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Weekly App Store Roundup: Jan. 31, 2009

Olly Farshi — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 22:23:37 +0000

Good Saturday and a Happy Weekend to one and all, it’s time to sit down, relax and wrap your big eyes round this week’s App Store Roundup.

This week on TheAppleBlog, we got in there super fast with an in-depth look at iMovie ’09, iPhoto ’09 and iWeb ’09. Of particular note was our very own Liam Cassidy describing iWeb as an, “embarrassing, backward cousin,” to the breathtaking updates of iMovie and iPhoto.

And in other news, Darrell Etherington reported on rumblings from two separate sources about a potential new iPhone.

With some of the week’s most notable news out of the way, let’s roll on to our weekly App Store Roundup.

This week I’ve been looking at Distant Shores, Sax Man, Photo fx and LifeTicker.

Distant Shore (99 cents)
Frankly I’m not a fan of LOST. The same location again and again, the same characters every episode, the same premise… it’s infuriating. I’ll take my re-runs of Cheers any day, thank you. However, this app — a virtual desert island which you can wander at your pleasure, soaking up the tropical ambiance — is a wonderful concept. You’re even able to cast off a message in a bottle and read messages from other stranded players. Think of it as LOST, albeit without the uncannily beautiful people, the perpetual onslaught of pointless puzzles or the hairy hobbit rockstar.

Sax Man (99 cents)
The folks over at Yudo are doing good things with their 1 Dollar Game series. The latest addition, while not strictly a game, is a fun little musical toy. Indeed, as a virtual saxophone Sax Man allows you to seriously get your jazz on. In a control-scheme reminiscent of the utterly breathtaking Ocarina for iPhone, to play the Sax you simply blow in to the iPhone’s microphone while holding the corresponding key combination for a given note. It’s not too tough for beginners and musicians, particularly those experienced with wind instruments will find playing Sax Man to be a breeze.

Photo fx ($2.99)
Like Quantum Leap’s Sam, leaping from place to place and searching for a way home, my journey — from one disappointing photo app to another — searching for the perfect set of iPhone camera tools continues. The developers, The Tiffen Company, actually make real photographic filters, so it seems they know a thing or two about photography. The app itself is intended to simulate Tiffen’s glass filters, optical lab processes and photographic effects. On first look, this app is incredibly promising — feature-rich, easy to use and a wealth of interesting filters and effects.

LifeTicker ($9.99)
Allowing you to keep track of important events in your life — meetings, birthdays, medical appointments — LifeTicker could be an essential tool for some. Or at least as essential as a calendar. I’m gonna skip the pleasantries on this one: the app looks ugly, is light on features and vastly overpriced (even at $9.99 which is, apparently, a limited time 50 percent off launch-price). Users looking for an alternative that integrates more effectively with your lifestyle should try checking out Google Calendar (with NuevaSync) or Apple’s iCal (with MobileMe), both of which sync with your iPhone and are robust enough to feature notes, reminders and contact invitations.

Just One More Thing

Earlier this week, TheAppleBlog’s Darrell Etherington spoke about the recent rumors pertaining to a possible Premium Game Section in the App Store. Currently, in the game section of the store, the sub-categories relate to gaming genres such as puzzle, racing or casino.

If the rumors actually happen, it means that Premium Games will be an additional category in the App Store. Within this category would be products from the big game companies and the pricing would reflect this, with a download costing around $20 (regular players will know that games currently range from free to around 8 bucks).

EA's disappointing MySims Kingdom for Nintendo DS

When I say that the substantial price increase is a reflection of the fact that these are games from big companies, to be more specific, I mean that the big game companies desire to charge you more, much more, for games. This potential move by Apple absolutely does not mean that the games will be higher quality, better graphics or deeper gameplay.

So why is this happening? It’s all a matter of perception: as Pocketgamer.biz note, Apple sees the touch and iPhone as serious contenders in the handheld game wars, up against the DS and PSP where games are upwards of twenty bucks each. This new section in the App Store means that there will be a special shelf in the store for the games from the larger global publishers.

I’d argue that we’re seeing more innovation, more compelling gameplay, and more quality produce at appropriate price-points since launch in the App Store than on the DS and PSP combined. This is because the App Store allows independent developers to bring their wares directly to us on the same store shelves as the big boys, something which just does not happen (at least not enough) on Sony and Nintendo’s handhelds.

