Mac News: Mobile Apps

Vonage iPhone App Brings VoIP to the Cell Tower
October 06, 2009

Vonage Holdings, a pioneer in Internet-based home phone service, is launching applications for the iPhone and BlackBerry that undercut the international calling rates of major wireless carriers. The free programs let users place calls that are routed over Vonage's network, at least for the international leg.

CNN Mobile: One Small Step for a News App
October 01, 2009

When CNN released its new iPhone application this week, the big news wasn't so much that the app was out there, but that CNN had the audacity to charge money for it. Nearly two whole dollars for news? In this online land of plenty? Bah! The Associated Press has a free news app -- as it didn't fail to point out when it covered the release of the CNN application.

Tommy Hilfiger Adds Sparks to ATG's Catalyst Launch
September 30, 2009

ATG has launched a program modeled partly on the now-ubiquitous app store concept and partly on the principle of open source code-sharing. The ATG Catalyst Program is an asset distribution channel for posting full-fledged applications or portions of code. ATG is kicking off the official launch of the site with ATG Mobile for the iPhone, a native software application built on the latest Apple SDK.

New CNN iPhone App Puts Another Brick in the Paywall
September 29, 2009

CNN is coming out with an iPhone application Tuesday that has a feature few other news apps have tried: a price tag. There's been a lot of talk this year about finally charging readers for news, especially on mobile devices, where media executives see a chance to condition consumers to handing over a few dollars for a constant stream of updates to their pocket.

Air: Breezy Autopilot, Light on Interaction
September 24, 2009

The iPhone has an odd sort of potential as a musical instrument. From the moment the App Store opened, there have been applications that attempt to approximate real instruments, even giving you the ability to make multitrack recordings. I've yet to hear a real magnum opus composed on one, though I'm sure someone somewhere has tried.

MindNode: Free Thinking Isn't Free
September 17, 2009

Brain mapping is essentially the act of recording a brainstorming or planning session in an organized diagram. Start with a general idea relating to what you're trying to accomplish -- your central node -- then just start throwing up related ideas, connecting them to the node that inspired them, and building nodes upon nodes.

Apple Homes In on the iPod's Next Conquests
September 11, 2009

Apple has made a tradition out of unveiling new iPods every fall. This time around, though, the biggest part of the presentation wasn't the new hardware or software, but rather the person running the show. CEO Steve Jobs hosted his first public Apple event since coming back from an extended leave of absence to fight off some very serious medical problems.

Without Buttons, iPod Touch Can't Touch DS or PSP
September 11, 2009

Apple may be the best technology marketing company on the planet, if not the best personal technology manufacturer to date. However, when the company tries to say that the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP aren't cool, I'm just left scratching my head. Let's back up. What's the context here?

Rhapsody Sings in Harmony With iTunes on the iPhone
September 10, 2009

It's been a big week for Apple. CEO Steve Jobs returned to the spotlight Wednesday after a liver transplant, video cameras were added to an iPod nano for the first time ever, and now the iPhone App Store will feature a competing digital music service to iTunes: Real Networks' Rhapsody.

'Geared': Like Tetris for Watchmakers
September 03, 2009

Having played a few games from a lot of different genres on the iPhone, my own prejudices have become more apparent to me. I just don't like playing certain types of games on this platform, even types of games I usually enjoy on a PC or console. First-person shooters are too difficult to control, for example.

Put Things Off: A Practical, Pragmatic Prioritizer for Procrastinators
August 27, 2009

Once you've set up MobileMe, Google Sync or any other syncing service to wirelessly coordinate a desktop calendar to the Calendar app on the iPhone, it's easy to start entrusting your every waking task short of heartbeat and respiration to a "ding!" and a pop-up notice.

The iPhone's Athletic Potential
August 25, 2009

A small icon of Chad Ochocinco's smiling face is the doorway to the receiver's latest media venture. Touch the iPhone screen and enter Ochocinco's frenetic world. See photos of the Cincinnati Bengals receiver. Link to his Twitter feed. Watch video of him working out. Check out his favorite tunes. See a map that shows where he is today. All Ochocinco, on the phone screen.

Apple Keeps Google Voice for iPhone on the Table
August 24, 2009

Apple and AT&T on Friday maintained that they did not consult with each other on whether the Google Voice application would make the cut for inclusion in Apple's App Store for iPhones. Rather, responses sent to the Federal Communications Commission by Apple and AT&T in response to the agency's query on the matter reveal typical business-related motivations by the parties.

TomTom's iPhone App and the Road Ahead for Personal Nav
August 24, 2009

Since the new version of the iPhone's operating system has been released, at least half a dozen software vendors have announced turn-by-turn, GPS navigation systems for Apple's mobile phone. However, when a company that's already sold 30 million standalone nav systems decides to join the fray, it's a sign this app category is starting to be really serious business.

'Duke Nukem 3D': Too Hot to Handle?
August 20, 2009

When "Duke Nukem 3D" was first released for the PC in 1996, the "3D" in the title was perhaps there to emphasize that this was not the sort of flat-world first-person shooter experience you'd find in a game like "Doom 2." Rather than just pivoting side to side, you could actually use the mouse to look up and down, setting your sights on an object far below you or flying above you.

A Slip, a Slide, and a Bounding Bull Run for Apple
August 19, 2009

Buoyed by a bullish report on smartphones from RBC Capital Markets, Apple share prices shot up by more than $4 on Tuesday. Share prices of Research In Motion and Palm also rose. If RBC is right, we're in for a wild, high ride. If it's not -- hey, the iPhone is about to go into China, the next iPod touch will probably have new features, and perhaps an iTablet is on the way.