Next gen iPhone auto-focus and compass revealed?
May 31, 2009
A Chinese-language blog UMPCFeaver posted pictures recently that they claim are the first ever photos from a functioning next generation iPhone. The site translated through Google displays images of iPhone OS 3.0 running some of the rumored new iPhone features we covered here, here, here and here.
According to the report, the new iPhone contains an autofocusing camera that uses an on-screen square that can be moved around with a combination of taps and dragging to choose the object to focus on. The rumored digital compass and its software is shown as well. Other features in iPhone OS 3.0 are demoed on the site like MMS - supporting video and photos, copy and paste, the Voice Recorder app, etc.
Auto-Focus (Credit: UMPCFever) |
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Digital Compass (Credit: UMPCFever) |
Old iPhone - No Auto-Focus (Credit: UMPCFever) |
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New iPhone - Auto-Focus (Credit: UMPCFever) |
MMS - Video or Still Photo (Credit: UMPCFever) |
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CPU Activity Logging - Prototype device? (Credit: UMPFever) |
The credibility of this group is unknown, but the features shown on the site have already been demoed by Apple or consistent with rumors circulating around the internet about the next generation iPhone and iPhone OS 3.0.
So what do you think? Is this the next iPhone and it’s new software? Let us know in the comments.
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Japanese university uses iPhone to keep tab of students
May 30, 2009
The attendance reporting app used by the Aoyama Gakuin university.
(Credit: SoftBank)
If American school children have to resort to some special mosquito ringtone to use cell phones at school, a university in Japan is doing the opposite: giving cell phones to students. And not just any cell phone–the iPhone 3G.
According to Asiajin, about 550 students and staff members in the School of Social Informatics at Tokyo-based university Aoyama Gakuin received the iPhone 3G for free earlier this month as part of their study materials.
This is the result of a deal that Aoyama Gakuin signed with SoftBank, the exclusive vendor of the iPhone in Japan. The number of students using the iPhone is expected to reach about 1,000. This is the first time a particular cell phone has been used on such a huge scale at a Japanese university.
The gadget will work as a study tool for students, but as it also comes with GPS, which the university plans to use to check student attendance. Truancy is a big problem in Japan, where regular attendance is an important factor in determining a student’s grade. Students often fake attendance by getting classmates to answer roll calls.
Now, with the iPhone 3G, the school plans to keep better tabs on its students. Students are allowed to use the phone for attendance reporting (but only if they are actually in the classroom, a fact that will be verifiable based on the phone’s GPS), lecture podcasting, and online examinations. A student can’t answer the roll call using the phone from any location other than the classroom.
Students can, of course, still cheat the new system by leaving their phones with fellow classmates, but this is not very likely to happen, as people tend to keep a lot of private information on their phones that they don’t want to share with others.
As for calling and data plans, the university covers the basic fee. The the hardware itself is free, but students will have to pay when they exceed downloading limits.
Zensify for iPhone aggregates your social networks
May 30, 2009
Track and update all your social networks under Zensify's single roof
“All your networks are belong to us.” That could be the tagline for Zensify, a new iPhone app that lets you view, update, and share content from multiple social networks.
In other words, Zensify aims to take the place of standalone apps for the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr–or at least to save you the time of bopping from one to another just to read and post updates.
In addition to those three popular networks, Zensify can connect you with 12seconds, Delicious, Digg, Photobucket, and YouTube. (Support for more services is in the works, according to the developer.)
After you sign into your various accounts (a slow but one-time procedure), Zensify lists all your friends’ updates in a single, scrolling timeline. It also presents a scrolling tag bar (this one along the top) so you can quickly filter the timeline based on current trends.
Then there’s also the Tag Cloud view, which displays the aforementioned “trendy tags” in a word cloud. I’ve never been a fan, but it’s definitely a neat way to sift through updates.
Zensify’s Track tool lets you search all your networks, complete with modifiers for things like tags, usernames, and types of content. It also provides a handy batch of saved searches so you can quickly look for updates that have, say, photos or links, or that come from Flickr or Facebook.
Want to keep an update for future reference? Tap the star icon to mark it as a favorite. Want to post an update or photo to one or more of your own networks? Tap the Post icon. (Finally, an easy way to update Facebook and Twitter simultaneously!)
Unfortunately, while Zensify lets you share or reply to others’ Twitter posts, there’s no easy way to do likewise with Facebook entries. You can “tap through” to the friend’s Facebook page using Zensify’s integrated browser, but that’s a slow and awkward process. The app really needs to add a low-level reply option.
Of course, it’s technically called Zensify Preview, so a few rough edges are to be expected. As it stands, Zensify looks very promising, and I suspect avid social-networkers will like it a lot.
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Bombs away and touch-screen artistry: iPhone apps of the week
May 29, 2009
(Credit: CNET)You may have already read on CNET News about how artist Jorge Colombo managed to get his work on the cover of the New Yorker. To have your art featured on the cover of a widely read national magazine is a big deal, but the coolest thing about it was that it was done with an application for iPhone.
