Image courtesy of Rowmote.com

The first one is Rowmote Pro from Evan Schoenberg. It’s a remote for the Mac and Apple TV. What I really like about this is that it adds a wireless mouse and keyboard functionality. You can press a button that toggles it from a simple application remote to a wirless mouse and keyboard. There’s a virtual trackpad that you can use as mouse and when you want to start typing, shake the iPhone/iPod Touch and the keyboard pops out. You can start typing away.

In remote mode, the Rowmote functions the same way as the Apple remote (hardware) in apps such as iTunes, DVD Player, Finder, VLC, etc.

There’s the non-pro version which is basically just the remote sans the wireless mouse and keyboard. That’s only $.99.

You’ll need to download the companion remote software for your Mac. This runs in the background and it’s unobtrusive.

Cost: $4.99

Image courtesy of Hobbyist Software

My next favorite remote app is the VLC remote from Hobbyist Software. I watch a lot of videos on my computer. Most of the time I do this while eating lunch or dinner. Since I don’t want to eat very near my laptop this remote app comes in really handy. I could live with Rowmote but the VLC remote is such a great app that I find that I use this a lot more for watching videos on VLC.

I like the fact that I can browse through my folders and look for the file I want to view using this app. Adjust the volume, scrub the timeline of the video, toggle full-screen on and off and other features. This is truly an essential app for someone who uses VLC a lot.

Cost $2.99

Image courtesy of On One Software

The third remote on my list is OnOne Software’s DSLR Camera Remote Professional Edition. I’ve been looking for a good wireless remote setup for my DSLR. Due to certain restrictions, I find it hard to handle an SLR and I want to learn studio photography so this is a good solution.

You hook up your DSLR to your laptop and the Camera Remote uses WiFi to control your camera’s shutter. Depending on your camera model it can be as simple as a remote shutter which lets you preview the image on your iPhone or iPod Touch or as much as getting a live preview of your shots as well as the ability to adjust settings on your camera. It’s truly a great piece of software. There are some bugs and kinks but I trust that it will be remedied in the coming versions.

It is quite expensive and probably not for everyone. There’s a lite version that’s a lot cheaper but as the saying goes “Go for broke!”. That’s what I did.

Cost $12.99

Turning your iPhone or iPod Touch to a remote of sorts is definitely fun. It’s great to have this much power over your gadgets on the palm of your hand.

Post from: EveryJoe

Remote, Remote, Remote

iPhone 3GS

One of the web sites I currently read with regularity is Smashing Magazine. I must say that I enjoy this site a lot and have been learning a lot of things. They recently published an article by Jen Gordon of Clever Twist. The article is entitled “How To Create Your First iPhone Application”. It lists the steps that you need in order to create your first iPhone application.

With the iPhone’s rising popularity, applications for this device are rapidly gaining market share. The great thing about the iPhone is that for the first time there’s a great mobile platform that people really want to use. I’ve been using mobile devices for a long time and I haven’t really seen a great platform that made me want to use my mobile device. In fact I think the Palm OS was the closest thing that did it for me. The sad thing is Palm’s development stagnated until recently with the introduction of the Palm Pre. We’ll see how that goes.

As of now the iPhone/iPod Touch is the mobile device to beat. So more and more people are getting interested in developing for it. I’ve read the article and here are some of the things pointed out.

A great idea is the most important aspect. No matter how good a designer or developer you are without a great idea your skills will just not be enough.

Assemble the things that you need to build the application. This goes both for the hardware and the manpower. Ask yourself, “What am I good at? What can I bring to the table?” and based on that assemble the other pieces that you need to build the application. Apart from the manpower you’ll need the tools such as a membership to the iPhone Developer Program, an iPhone or iPod touch, software such as Xcode, etc.

Learn the iPhone/iPod Touch OS and UI. There are a lot of great reads at the Apple Developer web site. This requires a membership though.

Other things that you need to do are upload it to iTunes and have your app approved and a have marketing plan to promote your app.

Like I said, the iPhone OS is a great platform that will surely become more popular in the years to come. More and more people are using it, the apps are getting better and better. So if you think you have that next great idea that you think will make for a good application get started and make it happen. Who knows, it might be your ticket to fame and fortune.

Read the complete article here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Steps To Creating Your First iPhone App

I have to say, it’s really fast. The apps are much more responsive. It really helps the UI. The only problem I saw was when I was exiting from the video camera application, it took a few seconds from pressing the home button to getting it to the home screen.

From the outside it looks every bit the same as the iPhone 3G. For the untrained eye, it’s almost indistinguishable. There’s a subtle difference as to how the text on the back is treated/rendered but it’s hardly noticeable if you don’t really compare it. Is having the same design good or bad? Well Apple really evolves their products rather than changing them drastically. A product goes through several cycles and improvements before a major design change is actually done. Even with the 1st gen iPhone, compared to the 3G and 3GS it is different but you can see the evolution of the design. I like the design of the 3G/3GS so I’m not complaining that they look similar. It’s what’s under the hood that’s important.

