In App Purchases for all

15 10 2009

free_in_app

In a somewhat-unexpected-yet-not-entirely-surprising turn of events, Apple announced to developers today that in-app purchases are available to free applications.

At WWDC this year, Scott Forstall defended restricting In App Purchases to paid applications (costing a minimum of 99¢).

…to keep it simple, when a consumer sees a free application, free apps remain free. You won’t be asked ever to buy something inside that free application.

Because of that, developers who wanted to offer free, feature-limited lite versions of their applications had to publish it and the full version as separate apps, and some previously-free apps, including the hugely-successful Tap Tap Revenge, gained 99¢ price tags to support add-ons unlocked through In App Purchase.

All that’s missing now are paid updates.



The Return Of Gizmodo Gallery!!!

23 09 2009

That’s right, people, the 2009 Gizmodo Gallery is here! As I’m sure you have read, it’s bigger and better! Guess who got to go to the media day today?! That’s right, The iLife!

[qt:/media/videos/gizmodo_gallery_09.mp4 /media/videos/gizmodo_gallery_09_poster.mov 480 270]


Take a look after the jump, and get a sneak peek at whats inside.
Read more…



The Beginning of a New Era, or the End of a Dynasty?

26 06 2009

As we all know, people cannot live forever. While many of us thought Steve Jobs might defy the odds of humanity, it seems he may soon be resigning from his position as CEO of Apple, Inc. Due to this troubling news (me being one that hoped he would live forever), many questions have arisen, two of the most prominent being who will take over Apple, and will the company survive or fall in to another “dark age,” possibly one that ends in the demise of Apple?

The first major question is, who will run Apple once Steve Jobs retires. It would seem that the front-runner for Jobs’ job is Apple’s own Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook. He was in charge of Apple’s day-to-day operations while Jobs was on medical leave for his pancreatic cancer treatment. He has done a fine job I running the company even in the middle of a recession. But is he capable?

Tim Cook and Steve Jobs

As the money shows, yes. On the day Jobs left, Apple stocks closed at $85.33. As of this morning, Apple opened at $132.07. While at the helm, Cook has seen the settlement of a lawsuit from IBM over Mark Papermaster, the release of a new iPod Shuffle, and the one Billionth app-store download. Apple has also reported its best non-holiday quarter bringing in $8.2 Billion in March.

Maybe pancreatic cancer was just a minor flaw in Steve Jobs’ master plan to rule the world and live forever. But incase it wasn’t, we have to look into the future to see what looks best for Apple. Will we see the beginning of a new era in technology CEO’s, or will we see the demise of our beloved computer dynasty? Only time will tell.



iPhone 3GS Rig: Alex Lindsay is my Hero

22 06 2009

Alex Linsday's iPhone Rig

This Saturday, Alex Lindsay posted a short video on MacBreak showing what Pixel Corps managed to do with a shiny new iPhone 3GS and the video equipment they had lying around. His rig consisted of:

And the iPhone mount:

The resulting rig is total overkill, and the mic and follow focus don’t work — the latter because the iPhone isn’t capable of changing its focus while in the middle of a recording, and the former (hopefully) because they don’t have a proper adapter for the Beachtek box.

The resulting video quality? Surprisingly good! A light and some extra support can do wonders.



Live from the 3GS Launch at 5th Avenue

19 06 2009

This is our 3GS liveblog, straight from the plaza outside the Apple Store at Fifth Avenue. Keep it bookmarked and we’ll keep you up to date. If you’re viewing this from the homepage, you’re only seeing our latest update! Hit the jump for more.


June 19 7:32 PM
Purchasing iPhone in Apple Store
We’ve purchased and activated an iPhone 3GS in-store thanks to the friendly help of a 5th Avenue Apple Store employee.

Needless to say, we’re ridiculously tired. There are still plenty of stories to tell, but this liveblog is officially over. Stay tuned.


