of the photography industry for the past 11 years. Officially launched on July 22, 2004, Cameratown's mission is to help "Develop the Photographer in You" and makes it easy to get the latest photography and imaging news, professional product reviews, tutorials, newspaper articles, product manuals, firmware updates, free photography software, and special deals from around the web.

Reference:

http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/18798/apple-iphone-photography-portal/

TeenBuzz Added Ultrasonic Ringtones Support For iPhone Users

TeenBuzz, a website that offers ultrasonic high frequency ringtones has recently been reformatted to include added support for iPhone users.

The ringtones are of a particularly high frequency, which helps younger generations avoid detection of mobile phone usage. While younger teenagers can hear the tones, adults will have a hard time in doing so as a result of naturally occurring hearing loss (a phenomenon known as presbycusis).

Those who want to use this ringtone first have to subscribe to a PodCast website. As soon as the download to the ultrasonic is finished ringtones will be given, and they will be automatically added to the ringtones directory. Note that they will be made available upon successful syncing of the iPhone.

Teen Buzz (also known as Mosquitotone or Zumbitone) is a popular ringtone that was hijacked from a technology that was originally used to repel loitering teenagers from shops in the United Kingdom. Inventor Howard Stapleton developed the "Mosquito device" for Compound Security Systems.

The Mosquito is a product made to drive away teenagers from no-loitering zones. Because the ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates with age (a phenomenon known as presbycusis), the Mosquito works by emitting high-frequency tones at approximately 17.4 kHz.

The Mosquito was originally tested at one location in Newport, South Wales, where it was successful in reducing the number of teenagers loitering near a grocery store. In spite of this, some adults and seniors were still able to hear the Mosquito. It has not been tested by hearing experts, however the tones are broadcast at 75 decibels, so they fall within the government's auditory-safety limits. The Mosquito was released into the mainstream market in 2006.

P.S. For more information visit the official website of TeenBuzz.

References:

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/2008/03/iphone-gets-ultrasonic-ringtones-from.html

http://www.teenbuzz.org/about-mosquito-ringtones.html

Gartner’s Report On 10 Million 3G iPhones

Technology research firm Gartner tried to clear up reports that it had said Apple might be buying 10 million iPhones capable of connecting to much faster data networks.

Gartner said that they do not know whether Apple has actually placed an order for 3G iPhones and there is no way for them to get a confirmation that an order had been placed. However, they do believe it would be logical if Apple would have done so.

“If Apple was to place an order, then 10 million would be a reasonable number. And we absolutely believe that in the next-generation iPhone 3G will be there,” - Bob Hafner, Dulaney's boss.

The iPhone currently uses an EDGE radio, a digital mobile phone technology for increased data transmission rates over a cellular network. EDGE, however, is considered a 2.75-generation technology, versus a 3G technology, such as HSDPA, which is used in Europe.

Since iPhone sales were not as strong as expected in Europe (Apple has predicted it will sell 10 million of the current iPhone by the end of the year), due in part to a lack of 3G support, it is vital for Apple to release 3G iPhones as soon as possible. However, 3G might not be enough, since there are already 3.5G devices, reports Gartner.

Gartner announced that one improvement they expect from Apple is OLED display for the iPhone. Current LCD is the most energy consuming part of the device, and having OLED screen would allow for power balance for 3G.

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. It delivers the technology-related insight necessary for our clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner, Inc. is the indispensable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,000 distinct organizations.

Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, the firm works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role.

Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,000 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 75 countries.

Reference:

http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207000174

New Video Converter - RockPod 08 Lite For iPhone Consumers

iPhone consumers now can use a small, useful and free software tool RockPod 08 Lite to convert videos for their iPhone.

RockPod 08 Lite converts multiple video files (even HD m2ts, evo, vobs) to iPod, PSP and Windows Mobile PDA formats.

The program is supported by 15 different options ranging from AVI and MPG through to WMV, DVR-MS and high-definition television formats such as DVR-MS and M2TS. It works on Windows 2000, XP and Vista. While the new version is available for Windows 2000, XP and Vista, a Linux update is expected shortly.

You can even choose a file size to which videos should be re-encoded, amongst other options like quality and multiple file encoding.

The new build sees a small change to the interface but it still appears to be one of the simplest multi-file converters available.

