Just a quick one, to update you on iPhone 3GS - something I thought I’d do as I’ve been hearing various conflicting reports about availability…
Right now, apparently, there is ‘limited availability’ of some 3GS variants - here’s the official blurb from O2 (NYSE: TEF):
iPhone 3GS limited availability:
Due to the phenomenal demand for the new iPhone 3GS, we currently have limited stock available. If you plan to purchase in store we advise you check availability before traveling
Retail Stores and over the phone - Limited availability of iPhone 3GS 16GB Black and White and iPhone 3GS 32GB Black. Due to demand the iPhone 3GS 32GB White is currently out of stock.
Online - We currently have limited available of the iPhone 3GS 32GB Black. The iPhone 3GS 32GB White and iPhone 3GS 16GB are currently out of stock.
We expect additional stock of the iPhone 3GS to be available in all channels next week. Please continue to check o2.co.uk/iphone for updates.
The staff that I have spoken to are saying Wednesday 8th July for the next delivery, so if you want to avoid scrabbling around for a unit, then I’d wait till Wednesday morning!
Okay, now I’m a big fan of the iPhone, but this is ridiculous - the iPhone 3GS is the best part of a grand (£1000 to non-UK’ers) online? Yes, it’s true! No, I didn’t believe it at first either!
Now before I go any further, I’ll just say that Play.com, the site where I found this deal, have a very good reputation in the UK - they’ve been doing excellent-priced media (muzik, DVDs, etc) for a long time - and they know how to offer stuff at a good price.
The iPhone 3GS 32GB is listed there at an eye-watering £899.99…
So what gives? Well, as I said above Play do good deals, so I can only think this pricing has largely been determined from Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), up on the mothership - and my 10 cents/pence worth are that this is unabridged insanity - after all, you could pick up a MacBook Laptop for that price !!!
I’d more than welcome reader comments - if you want to check out the prices of the iPhones for yourself, head over to Play.com, in the Mobiles section…
Now that the iPhone 3.0 OS is live, we’re starting to see a flood of updates for the existing apps. One of the most popular to-do list management apps/services, Remember The Milk, is no exception and it now supports push notifications, enabling “instant task reminder alerts to your device.”
Aside from this important and way useful feature, the updated Remember The Milk app also improves stability and performance and fixes some bugs. For instance, the “swipe to complete” feature is back!
And that’s about all we can report about the updated RTM. If you still haven’t used it, now may your chance to do so. It’s arguably the single best task management service on the Interwebs, and a personal favorite of mine. AppStore link is here.
Vodka veteran Absolut has just released a free iPhone app that suggests drinks depending on a wide variety of criteria, like time of day, mood, type of liquor, occasion, and lots of others. After picking one, it even includes instructions on how to mix one up. As a reference alone, that’s a pretty sweet app, but you can even tweet and update your Facebook status about what you’re drinking. (Hey, some people even blog about their drinks.) GPS integration also lets you see what’s being drunk in your area and around the world. Fine timing on the launch, considering Independence Day is tomorrow… Interested? You can nab Drinkspiration from the iTunes App Store here.
Facebook for iPhone is awesome. Anyone that has used it usually raves about it, as It makes interacting with the site ultra-easy (and fun)… and I have to admit, I pop it open once a day just to see what’s going on. Awesomely, (Is that a word!?) Facebook has announced that the new Facebook for iPhone 3.0 is nearing completion, and we should see it available for download in the near future. Look for enhancements such as a new homescreen, new notes and events pages, plus an updated news feed. Also, and probably much more noteworthy, Facebook for iPhone 3.0 could very well let you create photo albums, upload photos, zoom photos, tag photos, and a lot more. Stay tuned for more on this. It’s coming soon… I can feel it.
Awhile back we had heard rumblings that Rolando 2 was coming to the iPhone very soon… I had actually almost forgotten about it, until last night when we received an email about it. Yes, thankfully, Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid is now available in the App Store! It’ll set you baak $9.99, but in my opinion, it’s one of the best puzzle/strategy games out there.
No ‘Lite’ version of the game is available just yet, but I would not be surprised if one pops up in the near future. The original Rolando game spawned a free version as well, but it appeared some time after original release. So, if $9.99 is a little too rich for your blood, just hang on… a free version may become available.
