Category: Apple (Page 8 of 13)

News and updates all about Apple, Inc. — my favorite company ever.

Hulu Plus = not enough

July 7, 2010 / Jared Cash

So Hulu announced their new Hulu Plus subscription service this week and I just wanted to sayâ€¦ it sucks.

Now hear me out, because I’m a big fan of Hulu. I am not, however, a fan of paying for ads. Nor am I a fan of paying more for less. And, unfortunately, that is what’s happening with Hulu Plus.

Let’s start with the advertisements. I have no problem watching ads in order to view TV. I’ve been doing it for years, and it’s worked out pretty well for me. But the reason that I loved Hulu in the early days is that the ads were fewer and (as the service grew) targeted to the viewer. Unfortunately, Hulu decided that they weren’t making enough money from ads and needed to start a subscription-based model to bring in more money. The good news, now Hulu can afford to pay all those pesky licensing fees so that they can show every episode from every series they’ve got online, even if it’s the current season of your favorite ABC drama. The bad news, Hulu forgot that people paying for Internet-based subscription-driven websites don’t like to also be forced to watch ads during their shows.

Why is this a problem? For starters, Netflix already offers a great deal of the same shows with no ads for a cheaper price. Furthermore, Netflix offers something that Hulu doesn’t (which brings me to my second issue, paying more for less). At Netflix, $9 per month will get you unlimited streaming and 1 DVD out at a time from Netflix’s vast rental library. That’s $1 cheaper than Hulu Plus’s $10 subscription fee and includes the added bonus of being able to watch shows and movies that aren’t available for streaming without ever leaving your house to go rent them (except of course when you walk to your mailbox, but if you’re that agoraphobic, then you have larger problems).

So why will people use Hulu? Honestly, because it’s still a fairly cheap service and has established itself as a common enough name that people trust the brand. Also, the free content remains free, so people will be pressured to sign up while viewing the free content. It’s a business model that has worked well in the past. Netflix doesn’t have any sort of free service. The only way to try before you buy is to sign up for a free month and see how it fits. Plus, if you want access to Hulu on your iPhone or iPad, you’ve got to be a subscriber (though, again, Netflix offers this service for the iPad already and will be adding the iPhone very soon).

Hey, maybe you’ve got money to burn and can afford a subscription to both. If that’s the case, feel free to sign me up, as well. Being able to watch every season of Stargate SG-1 while I’m waiting for my tires to get changed is an excellent use of my (still) unlimited data plan. Suck on that, AT&T.

Liam’s 1-Year Photo Shoot

July 1, 2010 / Jared Cash

This past weekend, we took the boys to the park and took lots of photos for Liam’s 1-year birthday. While most of the pictures were of Liam, Avery was in several, as well. I decided that while we were taking pictures, I could get some video with my new iPhone 4 to show you all how gorgeous the video is. I’ve embedded it below. It should work on your computer or your iPhone, though you’ll definitely want to be on fast WiFi, as the file is pretty large.

Liam’s 1-Year Photo Shoot in HD

I wasn’t able to edit it in iMovie for iPhone because I couldn’t figure out how to trim a clip without dragging the end point to the desired location. On a 1-2 minute clip, this wouldn’t be a problem, but one of my clips was 10 minutes long and was quite a hassle. If I can figure out how to do more with iMovie for iPhone or just shoot smaller clips next time, I will definitely post something edited entirely on my iPhone.

As for my new iPhone 4, I’ve actually got a story to tell about the experience of getting it. I just haven’t found the time to sit down and write it yet. Perhaps this weekend, I’ll sneak away for a bit to get it written. It’s already been a week, so it’s past time to share with you.

