If there’s one persistent problem with the iPhone, it’s its desirability as a device. That shiny black and glass fascia, and user intuitive software really does appeal to us. Unfortunately, most of the time it also appeals to a different group of people. A group of people with the sole intention to steal. With the introduction of Mobile Me, we saw Apple try to combat this age-old situation, introducing for every one of it’s users the ability to track their devices, directly from their online account from anywhere on the globe.

Before Apple showed it’s hand though, there was one prolific company who were set on making tracking stolen devices – specifically iPhone’s and Macintosh computers – their sole business. That company was of course Belgium-based software developers, Obicule. When their security software, Undercover, came to the iPhone, it hit the mainstream. But there were also the usual critics. See, the problem was that the software would only work as intended if the actual application was open on the stolen device. Today, Obicule are announcing what they deem to be a major update to Undercover for iPhone, version 1.5, and sees this exact launch-to-function issue, resolved. In a stark move, this update now adds adding the ability to remotely open the app on the stolen device.

So, How does it work? Well, Obicule have revealed that harnessing a clever use of push notifications, the user can remotely send the stolen device a push notification alert, (rather similar to ‘Find My iPhone’ on Mobile Me), therefore been able to ensure that the owner of the device can remotely open the application, allowing the tracking of the device. Upon registration at the Undercover Center, you’ll be able to access your ‘Undercover’ account online, from anywhere, and once the app is activated, this account will store the devices location and IP information, allowing you to track it under the radar.

To me, this update from the company really proves the true potential of and how powerful Apple’s Push Notification Service can be; and that if more developers put their mind to it, the service could in fact be used for more than just status updates and alerts. It seems the update is already live on the App Store, so if you are an Undercover user, I say go and grab it!

A little while ago I got the heads up on a small startup iPhone development studio based just up the road from me, in Liverpool (UK). Consisting of a team of both iPhone developers and 3D designers, Kisky Media have come up with a unique and interesting concept. Debuting this December, Little World Gifts will become a virtual ‘Gifting’ system for iPhone (and iPod touch) which will allow you to pick out, buy and send exclusive rich 3D interactive gifts to a special someone. The app will work off in-app purchasing, and each gift received or sent will be downloaded straight into the app itself.

Sending an gift to someone else’s iPhone is as easy as tapping the item, setting a delivery time, and hitting ‘Done’. Received a gift from someone else? You can store and organise your gifts too, on your own virtual shelve. Talking to the startup, the idea behind Little World Gifts is basically to let people experience ‘gifts’ in a more interactive and visually pleasing way, beating the static 2D object approach.

Over the weekend I got the chance to speak to Jonathan Deamer, community and communications manager at Kisky Media exclusively about the new service, to ask just what was Little World Gifts, how he and the team at Kisky Media thinks this concept might affect the App Store and its users in the future, and a little more about Kisky Media in general. Enjoy!

Continue reading Exclusive First Look: ‘Little World Gifts’. An Interview with Jonathan Deamer. »

On November 28th 2008 Apple hit a landmark for their iPhone App Store. They reached 10,000 approved applications for their device. Less then a year later, Apple has hit another landmark in approving their 100,000th app. This number is mind boggling when you think about the amount of development man hours that have gone into it.

Recently I’ve read some other saddening numbers in that some developers are seeing piracy rates of upwards of 90% on their applications. I firmly believe that Apple’s recent move to allow developers to sell in game purchases in their free apps is a direct response to the massive pirating we see going on. If developers, publishers, startups and the like are going to make money consistently on the device in a complete sea of pirates and the race to $0.99 they are going to do start thinking and doing things completely differently. A lot of people are starting to expect a lot of game for almost no money. The problem is very few companies can exist by merely selling their app for such a low price, but then you’ll almost never get noticed if you price yourself higher. It is definitely a catch 22 for many devs. What I see happening in this space is that the devs who take the model of giving their game away for free and then convincing me to go farther by spending $0.99 or $1.99 will more likely succeed. The other approach is to lock people out of the game based on a timed events similar to how iMob does it. There may even be a 3rd or 4th solution to this problem that has yet to emerge.

