Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has recently updated its Analytics product to help developers see how people are using specific parts of their iPhone and Android applications.
As with websites, you can track pageviews and events. Since there are no HTML pages involved in mobile apps, developers should determine when their apps should trigger pageview requests. Google Analytics then aggregates this data in the “Content” reports to display the number of visits, session length and bounce rates.
In addition, developers can track visitor actions such as watching videos, button clicks, downloads, etc. – all which don’t correspond directly to pageviews using “Event Tracking.” As a result, individuals and companies behind mobile apps can know which features are most popular and eventually fine tune their products. But first, you’ll need to grab the SDK and implement the necessary code in order for Google Analytics to start doing its magic.
Finally, in case you’re wondering whether someone has tried this already, here as a video featuring Redfin’s Sasha Aickin who explains how they implemented Google Analytics in their iPhone app. That’s actually after the jump. Enjoy!
A new point and click adventure will be hitting the AppStore later this fall. It’s called Dracula: the Path of the Dragon and it promises to deliver tons of fun, mixing myth and reality, science and history, and medicine and superstition.
The storyline sees you controlling Father Arno Moriani, who is sent to investigate a potential candidate for sainthood in Transylvania. The year is 1920 and you begin investigation of Dr. Martha Calugarul in the village of Vladoviste, half-destroyed in World War I. On the hillside sits the Castle of Twilight, the famed home of Vlad the Impaler. Father Arno begins to track a mysterious figure he believes is responsible for evil deeds in the area. He realizes later, that he is inadvertently walking the path of the dragon. As you solve puzzles based on medicine, history, and the occult, you’ll uncover the mystery of the dragon and of the vampires…
Yap, I’m intrigued with the idea and screenshots look promising, hence I can’t wait to play it. The price is unknown at this stage, but I’m guessing that’s something we’ll know sooner rather than later. And while we’re waiting for the game release, we have a trailer to share. Check it out along with more screenshots after the jump.
If you accidentally updated your iPhone 3G/3GS to the latest iPhone OS 3.1/3.1.2, then you’re also stuck with baseband version 05.11. If you recently bought a factory fresh iPhone 3GS with OS 3.1 or 3.1.2 already loaded, then you’re in the same boat. That used to be a bad thing, because baseband 05.11 couldn’t be unlocked to work with unofficial SIM cards. Today’s release of “blacksn0w” changes all that. The blacksn0w software unlock utility is now available to unlock any iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS running the latest iPhone OS 3.1.2 and baseband 05.11!
Yes, that includes brand new, out-of-the-box, iPhone 3GS’s.
If you’re running an older version of the baseband (04.26), simply jailbreak your iPhone and run Ultrasn0w. You can find your baseband firmware version by navigating to Settings>General>About>Modem Version on your iPhone. We have jailbreak (PwnageTool) directions here and unlock (ultrasn0w) directions here.
For the rest of you in the “baseband 05.11″ boat, keep reading for a step-by-step tutorial to unlock your iPhone…
China is the world’s largest mobile phone market. Even with crappy sales of iPhones, you’d think the sheer size of the Chinese market was enough to move some serious iPhone volume. And, you’d be wrong. The iPhone went live on China Unicom’s network last week, but has reportedly only sold a disappointing 5,000 iPhones to date. China Unicom lacks WiFi support in order to comply with China’s asinine censorship policies, which could be affecting sales – there’s a healthy iPhone grey market in China, where iPhones roam free with WiFi radios in tow.
China Unicom Chairman Chang Xiobing says that his company is satisfied with iPhone sales so far, and expects to see an additional 1 million 3G subscribers signing up every month as the carrier expands their 3G network. For China Unicom’s sake, we hope the boost in 3G subscribers translates to a boost in iPhone subscribers. They’ve got a ton of iPhones to sell.
If you’ve glanced at your TV recently, chances are good you’ve seen those Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless ads mocking AT&T (NYSE: T) for having an allegedly spotty 3G network. The TV commercials play off those “there’s an app for that” iPhone ads, declaring that “there’s a Verizon Wireless 3G coverage map” to show you just why Verizon’s 3G network is better than AT&T’s. Today, AT&T reacted to the ads by filing a lawsuit against Verizon Wireless, asking the court for a temporary restraining order against Big Red’s ad campaign. “Verizon has stepped over the line of legitimate comparative advertising,” said AT&T.