On why Nintendo need not (yet) be afraid of Apple

April 7, 2010 / Jared Cash

I’ve been seeing a lot of Apple fans rabidly proclaiming the iPhone the ultimate mobile gaming machine and the death-knell for Nintendo’s and Sony’s portable platforms. However, as lifelong gamer and the owner of 3 generations of Nintendo’s portable hardware and 4 separate devices in that family, I can say that Nintendo is not going anywhere anytime soon. Let me tell you why:

Nintendo makes their own games – Until such time as Apple starts making games of their own (and Texas Hold’em doesn’t count) and competes directly with Nintendo’s offering, these two behemoths aren’t even in the same ballpark. Sure, they both make handheld devices, and both of those devices seem to be primarily used for gaming in today’s market, but Nintendo also makes great games of their own that Apple just can’t compete with.
Nintendo serves up “fuller” games – Building off the first statement, it’s important to note that Nintendo both makes and distributes games that appeal to a different market than those that are available on Apple’s iDevices. While there is some overlap (with games like FINAL FANTASY and the like being ported to the App Store), developers for Apple’s devices tend to focus more on bite-sized games than large-scale epic, 40-hour sagas. Nintendo themselves has been making Mario and Zelda games for so long that they barely have to try anymore to create compelling games that gamers will play for days on end. Third parties on Nintendo’s devices also tend to create games that will take 20 hours or more to complete the first time through. Apple’s developers rarely craft games of that caliber. They may be fun, but they’re certainly not that grand.
Nintendo has Mario and Zelda – Until such time as Nintendo decides to stop being both a hardware and a software company, Mario and Zelda are Nintendo exclusives. And that alone is enough to keep the gaming giant in business. While the franchises may decline for a time once Shigeru Miyamoto retires, the massive numbers of gamers familiar with these characters will keep the company going for many years. Further, Shiggy has already passed the torch in the Zelda series to Eiji Aonuma and he has done rather well with it. Talent exists, and passion for these franchises has grown immensely throughout the years. Someone will continue to make great games for Nintendo until the lights go dark.
Touch-screen only controls limit the gaming experience – Nintendo popularized touch-screen controls with the release of the original DS in 2004. Apple utilized touch-screen technology to make the world’s most advanced and easy-to-use smartphone in history. But gaming was not at the top of their list of priorities. Nintendo knew that only using the touchscreen would cause control of some games to be erratic while limiting what could be done to interact with your characters on the screen. Until such time as Apple allows for controllers to be attached to iDevices, I don’t see developers successfully developing “large-scale” games as mentioned above for Apple’s devices.

All that said, Nintendo cannot sit still and wait for Apple to rectify the deficits that the iDevices have in terms of being a complete portable game system. It certainly seems like they are moving forward with the new 3DS. However, they are going to have to certainly change up some aspects of their business plan to maintain control.

I suggest that they start by allowing 8-bit and 16-bit games on the Wii to be copied to the DS family of devices so they can be played portably. Syncing wirelessly between the two would be easy and would really increase the desire to have both systems.

You hear that, Nintendo? That one’s free.

On how some fail to see a paradigm shiftâ€¦

February 14, 2010 / Jared Cash

Just an excerpt I thought pointed out how badly Hulu fails to see a paradigm shift they helped create.

Gruber is not one of those who talks about Apple TV as Steve Jobs’ one dud. He likes Apple TV, but says it has a fundamental problem: it’s primarily about watching movies and TV shows through the iTunes store, with the result that there’s a worse selection on Apple TV than there is at any local video store. Hulu is a wonderful solution but when Boxee figured out a way to put it on TV, the Hulu guys freaked out. They have “this crazy brick wall in their heads,” Gruber explains, that perceives computers and TVs and two fundamentally different things. They worry about ad-supported Hulu getting on TVs when they should be worried about people bootlegging their content for free and watching it with no ads. “I don’t see,” Gruber concludes, “how Apple can get from where they are to where they need to be when they are negotiating with people that stupid.”

John Gruber, in an interview with Fortune – emphasis mine

Stanza updated; Kindle doesn’t suck?