This flood of apps will not stop, and some analysts are saying that we’ll see 250,000 applications by this time next year and that number may even be low if we look at the growth pattern over the last year and half. Crazy as it sounds, I think this is just the tip of the iceberg that will be the app store. Everyone will be developing stuff for the iPhone. At some point, Apple will be changing it’s slogan to “There are 100 apps for that” as extreme over saturation hits in all areas. Even Adobe is releasing a Flash game converter that allows you to make your Flash game into an app and with that every Flash game will get converted in no time.

Continue reading 100,000 apps and growing pains. »

Following on from the immersive RPG that was Return to Mysterious Island, iPhone publisher Chillingo have announced they’re bringing a sequel to the store, announcing Jules Verne’s Secrets of The Mysterious Island is coming to both iPhone (and iPod touch), shortly. The first of the series hit App Store shelves in May of this year, and like most adventure based titles seemed to go down in a storm with the iPhone crowd. Recently I seem to be saying that a little too often about various titles, but having actually owned (and played) this title myself, I can say quite honestly say the adventure was thoroughly enjoyable to play through.

Based on a graphic novel by Jules Verne’s, and carrying on from titles such as 1112 and Cassandra’s Journey, the game sees you take the role of Mina, a sailor who becomes stranded on an island, somewhere in the Pacific ocean. As you trail and tap your way around the island, trying your up-most to survive, and finding objects and (more importantly) food along the way, you try to unlock the mysteries hidden within.

Described by Chillingo as an experience which will mirror that of Robinson Crusoe, this new release will carry on from where you left off. The game will start off with a helicopter crash, and continuing the theme of being stranded, you will have to guide Mina to safety. This time will also see you visit new locations including: Captain Nemo’s base and scouring the ruins of an unknown civilization. Eventually, you will realize the cause of the threat to the island, and will aim to prevent it.

For approximately 700 Mb, the player will find out the end of the adventure of Mina. Jules Verne’s “Secrets of The Mysterious Island” contains stunning 3D graphics, many ambient sounds, music designed to enhance the mysterious atmosphere and feel.

Continue reading Preview: Jules Verne’s Secrets of The Mysterious Island »

Game developer IUGO aren’t exactly new to the store. Creators of both the Toy Bot Diaries series, and the hugely popular A.D.D Lite (which was unfortunately pulled from the store due to the full version being delayed in it’s release), the studio has today announced the upcoming release of Implode!, a physics-based title they’ve been working on for quite some time.

Implode! is a physics based title with your aim being to create the biggest explosion for a building demolition, possible. Operating via touch and drag controls, you’ll placing sticks of dynamite throughout a ‘chalk-like’ sketch of a building, aiming to impress. Using two different types of bombs (traditional bombs and blast bombs), you’ll face all shapes and size of buildings and structures. The game will play out in 3 difficulties settings. Including: Casual, Veteran, and Expert, with each one adding varying structure shapes, for greater challenge.

The game is also said to have a online submission system in which you can submit any score online. IUGO says that online scores will be totaled from the sum of all your high scores you achieve within each level played. Each time you gain a score, you’ll also ‘graded’ on how ‘good’ the demolition was, adding more re-playability for each of the levels.

While no official release date has been set for the game, IUGO says it’s coming down the pipe as we speak and should be available “very soon” ..

With the announcement last week that Apple would allow In-App Purchasing (IAP) for free apps, we wondered what will really change in the App Store. Obviously right now this is a theoretical exercise as, so far, very little has changed. We’ve seen a couple apps that were previously paid switch to free, and at least one high profile app released as free with IAP.

We talked to a few users and a few developers to get their take on what this could mean for the future of the iPhone App Store.

This new app type, free but with In-App Purchasing has quickly been nicknamed free+. There are some really great things about it, and some really bad things about it. Let’s break this down into what’s good and what’s bad for developers and consumers.