This week’s apps include the cool painting app that was used to make the New Yorker cover and a game where you pilot a bomber high over the landscape.
No, I didn't paint that, but included gallery pictures show what you can do.
(Credit: CNET)
Brushes ($3.99 for limited time) is an easy-to-use painting app with flexible options for artists to create great looking work. A simple interface makes it easy to find what you need quickly. You can choose from different realistic brush types from smooth to bristly and adjust the brush size from 1 to 64 pixels in diameter. Use a hue/saturation color wheel to pick the exact colors you want for your project. You also can use an eyedropper tool to grab colors you used previously in your project to match what your working on. For more detailed work, you can use the reverse-pinch gesture to zoom in up to %800.
After downloading and playing around with Brushes, it was easy to see the amount of detail you could add to a painting using the available tools. Even when you mess up, the app offers nearly unlimited undo capabilities so you can get back to a state you like. One thing that you all should know (and I quickly learned): Brushes offers a simple set tools to create realistic paintings, but it won’t make you a great (or even good) artist. Those who have little artistic talent (like me) may want to think twice about spending the money for this app, but if you are an artist, Brushes is great for creating detailed, realistic paintings right on your iPhone.
Make sure to hit the "Bombs Away" button before you reach the target
(Credit: CNET)
iBomber puts you in the cockpit of a World War II era bomber to complete bombing missions high above your targets. The unique top-down view requires you to turn your iPhone to turn your plane left and right, while tilting forward and backword increases and decreases speed. Line up your shots using the cross-hairs and try to hit your targets by dropping your bombs in advance of the target. You can play through 12 challenging missions across the familiar World War II theaters of battle. Each mission offers several sub-missions (take out 4 destroyers, bomb 6 energy reactors, etc.) that you’ll need to complete to finish each mission. Meanwhile an endless barrage of surface to air fire will slowly eat away at your airplane’s health.
I had already seen a preview video for iBomber some time ago, and at the time I thought it would be a beautiful, but fairly simple game. Now that I’ve played it, I realize its actually very challenging, making it necessary to hit your targets efficiently before you get blown out of the sky. Fortunately, you can choose from three difficulty levels, so it might be good to start at the easiest level to get used to the controls. Overall, iBomber is definitely worth the price, with great looking graphics, solid controls and gameplay, and plenty of replay value.
What’s your favorite iPhone app? Are you an artist that appreciates Brushes? Did you just download Brushes like me in the hope you could become an artist? What’s the secret for completing those challenging levels in iBomber? Let me know in the comments!
iPhone Web app reports what’s cookin’ at Apple
May 29, 2009
Update: Sometime after this post went live the site was pulled and it can no longer be viewed as shown below.
Ever wish you could live like an Apple employee? Now you can at least find out how to eat like one, according to Gizmodo’s post on an iPhone Web app that reports the daily menu at Apple cafeteria, Caffe Macs.
Simply launch Mobile Safari on your iPhone and browse to menu.apple.com, select an Apple campus location, and boom: instantly see what’s cookin’ at Apple.
According to the app, the menu at Infinite Loop as of this writing includes: pizza, soft tacos, burritos, salads, roast chicken, grilled snapper, and various other munchies that are likely to keep Apple engineers highly energized and working hard to get that new iPhone out this summer.
Visible Vote for iPhone gets you involved in the political process
May 29, 2009
Guess who I won't be voting for come November, 2010?
To paraphrase the old saying: Everyone complains about the government, but no one does anything about it. If you want to get more involved in the political process, “elect” Visible Vote Mobile to your iPhone or iPod Touch.
The free app lets you compare the voting records of your state senators and congressional representative(s) with your votes on the issues of the day.
For example, do you agree with the bill to expand Medicare coverage? (You can read a description and highlights right on your iPhone.) Cast your vote, then see how it matches up with your elected officials.
The app also lets you compose and send letters to your legislators–one of them, all of them, or just those you choose. (Finally! A quick and easy way to say, “Dear Elected Official: Please stop wasting taxpayer money on stupid stuff.”)
According to the developers, Visible Vote sends a weekly letter to your legislators informing them how you and others voted. In addition, it “sends you an overview report next election so you know who to vote for and against.” Um, OK, that’s a little weird.
Alas, you can’t view your reps’ voting records without casting votes yourself, which is a bit irksome. Hopefully a future update will address that limitation, while at the same time adding biographical information about the legislators themselves.
Interestingly, Visible Vote for Facebook offers both those features–and it can sync with the iPhone app to make your votes visible to your friends.
I have to admit, I pay very little attention to politics, particularly the voting records of the people who represent me in Congress. (I know: bad citizen. Bad!) That’s why I’m delighted by Visible Vote: it helps me clue into what’s happening and even add my voice to the discussion. Talk about a game changer.
Behind the iPhone-created New Yorker cover
May 29, 2009
‘Finger Painting’ is the cover of this week’s New Yorker.
(Credit: Jorge Colombo)
The art that graces the cover of this week’s New Yorker magazine is entitled “Finger Painting.” It’s the ideal name, since the artist created it using nothing more than his finger and trusty iPhone.
