Whether you’re upgrading to the iPhone 3G or not, the App
Store is the iPhone’s most significant upgrade and is likely to
push it beyond the competitors. Here’s how it works...
We all love the iPhone, that’s a
given. But until recently there’s
been that slight disappointment
in the back of your mind. If not
disappointment, then frustration.
"Wouldn’t it be great if you could..."
is usually the opener in these
situations. The first iPhone offered
us a set of apps, from Clocks to
Calendars, and that was that. At the
time the groundbreaking iPhone
was enough to keep us happy, but
now, over a year on, we want more.
So, we get the iPhone 3G: better,
faster, slimmer, with GPS and a
number of other tweaks demanded
by the user community. This is
all well and good but, strangely
enough, it’s a software update
available on the original iPhone that
has everyone going crazy for it. Now,
when the age old "I wish my iPhone
could..." statements start, the
chances are a developer has thought
the same thing. For example,
we’ve been longing for a way to
control iTunes and AppleTV with
the iPhone and, with the launch of
the App Store, the free app Remote
solves the problem. Always wanted
iChat on your device? It’s here and
it’s free on the App Store. It’s this
constant evolution of software and
harnessing of the iPhone’s new
features that takes the pressure off
Apple to produce new features and
simply let the developers do the job
for them.
At launch there were only 400
approved iPhone Developers
working on software for the App
Store. Word is this has now been
opened up to several thousand
more, so we’re likely to see many
new applications trickling down
to Apple phones the world over in
the next few months and beyond.
One of the most notable elements
of the developer program for the
App Store is the level of control
given to those making the software.
They choose the price point and
can therefore charge as much or as
little as they want. In many cases
developers have made applications
available for free, including excellent
software like the Facebook iPhone
app, AOL Instant Messenger and
Twitterific. Most apps cost around
£5.99, but some run up as far as the
£30 mark, putting them on a par
with desktop applications in terms
of price. Fortunately, these are very
scarce and, for approximately the
same amount as an iTunes movie
rental, you can continue to add new
and exciting features and utilities to
your iPhone.
The developers kit also provides
producers of games, apps and tools
the opportunity to harness all of
the iPhone’s key features, including
GPS, 3G and the accelerometer
used to move pictures and apps
when the phone is held on its side.
Unsurprisingly, game manufacturers
like Sega and Freeverse have latched
onto these features to provide
Wii-like controls for some exciting
games, like the much anticipated
Super Monkey Ball. By tilting,
shaking and rotating the phone
a number of functions can be
accessed in other apps too, such as
the excellent Urbanspoon which
suggests restaurants close to your
GPS location when you shake the
iPhone. The use of the iPhone 3G’s
GPS positioning is one that many
developers will look to make use of,
with rumours of a full Sat Nav app
for iPhone in the offing very soon.
So how does the App Store work?
It works in two ways: through the
phone and through iTunes. With
a 10Mb cap for app downloads
directly to the iPhone, some larger
programs need to be downloaded
via iTunes first and then synced
to the iPhone. Also, any apps
downloaded to the iPhone will be
synced to iTunes so you can pick
and choose which apps you want
present – a handy feature for users
of the smaller 8GB base model.
On the phone, the App Store is
very similar to browsing the music
store, with featured sections, app
categories, top 25 apps and a
search function. Also useful is the
Updates feature, which provides
automatic tweaks to apps provided
by developers that will update
on your phone when selected.
Installing an app is as easy as clicking
Install on the app’s information
screen and entering your iTunes
password. The app then appears on
your homescreen, greyed out as it
loads and installs. Once installation
is complete you are free to use the
app, and move it to another area
on your homescreen by holding a
finger down on the button until the
icons begin to shake. There’s also
a nifty Tell A Friend button, which
prepares an email including the App
Store link to the app you’re using so
you can share the latest apps with
your buddies.
Within iTunes the App Store is
far more familiar, with a link from
the iTunes Store homepage to
a screen just the same as those
found on music and movie pages
within iTunes. Crucially, you can
search far faster across the 500 or so
applications currently available and
categorise them more efficiently.
This is most important when it
comes to hunting down the free
applications you have no excuse
not to download. It’s also interesting
to check out the Top Apps on the
charts to see what’s doing well and,
at time of writing, it’s not surprise to
see Super Monkey Ball topping the
list of paid apps.
Also useful on the Mac version of
the App Store is the ability to see file
sizes before downloading, unlike on
the iPhone. There’s a 2GB limit for
apps on the store, so you’re unlikely
to be stung for disk space. But it’s
worth keeping track of your app
downloads as they soon add up.
You will also notice a new section
within iTunes’ Source Pane, entitled
Applications. It’s no great shock that
this is where your applications are
displayed, but it’s worth noting that
you will need to sync your phone
to your iTunes enabled account
before they will run on your iPhone.
The same is true of removing apps,
although you can also use the
button holding technique to make
icons shake and then press the ‘x’
over the app you wish to remove.
On some occasions, either due to a
dropped network connection or a
bad sync, an app may have trouble
loading. This can, of course, be
removed from the iPhone. However,
iTunes will also recognise that you
have downloaded the app before,
and will allow you to download it
again – even for paid apps.
Another cool feature for iPhone
apps is that you can listen to music
from the iPhone’s iPod while using
an application downloaded from
the App Store.
The variety of applications
available on the App Store is truly
astounding for its first release, with
more sure to come. Games are
obviously one of the biggest draws
for developers, with nearly 200
available at the App Store’s launch.