I can give you the specs but why waste my blog entry on that. You can just click here to see the full specs as well as a comparison to the 3G.

I love the new camera application. The 3MP camera isn’t the best in class, it’s so so but the ease of use of the application plus the tap to focus makes it an excellent app. I also love the video camera. The editing feature as simple as it may be is great. I’m amazed at how easy Apple makes it. It’s also a great space saver since you can trim video straight from the iPhone.

The compass is a nice feature but I don’t think I’ll have much use for it yet. However that being said, when developers start rolling out augmented reality applications such as this one (via AppleInsider), things will get pretty interesting.

The iPhone 3GS, like it’s predecessor is a solid phone. The 3.0 version of the software makes it even better with copy and paste, MMS support, landscape keyboard and a whole lot of other features. However it’s not with out flaws.

The biggest complain I have is it’s crappy battery life. At least for some people, my brother included the iPhone 3GS has dismal battery life. Now whether it’s a hardware flaw or software, the jury is still out on that one. That being said a phone that can’t hold a charge for one day of use is severely lacking in my book. Good thing the 3GS has a lot of great features that just slightly edges out this problem.

Another is what some people report as excessive heating. I haven’t seen this in the brief time I spent with the 3GS. So this might be dependent on use and the unit. The jury is also still out on that one.

Summing it up, I like the 3GS. If Apple comes up with software or hardware fixes to improve the battery life, I’m getting one. I think I’ve reached a point wherein an iPhone makes sense to me. This coming from an Apple fan boy. I’ve loved the iPhone before but not enough to ditch my iPod Touch/Nokia e71 combo. I think I’m ready to ditch the touch and most likely use the e71 as a backup once Apple addresses the battery issues.

Post from: EveryJoe

iPhone 3GS Impressions

Post from: EveryJoe

How Legitimate iPhone Unlocks Itself

iPhone 3G S image courtesy of Apple

iPhone 3GS Helps AT&T generate its best sales day
According to AppleInsider’ story the iPhone 3GS helped AT&T achieve it’s best sales day ever. They even broke other records with the launch of the iPhone. Here’s an excerpt.

The leaked e-mail characterizes “iLaunch Day 2009,” its nickname for the June 19th iPhone 3GS release date, as the “best-ever sales day” and just second in terms of actual floor traffic. Many of its other sales-related records were also shattered at the same time, ranging from the number of upgrade eligibility checks made in a day to the sheer volume of orders taken through AT&T’s website.

3GS smokes competition in OpenGL Benchmarks (via Extreme Tech)

The new Apple iPhone 3GS feels fast, but it’s always good to see your feelings confirmed with hard numbers. Laszlo Kishonti, creator of the JBenchmark benchmark suite that I use on all Java-based phones, managed to install his GLBenchmark OpenGL benchmark onto both an iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G (please, don’t ask how) and watched the new model smoke the competition on low-level tests.

With great power comes… great electricity.. iPhone 3GS users complain about battery life (via LA Times)

Buyers are finding that the device, introduced two weeks ago, has trouble making it through a workday without a rest stop at the electrical outlet. It’s proving to be something of an Achilles’ heel on Apple Inc.’s flagship device, more than 1 million of which were sold in the first weekend.

The iPhone 3GS is hot! I mean literaly (via TMCnet)

The first known public account of the problem originated in France where one 16GB 3GS user noticed that his phone was hot during use. Later, the owner discovered that the white backing on the device had turned pink-toned near the spot where the battery is stored, the report said.

So there you go, some iPhone stories to help you decide if you really want one or if you’ve gotten one already, see if it was a good decision.

Post from: EveryJoe

iPhone 3GS Stories From All Over The Web

Apple took the wraps off some high-profile new products at the WorldWide Developer’s Conference in San Jose. Chief among them was the next upgrade in the iPhone, the iPhone 3Gs. The 3Gs is being touted as up to twice as fast as the iPhone 3G,with longer battery life, a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus, video recording, and hands-free voice control. A ton of new capabilities are built into it. The 16 gigabyte iPhone 3Gs retails for $199, with a 32 GB model for $299.

Also today, the iPhone 3G, the last generation 8 GB model, is available for an incredible $99.

Apple also unveiled updates to the MacBook, a brand new version of the company’s free web browser Safari, and the upcoming latest version of OS X, Snow Leopard, which will be available to Leopard users for just $29.

Images: Copyright 2009 ©Apple Inc.

Post from: EveryJoe

Apple unveils iPhone 3Gs, new MacBooks