“I think quality is largely irrelevant,” Adam Saltsman, creator of Wurdle, told the crowd during a discussion of independent game development for the iPhone and iPod Touch. “I think the defining thing is how quickly you can describe your product to someone else.” This position flies in the face of assertions by other developers during GDC that the iPhone was a powerful platform and not to be underestimated.

The balance of a polished product to the element of ‘fun’ is probably the biggest factor. For example, Infomedia who created the iFart app, apparently earned over US$250,000 for what surely amounts to very little development compared with more useful applications. The real shame of it all is that there are fantastic iPhone games available. Playing with apps may be like chewing gum, once the flavor is gone, you go for something else, therefore once the fun is out from an app, we look for something else.

[via Kotaku]

Skype has reportedly stated that “The Skype for iPhone app was down for a couple hours, caused by our own submission of a ‘hotfix’ to simply address some feedback and minor improvements. The release date for the ‘hotfix’ was incorrectly applied to the current version of the app.”

Skype for iPhone is already available again in Europe, Skype says, and will return to global app stores within a few hours at most. The app is in the process of being repopulated into the App Store.

[via CNET]

In less than two days, Skype for iPhone has been downloaded more than one million times. This equates to approximately six downloads every second. Peter Parkes a Blogger with Skype said in a blog post, “this is a phenomenal performance, and we’re confident that it’s one of the fastest-downloaded iPhone apps ever. We’ll be back next week with an update, but for now, Skype on.”

This all went down on the 2nd of April after the initial release of the application. So if my maths serves me correctly, if the rate of downloading the app continues, hypothetically every iPhone user should have downloaded it within the next few weeks. Pretty good effort on Skypes behalf to have such a great turn around within days of releasing their app.

[via Skype]

From the ease of use to the accessibility of the iPhone App Store, unified hardware and software package, the panel discussed what it is that has made iPhone just so successful. Chief Technical Officer, Tom Conrad from Pandora, for one credited iPhone’s App Store with the success of Pandora’s free music discovery application. The company saw more customers after a few months on the iPhone than it did after two years under the carriers’ wings.

Jeff Smith, CEO of Smule said the iPhone was the only device that could handle their audio application. Ocarina (pictured) requires five audio scripts to run concurrently, Smith said, plus GPS, the accelerometer, multitouch and multithreading. Developers have an easier time as they can get started without having to negotiate with the likes of AT&T and Verizon on their own. iPhone has a huge slice of the market through the Western World. Overall, Nokia still has 40% of the hardware and there are a number of models coming out in the next few months (as well as associated app stores) to take iPhone on. I will be very keen to see statistics and thoughts by the end of 09.

[via CNET]

The goal of all these developments as stated by Bill McDermott president of Global Field Operations for SAP, is to help companies make their workforce more productive while away from the office. McDermott said that “the big breakthrough here is that we are offering this solution out-of-the-box.” Apple has also made it easy to purchase and download applications through its App Store.

SAP and Sybase will be working together to bring one of the biggest business services worldwide to the iPhone. Thus extending their brand coverage past BlackBerry and devices running Windows Mobile. Providing such services on mobile devices to access corporate applications will mean the office will always be with you.

[via CNET]

The application offers fans the chance of viewing in-depth contestant bios, pictures, news and exclusive video from behind-the-scenes of the on-air show. Giving fans the chance to really get to know the contestants, between now and the Finale, 78 videos will be released on a weekly basis.

Additional features of the app include being able to view daily news on the contestants. Test your powers of picking the winner through “My Rankings”. Throughout the last weeks of the competition, users can track their favorite contestants’ progress. Always just one click away from the American Idol iTunes page where they can download music from recent performances.

[via SlashPhone]

One of the first things that you notice about Weightbot is the beautiful interface.  Input your weight information each day and before long your data will be graphed out to make it easier to visualize your progress. You can also track your progress by week, month and by year.

For those more sensitive about our weight there is a passcode lock option to keep your data away from prying eyes. While this application is not free it certainly is worth the money spent. If your not willing to shell out any money on a weight tracking app there are plenty more options out there for you.

Users can see IM status in their contacts and elect to call, text, instant message, email or even send a Facebook, MySpace or Twitter message, all from one simple menu. The application is not available not only for the iPhone but also the iPod Touch. Eventually Pinger plans to add support for BlackBerry, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Palm and Symbian.

“If people under 25 designed mobile phones, they’d put IM and social network messaging alongside dialing, texting and e-mail,” said Greg Woock, Pinger CEO. “With more than 30 billion messages sent on IM and social networks every day, it’s probably about time someone deeply integrated them into the basic mobile phone experience.”

Pinger Phone includes a single menu that allows users to call, text, IM, e-mail, or even send a Facebook, MySpace or Twitter message to contacts. Users now can communicate with friends without moving back and fourth between applications. Pinger Phone also logs all of your communication history so you can review was said to a specific person. Many users will be happy to know that there is a horizontal keyboard to for those who find it easier on your fingers.

Apple’s App store is seeing more than 2 million applications downloads everyday. Even though people thought that the initial swell in applications downloads would eventually top off and slow down, the App Store is actually seeing more traffic flow than before.

It was not long ago that Apple advertised claims of 300 million downloads since the App Store opened. Just back on October 22nd Apple announced the 200 million download mark. At this rate, who knows when the daily downloads will start to peak? As more and more users download premium applications, Apple will see its residual iPhone income increase.

