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Magellan ToughCase for iPhone and iPodTouch

By Dan A.

Magellan GPS launched the ToughCase, a rugged, waterproof case for the iPhone and the iPodTouch: featuring a built-in GPS, it is supposed to enhance the accuracy of location-based applications for both devices. According to Magellan, the ToughCase mee…

The Fingerist finds fame, retail opportunities in Japan (video)

By Dan A.

Japan tends to be on the weird side of any coin, and The Fingerist does nothing to undermine that reputation. This accessory for the iPhone and iPod touch was conceived at a “mutton BBQ restaurant” when one dude said to another that he needed an amp for his guitar app. Lo and behold, after an apparently successful CES appearance, the axe-imitating speaker thingie — replete with a guitar strap and line-out to jack into real amplifiers — is now on sale for ¥14,800 (or $150 for the rest of us). We can’t wrap our minds around such an expense just for the privilege of fingering our touchscreens, but then you can make some pretty sweet music using these things (video evidence after the break).

Continue reading The Fingerist finds fame, retail opportunities in Japan (video)

The Fingerist finds fame, retail opportunities in Japan (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindle Editions with video and audio added to iPhone / iPad app

By Dan A.

No, Amazon didn’t just release a new Kindle capable of doing full motion video with embedded audio. Instead, Amazon just updated the content for the Kindle app running on Apple gear that gives a few books an inject of multimedia. For example, Rick Steves’ London Kindle Edition with audio/video features walking tours with Rick doing the narration while Rose’s Heavenly Cakes features video tips for… you guessed it, making delicious cake. Unfortunately, we’re only seeing about a dozen titles classified as “Kindle Edition with Audio/Video” so it’s hard to tell if the move is a first step in a wholesale Kindle change or just a toe in the water to gauge interest. We suspect the former, given enough time and publisher interest.

Continue reading Amazon Kindle Editions with video and audio added to iPhone / iPad app

Amazon Kindle Editions with video and audio added to iPhone / iPad app originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PwnageTool 4.0 hacktivation is go for iOS 4

By Dan A.

You waited patiently for the Dev-Team to pull together all the developer betas and now it’s time for your reward: PwnageTool 4.0 has been released. The latest hack from team jailbreak works with previously jailbroken iPhone 3GS devices with the old bootrom, all iPhone 3G models, and yes, the second generation iPod touch too. It doesn’t work with the original iPhone and other iPod touch models and, as always, there are plenty of caveats and bold print warnings to heed. But if you manage to weave your way into a jailbroken device (as we did with our iOS 4 iPhone 3G using redsn0w) then the latest copy of ultrasn0w will now unlock all basebands released since 04.26.08, including the updated version found in iOS 4. So get cracking kids, and remember, buckle up, back up, and be safe.

Update: 4.01 has already been released to fix an iBook issue.

PwnageTool 4.0 hacktivation is go for iOS 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 3G, iOS 4, and you — what’s missing (spoiler: multitasking)

By Dan A.

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_3G_iOS_4_and_you_what_s_missing’; While iOS 4 is delivering on every promise for the iPhone 3GS users out there, as we were all told up front, the iPhone 3G would be missing some of those touted new features. Granted, we knew such disparities would exist but were never given the finer details. Now that the final build is percolating through the internet, we decided to take a look at what features are and aren’t working on the earlier year’s model.

What’s there

Folders
Threaded mail
iTunes playlist creation / editing
5x digital zoom: just tap on the display near the capture button, but be warned, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture
iBooks: we were having issues with the earlier build, but it seems to be running fine after today’s official download — PDFs work, too.
Photos: you can now sort by albums, events, faces, and places
Game Center: the icon is present, but as of this writing we’re unable to connect to the servers. (Update: a number of readers saying it didn’t come with today’s download. We nabbed ours as a gold build, which might explain the discrepancy despite still being considered “up to date” by iTunes.)
Spell check has been updated
Spotlight search: you can search the web and Wikipedia from the home screen search bar. That said, not all our queries — “Engadget,” for example — weren’t offering the option. [Thanks, jkane08]

What isn’t

Multitasking: this is the big one. Double-tapping the home button doesn’t give you the handy menu, there’s no fast app switching, and background use is missing in action.
Screen lock: normally in the multitasking menu (which isn’t available on 3G), it’s nowhere to be found, even under Settings. Bummer.
Home screen wallpaper: you’d think this simple addition would make the cut, but sadly no. The dock has been given a visual upgrade, though.
Bluetooth Keyboard support: we haven’t tried this ourselves, but an influx of reports from Twitter suggest this is also a no-go.

We’ll keep testing, but be sure to let us know your own discoveries below!

iPhone 3G, iOS 4, and you — what’s missing (spoiler: multitasking) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple rolls out iBooks app for iPhone, iPod touch

By Dan A.

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Apple_rolls_out_iBooks_app_for_iPhone_iPod_touch’; It’s not just multitasking apps that are hitting the App Store to coincide with the release of iOS 4.0 — Apple has also just rolled out version 1.1 of its iBooks app, which is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch in addition to the iPad (officially, this time). As previously announced, the app now also supports PDF viewing, and boasts a range of other more minor improvements, including new ways to bookmark (complete with syncing across devices), your choice of white or sepia colored pages, more font options and, of course, “greater stability and better performance.”

Apple rolls out iBooks app for iPhone, iPod touch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iOS 4 now available for your iPhone 3G, 3GS, newer-generation iPod touches

By Dan A.

