iPhone augmented reality apps in OS 3.1 for the 3GS on the way!
Jul/092
"I knew that!", says the navigator.
Let’s face it: we’re all waiting for the day when our iPhones and iPod touches start identifying the hunk beside that bar or that chick walking on the street by just taking her photo with a camera. While that won’t be possible in the near future (though the Twitter app above allows a bit of room for that), there’s of course the augmented reality (AR) apps in the up-and-coming iPhone OS 3.1, slated to arrive this September.
To put it simply in the context of the iPhone, it combines the usage of the camera, the all-new magnetometer (a.k.a compass), GPS and an Internet connection to give you real-time information on what you see. For instance, you can point at one location and that will give you the nearest road. There are many uses for it, and the possibility is endless.
According to the LA Times post here:
Apple told Acrossair, developer of the Nearest Tube train finder, that the app will be approved for distribution after Apple releases version 3.1 of the iPhone software, which the developer expects will land in early September.
Augmented reality apps can only be used by iPhone 3GS users, though. Boo.
Top 5 Applications for Jail-broken iPhones
Jun/096
You can also read this title as ‘Top 5 Excuses to Jailbreak Your iPhone’! :-)
This is the Quickpwn mascott. I guess it is a ninja pineapple... get it? pineAPPLE :P
Now, I have to do an obligatory disclaimer… you could damage your phone, void your warranty, and maybe even increase your risk of cancer if you jailbreak your iPhone! But as promised, here’s my top 5 list for all you crazy bastards that like living on the edge of life and death enough to jail-break! Haha. I hope you detect the sarcasm there. Jail-breaking has become very simple and fairly safe. I have jail broken my iPhone 4 or 5 times now using Quickpwn on two different PCs and once on a laptop with absolutely no problems at all. And if your wondering, all but one of those times I redid my iPhone it was simply to get a fresh start after accumulating a ton of junk. The one other time was because out of the blue one day I could not get Cydia* to download anything new. I racked my brain and finally just restored my phone and redid the jailbreak.
Top 5 iPhone Applications (from the App Store)
Jun/093
This is simply a list of my top 5 favorite iPhone apps. Now, I’ve used a lot of iPhone apps, both free and paid, but with that said, I couldn’t have possibly tried them all. So if you see this list and you find it odd that I prefer app X to app Y, leave a comment, maybe I am not aware of app Y! These are in no particular order, but I will list them in trendy count-down style so I can build a false sense of suspense :-P
#5 – WiFi Touchpad – $2.99
WiFi Touchpad works a lot like your Laptops touchpad, but it goes beyond that!
This app is a god send! I have a PC in my living room connected to my entertainment center, and this app allows me to easily ditch the keyboard / mouse combo. Not only does it function as a very low latency laptop-style touchpad pointing device, but it also features:
- Landscape touchpad, great for wide screen TVs
- Landscape keyboard. Although a little cramped, it is very cool that it offers most all the keys you would need for interfacing with your computer.
- A mode that allows you to type all of the text you want right on the iPhone (using the familiar iPhone keypad) and then send it to your computer all at once. This is useful if your just typing text for an email or IM or whatever, even a web address.
- Can work with multiple iPhones / computer systems.
- The receiver app is VERY small and unobtrusive. It doesn’t run at boot by default, so toss a shortcut in your startup folder!
- Works on Mac or PC (although I have only used it with a PC)