Applications

SlingPlayer for iPhone release imminent: $30, Wi-Fi only

The long-delayed SlingPlayer for iPhone will be hitting the iTunes App Store in the next 24 hours--but the software will only stream video over Wi-Fi, not AT&T's 3G data network. The restriction is a big blow to the usability of the software, which allows owners of Slingbox set-top boxes to stream their home TV in real-time to anywhere in the world.

The SlingPlayer app will cost $29.99--expensive for iPhone apps, but the exact same price as previous iterations of the SlingPlayer Mobile apps available for Windows Mobile, Palm OS, BlackBerry, and Symbian handhelds. SlingPlayer Mobile should … Read more

Chrome-on-Mac precursor rough but workable

Update 9:19 a.m. PDT: I redid the benchmarks, and Firefox fared better.

I spent the better part of Monday trying out the Mac OS X version of Chromium, the open-source project on which Google Chrome is based, and I'm favorably impressed.

The software, available for download from the Chromium Web site, is incomplete and definitely buggy, as one would expect for a developer version that reflects all the latest changes programmers are making with the project. But for Mac users who've been clamoring for the software, I can tell you that overall, it works, and it … Read more

Greenpeace toilet paper guide rolls out on iPhone

A few years ago, Greenpeace singled out Apple when assessing companies for toxic waste. The clash now seems to be in the past, as Greenpeace has started using Apple's iPhone to spread its message on the importance of selecting the right toilet paper.

Greenpeace has launched an iPhone application version of its "Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide" that lets consumers compare brands available at their local grocery store to find which brands are most environmentally sustainable.

The app, developed by 3rdWhale, gives advice on a scale from "Recommended," "Avoid," or "They … Read more

Wolverine for iPhone: How to botch a movie tie-in

Even if "Terminator: Salvation" turns out to be a forgettable movie, you're likely to remember the eponymous iPhone game--by all accounts a fantastic third-person shooter.

The tie-in app for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine?" Not so much.

For any other movie studios planning their own iPhone-oriented marketing efforts, here's a list of what not to do:

Release the app a week after the movie opens. Give it a ridiculously lengthy title, like X-Men Origins: Wolverine The Game - Feral Sense. So, please, no "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian: Ben Stiller … Read more

Amazon tweaks its Kindle store for iPhone users

On Monday, Amazon.com put out a small tweak to its Kindle application for Apple's iPhone (iTunes link) that takes users to an iPhone-optimized store when they click on the "get books" button.

There's now a page that lets users search either by title, author, keyword, or category. It also lists some of the New York Times best sellers, and items that have been recommended based on past purchases and browsing habits. Previously it would simply offer up a link to the desktop version of Amazon's Kindle Web store, which required a whole lot of … Read more

The problem with password managers

SafeWallet is a new password-management app for iPhone and iPod Touch. It stores important information like credit cards, Social Security numbers, online passwords, the PIN for your ATM, software registration codes, and so on. Price: $5.99.

Like other apps of its kind (and there are many), SafeWallet offers templates to simplify the creation of new records and encryption to protect your data from prying eyes. It's a simple, effective tool that's undeniably handy to have around.

But not handy enough. See, like other apps of its kind (and there are many), SafeWallet doesn't sync with your … Read more

EA turns lemons into Lemonade Tycoon for iPhone

Earlier this week it was Myst. Now another PC classic (hell, Apple II classic) has made its way to the iPhone. Lemonade Tycoon is Electronic Arts' adaptation of the seminal Lemonade Stand, a business and economics lesson shrouded in an addictive turn-based strategy game.

Indeed, what looks like (and is) a cute little kids game about running a lemonade stand is actually a clever course in sales, marketing, and management. The goal: Build your neighborhood juice biz into a Starbucks-like lemonade empire. ("Lemonade-bucks"? Nah. Hopefully Marketing can come up with something snappier.)

To turn your lemons into yellow … Read more

Google's plans for Android's YouTube

As part of a series of blog posts, Google has released more information this week about some of the goodies we can expect out of version 1.5 of the Android operating system, which has been going by the code name Cupcake, and which wireless carrier T-Mobile is expected to push out to U.S. customers at the end of next week. High on the list of upgrades is the ability to record videos and upload them to Google-owned YouTube.

Based on what we can ascertain from Google's introductory video, shooting a video on the Android 1.5 platform … Read more

9 favorite Google Android apps

Version 1.5 of Google's mobile operating system is well on its way to bringing flashier features to Android phones. Some, like the virtual keyboard, are as sturdy and sensible as a bread roll, while others, like "live" dashboard folders and video recording and playback, pack in much more flavor and fat.

Until that blessed day arrives, here are nine free Android apps that take our G1 somewhere in between. You can download them all via the Market icon on your Google Android phone.

Moov: It calls itself a mobile interface, but in reality Moov is a launcher. From the dashboard view, slide open the keyboard and begin typing the first few letters of your MP3, application, address book contact, and so on to get a list of search suggestions popping up on a separate screen. Moov even helps you out by offering tabs that let you search your term in the publisher's other apps: Fbook, Quickpedia, Local (Yelp), and Dial Zero. I have to give Moov's developer, Next Mobile Web, a little credit--most of their apps made this top list, too. One setup note--for best results, make Moov the default search organism, or else you'll waste time choosing to search through the contact list or through Moov, and this app subsumes Android's own search.

Fusion Visual Voicemail: If you haven't yet discovered visual voice mail, don't waste another second. It's high time you scissor off the shackles of regular, "blind" voice mail. By simply forwarding your voice mail calls through PhoneFusion's service, you'll be able to see the messages stacked up in your in-box and listen to calls in any order you choose. You can play and pause the message, mark it unread, call or text the caller (extremely useful if you're in a meeting or another locale where it would be imprudent to field a call.) You can also add the contact, or even resurrect a deleted message. While PhoneFusion's visual voicemail service is free, it's likely that PhoneFusion will soon follow the lead of competitors on other platforms and offer premium services to transcribe voice messages into text, making them truly "visual."… Read more