iLounge

Agent 18 intros EcoShield+ for iPhone 4

• September 9, 2010
• iPhone Accessories

Agent 18 has introduced its new EcoShield+ case for the iPhone 4. Agent 18 claims at least one recycled plastic bottle is used to create each eco-friendly case, which also features an integrated stand, a sliding headphone jack door, full protection for the Dock Connector port when the stand is closed, a rubber over-mold for added grip and button protection, open access to all other controls and the camera, and a removable bottom half for easy docking. Agent 18’s EcoShield+ case for the iPhone 4 is available now and sells for $40.

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Mix: nano 6G video, iOS 4.1 Field Test, AIS iPhone 4, TomTom

• September 9, 2010
• Mix

The sixth-generation iPod nano’s OS contains code that points to potential video playback features. Erica Sadun of TUAW reports that the device’s internal settings property list contains options for captions and alternative audio, hinting that video playback support may be added to the device sometime in the future; it is also possible that this code is simply left over from the prior iPod nano OS.

Apple has re-enabled the iPhone’s Field Test mode in iOS 4.1, Gizmodo reports. To activate Field Test mode, simply dial *3001#12345#*—once activated, the phone’s signal bars will change to a negative number, with higher negative values equaling reduced signal strength. Users can switch between the numeric and bar signal strength indicators by tapping on the designated signal reporting area, and can leave the testing mode by pressing the Home button.

Advanced Info Service (AIS), Thailand’s top mobile phone operator, has announced plans to offer the iPhone 4 in the coming months. Reuters reports that Singapore Telecommunications owns 21% of AIS, which will become the third iPhone carrier in the country, behind True Move and Total Access Communication. No pricing or further release information has yet been announced.

TomTom has announced that it will offer free adapters to owners of its Car Kit for iPhone allowing the accessory to work with the iPhone 4. Current customers will be able to claim their free adapter beginning tomorrow on a dedicated webpage; the company began shipping the adapter in the Car Kit packaging on September 1st.

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Cro-Mag Rally adds Game Center, iPad support

• September 9, 2010
• iPad, Apps + Games

Pangea Software has released an update to Cro-Mag Rally for the iPhone and iPod touch adding integration with Apple’s new Game Center and native iPad support. Cro-Mag Rally is a 3D racing game where the player takes on the role of a caveman racing primitive vehicles around prehistoric and ancient race tracks. Version 2.0 is now a universal binary providing a native game play experience on both iPhone/iPod touch devices and on the iPad, with high resolution graphics optimized for the iPad and the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G Retina Displays. The new version also adds integration with Apple’s new Game Center on iOS 4.1 devices, allowing high scores and achievements to be posted to Game Center as well as networked multiplayer racing in which up to four players can race against each other using any of the vehicles in the game. Cro-Mag Rally is available from the App Store for $3 and is a free update for current users.

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G5 Entertainment releases Virtual City for iPhone and iPod touch

• September 9, 2010
• iPhone, Apps + Games

G5 Entertainment has released the full version of Virtual City, its city building game for the iPhone and iPod touch. Released last month as a free lite version, Virtual City allows players to construct their own city, developing it into anything from a suburban utopia to a bustling metropolis. To accomplish this, players must build houses, setup industrial buildings, create mass-transit systems and entertain their city’s residents with parks, cinemas, stadiums and events. Players must also manage production chains to transport goods and services to the areas that require them, trade with neighbouring cities and look after planning and providing city services such as health care, public safety, waste collection and recycling in order to keep their city’s residents happy and healthy. In progressing through the game, players must balance time, income, environmental factors, population and happiness in order to succeed, while dealing with various political and economic crises and natural disasters. Virtual City supports high-resolution Retina Display graphics on the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G and provides 50 levels in five different geographic settings, 18 mission scenarios, over 50 types of buildings and 25 types of goods to transport and trade. Players can also earn special achievements and unlock special upgrades and additional buildings as they progress through the game. Virtual City is available from the App Store for $3.

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Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD

• September 9, 2010
• iPad, Apps + Games

Rockstar Games has released an iPad version of its highly popular Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. The latest game in the Grand Theft Auto series, Chinatown Wars HD brings the same intense, story-driven action from its iPhone and iPod touch counterpart to the iPad with updated, high-definition graphics. In the game, players take on the role of Huang Lee and must navigate the dangerous criminal underground of Liberty City on a quest for honor and revenge for his father’s murder. For the iPad version, Rockstar Games has produced enhanced graphics with higher polygon counts in vehicle and building models and enhanced lighting and explosion effects for the higher-resolution iPad screen. The HD version also provides a selection of multiple control schemes to offer more flexible play options on the larger device. Players can also customize the game soundtrack using music from their iPad media library. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD is available from the App Store for $10.

