Hasta La Gadget!

Augmented reality applications to this point could be best categorized as tantalizing to the mind, but otherwise pointless. Thankfully, it seems as if that’s no longer the case. AcrossAir, a nascent app builder for the iPhone, has conjured up a slickly executed digital guidance application that augments video with real-time distance and directions to the nearest subway station. With the iPhone 3GS pimping an improved camera, inbuilt compass and GPS, we had a hunch that it wouldn’t be long before someone slammed them all together and gave commuters and tourists alike a reason to smile. Presently only capable of serving up directions in London, this app should find plenty of user interest that will hopefully drive its development for other metropolises around the world. Click through to check it out for yourself, and expect to see it ready for download as soon as someone (or something) at Cupertino decides to start approving live video programs. Any day now, Apple…

[Via Tokyo-Genki]

Continue reading Video: Nearest Tube iPhone app augments reality with directions

Filed under: Cellphones

Video: Nearest Tube iPhone app augments reality with directions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has rejected an e-book reader from its iPhone App Store because of the app’s ability to search for and download the Kama Sutra.

Called Eucalyptus, the reader app doesn’t come with any content. Similar to what the iTunes Store does with music, Eucalyptus enables users to find and download the books they wish to read. The app pulls e-books from Project Gutenberg, a well known web site that hosts public domain books.

Apple’s problem? Users can choose to download the text of Kama Sutra, which contains “objectionable” material. Eucalyptus developer Jamie Montgomerie posted Apple’s rejection letter on his blog:

We’ve reviewed Eucalyptus — classic books, to go. and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains inappropriate sexual content and is in violation of Section 3.3.12 from the iPhone SDK Agreement which states:

“Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.”

Apple’s App Store has been a huge hit in the mobile software industry, recently surpassing 46,000 applications available. However, the company’s iPhone application approval process has fallen under major scrutiny because of its inconsistency and unclear guidelines. For example, the company initially rejected a novelty fart app called Pull My Finger and then later approved it, but the game Baby Shaker, which involved shaking a baby to death, was initially approved before it was pulled down amid parental outrage.

The company is generally strict about potentially offensive content in its iPhone apps, but this is the first time we’ve seen Apple reject an app based on content that a user must manually search for to download. Montgomerie points out users could easily search for the Kama Sutra by typing a Google search in Safari.

“I suspect that no-one at Apple knows how genuinely torturous the App Store approval process is for developers personally after a rejection,” Montgomerie said. “I think anyone that knows me would confirm that I’m a very level-headed person, but this is the only thing in my adult life I can recall losing sleep over.”

In its latest e-mail to Montgomerie, Apple requests that the Kama Sutra be removed — even though the e-book is actually located on the Project Gutenberg database. Montgomerie has succumbed to installing a filter blocking users from searching for the Kama Sutra, and he awaits a response from Apple.

This is pretty outrageous to us. How do you feel about this, readers? Add your thoughts in the comments below.

See Also:

• Want to Fool Apple’s App Store? Plant an Easter Egg
• Apple Reviews NetShare; Permanent Ban Likely
• Android Welcomes App Store’s Rejects With Arms Wide Open
• Apple Rejects Twitter App Update for Alleged Bad Language
• Apple: You Can’t Play Jesus on iPhone
• AT&T: SlingPlayer for iPhone Would ‘Create Congestion’ for 3G …
• Apple Says No to Throwing Shoes at Bush on iPhone
• Apple’s Delays Could Cost iPhone Developer $600K

After eight months, Gadget Lab’s Charlie Sorrel still adores his Hackintosh netbook (even though at some point a software update broke his keyboard and mouse, requiring him to format his drive and reinstall Mac OS X — a detail he didn’t bother to mention). Now that he and his Crapintosh have traversed their rough patch, Charlie make believes he’s P Diddy by hosting decadent parties, passing the netbook around to guests to use it as a (gasp) wireless music player.

I’m glad he’s finally caught up to the year 2000, but I’ve found a more clever use for my netbook Hackintosh, which I deemed an impractical nuisance after six months of quick wear and tear. I propped it on top of my refrigerator and pointed the webcam at my five-week-old kitten Cuddy, whom I adopted two days ago. I also downloaded a $5 iPhone app called iCam enabling me to view the camera feed. Now, wherever and whenever I wish, I can check on Cuddy by simply opening the iCam app on my iPhone. If she appears to be going bonkers, I can hurry home to her rescue.

One major disadvantage: The audio in the webcam doesn’t work with the hacked version of Mac OS X, for which there is no fix, meaning all I can do is see, not hear, the kitten. So this pet-cam setup doesn’t make me take back my statement about Hackintoshes being all about the chase (that is, the thrills of hacking the netbook) but a failure in delivery.

See Also:

• Eight Months with a Hackintosh Netbook. Conclusion: Fantastic …
• All Sound Finally Working on Wind Hackintosh
• Gadget Lab Hackintosh: Now With Added Sound Output
• Hackintosh Update: Installing a New Wireless Card
• Six Months With a Hackintosh Netbook: It Ain’t Pretty

Photo: Brian X. Chen/Wired.com

You are what you wipe.  That’s the message behind Greenpeace’s iPhone app Tissue Guide, which launched Monday.

The app is a simple directory listing various brands of toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towel and napkins, rating each for its environmental friendliness. Based on those ratings, Tissue Guide breaks the brands into categories: products recommended, products that could do better and products that should be avoided.

Sounds pretty barebones, but it’s certainly worth checking out just to get an idea of which brands are greener than others. Plus, it gives you more than just a price tag to help you make a decision. Tissue Guide is free through the App Store.

Download Link [iTunes]

Vinyl has been on the verge of a big-time comeback for ages now (and for some of us, it never ceased to be the format of choice anyway), so we’re pretty happy to see that even the land of zany iPhone / iPod apps is no longer immune to its charms. The spinning vinyl app by Theodore Watson makes use of the iPod touch’s accelerometer to control the speed that the “record” is played at. The video (which is after the break) might make you a little sick when you watch it, but it sounds great. Analog rules, doesn’t it?

[Via Make]

Continue reading Vinyl record iPod touch app gives you the spins

Filed under: Cellphones

Vinyl record iPod touch app gives you the spins originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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