Category Archives: App Store

Apple Releases iPhone 4 Case Program App [list of cases]

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Apple Releases iPhone 4 Case Program App [list of cases] is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Available In: App Store       Price: Free  

AppleTo deal with the antenna program, Apple announced they would give away free bumpers. They also stated they could not keep up with the demand and would also offer other cases for free. If you already have a bumper and paid with a credit card you will get an automatic refund. If you paid cash you can take your receipt to the store and get your money back. If you purchased from AT&T you can fill out a refund request. If you haven’t done anything yet you can install an app from the App Store to pick your case. More details at apple.com/iphone/case-program

iPhone 4 Case Program

The app is called iPhone 4 Case Program. There is a direct link above or you can just search “iPhone case” in the app store. Once installed just follow the steps to your new case:

ScreenShots

Description

If you are experiencing reception issues with your iPhone 4, you are eligible to receive an iPhone 4 Bumper or other select third-party case from Apple at no charge. Download this free app onto your iPhone 4 and apply for your free Bumper or case.

Only iPhone 4 owners are eligible for this program. The app will check the IMEI and serial number to verify that you have an iPhone 4. Once eligibility is confirmed, you will be able to choose an iPhone 4 Bumper or other case. The Bumper or case will be shipped to you at no charge

All iPhone 4 purchases must be made by September 30, 2010, to qualify for this program. For iPhone 4 purchases made before July 23, 2010, you must apply no later than August 22, 2010; otherwise, you must apply within 30 days of your iPhone 4 purchase.

Here are the choice of bumpers that are available the the release of the app:
… [visit site to read more]



App Store State of the Union: On the Second Birthday of the App Store

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App Store State of the Union: On the Second Birthday of the App Store is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Mr. CEO, members of the developer program, iOS users, and abusers. I have come here today not to only address the great advances of the App Store but to also address the issues.

During the past year the App Store has seen amazing growth. We’ve seen a quadrupling of the number of applications, downloads, and devices. Since it’s inception, the App Store has generated over 1.5 billion dollars in revenue for Apple with over a billion dollars of that going to developers.

The App Store is a unique mobile application market. Apple has done something that no other device manufacturer had done before or since. Not only has Apple developed a common mobile platform delivered across a variety of devices, they have done so across over eighty different countries and mobile carriers. This is the most perfect mobile device and application marketplace match ever created. Apple controls everything from the device research and development, manufacturing, sales, and application delivery. Reducing the mobile carriers to the point that they are simply service providers. Prior to the iPhone, mobile carriers controlled everything from device features, names, and what applications were available at what price. Under the iPhone, they control just the cellular service. Palm, Google, and soon Microsoft will try to replicate the Apple App Store model, but none have yet to be able to — even though they have the perfect example of how to do so.

One year ago there were 65,000 applications available that had amassed 1.5 billion downloads. As of now there are over 229,000 applications available and those applications have been downloaded a total of over 5 billion times.

Growth in the number of applications this year has been more linear than the exponential growth we saw the first year. That has more to do with the saturation of the app store than it does with size of the market. Over the past 12 months we saw nearly 200,000 new applications approved and nearly 4 billion additional downloads. That’s a 3x growth in number of applications this year as opposed to a 109x growth the first year. That works out to a pretty steady 10-20% growth in the number of applications, month-over-month for the past 12 months.

If the current growth trends continue, the App Store could see 35 billion downloads of nearly three-quarters of a million different apps one year from today. Lofty goals indeed, but I don’t think we expected to see the growth we saw this past year. With the continued adoption of the platform on revised devices like the iPhone 4, and whole new device lines like the iPad, and potentially others, I think there’s a great chance that it will continue that growth.

While in it’s first year, application prices dropped considerably and quickly, they have remained fairly steady this year. Due to changes made this year we can expect to see the growth of freemium applications continue as well. And more income will be generated by in-app purchases versus application sales. This is something we can not track though, so it will be a mystery how much income this will bring developers.

