Posts tagged iPhone
Apple Executive Tweets White iPhone Release “This Spring”
0Apple marketing executive Phil Schiller has tweeted that the White iPhone 4 will finally see the light of day “this spring”.
Apple have previously hinted at a spring release back in December, but an executive confirmation makes it seem all the more likely.
The White iPhone 4 has been continually delayed since the latest Apple handset went on sale last Summer, with manufacturing issues and discolouration of the White plastic being the likely causes.
The continued delays had led many to believe that Apple would abandon the White iPhone 4 and instead offer multi-coloured versions of the next handset, probably to be announced this coming summer.
How To Turn on Home Sharing in iTunes
0Apple have re-vitalized the Home Sharing option in iTunes for iOS 4.3. Previously, you could only share music between different PC’s on your home network that ran iTunes. But now you can stream to any WiFi connected iOS device too.
In this quick guide I’ll show you how to turn this on both in iTunes and on your mobile device.
iTunes Setup
By default Home Sharing is turned off, but it’s fairly easy to turn on. First make sure that you have the latest iTunes version (currently 10.2.1). Once you have it installed it’s just a few simple clicks to turn on Home Sharing:
- Open the preferences window.
- Select the “Sharing” tab.
- Make sure that “Share my library on my local network” is selected:
- You can also change any of the other settings to expand or restrict what media is shared.
- If you wish, set a password.
- Tick the last tick box if you wish.
- Click OK.
Your iTunes library is now being shared with Home Sharing.
iOS Device.
It’s only a couple of clicks to turn Home Sharing on on your mobile device as well:
- Open the Settings app.
- Select the iPod settings
- In the “Home Sharing” area enter the same Apple ID that you use on your iTunes machine.
- Next, open up the iPod or Video app and you should be able to select your iTunes library from the top of either App:
You can now listen to anything stored in your iTunes library, on your iPhone or iPad!
Apple Releases iOS 4.3
0Apple has released iOS 4.3 ahead of the anticipated release of the iPad 2 tomorrow.
The latest update is for iPhones 3GS onwards, iPod touches and the original iPad. iPhone 3G owners need not apply.
This update brings a host of new features to users, some are obvious, some not so obvious, and some of little use to some users. Check out the new features below:
- Personal Hotspot – Specific to iPhone 4 owners, this allows you to share your 3G data connection to upto 5 devices – up to 3 wifi, 3 bluetooth and 1 USB.
- iTunes home sharing – Allows you to stream music, movies and TV shows from your iTunes library to iOS devices on the same WiFi connection.
- New Airplay Features – allowing you to play videos from your photos app, including camera roll. Also, 3rd party apps have been enabled on AppleTV. You can also play slideshows of your photos from your iPhone or iPad on Apple TV, using Apple TV animations.
- Faster Safari Perofrmance – Apple have migrated the Nitro Javascript engine from the Mac version of Safari to the iOS one, which promises up to twice as fast web browsing.
- HD Video out using Apple Digital AV Adapter – view 720p videos from Videos App, iPod app, Photos, YouTube, Safari, Keynote and enable 3rd party apps
- Ping Updates – Apple have made a few adjustments to the flagging social networking site.
As well as this there are a few new settings options:-
- Users can now change the number of times alerts are repeated.
- iPad users can now select whether the slider switch acts as a screen lock or mute switch
- Numerous other bug fixes and security updates.
Apple have certainly delivered with this release, it’s unusual to see so many new features for what is essentially a minor release. I, for one, am happy with the iPad slider switch adjustment as I often use my own iPad in bed and it was a real loss when Apple removed this functionality with iOS 4.2.
I can also testify that the Home Sharing feature works well, I was able to stream both my entire music library and some movies in my iTunes library to my iPad today with no issues whatsoever, other than album artworks taking a couple of seconds to download fully. We can forgive Apple for that though.
I can also report no problems personally with this update (on the original iPad at least), so go forth and download!