Good for Developers

There are lots of really good things to like about this decision for developers and they are almost uniformly happy with the decision. We asked Kyu Lee of Gamevil for his thoughts, “In-app purchasing for free apps is a huge step for Apple, and it really shows how much they are willing to adjust to the developers/publishers needs. Apple was first to adopt in-app purchases, and now first to adopt in-app purchases for free games. We strongly believe the next steps would be introducing microtransactions that are lower than 99c or the ability to use an intermediate currency within the game. We believe that Apple should provide as many options available to the developer/publisher as possible as long as it enhances the customer’s experience, and we’re very excited about what the tracks they’ve been following so far.”

For some types of apps it makes the developers job a lot easier and potentially more profitable. Then there’s the added bonus of making piracy much harder with apps that include in-app purchasing.

More Income Options

With in-app purchasing there are many more income possibilities for developers. Not only can they sell expansions to their app from within the app, but they can also sell subscriptions, upgrades, and virtual goods (think MMO apps). Doing in-app purchasing allows for the impulse buy. For example, the recently detailed Eliminate from ngmoco:) will feature a certain amount of time you can play per day while advancing your stats. If you are really getting into the game and you run out of time you are pretty likely to drop a buck and buy more time. Maybe just once, maybe a few times. Depends on how compelling the app is. Think of this as the candy racks at the grocery store checkout. You are standing there looking at it, a certain number of people will decide to buy.

In addition to more options, income opportunity is spread out for a much longer time. The way it is now most apps that make it to the top 100 do so quickly, then fall off quickly. This little spike represents a very high percentage of their sales. Sales after that are usually tied to an upgrade, press, or other such promotion. IAP allows for longer term income opportunities for developers as they can add content to the app and charge for it over a longer period of time. In addition, you can continue to get money from the dedicated users more than just once like most current apps.

Continue reading Thoughts on In-App-Purchasing For Free Apps »

The original was first released on the Internet in 2006, and during that time it is said to have been played over a million times. Introduced to the App Store on September 20th 2009, and a collaboration between Nexx Studio and Ryan Curtis, the creator of the popular online flash hit The Idiot Test which inspired the creation of the App Store top selling app The Moron Test, The Idiot Test 3 is a flash-like port which in a sense merges these two hit titles together, and in a few words – tests your idiocy.

The game plays out by giving you a series of seemingly ridiculously simple tasks to complete. Tasks range from tapping the right colored buttons on-screen, or identifying the right object, within a series of objects, to continue. Failing to complete the tasks results in you undoubtedly being called – an idiot, and the game restarts, allowing you to give completing it, another shot.

While the game is said to be fun – albeit painfully easy – many people have looked down upon the title as a throw-away one. Something which the App Store doesn’t need. Essentially, another fart app. But the numbers say otherwise.

The studio explained that it first introduced the title onto the store for a mere $0.99 in September, but a few weeks go they made the decision to make the title free. Since doing so, in just a few weeks, The Idiot Test 3 has seemed to have gained huge popularity. In fact, over the short period of time the application was free, The Idiot Test 3 was said to have peaked to the top of the App Store download chart in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, as well as ranking as the Top 100 App in over 18 countries.

According to the studio, in the past 2 weeks alone, the app was downloaded at the rate of 20 users/per minute worldwide. This means that the Idiot Test has now surpassed 500,000 downloads. Considering what this game actually is, you have to admit that’s pretty impressive, eh?

Due to the title’s recent success, Nexx are now announcing that they’ve submitted a new update, which should be live soon. Submitted this past Monday, The Idiot Test 3 (v1.1.0) will now include over 20 new brain teasing tasks plus some minor improvements around the game’s overall gameplay. Nexx studio have said though that they will be increasing the price of The Idiot Test 3 to $0.99 again, when v1.1.0 is finally approved by Apple – So if this is your thing, to get in quick!

The Idiot Test 3

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2009-06-10
Price: $0.99

Since the launch of 3.0, I’ve seen just about 0 successful attempts at in app purchasing. With the pricing scale the way it is, and customers unwillingness to buy things that cost more than a dollar, I wonder if it will ever take off, unless the in-app purchases are going for something around a nickel.