Big guns like Sega, Vivendi and
Pangea are all on board and look
to use the iPhone as their outlet for
mobile games. With a lite version of
Mac OS X running on the iPhone,
applications can be fairly complex
and therefore performance and
graphics are mightily impressive. It
seems those developers who didn’t
perhaps receive the returns they
were after with devices like Nokia’s
N-Gage are putting their eggs firmly
in the iPhone’s potentially lucrative
basket and growing consumer base.
Utilities are also booming on the
iPhone, with free applications like
Facebook for searching your social
networking pages, and Shazam
for detecting music by holding
the iPhone next to a speaker.
Even more advanced elements of
existing pages, such as Facebook’s
instant messaging service, are now
catered for on the iPhone with
the 3G connection speeding up
instant messages. Also available is
Truephone, a free app that allows
you to route phonecalls via WiFi. Not
only does this provide you with the
option to make cheaper calls abroad
or avoid roaming charges, the WiFi
connection means you can even
make calls when no cellphone signal
is available. It surely won’t be long
before Skype gets in on the iPhone
game too, and therefore should
worry a number of mobile phone
networks who stand to lose out
should VOIP (voice over IP) became
prevalent on the iPhone.
Blogging has also become easier
with the iPhone 3G. Not only does
a faster connection mean quicker
uploads, but there are a number
of apps available on the App Store
that help you make the most of
your time away from the Mac. The
most popular at present is TypePad
Mobile. By connecting to your
existing TypePad blogging account
you can easily send blog posts and
photos through the simple interface.
Other blog applications are also
available on the App Store, including
ShoZu, which allows you to post
images and text to your favourite
social networking sites. Apple is sure
to release an app for uploading to
an iWeb blog very soon, but until
that day there is a host of free and
inexpensive alternatives.
GPS is the other essential draw for
developers. Whether it’s GeoTagging
photos (which the iPhone now
does automatically if required),
finding directions or looking up local
services, there are plenty of apps to
do just that. Granted, the iPhone’s
Google Maps can do a lot of the
work for you without the need to
spend any money but, for a very
small fee, there is a great selection
of GPS harnessing applications
that offer a wide range of tools.
ActiveGuru’s Vicinity is a top pick at
£1.79, and uses your GPS location
to pinpoint local cafés, pubs, taxis
and takeaways, and provides you
with a distance in real time to help
you find the nearest. Vicinity takes
information from a number of
online sources, so is very accurate
and can even tell you about areas
of local interest and sightseeing via
Wikipedia. Via flickr you can even see
photos taken in your surrounding
area. The possibilities for GPS are
almost limitless. Loopt is another
example of Social Networking
meeting Navigation. By locating
your friends via GPS you can quickly
arrange to meet at a location or
service between the two of you,
again located via GPS.
Music is a surprise star on the
App Store, with a variety of apps
for fans and enthusiasts alike. From
guitar tuners to radio stations, all
the way to the excellent Band by
Moo-Cow-Music, there’s something
for everyone. Band is a real treat for
those with or without musical talent.
Effectively a mini-recording studio,
the application offers a piano, drum
kit, bass guitar and 12-bar blues
guitar section that has to be seen to
be believed. By running your finger
across the interface you can quickly
record individual parts and record
extras alongside them. You can
then save your song to impress your
friends. At £5.99 it’s not the cheapest
of apps, but it’s certainly worth the
money after a few minutes play.
The App Store is, without a
doubt, the best thing to have ever
happened to the iPhone. Not only
does it provide a fun timewaster
when you’ve got a few minutes to kill,
but it also expands the functionality
of the iPhone, the extent of which
has yet to be realised. Of course,
Apple stands to do well out of the
App Store as well. While it may not
be taking the full whack for the
apps it sells on the store, the ease
of use of the SDK and the amazing
iPhone features to work with will
surely lure some major players in
the software game. Even, dare we
say it, those who don’t develop for
the Mac. This is the strategy and it
looks set to work very well. Show
people the ‘Mac way’ and they will
follow, right the way to developing
full blown applications for Mac OS
X. That’s what Apple is hoping at
least. Business aside, the App Store is
a phenomenon. It’s as impressive as
the iTunes Music Store was, and even
more so considering the substantially
fewer iPhone owners by comparison
to those buying iPods over the years.
The excitement of the App Store is
one part new applications and one
part expectation of just what could
be around the corner. Remember,
most of the developers who have
launched iPhone apps have only
had the SDK a few months. Just
imagine what could be arriving on
your phone in a year or so? Also on
this page we’ve listed the five apps
you HAVE to download from the
store straight away, but aside from
these, part of the fun is looking
around and sampling what the App
Store has to offer. We’ll be covering
more applications next issue and,
if the trend continues as expected,
for many issues to come. So fire up
that iPhone, be it a 3G or an original
running the iPhone 2.0 Software
update, and start exploring the store.
Remote
This app is one that everyone was expecting, and the
one that will probably get used the most when you
are at home. It allows you to connect to and control your
home iTunes library from your iPhone. It’s brilliant and
total genius.
AIM
This is basically iChat for your
iPhone. It will save you vital
pennies and prevent you
eating into your text message
allowance on your call plan.
Again, a really well thought
out app that should have a
guaranteed place on your
home screen.
Facebook
For anyone who loves to
keep in touch with what
their friends are up to, this is
another indispensable app.
With this loaded on your
iPhone you can post status
updates at any time, as well
as getting involved in some
instant Facebook messaging.
Shazam
If you’ve ever been out and
about and needed to know
what track was playing in the
coffee shop you were in then
you need Shazam. Just record
a snippet of the song and this
amazing app will send it off
to its database and tell you
what the track is. Brilliant!
Light
The simple apps are definitely
the best, and this one could
prove to be a lifesaver. As
the name suggests, Light
will turn your phone into a
flashlight – allowing you to
find dropped keys in the dark
or startle strangers.
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