Read more…



iPhone 3GS Launch – What Others Are Saying

18 06 2009

Well, the weather outside may be brutal, but so far me and the rest of the iLife crew have managed to hang in there.

apple-line-3gs-000

While we’ve braved the elements, a few people have come up to ask us a few questions, including Engadget, CNN, Reuters, the New York Times, and Bloomberg. I’ll be posting links to their coverage of the iPhone 3GS launch, and well, us!

EngadgetiPhone 3G S line begins in NY, weather be damned

UPDATE: 6:30 PM EDT: Reuters: IPhone to hit stores as Apple awaits Jobs’ return Matt Dodd was quoted on the second page of the article, and our plans for camping out were mentioned.

UPDATE: 7:00 PM EDT: Fortune / CNN Money: Lines form for the new iPhone in New York and Tokyo

Reuters (Again): Braving stormy weather for iPhone: well, sorta

Pocket Lint: iPhone 3G S line starts to form in New York

UPDATE: 7:30 PM EDT: The following is a listing of posts and articals after we got home. Take a look!

Fortune / CNN Money: Live from the (relatively sedate) iPhone 3G S launch

Gizmodo: Why In Hell Are People Camping Out For the iPhone 3GS?

Touch Podium: Line Ups Begin Early June 18th, for iPhone 3G S in New York and Tokyo, Most Likely Other Places Too

UPDATE 6/22/09 7:00 AM: Bloomberg: Apple’s IPhone Draws Crowds as Competition Stiffens Talks about us under ‘Camping Out’

If this is your first time at The iLife, Welcome! Be sure to subscribe to our RSS Feed, so that you always get the latest, in-depth tech news!

Photo from Engadget. Thanks!



Rain hits at 5th Avenue

18 06 2009

So Many Umbrellas
I just had to head for work (gotta make money to buy the 3GS), but the scene in front of the store as I left was worthy of a picture.

I got completely soaked in the half hour I was there, even with all those umbrellas, so, guys, I wish you luck.



We’re all set up for the 3GS Launch

18 06 2009

Matt Dodd, Sam Epstein, myself, and Keith Hobin are set up here at the Apple Store at 5th Avenue in New York! The staff has already come out to greet us and supply us with official Apple umbrellas (which we are absolutely going to need).

Live from 5th Avenue for iPhone 3G S

We’ll be posting updates throughout the day here and on Twitter (@theilife) and the folks at TheDigitalLifestyle.tv are planning to set us up with live streaming later today, so keep an eye on their feed.

If you’re in the area, stop by. If not, drop us a Tweet or a comment. Happy 3GS day to all!



App Store Review: Galaga Remix

1 06 2009

Addictive recreation of an old-time favorite.

galagaremixtitle

Galaga Remix was created by Namco, and it is a brilliant remake of the original arcade game. Galaga Remix includes an updated version as well as the original 1981 Galaga. The old version of the game does allow you to reclaim a captured ship so you can have double the firepower with dual ships like in the old arcade game, however this app really shines with the updated version. The new Galaga’s graphics are much easier on the eyes, and includes new boss battles, multiple upgrades for your ship, and plenty of levels.

The rest of the review is after the break. Read more…



Palm Pre: We finally have a release date!

19 05 2009

pre_05

Palm and Sprint have finally announced the official release date and pricing for the upcoming Palm Pre. The Pre will be release on June 6th (2 weeks!) for $199 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100mail-in rebate. It will also require a Everything Data plan, which will run at $69.99 a month with450 minutes. This is on par with the cheapest iPhone plan, but it comes with a big advantage, namely unlimited texting. You can also get Sprint’s Simply Everything plan for $99.99 a month, which includes unlimited voice, text, and data.

So, overall the Pre is going to be running on par with the iPhone in terms of pricing, but it will be interesting how the release will pay out with it’s release being so close to Apple’s WWDC (Which is June 8-12), where Apple is expected to release iPhone 3.0, and possibly a new iPhone.

Say tuned during the next two weeks, this is going to be interesting.

UPDATE: Forgot to include this earlier, The Pre will be available at Sprint stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack, select Wal-Mart stores and online at Sprint.com.  You can also read the full Sprint Press Release here.

Also, it was posted at Endgadget that the Pre will be $549 with out a contract acording to Sprint customer service.