Artist Jorge Colombo designed the scene of a New York City hot dog vendor using an iPhone app called Brushes, software he only started using in February. Created by developer Steve Sprang, the $4.99 program lets anyone from amateur to professional draw and paint using the iPhone as canvas.
In e-mail interviews with CNET News, both the artist and the developer spoke about their background and their inspiration.
As illustrator, photographer, and graphic designer, Jorge Colombo has seen his work published in a variety of venues, from magazines to books to the Web. Originally from Portugal, he moved to the U.S. in 1989 and bounced from San Francisco to Chicago before making the Big Apple his home.
‘Empire State Building’
(Credit: Jorge Colombo)
His passion for the city is clear in his work. His iPhone cityscapes show off Manhattan in all its glory, depicting scenes of the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, and even Katz’s Deli, a famous New York eatery. “I keep gravitating towards the urban landscape,” he says. “So many stories behind each scaffolding, each mismatched addition, each broken window, each parked truck.”
Colombo says that “Finger Painting,” a familiar Manhattan scene of a hot dog vendor with his customers, is something he drew from life. “There are countless (numbers) of those carts in NYC, especially in that stretch of 42nd Street. I love the idea of a little restaurant self-contained in a cart, the idea of concentrated systems and kits appeals to me. As proven by my carrying of my studio in my pocket now.”
Working on a small medium like the iPhone poses some challenges, but Colombo rises above them. “I tend to focus on advantages, not limitations,” he says. “I like using my fingers. I like the quick eyeballing of colors. I like the endless Undo function. Wish I had a bigger screen, and long drawing sessions depletes my battery. I’m all the time ducking into cafes or restaurants, forcing myself to consume something while I recharge the phone on a socket to go do more drawings.”
Though people can use a stylus to draw on the iPhone, Colombo says he uses just his finger and finds working this way very organic. His work as an illustrator for 26 years beforehand helped a little. “The 800-percent zoom doesn’t hurt either.”
A video clip showing how Colombo created “Finger Painting” details each stroke used to build the evocative image.
Colombo’s watercolor and ink paintings have been featured on the pages of the New Yorker, but this is his first work to achieve the cover. It’s also the first iPhone-generated art to appear on the cover of any major magazine. The New Yorker promises a new Colombo drawing will grace its Web site each week.
Brushes developer Steve Sprang has long enjoyed working with graphic tools. He hails from Apple where he was a member of the iWork team, responsible for creating the suite’s 2D graphics and designing how the user interacts with the on-screen canvas. With his interest in computer graphics and creative tools, he says he’s always sought out those types of projects.
Brushes is the iPhone app used in this week’s New Yorker cover art.
(Credit: Steve Sprang)
Sprang initially began work on his Brushes app in March of 2008–it popped up on the Apple Store that August. But a painting program wasn’t his original idea. “Initially, I created a color chooser as a way to get familiar with iPhone development. I figured it might be useful for any number of apps,” he said. “Once that was working, though, it seemed obvious to me that I needed to build a painting app. It’s a natural fit for the touch screen.”
Since Brushes went live, Sprang says there have been more than 45,000 total downloads. Though the program is designed to be used by anyone, it’s brought out the best in a variety of talented and professional artists, whose work can be seen on the Brushes Flickr group.
Sprang says he knew Brushes had potential when he himself created one of its first sample paintings–an apple against a white background. Though he had drawn a bit in the past, he had never painted before and was surprised how well it turned out. “At that moment,” he said, I became very excited to see what a properly trained artist could do. I’m still impressed on a daily basis by what appears in the Flickr group. I’m lucky to have such amazing users!”
Sonic the Hedgehog spins on to iPhone
May 29, 2009
(Credit: Crave UK)Get ready to buy Sonic the Hedgehog for the umpteenth time–the original Sega classic is now available on your iPhone, and for the measly price of $5.99.
The complete first adventure of Hirokazu Yasuhara’s blue-haired speedfreak plays surprisingly well on the iPhone and iPod Touch. You only ever needed left, right, and jump controls, so that’s all you’re getting on the iPhone. And they come in the form of virtual onscreen buttons.
“O rly?” you snark, “onscreen buttons? Don’t they, y’know, suck?” Well yeah, kind of. They lack any tactile feedback, so you never know by touch alone where your fingers are (if you see what we mean). It’s not a Susan Boyle hairstyle-size obstacle, but for a game as fast-paced as Sonic, we found it takes a good half hour to acclimatize.
But the graphics are lush; the original soundtrack is intact, along with all the original sound effects; and gameplay is smooth. Very sporadic frame rate drops notwithstanding, the game plays admirably. Perhaps better than we were expecting.
Yes, Sega could have used the phone’s accelerometer to allow you to roll Sonic around the screen–something which was never possible on the Game Gear back in the day–but no, that would’ve been too much to ask. As, apparently, would’ve been the ability to save and load more than just one instance of the game.
(Credit: Screenshot by Crave UK)(Source: Crave UK)