Apple Cracking Down on Mass Produced, Low Functionality Apps?

TechCrunch is reporting that companies who mass produce (or provide tools and templates for the mass production of) “cookie cutter” apps are hearing that they need to add differentiation and functionality or risk Apple not allowing them into the iTunes App Store. Jason Kincaid says:

Between the developers I spoke to, the consensus was this: Apple doesn’t appear to be opposed to ‘app generators’ and templates per se, but in the last month or so it has started cracking down on ..read more

iPhone Gaming Studio ngmoco :) Buys Mac/iPhone Developer Freeverse

ngmoco, maker of such free-to-play (with in-app purchases) game hits like Touch Pets and Eliminate has just raised a cool $25 million in funding and bought long time Mac and iPhone developer Freeverse of Skee-Ball and Flick Fishing fame. Techcrunch spoke to ngmoco CEO, Neil Young who said it was all about scale and acceleration:

He expects ngmoco to put out about about 20 new games this year, and the newly-acquired Freeverse team to nearly match that.

In addition to rolling out ..read more

Adobe Says 7 Million iPhone OS Users Tried to Download Flash — Would Hulu App Fix That?

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that, according to Adobe 7 million iPhone and iPod touch users attempted to download Flash in December, well over the 3 million who tried back in June. We wonder how many of those were for Hulu, and whether rumors of a Hulu app for iPad would change them significantly?

Engadget feels that both Apple and Adobe’s competition (competing smartphone platforms that will soon include Flash 10.1, and competing video and rich-content delivery systems from HTML5 to ..read more

Apple to iPhone Developers: So… Happy with the App Store?

TechCrunch is reporting that Apple has started sending developers invitations to take a satisfaction survey with regards to the App Store in general, and the App Store approval process in specific.

Apple asks you to answer with: “Very dissatisfied,” “Somewhat dissatisfied,” “Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied,” “Somewhat satisfied,” “Very satisfied,” or “Don’t know.”

They also ask, “What one thing could Apple do to make the iPhone Developer Program better?” and give you a text box to write anything you want. A few months ..read more

WhiteHouse.gov App Hits iPhone, Will Provide State of the Union Streaming

WhiteHouse.gov, internet home of the US Executive branch of government, has announced their new iPhone and iPod touch app, available now from the iTunes App Store [Free - iTunes link]

The White House App delivers dynamic content from WhiteHouse.gov to the palm of your hand. One feature that stands out is live video streaming. Now anyone with this app can watch the President’s public events at the White House, frequent web chats with Administration officials, and other events ..read more

France Telecom Exec Confirms Apple iTablet with Webcam

Did France Telecom/Orange exec Stéphane Richard just get caught off guard enough to confirm the immanent arrival of Apple’s iTablet/iSlate, with a webcam? NowhereElse.fr has the video clip (go to 6:10 to see the relevant bit), and Techcrunch provides the translation for those who don’t understand French:

Jean-Pierre Elkabbach: According to weekly Le Point, in a couple of days Apple will be launching its tablet computer … Stéphane Richard: Yes. Jean-Pierre Elkabbach: … equipped with a webcam. Stéphane ..read more

iPhone Wins Touchscreen Performance Tests Against Moto Droid, Nexus One and Others

The very first time I used the capacitive touchscreen of an iPhone it was clear that there was no other mobile device on the market that could match it’s performance. Now a few years later, that still holds true for most of us and if you’d like proof labs.moto.com has performed a touchscreen stress test.

The iPhone’s touch sensor showed the most linear tracking with the least amount of stair-stepping. The Droid Eris and Nexus One tied for second with only ..read more

Okay, What’s iGuide — New iPhone/iSlate Tablet Service or Just More iNoise?

iSlate seems solid but might not (or never) be used, while apple.com/ichatmobile was a bust, so where does iGuide fit in? Says MacRumors:

iGuide Media, LLC. is another Delaware-based company whose sole purpose appears to be to obtain a trademark on behalf of Apple, Inc. In this case they have a single trademark application for the term “iGuide” that is currently pending. The application was first filed in December 2007. Again, we found Apple’s Senior Trademark Specialist Regina Porter’s signatures on ..read more

Spawn of Rumor: Apple iSlate + Magic Mouse = Magic Slate?

Following up MacRumors discovery of the iSlate.com domain name yesterday, TechCrunch dug a little deeper and found more to support the iSlate guestimation, and now MacRumors is back again with another trademark — Magic Slate.

Could Magic Slate be the Apple touchpad Daring Fireball thought would be released alongside the Magic Mouse last October? Or are they both just red-herring rumors, spreading blog frenzy along holiday cheer?

Either way, the idea of a multi-touch pad peripheral for Macs — especially if it ..read more

VoiceCentral “Black Swan” Brings Google Voice to iPhone Browser

Neither Google Voice nor any Google Voice-related apps snuck back into the App Store, at least not yet, but VoiceCentral aims to fill that void with its Black Swan Edition WebApp alternative. TechCrunch has the details:

The app is completely browser-based but has the look and feel of a regular app, complete with a dialer, list of transcribed voicemails, and SMS messages.

Using the WebApp calls both the number you want to reach and your Google Voice number, so you’re still using ..read more

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