The last year has not been without issues. While the App Store to consumer segment continues to be very well received, Apple still has issues to address with it’s developer relations. While greatly improved, there are still issues with application approval. In addition, the open-ended nature of that developer agreement has given Apple the opportunity to change their mind repeatedly and remove an entire segment of application from the App Store without notice.

The developer tools provided by Apple continue to evolve. Xcode, the development environment provided by Apple is consistently lauded by developers as the best available on any platform. The next version, Xcode 4 appears to be even better. While still in beta and under NDA, developers have been leaking a few details here and there that make it sound like a great step forward. Adding features often requested and integration of features such as interface designer and the Instruments performance monitor into the main application.

While everyone knows that developers have to play by Apple’s rules if they want to be in the App Store, those rules are an ever changing target. This causes problems as it’s difficult to develop to rules that are enforced inconsistently and constantly changing. We’ve seen whole companies sprout up, spend money researching and developing applications, and then be ruined as those applications were not approved by Apple for sale in the App Store. Thereby destroying the company that had been built up exclusively to develop for the iOS platform. This has to change.

We’ve also seen whole segments of application approved for sale and then later removed from the App Store. Segments such as Google Voice based application, applications that present a desktop-like interface, and so-called bikini apps were once approved and then later removed – en masse from the App Store. This too has to change.

The application approval delay has been reduced considerably — a job well done there. But there are still some apps that fall through the cracks and don’t get approved in a timely manner. The real issue there is that the developers don’t know why. There is no communication back to the developers on what is going on, what the potential issue is, or how to resolve it. It appears this is usually caused by an exception. An app reviewer takes a look at the app and has a question and passes it up the chain of approval. That seems to be where it gets stalled. Nothing is communicated back to the developer other than it requires further review and it can stall for weeks in that status. Oddly, some developers have been able to remove that application and re-submit and have it go right through as a different reviewer doesn’t see an issue. There is the inconsistency and communication issues, those need to change.

Over this coming year I hope to see Apple firm up it’s developer agreement and explicitly spelling out what developers can and can not do in the App Store. And then the important part, stick to that agreement for all developers. You can’t ignore the rules for some developers and strictly enforce them for others.

While there are reasons to change the rules to adapt to the changes in the market, keeping these changes to a minimum and communicating them properly before they are made are the key to keeping your developers happier.

Censorship has become a concern. We’ve seen the issue where any application that pulls data from the Internet needs to be marked as 17+ since they could, theoretically, pull adult content. This has been very randomly applied to apps it seems. If it were consistently applied, the NY Times application would be marked 17+. It, of course is not marked that way. We’ve also seen applications rejected that could be considered a freedom of press concern.

Censorship could become a major concern, and something to think about for any publication releasing an app on the App Store. Some theorize a world where Apple can control the media by approving or disallowing applications based on their political content. While I don’t think it’s a huge potential concern — or at least not as much of a concern as conspiracy theorists would make you believe — it needs to be considered when developing for the iOS platform.

In summary, the App Store is growing by a phenomenal amount and sales of devices and applications show no real signs of slowing down. We’ve seen growing pains as the larger the App Store gets, the harder it is to manage, in general those have been addressed well. There are issues with developer relations and approvals, but consumers are happier than ever.

In spite of the issues, the state of the App Store is strong.

[ App Store State of the Union: On the Second Birthday of the App Store is a post from 148Apps ]


How Many Apps Do You Use a Day?

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How Many Apps Do You Use a Day? is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

App StoreA friend of mine on Facebook, also running iOS 4, decided he was going to clear off all his apps in his background dock and then, after 24 hours, check what apps he used and how many. I decided I’d try too and see what I got. I ended up with 27 apps and here they are: Photos, Pixelpipe, Facebook, Messages, Maps, Settings, Twitter, Boxcar, IMDb, Phone, Safari, Mail, foursquare, Gowalla, Clock, Camera, YouTube, App Store, Bible, Prowl, Zillow.com, iMovie, Slowmo, PCO, Simplenote, Wikipanion, iBooks.