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iPod nano 6G teardown finds tiny battery, high-PPI screen

• September 9, 2010
• iPod nano

iFixit has posted its teardown of the sixth-generation iPod nano. According to the service, disassembly of the nano is fairly straightforward once the display is removed—a task which requires a heat gun—and looks quite similar to the fourth-generation iPod shuffle once inside. Notably, the nano 6G sports a 105 mAh battery, features a 240x240 display for a pixel density of 220 pixels per inch—second only to the iPhone 4’s and fourth-generation iPod touch’s Retina Displays. Overall, iFixit gave the iPod nano 6G a five out of 10 on the repairability scale, with 10 being the easiest to repair.

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Gameloft releases Real Golf 2011

• September 9, 2010
• iPhone, Apps + Games

Gameloft has released Real Golf 2011 for the iPhone and iPod touch. Optimized for the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G Retina Display, Real Golf 2011 allows players to face off against some of the world’s best golfers on ten authentic real-world golf courses recreated in 3D. Players can choose from either a touch-based control scheme or more traditional controls and the game also provides support for the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G gyroscope for precise player movement. Players can choose to play either quick challenges such as Time Stroke and Closest to the Pin or play in Career mode to win tournaments and upgrade with new gear as their golfer rises in rank. Multiplayer support allows users to compete against other players either online or locally and integrates with Gameloft Live for online leader boards and achievements. Players can also upload their favorite instant replays directly to YouTube from within the game to show off their achievements. Real Golf 2011 is available from the App Store for $7.

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Apple posts new ‘iPad is Musical’ TV advertisement

• September 9, 2010
• Apple, iPad

Apple has posted its new “iPad is Musical” TV advertisement, the latest for its first-generation tablet computer. Like its prior “iPad is Delicious” commercial, the new spot shows the iPad being used mostly in front of a white background, utilizing a variety of different apps. The spot starts with the words “iPad is” on the screen, and is followed by a different descriptor—including “medical,” “live,” “musical,” “work,” “play,” “memories,” “social,” “magazines,” and “historic”—after each app is shown. As with the prior “iPad is” ad, it features the song “Never Stop” by Gonzales in the background. Apple’s new “iPad is Musical” ad is available for viewing on the company’s website.

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Apple teams with BridgeCo on third-party AirPlay

• September 9, 2010
• Apple, iTunes

Apple has teamed with BridgeCo, a software company that sells chips for wireless music streaming, to offer AirPlay functionality on third-party systems. CNBC reports that Apple has worked with BridgeCo in the past on iPod docking products, and approached the company a year ago to offering to make it a launch partner on AirPlay. “Apple has never opened up their eco-system,” says BridgeCo CEO Gene Sheridan. “We’ve always been knocking on the door to work with them on this.” Sheridan continued, “they’re not gonna create the world’s stereo equipment,” instead opting to leverage BridgeCo’s existing portfolio of customers including Denon, iHome Audio, Marantz, JBL, and Bowers & Wilkins. “There is a magic to Apple that sounds simple. They know how to take a complex and feature-rich technology and narrow it,” Sheridan said, noting that out of a long list of potential features BridgeCo could offer the company, Apple picked only three.

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Apple posts statement on App Store Review Guidelines

• September 9, 2010
• Apple, Apps + Games, iTunes

Apple has released a statement regarding its App Store Review Guidelines, promising to publish a definitive set of rules for the first time. “We are continually trying to make the App Store even better. We have listened to our developers and taken much of their feedback to heart. Based on their input, today we are making some important changes to our iOS Developer Program license in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year,” said Apple in a release. “In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.” This latter statement seemingly opens the door for developers to release apps and games built using Adobe’s Flash technology, so long as they don’t download any executable code.

The release also says that Apple for the first time is “publishing the App Store Review Guidelines to help developers understand how we review submitted apps. We hope it will make us more transparent and help our developers create even more successful apps for the App Store. The App Store is perhaps the most important milestone in the history of mobile software. Working together with our developers, we will continue to surprise and delight our users with innovative mobile apps.”

Update: Apple has posted a complete PDF of the guidelines online. Notably, the document states that Apple doesn’t need any more Fart apps, and that if a developer wants to describe sex, they should write a book or song, or make a medical app.

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Game updates begin appearing for Game Center

• September 8, 2010
• iPhone, Apps + Games, iPod

Following the release of iOS 4.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch earlier today, the first Game Center enabled games have begun to appear on the App Store. Pangea Software has released updates to Nanosaur 2, Cro-Mag Rally and Enigmo, enabling support for Game Center achievements and leaderboards for single-player games as well as multilayer Game Center support including Voice Chat and Auto-Match. FireMint has also updated its iPhone and iPod touch versions of Real Racing and Flight Control with support for Game Center achievements and leaderboards. Namco Networks has also released an update to Ms. Pac-Man adding support for Game Center achievements and leaderboards. All titles are available from the App Store now and are free updates for owners of the previous versions.

