Category: iPhone (Page 41 of 55)

      id Software to Release a New iPhone Game Every 2-3 Months

      June 25, 2009 /

      id on the iPhone.The latest in iPhone news (and I know there’s been a lot of it this month) comes from id Software. You may know them as the creators of games like Doom and Wolfenstein and the upcoming Rage. iPhone users will be getting introduced to, or reacquainted with, id over the next year.

      id co-founder John Carmack told Joystiq today that he is “passionate about the benefits of the iPhone,” and that his company has a lot of fun porting their titles. He also says it doesn’t require a lot of focus, at least for an established IP like Doom. But there is more to come from Carmack and company, who recently announced their buyout by ZeniMax, parent company to Bethesda.

      “I’ve got a slate of iPhone titles, I expect to have an iPhone release every two or three months for the next year,” said Carmack. He made it clear that the benefit isn’t necessarily the money, but rather the level of commitment. When a game doesn’t cost millions of dollars to make and market, it’s a lot less pressure on the development team, which Carmack views as a good thing.

      I’m glad to see a major developer taking the iPhone into serious consideration. Titles like Myst have recently been ported as well, but how about some new IP? Personally, I’d love some.

      Apps, Gaming, iPhone

      AT&T Upgrades Should Alleviate iPhone Headaches

      June 24, 2009 /

      iPhone call failed.Yesterday, AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel told Gearlog that his company is upgrading their 3G services to include the 850MHz spectrum. As it stands, most 3G services run at 1900MHz and the spectrum is getting congested. The upgrades should alleviate some of that congestion.

      This is good news for all of the new 3GS owners this week, but particularly those in cities like New York and San Francisco, where iPhone saturation is highest, along with network strain. The 850MHz frequency is a lower band, allowing it to travel further and penetrate walls more easily than 1900MHz.

      Along with a more reliable signal in cities, AT&T customers could see 3G hitting previously EDGE-only service areas, though it probably won’t extend service areas by much. AT&T is also starting to upgrade to HSDPA, which is supposed to double the download speeds of their current network.

      It’s nice to see AT&T trying to keep up with the influx of iPhone traffic, but it still feels like just that. Keeping up. And barely. Hopefully these changes will add enough stability to keep people happy until HSDPA provides a stronger backbone for the nation’s only iPhone provider.

      iPhone, Mobile

      Wireless iPhone Charger: Hemorrhoid Included

      June 24, 2009 /

      WildCharge iPhone Skin.One of the more gimmicky advantages (unless, of course, you build it into your BMW) of the Palm Pre over the iPhone is wireless charging via Palm’s Touchstone dock. Just slap your Pre on there and by magnetic magic (and a whole lot of heat) you get a fresh battery.

      WildCharge wants to give iPhone users that same functionality with their WildCharger iPhone Skin. You may remember the WildCharger from days gone by, when the Motorola RAZR was the phone to have. On phones (like the RAZR) that allow you to remove the battery, it’s kinda cool. There are no funky connections required.

      But the iPhone has a built-in battery, one that can’t be removed or replaced with third party units. In order for the WildCharger to work, you need the WildCharge iPhone Skin, a $34.99 silicone sleeve that adds one big pimple to the ass end of your sleek little phone. The full kit (skin + charge pad) will run you $79.99.

      The WildCharger isn’t a bad idea if you’ve got multiple supported devices. For me, it would only support my iPhone, and frankly I don’t mind plugging it (the iPhone) in all that much. I certainly don’t $80 mind it, and if it means a little tip hanging off the end of my phone you likely won’t see me trying one. Not even for a minute. Not even just to see how it feels.

      Apple, iPhone

      iPhone 3GS Pics Are Enough To Shock And Awe

      June 23, 2009 /

      little-italy-9One of the most lauded features of the 3GS is the new and improved camera, which saw a 50% megapixel bump (2 up to 3). The magic isn’t in the megapixels, though, it’s the autofocus/auto exposure functions at the tip of your finger.

      I took all of the photos you see in the gallery at a cemetery near my apartment (I realize that sounds a little odd, but it’s a historic site) or just down the street, and I was shocked at the quality. It’s not just that the photos focused well on the objects I chose, but that the camera could also automatically adjust for exposure and white balance, turning typically mediocre photos into some decent shots.

      The best feature of the whole thing is that it’s built into the phone. Sure you can take better pictures, but carrying a point-and-shoot everywhere isn’t appealing for most people. I always have my phone, though, so I’ll be able to take great shots whenever the mood strikes. Having those shots on the iPhone also means I’ll be able to share them with remarkable ease. Emailing is fast and simple, and MMS should make things even better.

      Angel shot with iPhone 3gsMy only wish now? A Picasa app, developed by Google. As it stands I can view my albums online, but there’s no uploading unless you use something like AirMe or Shozu, both of which are more complicated than they need to be. Neither of apps make clear when your photo is uploaded, and AirMe just drops the photos you upload into an album titled AirMe. I’ll do some more serious digging for this later.

      With improvements like Apple has made with the 3GS, I won’t be buying a pocket camera any time soon. The iPhone now fills the point-and-shoot gap in my life. If I want something to take truly great photos, you’ll see my with a DSLR.

      Enjoy the gallery. The photos have not been edited in any way, save orientation for the two portrait shots.

      Apple, Cameras, iPhone

      AT&T Won’t Charge Extra For MMS If You Have An SMS Bundle

      June 23, 2009 /

      iPhone SMS.The only way I can think of AT&T making the wait for MMS worse would be charging customers extra for the service when it finally goes live. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be doing that…to everyone.

      In the AT&T iPhone 3GS FAQ PDF the company states in plain language that MMS is coming soon “at no extra cost to customers with a text messaging bundle.”

      That plain language leaves some room for interpretation, though. AT&T says they won’t charge you extra for the service, as in no extra fee for sending the messages. But how will they count against your SMS bundle count? If, say, you have the 200 messages plan, which costs $5 under AT&T, will each MMS count as one message, or will they dock your total more for sending videos of your son barfing on the dog?

      For now I’ll hope they don’t turn their MMS policy into a “credit” system, whereby they can alter how many credits you get charged per message. We already know that texting plans are a racket. Going to credits could send furious texters into a frenzy.

      Apple, iPhone, Mobile

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 Gadget Teaser

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