iPhone4 posts

I tried Pocket Legends for the iPhone a while back, and found it to be pretty interesting. It's a full 3D MMO inside the iPhone, where you create a character, equip it with weapons, and then jump in with a few other people to hack, slash, and cast your way through a dungeon. It could use a little polish (the particular dungeon I played wasn't exactly tuned for my difficulty level, and the people I played with weren't exactly forgiving), but if you're looking for this kind of cartoony MMO gameplay, Pocket Legends actually delivers quite well. And since it's completely free, there's not a huge investment barrier anyway.

And the game just recently got a big update, adding in an actual explorable world, a bunch of new quests and items to play with, and some optimization to the game engine that makes it a little more forgiving on older devices (but the game looks pretty good, given what it is, on the iPhone 4 already). It's available on the App Store for free right now for both iPhone and iPad -- what Spacetime Studios has done in implementing a full PC-style MMO on Apple's handheld device is impressive, and the new update makes it even moreso. If you've never given Pocket Legends a look, but can appreciate a solid MMO, definitely check it out.

While most of the apps making use of the iPhone 4's gyroscope have centered around augmented reality, here's one doing something different. Gyro Air Drums is an app that supposedly lets you use your iPhone as a "virtual drumstick," waving and tapping it on a virtual drum. You can move your iPhone in a 300 degree rotation in real life, hitting various drums on upper or lower levels. And when you move the iPhone, your screen will rotate along with the movement, viewing all of the various instruments, from the snare and hi-hat to more fun things like a cowbell or a taiko drum.

As you can see above, it's only one drum hit at a time, but presumably if you have two iPhone 4s, or a quick and accurate wrist, you'll be able to play a full drum beat. But at least it's a cool idea -- I was hoping we'd see more inventive uses of the gyroscope like this. The app is US$2.99 on the App Store right now, or there's a free lite version with a limited number of drums if you just want to play around.

As we're getting into the dog days of August, it's wonderful to see that more and more iPhone 4 cases are showing up on the market. This is especially important now that we're seeing comments from readers who are not exactly thrilled with the free Apple Bumper they've received.

TUAW recently received two samples of AGF Vandelay cases for the iPhone 4, both of which not only looked great, but also had the additional functionality of a belt holster. The Vandelay cases are also unique in that they were picked to be featured in AT&T Stores nationwide, and the iPhone 4 can be docked without removing it from the protective shell of the case.

AT&T will be offering these fine cases in two models. The first (at right) is a soft touch plastic with a micro-patterned red leather back. This model was my personal favorite of the two -- it's classy and eye-catching. The second model (see next page) uses black polished plastic with a carbon fiber-patterned leather back. Both of the cases come with a belt clip / holster, and the clip can be rotated to meet your personal whims.

The Apple Store Covent Garden opened in London this weekend to great crowds and fanfare, and of course we've been inundated with photos, video, and personal stories about the opening. We'd love to thank all of you for your input, as we all love Apple Store openings as much as anyone!

Mike Hellers took some wonderful footage of the opening in 720p HD video with his iPhone 4. Not just any iPhone 4 -- this one was sitting on a customized Hague Mini Motion-Cam for extra steady camera work. Another short video by drcjep showing Mike and the Motion-cam follows on page 2.

It took me a while to take the plunge and buy an iPad. After the third time trying it out (once in the local Apple store, and then testing out two that belonged to in-laws) and countless frustrating moments with my netbook, I went for it. For a good month or so, I was in love with my new iPad. It was much faster than my now-eBayed netbook, and it didn't burn my groin like my MacBook Pro. With a few exceptions, it did everything I wanted in a casual computing device.

Alongside the iPad sat my iPhone 3G. It became more neglected over time because, well, who wants to do all that neat stuff (slowly) on such a small screen? But then came the iPhone 4 and my inevitable upgrade to it. And I LOVE it! Now, my iPad has been downgraded to lesser-loved child in order to make way for its sleek, glass-backed little sister. What's the reason for the switch in my preferred device? In a word, it's iOS 4.

Without iOS 4, the iPad seems completely dumbed down to me. It lacks the iOS 4's method of multitasking and a unified inbox (plus a few other things that wouldn't sway me). It's amazing that just those two features alone can make me reach for my iPhone instead of my iPad, even when both are sitting right next to each other. Why touch through numerous times to read multiple inboxes? Why disconnect from my iSSH session or stop playing Pandora to ... well, do anything but play Pandora?