How to Use Garageband To Create iPhone Ringtones
0If you own an iPhone and a Mac with the iLife suite, you may be surprised to learn that you can create your very own ringtones, either from songs in your iTunes library or from the library of samples and Apple Loops that come with Garageband. The latter obviously requires some skill, but the former is surprisingly simple once you know how. In this guide I’ll show you how to achieve this quickly and easily.
The first step is to open Garageband and create a new project, you should end up at a screen like this:
Now, in the bottom right of the screen you’ll see three buttons, the far right of which is your media browser:
Click on this and it’ll bring up your media library on the right hand side of the Garageband window. To the top of this there are options for audio, photos and video:
Make sure that “Audio” is selected and then you can expand your iTunes music library (as above). From there you can search for and select the track that you wish to use for your ringtone. Once you’ve done this, drag it into the main part of the Garageband window. If you do this correctly you should end up with the track added to the soundboard in orange:
You can close the media browser now if you wish (just click the button in the bottom right again).
Now, as your ringtone can only be 40 seconds long, you’re going to want to choose the part of the song that you wish to use. This will normally be the main riff or a solo, but you can select any part of the tune that you want. To do so, you’ll need to click on the “loop” button, which is the far right of the buttons displayed the bottom of the screen:
This will introduce a yellow bar at the top of the soundboard, which can then be expanded, contracted or moved to capture the appropriate part of the song. If you find that you can’t get the accuracy that you require, try changing the scale of the soundboard using the slider at the bottom left part of the window:
If you press the spacebar then Garageband will playback the selected part and loop it over and over. By trial and error you’ll be able to find the best selection of the song that you’re looking for.
Once you’re happy with the selection, it’s a breeze to export the ringtone to iTunes so that you can sync it with your iPhone. Simple click on the “Share” menu and then select “Send Ringtone To iTunes” from the drop down list. Your ringtone will then be sent to the iTunes library.
From here, all you have to do is make sure that iTunes is set to sync ringtones with your iPhone. To do this, start iTunes, navigate to your iPhone and select the “Ringtones” tab, then make sure that iTunes is set to sync ringtones, as below:
Then, simply sync your iPhone to transfer the ringtone across, it should then be selectable from the settings menu on the iPhone.
If you’re more proficient with Garageband and want to transfer your own masterpieces to your iPhone as ringtones, then simply follow the last two steps above to save it as a ringtone and then transfer to your device!
Review: Qmobile App for iOS Devices
0One of the more popular names amongst enthusiasts when it comes to home storage is QNAP. Not only do their network storage drives offer quick and easy access to your files but they also come with a whole host of additional features like download stations, surveillance features for IP cameras, web hosting and print servers.
However, one thing that QNAP drives have become quite well known for is providing a home for your home media libraries. I myself use a QNAP TS209 network drive to stream all of my films and TV shows around the house and beyond. The problem is that, until recently, there was no official way to access the files on a QNAP drive from a mobile device such as the iPhone. But not any more!
The guys at Qnap have recently released the Qmobile App for both iOS and Google Android devices. In this review I’ll be taking a look at the iOS version of the app and showing how it can be used to access the media files stored on your NAS from anywhere.
I’ll begin by saying that this app is essentially an extension of the “Multimedia Station” interface on the NAS for mobile devices. The original version is viewable via a web browser and can prove useful in itself if you need to access the media from shared PC’s or from a friends house.
There are better options available for accessing the media on your drive, including the free TwonkyMedia uPnP server that comes with QNAP devices, but uPnP clients for iOS are not exactly great and, essentially, not free.
Enter the Qmobile app. Download-able for free from the Android or Apple app stores, it effectively mimics the interface of the 
web browser version on your mobile device. From there you can view your pictures, listen to music and even view certain video types over a WiFi or 3G network. It’s worth noting that this app can only playback the same file types that the web browser version supports, which means that very little video formats are supported (pretty much none except for Flash video). But audio and image file-types are well supported and I found I was able to access all of my photos and audio over a WiFi network with no problem whatsoever.
