smartech

This is a guest post by Israeli blogger Yarin Hochman, who has apparently spent a significant amount of time testing every single iPhone app, ever released. In this post he shares his experiences with Snapture’s newly born PiP camera app. You can read more from Yarin on his Hebrew tech blog, TechVibe.

I don’t know about you but for me, one of the biggest pains with my iphone machine is the camera. Now, I haven’t upgraded to the 3GS version yet, I personally don’t see any substantial reason to, but still, even the iphone 3GS camera itself, is apparently provided with tiny lens, very basic features and low quality images, when it comes to comparison with average Nokia\Blackberry cameras.

Today, Snapture, which previously released a camera app for jailbroken iPhones, seems to turn “legit”, by introducing an official version that is now available on Apple’s formal app store, under Snapture app (1.99$), and has made me like it from first impression, but not without a few reservations attached.

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It was back in March, when we first reported that Sling wants to have an iphone application, and we’re glad to relize it’s actually happening, as the company announces that the long awaited app is ready to be released and will be demonstrated in San Francisco moments before the software will get to Apple app Store. Still no pricing info, but the full press release is after the break.

Update1: Regretfully, older SlingBox devices won’t be able to stream any TV content directly to iPhone machines (except Slingbox PRO). That means, if you happen to have one of those first editions, you’ll have to shell out extra money and upgrade to Slingbox SOLO or Slingbox PRO-HD in order to enjoy a complete mobility via handhelds, and not just because of technical issues, but more of a greediness from the company itself. We do hope this weird desicion will eventually end up somewhere in the history pages of “failed-to-be-executed”.

Update2: May 12th 2009 – Regretfully, AT&T has issued an official statement, claiming it’d pull the plug out of Sling’s 3G streaming capability, which was integrated into the iPhone with the SlingPlayer. According to the company, this application -

“which would use large amounts of wireless network capacity, could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network. The application does not run on our 3G wireless network. Applications like this, which redirect a TV signal to a personal computer, are specifically prohibited under our terms of service. We consider smartphones like the iPhone to be personal computers in that they have the same hardware and software attributes as PCs.”

That said, users will be able to use WiFi connectivity in order to log into any web site that lets them view videos. In simple words, 3G – Out, WiFi – In. Now, it’s up to you to search one of the 20,000 hotspots AT&T has deployed across the US, in places like Starbucks, McDonalds, airports, etc.

[via engadget]

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Twitter users, if you happen to own a Nintendo DS device, you might be interested knowing you can use them both as your microblogging tool, thanks to DSTwitter, a cool twitter application with multilanguage support, that lets you easily twit your friends after ending another Mario Kart game playing. Actually, you can use it whenever you like but before doing so, you will have to make an effort installing the application by setting up the WiFi connection on your DS, Register to Scene Beta website, download the DSTwitter 1.3 version file, extract the contents of the RAR in the root of the memory card and run the program. Complicated but definately worth a try!

[via techdigest]

Apple should officially put an end to the iPhone’s Copy & Paste saga (They’ve said they don;t care). Meanwhile, we get a chance to see the MagicPad app, a rich-text editor, coming up to App Store very soon, allowing users to write their personal notes, create text documents and change fonts, text sizes, colors, mark them as bold, italic, underline and of course, copy & paste them in order to send through emails. It works really well and looks promising, so checkout the video after the break.

Update: the MagicPad is now available at the App Store and can be downloaded from here.

[via Gizmodo]

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Apple should officially put an end to the iPhone’s Copy & Paste saga (They’ve said they don;t care). Meanwhile, we get a chance to see the MagicPad app, a rich-text editor, coming up to App Store very soon, allowing users to write their personal notes, create text documents and change fonts, text sizes, colors, mark them as bold, italic, underline and of course, copy & paste them in order to send through emails. It works really well and looks promising, so checkout the video after the break.

Update: the MagicPad is now available at the App Store and can be downloaded from here.

