18.47
ipod touch review
John Gruber says pretty much all that needs to be said on this. Not a sign that things are heading in the right direction, I"m afraid.
Ipod Touch Review
# # 8 GB capacity for about 2,000 songs, 10,000 photos, or 10 hours of video # Up to 40 hours of audio playback or 7 hours of video playback on a single charge # Support for AAC, Protected AAC (iTunes Store) and other audio formats; H.264, MPEG-4,
Ipod Touch Review
# One-year limited warranty # iPod touch has 8 GB capacity for about 2,000 songs, 10,000 photos, or 10 hours of video. # iPod touch has a 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display with 960-by-640-pixel resolution (326 pixels per inch). › See more technical details.
Ipod Touch Review
# iPod touch has one-year limited warranty. # IPod touch plays up to 40 hours of audio playback or 7 hours of video playback on a single charge. # Motion JPEG video codecs in M4V, MP4, MOV, and AVI formats
Selasa, 04 Agustus 2009
Preview: NFL 2010
Gameloft have recently announced another big title that seems to be coming out at the end of this month along with Guitar Rock Tour 2 and Gan$tar: West Coast Hustle.
Here is Gameloft's answer to the also upcoming Madden 10 by Electronic Arts, NFL 2010
Features:
To keep you hungry for more here are a few released screens from the game
Here is Gameloft's answer to the also upcoming Madden 10 by Electronic Arts, NFL 2010
Features:
- It’s the first FULL football simulation game on the App Store
- Features full team rosters so players can pick their favorite NFL team to play with
- Price is still TBD
- Gameloft hope to see it on the App Store by the end of the month
To keep you hungry for more here are a few released screens from the game
Senin, 03 Agustus 2009
A Mac App Store
Back before WWDC, one of my long-shot predictions was the creation of a Mac App Store following the same business model as the iPhone App Store. It didn't come true, and now with the various issues surrounding the App Store, I've changed my mind that it would be a good idea. I've come to the conclusion that I like not having Apple as the gatekeeper for what Apps can do.
But, it's nearly impossible to argue that the App Store isn't convenient. It has its issues, but its a great idea, which is why the App Store is flourishing despite all the negative press.
Now, a third-party called Bodega is extending the idea to Mac applications, and it's a snazzy little application.
In some ways, Bodega outdoes Apple's iTunes Store. The interface is clean and easy to use, and it's filled with lots of little touches reminiscent of the Delicious Generation. For example, when you move the window around when the "Featured" option is selected, the little hanging signs you can see in the picture above swing with gravity and creak as they move. It's an unnecessary, yet completely satisfying little touch.
This project is still in its infancy, but it shows a lot of promise and it's one I'm definitely going to keep an eye on.
But, it's nearly impossible to argue that the App Store isn't convenient. It has its issues, but its a great idea, which is why the App Store is flourishing despite all the negative press.
Now, a third-party called Bodega is extending the idea to Mac applications, and it's a snazzy little application.
In some ways, Bodega outdoes Apple's iTunes Store. The interface is clean and easy to use, and it's filled with lots of little touches reminiscent of the Delicious Generation. For example, when you move the window around when the "Featured" option is selected, the little hanging signs you can see in the picture above swing with gravity and creak as they move. It's an unnecessary, yet completely satisfying little touch.
This project is still in its infancy, but it shows a lot of promise and it's one I'm definitely going to keep an eye on.
Me, the Hypocrite Apparently
Today, I saw somebody tweeting about signing a petition to get DRM off of the Kindle. I tweeted that the best way to "vote" on something like that is with your dollars. If you buy a Kindle and then sign a petition about the DRM on it, you haven't really given Amazon much motivation to stop using DRM. Since you bought it, you obviously didn't care enough about DRM to not purchase it, so if Amazon doesn't stop using DRM… well, they've already got your money and probably will continue getting your money in the future. At least from the point of view of an MBA, such a petition is essentially meaningless; it has about as much significance as the mewling of kittens. Money talks more loudly than petitions.
Now, I consider what I tweeted to be a truism. I wasn't particularly intending to take a stand on DRM by posting it. I was just stating a simple fact: If you feel strongly about DRM (or anything else), you shouldn't buy a product that uses it because your dollars are the only meaningful way of voting when it comes to for-profit corporations. If you want a DRM-free Kindle, you should refuse to buy a Kindle until Amazon stops using DRM.
Generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of DRM, but I'm not much of an ideologue, either. I'm practical about the whole thing. With some products, the benefits outweigh the potential harm of DRM, with others, they don't. With the iPhone, for example, the convenience and benefits outweigh the negatives by a long shot. Sure, I would rather the iPhone didn't have DRM, but I'm not going to stop using it because it has it (although it is almost certainly true that I buy less music and movies as a result of the fact that they are delivered with DRM). And, yes, the threat of having purchased apps deleted by an un-appealable decision by some unnamed person at Apple is a fear but, in reality, it's not enough of a threat to make me give up my iPhone. Maybe someday it will be, but today it's not even close.
There are other products, like the Kindle where, for me, the DRM tips the scales enough in the other direction that I don't buy the product. They don't offer enough of a benefit for me personally to offset the threat of having my books deleted behind my back, for example. Obviously, based on how well the Kindle has sold, the value proposition of the Kindle is different for me than it is for a lot of other people.
The long and short of it is that DRM is just one factor among many that I consider when making a purchase decision. Or, in other words, I'm pretty standard geek consumer.
Anyway… a little while after I tweeted that, I was basically called out as a hypocrite for making that statement because my publisher puts DRM on the electronic versions of my book. The implication being, it would seem, that you can't say anything about DRM unless you give away all of your creative output for free? Yeah, that makes sense.
Frankly, I do not like being called a hypocrite. Over the last two years, I have probably given away the equivalent of at least a thousand hours worth of my time (and probably much more) writing tutorials and sample code for my blog. Additionally, I spend at least an hour a day helping other people with programming problems over e-mail, IM and Twitter, none of which I get paid for. Now, I enjoy doing all that, but idiots like this "John Doe" sometimes make me really regret the time I've spent in that way. If I had used all that time doing contracting work or writing an additional book, I would be considerably wealthier right now.
Here's the simple truth of the matter: I have no input into how Apress delivers their eBooks. I have no contractual right to control that part of the process. I wouldn't be tempted to do so, but if if I did decide to make some ideological stand on DRM by, say, refusing to finish my current writing obligations unless Apress stopped using DRM, Apress would likely (and rightly) hold me in breach of contract. It's unlikely to the point of being ridiculous that they would stop using DRM as a result of one author being an asshole.
To state it simply, I'm an author, not a publisher, and just one of literally dozens (maybe hundreds) of Apress authors. Heck, I'm not even the only author on the books I work on! I have a great relationship with Apress and I very much like the people there that I interact with there. But I'm not them. And yet I still have opinions. Fancy that.
Now, I consider what I tweeted to be a truism. I wasn't particularly intending to take a stand on DRM by posting it. I was just stating a simple fact: If you feel strongly about DRM (or anything else), you shouldn't buy a product that uses it because your dollars are the only meaningful way of voting when it comes to for-profit corporations. If you want a DRM-free Kindle, you should refuse to buy a Kindle until Amazon stops using DRM.
Generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of DRM, but I'm not much of an ideologue, either. I'm practical about the whole thing. With some products, the benefits outweigh the potential harm of DRM, with others, they don't. With the iPhone, for example, the convenience and benefits outweigh the negatives by a long shot. Sure, I would rather the iPhone didn't have DRM, but I'm not going to stop using it because it has it (although it is almost certainly true that I buy less music and movies as a result of the fact that they are delivered with DRM). And, yes, the threat of having purchased apps deleted by an un-appealable decision by some unnamed person at Apple is a fear but, in reality, it's not enough of a threat to make me give up my iPhone. Maybe someday it will be, but today it's not even close.
There are other products, like the Kindle where, for me, the DRM tips the scales enough in the other direction that I don't buy the product. They don't offer enough of a benefit for me personally to offset the threat of having my books deleted behind my back, for example. Obviously, based on how well the Kindle has sold, the value proposition of the Kindle is different for me than it is for a lot of other people.
The long and short of it is that DRM is just one factor among many that I consider when making a purchase decision. Or, in other words, I'm pretty standard geek consumer.
Anyway… a little while after I tweeted that, I was basically called out as a hypocrite for making that statement because my publisher puts DRM on the electronic versions of my book. The implication being, it would seem, that you can't say anything about DRM unless you give away all of your creative output for free? Yeah, that makes sense.
Frankly, I do not like being called a hypocrite. Over the last two years, I have probably given away the equivalent of at least a thousand hours worth of my time (and probably much more) writing tutorials and sample code for my blog. Additionally, I spend at least an hour a day helping other people with programming problems over e-mail, IM and Twitter, none of which I get paid for. Now, I enjoy doing all that, but idiots like this "John Doe" sometimes make me really regret the time I've spent in that way. If I had used all that time doing contracting work or writing an additional book, I would be considerably wealthier right now.
