Thursday, August 30, 2007

Creating Video content for the iPhone

No matter which method you use to deliver video content to the iPhone there are some basic caveats you need to be aware of. The most important is to remember that the iPhone is the best iPod. If the video will play back in iPod mode then the video can be delivered to the iPhone. This is due largely to the way in which Apple has cleverly allowed their core applications on the iPhone to communicate freely back and for with each other. In this article you will learn how you can push video content to your iPhone.

A core feature of the iPhone is ability to play back rich media, specifically video. There are three ways to deliver video to your iPhone:
Video Podcasting
Embed Video in a Web Page
YouTube Integration

H.264 Baseline Profile Level 3.0 video, up to 640 x 480 at 30 fps. Note that B frames are not supported in the Baseline profile.
MPEG-4 Part 2 video (Simple Profile)
AAC-LC audio, up to 48 kHz
.mov, .mp4, .m4v, .3gp file formats
Any movies or audio files that can play on an iPod.

Creating video for playback on the iPhone is easy if you have the latest version of QuickTime Pro. In your export settings you can choose the following:
"Movie to iPhone" prepares movies for Wi-Fi.
"Movie to iPhone (Cellular)" prepares movies for EDGE.

These two settings will optimize video for playback over broadband Wi-Fi connections of the much slower AT&T EDGE wireless network.

You will notice that there is no support for Adobe Flash Video. This is a real problem for Web site design as the vast majority of Web sites use Flash Video. Hopefully Apple will change this.

Video Podcasting
If you have surfed through the Podcasting section of the iTunes Store then you cannot have failed to have noticed the ever increasing number of video podcasts. As the name entails, a video podcast is a video version of the traditional podcast. At its core, a video podcast is a syndicated movie you can subscribe to.

The first tool you will likely use to create a video podcast is QuickTime Pro. The export settings are very similar to exporting video for playback on the iPhone. The difference is that you will want to select iPod export settings. The reason for this is that Video Podcasts can be played back on the iPod, iPhone and Apple TV. There are tens of millions of video iPods and only a million iPhones – the most popular format to deliver to is the video iPod. The screen settings for your video should be 480*360, or 4:3 aspect ratio. Larger screen sizes will not display correctly.

You can have any different type of video podcast. Cooking, home improvement, politics, drama – all of these topics have video podcasts. If you have not started a video podcast, now is the time to start.

Delivering Video over the Internet
Video delivery over the Internet is easy with the iPhone. Conveniently, QuickTime is the ONLY plugin supported on the iPhone’s version of Safari. All you have to do is embed the video content in the Web page. The following is an example:

You must remember to limit your QuickTime formats to the list identified earlier. For instance, QuickTime VR will not work on the iPhone, nor will 1080i HD video. But, the lower 480i HD video will work. In addition, the iPhone does support movies larger than 2GB, or two hours of video at 480 HD format.

Delivery video to YouTube
One of the first custom applications on the iPhone is the YouTube widget. Apple is working hard with Google to convert the entire YouTube library to H.264 video format. If you have video on YouTube then it is only a matter of time before your video will be available for the iPhone.

You can format you video for delivery on YouTube using the YouTube tools, or you can leverage the new iMovie ’08 that will publish your movie directly to your YouTube account. The focus of iMovie ’08 is to make video production very easy. Publishing is part of the process. When you get to this point in the movie you can choose to directly publish to YouTube and iMovie does all of the work for you. How easy is that?

Future of video on the Internet for the iPhone
Apple is pushing hard to make their video formats the de-facto formats for the Web. This is clearly demonstrated with the lack of support for Flash. It would have been much easier to support Flash Video on the iPhone simply because there is so much of it on the Internet. Instead, Apple chose to partner with Google and convert its massive YouTube library to work with their tools in QuickTime formats.

There is no doubt that video will become more important to the iPhone. What will be interesting will be the next major steps in video on the Internet Apple takes. The immediate need is for “video rental” or video on demand over the Internet. The iPhone will be an immediate candidate for scooping up this new content.
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Best Phone. Ever

When I first walked into the house the day I bought my iPhone, I had a moment of panic. After six months of media frenzy and amongst all of the excitement, I had lost sight of the fact that the 8GB iPhone I bought at a nearby AT&T store had set me back $600.

