No More iPhone 4 Envy, But May Suffer From Withdrawal

I have had a chance to play with the new iPhone 4 for a week now. And while all the thousands of posts and news articles singing its praises and condemning it for the antenna problems were all compressed into a matter of a week or so, it does feel like it’s been out for a long time already.

While I’m ready to move on to other Apple products, I can’t help but feel sad that I’m going to have to give it up today. See, I was testing out the iPhone for a week until I give it to my aunt. It’s actually a gift from my cousin. I suppose in the end, he felt the gift basket of wine and treats from Costco wasn’t enough to compensate his parents for standing in line for 9 hours to get his reserved iPhone for him (my cousin had to go out of the country).

I don’t want to go into a full on review here. I just want to note a couple of things.

iAds: Big For One Developer And May Get Bigger

One developer of an LED flashlight app has hit it big on day one with almost $1400 in revenue generated from iAds. Suffice to say, he's pretty happy. And though the jury is still out on iAds, well, we're looking at the tip of the iceberg in this mobile ad scheme that Apple has going on here.

Here's a sample iAd that is currently running with Nissan's Leaf, its new awesome 100 miles per charge electric vehicle.



So far, click through is 5 times higher with iAd than with Admob for one developer.  Guess who's app and Web developers are gonna want to go with if this keeps up?

More at 9-to-5 Mac.

Simple Simulation Games For Mobile Isn't Half Bad

I’ve spent a lot of time in the last couple of days play “We Rule” on the iPad and the iPhone. On the G1, I am playing another one of these games where you have to nurture and build your little domain. It’s called Pocket Empires. I am still trying to figure out the right strategy for it.

In my attempts to cheat, I found out that you need a live 3G or Wi-Fi connection to the game servers to fully load. Heck, I even thought I could just tweak the time on my iPhone and it’ll speed up the growth and gathering of my farms. No go.

Still, there are two elements these these games. One, you need to stay connected and two, the games almost require constant supervision depending on what’s going on in the game.

But the fun thing about these games is that it doesn’t require so much thinking that it consumes your time while at the same time, it offers a bit of depth in that you can choose what to do with your credits and what to grow or buy. And unlike some of the more brain-dead games like Mob War on Facebook, well-designed games like We Rule, Farmville, or Pocket Empires doesn’t get too old.

These games basically reminds me of the first Sim City on the Mac.

Missing Element. There is a third element that I find generally lacking in these games, including Farmville and that is the social element that is all the rage at the moment. Right now, We Rule has virtually no social features beyond buddying up with your friends. You can’t leave them messages or anything like that.

Farmville is worse because it relies on Facebook.

I play Chess With Friends and Words with Friends on the iOS platform and you can be in constant contact with the people you play games with.

So, for mobile warriors looking to expand beyond traditional gaming or puzzle games, I encourage giving one of these “build your own empire/farm” (simulation) games a try. I wasn’t for these types of games in the beginning and I might tire of them eventually. Nevertheless, they offer a window into the mobile life that many kids play when they should be doing homework or office drones who want something more than pushing papers or answering e-mails.

I think it’s better than those fish tank games.

I’m going to provide updates on my blogs regarding my builds as well as provide a more story telling element. I think that’s what these games are capable of providing us. Now, I’ve been informed I need to harvest my strawberries so I can build my villagers a new bench.

A Generation Will Grow Up Without the iPod But It's Not A Bad Thing

Yesterday, I was reading about the declining revenue source the iPod line would be for Apple. And it's likely going to be the case with each passing year. And with each passing year, uni-purpose devices like the iPod and GPS will cease to exist, giving way to more useful and powerful devices like the iPhone.

At the same time, game consoles like the DS will also be discontinued or it will evolve into something more like the iPod Touch. This isn't a pro-Apple post but rather what I see as a reflection of how consumer electronic devices are changing to adapt to the mobile needs of the users.

When I go out, I still see kids holding tightly in their hands their DS or iPod but I also see a lot more now with an iPod Touch. I also see older kids with mobile devices than just a MP3 player that they are constantly texting with.

In a case, I envy this generation and the next ones going forward given the amount of mobile technologies that is available to them, provided these devices are used constructively.

Growing up, I was greatly influenced by anime. And not just anime. Remember Inspector Gadget's niece, Penny, with her "Computer Book" and her high-tech watch. And any sci-fi books and shows also featured devices that I could only dream up growing up.

Now, today's kids have it all. Not quite the level of Penny's Computer Book but still very impressive. With my G1, iPhone, and iPad, I've been able to accomplish tasks that I ordinarily need to be tethered to a laptop but no more.

And these kids are likely to be able to do more in the coming years with their mobile devices other than to play games, listen to music, or play games.

Meet "WhiteD00r": iOS 3 With iOS 4 Features For 2G (Original) iPhone

Got an original iPhone that you're not willing to give up yet or got it as a hand-me-down but you still want the multitasking and folders features of the iOS 4? Yesterday, I would have said "too bad" but today, if you're like me with an original 2G iPhone, we might be in luck.

