In August, PayPal added a donation feature that allowed users to make charitable contributions from within the services’s iPhone app. In late October, Apple made them pull the plug with no warning and little explanation. More »
See, that wasn’t so bad, now was it? If you’re befuddled, we’re simply referring to the week that iPad owners have had to listen to their Android-lovin’ brethren gloat about having Dish Network’s Remote Access app. As of today, that same piece of software is available in the App Store, enabling iPad owners to watch live and recorded programs so long as they’ve a broadband-connected, Sling-enabled device like the Sling Adapter. It’ll also allow iPad owners to browse and search up to nine days of programming, schedule DVR recordings, manage conflicts, delete shows on multiple receivers, and use their tablet as a fully functional remote, but much to our dismay, it doesn’t have the power to make Heroes a show worth watching again.
Continue reading Dish Network launches Remote Access app, brings live TV and scheduling to iPad
Dish Network launches Remote Access app, brings live TV and scheduling to iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple banned an iPhone magazine app because it contained content related to using Android phones, according to the app’s creator.
Apple refused to approve the magazine Android Magasinet, a publication about Google’s Android OS, according to Brian Dixen, managing editor of Danish magazine publisher Mediaprovider.
Dixen said when he asked why, an Apple executive replied, “You know… your magazine… it’s just about Android…. we can’t have that in our App Store.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
File this under “trivial” for now, because it’s questionable why an iPhone owner would want to read an Android magazine in the first place. However, Dixen said he’s concerned about the implications that this incident poses about editorial independence in the App Store. I’d agree the implications are more concerning than the end result: As I’ve argued before, the issue of Apple’s editorial control is poised to grow as the iPad matures into a major publishing platform.
From Fortune
Photo: laihiu/Flickr
Not so keen on plopping down a Benjamin for Movea’s Air Mouse? A full two years after the introduction of that very product, there’s now an acceptable, bargain-bin alternative: the Air Mouse. Er, the Air Mouse app for iPod touch / iPhone. This here nugget of code, which is selling for just $1.99 in the App Store, taps into your iDevice’s inbuilt gyroscopes as well as the company’s own MotionSense technology in order to convert your handheld into a mouse. No need to fish for a surface, though — simply wave your iPhone around in order to take advantage of in-air cursor control and gesture recognition. It’s a dream come true for HTPC owners (Macs and PCs are supported), though critics are suggesting that Mobile Mouse may actually be superior. If you’ve already parted ways with your buck-ninety-nine, let us know how things are panning out in comments below.
Continue reading Movea turns your iPod touch or iPhone into an Air Mouse for just $2
Movea turns your iPod touch or iPhone into an Air Mouse for just $2 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Talk about timely. We’ve been waiting for months (with bated breath, might we add) for Pleco 2.2 to finally hit Apple’s App Store, and after dealing with a few launch day bugs last week, we can finally say it’s out and ready to dominate any Chinese homework you’ve been hastily procrastinating on. The Pleco Chinese Dictionary is now available in the app store at version 2.2.1, supporting both fullscreen handwriting input and live camera-based character recognition. Have a peek at the video past the break if you’re still curious as to what this app can do for you, and feel free to toss your experiences with it down in comments below. Here’s hoping this is only the first of many languages Pleco decides to tackle — not that we’re much on tossing out subtle hints.
Continue reading Pleco Chinese Dictionary iPhone app now handling real-time image translations
Pleco Chinese Dictionary iPhone app now handling real-time image translations originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad was looking pretty slick when we saw a preview a couple weeks ago, and now, just like that, it’s arrived at the App Store. Folks who already invested in the iPhone app might be a bit disappointed to find they need to fork out another $30 for the iPad version — although they can keep using the iPhone app in “Compatibility Mode” if they’d like — but Sling is touting new video quality levels for the iPad, that your iPhone can only dream of, to sweeten the deal. There’s also a new program guide UI and other iPad-friendly tweaks. Check out that video preview after the break to learn more, or just hit up your local App Store and start downloading (it’s rolling out in typical App Store fashion, which means it might take a few minutes to pop up in your particular iTunes).