Now here’s an idea… if you’d like, clear all your icons from your backgrounding dock and, after 24 hours, post a list of them in the comments. It’s a great way to find new apps and see what everyone is using.
… [visit site to read more]




EA Fractures the iOS Marketplace, Apple Allows It

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EA Fractures the iOS Marketplace, Apple Allows It is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

A lot has been said about mobile fragmentation in the Android world which is filled with a bunch of different devices with different specifications and different versions of the Android OS. This leads to lots of exceptions in the Android app marketplace and isn’t good for consumers. That problem has been, until now, not a big issue for iPhone and iPod Touch users. While there’s been a split between iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad applications, it can be argued that they really are different platforms sharing the same OS.

But now, EA spins everyone around and multiplies consumer confusion in the App Store by creating a new fracture. They have released an iPhone 4 only version of their NCAA Football game along with a version for older models. They further add to the confusion by using the tag HD on it, something already in use by most developers as a designation for iPad applications. While I am of the opinion that these decisions are downright consumer hostile and I question EA’s motives, I also have to wonder why Apple would let them do something that causes such consumer confusion and leads to greater fragmentation of the iOS App Store.

Is the iOS a single platform or multiple platforms? Apple greatly prefers Universal applications that work on all iOS devices and suggests them to developers over having multiple versions of the same applications for iPhone and iPad. Yet in this instance they have approved the exact same app for two different models of the same platform, the iPhone. We’ve heard stories in the past of Apple rejecting iPad specific versions of apps that don’t provide extra functionality over their iPhone versions. Instead Apple have suggested that the developers create universal versions. Yet this game, an exact duplicate with just higher resolution graphics was approved, fragmenting the iPhone App Store. That confuses consumers and sets a precedent I hope doesn’t hold up.

There could be a case to be made to releasing a game that was only compatible with the iPhone 4 due to hardware specific requirements. We saw a handful of games that were only compatible with the iPhone 3GS due to processor speed or specific hardware accelerated graphics requirements. I’m sure we’ll see more with the higher power and hardware changes of the iPhone 4. But this game is not an iPhone 4 only game, there is another version of the exact same game, but for older hardware released separately.

“We do see a difference between iPhone 3G/3GS and iPhone 4. For EA, it’s important that we create our games for the unique capabilities of each platform or device including NCAA Football maximizing iPhone 4’s high quality graphics.” commented Michelle Jacob, Head of Global PR for EA Mobile when I asked for comment on the release of two different iPhone versions of the game. But to me, this just doesn’t make any sense as there’s absolutely no technical reason to create an iPhone 4 specific version of a game to take advantage of the higher quality graphics.

This is the first time we’ve seen a large developer release multiple versions of an app for different iPhone versions. The generally accepted practice is to release a single application for the iOS4 iPhone and iPod Touch platform that takes advantage of the hardware it runs on while degrading properly for lower performance devices. That leaves this as being a purely business decision and a bad one at that.

Let’s take a look at Real Racing from Firemint for an example of how developers have been addressing adding features to their applications for the iPhone 4. One universal application for all iPhone and iPod Touch devices, from a company with fewer employees than the EA campus cafeteria has. And it takes great advantage of the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 and anti-aliasing on the 3GS and degrades nicely for older devices. This is the what consumers want and it makes sense. The iPad and the iPhone/iPod Touch can logically be called different platforms. The iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4 can not. When upgrading devices you shouldn’t be required to re-purchase apps for them to take advantage of the new hardware. This hasn’t been the practice in the past and I hope it’s not in the future.

Doesn’t this create consumer confusion? “We certainly don’t want to create any consumer confusion. We think we’re quite clear in distinguishing between the two versions of NCAA Football and giving consumers a choice.” But confusion is what we are seeing. If we look at the ratings in iTunes for the iPhone 4 version of NCAA Football, 12 of the 28 comments as of Monday evening are from users who have purchased the app for incompatible devices.

The real reason for the consumer confusion is that EA is doing something that iTunes, and therefore the App Store, doesn’t really support. There’s no filter for what you buy when using iTunes on the desktop. You could purchase any apps you wish even if you have never connected an iOS device to iTunes. When you click Buy App on the iPhone 4 specific version of NCAA Football, it doesn’t check to make sure you have an iPhone 4, it just takes the money from your account and delivers the app.