Here's the simple truth of the matter: I have no input into how Apress delivers their eBooks. I have no contractual right to control that part of the process. I wouldn't be tempted to do so, but if if I did decide to make some ideological stand on DRM by, say, refusing to finish my current writing obligations unless Apress stopped using DRM, Apress would likely (and rightly) hold me in breach of contract. It's unlikely to the point of being ridiculous that they would stop using DRM as a result of one author being an asshole.
To state it simply, I'm an author, not a publisher, and just one of literally dozens (maybe hundreds) of Apress authors. Heck, I'm not even the only author on the books I work on! I have a great relationship with Apress and I very much like the people there that I interact with there. But I'm not them. And yet I still have opinions. Fancy that.
iSimulate
One of the difficult aspects of making an iPhone program is marketing it. One thing that helps is a professional quality video of the program in action. This is especially true for games. However, since the iPhone Simulator doesn't have access to the accelerometer, camera, or the full capabilities of the multi-touch screen, it can be difficult to get a professional looking video.
iSimulate (App Store Link) is a great option for developers. It's a standalone program that runs on your iPhone that will send the inputs from the iPhone to the simulator. This means you can run a program in your simulator and control it by touching or tilting your actual phone. This allows you to use a screen capture program to capture flawless video, even if your program uses features not available on the simulator.
Right now, you can get iSimulate for $3.99, but only for today. Tomorrow, the prices rises to $7.99 until August 8, then increases to $15.99, until August 16 when it reaches its full price of $31.99. Although $32 is still a small price to pay to get a professional quality video, if you're interested in the program, you can save yourself some money by buying now.
iSimulate (App Store Link) is a great option for developers. It's a standalone program that runs on your iPhone that will send the inputs from the iPhone to the simulator. This means you can run a program in your simulator and control it by touching or tilting your actual phone. This allows you to use a screen capture program to capture flawless video, even if your program uses features not available on the simulator.
Right now, you can get iSimulate for $3.99, but only for today. Tomorrow, the prices rises to $7.99 until August 8, then increases to $15.99, until August 16 when it reaches its full price of $31.99. Although $32 is still a small price to pay to get a professional quality video, if you're interested in the program, you can save yourself some money by buying now.
Minggu, 02 Agustus 2009
This Concerns Me Greatly
Yes, I'm a little behind. I've been gone for a week, so this is probably not news to any of you, but this really upsets me, so I'm writing about it. I try to give Apple the benefit of the doubt when they make decisions that seem unfair or arbitrary, fully cognizant of the fact that I'm not privy to all the factors that went into the decision.
But, this... Well..., if this is true, it would seem to indicate that maybe I've been wrong in giving Apple the benefit of the doubt. That maybe those who have let out a hue and cry over every little Apple decision they didn't like had a more accurate picture of the situation.
If it's true that Apple won't even give more than a boilerplate reason for pulling an application that had been on the App Store for four months and won't tell the developers what the specific conflicts are so they can fix them, then I think there is more than a little cause for concern. Especially troubling is that now RiverTurn, since they are unable to support or update their app thanks to Apple's decision to pull their application, would like to give refunds, but will have to pay not just their share of the income, but Apple's as well, even though they are only trying to do what's right after Apple put them in a tough situation. This means they not only lose whatever income they might have made in the last four months, but they also have pay out additional money on top of what they invested to develop and market their application.
The FCC has decided to investigate the situation. I'll be interested to see if anything comes of it. I don't have much faith in the FCC, that's for sure, but maybe they can do something good for a change.
Lately I've been bashing Microsoft a lot for making poor decisions and failing to recognize the reality of their situation. In most respects, Apple has been on a roll, making good decisions and making elegant products that people are clamoring to buy even in a poor economy. But, Apple has to realize that a large part of the success of the iPhone has been the App Store. Given that they've based much of their advertising around that single point, it's clear that they do recognize it.
From the start, third party developers have had to live with an arbitrary review process that potentially meant they could spend lots of time and money and end up completely unable to sell their application for failing to comply with some unwritten rule. That was bad enough, and certainly has had a chilling effect on third party application development. The App Store was so hot, though, that most developers accepted the risk, figuring the potential reward outweighed the risk.
This decision by Apple adds a new aspect that is almost certain to drive away some of the most innovative developers. Not only do we have to worry about whether our apps will be approved by the somewhat arbitrary review process, but now we have to worry about having their approved applications removed.
I don't have enough evidence to be able to say I know for sure why Apple did this or why they handled it in this way, but if they don't take steps to fix this and to communicate that they're aware of the problem, it will leave a black stain on their reputation in the eyes of even the most ardent fanboys.
