I finally got to try the push notification service of iPhone OS 3.0. I upgraded my iPod Touch to the 3.0 software last week and downloaded AIM for the iPhone. Being the cheapskate that I am, I just got the free version.

AIM for iPhone and iPod Touch

One of my biggest gripes before with instant messaging on the iPod Touch was that I always had to have the application on or else I would be disconnected from the service. If I’m waiting for someone I can’t do anything else on my iPod Touch. Hence I didn’t really use my iPod Touch much for instant messaging.

Push service finally comes and I think it’s an answered prayer. I tried it and it works. I could do other things with my iPod and receive notices when messages arrive. Cool. Yup until I encountered one problem. I’m still unsure if it’s just my particular set up or this happens to others as well.

I connected with AIM on my iPod Touch and it was working well. One thing I forgot was to sign out on my iPod Touch, I got so used to being signed out upon exiting the app that it didn’t cross my mind. So I transfer to my laptop and use Adium. I’m connected to AIM and I’m able to send messages. Unfortunately I wasn’t getting any replies. I just see the icon change to a “writing symbol” but I don’t get the replies of the person I’m talking to. I found out that the messages were being sent to my iPod Touch. It doesn’t go to both.

So now I have to constantly remember to sign off on my iPod Touch or I won’t get my messages. That’s quite a drag…

The award winning family board game, Zooloretto, is now available in Apple App store. Developed by SpinBottle Games, this game for your iPhone or iPod touch allows you to become a zoo manager who needs to plan the zoo, breed animals and attract visitors for the zoo’s success. Too many pandas and monkeys in a small space will cost you more bamboos and bananas. So it’s up to you to plan the best for these animals.

The Zooloretto app is based on a popular board game designed by Michael Schacht and originally published by Abacusspiele. Zooloretto won the prestigious Spiel Des Jahres award in 2007, the 2007 Japan Boardgame Prize as Best Foreign Game for Beginners and is a two time winner of “Best Game” in the Family and Children categories at the Golden Geek Awards.

Zooloretto goes for $4.99.

Image: Chillingo

Filemaker Inc. announced today, the mobile version of its Bento database application. For $4.99, iPhone and iPod Touch users can have the power of Bento in their hands. They can use it as standalone application for their mobile device or in tandem with the desktop app in order to sync and have their data wherever they go.

Bento app for iPhone and iPod Touch

The mobile app comes with 25 pre-designed and ready to use templates, which can have you up and running in minutes. They’re also customizable so that you can add other data that you want. It also ships with a blank template so you can create your own custom template.

It also integrates with the iPhone / iPod Touch’s existing applications, such as Contacts, Safari, Mail, Phone dialing and Google Maps for a better all around experience.

The app’s release is actually quite coincidental since I just downloaded the trial version of the desktop version of Bento. I think I really need a database app for some new things that I’m venturing into. I’m exploring to explore Bento and see if it fits my needs or should I go for broke and get Filemaker Pro. I do wish that there was a trial version for the mobile version of Bento. While $4.99 isn’t exactly a lot of money, it’s still money and in these trying times you really don’t want to be spending on something you won’t be using.

Check out the complete press release of the Bento for iPhone and iPod Touch.

When I think of Apple, I think hip, trendy and socially conscious. Their ad campaigns have owned the airwaves and have taken over YouTube with spoofs and fan videos.

But today, KRAPPS [an apps review site] reviewed an app that literally left me speechless.

No. Seriously.

I sat there and stared at my laptop screen while my 7 month old grabbed at the screen and my two year old played “tea party” in her room.

Baby Shaker [by Sikalsoft] is an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that allows, NO, encourages the player to shake the baby to quiet it down.

This is the description for the “game”:

On a plane, on the bus, in a theater. Babies are everywhere you don’t want them to be! They’re always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying. Before Baby Shaker there was nothing you could do about it.

Now, Baby Shaker gives you a charming drawing of a baby sure to make those with a less than iron will fawn. True to life, it begins to annoy you immediately. See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!

Never, never shake a baby.

OH! “Never, never shake a baby.” Ok. Then how the hell is someone supposed to “win” the game?

I don’t know if they added that last bit as a way to cover their ass against bad press, [See? We said not to shake a baby!] or if they added that last bit in an attempt to be funny. The reason they added it doesn’t really matter.

The facts are that it isn’t funny. KRAPPS, CNET, 9to5Mac and the Twitterverse are talking about. Heck, in the ten minutes since I started writing this, a new Google search of “Baby Shaker” shows TONS of mainstream news outlets have jumped on this story and I can guarantee that they will milk the story for all that it is worth.

The app is disgusting. Plain and simple.

However, a broader and more far reaching question remains.

How did something like this get approved?

As CNET points out:

You are not allowed to develop applications that could potentially harm existing or future Apple businesses.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Baby Shaker falls under the “could potentially harm existing or future Apple business”.