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/iOS_4_now_available’; Right on time, Apple has unleashed iOS 4 for owners of the iPhone product codes 1,2, 2,1, and 3,1 — in other words, the 3G, 3GS, and yet-unreleased iPhone 4. Owners of more recent iPod touches are also in luck. Interestingly, the build is 8A293 — the exact same that was released to developers before as a GM seed — so Apple apparently found no showstoppers pressing enough to necessitate a new build before pushing it to the public at large. It’s coming up in iTunes now, so go on — what are you waiting for?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iOS 4 now available for your iPhone 3G, 3GS, newer-generation iPod touches originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TiVo Desktop Software hits version 2.8.1, adds folder view from PC, export for iPad, Pre & more

By Dan A.

The latest version (2.8.1) of the TiVo Desktop software is official, and it’s added a few new features in both its free edition and the upgraded Plus package. The basic software has added a few additional settings, but the most notable is the ability to view folders on a PC from the DVR itself. Those paying $24.95 for TiVo Desktop Plus should notice increased video quality on PSP TiVoToGo exports, plus new profiles for the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, DROID, Pre and several Blackberry models. Dave Zatz has already gotten his hands on the latest version, reporting some issues connecting to a TiVo Premiere; hit the download page for your own copy and let us know how it works.

TiVo Desktop Software hits version 2.8.1, adds folder view from PC, export for iPad, Pre & more originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple rolling iBooks out across iOS 4 devices, get your Winnie the Pooh now

By Dan A.

No shock and awe here, Apple’s already given us plenty of warnings, but we thought we’d drop you a friendly note to say that if you’ve upgraded to iOS 4 early, your copy of Winnie the Pooh is flying at you right this minute. Tipsters point out that they get a notification encouraging them to download the heretofore iPad-exclusive iBooks app, though they’re finding they have to do it via their desktop iTunes client rather than over the air. Ah well, Apple’s probably being extra cautious with moving those big wooden bookshelves into the smaller dimensions of your iPhone or iPod touch. We’ve not been able to get the app running on our iPhone 3G, so perhaps this is another of those features you’re not going to be able to enjoy on older hardware — we hope it’s just us though.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Apple rolling iBooks out across iOS 4 devices, get your Winnie the Pooh now originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Financial Times: US antitrust regulators plan to investigate Apple’s mobile advertising practices

By Dan A.

There’s not a lot of details on this at the moment, but the Financial Times is reporting that US antitrust regulators plan to investigate Apple’s mobile advertising practices to see whether they unfairly restrict rivals like Google and Microsoft. As you’ll recall, Apple recently revised its rules on outside advertisers and, specifically, their ability to collect analytics on ads for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, effectively cutting out Google’s AdMob in the process — something the company’s CEO has publicly complained about. What’s next? That’s still not certain — the Financial Times says that while US regulators have taken an interest, it’s still not clear whether the FTC or the Department of Justice will handle the investigation going forward.

Financial Times: US antitrust regulators plan to investigate Apple’s mobile advertising practices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AdMob CEO responds to Apple’s new advertising rules: ‘not in the best interests of users or developers’ (update: Greystripe responds)

By Dan A.

We had a pretty good idea what Google and its AdMob division would think of Apple’s new rules on outside advertising companies collecting analytics, but AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui has now spelled it out himself. In a post on the company’s blog today, Hamoui says flat out that if the changes are enforced as written, they would “prohibit app developers from using AdMob and Google’s advertising solutions on the iPhone.” That, he says, would “not [be] in the best interests of users or developers,” noting that “in the history of technology and innovation, it’s clear that competition delivers the best outcome,” and that “artificial barriers to competition hurt users and developers and, in the long run, stall technological progress.” As for what Google and AdMob are going to do about it, Hamoui would only say that they’re going to be “speaking to Apple to express our concerns about the impact of these terms.” We’ve also reached out to Greystripe for comment — which would also seem to be affected by the new rules — but have yet to hear back.

Update: We just got a statement from Adobe’s partner Greystripe, which says Apple’s new rules won’t prevent it from operating on the iPhone and iPad.

“We are pleased that Apple’s new terms and conditions explicitly allow Greystripe, an independent ad network, to operate on the iPhone and iPad platforms. It confirms the value of 3rd party ad networks in enabling developers to earn great revenue with their applications.”

- Dane Holewinski, Director of Marketing for Greystripe

AdMob CEO responds to Apple’s new advertising rules: ‘not in the best interests of users or developers’ (update: Greystripe responds) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone OS 4 renamed iOS 4, launching June 21 with 1500 new features

By Dan A.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/06/apple-wwdc-2010-291-rm-eng.jpg

We knew it had to happen eventually — iPhone OS has been renamed to iOS with the bump to version 4. Some 1500 new features are coming along with the name change, including biggies like multitasking, a unified inbox, app folders, and data detectors. Although Apple is encouraging devs to tweak their apps for the iPhone 4′s new Retina Display, iOS4 will also automatically redraw text and controls for existing apps to make them play nice with the new higher pixel density. Bing search integration has also been added to iOS 4 in addition to Google and Yahoo — Google is still the default, though. The golden master is available to devs today, and Steve says the 100 millionth iOS device — that’s iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad — will be sold sometime this month. That’s a lot of devices! We found out about most of the features of iOS 4 at the SDK event, so check here for the full rundown.

Apple says iOS 4 will arrive for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and the iPod touch on June 21 — and it’ll be free to iPod touch owners for the first time, which is nice. Not all features will be supported across all devices: the first-gen touch is left out entirely, and the 3G won’t do multitasking, as we heard at the SDK event. We’ll see if there are any other limitations and let you know.

Amusingly, an iOS trademark is currently owned by Cisco — just like the original iPhone trademark — so we’ll see if Apple’s lawyers actually called ahead this time around or if they’ll have to fake-tussle and make nice again.

Gallery: iPhone OS 4 renamed iOS 4, gets 1500 new features