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Posts tagged with "iPhone"

You Can Now Use FaceTime On The iPhone 3GS

As previewed earlier today, FaceIt 3GS is a new Cydia tweak developed by iPhoneIslam which allows you to have FaceTime calls on older iPhone 3GS models, even if they don’t officially support FaceTime nor do they come with a front-facing camera.

The tweak simply enables FaceTime in the Settings app and lets you use the standard 3GS camera to capture what’s around you in a video call. To install the tweak, open Cydia (your device must be jailbroken) and install the following source:

http://apps.iphoneislam.com

Hit “Add” and wait for Cydia to refresh. Then search for FaceIt 3GS and install it. Reboot your iPhone, and you’ll find the FaceTime functionality inside the Settings app, just like on the iPhone 4 or the latest iPod Touch. Insert your number, wait for activation and your device will be ready to go.

iPhoneIslam demoes the tweak in action in the video below. iPhone 3GS owners and jailbreakers, you know what to do.

Parallax Brings Panoramic Wallpapers To The iPhone | Cydia Store

A new tweak available in the Cydia Store, Parallax, allows you to set a panoramic wallpaper as background on your iPhone Springboard and enjoy all the details of the wallpaper scrolling behind your icons.

All you have to do is upload on your iPhone some widescreen wallpapers (the ones that iOS would usually “cut” to fit the smaller screen of the iPhone) and select the auto scroll speed (or manual adjustment) in the tweak’s preferences inside the Settings app.

As you can see in the video below, the tweak seems pretty stable and fast. Installation on older 3G devices, however, isn’t recommended. Parallax is available at $1.49 under BigBoss repository. Read more

iOS 4.2 on iPhone 3G: Much Better [Video]

The guys over at TiPB thought it was about time to take a second look at the 2008 iPhone 3G and see how it would perform on the upcoming new version of iOS, the iOS 4.2 Apple is rumored to be releasing sometime this week. They installed the GM build on the iPhone 3G, and as you can see in the video Apple’s engineers really did everything they could to optimize the OS for the slower device (it’s got a Samsung ARM 412 MHz processor and 128MB of RAM).

Scrolling seems smooth and fast, typing is ok, there are a couple of slowdowns when trying to pinch and zoom on webpages but no big deal. When iOS 4.0 came out in June iPhone 3G users were left out in the cold with a terribly slow OS that didn’t run exactly “well” on their devices. I saw one and trust me, it was slow as hell

iOS 4.1 made things slightly better, but it looks like 4.2 it’s going to be the ultimate optimized operating system for 3G. And it wouldn’t be surprised if it was the last one, too.

Hacker Enables FaceTime on iPhone 3GS [Video]

iPhone development group iPhoneislam (the same guys behind FaceTime Hacktivator) managed to get FaceTime up and running on an iPhone 3GS – without video transmission. As you can see in the video below, the developer installs a tweak called FaceIt-3GS on the device, which can receive calls. They haven’t figured out a way to use the 3GS camera yet, but I guess the hack will be complete and available in Cydia soon.

Without a front-facing camera, FaceTime doesn’t make much sense. Still, it’ll be useful for those die-hard 3GS users that want FaceTime, with a trade-off.

[Thanks, khlaed] Read more

Calvetica, The Minimal App That Reinvented Calendars On My iPhone

In my quest to searching for the perfect Google Calendar setup on iOS and OS X, I’ve already stopped by the gates of miCal, a full-featured calendar software for iPhone that could use some UI refinements, but allows you to swipe between lots of calendar views in seconds. miCal isn’t exactly elegant or “great-looking”, but it gets the job done.

When I first asked on Twitter which was the “app to have” when it comes to calendars, practically everyone replied with one word: Calvetica. What’s the deal about Calvetica? I had heard about it before I went asking on Twitter for calendar app suggestions, but I had never really focused on exploring its functionalities – nor did I bother to download it for that matter. So when I got all those recommendations (even from people I deeply respect and admire such as Dave) I realized it was time to try the Helvetica-based calendar thing.

A week later, I’m completely addicted to the features and interface schemes offered by Calvetica. Do we already have a winner here? Read on past the break to find out. Read more

MacStories Weekly Game: Time Geeks

Time Geeks is a classic seek and find game like the ones we used to play in the 80s and early 90s. Those games where you’re given something to find, and the level isn’t completed until you find it. Simple rules. Simple gameplay. So how do you reinvent the genre today, with an App Store overloaded with 3D FPS and zombies games? By making it fun, geek, great-looking and cheap.

At $0.99 in the App Store, I’m not afraid to say Time Geeks is my new favorite game on the iPhone. Read more

Why Developers Create Apps for iOS→

Why Developers Create Apps for iOS

Marco Arment:

The problem is that hardware manufacturers and tech journalists assume that the hardware just needs to exist, and developers will flock to it because it’s possible to write software for it. But that’s not why we’re making iPhone and iPad software, yet those are the basis for the theory.

We’re making iPhone software primarily for three reasons:

Dogfooding: We use iPhones ourselves.
Installed base: A ton of other people already have iPhones.
Profitability: There’s potentially a lot of money in iPhone apps.

With this in mind, think about the installed based of Macs.

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IMDb Releases Improved iPhone and iPad App

Movie, TV and celebrity database IMDb released earlier today a brand new version of its official iOS app for iPhone and iPad.

Version 2.0 of IMDb for iOS brings a lot of bug fixes and overall performance improvements, a redesigned dashboard with the latest news from a variety of media sources, support for movie showtimes in 13 more countries including Canada and UK, possibility to rate movies and TV shows using your IMDb account.

As TechCrunch reports, IMDb released an iPad app shortly after the iPad came out and it was very successful. The 2.0 update (universal for iPhone and iPad) anticipates the major redesign the website is undergoing at the moment.

IMDb for iPhone and iPad is available for free here. Check out the full 2.0 changelog below. Read more

The Glif for iPhone 4 Raises $137,417, Will Be Available Soon

The Glif is an innovative tripod mount and stand for the iPhone 4 by Thomas Gerhardt and Dan Provost we first covered a month ago when the NYC duo started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the projects. The Glif is based on a pretty expensive manufacturing process called “injection molding” which ensures great build quality and durability.

Unfortunately, the cost of the process was too high for the two designers, so they started a campaign and get covered on many Apple-related publications hoping users would find the idea interesting as much as we did.

Glif is a simple iPhone 4 accessory with two primary functions: mounting your iPhone to a standard tripod, and acting as a kickstand to prop your phone up at an angle.

The idea for the Glif was first formed when we realized the iPhone 4 is literally the best camera we’ve ever owned. With the addition of HD video recording and High Dynamic Range photography, it’s clear Apple is positioning the iPhone as a very high quality portable camera. But because of its small form factor (and Apple’s minimalist design approach) it will never contain a threaded nut for attaching a tripod – standard on almost all photo and video cameras.

The good news is, The Glif campaign managed to raise more than $130k in less than 30 days, while the developers set the initial goal to $10.000. Not a bad accomplishment at all. Thanks to all the users who pledged and supported The Glif, the project is now becoming a reality and will soon be available on The Glif’s official website. You can sign up now to be notified when the product becomes available.

If you missed it, check out The Glif promo video below. [via The Next Web] Read more