I'm wondering who else has found that they use their iPhone 4 over using their iPad for the same tasks? Will iOS 4 for the iPad, which is due this fall, resolve that sibling rivalry?

Webcams are cheap and ubiquitous. iChat ships with every Mac. Despite those facts, it's becoming ever more common to FaceTime from our offices. We can carry our conversations with us as we travel from one room to another, and FaceTime basically guarantees that both parties are properly equipped and ready to chat, even before you tap your first button.

The biggest problem with FaceTime remains arm fatigue. Tired arms drift downwards. This eventually produces a minimally attractive conversation between chins and nostrils instead of, well, faces.

Now that Apple's giving away cases for your iPhone, you're going to really have to go off the beaten path to find something that gives your phone a more original look than the standard neon bumper. Enter these classy wooden skins sold by KARVT, which not only separate your iPhone from the crowd but also look pretty darn good (if you ask me).

And I was surprised at the prices, too; the iPhone 4 cases are only US $25 (with pre-orders going on right now), and the iPhone 3GS cases are $14 (I guess because they're clearing them out). I can't vouch for the quality at all, and the wood looks pretty thin, so it's probably not quite as durable as the rubber bumpers that you get for free. But as long as you're careful with it, I think it's a pretty good look at a more than reasonable price.

[via Macsimum News]

There's bad news for those of you with old iPhones. Apple has confirmed that the latest beta of Game Center is a no-go for anything older than an iPhone 4. That means that iPhone 3Gs and second generation iPod touches are out for Apple's social gaming app. It's probably for the best; you've likely already heard about all of the issues that 3G iPhones are having with iOS 4.0, and freeing itself from the requirements of the older hardware means that Apple should be able to make Game Center as good as it can be.

But if you have an iPhone 3G and were looking forward to trying the new app from Apple, you'll have to change plans. Either go grab yourself an iPhone 4 (which is what I'm still planning to do -- my original iPhone is looking super old at this point), or stick with the social gaming networks that you've already got access to.

Here's good news for iPhone 4 users who've been waiting for a carrier unlock. The iPhone Dev Team has released an update to Ultrasn0w, its iPhone unlocking client, that's compatible with the iPhone 4. When run on an jailbroken iPhone 4, Ultrasn0w will allow you to use a carrier other than AT&T in the US.

It's a very simple process, as the video above demonstrates. Just note that jailbreakme.com is used in the demonstration, which makes use of a PDF exploit found in the iOS software. Also, jailbreaking your iPhone may void its warranty; proceed entirely at your own risk.

The Dev-Team first announced that they had been able to unlock the iPhone 4 last month, but only released the updated version of Ultrasn0w now. If freedom from AT&T is your thing, have at it.

With all of the Antennagate hoopla since the release of the iPhone 4, you'd think that owners of the new phone are never able to complete a call normally. According to a recently published survey from ChangeWave Research, iPhone 4 owners are reporting fewer dropped calls than iPhone 3GS owners.

5.2% of iPhone 4 owners reported dropped calls during the month of July, while 6.3% of owners of the iPhone 3GS said they had experienced dropped calls in a June survey. The survey also noted that one in five iPhone 4 owners said that the antenna issue had caused them problems, but respondents also overwhelmingly felt that Apple's solution (the free case / bumper giveaway) was acceptable.

The survey contained more fascinating information about the iPhone 4. While 72% of iPhone 4 owners are Very Satisfied with their phones and another 21% weigh in at Somewhat Satisfied, those numbers are lower than what ChangeWave saw for the iPhone 3GS in August of 2009. At that time, 82% of iPhone 3GS owners were Very Satisfied, and 17% were Somewhat Satisfied. ChangeWave believes the tidal wave of negative publicity around the release of the iPhone 4 may be the cause of the lower numbers for the new phone.

Even more fascinating were the results of a survey question asking "What do you dislike the most about your iPhone 4?" While the same question about the iPhone 3GS last year found 41% of respondents griping about the short battery life, a huge number of iPhone 4 owners find AT&T to be the worst thing about the phone. 27% found the requirement to use AT&T's network to be their top complaint, while 24% found the coverage, speed, and quality of the AT&T network to be their top beef.

ChangeWave thinks that now that the wave of negative publicity about the iPhone 4 has passed, the phone may eventually surpass the customer satisfaction figures of the iPhone 3GS.

[via AppleInsider]

If there's anything we love to hear about here at TUAW, it's great customer service. Reader Cristina made our morning with a story of how the team at Griffin Technology went out of their way to turn a bad situation into a happy one for everybody involved.