[via Gizmodo]

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Windows OS users, this is your day, as Pwnage 2.0 version for your PC (AKA: WinPwn 2.0) has been released, allowing iPhone 1st Gen, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch users to jailbreak their devices and unlock their sim cards if necessary. Although it was already available, for early adopters, only 24 hours after the official Dev-Team Mac release, this one is much easier, especially with the ability to make your jailbroken handset – Sim Free – in one click. Mind you, this is only a preliminary version and it might have some bugs, so stay cautious while updating your device.

You can download the software from here or here or here.

read the instructions after the break.

Update: There are new versions available in here.

[via WinPwn]

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iSlsk is a Soulseek P2P client that enables jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch owners to download MP3 songs directly from their own devices. To do so, just connect to the Soulseek network with the iSlsk application and start importing your favorite music via your wifi connection. The application lets you manage your downloads and allows more than one song to be downloaded  at the same time. Mind you, there’s one glitch that hopefully will be fixed, if you sync your device with the iTunes library, your iSlsk songs will be erased, but it’s still worth a try. To install the application, just goto the Installer.App and find the iSlsk in the BigBoss repo at the Community Sources package. Checkout the video after the break.

[via lifehacker]

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Remember Rubik’s Cube? turns out you can play it virtually on your iphone or your ipod touch devices, thanks to the iCube application, that lets you choose the number of cubes (2 x 2×2, 3 x 4 x 3×3 or 4×4) and start flicking on the side facet until completing the game, without the ability to exchange stickers. To install it just goto Installer.app -> Sources -> click on “Edit” and “Add” a new source: http://repo.ispazio.net. Checkout the video after the break.

[via gmp3]

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IntelliScreen is a cool iphone application that lets you glancingly review all your important data, including recent emails, SMS messages, RSS feed headlines, calender events and weather reports, from your home screen (“slide to unlock screen”), without the need to unlock the phone. The application is fully customized and enables personalization at your choice. Mind you, it’s in beta version and may caused problems, crashes or even data erasion, so be careful and backup your stuff, or be patient and wait for the official release. However, if you think you are pros, you can install it from the Installer.app (instructions here).

[via lifehacker]

Great news for those who own Windows Mobile Devices, but continue staring at iPhone users with jealousy, as Flick Software Research has announced the release of iSwish interface and iZoom pinch software applications that amazingly simulate Apple’s multi-touch user experience, along with some other cool features, including screen flicking, animated icons, fast scrolling and even the neat zoom in-out pinching mode. It seems to be working flawlessly on Dell Axim PDA and some other Windows Mobile units, so check out the demo and expect this applications to come out in few days.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.

[via engadget]

Big day for Archos, as the company has launched its new GPS device for the Archos 605 player, coming with maps of 22 European countries and equipped with lots of road and traffic services. In addition, Archos has launched 2 revolutionary plugins for the 605 devices, the first is the WebTV & Radio which enables wide variety of TV channels and radio stations, live via WiFi connection on the internet, thanks to a team up with TV Tuner. This plugin is available to purchase from Archos website for $19.99. The second plugin is the TV Portation which enables Archos TV+ owners to stream TV shows, directly from the living room into the Archos 605 PMP, wherever they are, on the go, which turns the TV+ device into a streaming media server, similar to the Sling box. This plugin will be available to purchase from Archos website next month for $49.99, but if you have a registered TV+ device it will be available for free.

Update 1: It will also feature full support for Flash 9 and WMV9 formats, free of charge, at the next firmware update, coming up next month.

Update 2: Check out the plugins demo videos after the break.

[via Archos]

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We’re all familiar with the handwriting recognition function, coming with every PDA device as part of the UI. Well, now you can find something similar for jailbroken iphones, as a Chinese developer has created a cool application, called HWPen. Although it is just in beta version and not working smoothly, the new software can take over the standard keyboard and serve as a great alternative, both in Latin and Chinese. To install the HWPen, just goto Installer.app -> Sources -> click on “Edit” and “Add” a new source: http://iphonecake.com/src/new. Then refresh your sources and look for HWPen in the iPhoneCake packages category. Finally, Install the application and restart the iPhone – and Voila !