With all of the media attention that this app is just now getting, what is the potential fallout for Apple? Should they issue a statement? Should they issue an apology?

According to CNET, as of 1:21pm today, the app was no longer available. One thing to note. The notice states that it’s no longer available in the US store. That leads me to believe that if you live outside of the US then you can download and shake the ever lovin’ shit out of a virtual baby.

I have a feeling that this won’t be the last that you hear of this story.

*edited at 7:40 pm to add that the game’s page is gone*

Images| KRAPPS

Wireless is the way to go nowadays. Cables are just so ugghh.. 20th century. Unfortunately wireless headphones do cost a lot of money. Especially stereo headphones.

AirPhones is a new app available for iPhone/iPod Touch that will allow you to stream music from your computer to your device, essentially making your iPhone/iPod Touch a wireless headphone.

It’s able to stream audio from iTunes, VLC, etc.

You need to purchase the app for $6.99 and download the server for your Mac. Currently it supports only Intel Macs. A universal binary as well as support for Windows is coming according to the creator.

You pair your device with your computer and it will stream your computer’s audio to your device.

I got my review copy of the AirPhones, installed it on my iPod Touch as well as install the AirPhones server on my MacBook Pro. It was quick and easy. I had it running in a few minutes.

First impressions were mixed. I was able to listen to music from iTunes, stream the audio from the tv show I was watching with VLC. However when I was using the DVD Player app it wasn’t streaming audio properly. I could barely hear it.

In some cases there’s also audio latency. The TV Show I was watching was out of sync. The audio and video didn’t match.

I understand that this is a first version and improvements will be made. I can understand and appreciate the concept. I see the instances wherein this app would certainly be useful. Example, if I really have a big audio library or if the music I wanted to listen to was in our family computer and my iPod was not sync to that. I could use this to listen to it while walking around the house. Stuff like that.

I’m being honest though when I say that the price is a little bit high. Now, I know that apps shouldn’t be dirt cheap and developers should be properly compensated for their work. However, for my needs, I would be hard pressed to spend $6.99 on this app.

That being said, it’s a good concept, it needs work to get some bugs out and I’m pretty sure that some people would gladly pay the price tag for this app.

I do hope that iTunes will allow demo versions to be downloaded because apps like this which are priced higher would benefit greatly from demo versions first. This is so that a lot more people can try it first and then decide if it’s worth paying money for. With the current system customers will be scared to plunk in money for an app that they haven’t tried. It’s a shame too for developers who can’t get people to try their products.

For more info on AirPhones visit their site here.

Download the app from iTunes here.

There’s a new application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that will help protect your kids from browsing objectionable content on the internet. While internet filtering software is nothing new to the desktop environment, it’s still relatively new to the iPhone/iPod Touch platform.

InternetSafety.com introduces Safe Eyes Mobile, an internet filtering software for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It blocks inappropriate content but still allowing you to view the rest of the World Wide Web. You don’t need to turn off all the browsing capabilities of your mobile device.

Below is the official press release about this product.

New ‘Safe Eyes Mobile’ Delivers First Internet Filter for Apple iPhone,
Keeping Browsing Safe for Younger Users

Selectively Blocks Inappropriate Content in Multiple Categories

InternetSafety.com today dialed up safe online browsing for young Apple iPhone users with the introduction of Safe Eyes® Mobile, the first Internet filtering software enabling parents to protect children from exposure to objectionable Internet material on a mobile device. This new browser for the iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch blocks millions of pages of inappropriate online content while allowing full access to the rest of the Web, eliminating the need to turn off the iPhone’s highly acclaimed mobile browsing feature to avoid exposing children to the unsavory side of the Internet.

A demo is available at www.safeeyes.com/iphonedemo.

Using the same approach as the company’s award-winning Safe Eyes software for PCs and Macs, Safe Eyes Mobile works by checking requested websites against a massive blacklist of potentially objectionable Web addresses that is updated on a daily basis. It prevents iPhone/iTouch access to pages in the pornography, nudity, sex and tasteless/gross categories by default. Parents can also configure the software to filter sites in 31 other categories as well as by URL at www.safeeyes.com.

In contrast, the iPhone itself can control Internet browsing only by blocking Web access entirely, while AT&T’s wireless MEdia Net Parental Controls do not work on the iPhone at all. Safe Eyes Mobile filtering works on both the AT&T cellular network and individual Wi-Fi networks to which the iPhone automatically connects when in range.

“iPhones are becoming the new youth status symbol, with some surveys reporting that as many as 8% of U.S. teenagers own one. That presents a major challenge for parents who believe it is vital to manage their children’s Internet browsing,” said Aaron Kenny, CTO of InternetSafety.com. “Safe Eyes Mobile is the first solution to address the problem without an all-or-nothing approach. If kids try to reach an objectionable website, the software simply blocks it. It’s a safety net that protects younger users without disabling one of the iPhone’s best features: the Internet.”