Cristina had purchased a standard Griffin Reveal case with white sides to protect her iPhone 4. After a few weeks, she noticed that the "sides got really nasty," so she decided to bring it up to Griffin. She contacted customer service at the company through their website, talking to a customer service agent named Curt.

The two talked for a bit about the issue. Curt wanted to see the case to view the damage and also asked why Cristina couldn't just return the Reveal to Best Buy. Well, a quick glance at the case shown that she had modified the case into "Lester," who you can see at right. Yes, a pair of stick-on googly eyes and a red smear of paint had given the plain case a personality and a name.

Curt was in awe of the case mod, and mentioned that it would look good on his desk. Curt offered to send Cristina two new Reveals (one black, one white) if she'd send Lester back to the company. Cristina agreed, but only with the guarantee that Curt would take good care of Lester.

A few days later, Cristina received the black Reveal case. Yesterday, she received a much larger box containing what she thought would be the white case. Much to her surprise, inside were six Griffin Reveal cases, all with names and faces except for one labeled "Design your own."

You can view Cristina's new family of cases in her Flickr gallery.

Now that the iPhone 4 is available around most of the world, iFun designed this interesting little infographic that compares the various prices of the handset around the globe. Note that all of these prices are in Euros, and that they all reflect the out-of-contract price -- because the US iPhones are locked to the AT&T network currently, our country doesn't appear on this list.

But if you want to buy an unlocked iPhone elsewhere in the world, you should probably go with Hong Kong, where an unlocked 16gb phone will set you back US $653. Italy sells the costliest iPhones, with the price reaching up over US$1000 there for an unlocked phone.

This whole thing is really just more of a fun comparison rather than a really solid analysis -- most people who want an iPhone will probably buy it in the country where they live, especially if they need a certain contract. But it is interesting to see just where Apple has determined it can go higher on the price, either because of certain tariffs or shipping that must be paid, or just because the demographic calls for it.

[via MacStories]

Most (probably all) of you who are or will soon be slapping a case on your iPhone 4 won't have a case that protects the screen from scratches. Well, except those of you with flip-top cases that cover the entire unit. When I received my iPhone 4, I wanted to immediately protect the screen, but the only thing available at the time was sticky films that are either permanently affixed to your screen with adhesive, or require a lot of post-clean-up when you decide to remove or replace it.

The screen protector I really wanted was one I'd used with much success on my iPhone 3G: Crystal Film from Power Support. The most appealing thing about these is that they adhere to your iPhone's screen with static, not sticky goop, and they stay put. When you want to replace or remove the film (which you won't have to do often), it's painless.

The Crystal Film for iPhone 4 was taking pre-orders for weeks after the iPhone 4's release, but shipments have finally started going out in the past week or so. If you've been looking for a sticky-free way to protect your iPhone 4 investment, look no further.

This morning, I learned several things about using FaceTime in public. First, I realized that holding an iPhone a foot or two away from your face and talking tends to make you speak very loudly. This, in turns, tends to annoy other patrons in the restaurant. And this, in turn, tends to attract the same kind of people who love to stop and watch accidents happening.

Second, I learned that keeping your arm elevated as you FaceTime is really, really awkward (not to mention tiring). As you're probably aware, if you've used FaceTime for any length of time, if you don't hold your unit fairly high up, you tend to share unflattering nasal visuals.

When I first saw the iPhone 4 FaceTime demo, I knew it wouldn't take much time before rule 34 took effect. It was inevitable that Apple's video chat tech would be used by the sex industry as a new way to deliver live adult content to customers.

Despite Steve Jobs' best efforts to keep the iOS platform porn-free, the sex industry continues to find ways to work around the edges. While the iOS platform may be carefully guarded in terms of adult-oriented applications, there's little Apple can do to make sure your phone calls, chats, videos and Safari browsing stay clean. Truthfully, for iPhone users who are consenting adults, it's not really Apple's business.

Joel Schectman of the Associated Press reports that the 3 million+ device iPhone 4 ecosystem is already an attractive target for the porn industry. Porn companies are advertising for model positions specific to FaceTime in at least five different cities on Craigslist.

Meanwhile, adult production studios like Pink Visual -- not coincidentally one of the first adult production companies to create an iPad optimized service -- says it will let customers video chat with some of the same models in their videos. Pink Visual's service will be released in the next few weeks and will probably cost around $5 to $6 a minute.