New iPhone App Upgrades Are Great For Business Professionals
Part of the draw of the iPhone is its plethora of ‘one-touch’ features as well as a never-ending supply of apps. One app for the iPhone, called AccuConference, came out to rave reviews because of its ability to get users in and out of conference calls with the touch of a button. For business professionals running late for a meeting, this app proved to be invaluable. Undoubtedly, the AccuConference replaced a lot of the bulky conferencing phones in people’s home offices. After all, this one app allowed users to solve all of the problems that people were having for years in regards to connecting with different conference call service providers and telephone systems almost instantly. The App store is home to a few different programs that have conferencing features, but the AccuConference has won most users over because it simplifies the process instead of adding on too many bells and whistles. Most businesses that already have conferencing phones in their offices probably don’t have much of a need for the AccuConference app, but start-ups and traveling business people have been able to benefit immensely from the savings and accessibility the app offers.
A new update was recently released for the AccuConference, and is available at the official iPhone App store. Now, on top of the app’s free conference call capabilities, iPhone users will be able to sync up their schedules and select specific times and dates for their upcoming calls. They will also have the ability to save the dates and times of past conference calls, which will allow users to see who participated. This will help making future conference calls a breeze because AccuConference users will already know the most convenient dates and times for their business associates. Current AccuConference users have free access to the upgrade, and those who have been holding out on buying the app will get a nice surprise when they go to buy it.
iPhone Thief Caught Due to Tattoo on Face
Detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office in South Florida were able to apprehend and arrest 19 year old Joseph Williams shortly after 8 pm on a recent Tuesday night. Crime Stoppers had reported a tip stating that Williams was in Miami Gardens. Williams is just one of many that have been caught or are wanted for thefts of iPhones. Recent trends in iPhone thefts have led experts to state that iPhones have become one of the most desirable and valuable electronics on the market today.
While some iPhone thefts involve stealing the device directly from the owner, which in turn has raised the amount of iPhone users who choose to insure their devices, many thieves of these phones tend to operate more in the style that Williams did. Reports indicate that Williams would walk into an AT&T store, posing as a customer, and after locating the iPhone display would take one or two of the phones from the security cables connecting them to the actual display and rush out of the store before anyone noticed. He lifted almost two dozen of the phones in this way, all throughout South Florida, beginning in late August. According to reports, Williams was recognized by his tattoo on his forehead that read “I’m Me”. Obviously, a tattoo such as this was very recognizable and lead to a much quicker arrest than most iPhone thieves encounter. Officials state that while he is suspected in as many as 15 other thefts of iPhones, he was charged with four counts of grand theft.
Amazon App Offers iPhone Users Range of Features
The Apple App store has long been a source of great entertainment and data apps, but it turns out it is also becoming a place that offers those looking to earn some money a bit of utility, as well. The most recent version of the Amazon iPhone app, version 1.2.8, now bridges the gap between the online and offline world in a way that never would have been possible in the past. Amazon has long served as a key earning point for many online due to the fact that its affiliate program has proven a strong way for amateur fans of books, video games and other products to get a small commission on items they can sell through blogs and other sources. This latest app offers a bar code scanner that makes use of the iPhone’s built in camera similar to the way that the Red Laser app does. This will then let people do offline to online shopping or add items they find in the offline world to their online wish list that Amazon is known for.
For sellers, this means that buyers who come across an item offline can look for it via Amazon, but for brick and mortar stores this is incredibly bad news since consumers could scan an item and then buy it online while still being in the physical store. However, it should still be said that those looking to make an immediate purchase will probably use the app more as a way to weigh out the pros and cons in terms of wait time and price.
iPhone Users Most Frequent to Actually Purchase Apps
In recent findings in the State of Mobile Apps study from the Nielsen Media firm that monitors usage of all types of media from radio to TV to downloads on the web, it has been found that Apple iPhone users are buying nearly twice as many apps from the official Apple App Store as users of any other platform. Neither the BlackBerry App World Store nor the Android Market have anywhere near the sales that the Apple App Store does. The Nielsen study found that for ever 2 apps that iPhone users download for free, they tend to purchase one, as well. In comparison, those using the Android Market or Blackberry App World were noted as downloading an average of 3.5 apps at no cost before purchasing one. Out of all the platforms surveyed, Blackberry users were the least likely of all to convert from a free trial of an app to an upgraded fee based version.
