Rapid Review: Masayuki Akamatsu’s Banner.

After the sheer success of Banner Free, Akamatsu releases Banner at 59p.

After the sheer success of 'Banner Free', Akamatsu releases 'Banner' at 59p.



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We first saw Banner [App Store] appear on the store back in late July. Since then banner was renamed to ‘Banner Free’ [App Store] signaling to pretty much the entire world the developer was gearing up to launch a charged version, and on Friday, that’s exactly what Masayuki Akamatsu (the developer) did.

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Akamatsu is not new to the store, by any means. He/she has brought you to likes of Alarm Free [App Store] as well as the simple audio generator Oscillator [App Store] and other various useful, pretty unique titles.

Banner
Ever seen those scrolling LED panels? – Well Banner is a customisable one of those, for iPhone. Unlike ‘Banner Free’, Banner is priced at just 59p, and offers extensions to what is available in Banner Free. These include:


- Enter five messages and have them scroll across the screen sequentially or individually.
- You can now select from 6 different styles of banner and LED representation
- Adjust the scrolling speed of your banner
- Double tap option for opening editor, as to avoid accidental opening.

Ok, yes, it’s gimmicky, but a great party trick and I must say it is very well implemented and designed.
Banner takes full advantage of the gorgeous 3.2″ (160 ppi) LCD screen we all know and love, on the iPhone.

Overall
Banner is great fun as well as visually stunning,
and at 59p, not many would argue it’s value.

Rating: 7.5/10 (Good fun)

App Store: Banner

R-Fly



Want Me as Your BETA Tester?

Im now open for beta testing!

I'm now open for beta testing!



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Hey guys/gals, Ok, I figured I enjoyed beta testing Instamapper 1.1 so much, before it hit the store, I’d like to beta test applications for more developers, more often. If you have an application you’d like tested and reviewed on RazorianFly please contact me at arron_161@hotmail.com asking for my device identifier (UDID – Ad Hoc Helper [App Store]) and I’ll be sure to respond to you, within 24-48 hours.

Luc from Edovia Inc did just that. Edovia have brought you the likes of Linguo [App Store] and Steps [App Store].
I’ll hopefully be reviewing both of these, plus others, shortly.

The App Store is proving to be the birth place for some pretty slick future-gen applications, and I’d love to be a part of beta-testing some of the more interesting ones! – Whether it be for iPhone or iPod touch, shoot me at arron_161@hotmail.com or razorianfly@gmail.com.

Cheers,
R-Fly



Users Buying iPhone Applications based on thier Icons? – [Briefly]

App Store users surveying icon before functionality?

App Store users surveying icon before functionality?



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We all know the iPhone is seen as a status symbol, or a highly desirable object, but in a recent growing trend, style might just be swaying the deciding factor of application purchases by App Store users.

In a quite controversial trend, It seems users may be looking at the one thing which hits you first, when buying any application from the store – it’s icon. With recent threads popping up on numerous message boards over the internet, App Store users seem increasingly more conscious of how the application icon will look on their home screens, without actually weighing up the functionality of the application, first.

According to TheSpaz of Mac Rumors

“If the icon doesn’t look good… I don’t buy the App… I don’t want a beautiful home screen with an eye sore on it.”

I find this interesting. If you base your App Store purchases on the quality or aesthetic look of the icon, please do tell me about it in the comments section. What makes you ultimately buy an application for your iPhone or iPod touch?

R-Fly



Jaadu VNC: Remote Intuative control of your PC or Mac – [Updatedx5]

Jaadu VNC for iPhone is just, phenomenal.

Jaadu VNC for iPhone is just, phenomenal.



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[Updatex5 - 04.09.08] – (02.12am GMT)

Connected via 3G and Edge thanks to Jugaari Support! It is recommended to load a webpage (fully) in Safari before attempting to connect Jaadu VNC through 3G or Edge. Jaadu VNC needs a push to realise you’ve switched out to Edge or 3G – Jugaari are aware of this bug and promise a fix soon.

[Updatex4 - 04.09.08] – (01.35am GMT)

Currently in talks with Jugaari support, and they are excellent. Manually setup port forwarding .. still a little hitch … but nearly connected via 3G and Edge 8) – I now get as far as ‘Authorising’.

