Windows 7: iPhone OS Clone

On the eve of the beta download availability of Microsoft Windows 7, I'd like to talk about how it seems very much like another OS we're familiar with:  The iPhone.

I'm not a loyalist to either Apple or Microsoft.  I pick and choose what I like.  It's no secret that Microsoft's modus operandi is to take Apple's ideas and make it their own.  So, in a sense it's no surprise that Windows 7 will have support for multi-touch. The Windows page preview looks exactly like the iPhone's and the taskbar with the iPhone looks like the current Mac OS.  The overall look of Windows also looks very much like the Mac.

From what I can see, Microsoft is now pushing. I hope Apple pushes back.  HARD.

Payback: GTA-lnspired iPhone Game

Since there's no timetable for an iPhone port of "Grand Theft Auto," "Payback" could be the next best thing.  It's not in the App Store yet but according to developer Apex Designs it is coming soon.

It's a non-linear game, but it doesn't have the spiffy 3-D graphics of the GTA console game.  It seems to have a god-like perspective all the time.  Still if you're really into being the bad guy on your iPhone, look out for "Payback" in the App Store.

Here's a video of what "Payback" looks like on the GP2X handheld device (the iPhone version according the screenshots look much better):

Ding, Dong, DRM Is Dead!

Maybe it's the economy or the fact that iTunes rules the music industry now, but Apple has decided to do away with DRM (Digital Rights Management) restrictions on songs sold in the iTunes music store.  That means new songs you buy should be able to play on players that accept the AAC format or iTunes can convert it to MP3s for you.

On the other hand, song pricing isn't just the $.99 flat rate anymore.  It can now range from $.69 to $1.29.  Plus, you can choose to upgrade your whole library to non-DRM music but at $.30 per song.

Still, I think this is a great day for music lovers.  You actually now OWN the music you buy.  And please BUY music so that we don't have to do DRM or Napster all over again!

For iPhone users, you can also now BUY songs in the iTunes app through the cellular network and not just over Wi-Fi.

SlingPlayer For The iPhone

Yes.  It's finally here.   Probably one of the most important iPhone announcements this week at the MacWorld expo.  SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone.  It promises live and recorded television on your iPhone.  It will do what the LG Vu and the Samsung Instinct couldn't do and do it better than Orblive.  But, it comes at a hefty price.  If you don't already own a Slingbox, you will need to pony up at least $179.99 for the hardware.  And right now, we don't even know how much the SlingPlayer Mobile app will cost.  I'm more than satisfied with the performance of Orblive but SlingPlayer looks really good.  Check out this video by CNET:

Test Your iPhone Signal Strength

I learned a great trick a while back at the everythingiCafe forums on how you can tell how good your iPhone signal strength is. And it's not by counting bars.

1. Go to your phone keypad.
2. Dial: *3001#12345#*
3. Press "Call."

A screen will pop up called "Field Test" and in the upper left hand corner where your bars were it will show a "-" and a number.

For example, I tested my 3G signal strength at work today. It ranged from -71 to -77. My EDGE signal ranged from -69 to -73. The closer you get -50 the better your reception. The closer to -100 the worse your signal is.

This is helpful especially when an article like this was published recently: Fewer Bars in More Places: AT&T Network Upgrades Degrade Service for 2G Phones

Mac vs. PC

Tomorrow is the beginning of MacWorld 2009 - the conference and expo that will introduce the next line of Apple products.

Now, I have to admit that I have absolutely NO loyalty to one particular brand.  I pick and choose what suits me.  I built my own custom desktop PC and I have an iPhone 3G.  I love the best of both worlds.

So, with that said, here's an entertaining video about the Mac vs. PC (guess which one "wins?"):

iPhone Devs Are NOT English Majors

Okay, I know I'm being a little bit snobby here, but I just wanted to point out something I found a bit humorous.

There's a new iPhone app called iAstrology [iTunes link]. Interestingly enough, there's a NASA logo that goes along with the app.  I'm thinking, "Did the developer mix up astrology with astronomy?"

This is what the app description says:

Astronomy Picture of the Day is a feed created by NASA that let's you see what amazing depths of space that they are exploring. NASA does not even just give you a high resolution photo that you can navigate around using the iPhone. They also give you a detailed explanation as what you are seeing.

Help support the USA and NASA by buying this application today.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, pronounced /ˈnæsə/) is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established on July 29, 1958, by the National Aeronautics and Space Act.[3]

Absolutely nothing about horoscopes or astrological signs.  In fact, the word "astrology" is never used.  The description even makes it sound like NASA is somehow involved with this, which makes it even more embarrassing.