December 18, 2009 / Jared Cash

So yesterday, Stanza for iPhone received a rather significant update, which was rather surprising to me. I say it’s surprising, because Amazon (the makers of the Kindle and the Kindle DX and formerly a rather large competitor to the Stanza application) purchased Lexcycle, the makers of Stanza, back in April of this year. Since that time, Stanza has seen no major update and it was unknown if Amazon would even be supporting the application any further, instead focusing their efforts on improving the Kindle app for the iPhone.

Well, yesterday we got our answer. In its first major update since its inception, Stanza has been completely overhauled. After spending a little time with it, I was able to determine that nothing appears to be broken so far, and the app shows the same great features and attention to detail as it always has, with some slick new interface designs.

But that wasn’t enough for me, as I decided yesterday to add the Kindle app back to my iPhone to see what had changed since I had last used it. Turns out, quite a lot. For example, my biggest complaint in the early builds of Kindle for iPhone was that you had to slide your finger across the screen to turn the page, which could be rather frustrating in long-term usage. I was happy to see that was no longer necessary. A simple tap on the left or right of the screen turns the page, just like in Stanza. I even found a large number of free books to sync to my device so that I can test out the app in the future and see if it will work as one of my top 3 methods for reading books (the other two methods being Stanza and good, old-fashioned paper bound and held in my hands).

I will say this, however. One feature the Kindle app has that really beats out Stanza, is the ability to store any books that you buy online and resync them at any time. While I have a large collection of books available to Stanza thanks to Calibre and the Stanza app for the Mac, should something happen to the data on my computer, I would lose them all. Not so with Amazon and the Kindle store. Perhaps one day they will integrate the two apps into one and I can store books from other ebook stores online and sync to the Kindle/Stanza super-hybrid.

It’s worth wishing for.

IMDb finally releases an iPhone app

December 9, 2009 / Jared Cash

When the iPhone was first released, I quickly bookmarked a specially-designed web app for Mobile Safari that allowed me to access IMDb content quickly and clearly. Unfortunately, as time progressed, I grew tired of the various glitches and missing information that cropped up in the site from time to time.

So when I discovered that an official app was released today, I was overjoyed. I am rather consistently checking IMDb from my iPhone, so I knew that as long as they didn’t frak up their own application, I would make a special place for it on my Home screen.

The first thing that I noticed when I loaded up the app was that they have included more than just the simple movie database in their app. While the search box is at the top of the screen, they’ve made it possible to browse movie showtimes, check box office results and much, much more.

Searching for a movie (or show, video game, person, etc.) is simple: just type something into the search field and get the same results you’d find on the IMDb website. Tap on the result you’d like to view and you’re taken to the same info you’d find on the website, but formatted specifically for the iPhone.

As you can see from the image above, IMDb has ensured that all of the information you’re used to finding is easily accessible. Just scroll downward and you can see the top-billed cast members, trivia, quotes, and all the other info you’d expect.

Here’s a sample screenshot of the trivia section.

Lastly, here’s an example of what it looks like to check showtimes for a movie. The only drawback that I could see is that there’s no links to online ticketing solutions from within the app. However, after clicking on the theater that you’d like to visit, the app does provide you with a phone number for ticketing by phone.

All-in-all, I really love the app and hope that it will gain additional features as time goes by, although online-ticketing is the only one I really want at the moment. Suffice to say, I will be moving this app to a prominent position on my Home screen as soon as I can decide which app no longer makes the cut. Grab the app here.

Thanksgiving weekend iPhone app sales

November 26, 2009 / Jared Cash

Several iPhone developers have chosen to have sales this weekend, in the spirit of Black Friday, and Thanksgiving. Some of these sales are pretty nice.