References:

http://techlogg.com/rockpod/

iPhone To Become A Great Tool For Doctors

Arrival of the SDK is already connected with a lot of new events about iPhone. Here is another novelty - iPhone may become a great tool even for doctors.

“If you could use the gesture-based way of manipulating images on the iPhone and actually manipulate a stack of X-rays or CT scans, that would be a huge selling point,” - says Adam Flanders, director of informatics at Thomas Jefferson University.

The reason why mobiles couldn’t handle high-res images before is they had lack of processing and memory power. But iPhone is different. With its powerful ARM processor and 8 GB/16 GB of memory it’s well suited for such tasks. And the iPhone's new business-friendly security features may ease privacy fears, physicians say, and could even turn the device into an indispensable medical tool if hospitals OK the device.

“The real beauty of the iPhone is that it offers a richer 3-D experience and more memory,” says Michelle Snyder, vice president of marketing and subscription services at Epocrates.

Tech-savvy doctors have been speculating about the iPhone's medical potential long before Apple shipped its first unit. But the lack of native application support has meant that, up to now, all iPhone applications had to work through the phone's Safari web browser. That's a nonstarter for most medical applications because it demands constant connectivity (either via WiFi or an AT&T cellular data network) and prevents application developers from using the device's full processing power.

The only problem of this novelty is its privacy. And here comes a question: Can hospitals guarantee patient privacy when data is being stored or accessed on iPhones? And can the popular handset stand up to the rigorous demands of a busy hospital environment?

P.S We will see it when the new version 2.0 of the iPhone's firmware becomes available, this June.

References:

http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2008/03/iphone_doctors

Lotus Notes E-Mail for iPhone 2.0 By IBM

IBM is working on Lotus Notes e-mail application for iPhone 2.0, as IBM spokesman Mike Azzi announced. But there are some details that are not revealed yet.

There are 140 million Lotus Notes and Domino users worldwide, according to IBM, and it would be very wise for both Apple and IBM to release it faster. So far Microsoft Exchange is number one platform.

Lotus Notes developers would build a Notes e-mail application for the next-generation iPhone by using Apple's SDK announced last week and would distribute it over Apple's new AppStore. AppStore allows developers to wirelessly deliver their applications to iPhone and iPod Touch users.

Apple plans to allow developers to charge whatever they want and to allow the developers to keep 70% of the revenues, while Apple keeps the other 30% to cover the cost of running AppStore.

Apple Inc. officials would not comment on Notes for the iPhone either, but released a statement saying that 100,000 developers had downloaded the beta SDK (software development kit) for the iPhone in the first four days since its release. Several developers are named, but there is no mention of Lotus Notes.

Reference:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,143440-pg,1/article.html

Download YouTube Videos To Your iPhone Via MxTube

MxTube, a native program for the iPhone essentially allows you to download YouTube videos onto your iPhone. But for now MaXtube offers iPhone consumers to download desired YouTube videos to iPhone and watch it later, skipping the main computer.

The program works via a pseudo-Youtube-interface, so one can download a video via WiFi with a high quality setting or a lower quality setting via Edge.

In order to install MxTube and download YouTube videos onto your iPhone, you need to have a jailbreaked iPhone with Installer.app on it. Make sure you have “Community Sources” added, then locate and install the program.

To install, find it from Installer’s “Multimedia” category and to download, run a search as you normally would and select the video you want to download. As YouTube has two versions of every video, high and low quality for downloading it you can select high, low or both. The videos will download in sequence and in the background. Once it's done downloading, the video is available from within the application.

The MxTube application searches and saves YouTube videos directly to your iPhone or iPod touch so you can play them back at any time, whether you've got an active internet connection or not.

References:

http://www.winandmac.com/mobile/iphone/download-youtube-on-the-go-with-iphone/

http://mxweas.com/blog/

Is iPhone a ‘Businessman’?

$100 million "iFund" was created by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to support new companies developing the next generation of applications. And “health care” was one of the major reason for Kleiner Perkins partner John Doerr. So I think they will do everything to make iPhone a business device.

Many businesses demand the device to work better with their corporate e-mail systems. So, during the event at Apple's headquarters, Apple said it’s planning the iPhone to support Microsoft Corp.'s Exchange software and at this way it’ll solve all problems in the gadget and will put it in more direct competition with Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry and Palm Inc.'s Treo smart phones.
“The software update will give iPhones the security and integration of e-mail, calendars and contact lists that businesses have been demanding,” said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing.