The study also noted that out of all the apps offered for smart phones and feature phones, it is still games that lead the way, but close behind them are apps related to the weather. Out of the apps noted for popularity, it is still Facebook that is the most used app on any smart phone platform today. While Twitter ranked highly for Blackberry users, it did not for iPhone nor Android which had Youtube as a top performer which was also not popular on the iPhone - news that came as a surprise to many iPhone experts.
Fashion Apps for iPhone Growing in Popularity
The iPhone from Apple, Inc. has long been considered a more trendy smart phone choice for the savvy tech user, but it turns out that there are more uses for it than previously thought among some of the users most in touch with today’s hottest trends: fashion fans. While the new apps will not get users dressed or pick the perfect wardrobe out for them, they are becoming quite popular with those who want to keep tabs on all the latest from major designers in the fashion world, fashion magazines and, of course, fashion shops that sell a wide variety of high end, cutting edge apparel. In some cases these personal apps are updated daily, giving users the full scoop on what that designer or shop has to offer most recently. A big entrant to the world of fashion apps was eBay which launched its own app for fashion savvy folks that is expected to do well over one and a half billion dollars in fashion sales this year, building on its 2009 income of $600 million. According to Chris Devore who co-founded a site dedicated to helping customers discover apps for Apple and Android smart phones, the iPhone is leading the way with the largest number and widest variety of fashion apps on the market today.
A quick search of the iTunes store will show more than 550 unique apps for the keyword fashion, ranging from one for Chanel or Dolce & Gabbana to another for GQ or Glamour magazines. Experts say that as iPhone users get more interwoven with current culture, this trend is only likely to grow.
iPhone Apps Disappoint Bioware and Capcom
The iPhone from Apple, Inc. has impressed a huge number of developers who want to make apps for the smart phone, but it remains true that not all companies - especially those larger companies that have software across multiple platforms - have found that they appreciate the device’s potential. Famed indie game design groups have been doing very well, but the larger more established companies are reluctant to work within the confines of the device and often find its features to be lacking for their intended purposes. Profit is not always forthcoming for app makers and this is certainly a troubling fact for larger companies that are more dependant on bigger streams of revenue when they develop a game using their higher cost in house design teams. This is the case for Capcom, the famed makers of Street Fighter II and a range of other hit video games on a variety of systems. Capcom has told the press that they were disappointed with their recent financial reports because they do not feel that the titles they offer are increasing in sales at a fast enough rate. Projected sales levels have been reached for Street Fighter IV and Phoenix Wright, but this is not enough for Capcom. Even the Resident Evil 4 sales were seen as lackluster at best by the gaming giant.
Bioware, a partner for Electronic Arts has seen a very dismal portrait of sales for their sci fi RPG epic Mass Effect. The company believes that it was not the right time or the right title and this has held their sales down. Bioware has concluded that for iPhone gamers, backstory is not a selling point.
Can the HTC Desire Compete with iPhone 4? Let’s Compare
The world has been waiting for the so called iPhone killer for as long as Apple has been on top of the smart phone market, but with each passing year and the generation of the iPhone that it brings, the expectations grow stronger. Plenty have tried, but thus far no other smart phone maker has managed to steal the hearts of customers around the globe who have pushed iPhone sales far past anything that could have been predicted. Will the new HTC Desire change this or can the iPhone 4 hold its own against this latest challenger? The only way to find out is to compare both devices and let the viewers decide.
The first thing to consider is probably the most obvious difference between the 2 phones and this is the fact that they use different operating systems. Of course, with the iPhone 4 the proprietary iOS 4.0 is the software of choice while HTC’s Desire is running the Android OS from Google. The battery life for the iPhone 4 is 16% longer than what the HTC offers and this could be a sticking point for consumers who want to maximize talking time by any way possible.