The lawsuit, filed in Atlanta federal court, is aimed at stopping Verizon from using their “misleading” ads. At issue are the 3G coverage maps that Verizon is using to show AT&T’s 3G coverage area. AT&T claims that the white/blank areas of the coverage maps are misleading consumers into thinking that AT&T has no coverage whatsoever in those blank area. The company argues that AT&T customers can “fully use their wireless devices outside of a ‘3G’ coverage area and undisputedly have coverage in areas depicted by white or blank spaces on the maps used in Verizon’s advertisements.”
AT&T is asking for a temporary restraining order against VZW, until the court can pin down dates for injunction hearings.
What say you, reader? Is AT&T just trying to run damage control on a fair ad? Or has Verizon Wireless gone too far with their commercials?
Despite app discovery services like Chorus for iPhone, the AppStore is a really tough place to eek out a living. That may have prompted one Dutch teen to find a new way to make money from the iPhone – hold them for ransom! That’s what happened yesterday when some T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) iPhone users in the Netherlands found a hacked message on their jailbroken iPhones. The message asked the user to secure their iPhone by paying $4.95 for instructions to remove the message prompt. The hacker didn’t disable the iPhones in any way, but he essentially wanted a ransom for peace of mind (and not seeing an annoying pop-up message at boot). It was an interesting (not ethical, or commendable, but interesting for sure) money-making scheme for all of a day, before the hacker got shut down.
The jailbroken iPhone community comprises no more than a small minority of all iPhone owners out there, but with many millions of iPhones spread around the world, that’s still a sizable community. Seeing as how most of those jailbroken iPhones are still going about their day with the default SSH password, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to make money from jailbroken iPhones.
This is what the hacker posted to his website:
“Dear iPhone user,
Your iPhone is not secure. That’s the reason your visiting this page, isn’t it? Well you can pay me $4,95 at my paypal account PureInfinity92@mailinator.com, and I’ll mail you very easy instructions on how to secure your iPhone. You can also contact me at PureInfinity92@gmail.com
If you don’t pay, it’s fine by me. But remember, the way I got access to your iPhone can be used by thousands of others. And they can send text messages from your number (like I did..), use it to call (or record your calls), and actually whatever they want, even use it for their hacking activities! I can assure you, I have no intention of harming you or whatever, but, some hackers do! It’s just my advise to secure your phone (: Have a nice day!”
The good news is that PayPal suspended his account with haste, making sure that the ill-intentioned teen couldn’t make any money from his scam. The hacker then posted a follow-up to his site, apologizing for his scam and offering his instructions to remove the message (and secure jailbroken iPhones) for free.
The lesson here? Change your jailbroken iPhone’s SSH password. Find out how to do that here.
We previously mentioned Gameloft’s Asphalt series when Asphalt 4 made its way to the N-Gage as well as on Verizon’s V-Cast service. Gameloft teased us at this year’s WWDC ‘09 with news they were bringing Asphalt 5 to the iPhone App Store later this year. Gameloft finally delievered as Asphalt 5 is now available for purchase on the iPhone App Store.
Asphalt 5 features over 30 cars from such notable manufactures as Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Audi that are fully customizable and more than 12 different locations you can race in. There are also 8 different racing events to take part in such as Cop Chase, Drift Contest, and Time Attack. When you think you’ve mastered Asphalt 5, take on some of your friends via Bluetooth or players from around the world via Wi-Fi connection.