Meet Whited00r. The creators of Whited00r are trying to use the previous iOS 3.13 to create a modify iOS with many of the features iPhone users hsve only received from Apple with this year's iOS. However, if you try to upgrade your original iPhone or the first generation iPod Touch, you were met with a message telling you that your hardware is past its prime.

Personally, I think the 2G iPhone is a fantastic piece of engineering and I can get another year out of it or at least until Apple spreads the iPhone love to another wireless network other than AT&T.

What I haven't been able to find out is if these iOS 4 features are taken from the latest iOS and added to the iOS 3 or whether they are built natively.

Right now, Whited00r has three versions: iPod Touch G1, iPhone 2G Lite, and iPhone 2G. The Lite version is missing character count and multitasking. The Folders feature is still missing and will be worked on for a future update. Interestingly, video recording will also be a part of a future update.

Personally, I really can go for Folders over anything else from iOS 4. And perhaps, once this has been sorted out for iPhone 2G, maybe the Whited00r creators can bring multiple-tasking to 3G users.

There are stable versions now if you want to try it out. My iPhone 2G is out on loan to a friend so I won't know yet if Whited00r delivers as promised. Love to know your opinions if you decide to have a go at this.

More info at Emoiz and, of course, Whited00r.

-- Post From My iPad

Ducati Film Shot Using iPhone 4

Okay, I didn't know who they are but I do now. The Ducati motorcycle team shot a short film using entirely an iPhone 4. Frak! That's amazing.

I watched the video twice and I'm simply amazed by what the little mobile device can do. Apple has really created a monster here and I'm not judging it by the 1.7 million units sold in 72 hours.

Plus, after waiting on the phone with ATT for 90 minutes last night without accomplishing anything, I was ready to say no to the iPhone 4 if it means using ATT. But watching what it can do and the other awesome features, I am once again wavering.

Enjoy the clip. You will be amazed by the quality of the HD film.



More at TUAW.

Yesterday, I went into what the next iPod Touch will look like. Now, let’s have fun with what I think the next iPod Touch will have in terms of features might migrate from the iPhone 4. I’m going to try to be realistic about what features we’ll see and not a whole wish list of what I like to see.

FaceTime. So, let’s start with FaceTime. On the surface itself, I would say forget about it. But as many have pointed out, including Dave the Mobile Warrior, Steve Jobs declared that there will be millions of FaceTime devices for people to chat with by the end of the year or something like that. I specifically remembered him saying something along that line.

Camera or cameras? Also see the next section on iMovie for the iPod Touch. By now, it’s likely we’ll see two cameras. One for taking pictures and another for FaceTime if Steve Jobs’ words are correctly interpreted. And while I like to think that Apple will be forced to subjugate iPod Touch users with lesser cameras, I don’t think that will be the case. We’ll be pleasantly surprised with the same 5MP camera that now sits in the iPhone 4.

Why is that? There is a lot riding on a successful, and I’m talking mega-blockbuster, launch to combat its competitors. Hey, It’s lonely at the top and what better way to earn friends than to make tons of iPod users happy with HD video capability. Millions of upgraders will be joined by folks who are looking for handheld video cameras with HD capability this Holiday season. Until the iPhone 4 was released last week, the Flip cams virtually had the whole market to itself.

In the past, Apple would have likely provided the iPod Touch a lower end feature such as the same 3MP camera used in the iPhone 3GS so that if anyone wanted HD video capability with an iOS device, they would be forced to buy the iPhone 4.

iMovie. This is tied into what kind of camera we’re likely to see. For the moment, I’d have to say yes because the ability to show HD as well as

Screen. Yes, what’s the point of being able to shoot video in HD and edit the video if you can’t appreciate your work? Plus, Apple likes to keep things simple and having Retina Display on the iPod Touches as well as the iPhones will make it easier for the developers as well.

Battery. Like the iPhone 4, there is going to be a serious jump in battery life and allow users to do more without worry about power rationing. I don’t have more to say about this other than that any additional power will be greatly appreciated.

Everything sounds great up to this point. Basically, you’re think we’re going to see an iPod Touch san the telephony function using almost the same iOS. Here’s where I have to add an asterisk.

There will be two models of the iPod Touch. A high end model will have all of the above features that I mentioned. And it’ll cost you. The new A4 chip that acts as the heart of the iPhone 4 and iPad will power this high end Touch. This is going to be similar to the iPhone 4 without the 3G connectivity and telephony functions.

A lower end iPod Touch with last year’s tech will also be available only it won’t have a 5MP camera capable of shooting HD video or works with the iMovie app. It still might have a frontal camera for FaceTime. This lower end model will allow Apple to differentiate its ipod Touch lines. And the more expensive iPod Touch will avoid iPhone 4 cannibalization. We’re basically looking at last year’s iPod Touch with cameras.

Is that it?

What I didn’t talk about yesterday: A bigger iPod Touch with a 5-7 inch screen. This is venturing dangerously into the wish list territory. So, I’ll going to end here and start a new post on that possibility tomorrow.

So what do you of the features I’ve laid out for the next iPod Touch? Still too much of a wish-list feel to it?