Not that I hadn't been warned; the price information was everywhere, sensationalized and vilified, even, by people who thought that the price tag outrageous. In my determination to pick up the phone as soon as they went on sale, I discounted the cost -- until I got home with it and realized that I spent serious money on something that might not live up to the hype.

A bit of background: I hate cell phones. They're a necessary evil in terms of convenience, but with each latest and greatest model I bought, I became increasingly critical. The last straw came after I was suckered in by the thin design of the Razr a couple of years ago.

While it was nice that the phone slid in and out of pockets with ease because of its size, using the Razr's software for anything other than making calls was an abject exercise in exasperation. Potentially useful features were hidden underneath menus and submenus and sub-submenus, it couldn't autosync with my Mac, Internet access was mediocre, and the user interface clunky. The only thing that prevented me boycotting Motorola products after buying the Razr was the fact that the company wasn't alone when it came to disjointed design.
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Nokia will tomorrow launch a mobile phone to rival Apple's iPhone

Nokia will tomorrow launch a mobile phone to rival Apple's iPhone as the must-have gadget for Christmas.
Industry sources claim that the N81, which goes on sale in November, will allow users to download music to it directly.

They hope it will be more user-friendly that the iPhone, which requires people to download songs to iTunes on their computer before they can be transferred to the handset.

A survey of 16- to 24-year-olds last year found that the "I want it now" generation is turning its back on record stores and iTunes to download songs directly to their phones.

But industry watchers said yesterday it was unlikely that N81 handset would steal the march from the iPhone, which has gone on sale in America and will be launched in Europe later this year.

Mark Wilson, editor of Stuff, the consumer technology magazine, said: "I still think the iPhone will have the edge. In terms of covetability, the iPhone comes out on top because it is much more than just a phone."

Apple's launch of the iPhone in the US saw Americans queuing up for the device up to five days before it went on sale.
The iPhone has all the functions of a normal phone as well as the technology of Apple’s iPod digital music player. It can also screen television shows and films, take photographs browse the internet and send emails.

The launch of the N81 has been soured, however, by a row between Nokia and its business partner Orange.

Orange has apparently refused to offer the N81 download service until it has been trialled against its own music download service.

In a memo sent to Nokia, Orange reportedly threatened to "derange" the handset until Nokia allows it to compare service performances.
Link

Monday, August 27, 2007

Adding Subway Maps To Your IPhone

One of the first truly useful hacks for the iPod was adding maps to the photo and video capable models, and of course, since the iPhone is no different than an iPod when it comes to photos, you can easily do the same with your phone.

If you're an iPhone user living in New York, head over to Khoi Vinh’s Subtraction blog and grab his pre-compiled zip file
of New York Subway map images to stash on your iPhone. Using the tile feature of the thumbnail view in Photo Albums you can re-create the whole map and then zoom on individual sections. A flick of the finger moves to the next “quadrant.”

As Vinh explains: “This makes the map much more navigable, because if you have a mental understanding of how the city’s boroughs are laid out, you intuitively know which tile to jump to in order to find your stop.”

Vinh’s maps are based on the MTA’s subway maps and we suspect at some point he’ll get a cease and desist letter from the MTA so grab them while they’re available.

And if you know of similar packages for other cities throw the links in the comments.
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Sunday, August 26, 2007

Stellar NES emulator For iPhone


With each passing day, the Apple iPhone is receiving more and more third-party applications.

We've seen a less than stellar NES emulator, but now it's time to revisit the smelly, sweaty arcades of the 80s. Some kook named kaisersoze has developed a MAME emulator for the iPhone, granting you access to a wide range of arcade classics on your shiny Apple device.

Don't get too excited just yet, however, because there are quite a few caveats that you should know about. For starters, the emulator can currently only handle rather simple games like BurgerTime and Q*Bert, so you won't be enjoying Final Fight or Mortal Kombat any time soon. Also, "performance is an issue." There's some frame skipping, lowered sound quality, and other problems.

It's a step in the right direction, but it'll probably be a while before you'll have the equivalent of a Sony PlayStation on your iPhone.
Link

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Exclusive Mobile Phones

Perhaps one of the most famous examples of exclusive contracts is that of the Apple iPhone. Having signed a deal with AT&T in America; Apple are making their way to Europe - with many industry experts predicting that they will split their EU contract across several of the major networks, with only one operator per EU country. Now with Apple's shear power, thanks to the hype surrounding the release of their first mobile phone, they are able to demand heavy terms when signing new contracts which will include a share of revenue made from both calls, data usage and perhaps content purchased (although this hasn't yet been confirmed).