Ms. Jacob continues “If anything, we are hurting ourselves by offering two apps – our overall rankings for the title are split. But again, we feel it is important to give consumers that choice.” Sometimes choice isn’t a good thing when it isn’t done to serve consumers. And I think that’s what we have here. Consumers want choice, but not when it’s so easy for them to make bad choices. What consumers really want it convenience. It should just work and work well. This release method does not work for consumers.

The comment that they are sacrificing overall ranking is very true and makes this an even odder decision. Had they released a single application compatible with all devices and enhanced for the iPhone 4 they would have increased their rank in the top selling app lists by having all sales for a single application instead of two different apps. This is something that can lead to a waterfall effect — the higher up the top selling lists you are the more people see it and therefore the more that buy it.

iPhone 4 is not HD. And how about the odd choice to name the app with the HD tag? That’s something that has become the de-facto standard designation for iPad applications. (Even though none of the iOS devices are really HD resolution.) Adding that designation to an iPhone 4 only application is even more confusing. Perhaps EA know something we don’t know yet with the convergence of the iOS 4 for iPad and iPhone. Maybe that will lead to apps on the iPhone 4 and iPad being closer tied? I doubt that’s the reason. Probably just a inexperienced marketing person decided that was the best way to designate the special version. Bad choice.

Isn’t the Apple approval process supposed to stop bad developer moves like this? The question I keep coming back to is why would Apple let them do this? Why would Apple let EA fracture the App Store market further and confuse consumers by doing something like this — something that iTunes doesn’t fully support? I have to think that it’s a mistake or they are just testing the waters.

But isn’t this going to hurt Apple? One of the most appealing things about the iOS App Store is that once you purchase an app, it’s yours. You can install it on as many devices as you buy. When you upgrade your devices, the apps come with you. And traditionally, developers have updated applications for updates in hardware and new versions of the iPhone OS / iOS. This throws that practice up in the air. If I buy the NCAA Football for my iPhone 4, it won’t work on my iPad or iPod Touch. I have to either purchase the lower quality version which suffers on the iPhone 4, or purchase 2 versions. Neither option is good for consumers — both options are good for EA.

What is EA really doing by releasing NCAA Football like this? They are probably just testing the waters to see what direction the market will head and if consumers will be ok with this. I really hope it’s not their plan for future releases. And I hope that Apple will restrict any developer from doing this in the future. It hurts users which in turn hurts Apple hardware sales and in the end, all developers.

Are you for this method of app release? Against it? If you want to let EA know what you think of this decision, head on over to their Facebook page or Twitter stream and leave a message with your thoughts. And of course you are always welcome to leave a comment below.

[ EA Fractures the iOS Marketplace, Apple Allows It is a post from 148Apps ]


iAds Starting To Show Up In App Store Apps

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iAds Starting To Show Up In App Store Apps is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform looks to be gearing up for its launch on July 1st with test ads and spaces for iAds appearing in apps on the App Store.

iAd offers a way for developers to make money from free applications by including advertising spaces within their apps that are then filled by Apple’s new service. iAd looks to deliver more engaging advertising by comparison the traditional mobile ads that Steve Jobs seems particularly averse to.

iLounge points to a selection of applications from Avantar that are currently showing spaces for iAd adverts and, at one point, included “iAd integration” in release notes before changing the information to “minor bug fixes”. Whether or not Apple had a hand in this change is unclear although the big space within the app interfaces reading “Test Advertisement” next to the Apple logo would be a dead giveaway if they were going for some secrecy.