“It’s unbelievable,” says Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster. “It’s a differentiator. We think in ‘09, it’s going to be a $1 billion market place and Apple will probably take about 30 percent of that. There’s virtually no operating expense for them. They just approve the apps.” Apple now has the most robust and integrated software and media platform in the mobile world with over 10,000 applications to choose from.

[Via CNBC]

It looks like Taiwan will be the next to get the iPhone 3G. The release date over there is set for December 13th. Chunghwa Telecom is the lucky provider to get the very popular handset and plans to sell 50,000 units by March of 2009. RusianiPhone.ru made claims this week that the new iPhone firmware 2.2.1 includes push notifications and notes sync. This rumor was quickly debunked however, simply just wishful thinking gone a little too far.

A new Silicon Touch iPhone case is in the works to bring the iPhone to visually impaired users. While it is only a concept right now, this shows great promise. One of the most interesting facts about this case is that users get the full functionality of multi-touch and gestures. People keep stirring up rumors of a 32GB iPhone 3G in high hopes, but it just never seems to be true. The latest rumor is that Apple will announce this version at Macworld. None of these rumors have any credibility behind them.

Apple did announce the top ten applications of 2008 by categories. Some were easy to figure out while others we have not even heard of. For all of you who have had trouble getting connected to AT&T’s free Wi-Fi hot spots there is now an application that will get you connected fast without many steps. Devicescape’s Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T takes care of all of the steps whether it be entering a username and password or clicking the “I accept” button to start browsing.

The new iPhone firmware 2.2 is reportedly locking legitimately unlocked iPhones that were imported from other countries. We are told that any update other than the one from the country of origin will indeed lock the handset and waste the extra money you spent on it. We are finally seeing an Amazon.com application for iPhone. The thing about this application is a new feature that allows you to snap a picture of an item you would like to purchase. If that item is later identified you will be notified with an email.

It appears that Walmart will be getting the iPhone 3G on December 28th. The difference is they will be selling a 4GB version rather than 8 or 16GB versions for only $99. There will be no difference with this model other than the obvious storage space. Now the iPhone picks up even the low-end price range. There is now an upgraded version of Tap Tap revolution called Tap Tap Dance that uses the new OpenGL-based platform, switching up the layout of the tracks themselves. The ability to embed video into the background adds a whole new level of craziness to the game play.

Flickr has added the ability to view videos on their m.flickr.com website with the iPhone. They eventually plan to expand this service to many more phones as time goes on. Flickr is currently the only company to currently provide a service such as this. Apple has instated a promo code application distribution program for various reasons such as getting apps to reviewers.

A PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida has created a very interesting way of delivering treats to his dog without even getting up. This contraption took only 90 minutes to make. All the materials are commonly found around the house, including a CD spindle case, scraps of cardboard, a servomotor and some random junk. It appears that jus about anyone who would like to can create a similar machine.

Constructed from a CD spindle case, scraps of cardboard, a servo motor and some random junk, you can view your dog and even give him a treat or two without even being there. Talk about easy babysitting. For this PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, creating such a device apparently was not very hard.

Myers gives credit to ioBridge’s smart boards, which is an Internet interface that requires no programming skills from users. The ioBridge software will either set up an online interface page for you, or spit out Javascript commands for you to embed into your own site.  For those who are more interested in the details, you can read more in his blog.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L3hdPxMa_o[/youtube]

[Via SlashGear]

As you can see in the video below, a very smart 18-year old, Josef Průša, has found a way to control an old remote control car with his iPhone. And supposedly, it only took one afternoon to develop this and get it up and running.

There are only five buttons that are used to control the car. Four of these buttons are used for driving and the fifth is used to toggle accelerometer control on and off. It’s that simple and very much resembles the racing games you can currently download from the App Store. Plus, you can actually pull this off yourself. Read the full how-to guide at Josef’s blog. There’s just one caveat. You will need a PC to act as a go between for the iPhone control and the toy car.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/1639452[/vimeo]

[via The iPhone Blog]

We’ve been hearing the buzz about a Lotus Notes application for the iPhone since back in January, but it looks like all the talk will soon become a reality. IBM is now previewing their slimmed down app called Lotus iNotes ‘Ultralite.’

This application will be web-based and feature all the standard Lotus Notes functions you’ve become accustomed to. It will run on Lotus Domino Web Access and will include a calendar, corporate email, and contacts. You will also be able to view attachments. However, this is not merely a ported version of the programs. iNotes has been customized to appear on the iPhone.

While no official release has been announced, it is greatly expected that the IBM Lotus iNotes Ultralite app will be available sometime before the year is out.

[via MacRumors]

To break it down, 20% of the available apps are free, with a total of 90% costing less than $10. It’s good to see that with the flood of applications that most are reasonably priced. I remember trying to get software for my old Windows Mobile phone and having to shell out $20 for even the most basic of software that I can find for far cheaper on the App Store.

While Apple revolutionized the phone market with the original iPhone, the App Store is really what is going to make sure that the iPhone is here to stay for many, many years to come.

[via Fortune]

The Fairplay DRM was hacked some time back, which is what protects the applications, however, it has been applied to the ever popular Super Monkey Ball. If you know where to look, you can grab yourself a copy of the game for free.

Granted, you’re going to need to do a little work to make it happen. First, you have to have a jailbroken iPhone, then you’ll have to SSH in to change a few permissions and such, as well as to transfer the game. Now it’s only a matter of time before more and more apps start showing up like this.

[via Gizmodo]