[Updatex3 - 03.09.08] – (18.54pm GMT)

I’ve yet to get Jaadu VNC to connect to my iMac using 3G or Edge.
I have e-mailed technical support and am expecting a reply shortly.

[Updatex2 - 03.09.08] – (17.19pm GMT)

Here’s some useful information on how to use Jaadu effectively:

– Click
with a quick tap
Right-click with a quick two fingered tap
Double-click with a quick double tap
Drag with a quick double tap, followed by a drag
Scroll with two fingered vertical swipes
Navigate through your application (e.g. PowerPoint) with two fingered horizontal swipes
Zoom by pinching with two fingers
Type by clicking on the keyboard icon

Original Article:

Jaadu VNC [App Store] is a VCN Client aims at bringing you one touch access to entire desktop, from your iPhone. The application requires no setup what-so-ever, due to Jaadu Connect, a new automated setup application for Mac or PC by Jugaari.

New to VNC?

According to Wikipedia

“In computing, Virtual Network Computing (VNC) is a graphical desktop sharing system which uses the RFB protocol to remotely control another computer. It transmits the keyboard and mouse events from one computer to another, relaying the graphical screen updates back in the other direction, over a network.”



Jaadu VNC Setup Panel and Teleportation animation.

Jaadu VNC Setup Panel and Teleportation animation.

Basics
Jaadu VNC, offers full access to your desktop, remotely, using iPhone. When launching the application you’ll be met with a list view entitled ‘Servers’ and a plus button (top right). Choosing the plus button brings you to a manual setup panel where you enter an identifier, i.e. ‘Home iMac’, the IP address of that device and the pass code required for screen sharing to take place.

Setting up Jaadu VNC for Mac
Setting up Jaadu VNC for a Windows PC

Note: Please make sure if you are using a Mac, that you goto:

System Preferences > Sharing > Enable Screen Sharing > Computer Settings >
“VNC viewers may control screen with password” > Set a password.

.. before using Jaddu VNC.

Once setup, simply tap the device you wish to connect to, and you’ll be ‘teleported’ through to a live VNC representation of your entire desktop. Jaadu VNC was formerly known as ‘Teleport’ but changed it’s name due to legal reasons.

Connected to Home iMac through Jaadu VNC for iPhone.

Connected to 'Home iMac' through Jaadu VNC for iPhone.

Features
Jaadu VNC can seem, at times, to be lacking … but fear not, as the application is being updated on a regular basis and the developer states that all future updates will remain free to those who have purchased an original version of Jaadu VNC. As it currently stands, Jaadu VNC offers all of this:

- You want to control your PowerPoint presentation using your iPhone as your clicker. You also want to see your presenter notes on your iPhone.
– You want to control your media center using your iPod touch while you’re watching a movie
– You forgot an important file on your home computer and you absolutely need to have access to it, or you need to email it to someone else urgently
– You want to check on your kids to make sure they’re asleep at home instead of on the computer
– You want to walk your significant other / parent / child through some complicated set up process on the home computer while you’re traveling
– You want to access websites that just don’t work on your iPhone like you’d want them to — or you want to use Flash-enabled websites which don’t work at all on Safari

– Supports iPhone & iPod touch with an active network connection (3G / Edge / WiFi)
– Connects with Windows PCs and Macs
– Control your computer’s mouse and keyboard wirelessly using your iPhone / iPod touch
– View your computer’s screen on your iPhone / iPod touch
– Natural Touchpad interface for mouse controls
– Supports multi-display, high resolution desktops
– Remote Control provides access to numeric keypad, arrow keys, and function keys
– Fine-grained control of media player using the free Jaadu Server (coming soon!)

Along the top you have your main toolbar. This is where you can takeover your keyboard or mouse remotely, or send quit or esc and other commands to the device itself. The righter-most button on the toolbar calls the iPhone’s built in keyboard, and the second to right – keyboard and mouse commands.

Just a selection of some commands available within Jaadu VNC.

Just a selection of some commands available within Jaadu VNC.

Commands can also be held down. To hold down a command or button, simply double tap. The third button from the right, calls a menu of essential keyboard shortcut keys. These include CMD, Option, Shift and Function.