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iPod touch 4G teardown: Only 256MB of RAM

• September 8, 2010
• iPod

iFixit has posted its teardown of the fourth-generation iPod touch, discovering several interesting details about the new media player. Most notably, the touch 4G’s A4 processor carries the same marking on it as the iPad’s A4, indicating that the new device offers only 256MB of RAM, which is somewhat surprising given that the iPhone 4 has 512MB of RAM. The iPod touch 4G also features a a slightly thinner front-facing camera module, and it appears that the LCD and front glass panel are fused together like the iPhone 4’s, meaning users will need to replace both components should one become damaged and/or fail to function properly.

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Apple posts iPhone Configuration Utility 3.1 for Mac OS X

• September 8, 2010
• Apple, iPhone

Apple has posted version 3.1 of its iPhone Configuration Utility for Mac OS X, its iPhone configuration management utility for enterprise users. The utility allows enterprise users to create configuration profiles which can then be used to setup multiple iPhones. According to Apple’s release notes, “iPCU version 3.1 adds support for new Mobile Device Management (MDM) features introduced in iOS 4 and enables wireless delivery of configuration profiles. It also includes support for Cisco AnyConnect and Juniper Networks SSL VPN clients, CardDAV, multiple Exchange accounts and SAN support using Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP).” iPhone Configuration Utility 3.1 for Mac OS X requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later and is available now as a free download; a separate version is available for Windows. [via Mac Rumors]

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Apple releases iMovie 1.1 for iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G

• September 8, 2010
• Apple, iPhone, Apps + Games, iPod

Apple has released an update to its iMovie application for the iPhone 4, adding support for the fourth-generation iPod touch and several other new features. iMovie 1.1 adds the ability to split video clips and automatically loop music when video extends beyond the end of the music track. Users can also now scrub to preview clips in the Video Browser and view an in-app Tips page to learn how to use key features. The new version also includes an updated Photos Browser with the newest images at the top, a Mute badge to indicate video clips that have audio disabled and additional performance and reliability improvements. iMovie 1.1 requires an iPhone 4 or fourth-generation iPod touch running iOS 4.1 or later and is available from the App Store for $5 and as a free update for current users.

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The Wallee iPad case doubles as wall mount

• September 8, 2010
• iPad Accessories

The Wallee is a new case for the iPad that doubles as a component in a wall mounting system. The case itself is made from a hard glossy material, with openings for access to all ports and controls, integrated thumb tabs for easy removal, and an “X”-shaped hole on the back for attaching to the included wall plate. The plate itself is round in shape, and uses an integrated locking “X” mechanism to securely mount the iPad, with a turn and click required for attachment and another turn and click for release. The Wallee case and mounting solution for the iPad is available now in five colors and sells for $50 AUD, or roughly $45.

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iPod nano 6G interface, iPod + iPhone family photos posted

• September 8, 2010
• iPad, iPhone, iPod, iPod nano, Site News

In addition to our earlier galleries showing the unboxing of the sixth-generation iPod nano and fourth-generation iPod touch, comparisons of the new models to their predecessors, and images comparing the rear-facing camera of the iPod touch 4G to that of the iPhone 4, iLounge has posted new photos to our Flickr photostream showing off the touch-based interface of the new iPod nano, as well as a new photo—seen in limited resolution above—of the entire 2010 lineup of iPods, iPhones, and the iPad.

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iPhone 4/iPod touch 4G camera comparison photos, video posted

• September 8, 2010
• iPhone, iPod

iLounge has just posted a new gallery of images comparing the camera capabilities of the iPhone 4 to that of the new fourth-generation iPod touch. Notably, the iPhone 4’s camera is a five-megapixel shooter while the fourth-gen touch’s camera is designed primarily for capturing 720p HD video, cutting off the sides of the 1280x720 sensor when shooting stills, resulting in 960x720 stills and a greatly reduced effective width. In addition, a pair of videos have been added to our Vimeo account comparing the video capabilities of the iPhone 4 to those of the iPod touch 4G.

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iOS 4.1 for iPhone, iPod touch now available

• September 8, 2010
• Apple, iPhone, iPod

As expected, Apple today released iOS 4.1 for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, second-, third-, and fourth-generation iPod touch. The update brings a number of bug fixes and new features, including a fix for the iPhone 4’s proximity sensor, Bluetooth issues, and performance problems on the iPhone 3G. Notably, the iPhone 3G is left out amongst its iOS 4.1-capable peers in support for Apple’s new Game Center social gaming service, which is also included in the update, along with support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography on the iPhone 4 (a comparison shot appears below), HD video uploading over Wi-Fi, and support for TV show rentals from the iTunes Store. iOS 4.1 is available now as a free upgrade for all compatible devices via the update feature in iTunes; for more information on iOS 4.1, see our Instant Expert article.

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