To beat this lack of use, Apple, unwilling to let anything not named Apple TV whither away and die, has decided to let in-app purchasing be available on free apps, making way for a new ‘buy it if you like it’ system.

You can also simplify your development by creating a single version of your app that uses In App Purchase to unlock additional functionality, eliminating the need to create Lite versions of your app. Using In App Purchase in your app can also help combat some of the problems of software piracy by allowing you to verify In App Purchases.

The app industry seems to have mixed feelings but all see somewhat excited about the change.

“This announcement changes the landscape of the App Store as we know it,” said Colin Smith, co-founder and vice president of Freeverse. “It’s not clear just yet how quickly it will change, but you can be sure that this will be significant. Freeverse is currently discussing how to incorporate this change into our development plans.”

Bryan Barletta, Developer Relations for Medialets and former Editor in Chief of 148apps, has an interesting take on the subject. “Part of me is excited. The ability to do one app that is both a lite and full version will reduce some clutter going forward once adoption has taken place and we’ll most likely see more free apps hit the store knowing that they can charge at a later time.” He warns though that “the App Store could easily turn into a pay-to-play market, where you download a shell of an app with no content in it until you purchase a DLC package. There will be people who use it right, and they will be showcased for it, but I’m still not sure this was the best idea. So few apps have actually implemented in app purchasing on a paid side.”

So is this the beginning of the end for lite versions of apps, or will this just become a really annoying way for apps to appear free, even when they aren’t? I can just envision the day that The Sims 4 comes out, for free, with no furniture or clothing available… I can’t wait.

By now I’m sure you’re all aware of Imangi’s Habour Master. Ever since it launched back in June of this year, it’s been a well loved, and treasured App Store classic.

Similar to Flight Control, Habor Master centers around line-drawing, an App Store genre of game which first hit the App Store in January, with pretty big fanfare. In the game you’re in control of a busy harbor, controlling shipments of goods and packages, and docking the boats in a frantic bid to deliver these shipments to the right ports. It’s a fun title, taking into consideration the true mechanics and value of the iPhone platform, and taking advantage of touch, to create an overall addictive experience.

A few days ago, we got the heads up from Imangi Studios‘ very own Natalia Luckyanova, on a new upcoming update to Harbor Master which should hit the App Store any day now, and is bound to make you fall in love with the title again. The update we’re talking about is version 2.0, and it’s set to bring with it wireless multiplayer matches via Bluetooth. With the update, you’ll be able to select from the 6 included maps, battling to clear the harbor of ships, all the while playing against a friend.

But how are you going to keep track of all these boats? And just how exactly is this 2-player gameplay going to work? The studio explained:

“When a player sends an unloaded ship off the screen, it appears on the other player’s screen, at the same spot, fully loaded. That way, a player can use different strategies to try to overwhelm their opponent, such as timing waves of ships to send over all at once. The player who crashes first loses.”

We are told that the ‘Multiplayer’ aspect of this update will only work on OS 3.0 or higher, and you’ll have to have either an iPod touch (2nd Gen), iPhone 3G or a later model. That said, Natalia ensures the rest of the game will still work on all devices and OS versions.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Oh no, the update will also include a highly anticipated feature, which is been present in other titles for a while. A fast-forward button. Plus, we’re also told you’ll also be able to adjust the speed of this ‘fast-forward’ motion.

I for one love Harbor Master, I think it’s great – and this update looks like it’ll have me playing it even more! Look out for this mutliplayer update hitting the store very shortly!

After a long trademark dispute with Tim Langdell, Mobigame’s suberb game “EDGE” is back on the App Store. Tim Langdell is the founder of Edge Games. Instead of making games for the past 15 years, he has been making a living by suing any game with the term “edge” in the name, effectively trademarking the word. He made no exception to EDGE, and due to the pending legal action the game was removed for the App Store. The game made a brief reappearance but soon disappeared again. Things took a turn for the better, however, when EA joined the fray. Due to a lawsuit regarding EA’s “Mirror’s Edge,” EA petitioned to have the “Edge” trademark thrown out. Whether EDGE’s return is due to EA’s interference is unclear, but it certainly seems probable.