And while Apple’s potential move won’t directly stifle this innovation, it may draw the flow of cash towards premium products from risk-averse game publishers, towards games that some consumers will incorrectly perceive as higher-quality and better value for money and away from independently developed gaming pearls like Rolando and Trace.

That’s all for this week’s App Store Roundup, as ever, thank you for joining me for a rundown of the week’s most interesting releases. I’ll be back next Saturday with my picks from the week, in the meantime, drop by the comments and let me know which apps you’ve downloaded this week.

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Media Messaging in the UK With iPhoneMMS

David Appleyard — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:13:36 +0000

The iPhone’s lack of any MMS capabilities was said to be on account of the versatile and full featured email support. If it’s so simple to send photos via email, why pay extra to send them via MMS?

While that is a valid argument to a certain extent, the two services remain predominantly different; e-mail is unlikely to be picked up by a regular phone user ‘on the go’ and isn’t tailored in the same manner for quickly sending and receiving photo snapshots.

Enter iPhoneMMS. This service is currently a web application for the iPhone allowing you to access and send O2 media messages through a more appealing interface. For the last few days I have been using a preview of the latest edition, a native iPhone application which has recently launched.

The app allows you to send and receive MMS messages in a far more user-friendly way than through the O2 website. It brings MMS functionality closer to a real, integrated solution.

International Support

For sending messages, international support is planned and under development. Unfortunately, the ability to receive messages relies on support from the network operator in question and no other international network offers the same functionality as O2 at this stage. Depending upon the success of the app in the UK, the developers may seek the assistance of AT&T to extend support to the U.S.

Setting Up

Once installed, you’ll see the red iPhoneMMS icon in your iPhone menu. I was pleasantly surprised to see the similar design to existing Phone and Text icons — albeit in a brighter red color. It makes the app feel like an official edition to support MMS sending and receiving.

To set your phone up to access your messages through the app, you need to receive a MMS and note the PIN code provided to you by O2. You then enter your mobile number and that PIN into the application to access your account.

Receiving Messages

When you receive an MMS, a notification is usually provided in the form of a text message from your network operator. You can open the iPhoneMMS application, login, and browse all previously received messages.

Sending Messages

Sending a new message is very similar to composing an email. You enter a telephone number, subject line and can take a new photo or attach an existing one.

Costs & Pricing

The iPhoneMMS app is free through the App Store and there are no recurring costs — you pay only for the messages you use. At present, each message costs one credit. You receive one credit for free when registering, after which they can be purchased via PayPal in blocks of 10 or more. They are priced at around £0.35 each.

Plans are in place to lower this price in the future through discussion with the MMS team at O2. An agreement with the network operator could lead to:

Instant notification of MMS (no need to use your mobile number / pin to login)
Sending messages will be charged by O2 through your standard bill
Messages will be charged at the normal O2 rates

I feel that this would go a long way towards making the app more useful, encouraging casual users to dabble in sending media messages rather than those who are happy to pre-pay with a credit system.

iPhoneMMS is currently freely available through the UK iTunes App Store. I’m interested to see that the app has been readily accepted — I imagine its submission to the App Store sparked a debate at Apple surrounding plans to support or endorse this feature in the native iPhone software itself.

Who’s Behind the App?

This service is entirely owned and operated by two private individuals:

Ross McKillop: A web developer and consultant who became frustrated at the lack of MMS on the iPhone (and others asking about it!) so decided to do something about it.
Ed Lea: A talented iPhone developer behind many other excellent apps on the AppStore including TV Plus, which held the #1 spot in the Top 50 Apps for a number of weeks.

Conclusion

This app seems to be a great start for supporting MMS on the iPhone. I’m aware that UK-only support is limiting for many readers of TheAppleBlog, but the system provides a concept which could be expanded to the U.S. — either by the existing developers, or a different team based in America.

There’s still some way for the app to go before being fully integrated into your O2 bill and providing seamless MMS support. Initial impressions are good, however and it will certainly be worth investigating if you’re based in, or frequently travel to, the UK.

What are your thoughts on MMS support? Is it a service which you miss the support for on the iPhone, or have you adjusted to life without it just fine? I’d be interested to hear how many of you would welcome an app such as this.

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