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.
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 Ontrade, the company that supplied photos of the SIM card tray from the 4th generation iPhone last week, is now bringing out the real meat and potatoes: a photo of the midboard. What is a midboard? It’s literally the board that lays in the middle between the screen of the iPhone and the motherboard, preventing interference, and making sure everything stays screwed into place. The dimensions of the board given by China Ontrade indicate that the size of this new iPhone is going to be exactly the same as the models from the previous generation. What’s fishy about all of this, according to Gizmodo, is that China Ontrade leaked photos of parts from the iPhone 3GS in May, before the 3GS was announced in a month later in June. If that timing remains consistent, then it could signal that a new iPhone is due by the end of the year, or early 2010. That would surely piss off iPhone 3GS customers, but maybe the new iPhone isn’t meant to replace the 3GS, maybe it’s meant to replace the 3G.
Ever tried visiting Adobe’s “Download Flash” page from an iPhone or iPod Touch? It’s hilarious as you can see from the screenshot above. Since Adobe couldn’t get Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) to support Flash in the iPhone’s Safari, they decided to try to pitch the end users who could eventually notify the Cupertino folks to act on the matter. I’m guessing Adobe’s thinking is that once a user sees this message, he or she will immediately write an email to steve@apple.com saying just how frustrated he/she is because his beloved devices can’t handle Flash. That, of course, will force Apple to change its ways and accept the inevitable by adding Flash support to Safari. Hmmm, something doesn’t work here, right?
When considering your next smartphone acquisition, it sometimes makes sense to take into account the “total cost of ownership” (TCO) associated with your hardware. One phone may cost less at the checkout counter, but may end up costing you more through monthly rate plans and data services. The difference can sometimes add up to a decent chunk of change over the course of a couple years. What about Motorola Droid from Verizon Wireless, and how does it measure up against the iPhone 3GS? According to the cost comparison gurus at BillShrink.com, Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid costs about the same as the iPhone 3GS.
As you can see in BillShrink.com’s handy-dandy comparison chart, the Droid goes round-for-round with the iPhone 3GS. Both phones boast almost identical feature sets (although iPhone multi-tasking is sadly missing), identical pricing structures and average rate plan costs. Taking all that into account, both the iPhone 3GS and Motorola Droid will end up costing the average customer $2,830 over the course of a 24-month contract.
It’s clear that Motorola has the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone 3GS squarely in its sights. The Droid isn’t just going up against the iPhone 3GS with high-end features, it’s taking the fight to the TCO battlefield. The Droid has higher-end hardware (better display and camera), but the iPhone 3GS has the iPhone AppStore. Which will you choose?
China isn’t just some foreign country with a penchant for censoring their citizens into oblivion and peddling counterfeit handsets on the cheap. The land of dim sum and stubborn Communist politics has become the latest country to launch the iPhone. As expected, the iPhone is now ready to cater to the single-largest wireless market, by way of China Unicom’s network (China’s No. 2 wireless network). The 8GB iPhone 3G will cost $732, with the 32GB iPhone 3GS commanding a $1,025 price tag.
Now, considering how all that hard-earned cash will only buy a China Unicom iPhone that lacks WiFi support, it’s hard to see the handset making it big in China. There are gray-market iPhones that cost less, come unlocked and actually support WiFi. Good luck, China Unicom.
Angry Mob Games‘ upcoming top-down, twin-sticks shooter Guerrilla Bob is one badass looking game. The main character wears a beret, has tons of weapons, and is named ‘Bob’. That right there is the recipe for badass, folks.
Guerrilla Bob will take players across a number of locations like canyons, deserts, and deserted towns. Along the way, he’ll most likely meet some opposition as well as “epic boss battles”. The game will also include multiple levels of difficulty, scoring system, and online leaderboards so you can compare with your friends who the best Bob is!
Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is one lucky company to have such a dedicated community of users. On that note, we spotted a fan-made video which we call “iDon’t Care” and which, as you can presume, answers to Verizon’s Droid commercial. The main point of the clip is “iDon’t buy brands who bash other brands.”
Personally, I’m impressed with the Droid and see it as one of those devices I’ve waited for so long to appear. However, will iPhone users switch sides is another story. What do you think?
Earlier this month, EA Mobile mentioned NBA Live was making its way to the iPhone platform later this month. As we all know, time does fly, and thus explains NBA Live finally releasing on the App Store.
NBA Live is a great effort by EA to bring its popular basketball game franchise to the iPhone. Players are controlled by touching the left side of the screen, which pops up a virtual control stick onto the screen. You then tilt your finger in the direction you want your player to move to. If you’re in possession of the ball, you can either shoot or pass. Depending on your momentum and how well you’re covered by a defending player, you can even perform a variety of dunks with a flick of your thumb. While on defense, you can steal or attempt to block a shot by jumping.
NBA Live features all 30 NBA teams, players, and accurate stats. Multiple game modes allow players to either play a quick game in Exhibition Mode, or dedicate themselves to a full season of play in Season Mode. Player models and animations are pretty detailed as well, considering the platform its running on. All in all, NBA Live is a title basketball loving iPhone owners should absolutely consider owning.
The holiday shopping season is right around the corner, and you know what that means. Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is going to make another killing. The latest rumors circling Taiwanese manufacturers and component suppliers indicate that Apple is preparing for increased iPhone 3GS demand by boosting production orders for the iconic smartphone.
Citing various industry sources, DigiTimes says that Apple has upped its Q4 iPhone 3GS production orders to Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai) and Primax Electronics by 17-20%. Even OmniVision, the company that supplies the image sensors used in the iPhone camera module, is reporting tight supplies through November. As always, when Apple demands more product, component suppliers drop everything and answer Apple’s call – the rest of the industry be damned.
Apple set a new sales record in Q3 2009, despite shortages that left some markets hurting for iPhone hardware. And, if all goes according to plan rumor, the traditionally strong holiday shopping season could give Apple another record quarter.
China isn’t just some foreign country with a penchant for censoring their citizens into oblivion and peddling counterfeit handsets on the cheap. The land of dim sum and stubborn Communist politics has become the latest country to launch the iPhone. 
The holiday shopping season is right around the corner, and you know what that means. Apple (