Plus the company's decision to allow developers some access to the closed device to build iPhone applications will hasten its development, even though the access is only through the Web and not to the same software Apple developers use.

Yes, iPhone will become a businessman.



Reference:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335749,00.html

Gameloft To Release 15 iPhone Games In 2008

Gameloft plans to release more than 15 games for the iPhone by the end of 2008. On the bases of the newly-released SDK, the company’s development teams have already begun working on the games.

Though the SDK was recently released, games will only be available to purchase once the App Store, featuring third party applications that can be downloaded to your device via WiFi or EDGE, launches in June 2008.

“The Apple iPhone has changed the way consumers perceive and interact with their mobile phones, and the release of the SDK is a tremendous opportunity for Gameloft to apply its creative and innovative approach to mobile gaming. Due to our investment in creating one of the most advanced and creative development studios to date, we are ideally positioned today to seamlessly integrate new opportunities and quickly produce games that are as evolutionary as they are enjoyable,” - said Michel Guillemot, President of Gameloft.

Gameloft is a leading international publisher and developer of video games for mobile phones. The company creates games for mobile handsets equipped with Java, Brew, or Symbian technology.

Gameloft has a direct marketing a sale presence in 16 countries. Its games are distributed in more than 75 countries through agreements with over 170 wireless carriers and 150 partners and its online shops.

References:

http://www.gameloft.com/

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/gameloft-to-release-over-
15-iphone-games-in-2008/

Japanese VS. Iphone

Japanese analysts are doubtful whether the iPhone will catch on in markets like Japan, where consumers favor smaller and sleeker multifunctional handsets. They also question whether Japanese carriers will accept ceding to Apple's tight control over handset design and agree to its demand for a certain share of subscription fees.

“Most Japanese consumers are more likely to remain content with what they already have” - said Nahoko Mitsuyama, a telecom analyst at Gartner Japan who attended the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February.

However, Japanese analysts are doubtful. Current iPhones won't work in Japan, where the faster third-generation network has become the mainstream. Industry watchers believe 3G iPhones will be released in the latter half of this year.

Apple hopes to reach an agreement with a Japanese mobile phone operator to achieve its goal of selling 10 million iPhones worldwide by the end of 2008. It sold some 3.7 million iPhones throughout the world in 2007.

"Most of the world's Internet users via mobile phone are Japanese, so success in mobile services here can be applied to other markets."- said Noritaka Kobayashi, an information and communications consultant at Nomura Research Institute in Tokyo.

Japanese consumers are amazed by the iPod, which controls 54.5 percent of Japan's digital portable music player market - well above Sony's Walkman with 26.2 percent, according to market research firm BCN. The iPhone could benefit from an emotional attachment to Apple among Japanese.

"Japanese like anything new and trendy, so the thing is how many customers Apple can attract beyond Apple fans," - Gartner's Mitsuyama said, noting that Japanese on average change their handsets every two years.

Still, Japan is expected to be a difficult market. Here, mobile phone carriers control the release of new handsets and dictate specific features and functions of new cell phones to satisfy consumers who are picky about product usability, design and quality. Foreign makers account for only about 10 percent of the roughly 50 million handsets sold annually in Japan, although their market share is on the rise, according to Yano Research Institute.

Hello World From The iPhone SDK

Apple iPhone, a wonder device, has reached an milestone. Yesterday, Apple officially announced the iPhone SDK.

The iPhone SDK is available as a part of the iPhone Developer Program. The iPhone Developer Program provides a complete and integrated process for developing, debugging, and distributing your free, commercial, or in-house applications for iPhone and iPod touch.

According to Apple, developers now have everything they need to go from code to customer.

The Developer Program comes in two flavors: Standard and Enterprise. It costs $99 and $299 respectively to join the program.

Unfortunately, the Developer Program will initially be available to a limited number of developers in the United States. According to the company, the program will expand to other countries in the coming months.

The iPhone SDK itself, which includes the Xcode IDE, Instruments, iPhone simulator, frameworks and samples, compilers, Shark analysis tool, and more is available for download free of charge.

It must be stated again that this fact is probably one of the most important moments throughout iPhone's lifecycle. We shall expect that a lot application will start to appear, which will further strengthen iPhone's already strong market position and penetration.

Photo source: Apple.com