It really concerns me and I hope Apple fixes it, quickly. Apple should, at very least, pay their own share of the refunds. If the people making the decisions have a soul, though, they should offer to pay the full amount of the refund and probably do even more. Riverturn expended time and resources to create a program that any reasonable person would believe complied with the App Store policies and SDK agreement. There are several other apps on the store that haven't been pulled that allow voice communications over wi-fi, including the iPhone Skype App. Heck, Apple's own reviewers must have felt the same way, since they approved the application and it was on sale for four months before somebody said "hey, let's pull this".
Apple, please make this situation right and then fix whatever internal policies allowed it such an injustice to happen.
But, this... Well..., if this is true, it would seem to indicate that maybe I've been wrong in giving Apple the benefit of the doubt. That maybe those who have let out a hue and cry over every little Apple decision they didn't like had a more accurate picture of the situation.
If it's true that Apple won't even give more than a boilerplate reason for pulling an application that had been on the App Store for four months and won't tell the developers what the specific conflicts are so they can fix them, then I think there is more than a little cause for concern. Especially troubling is that now RiverTurn, since they are unable to support or update their app thanks to Apple's decision to pull their application, would like to give refunds, but will have to pay not just their share of the income, but Apple's as well, even though they are only trying to do what's right after Apple put them in a tough situation. This means they not only lose whatever income they might have made in the last four months, but they also have pay out additional money on top of what they invested to develop and market their application.
The FCC has decided to investigate the situation. I'll be interested to see if anything comes of it. I don't have much faith in the FCC, that's for sure, but maybe they can do something good for a change.
Lately I've been bashing Microsoft a lot for making poor decisions and failing to recognize the reality of their situation. In most respects, Apple has been on a roll, making good decisions and making elegant products that people are clamoring to buy even in a poor economy. But, Apple has to realize that a large part of the success of the iPhone has been the App Store. Given that they've based much of their advertising around that single point, it's clear that they do recognize it.
From the start, third party developers have had to live with an arbitrary review process that potentially meant they could spend lots of time and money and end up completely unable to sell their application for failing to comply with some unwritten rule. That was bad enough, and certainly has had a chilling effect on third party application development. The App Store was so hot, though, that most developers accepted the risk, figuring the potential reward outweighed the risk.
This decision by Apple adds a new aspect that is almost certain to drive away some of the most innovative developers. Not only do we have to worry about whether our apps will be approved by the somewhat arbitrary review process, but now we have to worry about having their approved applications removed.
I don't have enough evidence to be able to say I know for sure why Apple did this or why they handled it in this way, but if they don't take steps to fix this and to communicate that they're aware of the problem, it will leave a black stain on their reputation in the eyes of even the most ardent fanboys.
It really concerns me and I hope Apple fixes it, quickly. Apple should, at very least, pay their own share of the refunds. If the people making the decisions have a soul, though, they should offer to pay the full amount of the refund and probably do even more. Riverturn expended time and resources to create a program that any reasonable person would believe complied with the App Store policies and SDK agreement. There are several other apps on the store that haven't been pulled that allow voice communications over wi-fi, including the iPhone Skype App. Heck, Apple's own reviewers must have felt the same way, since they approved the application and it was on sale for four months before somebody said "hey, let's pull this".
Apple, please make this situation right and then fix whatever internal policies allowed it such an injustice to happen.
Sabtu, 01 Agustus 2009
MLB World Series 2009
iTunes Link
MLB World Series 2009 is a baseball game by MLB.com. $2.99
The Los Angeles Dodgers are totally dominating this series in the big league, thanks to big hitter Manny Ramirez. Since this is my team, my love for Dodger Dogs has brought me to review this great game by MLB.com.
MLB World Series 2009 is the first baseball game on the App Store to have a more simulation type gameplay instead of the popular arcade games like Baseball Superstars, 9 Innings Baseball, Power Pros Touch and Baseball Sluggers. Does the World Series pull off this different style of play? It certainly does!
Arcade style Baseball games have done extremely well on the App Store. Both Baseball Superstars and Baseball Slugger are long time servers on the top 50 games. MLB World Series 2009 hasn't capitalized on how good the game is, with a price far higher than the arcade style games. Also the way the game looks and plays, it isn't the perfect game to provide great happy snaps to make amazing screenshots.
The higher than average price coupled with average looking screenshots has hurt this game badly, just like what happened to the PSP port Internation Athletics by Ghostlight.
Is this game for you? From what I can tell it will be for more serious baseball fans, not those who are new to the genre. It may appeal to you though so keep reading and find out.