In terms of size, there are definite differences between the smart phones and of the two, the iPhone 4 is heavier, weighing in at 140 grams compared with the 135 gram Desire. Much of this could be due to the steel antennae band featured on the iPhone 4. On the other hand, the Desire is the bulkier device in terms of dimensions: 119 cm x 60 cm x 12 cm (width, height and depth) compared with 114.3 cm x 58.7 cm x 9.4 cm for the iPhone 4. Both devices also feature an LCD screen, but the iPhone has the smaller at .2 inches less than the 3.7 inch screen the Desire offers.
For internal memory, the iPhone has 32 GB of space, but the Desire only offers 576 MB which can be expanded with a microSD card.
Nintaii 2 Comes to iPhone
Gamers on the iPhone have long sense shown a love of using Apple’s star mobile device to play a range of puzzle games, but Nintaii, which derives its name from the Japanese word for ‘patience’, has been a real favorite. That is why reviewers were not surprised to see Nintaii 2 coming out from Concrete Software, Inc. recently. The first version of the game had developed a strong following that Concrete had planned to build upon early on and the challenging game play promised to invoke the tradition of increasing level count in this latest version. In all there will be one hundred brand new levels in Nintaii 2 to test the gamer’s patience and endurance at this strategic puzzle title. Since the first version was a huge seller in the App Store, the follow up will offer obstacles and challenges that push gamers to their intellectual limits using the same format that earned the first title its fame for ease of play and thrill.
An increasing complexity is part of the package and gamers can expect to be faced with some of the most extreme challenges of the Nintaii series so far in this second game. A social media aspect has been added so that players can join a gaming community for Nintaii 2 fans where they will be able to check out tips and strategies, plus share some of their own if they are so inclined. The core game of rolling the block through a maze has been preserved, but more interaction means more chances for bobbles that can cost players the puzzle.
iPhone Gets App for Architectural Tourism
As the iPhone from Apple continues to move up from simply another mobile device to one of the core products that consumers are using as life style technology, its horizons continue to broaden and include a huge number of different apps for a variety of interests. One of the latest comes from PrairieMod, the company that previously brought out a Teco pottery line, developers of iPhone apps that capture the inspiration that society has been given from great architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and others who have shaped the face of the world as we know it today. Their app, called FanGuide, is designed to highlight great works of architecture and act as a pocket field guide for users on the go. The app allows users to put their iPhone to work as a mini tour guide that will take fans of building design through places such as Palm Springs, Los Angeles, River Forest and Oak Park in Illinois, and even the Loop in Chicago.
While more cities are on the way, the concept is quite simple and that is that there is text and narration for each of the areas that are covered in the tour. With interactive maps to showcase certain buildings and audio or video clips to present some of the areas’ histories, it is expected that the FanGuide will be updated as time passes and bring a lot of innovation to the table for those who want to take self guided tours of beautiful places.
OLED Screen to Be Part of iPhone 4G
While many in the media have been abuzz about the potential of the upcoming Apple iPad, there has been a quiet hum of potential which is coming in with the expected arrival of the latest in Apple’s iPhone line up, the iPhone 4G. This will be the latest generation of the famed iPhone and is expected to be shown off in the near future as the official 2010 model of the device. The expected incentives for purchasing this mobile phone will most likely be tied to a lower price point and even further upgraded hi tech features because this has been a real tradition for the iPhone up until this point. There are a large number of features that have analysts and reviewers alike very excited about this latest incarnation of the device and suggest it may well do a lot more business than even its predecessor given the higher level of innovation that is expected this time around.
The premiere feature which has the experts in the smart phone industry in an frenzy is the the suggestion that what is referred to as ‘gesture based technology’ will be making a debut on this particular rendition of the iPhone. With only a quick finger swipe users will be able to access the full range of features built into their device without having to tap exclusively and this can lead to better one handed use of the device. This should be even more ground breaking than what is expected for the upcoming iPad.