Update: We were having trouble getting our Slingbox PRO to work with the app, but it turns out that’s on purpose: it doesn’t work. That’s right, Sling just pulled a Sling and has made obsolete another set of its own hardware. The only iPad compatible Slingboxes are the Slingbox SOLO and the PRO-HD, which is a bit confusing given that the iPhone app has a wider compatibility list. Sling says Apple wanted them to stick with a higher resolution than some of their older hardware could support, but it seems pretty lame that they can’t just upsample the video as a fallback. There’s a $50 voucher that will apparently be offered for Slingbox owners who want to upgrade, which will help them buy expensive hardware that will no doubt be obsolete by the time Sling decides to support a new piece of Apple hardware. Not that we’re bitter or anything…
Continue reading SlingPlayer Mobile app hits the iPad (update: only works with SOLO and PRO-HD)
SlingPlayer Mobile app hits the iPad (update: only works with SOLO and PRO-HD) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If the name UberTwitter sounds familiar, that’ll be because it’s one of the more popular mobile Twitter clients, accounting for 10 million tweets each day from BlackBerry users around the globe. And now it’s also available on the iPhone. Citing the “growing dominance” of Apple’s one-device-to-rule-them-all mobile platform, the UberTwitter crew has decided to expand its offering with a new open beta, which is available to download now. The major distinguishing feature being touted is something called UberView, which allows access to links within tweets without exiting the app or opening up a new window within it. Looks a pretty slick idea, but there are still some early issues to be ironed out — as with all beta iterations — and a final v1.0 should be ready to do battle with Twitter’s official app by the middle of December.
Continue reading iPhone gets UberTwitter client, BlackBerrys have one less reason to exist
iPhone gets UberTwitter client, BlackBerrys have one less reason to exist originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 03:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Acer’s Global press event today focused primarily around its Clear.fi content sharing system and a slew of new hardware introductions, but there’s one tidbit of software news that seems too significant to ignore. Here shortly, Acer will begin pre-loading its newfangled Alive digital content platform onto its machines. Hard to say if that includes tablets and smartphones (update: Acer has confirmed that it’ll eventually hit “netbooks, laptops, smartphones and tablets), but the screens we’re seeing today lead us to believe this is a desktop-only affair for now. Acer’s playing this up as being “more than an app store,” but there’s no question that an app store lies at the heart. A cornucopia of partners (Intel, Zinio, Adobe, etc.) will be providing content, and newly pushed material can be easily viewed via Twitter or Acer’s own Channel concept. Five main sections will be present: Listen, Watch, Read, Play and Application. Both free and paid content will be supported, with users in the UK and Italy getting first access next month. Mum’s the word on how long it’ll take to spread elsewhere (a more thorough rollout will “begin” in Q1 2011), and there’s no mention at all about an SDK for developers. Something tells us this will end up as more of a collection of apps from various app stores than anything else, but at least we’ll know for sure in just a couple weeks.
Acer launches Alive digital content platform and app store, plans to pre-load it onto future machines originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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John Gruber of Daring Fireball has synthesized some of the swirling rumors about Rupert Murdoch’s latest News Corp venture: The Daily, an iPad / tablet-specific publication that will cost real US money dollars. Add in a touch of his own sources and it’s a pretty interesting story, particularly when it comes to the future of publications and other “recurring” services on iOS devices. Gruber says that his sources (and he makes sure to clarify that his sources on this particular bit aren’t from Apple) say Apple is brewing up a new billing option for apps to allow for subscription payments through the App Store. That sounds kind of boring, but the lack of real automated payment has held back some publishers. Right now a user has to knowingly tap an in-app purchase every time they want to continue their subscription, instead of letting that monthly payment float into the back of the consciousness where publications want it, and Apple also restricts app builders from getting their payments outside of the Apple ecosystem. Word is that there could be an Apple event within the next few weeks to announce all this, though it seems a stretch for Apple to rally the troops for just subscription payments and a new pub that flaunts them. Maybe they’ll throw in a Verizon iPhone just for kicks!
Apple prepping App Store subscription payments for News Corp’s upcoming ‘The Daily’ pub? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The iOS App Store might already have its fair share of addictive and compelling games on offer, but when John Carmack comes calling with his latest megatextured shoot-em-up, you’ve got to sit up and pay attention. Rage HD: Mutant Bash TV isn’t so much a full-fledged game in its own right as it is a teaser for the forthcoming Rage FPS for the PC, and yet even in its pretty limited running time, it managed to woo and thrill us with its visceral gameplay and arresting visuals. It’s easily the best-looking game we’ve yet seen on a mobile device and provides a fine demonstration of just how far Apple’s hardware — on the iPhone 4, iPad, and fourth-gen iPod touch — can be pushed when some appropriately adroit hands are at the graphical controls. But, of course, games are supposed to be fun to play, not just to look at, so why not join us after the break to see how well Rage HD handles its mutant-bashing duties?
Gallery: Rage HD screenshots
Continue reading Rage HD review (iPhone)
Rage HD review (iPhone) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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