It has been months now since almost all the major tech publications started publishing fake and somewhat ridiculous rumors and photos of the upcoming iPhone 5. There have even been major debates on the Web about whether it will launch in September or October. The truth is, does it really matter? What matters more than the date or the form factor is the feature set.
We reported yesterday that minutes after the Skype app for iPad was released, the company tweeted that they had pulled the app to “ensure the best Skype experience”. That was a little bit of a strange move by Skype, especially after having posted a video of the app a few months back, and then removing that too. Now, 24 hours later, the app is alive and kicking in the App Store. Putting aside all the drama that led up to this app, Skype for iPad was very much worth the wait.
I don’t even know what to make of this story. Skype, the company that leads the VoIP space and has recently announced it is going to be acquired by Microsoft for bilions of dollars still does not have an iPad app. It is one of the stranger stories and has everyone wondering what they are waiting for. Of course, Skype is not alone on this front, and even Facebook still does not have a native iPad app, but that is a different topic.
According to the latest rumors circulating the interwebs, Skype is prepping its native iPad app for an upcoming release. With that, the VoIP leader joins Facebook as a technology giant that has yet to embrace the tablet king, but seems to have given in to the pressure.
These are interesting videos to watch now that iOS5 has been introduced. Listen to the crowd’s response to Jobs announcing features we take for granted today… You can almost feel the excitement in the crowd.
Parking your car can be an extremely frustrating experience. If you have a both a bad memory and a messed up sense of direction such as myself, looking for your car among the hundreds of other vehicles is a reoccurring ordeal. ParkBud ($1.99) by Wunderstadt GmbH attempts to solve this problem by helping you find parking, remembering where you parked and reminding you how much time you have left on your meter. The app is very well built with beautiful graphics and a wonderfully intuitive design. Watch a review of the app after the break!
Working in the mobile space, I am exposed to some of the biggest challenges that the industry faces. When it comes to developers, I work closely on helping them generate revenue from their free apps (you’d be surprised to hear that free apps make more than paid ones), but the biggest issue developers face today, is definitely traffic. Call it discovery, call it buzz, call it PR, the bottom line is, without a lot of help, most mobile developers struggle with reaching mass audiences.
First there was Doodle Jump, then Angry Birds and now there is Tiny Wings. What do all these games have in common? They’re inexpensive, very addictive and have dominated the app charts in their time. Tiny Wings is a game by independent developer Andreas Illiger. Within a week after it’s release, it was number one on the app store charts, bumping Angry Birds off of the top. In the game, you are a bird who dreams of flying however, your wings are just too small. To fulfill your dream, you slide down hills to gain speed and then shoot uphill into the sky gaining height. It’s simple, yet terribly addicting and if you don’t already have this game, go get it now. Watch a review of the app after the break.
If you’re still using the limited default weather app for the iPhone, it’s time to move on. You’ll find hundreds of weather apps on the App Store (there’s even a whole category dedicated to them) and they all do a pretty good job of telling you the weather conditions. There is, however, one app by Robocat stands out from the rest. Outside ($2.99) is a beautiful weather app which displays the current weather conditions as if you are looking out a window. Watch a review of the app after the break!
Star Walk is an app for the iPhone that lets you study the night sky by simply lifting your iPhone up at the sky. The app motion tracks with your iPhone and shows you what stars, planets, constellations or satellites you are looking at. Filled with educational and entertaining information and with a fantastic interface, Star Walk is one of the best apps on the iPhone today. Watch a review of the app after the break.
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