Now I know my grammar, spelling, etc. is never perfect but I guess this is why iPhone developers are usually not English majors.

And here's a few iPhone apps I found this week that might be worth downloading:

• SHOUTcast Radio - AOL has come out with its own full-featured SHOUTcast Radio app.  I primarily use it to listen to the 24-hour Art Bell Coast To Coast stations.  There are more than 25,000 stations from around the world to choose from.  FREE
  
• Simple Notes - This is actually NOT a good app to use if you want to write notes since you can't save them.  This is a good app to write e-mail in landscape mode.  FREE
  
• iMassageMe - If you find the vibration on the iPhone to be useful for massaging then iMassageMe is for you.  It allows you to manually turn on and off the iPhone vibration. FREE
  

Saturday Night Fever: Dance!

The iPhone game Saturday Night Fever: Dance! Lite is the free version of the game that is like Tap Tap Revenge.  I think it is a lot of fun and very challenging.  It wouldn't say it's better than Tap Tap Revenge, just different.  I made a video demo:

Memory Stick

So, you've got an iPhone and all these gigabytes of space but yet there is no native way of using it as a hard drive.  DataViz has been teasing iPhone users about porting its Documents To Go application to view and edit MS Excel, Word, Powerpoint and PDF files.  But so far, nothing.

Right now, some of your options in the App Store are:

Datacase - $6.99

Air Sharing - $4.99 (Holiday Sale)
Box.net - FREE (does not need Wi-Fi)

Right now on the App Store, the maker of Memory Stick is offering its app for free for a limited time.

It is very similar to Datacase and Air Sharing.  Although the description is a bit misleading, you NEED a Wi-Fi connection to upload files.  If you don't have either Datacase, Air Sharing or another paid file sharing app I would suggest picking up Memory Stick for free.

Here are my thoughts on the apps I mentioned above:

Datacase:  Bookmarking feature is highly useful.  With a PDF that has 100 pages or more, bookmarking is almost necessary because scrolling through PDFs on any app seems to be more sluggish than any other file type.  Page Up/Down and First/Last Page buttons are also useful.

Air Sharing:  Has a slider to move faster through a document as well as Page Up/Down buttons.  Makes use of the double-tap zoom in.  Slightly better scrolling performance than Datacase.

Box.net:  Best solution for someone who does not have Wi-Fi capability.  No landscape mode.  Storage capacity is 1 GB if you don't want to pay for more.  There is also an upload restriction.

Memory Stick:  Utilizes double tap for zooming in.  Is currently a basic file sharing app.

Konami's Silent Hill In U.S. App Store

The iPhone game Silent Hill: The Escape [iTunes link] has been available in the U.K. for the past week or so but it is now in the U.S. App Store.

I posted a video of the game last week and you can check it out here:

Silent Hill: iGameme.com Exclusive 3rd Stage Preview

The game seems to be a little more open-ended than Brothers In Arms: Hour Of Heroes and a LOT better than Cube.

Even though it is competitvely priced at $7.99, it worries me that the game is very short.  16.4 MB for a 3D first-person shooter doesn't sound promising.

The Rumor That Just Won't Die - iPhone Nano

The rumor of an iPhone Nano has been around almost as long as the iPhone itself!  On Gizmodo, I found an article just half a month after the first iPhone was released about the possibility of an iPhone Nano.

Presumably, an iPhone Nano (not unlike its iPod cousin) would be a stripped down version of the iPhone 3G:  smaller device, less memory and less features.

If a movie was made about the mythical iPhone Nano it would be named "Die Hard" because it's a rumor that just won't die.  iPhone Nano rumors have been coming fast and furiously ahead of January's MacWorld Expo (which Steve Jobs is not attending):

• iPhone case maker Vaja recently posted an iPhone Nano category on its website.  It has since been taken down.
  
• A fake iPhone Nano is spotted in Thailand.
  
• More fake iPhone Nano pictures hit Gizmodo.
  
• iPhone case maker, XSKN, reveals pictures for an iPhone Nano case and even offers to sell them to anyone who wants one.
  

In my mind, none of these pictures or website additions is slam dunk evidence that an iPhone Nano is really in the works.  Just fodder to talk about waiting for the next major iPhone software update.

Where's The Cheapest iPhone 3G?

Although Wal-Mart is now selling the iPhone 3G for about $2 less than either the Apple Store or AT&T, it is still not the cheapest place to buy a brand new iPhone.

According to iPhone Hacks, Best Buy is now offering the iPhone 3G for either $189 (8GB) or $289 (16GB).