Of course, when it comes to accessing these files over a mobile network, you’re going to want to control how much bandwidth you use. Luckily the QNAP guys have thought of that. For one, you can simply turn off access over mobile networks, meaning it will only ever work in the presence of WiFi connections. Secondly, the App caches the audio files that you listen to locally, so you only download songs once rather than every time that you use them. This is great if you’re inclined to listen to certain songs over and over (as we all do from time to time). You can also set the number of songs that are cached so that you don’t chew up too much space on your mobile device.
In practice, I found the overall experience to be inconsistent. The music part works very well, songs streamed quickly to the 
devices and playback was flawless once it had cached for a few seconds. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for other areas: Photo’s took way too long to load (even thumbnails) meaning that if you were in a hurry to show an album to someone you may end up staring at your phone in embarrassed anticipation. As well as this, the video portion is as pointless as it is on the browser version; with so little support for open video formats it’s a wonder why QNAP even bothered. The difficulty in achieving this in a browser is understandable, but these are mobile devices designed for playing back video, surely something could have been done to sort this out?
That being said, the app is free and does offer a tailored solution for QNAP devices that makes it easier to access your media on the go. Providing you’re comfortable in setting up your home network so that you can access your NAS from the Internet, setup should prove extremely simple; just input your public IP or server name, your user name and password and the app does all the rest for you. Unfortunately, QNAP seem to assume that every home user is up to this task which just isn’t the case. It would be good if QNAP could provide a walk through on how to configure your NAS for internet access, but with such a wide range of network hardware and internet companies available it’s easy to understand why they haven’t.
Skype For iPhone Now Features Video Calling
0Skype have today released an update to the iOS version of the application which allows video calling between some devices.
Version 3.0 allows Skype to Skype video calling utilising either WiFi or your 3G network (whereas Apple Facetime works only via WiFi). Video calling is not just limited to calls placed between iPhones. Users can also make video calls to PC’s and Mac’s running the desktop versions of the software.
iPhone 4 and iPod Touch users will get the most from this service, other devices only have a rear mounted camera (if any) so there’s no chance of being in the call and seeing who’s on the other end at the same time. Likewise, iPad users will be limited to seeing who they’re talking to only due to the lack of a camera on the device.
Skype say that the app will allow for video calls in either landscape or portrait mode, with bi-directional video possible on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and 4th generation iPod Touch.
Review: Infinity Blade for iPhone
0Over the last few days I’ve had a little bit of spare time so I decided to splash out on myself to the sum of £3.49 and purchased Infinity Blade for my iPad. Now, I’ll start by saying that this is a universal purchase for all iOS devices, so no need to buy twice if you own an iPhone and iPad, but it does come with some some hardware requirements; you must have either an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad or iPod Touch (3rd generation onward) in order to run this game. You also need to be running at least iOS 3.2.
Infinity Blade is the first major release for iOS to make use of the Unreal Engine to create stunning 3D graphics. The Unreal Engine is primarily used on PC and console gaming on titles such as Unreal Tournament and Bioshock. But Chair, the creators of the game, have managed to license this game engine and get it working on iOS devices. The results are stunning, the landscapes and characters are beautifully rendered and gameplay demonstrates the true ability of Apple’s gaming platform.
The game is set in and around a medieval-esque fort on top of a desolate hill. The land is ruled by a fearsome god king who rules the lands beneath with tyranny and oppression. Your job is to try and give him a bit of a kicking, once you get past his horde of sword wielding Titans. But here’s the twist; the campaign takes place over multiple generations; each time the player reaches the god king and falls to him, time skips forward a generation and the player takes up the identity of the spawn of the previous character. The result being that as generations progress the player gains more experience, more weapons and armor and more abilities.
The game is controlled by pressing different areas of the screen to block or dodge oncoming attacks, and by swiping the screen to attack your foe with whatever weapon you happen to be wielding at the time. As well as this there are one or two “special” attacks to master which deal more damage. As you progress you gain XP points which you can use to improve your skills and equipment. Defeating foes also gains you some additional equipment which is added to your inventory and which you can then use in future battles. Though, like me, you’ll probably find yourself sticking to a small selection of weapons and armour as it’s interrupts the game too much to chop and change your equipment after every battle.
