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Star 6 is a fun beat-making iPhone and iPod Touch app from Agile Partners--makers of the incredibly useful Guitar Toolkit and Tab Toolkit for guitarists. First introduced last August, Star 6 offers five families of electronic drum beats in categories like Drum and Bass and Electro. You can also download many more free beats from the Star 6 Web site, or upload your own through your Web browser. (Your device has to be on the same wireless network as the computer you're uploading through.)
The six triangles at the top of the screen let you switch between beats. The six triangles below them let you control various tonal qualities by tilting your iPhone or iPod Touch toward and away from you.
Once you've picked a family of beats, you can switch among six individual beats, control the speed, and add wacked-out effects like delay and reverse by touching various icons on the screen. It also lets you manipulate tonal qualities such as pitch and gate by tilting the device backward and forward--it uses the iPhone's built-in accelerometer. (The "speed" setting controls the playback speed of the individual sample, not the beats per minute, or BPM, of the entire track.) You can create and name sessions to recall later, and all sessions are automatically saved in the state you left them.
It's a lot of fun to play with, and could be useful in certain professional situations: you could plug your device into an amp or a PA and use it as a simple drum machine, or to fill the gaps between songs in a live or DJ gig, or simply as an audio backdrop for a party.
Version 1.1. of the app, which became available last Friday in the iTunes App Store, adds a number of important usability improvements. First and foremost is something called "quantizing," which helps you switch between rhythms directly on the beat. Before, you had to hit the button at the exact right time, which could be pretty hard when playing a rave track at 170 BPM, otherwise you'd get an awkward transition. The BPM controller is now on the main screen, and has a new feature that lets you slide the rate quickly up and down. You can also have the BPM affect the pitch, in case you want your samples to sound like they've been inhaling helium as you increase the speed of the track.
It's currently available for an introductory price of $6.99, but will go up to $9.99 on January 18, 2010. So if you're interested, jump on it now. For what it's worth, I get a lot of iPhone apps to test out, and this is one of the few that I'll be keeping.
A glorious electronic makeover and new gameplay modes breath new life into the classic Battleship board game.
Free of messy pegs and full of clever touches, Battleship for iPhone and iPod Touch ($2.99) gives the classic board game a terrific 21st-century makeover.
In addition to Classic mode, the game offers two new options: Salvo and Superweapons. In Salvo, you get to select one target for each ship in your fleet--meaning for the first few rounds at least, you get to lob five shots instead of just one.
Suffice it to say, that makes the game go much faster than a traditional Battleship exercise, which can easily last 30-40 minutes.
In Superweapons mode, you get to choose four offensive or defensive weapons for your arsenal. Each one has a different "charge time," meaning you can use it only after a certain number of turns has elapsed.
Air Strike, for example, delivers a line of three bombs (for example, three shots for the price of one), while Decoy gives you a fake ship that registers hits just like a real one.
However, only a handful of superweapons are available at the start of the game. To unlock more, you have to sink ships over the course of many games.
I like the brief but lively cut scenes that appear when you fire a weapon, score a hit, and sink a ship. (You can even see aircraft sliding across the deck of the carrier as it capsizes--one of many nice little touches in the game.)
Because Battleship is best played against other humans, the game offers three multiplayer options: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and "pass & play." Missing, sadly, is Internet multiplayer, which would really be icing on the cake. How about it, EA?
Even without the online element, Battleship for iPhone ranks among my favorite board game adaptations to date. But fellow parents take note: When you play against your children and inevitably cry, "You sank my battleship!", be prepared for blank stares.
China Unicom announced this week that the company has sold more than 100,000 iPhones since the iPhone launched in China on October 30.
(Credit:
Lindsey Turrentine/CNET)
It's clear that sales have picked up after slow initial numbers of only 5,000 iPhones sold the first weekend. However, the 100,000 sales figure is still modest considering China Unicom's 144 million total subscribers.
There could be a variety of causes for the slow iPhone sales. The Chinese market for the iPhone may not be as robust as it is in other countries, because the iPhone is expensive in China (costing up to $1,025) and it doesn't come with Wi-Fi. The vibrant Chinese gray market for jailbroken iPhones--phones made in China but not licensed by the government--may also be a factor.
Here's an iPhone tip for anyone who can't read the device's screen without the aid of reading glasses or other vision correction: turn on a feature Apple calls Zoom. (The iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod Touch 32GB and 64GB models all support this feature.)