[ via iLounge ]

[ iAds Starting To Show Up In App Store Apps is a post from 148Apps ]


iBooks for iPhone & Update for iPad

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iBooks for iPhone & Update for iPad is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Available In: App Store       Price: Free  

iBooks Apple has released iBooks for the iPhone. You must have iOS 4 in order the install iBooks on your device. It comes with all the features of the iPad version. Speaking of the iPad version, there was an update to it today also. Some were features like the ability to add notes to your bookmarks and bookmark syncing across devices. Here is a list of the iBooks updates.
… [visit site to read more]




Facebook for iPhone Update 3.1.3

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Facebook for iPhone Update 3.1.3 is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Available In: App Store       Price: Free  

FacebookFacebook has put out another update with some fixes to a couple things that have really been annoying me. One is video playback! You can now watch videos posted on Facebook. Another is links to photo albums now work. Before it would just give an error. Also, you can upload .png files. This helps us upload screenshots from our iPhones. Before you would just get a black screen instead of the picture. Here’s the full list of updates: … [visit site to read more]




Crash Bandicoot Available Now On iPhone With New Features And Multiplayer

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Crash Bandicoot Available Now On iPhone With New Features And Multiplayer is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

If you loved the madcap adventures of Crash and friends in Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, you’ll be excited to hear that a sequel is now available that replaces the 3D in the title with a 2. Not only that, but a new adventure awaits players as well as the introduction of some much needed multiplayer action for up to four players, likely timed to coincide with Apple’s upcoming Game Center service.

The sequel to one of the first console-to-iPhone ports asks a pretty steep $9.99 and weighs in at 71.8MB but has so far been receiving positive press. Some reviewers have mentioned a few bugs, however, but these will hopefully be ironed out in the next update.

From what we’ve seen, CBNK2’s graphics look great and all the features of the original are retained with some great new options to boot. With any luck, we’ll be seeing iPad versions of Activision games coming to the App Store soon as well.

$9.99

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-05-27 :: Category: Games / Racing

[ Crash Bandicoot Available Now On iPhone With New Features And Multiplayer is a post from 148Apps ]


Fortis

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Fortis is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Encore Games
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad, iPhone 3G
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.55 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3.1 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4.05 out of 5 stars

Rating: 3.95 out of 5 stars

The twin-stick shooter has become one of the preeminent genres on the App Store thanks to the quality controls and fun gameplay setups the best games of the genre are expected to provide. Encore Games have decided to cash in on this popular genre with their new game Fortis, and while it does some good things with its gameplay setup, it struggles where other games have succeeded with its controls.

Fortis puts you in 36 levels of arenas with the goal being to destroy a certain percentage of enemies in the level before time is up. Each level has preset elements and enemy patterns with few randomly generated elements besides enemy item drops of health, armor, bombs, points, or money. The money can be used to upgrade and buy ammo for your 3 special weapons, to go along with your unlimited ammo standard shot.

Fortis has impressive graphics, with virtually everything rendered in 3D. The learning curve of the game makes use of acclimating you to the game’s various elements. You don’t have to worry about anything but survival in the first few levels, until the prerequisites become more challenging and levels become optimized around the usage of certain weapons, forcing you to learn how to use them and how you should ration your earnings throughout the crucial middle portion of the game. By the final levels, you have amassed enough skill and money that the final levels are only about trying to survive them rather than any kind of resource management.

Fortis’ control scheme is the biggest issue in the game. Accuracy in movement and weapon usage is key, especially since your ship takes major damage if you fly into enemies, and your weapons burn through ammo very rapidly. The control problems manifest most prominently in a level where enemies fly on screen quickly and disappear after a short instant, so you have to use the expensive but deadly missiles to to destroy them quickly. Now, you have to aim very carefully to get the aiming line correct to hit the enemies, and because the pads are not fixed on screen, it is very easily possible to think you’re aiming in one direction, but where you place your finger has recentered the aiming pad, causing you to fire in a different direction entirely. An option to lock the pads in place would help greatly. As well, the mission structure feels like it could be explored far more by the game than it was – they’re all just enemy destruction prerequisites, instead of any other creative objectives that could be explored.

Fortis’ high production values and clever level structure designed to acquaint you with the game’s learning curve make it a decent game, but its at times unrealized potential and spotty controls disappoint. Fans of twin-stick shooters won’t mind adding this to their collection, but with so many other great entries, it’s hard to say this should be the first place one should look for twin-stick shooter action.

[ Fortis is a post from 148Apps ]