The networks themselves also do however have a lot of power; with their businesses spanning the globe they are able to put their pitch of high EU wide status to the growing number of mobile phone manufacturers who approach them. One way or another you'll see that networks such as O2 (owned by Spain's Telefonica), T-Mobile (owned by the German Deutsche Telecom) and Orange (owned by France Telecom) all have big influential parents in other countries.

Running way ahead of the others, Orange seems to be the biggest player when it comes to signing exclusive contracts with manufacturers of mobile phones; particularly Sony Ericsson. With what appears to be tactics rather than market dominance, Orange has signed a deal with Sony Ericsson to be the supplier of some of their walkman phones as owners of these phones have been proved to consume 50% more music downloads than the average phone user - therefore generating more revenue for the network.

So is it just about what type of users own which type of phones? Well the biggest trend in signing exclusive contracts is not just about the handset itself but the colour available. One recent deal is to supply the popular LG Shine in Pink, bringing a target audience to their network.

Whilst this surely must be a great thing for mobile networks, it doesn't necessarily guarantee us the best mobile phone deals as the handsets alone may entice users to the network supplier. One way around this is to wait for the exclusive contracts to end, which is dependant on the network and can be anything from three to eighteen months.
by Gary Parsons
Link

Audi Offers Full Apple iPhone Integration

It's an optional feature, but if you're in the market for a new Audi, they may have a pleasant iPhone-powered surprise in store for you.

The German automaker has announced a new Music Interface that effectively connects your newly acquired Apple iPhone to the large on-screen display, granting you access to both phone and music functions.

Set to be available on the A5, A6, A8, and Q7, the optional package integrates the iPhone with Audi's MMI interface. Based on the pictures provided, you can stay wireless if you want to only do the voice call thing, but if you'd like to flip through your music collection, there is some sort of cable involved. Your tunes can be accessed via artist, track title, playlists, and genre.

We've seen lots of iPod integration in recent years; I guess this is just the next logical step.
Link

Skype Application Available For Apple iPhone

That glossy cell phone from Steve Jobs has certainly been learning a lot of new tricks lately.

The latest application to get launched for the iPhone is Skype, letting you chat it up via WiFi without munching into those 900 minutes of airtime you get each month. Announced by Shape Services, Skype for the Apple iPhone has been designed with the iPhone's touchscreen in mind, complementing the design and interface of the Apple mobile phone.

The fully mobile application makes use of SkypeOut credits for voice calls, just as the desktop-based version would do if you were making calls from your computer. If you have Skype Unlimited or Skype Pro, you get "almost free calling from the mobile device to any PC with Skype or any landline/mobile number."

Dubbed IM+ for Skype, the multi-platform application can be accessed on the iPhone by pointing the Safari web browser to http://skypeforiphone.com. You don't necessarily need a WiFi connection to use the service, but I'd imagine the connection would be better compared to EDGE.
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Friday, August 24, 2007

Official iPhone Games Might Be Available Soon


There is no shortage of complaints surround the iPhone, but one of the more popular ones that has been floating around on the interweb is the Apple cell phone's lack of games. Heck, even the most budget of mobile phones these days come with something. A crappy puzzle game, a blurry car racing game... something. But with the iPhone, we're left completely game-less. But that might be changing soon.

The people at Download Squad decided to snoop around the iTunes localization strings and what they found were a couple of items that point directly to iPhone games. The two strings read:

/* ===== iPhone Game Item Strings ===== */
"4329.001" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected game from your iPhone?";
"4329.002" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected games from your iPhone?";

What games are you asking me to remove? There would be no reason to provide one of these "are you sure" messages unless there were games to remove in the first place, so we've got to assume that Apple is stirring something up, possibly downloadable games via iTunes, just as they did for the iPod. Stay tuned.
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Apple's latest iPhone software update

iPhone owners are reporting that the latest software update for their smart device has significantly boosted its wireless reception.

The second update issued this month went live Tuesday via iTunes, the usual update mechanism for iPhone owners. Although Apple Inc. only said 1.0.2 included unspecified "bug fixes," owners on several popular message forums, including those on the MacRumors site, have come forward with claims that the iPhone now connects to wireless access points once written off as out of range. "My wifi reception is definitely better," a user identified as schulzmc said Tuesday. "While in my office I have never been able to connect to the wifi hub in the conference room down the hall [but after the update] I was surprised that the Edge connection seemed faster, until I realized I was connected to the wifi hub with two bars. For me, this is a huge issue, as I was preparing to try to deal with whatever hassle it would take to get the wifi connection extended to my office area."

