Google Latitude for iPhone: Cool or Creepy?
Posted by admin in ipod news
pimg src=http://www.appleiphonereview.com/images/latitude.jpg alt=Google Latitude on iPhone align=right class=imgright //ppGoogle#8217;s new location-tracking service, Latitude, is now available on the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a. You can direct your a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a to a href=http://google.com/latitude class=extlink rel=nofollowGoogle.com/Latitude/a and opt to share your location #8212; with all of your friends, or with select friends only./ppI can imagine a few ways Google Latitude could be useful:/pulliYou#8217;re at a music festival and you#8217;re trying to meet up with your friends. Instead of trying to talk over the music to tell them where to meet up, just share your location with them using Latitude./liliYou#8217;re traveling and you want to give your family members the peace of mind of knowing where you are, so you share your location with them./liliAs Google themselves noted, imagine you#8217;re playing tennis and you want to invite your friends. Simply share your location and include a status message inviting people to join you./liliParents can setup Latitude on their children#8217;s phones #8212; Latitude is also available on phones other than a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a #8212; to keep track of where they are at certain times./liliOr, in an extreme situation, let#8217;s say you are kidnapped and the police are able to locate you because of Google Latitude./li/ulpNote that strangers can never track you using Latitude without your permission. Anyone who wants to track you needs to be approved by you first. /ppimg src=http://appleiphonereview.com/images/latitude-friend-request.jpg alt=Google Latitude Friend Request class=img //ppDespite the benefits, however, there are a number of scenarios where Latitude could be abused, some of which have prompted privacy groups to speak out against the Google service./pulliAnyone could covertly set up the service on someone#8217;s phone and track their every move. Once Latitude is active, Google does not remind you that the service is turned on.pPrivacy group a href=http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd[347]=x-347-563567 class=extlink rel=nofollowPrivacy International/a explains how this could happen:/pblockquotedivWe have considered the following five scenarios:/pp * An employer provides staff with Latitude-enabled phones on which a reciprocal sharing agreement has been enabled, but does not inform staff of this action or that their movements will be tracked.br / * A parent gifts a a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobilemobile/a phone to a child without disclosing that the phone has been Latitude-enabled.br / * A partner, friend or other person gains access to an unattended phone (left on a bar on in the house) and enables Latitude without the other person’s knowledge.br / * A Latitude-enabled phone is given as a gift.br / * A phone left unattended, for example with security personnel or a repair shop, is covertly enabled./ppOnce the phone has been enabled, the second party will be able to mask his phone’s presence, thus ensuring that the victim is unaware that her phone is being tracked./p/div/blockquote/liliYou could also set up Latitude on your own phone and forget that you have it turned on, unintentionally allowing your friends to track your location at all times./liliLaw enforcement could subpoena Google to find out where you are at any given moment. But Google says it only stores your most recent automatic update, so your history is not tracked./liliAlthough unlikely, a skilled hacker could crack the system and stalk you or learn your patterns so as to break in to your home at the perfect time./li/ulpIn the video below, Google shares some Latitude privacy tips for using the service safely and securely. /ppobject width=560 height=340param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/u9H4xaTspaQ#038;hl=en#038;fs=1#038;/paramparam name=allowFullScreen value=true/paramparam name=allowscriptaccess value=always/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/u9H4xaTspaQ#038;hl=en#038;fs=1#038; type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowscriptaccess=always allowfullscreen=true width=560 height=340/embed/object/ppWhat do you think? Does Google Latitude and the idea of location-sharing go too far? Or is it something you plan to use? I#8217;d love to hear your opinion in the comments./pdiv class=feedflarea href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1EOK01ljoo4:ZEYb2E2ACgc:yIl2AUoC8zA rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=yIl2AUoC8zA border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1EOK01ljoo4:ZEYb2E2ACgc:D7DqB2pKExk rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=1EOK01ljoo4:ZEYb2E2ACgc:D7DqB2pKExk border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1EOK01ljoo4:ZEYb2E2ACgc:qj6IDK7rITs rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=qj6IDK7rITs border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1EOK01ljoo4:ZEYb2E2ACgc:V_sGLiPBpWU rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=1EOK01ljoo4:ZEYb2E2ACgc:V_sGLiPBpWU border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1EOK01ljoo4:ZEYb2E2ACgc:F7zBnMyn0Lo rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=1EOK01ljoo4:ZEYb2E2ACgc:F7zBnMyn0Lo border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1EOK01ljoo4:ZEYb2E2ACgc:I9og5sOYxJI rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=I9og5sOYxJI border=0 //img/a/divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AppleiPhoneReview/~4/1EOK01ljoo4 height=1 width=1 /