EpicTilt is out with an interesting iPhone/iPod Touch game called TapStar, which aims to get some love from the Tap Tap Revenge fans.
Their trick is offering the exclusive music content from Sony Music, including tunes from such artists as Britney Spears, John Mayer, Pink, TLC and Warrant Heaven. Of course, there’s also an option to buy a song you’re currently playing from the iTunes, and if proves successful, it’s fair to guess other labels will jump on board as well.
As for the gameplay, it’s slightly different that the likes of Guitar Hero - there are four corner buttons you should touch when an arrow appears. Then the “classic” part comes in as the accuracy of your taps are measured and number of sequential hits you can pull off will power your high score…
Enough said, AppStore link is here. Happy playing.
Another day, another “monetize your iPhone apps” news. This time, it’s Offerpal Media — the company behind the popular monetization platform for social networks, online games, virtual worlds and mobile applications — and Tapjoy — developers of the Tapjoy SDK and such popular iPhone games as TapDefense, TapSudoku and TapWord — which announced partnership designed to provide iPhone application developers with “tools to help them monetize their applications through the sale of virtual goods.”
The new solution is already available as part of Tapjoy’s free SDK, allowing developers to integrate Offerpal’s “Managed Offer Platform” as a native part of the user experience. Moreover, and that’s I guess the main point of the joint solution, is the ability for developers to grow their apps quickly through rewarded installs of active mobile gamers across the Tapjoy network of millions of users.
Other services included with the SDK include mobile ad network optimization, full app analytics, wagered tournaments and challenges between users, and customizable rankings and leaderboards… More information is available from Tapjoy’s website.
Apparently the folks at News Corp are considering a change for its Wall Street Journal App for iPhone and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM). The change? New features and options? Nope, the change would be making the app a paid one.
WSJ.com has been surveying users regarding willingness to pay for the app, but any results from these surveys is unclear. The WSJ has a policy of ‘never sharing results publicly’, so I suppose we’ll assume the results land on the free side of things, that is, up until the app goes paid, if it ever does. No potential pricing structures are available for the WSJ App, but I would imagine we’ll hear more about this soon.
Interestingly enough, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has added some new billing options with the 3.0 Firmware update. Subscription payments are now very much a reality. Also, developers and publishers can charge for additional content found within an app. I’m yet to notice this first-hand from any of the apps I’m currently running… But rest assured the newspaper apps are looking into these options diligently.
This is a tough one for me. I know there will be a segment of die-hard users that enjoy the WSJ app so much that they’ll unquestionably pay for it… But for myself, saying ‘yeah, take it for free, and use it as much as you want!’… And then a year or so later pulling the ‘OK, now you’ve gotta pay for it, $2.99 per month please!’… That just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Either charge me up-front for it, or offer an initial ‘lite’ version with limited features that tempts me to pay up for a full version if I like what I see. Hopefully if News Corp makes the move to paid, the current version of the WSJ app turns into a ‘lite’ version, with fewer features and options than a new, paid version.
I better stop here or I’ll ramble on forever…
Your thoughts? Would you pay a flat fee and/or a subscription for full use of the WSJ app? Or would that turn you off completely?
Like to take trips to foreign locales, do you? Don’t forget your iPhone! Armed with the right iPhone apps, your iPhone can be an invaluable tool to help you organize your trip and find your way around not-so-familiar terrain. Who better to help you find those iPhone travel apps than the globe-trotters at National Geographic? The renowned travel/exploration publication has posted their Top 20 iPhone Travel Apps for your perusal, and it’s a good’n.
From free iPhone apps like “Room” to paid apps like “Packing,” Nat Geo has all the your travel needs covered. Common travel apps like FlightTrack and Google Earth are staples of any would-be traveler, but less popular apps like Babelingo (300 common phrases in 11 languages), Room (helps you pack for your trip) and Cheap Gas (um, self-explanatory) also deserve a quick mention.
Like to take trips to foreign locales, do you? Don’t forget your iPhone! Armed with the right iPhone apps, your iPhone can be an invaluable tool to help you organize your trip and find your way around not-so-familiar terrain. Who better to help you find those iPhone travel apps than the globe-trotters at National Geographic? The renowned travel/exploration publication has posted their Top 20 iPhone Travel Apps for your perusal, and it’s a good’n.