"Wifi reception and connection is much improved," seconded snowboarder on the same thread Tuesday. "The phone works better. Some places I had problems with before now work like a charm."

Reports of other changes were more mixed. Some who applied the 3.7MB update, for example, swore that speakerphone volume -- a long-standing issue for users who complain it's too low -- was boosted by the new software. Others, however, said it was as low as ever.

Problems with the update appeared to be centered on those who had changed, or "modded" their iPhones with unsanctioned hacks to, among other things, let them add their own ringtones. Applying the 1.0.2 update meant owners of modded iPhones had to restore the device from scratch. That wasn't unexpected, however, since Apple's 1.0.1 update did the same thing.

iPhone users can wait out the update interval -- iTunes automatically checks Apple's update servers once a week -- or retrieve 1.0.2 manually by selecting "Check for Update" under the iTunes Help menu and then docking the iPhone to the PC or Mac.
Link

Thursday, August 23, 2007

iPhone: The Scratch Test

unlocked iPhoneI've made a serious effort to keep my iPhone in my pocket without change or keys over the last month or so -- but dang, if the screen doesn't have a few light scratches already.

Early reviews of the iPhone emphasized how damage-resistant the screen is supposed to be. One crazed reviewer even filmed himself gouging away at the thing with a key and pitching it at the ground (this video is not for the gadget- or Mac-lover who is faint of heart).
So I'm happy to see that an iPod skins maker, a company called GelaSkins, announced yesterday that they have their first line of iPhone skins ready to go. I bought one of their arty covers last year to protect my video iPod and may be an early customer of their latest line of protective "skins."

They're not the only company jumping into the iPhone cover market, of course. A Utah-based company called NLU Products has made a transparent film cover called Bodyguardz that I might try. Otterbox, maker of a waterproof iPod case I wrote about a month or so ago, has an iPhone case on the way. I bought a cover from a company called Incase at the Apple store recently, though it doesn't protect the scratch-resistant (though not unscratchable) iPhone screen.

Apple says it doesn't have any recommendations for taking off iPhone scratches. The folks at the Apple store last night encouraged me to send the thing back to the mothership in Cupertino, Calif. -- though they had no idea whether the scuffs could be fixed.
Link

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Full unlocked Apple iPhone?

Video
unlocked iPhoneFull unlocked Apple iPhone? Check. Works on any network? Check. Software unlock? Che…wait, no it’s only a hardware unlock solution. For now, at least.

The good folks at iPhone JTAG have announced that they have fully unlocked the iPhone with their custom hardware solution. The circuit-based workaround requires that you open up the guts of your precious iPhone and do some soldering. George Hot’s mention of a high probability of turning that expensive iPhone into an expensive paperweight leaves us wanting an easier, software-based, unlocking solution - the team is exploring a software unlocking solution as we speak, so keep your hopes up!

We’re expecting the team - gray, iProof, geohot, dinopio, lazyc0der, and an anonymous contributor - to release the unlocking instructions a week from today. So, keep an eye out, and stay tuned. If you’ve got the cajones to pry open that iPhone and put your soldering skills to the test, you’ll be rewarded with a fully unlocked iPhone.
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How to Tweak Your iPhone to Impress Buddies, Mom, and the Boss


The iPhone has lots of things other mobiles don't: Wi-Fi, touchscreen control, highly advanced wallet-draining power. But by far its most distinctive feature is the ability to impress the pants off young and old alike. Of course, if you want to get the most out of the iPhone's pocket reality-distortion field, you have to do a bit of optimization. Try it yourself.

...pick up a girl or guy

Set wallpaper to: A photo of your niece or nephew, if trying to meet women. This says "I love kids, but I don't have any." Picking up a guy? Easy. Load an image of booze, food, or a comic book character. Better yet, find one that features all three.

Add to your music: Air, Massive Attack, and the Magnetic Fields. The first two bands play make-out music; the last shows you've evolved a sense of humor about romance.

Add to your movies: A copy of Knocked Up says either "I'm not afraid of commitment" or "I totally understand you and your slovenly, loser friends."