iON Mobile Power Bank: Backup Battery for iPhone [Video Review]
Posted by admin in ipod news
pimg src=http://appleiphonereview.com/images/ion-power-bank.jpg alt=iON Mobile Power Bank align=right class=imgright //ppThe iON Universal a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobileMobile/a Power Bank by FSP Group is a credit-card sized rechargeable portable backup battery for a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a and other devices./ppFSP Group sent me an iON a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobileMobile/a Power Bank a couple of weeks ago, and I#8217;ve had the opportunity to test it out briefly with my a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G S./ph2Contents/h2pThe iON Universal a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobileMobile/a Power Bank is $29.99 as of this writing. strongYou can purchase it at the a href=http://www.shopfsp.com/ion-universal-mobile-power-bank/p/549.html class=extlink rel=nofollowFSP direct site/a/strong. For the price, you get:/pulliThe USB-powered iON a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobileMobile/a Power Bank/lili2 adapters #8212; one for charging your a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a or a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=ipodiPod/a Touch and the other for other USB-powered devices/liliA carrying pouch with two compartments #8212; one for the battery and one for the cables/li/ulpimg src=http://appleiphonereview.com/images/ion-contents.jpg alt=iON Mobile Power Bank contents class=img //ppWatch my video review of the iON Universal a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobileMobile/a Power Bank below:/ppobject width=425 height=344param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/V1LeFQHOdFM#038;hl=en#038;fs=1#038;/paramparam name=allowFullScreen value=true/paramparam name=allowscriptaccess value=always/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/V1LeFQHOdFM#038;hl=en#038;fs=1#038; type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowscriptaccess=always allowfullscreen=true width=425 height=344/embed/object/ph2Overview/h2p/ph3iON a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobileMobile/a Power Bank Pros:/h3ulliIt#8217;s portable. You can extend your a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a battery life anywhere you go./liliIt#8217;s small. It#8217;s about the size of a credit card and weighs only 50g./liliIt provides several additional hours of battery life to your a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a #8211; depending on how use it/liliIt#8217;s got a nifty carrying pouch with two compartments for the battery and cables./li/ulh3iON a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobileMobile/a Power Bank Cons:/h3ulliWhen the Power Bank is plugged in via USB, the charging indicator lights are on the underside of the device when it#8217;s laid flat. In the future, could the USB input and the charging indicator lights be placed on the top of the device? /liliThe adapter and cable are a bit bulky. Could they be simplified so as not to take up so much pocket space?/liliThe adapter head is made of plastic. Could it be made of metal like the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a adapter?/li/ulh2Additional Power Specs/h2pAccording to FSP Group, this is how much power you can expect to get out of your a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a, a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G and other devices (image below). The battery extension for the 3G S is not specified, however this review is based on using the iON a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobileMobile/a Power Bank with my a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G S./ppimg src=http://appleiphonereview.com/images/ion-additional-power.jpg alt=Addition power provided by iON Mobile Power Bank class=img //ppI hope my readers and FSP group will benefit from this review. These are just my initial impressions of the iON a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=mobileMobile/a Power Bank, so please share YOUR experience with this or any other a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a backup battery in the comments./pdiv class=feedflarea href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=KgPaseWghpc:c5kVqxRjGUs:yIl2AUoC8zA rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=yIl2AUoC8zA border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=KgPaseWghpc:c5kVqxRjGUs:D7DqB2pKExk rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=KgPaseWghpc:c5kVqxRjGUs:D7DqB2pKExk border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=KgPaseWghpc:c5kVqxRjGUs:qj6IDK7rITs rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=qj6IDK7rITs border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=KgPaseWghpc:c5kVqxRjGUs:V_sGLiPBpWU rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=KgPaseWghpc:c5kVqxRjGUs:V_sGLiPBpWU border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=KgPaseWghpc:c5kVqxRjGUs:F7zBnMyn0Lo rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=KgPaseWghpc:c5kVqxRjGUs:F7zBnMyn0Lo border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=KgPaseWghpc:c5kVqxRjGUs:I9og5sOYxJI rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=I9og5sOYxJI border=0 //img/a/divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AppleiPhoneReview/~4/KgPaseWghpc height=1 width=1 /
