App Store

The App Store has become a major part of Apple’s revenue stream helping to expand the popularity of the iPhone and become the dominant smartphone app marketplace.

Coinciding with the release of the iPhone 3G and Firmware 2.0, the App Store launched with little more than 500 Apps but has since skyrocketed to over 50,000 in recent months. How many fathers can brag their kids have that many Apps. From the seemingly endless stream of commercials showing off the wide uses for the most popular Apps to the ongoing problems plaguing developers from waiting weeks on end for an approval to being denied without any logical warning here’s to another year of App Store downloads.

As we loom closer to the public debut of Firmware 3.0 for the iPhone and the new App Store policies that follow, we’re already seeing some of those changes take effect. Notably, Apple’s App review policy is making a drastic change but also a limit is being placed on how Apps can be downloaded.

Previously, you could download an App and redownload it free of cost after you’ve deleted it but now, Apple will be charging you. However, you’re given the option to download said App in iTunes on your computer. The only reasonable explanation is Apple’s fear of “piracy” as iPhone owners could log in to multiple iTunes accounts and download Apps for free that were already bought by their friends in Firmware 3.0.

Via: The iPhone Blog

Following suit with Tap Tap versions for Nine Inch Nails and Weezer, Tapulous has released Dave Matthews Band Revenge.

The App, (iTunes Link) is available for $4.99 and includes songs from Dave Matthews’ catalog as well as two singles from their upcoming album Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. Other features are unlockable tracks and boss battles plus band inspired graphics.

Via: iLounge

The run around between background processing for select Apps and Push Notification emulating such functionality has been a favorite topic for the rumor mill and even when Apple vehemently denied allowing Apps to run once they’re closed, the hope for having more than one App run at a time didn’t diminish. This time around, Apple may allow background processing on the next generation iPhone thanks to improvements in the underlying Hardware.

It’s rumored that the next generation iPhone will see a small bump to its Hardware specs, the most notable being the jump in RAM from 128 MB to 256 MB according to a Chinese tipster. Secondly, Apple may be considering a special set of designated Apps that can run in the background or continue separate processes (such as downloading or media playback) which could be selected by the user. As of now, the current Beta of Firmware 3.0 only supports Push Notification but once Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference rolls around, we could see more additions to each Beta build.

Via: iPhone Alley

SlingPlayer has finally made its way to the iPhone albeit in a limited and crippled form thanks to intervention from AT&T.

The $29.99 App (iTunes Link) will only work over WiFi and not over 3G as previously expected but after continued attempts by AT&T to limit Sling’s 3G capabilities threatened to ban it from the App Store, Apple and Sling caved in. AT&T’s comment on the matter is that Sling would generate so much network traffic by streaming a TV signal that it would bog down the carrier’s network and prevent other users from having a stable connection despite Sling’s availability on other AT&T Smartphones.

Via: iLounge

Apple has rejected Apps over the course of the App Store’s lifespan angering developers as to why their work got rejected for some obscure moral standard or the offensiveness hidden in some song lyrics you could get from the iTunes Store itself. The folks at Cupertino are looking to change some of that up.

The biggest issues bogging down the App Store and provoking some people into a wild frenzy is that Apple locks down everything and sometimes things slip through that shouldn’t while Apps that should be available are slapped with some righteousness then promptly denied which creates a bit hypocrisy. While we’ll cover the latest casualties to suffer a whipping from Apple’s team of morality in a bit, it seems they’re having a change of heart and giving the right to police what is appropriate back to the parents (assuming whoever has an iPhone is under 18, after all, that’s why Apple went through the trouble of making sure the store was family friendly).

In a rejection email to one unlucky developers who’s App pulled down content that had a topless woman in it (keep in mind… more...

AT&T recently updated its Terms Of Service that would put a harsh limit on data sucking Applications such as SlingPlayer and may further limit the App’s progress or prevent it from being made available on the App Store at all.

We’ve reported before that AT&T may have asked Apple to hold SlingPlayer back from being made available on the App Store but now it seems clear that Apple will indirectly follow their request by obeying the telecom’s request. A section from AT&T’s newly updated TOS is available below.

While most common uses for Intranet browsing, e-mail, and Intranet access are permitted by your data plan, there are certain uses that cause extreme network capacity issues and interference with the network and are therefore prohibited. Examples of prohibited uses include, without limitation…downloading movies using P2P file sharing services, redirecting television signals for viewing on Personal Computers, Web broadcasting, and/or for the operation of servers, telemetry devices….

As of now, SlingPlayer, Apple or AT&T have said anything else on the matter but it’s expected that the App will go away or have to be modified to work only over WiFi before Apple… more...

Ever been caught sleeping on the job (or just procrastinating in general?) and wish you had something to throw off your hawk eyed boss? iNap@Work may have you covered.

iNap@Work is every slackers’ dream because it makes you sound productive. Sure you won’t be able to finish your inventory checks while you snooze or just obsessively refresh iPhone Matters on the job but it should convince your boss or supervisor you’re actually doing something. There are preset sounds for clicking your mouse, typing, crumpling paper, grabbing a tissue and sharpening your pencils. The frequencies of each activity can be controlled to fit your typical working habit.

Procrastinators, here is your iTunes link

Via: Gizmodo

Apple’s countdown to 1 Billion Apps has ended, albeit anticlimactically.

There has been no word on who has won the contest which includes a grand prize of a $10,000 iTunes card, an iPod Touch, a MacBook Pro and a Time Capsule to backup your vast media collection. If you bought an App in the last two weeks you were automatically entered in to the contest.

Via: iPhone Alley

According to a rumor from Silicon Alley Insider, Hulu is developing an iPhone App that should be available soon and will be as good as Hulu’s own web interface. The kicker? It’ll work over WiFi and 3G.

I’m somewhat skeptical about the App being able to download video content over 3G considering SlingPlayer is being held in limbo for consuming too much data over the iPhone’s 3G connection. It’s exciting to see progress being made on the iPhone and that Hulu is one of the forerunners of bringing televised content to the iPhone.

We will have to wait and see how far this App goes as AT&T could ask Apple to deny the App to free up its data network.

Via: Gizmodo