Safe Eyes Mobile has no noticeable effect on iPhone performance. In addition, the solution cannot be overridden by children because it is controlled from the Safe Eyes website with password-protected setup.

To learn more and sign up to be notified of a release date, visit www.safeeyes.com/iphone. Per-phone pricing will include automatic daily updates of the product’s website blacklist.

About InternetSafety.com
Established in 1999, InternetSafety.com™ specializes in providing Internet safety solutions. Its flagship software, Safe Eyes®, is the two-time recipient of the PC Magazine Editors’ Choice Award, earned a separate Editor’s Choice Award from LAPTOP magazine, and was rated as the #1 parental control solution by America’s leading consumer advocacy publication. The company’s Safe Eyes, Safe Eyes Mobile and EtherShield products provide online protection for consumers and businesses in more than 140 countries.

I posted about the WordPress app for the iPhone and iPod Touch awhile back. Unfortunately the WordPress version we’re using for The After Mac wasn’t a version that was supported by the mobile app.

b5media, upgrade the WordPress versions of the blogs, hence I can now post via the mobile app. Woohoo!

I’ll post a better review about the app tom.

[via Techradar]
[image from Truphone]

Make free phone calls with your iPod Touch! Well ok, it will only be free if you call other Truphone users or Google Talk. Support for calling to Skype and MSN users will be coming soon.

This will work in 2nd generation iPod Touch units (too bad for me). You need a set of earphones with the built-in mic such as what Apple sells.

As more WiFi hotspots go online, this will add to an already list of good reasons to get an iPod Touch or upgrade your 1st gen to the 2nd gen.

There are a lot of great apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. One of them is the newly released Google Earth for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It literally feels like the world is in the palm of your hands.

I downloaded the Google Earth app and installed in on my iPod Touch. Amazing. That’s what I can say. Imagine having all that data in your hands. You can see the world without moving from where you are. That’s just fantastic.

This app fits the iPhone interface pretty well. You pinch and use gestures to manipulate the map. There’s an auto tilt function that allows you to change your perspective. Although I did turn this feature off since it was irritating to use while lying down. That’s one of my gripes. I wish you could reset the neutral point of the app so that even you’re lying down you can still use the auto tilt function.

Naturally the Philippines doesn’t have maps that are as detailed as the U.S. but it was good enough. I recognized the street and the building where I live. I was able to browse through the general area and find my way around.

It was also fun looking at the various Wikipedia entries as well as view the geo-tagged photos by Panoramio.

This app is a must have. There’s some room for improvement but given that, it’s still something you should have on your iPhone/iPod Touch. Best of all, it’s free.

Visit the entry from the Google Blog
Download from the App Store

My previous post asked the question “Will Apple’s Lets Rock, Rock?”. Now that the event has passed, in my personal opinion, it slightly did. Barely.

Maybe I was not really feeling it anymore or maybe I was just expecting too much but the event really didn’t excite me as much as previous Apple events. However it wasn’t bad. It was ok, just not kickass.

Steve talked about several things during the event. First was iTunes 8. The next major version of iTunes. It’s available for download here. What new things does iTunes offer? Here are some of them, Genius playlists, availability of HD content and a new visualizer are just some of the new things that iTunes 8 brings. Browsing has also been significantly altered. Offering an experience similar to iPhoto, complete with scrubbing. You can view album art to access your music.

Updated iPod Nano’s were also introduced. Apple said that it’s the thinnest iPod ever built. It is damn thin. I definitely like this shape better than the fat nano. The inclusion of the accelerometer makes it easier to watch videos while retaining this form factor. The addition of the ability to create genius playlists is also great. A great thing is also the fact that Apple has made Nano’s more environmentally friendly. Seeing that Apple sells a ton of iPods, it’s just right that they do whatever they can to save the environment.

In my opinion the star of the event was the iPod Touch or in Apple’s words, “the funnest iPod ever”. I love the new form factor. The iPod Touch is what the iPhone 3G should have looked like. I know that there’s a reason for the plastic back of the iPhone 3G but I really wish the iPhone 3G looked more like the iPod Touch.

The 2G Touch features a built-in speaker, physical volume controls and the Nike+ receiver plus all the other great stuff the previous iPod Touch had.

The iPod Classic got a mention as well. Apple ditched the “fatter” version and it keeping the Classic in one size. The iPod Shuffle will also get a color refresh to follow the iPod Nano’s new color scheme.

All in all it was an ok event. Even their musician was just ok. I like Jack Johnson, don’t get me wrong but he didn’t blow me out of my seat. He’s like the dependable car that you own. Good, reliable but not terribly exciting.

So “Let’s Rock” was rockin’ but only a little bit.

Check out the links below.

Apple Let’s Rock Keynote
Download iTunes 8
Apple Introduces the new iPod Nano
Apple Introduces the new iPod Touch
Apple Announces iTunes 8