[via gizmodo]

Remember we’ve been telling you the guys from Dev Team have already managed to put their hands on the next iPhone firmware 2.0 and jailbreak it? Turns out their plans are far beyond our expectations, as the members of “The iPhone DevTeam” has demonstrated the “Pwnage Tool”, yesterday in Moscow. The Pwnage is a new application, allowing you to jailbreak, activate and unlock all current and future iphone firmwares and patch the stock bootloader so that it will allow any third party to modify the iphone and custom application installation, baseband modification, phone graphics etc. The application tool works automatically with OTB 1.1.3 or 1.1.4 iPhones and the process is very fast. Launch is set for today, currently for MacOS users. Check out the video after the break.

Update: It’s out and available for Mac users here. Windows version will be coming soon after.

[via Dev Team]

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Remember the days you were all playing LEGO, building cars, castles and ships? Turns out you can do the same things on your iPod Touch or your iPhone device, as a new application, named LEGO Touch, was just released in a demo mode. The new app.  allows you to construct your own models with a collection of virtual bricks. Once you’ve finished your creation, activate the model and enjoy. As mentioned, this is just a prototype version but we hope to play it live ASAP. Check the video after the break.

[via gmp3]

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As already mentioned, Dev Team has managed to put their hands on iPhone’s next firmware update and jailbreak it before release date in June. Here’s your chance to take a quick look and get a first impression of it in action. The clip introduces some of the new features, including AppStore, advanced calculator, Exchange Mail, Parental Controls, SDK support, Cisco VPN support and more. Don’t try looking for this update, it’s still out of bound.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.

[via slashgear]

This is funny, even humiliating, as the guys from Dev Team have already managed to put their hands on the new iPhone firmware update version 2.0, and jailbreak it. Mind you, this version was first announced only few days ago, at the Apple roadmap SDK event in Cupertino, and while we’ve been impatiently waiting for the release in June, some people have worked their ass on making it available right now (for hacked handsets). Stay tuned for more updates.

[via Dev Team]

I have no idea why Apple denies this copy-paste function from iPhone users, but as always, there’s someone to bring a solution. With iCopy, you can copy text from within a web page and paste almost any text on the page. In addition, you can copy URL addresses and email them to your friends via your handsets. Although it looks a bit complicated, it can serve you greatly. To add this app. you have to install iCopy as a bookmark, browse the web as usual and choose the text you want, then just click your bookmarks icon and choose Copy/Paste. To view the full installation instructions click here. Check the following videos for more details:

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[iCopy via gizmodo]

Another video after the break.

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To all of you iPhone or iPod Touch owners who consider becoming a DJ some day, MixMeister Scratch might be a great solution. This cool new application turns your iPhone into a Vinyl plate, allowing you to scratch some preloaded tracks or your very own personal music, like a real pro. Designed for the multi-touch screen, the MixMeister scratch provides the turnable spinning experience for your devices, paving your path for an Hip-Hop stardom. No word on availability, but you can sign up here to be notified.

[via technabob]

Check the video after the break.

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Nav N’ Go introduces its latest iGO MyWay 8 application, designed to provide GPS navigation services for the iPhone or the iPod Touch devices. The shown prototype is compatible with turn by turn directions and location tracking function, thanks to the built-in WiFi connection and the small GPS receiver, plugged to the dock connector. Only thing left, is for Apple to be kind enough to open the handset for 3rd party developers – hopefully today at the SDK event. Check the videos after the break.

[via engadget]

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This application, written by Jahanzeb Sjerwani, is pretty cool, as it turns your iPhone device into a wireless trackpad, enabling all of you, couch potatoes, lay back and navigate your desktop with your wandering fingers. In order to add this app, you need a jailbroken iPhone, then go to Installer > Sources > Add http://cnp.qlnk.net > goto utilities and install Touchpad. The software is a VNsea-based (http://code.google.com/p/vnsea), so enjoy your new remote.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.

[via engadget]