To celebrate Asphalt 5’s release, Gameloft was gracious enough to send us THREE $10 Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iTunes gift cards so you can purchase Asphalt 5 and have some left over to purchase some of the other titles from Gameloft (might I recommend Earthworm Jim or Dungeon Hunter?) Want to win one of the three $10 iTunes gift cards? Here’s how to enter:
Leaving a comment below (please leave an accurate email address so I may contact you if you win)
Retweeting this article by clicking on the “Retweet” badge located underneath this article
This giveaway will be going on for the next 24 hours, so be sure to get your entry in by Nov. 4th, 2009 at 3:00PM EST. While you’re waiting for the contest to be over, be sure to check out the trailer below of Asphalt 5 to see the game in action! Also, be sure to follow @Gameloft to get up-to-the-minute updates on their future games!
[UPDATE: The contest has officially come to a close. Thanks to all who entered and please be sure to check back often as we have some super sweet stuff to giveaway reeeeeal soon.]
The iPhone AppStore is a wonderful place filled with tens of thousands of really nifty and useful iPhone apps. It’s also cluttered with iPhone apps that make fart noises and calculate tips for your waitress. How is anyone supposed to find their way around this crowded mess? With an iPhone app specifically made to pull app recommendations from your friends, of course. Enter Chorus for iPhone. [iTunes link]
Chorus is a free iPhone app that looks and works a lot like the AppStore you already have on your iPhone. But, instead of spamming you with thousands of useless apps and hundreds of useful apps you really couldn’t care less about, Chorus finds what your network of friends are using and suggests apps that it thinks you might like. The app is powered by envIO Networks’ Social Genome technology, which takes into account how you interact with your friends and infers how much credibility you’re likely to give your friends for various app categories. And, that’s where the app shines.
You don’t have to click through dozens and dozens of app reviews, tediously indicating which apps you like and which apps you think suck. Chorus learns from your interactions with your friends and picks up on your app preferences automatically. The app also features expert app recommendations and reviews from its AppMavens service as well as reviews from bloggers like us – so even if your friends don’t give you good app suggestions, at least you can look to the experts!
We’re going to let the screenshots and demo video show you how the app works in more detail:
Chorus is free, and once its user-base hit critical mass, it’ll revolutionize the way you discover iPhone apps. Give it a download here.
Here’s a novel idea. How’d you like to print out your own iPhone skin? The folks at iapeel.com are giving you that opportunity, with the all-in iaPeel kit. The kit, which is available for the 1st gen iPhone along with the 3G and 3GS will run you $20.95. Each starter kit comes with 5 printable ’skins’, featuring easy-align tabs for a good fit. Here’s the official description:
How do you take the world’s coolest phone and make it even cooler? Easy – you add an iaPeel skin! Just like all those great apps you’ve added on your iPhone to make it a one-of-a-kind device, an iaPeel skin gives it a custom touch that’s 100% you. And if you don’t want to get hung up on one look for your iPhone, it’s no problem – you can change skins as often as you like, with no residue left behind.
With five skins and easy-to-use software in each kit, you can make skins for yourself and four friends – hey, why not do matching skins for the whole gang! Makes a great gift for someone who’s just made the jump into the incredibly cool world of the iPhone.
The only bummer about this thing? Well, besides my ‘unknown’ factors (at this point) of product quality, fit-and-finish, and ease of installation and removal…the software that comes with this one is for Windows only. Good grief. Shouldn’t a Mac version be available too? I mean, this IS the iPhone we’re talking about, right?
Just a quickie here for all of those awaiting the iPhone 3GS and 3G in Bell’s coverage area. They’ve sent out an email this morning reminding us that the iPhone is indeed arriving on their network November 4th. That’s tomorrow. Yeehaw!
Pricing? Expect the iPhone 3GS 16GB model to come in at $199.00 on a 3-year contract… with the 32GB version dropping at $299.00 on the same 3-year term. If the iPhone 3G is more your style the 8GB will run you $99.00 on a 3-year deal, with the 16GB version coming at $149.00.
China is the world’s largest mobile phone market. Even with crappy sales of iPhones, you’d think the sheer size of the Chinese market was enough to move some serious iPhone volume. And, you’d be wrong. The iPhone 
Despite app discovery services like Chorus for iPhone, the AppStore is a really tough place to eek out a living. That may have prompted one Dutch teen to find a new way to make money from the iPhone – hold them for ransom! That’s what happened yesterday when some T-Mobile (