Set your weather widget to: Cities you've always wanted to visit. Oh, wow — you've also dreamed of going to Madrid? We're soulmates!

The closer: Once your object of desire is interested, show them how to work the touchscreen by gently guiding their hands.

...impress your buddies

Set wallpaper to: A picture of your last hot date. Can't remember your last date? Use Google image search and pretend.

Add to your photos: Images of your last hot date, half undressed.

Add to your music: That hard-to-get not-yet-released album you BitTorrented. You're so hip.

Add to your movies: A copy of Kurosawa's High and Low. The great Japanese director's samurai movies are better-known, but this gem shows you've got depth.

Add to your calendar: Lots of social events, including the party they just invited you to. Oh, and bring your iPhone, OK?

The closer: Keep them entertained with iPhone games from MacMost.com and iGiki.com.

...ace a job interview

Set wallpaper to: The hobby you're most accomplished in. "Oh, yeah, that's me. I love chess."

Add to your music: Audiobooks you listen to at the gym — because you believe in constant self-improvement.

Add to your movies: A few episodes of The Office. It's the perfect chance to chuckle about some mildly inappropriate Steve Carell behavior that is particularly funny to you, O Well-Behaved One.

Set Google Maps to: Your future commute.

Add to your calendar: Only the most appropriate after-work activities, plus the one vacation you've already scheduled and will need special time off for.

The closer: Flick to scroll, then tap to stop. Practice enough to always land where you want to. Mastery of the flick-and-tap is indistinguishable from magic. You're so technosavvy!

...make Mom proud

Set wallpaper to: You and the family — or at least your favorite childhood pet.

Add to your music: All the songs she played while you were growing up. No matter how bad they were. Yes, even "Don't Cry Out Loud."

Add to your movies: One favorite film from your childhood for nostalgia, and one current film to kill any creepy nostalgia aftertaste. Blech!

Preload YouTube clips of: Classic viral videos. Your mom is probably among the few people in the world who haven't seen the piano-playing cat or the Star Wars kid.

Add to your calendar:
A date with Mom. (Warning: Remove this item when trying to pick up a guy or a girl.)

The closer:
For once, actually respond to her voicemails.
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Visual Voice Mail For The Non-iPhone Crowd

Posted by Eric Zeman
Action Engine and Acision have teamed to offer a visual voice mail service for Java, Brew, and Windows Mobile. Could there finally be some momentum behind visual voice mail?

Apple didn't invent visual voice mail, which is one of the iPhone's many features. The technology has been possible for a while. SimulScribe, which as been around for several years, offers a visual voice mail product for BlackBerrys and recently announced a new beta program for Windows Mobile devices as well.

Its basic service converts voice mail into text messages and then sends them directly to a mobile phone along with your e-mail account. With this product, you can see who has called you and even what they said in a convenient list. The iPhone only lets you see who called; it doesn't convert the voice mails to text.

While SimulScribe works with business-class devices, there hasn't been a solid option for non-smartphone users until now.

Jumping on the visual voice mail bandwagon are Action Engine and Acision. Their new service works on Brew, Java, and Windows Mobile phones, encompassing a large swath of handsets in the market. It supports on-device message access, which lets people play the audio of the message on the phone’s built-in media player; a visual interface that includes the date and time of the call, urgency, and caller information as available; full voice mail management, including message archiving and deletion; and one-click return calling.

I have to admit, the visual voice mail feature of the iPhone is certainly appealing. It saves time by letting you skip to the voice mails that are important, rather than forcing you to go through each message before listening to the next.

None of the major carriers announced plans to offer this service from Action Engine and Acision, and they did not make it clear how consumers would take advantage of it. Empowering everyone with this service, though, should be a natural step in the evolution of mobile services and not be restricted to people willing to pay $600 for an iPhone or other enterprise-supported device.
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Vaja intros Ivolution Top SP case for iPhone

By Peter Cohen

Premium case maker Vaja has introduced its new Ivolution Top SP, a case for the Apple iPhone. The Ivolution Top SP is priced starting at $80.

The Ivolution Top SP is a holster-style case for the iPhone that flips open to provide access to the iPhone’s functions. It covers the iPhone in two-tone leather. When the Ivolution Top SP is opened you can connect the iPhone to a dock. The case supports an optional belt clip system.

Like Vaja’s other cases, the Ivolution Top SP is custom made to order—you can specify the color and trim, have it personalized with text or graphics of your own choosing.
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