Still, the absolute cheapest place to buy a retail iPhone 3G is at AT&T.  It is now selling refurbished iPhone 3Gs for $99 (8GB) or $199 (16GB).  However, these are used and may have minor scratches and abrasions.  From what I have heard though, the refurbished iPhones are very good.

UPDATE 1: The Boy Genius Report says AT&T is offering refurbished iPhone 3Gs for $49 (8GB) and $149 (16GB) until tomorrow (12/31)!

UPDATE 2:  BGR says its source corrected the story - refurbs going for $99 and $199 as originally stated.

iPhone 3G At Wal-Mart?... Not Yet

The articles I read about the iPhone 3G debuting at Wal-Mart said that it was being sold starting Sunday [yesterday].  

Well, here's what I saw when I checked out the Wal-Mart in Honolulu on Keaaumoku Street today [Monday]:

When I went to the store at around 9:30 a.m. HST, the display was still wrapped in its cardboard.  One of the employees came to take the cardboard off the display, which is when I snapped the picture on the right.

Most likely by the time this is published, the iPhone 3G should be out on display.  But it was interesting to see that the kiosk had not yet been set up.  So, that's what you're looking for when you go to Wal-Mart.

iHusky 3D Pet

iHusky 3D Pet [iTunes link]

To view the video in high quality, click on the video while it is playing to go to YouTube.

In The Dark

From time to time, I may blog about something totally unrelated to the iPhone.  For the past day or so, the island of Oahu has been in the dark because of a power outage.  Actually, my iPhone helped IMMENSELY during the blackout, but that's for another blog in the future.  I made a video of my time in the darkness:

After-Christmas Oahu Blackout 2008 from Clayton Wakida on Vimeo.

Wal-Mart Selling iPhone 3G This Sunday

Wal-Mart announced today it will be selling the iPhone 3G starting this Sunday [December 28] at nearly 2,500 stores.
However, it will not be priced at the rumored $99 price. Instead, it Wal-Mart will have prices similar to Best Buy: $197 for the 8GB model and $297 for the 16GB iPhone.
I believe throwing the net larger for the iPhone can be a good thing. The more iPhone users there are, the more people will clamor for a better product and better updates.
For those who wouldn't step into an Apple Store, they can now check out the iPhone.

Source: Computerworld

Merry Christmas!

Here's my present to you, my faithful web surfer!

Merry Christmas!

Honolulu City Lights from Clayton Wakida on Vimeo.

Iron Fist Boxing

Although it's called "Iron Fist Boxing" [iTunes link] it's technically a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) game since it has some kicks.  It's in the App Store for an introductory price of $2.99.  Hopefully, this is a sign of more games like this to come.

Silent Hill: iGameme.com Exclusive 3rd Stage Preview

Apparently the Konami game "Silent Hill" is out in the European App Store but not in the United States. iGameme.com has an exclusive preview of the game's 3rd stage. It looks better than "Cube" and more versatile than "Brothers In Arms."

The Latest FREE iPhone Apps Worth Downloading

As we get closer to Christmas, there are a slew of great FREE apps available for download on the App Store.  Here's a quick rundown:

AccuWeather.com [iTunes link]- As much as I loved The Weather Channel app, AccuWeather.com is actually slightly better.  AccuWeather has everything that The Weather Channel has plus a nice backdrop showing the general state of the weather, similar to the popular HTC weather app, and an animated doppler.

Crystal Defenders Lite [iTunes link] - Square Enix, publisher of the popular Final Fantasy series, has made an iPhone game called "Crystal Defenders."  That app is $7.99 but you can try it out for FREE with the Lite version.  I was never a big fan of Final Fantasy but this game is okay for being a mobile phone game.  This doesn't push the limits of the iPhone's capability but I found it somewhat entertaining.

Space Deadbeef [iTunes link] - This has been one of the most downloaded free games but I thought I should mention it here.  Beautiful graphics combined with an interesting touch screen interface makes this a winner as a free game.

Dragon Force Light [iTunes link] - This is another vertical shoot'em up iPhone game.  There's only one level but you can try out its interesting interface:  your ship auto-shoots, you tilt your iPhone to move your ship left and right, and you occasionally touch the screen to fire a massive laser.  The paid version is not yet out as of this writing but I assume it is coming.

Animoto Videos [iTunes link] - This is my FAVORITE free app as of late.  Animoto Videos makes a video slideshow of between 8 and 16 photos you have on your iPhone.  Although you can only choose the music the app provides, it is a very good app considering it is free.  A paid app that lets you choose your own music would definitely be a big hit.  Your video slideshow is uploaded to a site and if you register online, you can embed the video on a blog like this one.  Check out the video I made: