Hasta La Gadget!

When we were breaking down the meaty differences between the old-school 3G and the 3G S yesterday, we made an assumption about support for OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics APIs in the original iPhone 3G based on the fact that it had been available in the iPhone OS 3.0 SDK for several betas. Turns out, though, that the graphics processor in the 3G S — the PowerVR SGX — supports hardware acceleration of both OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 while the more pedestrian PowerVR MBX found in the iPhone 3G supports 1.1 alone.

What does this mean to you? OpenGL ES is the lightweight version of OpenGL, a powerful library of real-time 3D rendering APIs; many modern phones and other handheld devices support the older 1.1 specification, but 2.0 is less common — it kicks things up a notch by supporting more complex textures and shading operations, which basically means games written to support it look more badass. Here’s the problem, though: because OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 are completely incompatible with each other, apps need to be written to support both if they’re going to be maximally compatible. A 2.0-only app can’t simply run on a 1.1-only device and not look as good — it won’t work at all.

Here’s where it gets interesting. The App Store has already splintered a bit with certain applications being unavailable to iPod Touch users (dialers, for example), but language in Apple’s iPhone SDK documentation leads us to believe that the company eventually intends to begin allowing it to splinter even among iPhone models, maybe as soon as the 3G S is released. That is, they’ll allow apps that are only compatible with the 3G S because they’re written to take advantage of OpenGL ES 2.0 and don’t offer a 1.1 fallback:

“When designing your OpenGL ES application, the first question you must answer is whether your application will support OpenGL ES 1.1, OpenGL ES 2.0, or both… Your application should target OpenGL ES 1.1 if you want to support all iPhones and iPod touches.”

Realistically, it was bound to happen; platform aside, hardware is always improving, and it’s paralyzingly difficult to require that all apps be compatible with all of a platform’s devices regardless of age — particularly when it comes to gaming. We imagine this’ll be an issue with apps taking advantage of the 3G S’ other specific features like the magnetic compass and video recording support, too. Question is, what’ll be that must-have game (or compass, we suppose) that spurs stubborn 3G owners into shelling out a few hundred bucks they didn’t intend to?

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Handhelds

iPhone 3G S supports OpenGL ES 2.0, but 3G only supports 1.1 — will the App Store splinter? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like Sony Ericsson is taking a page out of Apple’s book for the launch of its app store, bundling the service in with the very same platform it already uses to distribute music and movies. PlayNow arena — which was originally designed for music distribution and whose movie rental functionality is going live this month in a handful of locales — is now being expanded to incorporate applications as well, initially coming to 13 countries and some 38 Sony Ericsson models. Conveniently, PlayNow arena is already well-plumbed to support a variety of blling methods which should make the transition to paid apps a pretty seamless one for the company, devs, and users alike. Submissions from developers for inclusion in the store will kick off July 1, initially covering Java and Symbian before being expanded to cover “additional platforms” (Android, anyone?) later in the year; there’s no word, though, on exactly when end users will be able to get in on the action.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Sony Ericsson expands PlayNow arena to cover apps, too originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s said no background apps on the iPhone forever, citing it destroys stability and system resources. Today, three reputable publications have independently claimed that Apple is having a change of mind. What the hell?

Techcrunch, Gruber and Alley Insider (Alley first) all claim to have sources that say Apple is working on and discussing just how they can run applications in the background. (An example of such an application and a potentially convenient use for background apps is an IM client that would alert you as soon as you got a message; Apple previously claimed their now late push data system could alert dormant applications of new events without needing those apps to be open. Open apps would take up resources.)

Part of this rumor is that Apple would require applications that run in the background to undergo a more thorough application process for the iTunes store. That makes sense and is the most likely scenario. Apps could be vetted (even more stringently than the current approval process) for processor and memory usage, then approved for being a background-capable app.

Why would they change their minds? Well the Palm Pre is certainly the main reason we can think of. Palm has, to many reporters, said that the Pre’s advantages lie in its faster hardware, light operating system designed specifically for a mobile environment, ability to run multiples programs at once—each referred to in the UI as a card—despite the potential battery drain. And the Pre, as we all know, is high up on the list of things we’re all excited for.

But what makes more sense is for all of this to be for the next hardware iteration of the iPhone, one that has more processing power and memory—two things that are in tight supply on the current versions. This would mean Apple could stick to their story of not being able to support background apps now, but still deliver on something just about everybody wants.

We’ll find out more at WWDC 2009, I’m sure. [Business Insider via Daring Fireball via Techcrunch]

Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Not every company producing smartphones cares much about other kinds of portable devices, but those that do can heed a lesson from Apple. By leveraging the popularity, platform, and distribution of the iPhone, Apple deftly created the market for iPod touch applications. One would now be hard-pressed to name another non-cellular handheld device that has access to as many modern applications as Apple’s flagship digital media player. Under some definitions, it has become the first mass-market Mobile Internet Device (or MID).

Targeting both phone and non-phone platforms has allowed Apple to greatly increase the installed base for iPhone applications. Last month, Apple announced that it had shipped 17 million iPhones, and 13 million iPod touches, increasing the base of devices for “iPhone” applications 76 percent.

Convergent devices like the iPhone and iPod touch are often looked at in terms of their potential to cannibalize a wide swath of other kinds of portable devices. These include the popular (digital cameras, portable navigation devices, handheld gaming platforms), the obscure (remote controls for presentation programs and the Sonos multi-room music system), and the humble (alarm clocks, calculators and pedometers).

Continue reading Switched On: Apps like to Movit, Movit

Filed under: Handhelds

Switched On: Apps like to Movit, Movit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To think, it’s only been three months since we talked about Apple’s iTunes store crossing the 500 million download threshold, and now it looks like the gang in Cupertino are gearing up to celebrate their 1 billionth app. To celebrate, the company’s released two lists showcasing the top 20 free and paid iPhone apps, respectively. Presuming these are in order (they’re certainly not alphabetical), that puts Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D for paid apps and Facebook for free apps. Interestingly, Crash shares with Super Monkey Ball the dubious honor of being the only two apps on the list at $5.99, the highest price here. Eight of the paid apps cost $0.99 apiece, and the rest fall somewhere in between. Check out both lists after the break.

[Via i4u]

Continue reading Apple reveals top 20 free / paid iPhone apps, iFart Mobile only ranks 16th

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Apple reveals top 20 free / paid iPhone apps, iFart Mobile only ranks 16th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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