Once activated, Zoom lets you "zoom" in and out on parts of the screen using a combination of three fingers and a double-tap. Here's how to access the feature:
Activate Zoom on your Apple mobile device
1. Tap Settings app
2. Tap General
3. Tap Accessibility
4. Tap Zoom
5. Slide to switch Zoom on
Instructions for Zoom are built-in.
Armed with this tip, you won't have to fumble around looking for your reading glasses just to read something on your iPhone or iPod Touch screen.
This year may have been a disaster economy-wise, but app-wise it was awesome.
I mean, consider just a sampling of what 2009 brought us: a wealth of GPS apps (most of them quite good), some way-cool barcode-scanning apps, voice-morphing, auto-tuning (still not sure what that is), and, lest we forget, bobble-head politicians--(OK, maybe that wasn't so much awesome as weird).
The Kindle app brings nearly all the e-book goodness of the real thing to your iPhone--and in color.
With that in mind, I've rounded up the 10 apps that made my year more fun, more productive, and just plain better. I'm not calling these the "best" apps of 2009; they're merely my favorites. (And I'm not including games, as I think that category deserves a list of its own--stay tuned for that.)
1. Dragon Dictation Barely a week old, this app does a shockingly good job turning dictated words into clipboard-ready text. Even more amazing: it's free.
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas Another newcomer, "Grinch" brings Dr. Seuss to the iPhone in high style. Parents will love it as much as kids.
3. Kindle Anyone who knows me knows I love reading e-books on my iPhone, and the free Kindle app ties to Amazon's currently unmatched e-book store. A few taps and I'm reading free sample chapters or complete novels. (Note to Amazon: It's time to add bookstore browsing to the app.)
4. Public Radio App Though you can get most of the same functionality from the free NPR News, Public Radio App raises the bar with streaming-audio features like pause/rewind and a wake-up-to-public-radio alarm clock. Well worth $2.99.
... Read more
(Credit:
CNET)
Looking at my iPhone yesterday, I noticed that there was a crack about a centimeter long right up the middle of the back of the handset coming straight from the charging area. It's hardly noticeable and I'm sure my iPhone will continue to work, but it definitely serves as a reminder that when my two-year contract is up in June, I'm going to be ready for a new iPhone.
Fortunately, a story over at AppleInsider points to a rumor that the next generation of iPhones are set to come out right about that time. Eldar Murtazin, an insider, said the next generation iPhone has recently been slated for production by Foxconn, Apple's Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer, putting the handset right in line for a June release. Some of the reworked features mentioned in the article include a new Apple-designed map replacement and the possibility for RFID swipe support (handy in checkout lines). Like any news related to Apple, almost everything revolves around rumors, but it does make me excited for when I can finally upgrade beyond the iPhone 3G.
This week's apps include a popular database app for movie buffs and a huge update for one of the first iPhone games.
The iPhone-friendly layout helps you get to info you want quickly
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)IMDb (free) is a new iPhone app that lets you access movie, TV, and celebrity information from the popular Internet Movie Database. Like the IMDb Web site, you'll be able to access just about any information you could want about movies, celebrities, TV shows, and photos, all on your iPhone. But even better than the Internet version, you'll also be able to browse movie and TV show times in your area once you give IMDb access to your location.
The interface for IMDb was clearly made for mobile, with a launch page that lets you access local movie and TV information so you can find a movie or schedule your evening viewing on the go. But at the very top of the interface is a searchbox for all those moments where you want to know a specific actor from some obscure movie. Simply type in the information you have, and IMDb gives you a huge list of results. When you drill down to actor and movie pages, you get an easy to browse layout with a filmography, actor bios, and much more. People who love movies or just like having a portable database to search for local movies, TV shows, and celebrities should definitely grab this app.
Navigating past those cannons and obstacles is going to be tricky
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)Labyrinth 2 ($4.99) is the sequel to one of the early games that showed off the accelerometer capabilities of the iPhone. But where the original was a straight-forward game where you tilt the phone to guide the metal ball to the goal, Labyrinth 2 adds several more maps, tons of features and obstacles, and breathes new life into an old game concept.
