Apr 28

Apple acquires virtual assistant search app maker Siri

Posted in: app, Apple, apps, AppStore, cellphones, search, Today's Chili
Apple has acquired Siri, a company that makes a virtual assistant app. Siri was inspired by DARPA’s CALO — the Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes — project. Originally designed to help streamline military personnel’s activities, the consumer app focuses on helping you find things like restaurants, making use of speech recognition to boot. Essentially a smart search, there’s plenty of speculation of course as to what this means about the direction that Apple might be taking… and that direction seems to lead towards Google-y territory. Now we don’t want to speculate too much, but we’ll be watching to see how this plays out over the next few weeks. The terms of the acquisition aren’t known, meaning we have no idea how much Apple paid for the small startup, but Business Insider guesses the deal could be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 to $200 million.

Apple acquires virtual assistant search app maker Siri originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 26

Wi-Fi Sync: wirelessly sync the iPhone with iTunes… in your dreams (video)

Posted in: app, Apple, AppStore, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, itunes, sync, Today's Chili, video


Hey iPhone, welcome to 2007. Following Opera’s script in building grassroots hysteria to goad Apple into approving a contentious app, developer Greg Hughes is teasing a video of his Wi-Fi Sync app to the peoples of planet internet. As the name implies, the app promises a complete sync of your iPhone or iPod touch with iTunes without having to tether and looks pretty straightforward (and occasionally useful) based on the video demonstration found after the break. Greg says he’ll be submitting it to Apple for approval at the end of the week — good luck with that Greg, we hope to be seeing you on Cydia at the very least.

Continue reading Wi-Fi Sync: wirelessly sync the iPhone with iTunes… in your dreams (video)

Wi-Fi Sync: wirelessly sync the iPhone with iTunes… in your dreams (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 04:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 20

Lenovo talks up LePhone, shows off app store ahead of May launch

Posted in: Android, AppStore, lenovo, Today's Chili
Lenovo’s Android-based LePhone (not LePhono, sadly) may not be officially launching in China until next month, but the company did just hold a launch event of sorts in the country, in which it revealed a few new details and did a fair bit of boasting. According to The Wall Street Journal, Lenovo says that it’s aiming to sell “millions” of the phones in the next five years, and “tens of millions” after that — although not just involving this particular phone, obviously. Lenovo COO Rory Read also reportedly further added that the company is ready for a “tough fight” against Apple’s iPhone, and that Lenovo will have a “better brand position” that RIM, which hasn’t yet gained a significant foothold in China. That’s certainly plenty ambitious for a company new to the cellphone space, and should no doubt only further fuel those rumors of a certain acquisition. In other le news, Lenovo also apparently further demonstrated the tweaked version of Android that the handset will use (first seen at CES), and it has shown off its own app store for the first time, which can already be browsed at the site linked below.

Lenovo talks up LePhone, shows off app store ahead of May launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 19

Verizon FiOS DVR Manager ensures you’ll never miss an episode of iCarly… ‘evar’

Posted in: app, Apple, AppStore, dvr, iPhone, Today's Chili, verizon, vzw
America has spoken (at least the TV-addicted, iPhone owning segment) and the cry is being heard: they want to control their DVRs from their handset! The Verizon FiOS DVR Manager sounds pretty straightforward: set your DVR! Set parental controls! Bookmark, browse, search TV programming, and more! And all from your iPhone. (Of course, plenty of Android users have been doing this for a while now.) Kind of makes that old iTunes-based media management system seem a little weak sauce, doesn’t it? Of course, if you’re out at dinner or in a meeting and you’re being driven to distraction trying to remember if Ninja Assassin is a video-on-demand selection this month, you probably have much bigger problems than on-the-road DVR management. But that’s none of our business. Compatible with your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad sportin’ OS 3.0 or later. Hit the source link to download now!

Verizon FiOS DVR Manager ensures you’ll never miss an episode of iCarly… ‘evar’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 15

Boxee seeks iPad and iPhone app developer, bigger slice of Apple pie

Posted in: app, Apple, application, AppStore, boxee, HTPC, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, streaming, Today's Chili

Hey there, got any Objective-C experience and a desire to help out a budding young company? You’ll wanna hit that source link right quick, as Boxee is presently on the search for a Lead iPad and iPhone App Developer who will be responsible for starting the company’s Mobile Applications team. It’s no secret that Boxee is keen to get its media streaming software out on any and all hardware possible, and iPhone OS presents the company with an ever-expanding audience for its wares. Additional job requirements include a minimum of a year’s professional development experience and that you’ll have previously developed an app for the iPhone, though that last bit’s not exactly a high hurdle to overcome. We like the added note that Android dev experience is “a plus,” which suggests to us that the Mobile Apps team will eventually be spreading its wings beyond Apple’s mobile OS as well.

[Thanks, Abed]

Boxee seeks iPad and iPhone app developer, bigger slice of Apple pie originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 14

Opera Mini now the number one free download in all 22 App Stores

Posted in: Apple, AppStore, Opera, Today's Chili

Seems like users actually do want a choice, Steve.

Update: 1 Million downloads in 1 day, ta da!