The result of all this is that the game can become a bit repetitive; the castle which dominates the landscape early on is actually quite small and players will quickly grow tired of walking the same halls. Which brings us to the next problem, this is no free roaming game; the player is only able to travel on rails which are pre-defined. Sure, you can look around and pick up objects and money that have been carelessly left around by the God King, but you are rarely provided with a choice as to where to go during your quest. As well as this, the battles (though beautifully rendered) are all too monotonous and players may find themselves growing tired of the same old dodge and thrust manoeuvre.
End result: As a game to play for short intervals at a time, and to show off the power of your iPhone 4 or iPad there is no better game. The graphics and sound are nothing short of incredible. And the gameplay does have some merity; it’ll definitely keep me entertained on my next few train journeys to London.
Unfortunately, the repetitive gameplay and short storyline of the game make it less than brilliant. I can’t help but think that if Chair had spent more time developing the storyline and expanding the environment then this could have been THE best game currently available for iOS. But you have to concede that had they done so, the game would have cost a lot more than £3.49.
Overall, I recommend Infinity Blade. The graphics and gameplay will definitely keep you entertained, but for how long I cannot say…
Review: Driver For iPhone / iPad / iPod Touch
0Those readers who can remember the glory days of the original PlayStation will no doubt remember the original “Driver” game. Back when Grand Theft Auto was all two dimensional and viewed from a great height, Driver was a true 3D open-map style game. Unlike GTA though, the players job was to take on the role of Tanner, an undercover cop investigating the seedy world of organised crime.
Driver was a hit in 1999 when it was first released, and has spawned 4 sequals since, but by that time GTA3 had come out and many felt that Driver just couldn’t compete.
Thankfully, the folks at Gameloft disagree and have released the original Driver game for iOS devices.
Nostalgia aside, I think it’s important to review this game objectively and solely on it’s merits as an iOS game (though of course fans of the franchise will likely buy it regardless!).
Graphics
The graphics are almost identical to the original series; polygon counts are quite low, textures are rendered in quite low resolution and the draw distance is quite disappointing at times. However, this is a game on a mobile platform and it IS rendered in full 3D, so maybe it’s asking too much to see an improvement in graphics on the original game.
Sound
It does seem like improvements have been made over the original game in terms of sound quality. Unfortunately I can’t lay my hands on the original, but I don’t seem to remember the radio working in the same way as it does on the iPhone version.
Other than that, the sound is fine; effects come through clearly and spoken words are clear and concise, not much else you can ask for.
Controls
As with any driving game on the iPhone (and that includes GTA: China Town Wars) the control method takes a bit of getting used to. You have accelerate and brake buttons on the right, and steering, handbrake and burnout buttons on the left. It’s not possible to get out of the car in this game so these are the only controls you need.
It does suffer from the same mis-placed finger problem as all other games on touch screen devices, but once you get used to it it’s entirely manageable.
Game play
Those who played the original can attest to the strength of the game play in Driver. Back in it’s day it was a revelation in terms of playability; no one had produced a 3D driving game with an open map before, and Driver did it very well. These days we’re a bit spoilt, and although the storyline is just as compelling as it always was, the thrill of being able to select your own route just doesn’t please like it used to.
The game is still enjoyable mind you, and many hours can be spent playing through the main campaign to it’s conclusion. As stated above, in the original Driver you were unable to get out of your car (Driver 2 fixed that) so it can seem a little repetitive at times and it may take you a good few gaming sessions before you manage to play through to the end.
Verdict
Driver for iPhone is a must have for any true fan of the original game, it’s a great trip down memory lane to be able to play through missions and story lines that you last played a good ten years ago.
For everyone else, it’s tricky to decide if Driver is worth the price tag of £2.99 (correct as I write this), but there is a free version which will allow you to try it. It’s a shame that better use hasn’t been made of the iPhones hardware, but it does stick true to the original which it enough for some.
In any case, it might give Rockstar a few ideas about a 3D version of GTA for the iPhone.
Final Score: 7/10