Blind spots
During my time using Jaadu VNC, I was unable to find how-to operate the ’second-click’ support for mouse commands. This is the only issue I’ve experienced so far. I have e-mailed their support teams, and am expecting a reply very shortly on the matter. [Update] – To right click, tap the screen with two fingers simultaneously (Jugaari Support).

Price
Jugaari know they are onto something good here, and the price reflects it. At £14.99, some people may be scared off at first look, but look again and you may just the see the awesome potential of this little application. If you wish to try Jaadu VNC for yourself, drop 59p for Jaadu Click [App Store]. Jaadu Click offers VNC accessibility to your device, as well as left click clicking ability. Jaadu Click does not offer keyboard or second click mouse support.

Jaadu VNC Global Settings and Desktop View.

Jaadu VNC Global Settings and Desktop View.

Overall
Jaadu is a sleek new way to access your Mac or PC while away from home. As it functions over Wifi, 3G or Edge, Jaadu VNC is the perfect companion for your iPhone, in case you need direct access to your home desktop immediately. Over the past three days I’ve been using Jaadu VNC, it has worked every time and surprisingly never crashed on me.

Supports iPhone
& iPod touch.

Rating: 8/10 (Recommended)

App Store: Jaadu VNC

R-Fly



What in God’s name is iTunes Backing Up?! – [Updatedx2]

iTunes becoming ridiculous over syncing iPhone.

iTunes becoming ridiculous over syncing iPhone.



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[Updatex2 - 02.09.08] – (15.07pm GMT)

There is however a temporary fix. The following instructions are how to completely disable iTunes from backing up your devices. Note: This is not an ideal solution by any means, and could mean, in the event of a system crash and/or factory restore, you may not have an up-to-date backup to restore from.

1) Quit iTunes
2) Open Terminal.app
3) Type (or copy and paste) the following command, then hit Return:

defaults write com.apple.iTunes DeviceBackupsDisabled -bool true

4) Open and run iTunes.

[Update - 02.09.08] – (13.38pm GMT)

According to Anuba of Mac Rumors

“The whole procedure is horrendously slow, and probably 99,9% redundant. iTunes on Mac is bad enough, but on Windows it’s just pathetic. And it’s not the PC’s fault, I mean no other application is that slow. Even the mother of all slow launchers, Photoshop, starts up faster than iTunes. You can click the icon and go out to lunch, and with a little luck iTunes will appear on the screen by the time you return. It’s just a damn media player, how hard can it be? Windows Media Player launches in like 2 seconds no matter how big your library is. iTunes takes like 30 seconds and once it finally appears, it syncs forever with the iPhone and/or any attached iPods, even when no data has changed. And it hogs more CPU cycles than a frickin’ 3D game. To keep iTunes reasonably responsive is an art form of its own, one wrong turn and it’s frozen for XX seconds, for no apparent reason. Is this how they want to attract business users with PCs? “Oh yeah, our smartphone works perfectly with Windows. Just install this big ass, slow-as-molasses media player (yes, we consider a media player the perfect platform for handling mail, contacts and calendars) and watch it grind your system to a halt everytime you want to recharge your phone”.”

Original Article:

Ok, I recently told you about the amount of problems that I, with the rest of the world, have been experiencing with our iPhone 3G’s. Today’s highlight is – back ups. With the introduction of software version 2.0, and with it iTunes 7.7, iPhone is now required to be backed up each time you sync the device.

Now, in theory, this can be great as every time you sync you’ll be making a backup thats up-to-date in the event of a restore, but it’s not that easy. Backing up takes, FOREVER. In this video by Gizmodo, which shows a time lapse of an iPhone sync with iTunes taking up to 8 hours, it is clear that this is now a serious issue for Apple, and they should have fixed it sooner. This is not Apple, or the Apple way-of-living – This, is a nightmare.

The question is, What is iTunes really backing up for it to take that long? – Well, just the usual, your contacts, photos, mapping data, bookmarks, call data, application data … At times though, It can feel like its backing up your entire family and their individual life stories -_-. This ‘issue’ cannot be said to be an issue with either iTunes or iPhone, it’s both. iTunes presumably has a bug which causes misrepresentation to the backup status bar, and iPhone has a bug within it’s current software which causes it to crash iTunes sporadically.