[Thanks, Atesh]

Opera Mini now the number one free download in all 22 App Stores originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 12

Opera Mini for iPhone approved, will be available for free (update: hands-on)

Posted in: Apple, AppStore, breaking news, BreakingNews, iPhone, Opera, Today's Chili, web browser, WebBrowser

Our man Thomas Ricker was just wondering how long it would take before Apple determined the fate of Opera Mini for iPhone, and we’ve got some good news — it’s been approved and will be available for free on the App Store within 24 hours! Can’t say we were expecting that, since non-Safari-based browsers have typically been verboten from Apple’s little kingdom, but we’re certainly happy to be surprised. We’ll do up a full hands-on when we see it in the store, but for now check the demo video after the break.

Update: We’re getting reports that UK and Australian readers are already able to download and enjoy this surprising little addition to the app store — be sure to give this iTunes link a shot and see if it works in your region, mmkay?

Update 2: We just got our hands on Opera Mini for the iPhone, and the first thing we noticed is, in fact, how fast it renders pages. When we open the app, we are quickly introduced to the default Opera Screen, with links to Facebook, Twitter and the like. Opening a new tab is a single touch and loading virtually any homepage is quick. While scrolling through the loaded page, some images don’t fully render until you stop over them. Multitouch is enabled to some extent — you can pinch to zoom, and double tapping only fully zooms in and out, with really no inbetween. Something else we noticed that we’d been looking for in OS 4, is the ability to Find in Page. It works really well, and the words being searched are highlighted for an easy find. This browser totally kicks safari out of the water, and we’re definitely looking forward to updates for Opera Mini.

Update 3: It looks to be live in the US now! Hit up that iTunes link and go wild!

Gallery: Opera Mini for iPhone submitted to Apple for approval (video)

Continue reading Opera Mini for iPhone approved, will be available for free (update: hands-on)

Opera Mini for iPhone approved, will be available for free (update: hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 05

Editorial: iPad app prices are out of control and will kill us all

Posted in: Apple, apps, AppStore, ipad, Today's Chili

Apple trained us well with the iPhone. All those $0.99 apps, $1.99 apps, and the occasional $4.99 (or so) app, padded by plentiful free apps, and we laid down / rolled over every time the App Store whistled. Sure, we admit it, after a few months of conditioning we even spent $9.99 on a couple apps, but boy did we do our homework on those ones! They had to be the best, they had to either be the “greatest game ever,” or a vital piece of productivity software we could never live without. But something, somewhere broke within and we were left powerless as the iPad at last made its way out of the box and popped open the App Store for the first time. These pricey apps (the average seems to be double the iPhone price) are dangerously expensive, and we’d like everybody involved to think twice before beating our wallet into submission with these $9.99 and $14.99 “snacks.” Follow with us after the break as we break this down, won’t you?

Continue reading Editorial: iPad app prices are out of control and will kill us all

Editorial: iPad app prices are out of control and will kill us all originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 05

EyeTV iPhone app features 3G streaming, Jessica Fletcher fans go nuts

Posted in: app, Apple, AppStore, iPhone, Television, Today's Chili, TV, wifi

If the thought of watching Murder, She Wrote on a 3.5-inch screen has you, like, totally psyched, you’ll be pleased to know that Elgato has just announced a genuine iPhone / iPod touch app that allows you to view EyeTV content streamed from your home computer via 3G or WiFi (similar to the Live3G web app the company debuted late last year). In addition — this is where things start to get interesting — the thing will let you browse the Program Guide and manage your recording schedules, launching EyeTV on your Mac at home as needed. If you’re an Elgato die-hard, this thing seems to be a no-brainer. Available now in the App Store for $4.99. PR after the break.

Continue reading EyeTV iPhone app features 3G streaming, Jessica Fletcher fans go nuts

EyeTV iPhone app features 3G streaming, Jessica Fletcher fans go nuts originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 05

Apple sells over 300,000 iPad tablets on US launch day

Posted in: Apple, apple ipad, AppleIpad, AppStore, BestBuy, breaking news, BreakingNews, business, ipad, launch, sales, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, Today's Chili, us, usa


We heard some pretty ridiculous estimates over the weekend, but these figures are straight out of Cupertino’s mouth: over 300,000 iPads were sold on April 3rd. Specifically, that many were moved in the US as of midnight (PT, we’re assuming) on Saturday, though this does include deliveries of pre-ordered units to customers, deliveries to channel partners (such as Best Buy) and sales at Apple Retail Stores. We should point out, though, that just because Best Buy purchased a bundle of ’em doesn’t mean that end users have (yet), but still, this is a pretty impressive feat for something that not everyone was convinced that they “needed” in January. If you’ll recall, Apple only sold 270,000 iPhones during its first 30 hours on the market, yet it moved over a million iPhone 3GS units during that handset’s opening weekend. In related news, iPad users also downloaded over a million apps and over 250,000 ebooks from the iBookstore during launch day, with Steve Jobs himself noting that “iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.” Now, let’s see if these guys can keep pace through the first full week.

[Thanks, Tal]

Apple sells over 300,000 iPad tablets on US launch day originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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