For example, Electronic Arts has slashed prices on a number of their products to 60% or even 50% of their original price. One such game is Wolfenstein RPG, which I picked up immediately, as I’ve been waiting for it to go on sale. While Wolfenstein is famous for being a first-person shooter, it translates really well into an RPG. It doesn’t feel turn-based at all until you enter combat, at which point the enemies just don’t shoot at you until you’ve either moved, fired a weapon, or done some other action. There are puzzles and experience points and all the things that make RPGs great, as well as some great moments of humor (for example, there are chickens everywhere that you can kill in a variety of ways to turn into chicken dinners for health).

In fact, all of id Software’s titles are on sale this weekend, so if you’ve been interested in DOOM Resurrection (an on-rails shooter that’s been very well received) or Wolfenstein Classic (the classic PC game from the early 90s, perfectly recreated for play on the iPhone and iPod Touch), now is the perfect time to pick them up.

In fact, most EA iPhone titles are available (around 30 of them) at the discounted price, so if there are any you’ve been eyeing, but were waiting for a discount, now is the time to check them out.

The other title that I was really excited to find out is on sale this weekend, is Hero of Sparta by Gameloft. When iPhone OS 2.0 first came out, the company Digital Legends Entertainment released Kroll, a beautiful-3D brawler that had some of the most amazing graphics seen on a portable device, but fairly low on gameplay techniques and replay value. Hero of Sparta took it a step further by marrying those beautiful graphics that the iPhone was capable of to a more solid control scheme with more action and a lot more gameplay value. If you are a fan of hack-and-slash action games, then Hero of Sparta is a good choice for you.

Keep your eyes peeled for better deals out there, because if there was ever a good time to find great deals on iPhone software, this weekend is likely to be it.

An Open Letter to MumboJumbo Games

October 27, 2009 / Jared Cash

I read an article recently that told the story behind StoneLoops! of Jurassica and its removal from the iTunes App Store. In the article, it was mentioned that the factor that initiated the removal of Stone Loops was MumboJumbo sending Apple a letter requesting it be removed.

When I discovered this, I was rather upset, as I have long been a fan of this particular genre in general, and StoneLoops! was as great a game as I had ever played. While I have played Luxor 2 on the Xbox 360, I was very impressed with StoneLoops!’s touchscreen implementation. I would have been interested in trying out Luxor on the iPhone, but sadly that day will never come.

Due to the decision by MumboJumbo to use bullying tactics instead of actually trying to improve your product, I will henceforth no longer support MumboJumbo in any way. This means I will stop purchasing games published by you, and I will begin actively speaking against purchasing your products to friends and family. In the future, I hope that you decide to do the right thing rather than simply using your name recognition to remove your competition from the markets in which you compete.

As for your allegations that the developers of StoneLoops! were somehow copying your work, I point out to you that you did not create this genre and have not attempted to use this same bullying tactic against your other competitors (including Stone!Loops!’s other iterations on various platforms).

I hope that this message reaches you as an example of just one of many disgruntled fans of StoneLoops! that could have been fans of Luxor and other MumboJumbo games, but will now instead choose to seek out alternatives rather than supporting a company that uses “the protection of intellectual property” as an excuse to avoid improving upon existing work to compete.

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I have not included any links to MumboJumbo’s website or its games on the iTunes Store due to my decision to boycott them and encouragement of you to do the same. You can, however, contact MumboJumbo by email here. My heart goes out to the developers of StoneLoops! of Jurassica. If you would like to show your support for them, or for indie development in general, you can purchase StoneLoops! for platforms other than the iPhone from their website. For more information about why I am posting this open letter, please visit the AppAdvice article that brought the issue to my attention, and the developer’s blog.

WhatsApp, doc?

October 23, 2009 / Jared Cash

Just the other day, I told you all about an iPhone app I was using in place of SMS called Ping! Well, it’s only been a couple of days, but true-to-form, I’ve already found an excellent competitor and possible replacement for Ping! called WhatsApp Messenger. WhatsApp works in the same method as Ping!, meaning that you don’t have to create an account, you don’t have to worry about the server logging you out after a period of inactivity (the way IM apps do), and you still get push notifications. The big difference between WhatsApp and Ping! is that Ping! requires you to create a unique Ping! ID and then share that with others that want to contact you. WhatsApp makes it way easier.