EDGE itself is a colorful puzzle/action game in which you move a colorful cube through isometric levels. The graphics are ultra-stylish, the music is killer, and the gameplay is fun and challenging. The overall experience is great and would definitely rank on a list of App Store “classics.” There has never been a better time to buy EDGE, as updates of the initial version have brought a hefty amount of new levels, and unfortunately we’re not sure how permanent EDGE’s stay will be.

Edge by Mobigame

Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Category: Games / Puzzle
Released: 2009-01-04
Price: $4.99

With the much anticipated arrival of push notifications, Twitter clients from across the App Store (and beyond) have been updated and re-polished to support this latest feature. However, times travel fast! Jeff was right when he said to me last week: “[this article] will likely be out of date within a week or so.” No fewer than three extra clients have landed onto the App Store and into our hands this week alone. We’ve dived in at the deep end to check out them all.

Why Push Notifications?
In the olden days, for instance, whenever 148 was the maximum amount of applications that you could install, if you wanted information you had to go to it. Be it the latest news or the latest tweets, the only way that you’d find out about it is if you went to the information source – a Twitter application for tweets; or a news website for breaking news. Push notifications reverses this role and the information is brought to you. You’re updated in real time about what is happening, who is tweeting you, and why the Zune is not as good as the iPod (okay, maybe not the last one). Push is practically limitless, and developers are keen to get ahead of the game.

The Clients
There are two types of clients for Twitter push notifications. Firstly, there is the fully-fledged application that has both a Twitter interface of its own and push notifications. Secondly, there are applications that leave the tweeting to the pros (eg. Tweetie / Twitterific) and a separate application is made solely for push. We’ll look at both.

Click to see full comparison chart (300kb)

Full rundown of the Twitter apps after the break.
Continue reading Twitter and Push Notifications – The Big One »

The long awaited Gmail Push Notification Service is not coming from the search engine giant and creator of Gmail, Google, but from Tiverias Apps: a non-related company specializing in productivity enhancing applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Tiverias Apps have released a statement saying that “GPush is the missing link between GMail and the iPhone. For the first time, receive instant Gmail message notifications”. The application was released on the App Store earlier this month but was taken down just hours after its release due to server complications. Tiverias have subsequently fixed the problem and have used this downtime to address other issues and concerns with the application. The downtime serves as both a fix and an update.

In essence, the application will mimic what it is like to receive a text message, where a user is alerted and a notification is shown on the front screen displaying what the message says. Several applications already take advantage of push notifications, but none have been posted to the App Store that allow push notifications of incoming mail.

Users should see signs of increased battery life as well, as data will be pushed instead of pulled. Under the current system, the Mail application operates under “Fetch”, a feature that pulls data to the iPhone at specified intervals (usually every 15 minutes). With the arrival of push notifications, data can now be pushed to a phone from external servers as opposed to be being pulled by phone:

Fetch (Data Pulling)
iPhone –> Talks to servers –> Pulls any data from servers

Push (Data Pushing)
Servers talk to Apple –> Apple Push Notification Service –> iPhone

As you can see, in the former (fetch) it is the iPhone that does all the work. With push, it’s the third party servers.

We’ll have a review of GPush up within a few days of its release. Check back soon!

6.00AM PST
9.00AM EST
14.00PM GMT

Apple has posted an iPhone and iPod Touch version of its online file storage system, iDisk, to the App Store. In an unexpected move by the company, the application gives users the ability to view and send their files that are stored remotely on MobileMe servers. Rumours had recently surfaced suggesting that an iDisk application would only be available in iPhone 3.1, of which Beta 3 has recently been released to developers.

The application, free, supports viewing of “iWork, office, PDF, QuickTime and more [file formats]“. Files can be shared publicly and an e-mail with a link to the file can be sent.