Before starting on the actual Gameplay in MLB WS09, let me tell you about one of the biggest selling points of this game, especially for baseball addicts. This is the first game that actually lets you play as your favourite baseball team, therefore meaning I can played as my beloved Dodgers. MLB.com has also incorporated four of the stadiums by the actual teams, meaning those wanting to play at some of their favourite venues can. There are planning updates to release more actual stadiums. There is however, one large bit lacking to this game. I was disappointed to see that they haven't included actual player names, as they are just Starting Pitcher, Outfielder etc. This is a bit disappointing and is lacking from making this a perfect MLB brand game.
With the game being called 'World Series' I was expecting it to just include the one game mode that lets you try and win a World Series. It is far from that, with multiple modes, but the World Series is certainly the main selling point. The three game modes available to play are World Series, Exhibition and Season mode.
World Series is what this game is all about. The aim of this game is to win the elimination process that is the MLB World Series (Funnily enough only the USA MLB teams can compete). After choosing what teams will compete in the World Series, the seeds of the teams and the team you will compete with, you are thrust into your first round. This first round is called the Division Series and you must win a best of five series against a fellow divison team. The next round is called the League Championship Series and pits you against the other winning division of your league. This is also a best of five series. Finally you must play the American or National League winner in the World Series to become World Champions in a five game series. For those with Baseball Superstars it is kind of similar to the finals mode encountered in that game.
Season mode lets you play a 16, 29, 82 or 162 game season with the team of your choice. This mode features an All-Star Game that is vital to win, as it will give you a home-field advantage in the World Series mode, which is the exact same mode as above. The season mode isn't really suited to a simulation game like this, with it being more time consuming and not as easy to play as an arcade game, like Baseball Superstars.
Exhibition mode is all about creating the perfect game. You choose what team you are playing with, your opposition, the length of the game and where you play the game. It's all about choice but unless you are feeling very picky you are best off continuing on with either the World Series or Season mode.
MLB World Series lets you both bat, pitch and field during a game, but fielding is set to automatic when you first launch the game. The game plays just like an ordinary game, with you taking it in turns batting and an innings ending when both teams have had three outs. What makes this game a standout from the rest however is the controls and the graphics for the game.
All the baseball games I have played prior to the release of MLB World Series have featured a virtual D-Pad to pitch and bat. MLB WS 2009 has made Baseball more interactive and has later on the batting has I believe been improved by Com2Us' Baseball Slugger. The pitching involves deciding what type of pitch to make then sliding your finger up a bar to choose speed and accuracy. You then have to tilt your device to a wanted position.
Batting is very similar to pitching, except I found it quite a bit more challenging. You are from the eyes of the batter and you watch the pitcher pitch the ball. You then must quickly and efficiently tilt you device until the circle on your screen is over where the ball is and press the swing button. If you do it too late or early then you will get a strike. I found it incredibly hard, somewhat more after the recent update. While it may be more challenging the process is still more exciting than the arcade style shot.
MLB World Series has changed the 2D graphics found in most baseball games on the App Store. The game has taken Baseball to the 3D level with great graphics and characters. The teams are made up of 3D people who while not looking super realistic, are up to the quality of other amazing sport games such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour and International Athletics. The screenshots do not do this game justice as when you are actually playing the it looks a lot better.
The stadiums and fields easily defined between each one and look absolutely superb. While the graphics aren't as smooth as the arcade games they are more realistic. The only better looking graphics would be in the Home Run fest at Baseball Sluggers. The animation in the game generally works well, with not much lag featured in the game. The only problem I have is when you are trying to see the ball when its pitched. It looks the same size the whole way and it really hard to know when to hit it.
MLB World Series 2009 is a strong baseball game that gives a realistic feel that I felt was lacking to games such as Baseball Superstars and 9 Innings Baseball. There are a few points to this game that let it down, such as the lack of player names and number of real stadiums. What makes this game not as fun as the arcade style games is that the games generally take a lot longer as you must pitch and bat your way through everything. The addictiveness of playing multiple matches on Baseball Superstars isn't felt in MLB WS 2009, and one or two matches at a time is generally enough.
The graphics and great use of the accelerometer for MLB World Series 2009 is a welcome change to the boring on screen buttons. I would recommend this game more to someone who is an avid Baseball fan compared to someone who likes the games. Only the more serious fan will get the complete experience of this but don't let that deter you, its an excellent game. While its at a discounted price of $2.99 I would pick it up now if I was you.
Gameplay- 7.5/10
Graphics- 9/10
Sound- 7.5/10
Overall- 8/10
I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Baseball Superstars
Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is Baseball Slugger
Thanks- iPhone_Reviews