First, you put in the your phone number when you open the app. This makes it so anyone that knows your phone number can find you on WhatsApp. But it gets easier. You can then connect your WhatsApp identity with Facebook. Once you’ve done that, everyone that you know that also connects with Facebook automatically pops up in your Favorites list, so you can quickly and easily see which of your friends and family are ready to be messaged. You can still send messages to other people that have WhatsApp even if they’re not your Facebook friends (or if they don’t connect to Facebook themselves, but still use WhatsApp).

Honestly, the only thing missing from this app is the ability to send messages to people without the app over SMS. How awesome would it be if you sent a message to a friend that doesn’t have this app, they receive it via text, and you have a conversation. But, a week later, they get the app themselves. The next time you send them a message, since their iPhone number is now in the WhatsApp database, it could send the message to WhatsApp via push notification, saving the new WhatsApp user from using a text message. This would be an amazing way for the service to reach everyone you care about.

The one other drawback to WhatsApp is that it doesn’t work on the iPod Touch, whereas Ping! does. I can only hope that is an oversight that will be remedied soon, as WhatsApp has a much nicer interface, an excellent feature set, and great (in-app) sounds. I definitely recommend giving it a shot.

Surviving the Zombocalypse

October 19, 2009 / Jared Cash

In the eventual Zombocalypse a lot of our tools will be less useful in defense of ourselves and those we care about. It is commonly known that our more advanced technologies will be laid low in a manner of hours as the infestation results in overuse of, then damage or destruction to our cellular networks and landline communication tools. As a result, it is very important to have a few necessities to increase your chances of survival and of forming a Zombie Resistance.

First and foremost, get yourself a shortwave radio. One-way is fine, but two-way is the best. This allows you to find out how widespread the destruction is across the globe, and allows you to continue to remain in communication with other survivors as long as you and they can find a way to keep the radios powered. Keep solar batteries and other methods of generating electricity safe and secure so that you can continue to power your radio and any other electric devices you may need.

Secondly, stock up on canned goods and foods that have a high shelf life. Until the cause of the infestation is known, it is unsafe to grow your own food, though it will eventually be a necessity. I highly recommend storing enough safe food and clean water to last a planting season. Test the food on surviving wild animals that are known to be capable of “zombifying”. Be certain to keep dead zombies as far from your fields as possible to avoid potential contamination.

Lastly, stockpile weapons that are useful in both ranged and melee combat. Ammo will grow more and more scarce unless you have the knowledge and resources to make your own, or know of a stockpile that is unlikely to run out in a reasonable amount of time.

While the power grid and communication lines may be down for the count, your iPhone and iPod Touch may still come in handy thanks to these useful apps that can operate without network access.

Zombie Survival Sheet – This is a very simple app designed to share with others just what you’ll be bringing to the Zombocalypse. Fill in the various fields with text and images and then take a screenshot to save your Zombocalypse Survival Plan for sharing.

Illustrated Zombie Survival Guide – This is an excellent survival guide in app form that talks about different kinds of zombies, effective combat skills, survival strategies, and even contains an exam to test your understanding of the knowledge presented within.

Zombie Survival Guide – This is an alternate guide that provides much the same info as above, but does not have a quiz. However, it does let you use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a disguise by holding it up to your face and activating “Blend in Mode”.

Stanza – Stock up on important zombie-related reading materials, such as The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z. Both will come in handy during the Zombocalypse, as long as you have the time to read them before becoming zombie food.

So keep these things in mind as we head into the Halloween season where a Zombocalypse may go unnoticed for longer than usual, giving the undead a distinct advantage. And if you happen to become a zombie, then you should check out Cerebrii, an app that tells you everything you need to know about the human brain (including, I believe, which parts are most delicious).