Apple are inexplicably late to the game with the iDisk app, as the mobile version of www.me.com stated “You can access this information directly from the applications on your iPhone or iPod touch.” Several third party developers have already built applications that allow access to a user’s iDisk. Notably, Air Sharing Pro were quick to offer iDisk support and QuickOffice offered full iDisk viewing and editing, an important function, from within their app. Both applications were approved by Apple to the App Store with no fault.

It is not all bad news, though. The video playback feature alone warrants installation on any iPhone or iPod touch, where users can view video of any QuickTime supported file format (this includes the much-lacked AVI).

Finishing up our interview with August, I ask him about what it is like being an iPhone developer in the lime-light, or Celebrity Developer. He talks about how much fun it has been to break out of the traditional role from time to time, and how it has really helped out his programming business.

I also get his opinions on Apple’s filing to have jailbreaking iPhones judged illegal, what that means to the development community, and how jailbreaking is actually beneficial to the App Store and making the iPhone a popular development platform. August also tells us why he has avoided it.

Most importantly, August gives us the breaking story about the soon to be released app, YOWZA!!, and how it will change the way you shop and use your iPhone.

Listen to how August met Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman on Heroes) on Twitter, and joined forces with Rick Yaeger from MacMerc, to create a whole new business model for an iPhone app, and how they have tackled the problems of turning your iPhone into a money-saving shopping tool! And it’s going to be FREE!

Here is a little taste from Greg himself.

Enjoy!

You can check out August’s digital book, Optimizing Your Website for Mobile Safari on your Kindle from Amazon, or buy it in PDF format here.

In Part 1 of the interview, August recalls the launch of the App Store and working on Loan Shark, his first app submission. He also describes his observations on the App Stores pricing “paradox” and his experiments with the pricing of his own apps to increase sales.

We discuss August’s history as a Mac software developer and how that led to his programming for the iPhone, which he felt was a logical step. August also explains his “mantra” for developing software, which involves making it easy to use for everyone, and relates his experiences with programs that are popular, yet have difficult to use interfaces.

Lastly, we discuss August’s popular software for the Mac, and his reasons for not developing a version for the iPhone. We get some insight on what it is to deal with Apple when they are the “800 pound gorilla” in the room and discouraging others from infringing on their domain, plus the economic factors involved.

In Part 2, we discuss August’s latest project, Yowza! and the unusual circumstances that brought him together with his business partners. He also describes how this project is much different from past iPhone projects.

Links to all of August’s apps are below. Let us know what you think of the interview and any feedback for August on the apps.

Enjoy!

Loan Shark

Category: Finance
Released: 2008-07-30
Price: $2.99

Lightastic!

Category: Entertainment / Educational
Released: 2008-11-23
Price: $1.99

This is the start of a new series here on 148Apps. A series where we interview people from all areas of the app development process. From developers, to designers, even management. Looking to help others gain insight into what works, and what doesn’t work in app development and sales. – Editor

Corey tells us how he made the transition to developing for the iPhone, and tells some stories about the pitfalls of working within Apple’s strict guidelines. Overall he has been enjoying the experience, and relates that Apple’s tools and services for developers keeps getting better. Corey comments that Apple still has a ways to go toward helping the programmers communicate with their users and get useful feedback.

Lastly, he tells us about some of the apps he has in the AppStore and how he came to create them. His app, Movie Brain, required some lateral thinking to get his app to be a self-contained, searchable database of all movies. He also introduces a new app coming soon, just in time for Oscar season. The app is called “And The Award Goes To…Oscar Edition” and will be able to display past Oscar winners as well as the nominees for the upcoming Oscars. In addition, the app will allow you to cast votes for you favorite movies and compare them to the votes of other users of the app. Corey hopes this will be the basis for other interactive apps he has planned for later.

Links to all of Corey’s apps are below. Let us know what you think of the interview and any feedback for Corey on the apps.

Enjoy!

Awards: Oscars Edition

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2009-02-01
Price: $0.99

Mustache

Category: Entertainment / Simulation
Released: 2008-10-24
Price: $0.99 ON SALE: FREE

Movie Brain

Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2008-12-16
Price: $2.99

NeuroSnack

Category: Games / Educational
Released: 2009-11-14
Price: $3.99