The iTunes App Store is 1 year old this week, and Apple is celebrating by promoting some of its favorite apps and games. The company's promotion isn't modest:
Light a candle and cue the music. OK, forgive us for sounding like doting parents, but we're just so proud--having watched the App Store go from promising newcomer to full-fledged revolutionary. To celebrate its first birthday, we've gathered some of our favorite games and apps. Part fun. Part function. Entirely amazing.
Apple has plenty to brag about. In one year, the App Store's virtual shelves have stocked more than 50,000 apps, hosted more than 1 billion app downloads, and changed the way cell phone owners use their handsets. But the store has generated plenty of controversy, too. Developers have had their apps rejected for obscure reasons and for no discernible reason whatsoever. And plenty of developers have complained loudly about what they say is mistreatment by Apple.
We'd like to know your experiences. Are you an iPhone developer with iTunes App Store experiences good or bad? Can you share your take on the iPhone app approval process or iPhone OS SDK limitations? Got comments you'd like to make about your experience with the iTunes App Store during its first year of operation? Please send an e-mail to iphoneatlas@cnet.com or leave a message in the TalkBack section below.
(Credit:
Apple)
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 work on all existing iPhones and iPod Touch models. Also, while Sling had indicated that the iPhone player would only work with the Slingbox Solo, Slingbox Pro, and Slingbox Pro-HD models, the company has now indicated that it will work with legacy models as well--though tech support will only be available for the aforementioned trio of models.
We'll have a more in-depth look at the software and an updated video soon. But so far as we can tell, the software hasn't changed very much since the beta version was unveiled earlier this year. Thus, Tom Merritt's hands-on video (embedded above) gives you a very good idea of what you'll be getting with SlingPlayer Mobile. (Update: See Jeff Bakalar's hands-on review and video.)
So, what do you think? Is the dearth of 3G access a deal-killer? Or will you be picking up a Slingbox just so you can stream video to your iPhone or iPod Touch via Wi-Fi? Sound off below.
Update (5/13/2009, 8:40am): The SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone app is now available.
If you don't feel like spending more than $300 on the Kindle 2, Amazon's free Kindle ebook application for the iPhone and iPod Touch may be a much more affordable, if imperfect, solution.
We compared the Kindle 2 and the Kindle application for the iPhone/iPod Touch, and came to the conclusion that the Kindle iPhone application is great for reading short passages, but the Kindle 2 is better for longer reading.
Also, you can't get subscriptions on the iPhone version and you can't buy books from within the application. Still, $359 is a lot to pay for an e-book reader (though the addition of free cellular Web access and a basic Web browser does make the cost slightly more palatable), so the Kindle for iPhone app may still be the preferable e-book reader for people who already have iPhones or iPod Touches
.For more information about the Kindle for iPhone application, check out our video first look or read our extensive review.
Amazon introduced a Kindle application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Lee/CBS Interactive)I bought a Kindle 2 last week, after a year of waiting for the second iteration of Amazon's e-book reader. I was hesitant at first, as I still love reading hardcover and paperback books, but the free cellular Web access and the addition of magazine subscriptions from publications like The New Yorker had me convinced.
I've had it for a week now, and I love it. It feels great in my hands, and the e-ink screen creates the illusion of reading a real book. I can hold it in my hand and read from it for hours.
I also have an Apple iPhone. I've tried e-book applications like eReader and Stanza, but I just didn't find the reading experience very satisfying.
It's OK for short chunks of reading, while waiting in line or sitting on the bus, but not on a lazy Sunday afternoon around the house. Holding a small device like that for long periods of time just isn't comfortable, plus the small LCD screen can be hard on the eyes after a while. And, of course, there are books only available for the Amazon Kindle that are not at any other e-book store. It's this last criteria that really forced my hand when purchasing the Kindle 2.
So when I first heard that Amazon released the Kindle application for the iPhone (download), I immediately second-guessed my purchase of the Kindle 2. Did I make a foolish buy? Why wasn't I patient enough to wait for the iPhone application? A free iPhone app is definitely a lot cheaper than the $359 for the Kindle 2. So I downloaded the Kindle for iPhone application to find out whether I should send my Kindle 2 packing with a return slip.
... Read more
(Credit:
The New York Times Company)
Over the weekend I updated my iPod touch to the 2.0 software, and I consider that $10 well-spent. Now I can access all the same great apps as iPhone 3G owners. Thankfully, many of them are free; I've rounded up five I really like. (Note that all links require iTunes.)
- AOL Radio Stream radio from over 200 stations spanning 25 music genres. It can even round up local stations. Who needs an FM tuner now?
- eReader As a longtime fan of reading e-books on my PDA, I'm overjoyed I can now do the same on my touch. This app lets you download books purchased at the eponymous site, and flip pages just by swiping your finger. Two public-domain books are included free so you can try it out.
- NYTimes Read the latest news, business stories, editorials, and more. It's a little slow right now, probably due to huge amounts of traffic, but talk about an incredible app: the entire New York Times in the palm of your hand!
- PhoneSaber Quite arguably the best use of the iPhone/touch tilt sensor ever, this clever bit of fluff is guaranteed to elicit a smile.
- Tap Tap Revenge Think 'Guitar Hero' for iPhone. You can download new tracks (a few are included) and even play head-to-head in the ridiculously sweet two-player mode.
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