Paper Toss iPhone Game [See Video]
Posted by admin in ipod news
pimg src=http://www.appleiphonereview.com/images/paper-toss-iphone.jpg alt=iPhone paper toss game align=right class=imgright //ppI#8217;m not big on games in general, but I discovered a fun a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a game with a simple concept yesterday: it#8217;s called Paper Toss. /ppTo try to beat the high score, you toss the paper into the waste basket as many consecutive times as possible. A missed shot resets the score ticker to 0. /ppIt#8217;s a fun little time-waster, so I thought I would share./ppPaper Toss can be downloaded for free from the App Store. There are three levels #8212; Easy, Medium and Hard. /ppHere is a video of my friend playing it on the 4th of July #8212; you can hear fireworks in the background. If you#8217;re easily offended, ignore his frustrated profanity at the end of the video when he fails to match my high score. /ppobject width=425 height=344param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/Zcv4-VX5-QI#038;hl=en#038;fs=1#038;/paramparam name=allowFullScreen value=true/paramparam name=allowscriptaccess value=always/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/Zcv4-VX5-QI#038;hl=en#038;fs=1#038; type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowscriptaccess=always allowfullscreen=true width=425 height=344/embed/object/pdiv class=feedflarea href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=BS2CfxMQQJ0:dpzZA5r6AF0:yIl2AUoC8zA rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=yIl2AUoC8zA border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=BS2CfxMQQJ0:dpzZA5r6AF0:D7DqB2pKExk rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=BS2CfxMQQJ0:dpzZA5r6AF0:D7DqB2pKExk border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=BS2CfxMQQJ0:dpzZA5r6AF0:qj6IDK7rITs rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=qj6IDK7rITs border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=BS2CfxMQQJ0:dpzZA5r6AF0:V_sGLiPBpWU rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=BS2CfxMQQJ0:dpzZA5r6AF0:V_sGLiPBpWU border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=BS2CfxMQQJ0:dpzZA5r6AF0:F7zBnMyn0Lo rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=BS2CfxMQQJ0:dpzZA5r6AF0:F7zBnMyn0Lo border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=BS2CfxMQQJ0:dpzZA5r6AF0:I9og5sOYxJI rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=I9og5sOYxJI border=0 //img/a/divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AppleiPhoneReview/~4/BS2CfxMQQJ0 height=1 width=1 /
Got a Good iPhone 3G S Fireworks Video?
Posted by admin in ipod news
pHow well does a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G S#8217;s video camera capture fireworks?/ppstrongWill you share your a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 4th of July fireworks videos?/strong/ppI#8217;ll post a video here after it gets darker out. If you got any good fireworks videos on your a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 4th of July, I would love to see them./ppPost a link in the comments or email your video to appleiphonereview [at] gmail [dot] com and I#8217;ll feature them on the site./ppTo email your video from your a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a, go to the video and touch the screen to bring up the top and bottom menus. Then, touch the icon to the left of the bottom menu and touch Email Video. If your video is too large to email, a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a will notify you and let you trim the video down. /ppimg src=http://www.appleiphonereview.com/images/iphone-email-vid.jpg class=img //ppTo post your video to YouTube, do the same as above except touch Send to YouTube./ppI look forward to hopefully seeing some 4th of July fireworks. Happy Independence Day to all of you in the states!/pdiv class=feedflarea href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=XRE3SlW5poE:2jZ7w1ogxdI:yIl2AUoC8zA rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=yIl2AUoC8zA border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=XRE3SlW5poE:2jZ7w1ogxdI:D7DqB2pKExk rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=XRE3SlW5poE:2jZ7w1ogxdI:D7DqB2pKExk border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=XRE3SlW5poE:2jZ7w1ogxdI:qj6IDK7rITs rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=qj6IDK7rITs border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=XRE3SlW5poE:2jZ7w1ogxdI:V_sGLiPBpWU rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=XRE3SlW5poE:2jZ7w1ogxdI:V_sGLiPBpWU border=0 //img/a/divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AppleiPhoneReview/~4/XRE3SlW5poE height=1 width=1 /
Should UF Require Students to Own an iPhone?
