Lite iPhone Apps Are Dead: In-App Purchases Come to Free Apps

Until now, the in-app purchases intro’d with iPhone 3.0 were restricted to pay applications—presumably, over concerns of bait-and-switch tactics. Well, now developers can ask you to buy stuff in free apps, too, effectively allowing upgrades for free apps.

What that means, as Apple says, is that it eliminates the need to create “Lite” versions of apps, since devs can sell content, subscriptions, services and upgrades from free apps. The change sounds trivial, but it’s actually a fundamental alteration of the App Store economy.

It effectively creates free trial apps, which couldn’t be done before. Originally, free apps had to be standalone, fully functional apps, with very limited pestering to buy a premium version. At the point, you would go and purchase a separate, paid application. Now, developers can ship a single app with limited functionality that’s completely unlocked when you pay the full purchase price. Or slip subscriptions or other services into free apps.The whole free vs. paid app is a completely different kind of calculus now.

We’ll see what ultimately happens with this—especially ’cause we won’t know what kind of invisible rules Apple will be enforcing—and whether it’s a power that gonna be used mostly for good or for evil, but stuff’s gonna start looking a lot different in the App Store.

Rumor: Six-Core Mac Pro Lands 2010

macpro

Rumor has it that Apple’s next-generation Mac Pro will feature Intel’s elite desktop chip codenamed Gulftown, according to a blog.

Recently demonstrated by Intel, Gulftown is a six-core, dual-socket processor with 12 threads. (In normal human speak, it’s essentially a processor with six brains, capable of efficiently distributing power to execute 12 concurrent tasks.) Apple blog Hardmac claims receiving a tip that the Gulftown-equipped Mac Pro could arrive early 2010.

A highly threadable processor such as Gulftown would be most useful for prosumer applications, such as video editing and encoding. Apple’s latest operating system Snow Leopard was specially designed for efficient multithread processing.

Therefore, for regular consumers who don’t use their Macs for very processor-heavy tasks, this rumor about Gulftown won’t sound all that exciting. But inevitable price cuts for current Mac Pros, which carry quad-core processors, might be something to look forward to.

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Photo: nathangibbs/Flickr


250GB PlayStation 3 Slim coming to US November 3rd

It’s no Uncharted 2 bundle (hello, Europe), but US gamers will indeed be getting their own 250GB PlayStation 3 Slim bundle, due to hit stores on Novvember 3rd for $349.99, just one Ulysses S. Grant more than the 120GB model. No other difference beyond the storage capacity, and of course you can always swap out the 2.5-inch SATA drive yourself with warranty kept intact. Holding out for some limited edition artwork or PS2 compatibility? Keep on dreaming.

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250GB PlayStation 3 Slim coming to US November 3rd originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Memorex MyVideo pocket camcorders are content to fit the mold

Memorex has never exactly been one to go out on a limb with its consumer electronics, and it looks like that’s especially true of its new MyVideo pocket camcorders, which the company itself doesn’t even bother to go into much detail about in its press release — other than that they’ll let you “zoom in on life’s moments before they zoom out,” of course. A bit more digging turns up some expectedly standard specs, however, including 4GB of memory and an HDMI port on the MyVideo HD model and 2GB and no HDMI on the MyVideo VGA, along with a two-inch screen and the usual integrated USB connector on each. Then again, they do just cost $99.99 and $129.99, and seem like a prime candidate for discounts in the run up to the holiday season.

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Memorex MyVideo pocket camcorders are content to fit the mold originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fit a notebook on your tripod

Tallyn laptop deck
(Credit:
Tallyn)

Professional photographers often shoot with their cameras tethered to their computers so they can see the images on a larger display. However, when out in the field, the environment may not be suitable for resting a laptop on the ground or on rocky surfaces. In such cases, the …

250GB PS3 Slim coming in November for $350


(Credit:
Sony Computer Entertainment America)

Sony Computer Entertainment America on Thursday announced that a new 250GB variation of the PlayStation 3 Slim will be available beginning November 3 for $349.99. The PS3 hardware will otherwise remain the same as the 120GB flavor of the Slim, which costs $50 less. …

Originally posted at Web Crawler

Sony Expands PS3 Slim to 250GB

Sony today introduced a new version of its PlayStation 3 Slim: It boasts a 250GB hard drive, more than twice the memory of its predecessor (120GB). The new console is launching just in time for the holiday rush, on November 3rd. It will run $349.99.

The new new PS3 maintains the slim form factor of its 120GB counterpart. That console, launched on September 1st, moved more than one million units in the three weeks after it was first made available. Sony will continue to sell it alongside the version with more memory.

txtr’s e-reader offers a 6-inch e-Ink display, plenty in the way of Teutonic content

Word of an e-reader from txtr GmbH — a platform for online document hosting and storage — has been making the rounds for a while now, with the thing finally making the leap from vaporware to full fledged gadgethood at the Frankfurt Book Fair yesterday. Built around an ARM11 CPU and a 6-inch grayscale e-Ink display, this guy features support for ePub format documents, microSD card storage (ships with 8GB) and access to your documents either via USB, WiFI, or the txtr Net wireless service — which, as near we can tell is Germany-only — where you can expect to pay about €14.99 ($22) a month for a three month contract or $11.99 ($18) per month for the year. Among the many enticements offered to lure you away from Amazon (or, perhaps, Barnes and Noble), the company is promising that this will be an entirely open platform for devs, and they’re throwing in a novel by Thomas Klupp (which, as far as we can tell, is only available in German). Pre-orders start December 1st, 2009 for €319 ($477), with plans to get these guys in European and American customer’s hands before Christmas. PR after the break.

[Via NewGadgets.de]

Continue reading txtr’s e-reader offers a 6-inch e-Ink display, plenty in the way of Teutonic content

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txtr’s e-reader offers a 6-inch e-Ink display, plenty in the way of Teutonic content originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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10/GUI interface looks to redefine the touch-enabled desktop

Redefining the way we interact with computers is a pretty ambitious task as far as things go, but that’s just what R. Clayton Miller is looking to do with his so-called 10/GUI project, and he may just be onto something. Miller begins with the notion that the traditional mouse-based interface lacks the “interaction bandwidth” afforded by multitouch interfaces, and that touch-enabled desktops (or laptops) are inherently problematic since they can’t be used for prolonged periods of time — even a flat surface will do a number on your neck if you use it all day. To solve that problem, Miller proposes separating the touch surface from the display and placing it below the keyboard in the form of a large, hybrid capacative / resistive touch panel. That’s just the beginning, however, and Miller has also devised a whole new interface that makes use of all your fingers, and a new linear means of displaying windows that strikes a balance ease of use and the ability to manage numerous applications. Of course, there are some drawbacks — you’d still likely pull out a mouse for Photoshop or a marathon Left 4 Dead session — but we’d certainly be curious to see how this would play out in practice. Head on past the break for a full video overview.

[Via Slashdot]

Continue reading 10/GUI interface looks to redefine the touch-enabled desktop

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10/GUI interface looks to redefine the touch-enabled desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ninety-foot drop can’t stop robot cockroach


(Credit:
UC Berkeley)

Researchers in California are developing a simple robot cockroach that can be assembled in an hour, move quickly, and survive 92-foot falls.

The Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod, or DASH, is a neat example of the insectile robotics from UC Berkeley’s Biomimetic Millisystems Lab.

Robot cockroaches have …