AT&T afraid of iPhone 3G users: offers free WiFi

Having no bandwidth cap for iPhone users has proved to be a problem for AT&T, which has been faced with  loads of expenses in keeping up their 3G network. In a smart move, AT&T has brought back to life its old partnership with Starbucks cafes across the country, allowing any member of the cellular network company to access the cafe’s WiFi network for free. I’m not sure how much help this is going to be for AT&T, or even how many people play around with iPhone internet at Starbucks, but at least this is a great and welcoming feature for AT&T costumers.

In an SMS message sent to iPhone users:

“AT&T knows Wi-Fi is hot, and FREE Wi-Fi is even hotter. Which is why FREE AT&T Wi-Fi access is now available for Apple iPhone at thousands of hotspots nationwide, including Starbucks*. Users can relax and access music, email and web browsing services with their favorite blend in hand from the comfort of their nearest location. For information visit www.att.com/attwifi.”

NDA PARTY!!!

“To our developers

We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software.

We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others don’t steal our work. It has happened before. While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others.

However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.

Thanks to everyone who provided us constructive feedback on this matter.”

YES! Apple has finally dropped its non-disclosure agreement (NDA). For the past three months the NDA has kept developers from sharing almost any information about their apps, how they made them, and how Apple’s SDK works. As they said on their Developer Page, Apple’s original intention was to keep competitors from stealing their technology, despite Apple already having “hundreds” of patents and copyrights on their work. I guess they finally caught the picture. The NDA was ticking people off.

I guess it’s just a coincidence that Google’s very open Android mobile OS has finally been revealed.

Anyways, with no more NDA, we can expect to find plenty more apps in the store. Current developers will share what they know and just about anyone will start to make their own apps. Sounds good to me!

Interesting App: Heart Monitor

http://www.vimeo.com/1791560

I’ve been worried lately that we here at AppStoreFans were going to go out of business. The only apps coming out for the past few weeks have been car games, puzzle games, poker games, and flashlights. Luckily, a cool new app came out today called Heart Monitor. As you can see in the video, you take the iPhone 3G-specific headphone’s microphone and put it wherever you can find a clear pulse. The app will then let you know whether your lazy ass has had a good workout or if no pulse shows up, well, you’re dead. You can get Heart Monitor for $4.99 on iTunes. More images here.

Ahaha nice.

Apple shuts up the slammers

After taking three months to realize that 90% of the people rating apps on iTunes never even bought them, Apple has finally restricted Customer Reviews to only those that actually bought the application. This means better press for app developers and more trust for us users in each app’s Customer Review. It’s too bad I Am Rich was pulled out of the App Store; it would have been great to see who actually bought it.

Apple’s Monopolistic Actions

Recently with the removal of Podcaster, I mentioned Apple’s practice of a monopoly in controlling a few key apps. To further prove my point, Apple has now rejected MailWrangler App from App Store. Despite the fact that Apple’s Mail app is a nice piece of app, it cannot utilize all the cool features in emails. With MailWrangler, it is possible to use those features, but Apple denied MailWrangler from being distributed. In their letter to the developer, Apple states “Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.”

Clearly, this is a load of garbage since so many apps have similar functionality. Ironically though, few third party apps have the same functionality as the Apple ones… In any case, Apple needs to clarify their approval guidelines. Developers would much rather have Apple restrict certain functions from being duplicated in apps than waste copious amounts of time on an app that will not be distributed.

Funny Pic of the Day

Shame on Apple

Remote 1.1 updated with Genius

Apple has just released the version 1.1 update to their only official App Store application, Remote. Made to turn your iPhone into a remote control for iTunes when you are out of the room, in the bathroom, taking out the trash, or sleeping in bed, Remote is a great tool. Now, with the inclusion of Genius to iTunes 8.0, Apple has updated Remote to allow you to control Genius as well. Just note, you’ll have to have the new version of iTunes to use this feature on Remote.

One more added feature includes being able to edit your playlists right from the iPhone.

Find screenshots of the app here.

App Store’s Folly

With the recent blacklists of Podcaster and other App Store apps, one wonders what happens to the developer. As apps cannot be developed in a day, app programmers lose valuble time and resources in building apps that get pulled from the store. I see several glaring mistakes here. Would you, for example, attempt to develop another app if one app of yours is pulled down (assuming that you took over a month)? The issue here is that talented app developers will be reluctant to create another one, thus their potential is lost forever to the iPhone/iPod Touch world. Apple needs to revise their app guidelines and standards, for there are just too many loopholes right now. Other than having Apple revise their guidelines, hopes are quite dim for us users, because we will always be demanding apps and Apple knows that just too well. Their monopolic and anti-competitive actions can’t really be dealt with easily.

Star Wars is now on the iPhone

THQ, which not too long ago had the great PhoneSaber app pulled off of the App Store, has now ported an entire Star Wars game onto the iPhone and iPod Touch. The game is called “Star Wars: Forced Unleashed”, and was released this past Monday, September 15. Here is the game’s official description:

Experience the Star Wars universe as never before. The devastating power of the Force is in your hands. You are Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice, trained by the menacing Sith Lord to hunt down the last of the Jedi. Unleash a barrage of Fource Powers - including Grip, Lighting, Jedi Mind Trick and much more - at the flick of your fingers as you tap, touch and swipe your way through enemies using the intuitive touch-screen mechanics and exclusive CellWeaver feature. Your journey will take you across the galaxy to clash with powerful enemies, yet you are destined to clash with powerful enemies, yet you are destined to become something far greater than just Darth Vader’s servant.

Below you can see a video of the game being presented at E3 2008 this past summer when the game was first revealed. As you can see in it,  you only control the movement of your light saber, not where and how you move.

In my opinion, even though I haven’t yet got my hands on the game, it looks as if its going to get old very quickly. All you are doing is just flicking your finger around to guide how you deflect your enemy’s shots or how you use the “force” to pick them up and throw them. For the younger iPhone owners out there though, this looks like a must have game.

This game also was released for the PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, and PSP today, Tuesday, September 16. Gamespot was not too fascinated by those versions either.

See the screenshots here.

Countdown to one Billion

It took Apple two years after releasing the first iPod to sell one billion songs. Apple could do just that with its App Store within half the time. With 12 million iPhones and millions more iPod Touches now in the hands of people around the world, the App Store is seeing some great success. iPhone owners, during the first two months of the App Store’s release, had downloaded two times as many apps as songs.

Not too long ago, at Apple’s Let’s Rock press conference, Steve Jobs mentioned that 100 million apps had been downloaded in just two months (do I hear any developers squirming with joy?!). At this same rate, there could be one billion app downloads by August, 2009, a year after the iPhone 3G was released.

The thing is, if growth continues the way it has been over these last few months, the 1 billion mark could be reached a lot sooner. More and more companies will develop apps for the common consumer, gamer, and even business person. Already in universities across the United States, the iPhone has become an integral part of their resources and you can definitely expect some interesting apps to arise from that field. Eventually, with all of these great applications at hand, more and more people will find a reason to buy the iPhone and download the thousands of apps it has to offer.

I just want to point out however, that while a billion apps may be downloaded within the year, no more than 20-30% of it will be of paid apps. The iTunes benchmark of 1 billion songs was one that Apple actually earned in their pockets.