Posted by admin in ipod news
pimg src=http://www.appleiphonereview.com/images/iphone-uf.jpg alt=iPhone required at UF align=right class=imgright //ppA friend of mine at the University of Florida in Gainesville is starting at pharmacy school this fall and just found out she#8217;ll be required to purchase an a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a or a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=ipodiPod/a Touch for the curriculum. /ppAccording to UF, some of the pharmacy courses will have programs designed around the devices. The a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a has a number of apps that can aid students, including #8220;medical reference applications, blood glucose monitor accessories, and software that allows obstetricians to use their iPhones to remotely access virtual real-time and historical waveform data for their patients, are just some examples of the growing trend,#8221; according to a href=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/07/01/florida_universitys_pharmd_program_to_require_ipod_touch.html class=extlink rel=nofollowAppleInsider/a./ppOn the one hand, an a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a could help emany/em student be productive. I use a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a#8217;s Calendar, Todo and WeDict apps to stay organized in school. However, I know from experience that the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a can also be an incredible distraction, and a hindrance to learning if students aren#8217;t disciplined enough to use it for the right purposes. /ppSome of the benefits of UF#8217;s policy to require iPhones or a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=ipodiPod/a Touches for students:/pulliApp Store offers useful apps to aid medical learning/liliAiding distribution of classroom podcasts, such as lectures and other classroom materials/liliMore efficient communication #8212; everyone will possess the same device/li/ulpPotential downsides of mandatory iPhones or a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=ipodiPod/a Touches at UF#8217;s pharmacy school:/pulliHigh cost of purchasing the device, although it could potentially be covered by financial aid/liliDistraction in the classroom #8212; a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a is essentially an inconspicuous personal computer/liliDeterioration of learning if students rely on the device too heavily for information/liliIt#8217;s a covert endorsement by an educational institution of a select corporation #8212; sort of like when schools offer only Pepsi products throughout campus/li/ulh2What do you think?/h2pShould the University of Florida#8217;s pharmacy school require students to purchase an a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a or a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=ipodiPod/a Touch? I would love to hear your opinion in the comments./pdiv class=feedflarea href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=z8c8L4VWgGM:_hUTLz1sdyw:yIl2AUoC8zA rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=yIl2AUoC8zA border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=z8c8L4VWgGM:_hUTLz1sdyw:D7DqB2pKExk rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=z8c8L4VWgGM:_hUTLz1sdyw:D7DqB2pKExk border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=z8c8L4VWgGM:_hUTLz1sdyw:qj6IDK7rITs rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=qj6IDK7rITs border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=z8c8L4VWgGM:_hUTLz1sdyw:V_sGLiPBpWU rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=z8c8L4VWgGM:_hUTLz1sdyw:V_sGLiPBpWU border=0 //img/a/divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AppleiPhoneReview/~4/z8c8L4VWgGM height=1 width=1 /
Trouble Finding an iPhone 3G S?