Now, this is not only affecting iPhone owners, it is also affecting the iPod touch. Lets not forget, Apple’s marketing is stellar, but they rely a tonne, on word of mouth. – If Mark wants to buy an iPod touch this Christmas and so happens to ask his friend Alan whether it’s worth it, and Alan reply’s “Sure, but you’ll be backing up for 6 hours at every sync …” – Do you think Mark will buy? – I doubt it. They are damaging their polished image of ‘It Just Works’ by rushing software out of the door.

Anyway I hope a fix, as promised by El Jobso himself, is on it’s way soon …
Otherwise I may just have to throw my iMac at the nearest wall.

R-Fly



Breaking: Peter Boctor’s ‘Tomatoes’ Pulled from the App Store?



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Tomatoes, designed by Peter Boctor [More information ...] was a client aimed at bringing the ever popular film review site
Rotten Tomatoes to the iPhone in a user friendly, clean interface.

Originally available here [App Store], Tomatoes is no longer available.
It is not yet known what caused Apple or Peter to pull this application.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a slurry of applications which have been pulled from the store, due to copyright claims or stability issues. One current example of this is ‘Tris’ [YouTube] which was pulled by the developer last Wednesday. Tris was said to be pulled from the store, due to the company owning the original intellectual property rights to ‘Tetris’ threatening legal action. Tris and Tomatoes were available on the App Store for free.

R-Fly



iPhone 2.1 to Hit Today? – [Updatedx2]



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[Update - 01.09.08] – (21.29pm)

This information was false, we apologise for publishing it.
The time now is 21.30pm GMT, Apple did not release 2.1 today.

Original Article:
NickSpohn of Mac Rumors, recently pointed out a previous trend in Apple software releases, which could suggest they are now gearing up to release the next revision of the iPhone 2.0 software, version 2.1, later today.

He notes:

Based on last years firmware updates, and now this years, I think it is safe to say that 2.1 should be released September 1st, or the first week of September. If you notice with the 2.0.x updates:

2.1 – September 1st – Monday
2.0.2 – August 18th – Monday
2.0.1 – August 4th – Monday

Which were 2 weeks apart exactly, and i doubt was just a random coincidence.
Take it with a grain of salt if you wish.

Nick’s thinking is that as Apple released 2.0.2 for iPhone on Monday August 18th 2008, and that that is exactly 2 weeks today, Apple could be gearing for another release today. Not only that, if you look at the gap between the release of iPhone 2.0.1 and 2.0.2, this is also exactly 2 weeks. Coincidence?

Software releases for iPhone and iPod touch lines are usually released to the public between 10-12am EST (6-8pm GMT) – Meaning if the rumor is true, we still have a couple of hours to go. As stated by Nick himself, this is a shot in the dark based on previous trends in release, and should not be taken as gospel, just yet.

Via: Mac Rumors

R-Fly



Lumen for iPhone. – [Updated]

Lumen for iPhone. Addictive, Delicious Fun.

Lumen for iPhone. Addictive, Delicious Fun.



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[Update - 02.09.08] – (14.26pm GMT)

It seems Bridger has gone one step further. In an attempt to get people interested in Lumen’s new revised UI, he is now including it within the free version of the application, Lumen Lite! [App Store].

[Update - 02.09.08] – (12.27pm GMT)

“Thanks for the coverage! Your review is great.
It is always cool to hear from someone who enjoys playing Lumen.

I have to give credit where it is due though. Adam Betts was the artist who redesigned the interface. To be honest I didn’t even give him any guidelines on what needed changing on the interface. He completely came up with everything himself. He spotted many UI flaws that Lumen had and fixed them without any instruction from me. He also was great about communicating his progress, delivering very on time, and charged a very reasonable price. I would definitely recommend him to anyone.”

Thank You,
Bridger Maxwell

Source – Mac Rumors

Original Article:
Puzzling and addictive, Lumen [App Store] designed by Bridger Maxwell forces you to use that brain of yours, once again. Lumen recently got a huge update in the form of version 2.0. This offers a new gorgeous interface (much more polished) as well as quick control options for easier game play. Lumen 2.0 is a charged update for everyone, including people who owned version 1.0 of the game.