The first thing you'll notice about Labyrinth 2 is the enormous amount of playable map packs. Each map pack is rated so you can pick easy levels for more casual play, medium for a little more challenge, and hard levels when you're ready to dive in to a real challenge. What moves this iteration of the old game into modern times are new features to effect gameplay. Amidst the usual walls and holes you need to navigate around, there are now magnets and fans to knock you off track, cannons that shoot at your ball, and floor switches that open gates to get to the goal. Even if you manage to get past all the included map packs you can download free level packs to keep going. Overall, if you liked the original game for iPhone (and even if you didn't), Labyrinth 2 offers so much content and new concepts to the game that it's definitely worth checking out.
What's your favorite iPhone app? Are you happy to finally see the official IMDb on the iPhone? What do you think of Labyrinth 2? Let me know in the comments!
Somewhere, Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) is smiling. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" for iPhone turns the classic tale into a superb interactive e-book, one that's as much a learning tool as it is an entertaining diversion.
With all the fuss over Kindles, Nooks, and other e-book readers, I've often wondered why there's been so little focus on children's books--arguably the ideal media for a portable device.
After all, what parent hasn't wished for something wholesome to keep young kids occupied during car rides, long waits in a restaurant, endless hours on a plane, and so on?
Kids can tap a word to hear it pronounced and see it grow big.
"Grinch" offers two modes: "Read to Me" and "Read It Myself." In both cases, readers are treated to the original artwork and text, but with some clever panning and zooming that adds an animated touch.
The reader, professional actor Lee Abbott, lends just the right kind of kid-formal voice to the story. And because each word is highlighted as he reads, kids have the opportunity to learn along the way.
Another perk: each page is interactive. Kids can tap an item on the screen (such as "tree" or "Grinch") to hear it pronounced and see the accompanying word.
In short, this is exactly what you'd hope for from a Dr. Seuss book made electronic. And the $3.99 price tag is more than reasonable, especially considering that the noninteractive hardcover lists for $15.
As the parent of a learning-to-read 7-year-old who loved every bit of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on my iPhone, I'm sold. Note to developer Oceanside Media: keep the Seuss books coming. (Can I get my order in now for "Yertle the Turtle"?)
We've long been fans of Photogene, a $2.99 image editor for iPhone and iPod Touch that faces heavy rivalry from apps like the free Photoshop Mobile for iPhone. We figured it's time to take a closer look.
While Photogene offers a lot to like, there's still room for improvement. We outline the pros and cons in this First Look video.
Finding a replacement headlight bulbs just got easier for folks who have an iPhone 3GS, 3G, or an iPod Touch. Osram Sylvania offers a free iPhone app for the 3GS and 3G and iPod Touch from the iTunes App Store.
You can select a vehicle's make, model, and year of manufacture, and the app will display a list of nearby retailers are displayed.
"When drivers need to replace an automotive bulb, they don't always have their owner's manual handy or have access to our online automotive lamp replacement guide," Joe Verbanic, marketing manager for Sylvania Automotive Lighting, said today in a press release. "This app is portable, accessible, and offers a green alternative to printing more product guides."
With Ustream Live Broadcaster, you can share real-time video with the world.
The race is over. Ustream Live Broadcaster is the first app that can stream live video from the iPhone to the Internet. It's free, and it works. Will society ever be the same?
History may well record that Knocking Live, which debuted with some fanfare last week, was the iPhone's first video-streaming app. But only other iPhone users can watch the feeds; Ustream lets the world tune in.
Indeed, in case you're unfamiliar with the service, Ustream allows anyone with a Webcam to broadcast live video to a private or public audience. In this case, the iPhone acts as the Webcam; all you need is a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. (If there's no connection available, you can record your video and upload it to the service later.)
And speaking of 3G, the app works with both the iPhone 3G and the 3GS--impressive given that the former cannot, on its own, record video.
Other perks include a nifty on-the-fly polling option (just tap your screen and viewers can instantly log a "yes" or "no" vote), video sharing via Ustream and/or YouTube and Facebook, Twitter integration, and even the option to share your GPS location.
In my quick tests of the Ustream app (on a Wi-Fi network), it worked flawlessly--though because it doesn't disable the iPhone's auto-off function, you have to tap the screen every so often (or disable that function yourself before starting your stream).
It will be interesting to see how people end up using--and, I suspect, abusing--this powerful capability. Ustream turns your iPhone into a tiny TV studio, able to broadcast live events anytime, anywhere.
Which begs the question: does this create new privacy concerns? We already live in a society that photographs everything. By adding live video to the mix, are we sacrificing even more privacy? I don't have an answer, but I'd sure like us to have the discussion.