Posted by admin in ipod news
pI spent all day yesterday trying to buy a new a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G S, with no luck. Yes, the Apple Store had them in stock, but they don#8217;t let you buy an a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a unless the AT#038;T account holder is present. My dad is the account holder for our Family Plan, but he is over 300 miles away. /ppWhen I was in Miami, the Apple Store staffers told me I could buy an a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G S at the AT#038;T store without the account holder present, but no AT#038;T stores in Florida currently have them in stock, including stores in Miami, Orlando, Ocala and Gainesville./ppI spent over an hour calling AT#038;T stores throughout the state. Why don#8217;t AT#038;T employees have the capability to tell me if there is an a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a in stock at a particular store???/ppI called an Apple Store in Orlando and asked how I could buy the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G S without the AT#038;T account holder present, and an employee told me the only thing I could do was sign up for a new contract with AT#038;T#8230; um, no thanks./pp#8220;No problem,#8221; I thought. #8220;I#8217;ll order one online.#8221;/ppSo I went through the checkout process on Apple.com, hesitating before clicking Complete and spending $543.36, including an extra $10 for 2-3 day shipping #8212; that is, after selling my 3G a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a on eBay for $315. /ppI finally placed the order and received an email confirmation that said my a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a should arrive between July 9 and July 13, twelve to sixteen days from yesterday. I#8217;m not willing to wait that long./ppSo I canceled my order, called my dad in Miami and asked him to pick one up for me and ship it up to Gainesville. Hopefully I#8217;ll have it in a few days./ppI think it#8217;s silly that I can buy an a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G S on Apple.com without a problem, but if you go to a physical Apple Store, they won#8217;t sell it to you without the account holder by your side./ppHas anyone else had trouble getting their hands on an a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G S? I#8217;d love to hear about your experience in the comments./pdiv class=feedflarea href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1JhqcEmKnMM:f47YgyovInI:yIl2AUoC8zA rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=yIl2AUoC8zA border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1JhqcEmKnMM:f47YgyovInI:D7DqB2pKExk rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=1JhqcEmKnMM:f47YgyovInI:D7DqB2pKExk border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1JhqcEmKnMM:f47YgyovInI:qj6IDK7rITs rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=qj6IDK7rITs border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=1JhqcEmKnMM:f47YgyovInI:V_sGLiPBpWU rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=1JhqcEmKnMM:f47YgyovInI:V_sGLiPBpWU border=0 //img/a/divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AppleiPhoneReview/~4/1JhqcEmKnMM height=1 width=1 /
Apple Blocks iPhone Video Camera App
Posted by admin in ipod news
pThe makers of iVidCam, a video recording app for the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a, contacted me about how Apple blocked their a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a app ahead of the release of the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a 3G S, which features a video camera. /ppI regret not seeing this letter in my inbox earlier, but I think it´s worth sharing. Of course, stronga href=http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/06/08/curious-case-ividcam-wrongs-acceptance/ class=extlink rel=nofollowtake this with a grain of salt/a/strong. Here it is:/pblockquotepThis is our story of how we created a breakthrough video camera app for the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a only to have our hopes unfairly crushed by Apple./ppIn October, we started development on iVidCam, a video recording app for the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a. We invested a lot of capital and resources because we knew if we got a video camera app working, then it would be an instant hit. By January, we had finished the mp4 video encoding engine, but we needed a way to take multiple pictures per second to make video./ppIn February, our breakthrough came. Apple featured 25shot, an app that took 25 pictures in 5 seconds. The app used a custom camera view and took 5 screenshots per second. Our team studied the app and integrated the same function into iVidCam. We saw Apple#8217;s featuring 25shot on the front page of the App Store as a signal to developers that this function was highlighted and encouraged by Apple./ppIn March, we finished development of iVidCam and even added wireless transfer and YouTube upload functions to the app. We were confident that this app would go #1 in the App Store. It had everything users wanted #8211; a functional video camera app, mp4 encoding, wireless transfer, and YouTube upload of the recorded videos. We posted the app to iTunesConnect for Apple approval on March 27. Several days later we were shocked to discover Apple had rejected the app due to what they said was an #8220;unpublished API.