UI Changes. Lumen 1.0 - Left. 2.0 - Right.

UI Changes. Lumen 1.0 - Left. 2.0 - Right.

The Objective
The objective of Lumen is to light up coloured checkpoints by firing lasers through them. The thing is, sometimes the lasers are not the right colours for the checkpoints and therefore won’t pass through. Also, checkpoints may be placed in highly difficult places, and therefore you must re-direct the lasers in order to pass them through the checkpoints successfully.

Level 1.

Level 1.

Five Steps to Understanding Lumen
Lumen consists of five objects which you need to control, in order to successfully complete the game:

The Emitter
This is the object which emits the original laser. There may only be ONE of these on the board at a time. Also new with Lumen 2.0, you can now tap any piece on the board to change it’s colour to either Red, Green or Blue. An emitter can only be placed on an outer wall of the current board.

The Filter
This object changes the original colour of the laser. Once the colour of your laser has been changed, it cannot be changed back, so choose carefully. Also new with Lumen 2.0, you can now tap any piece on the board to change it’s colour to either Red, Green or Blue.

Mirrors
Tap anywhere on the board to place a mirror down, or drag one from your inventory (found at the bottom). Mirrors have four directions and you can choose the direction of your mirror, by tapping it.

Checkpoints
Pass your laser through all the checkpoints to win. Sometimes you may have to change the colour of the original laser to pass through the checkpoints successfully.

Obstacles
Metal blocks can disrupt the path of your laser, stopping you from completing the game. Wangle your lasers around these to complete the level.

The Lumen library of Puzzles.

The Lumen library of Puzzles.

More Levels?
If your bored with the 60 or so puzzles that come pre-installed with Lumen, no worries – Just go online and you’ll be subject to over 1,200 user-submitted puzzles, just waiting to be solved by you! – Suffice to say, the levels get harder as you progress.

Advanced Levels.

Advanced Levels.

Price
If you wish to try Lumen before dropping the £2.39 ($3.99), you can now do so by downloading ‘Lumen Lite’ [App Store]. Lumen Lite now also features the new revised UI, as well as a limited selection of puzzles. At £2.39 ($3.99), Lumen is visually stunning, and addictive enough to open it up for a second helping. Lumen 2.0 is a charged update for everyone, including people who owned version 1.0 of the game.

Overall
Lumen 1.0 proved the concept. Lumen 2.0 brought it to life. With it’s visually strong user interface, great game play and a user-created library of over 1800 puzzles to choose from, Lumen is a puzzler to be reckoned with.

Rating: 9/10 (Highly Recommended)

App Store: Lumen

R-Fly



Rapid Review: Colour Tilt for iPhone.



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A unique application for drawing on iPhone, is Color Tilt [App Store]. Change colors by tilting your device. You have many choices of colors, and you can adjust the opacity and thickness of the line you draw. Shake to erase, or you can even erase it all with your finger!

A fun, cute little drawing app:

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Zym



Breaking: Apple’s iPod touch 2nd Gen to get A-GPS module. – [Updated]



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[Update - 03.09.08] – (1.14am GMT)

Apple has confirmed it will hold a special event on September 9th 2008.
The entire iPod line is now expected to be overhauled in both design and feature-sets.

Original Article:

With the certainty of Apple holding a special event sometime in late September, discussion has now shifted towards what might be added to the iPod product line, to get it ready for the holiday season.

In a claim by iDealsChina, the people responsible for leaking an accurate factory-state mold of iPhone 3G before it’s release, they now claim to have ‘insider’ information from employees and designers who are involved in designing the iPod touch and iPod nano, that Apple’s second generation of their iPod touch line will introduce GPS. If true this will mean iPod touch will be the first and only iPod, to incorporate a GPS chip.

|

Could this really be the new iPod nano? :|

Also, more evidence has emerged of the 4th generation iPod nano re-design. Rendered computer models and sketches suggest Apple is moving away from short and stubby (fatty), and going long and thin again. The iPod nano could also be getting a profile design change, with the rendered images suggesting a beveled oval shape.

Interesting stuff.

Via: Mac Rumors / iDealsChina

R-Fly