#8221;/ppThe same day we called the highest management person at Apple we knew, John Geleynse. We met him at the L.A. Tech Talk last year and he appeared to be the main a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a evangelist. We thought that he could surely help us. On the phone, he was cordial and even agreed with us that talking to the regular reviewers was not going to do anything. He told us to email him an email stating our case with specifics and that he would forward it to Lead of the App Review Team. He assured us this was the way to go./ppWe emailed John Geleynse the same day. And this was the beginning of almost 2 months of being ignored, neglected and overlooked by Apple. Our emails to the Lead of the App Review Team were not being directly responded to. We asked for dialogue, and they gave us no personal replies but sent us form letters intead. Throughout this process, we were committed to working with Apple and not complaining publicly. We wanted to give every opportunity for Apple to address our concerns. Apple deeply disappointed us by ignoring us for months./pp* March 31-May 18 correspondence with Director of Tech Evangelism, John Geleynse/ppBy mid-May we had reached the point of exasperation. Our efforts to dialogue with Apple, their main a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a evangelist, and the Lead of the App Review Team had led to nothing. We decided to try one more time with Apple, this time writing to the highest management possible, Steve Jobs. Here#8217;s our May 18th letter to Steve Jobs that we asked several high management people at Apple to make sure it got to him:/pp* May 18 letter to Steve Jobs/ppWe ended up getting a reply from Senior VP Phil Schiller, who ironically is going to be giving the keynote speech at June 8, 2009 WWDC where Apple could announce their own video camera app for the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a. Phil Schiller#8217;s email and following correspondence ended up to be another big disappointment. Apple never took us seriously and refused to dialogue with us on the issues we brought up./pp* May 18-27 correspondence with VP Phil Schiller/ppAfter two months of being unable to dialogue with Apple, we learned that perhaps we were just too insignificant in Apple#8217;s eyes. Even though we had published hundreds of a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a apps in the App Store, we were just one developer with a complaint in Apple#8217;s eyes. We decided to draft a petition letter to end the unfair practice of rejecting custom camera view apps by Apple./pp* Petition Letter from Photo App Developers/ppAnd finally, we#8217;ve decided to share our story publicly. Maybe Apple will change if enough people let them know they don#8217;t agree with how they#8217;ve handled this situation. We can no longer do it by ourselves, we need your help./pp* Please email Apple to let them know you#8217;re unhappy about their actions (appreview@apple.com and schiller@apple.com)./ppIn closing, this saga has seeded many doubts about the partnership that Apple has with developers like us./pp1. Our company has been damaged and devastated./ppWe#8217;ve spent the majority of our resources on iVidCam, only to see it unjustly rejected and Apple closed to dialogue. It#8217;s frustrating especially since we were big fans of Apple and our company of 6 a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a developers has been committed to developing a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a apps and working with Apple. We were counting on iVidCam sales. Now our company is struggling to break even and we#8217;re at the unenviable place of deciding whether continuing to develop for the a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a is sustainable or not./pp2. It doesn#8217;t feel good to be disrespected, neglected, and misled as a developer./ppIt#8217;s been a stressful process because we#8217;ve tried our best to communicate and reach out to Apple, only to be ignored and not treated as a true dialogue partner. If Apple treats developers like this now, what is the future of Apple-and-developers relations? In our case, we feel like Apple misled us, changed the rules arbitrarily, and punished us for trying to be good a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a developers that work within the system. Ironically, our company has been committed 100% to developing for the non-jailbroken a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a, only to be punished by Apple. And if Apple comes out with their own video camera app on June 8, 2009 at WWDC, it will be a sad day for us and also thousands of developers. The App Store is not a good system when the people in charge can do whatever they want with no accountability, even at the loss and damage of other parties./pp3. What#8217;s a published API?/ppOne of the key issues in our story is what constitutes a #8220;published API#8221;? We#8217;ve stated this over and over to Apple, but we believe that one of the strongest publishing mechanisms they have is the front page of the App Store. Apple appears to meticulously choose which apps to feature. The featured apps encourage users to buy them and developers to develop them. In this case, Apple featured 25shot in February and QuadCam in May, along with approving dozens of custom camera view apps in between. These featured apps appeared to millions of a href=http://www.ipodworld.us title=iphoneiPhone/a users on their desktop and also on their iPhones (AppStore). If these apps were using an #8220;unpublished API#8221;, then why were they featured multiple times on the front page of the App Store? And why were dozens of these apps approved? If Apple was wrong in featuring these apps, then they misled developers like us to spend tons of capital and resources in development. Regardless, by featuring these apps, Apple clearly implicitly published the use of these APIs to millions of users and developers. And by continuously featuring these apps, Apple strengthened their published position of the custom camera api usage./ppPlease share this story with your readers./ppyours,br /David and Susan Leebr /GP Apps/p/blockquotediv class=feedflarea href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=Op8-xujrWfc:Ydwxzn1Cet8:yIl2AUoC8zA rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=yIl2AUoC8zA border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=Op8-xujrWfc:Ydwxzn1Cet8:D7DqB2pKExk rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=Op8-xujrWfc:Ydwxzn1Cet8:D7DqB2pKExk border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=Op8-xujrWfc:Ydwxzn1Cet8:qj6IDK7rITs rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?d=qj6IDK7rITs border=0 //img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?a=Op8-xujrWfc:Ydwxzn1Cet8:V_sGLiPBpWU rel=nofollowimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/AppleiPhoneReview?i=Op8-xujrWfc:Ydwxzn1Cet8:V_sGLiPBpWU border=0 //img/a/divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AppleiPhoneReview/~4/Op8-xujrWfc height=1 width=1 /