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In a move that could remind us of the stone age, Apple had decided to put one over Google by banning the term “Android” in its app store. Flash Of Genius is a small startup that has been developing training & educational apps for Android and iPhone. The company has had a lot of success on Android and was a finalist in Google Android’s Developers Challenge. That’s a great accomplishment for a developer anyway you look at it. So it’s no surprise that the developers at Flash Of Genius decided to include their accomplishment in their iPhone app description. As it turns out, Apple doesn’t like the word Android too much.

Credit: Flash Of Genius

The above pictures is how the app would have looked like had Apple accepted it as it were. But one should be a very optimistic person to expect Apple to allow such a blasphemy in its app store. After all, all the people who visit this page will become Android fans, right? Now if I were Apple, I would try to be a bit more vague about it. But Apple doesn’t pull any punches: Read the rest of this entry »

So you want to write native apps for iPhone? Mastering the art of Objective C programming should be on your agenda then. If you are interested in starting your career as an iPhone programmer, you need to have a firm understanding of what Objective C is all about. Those who have a background in C are going to be able to pick Objective C up more quickly. But even if you are completely new to this field, the good news is that you are dealing with C, which is one powerful language to deal with. It’s certainly allows you let your imagination fly. Objective C for the iPhone (MEAP) is an exciting book that gets you started on this very topic. Along with last week’s book, Objective C for the iPhone (MEAP) is a very handy book to add to your collection. Manning Publishing has been kind enough to provide iPhoneness readers an exclusive discount code for this book, so don’t forget to take advantage of it (coupon at the end of this article).

The C programming language has been around for quite a while. I was one of the lucky ones who got started in the world of programming with the C language. The language may not be as straight forward or convenient as JAVA, but it’s quite powerful and mastering it is a must for native application developers. Objective C is a little bit different from regular C. In fact, OP (objective programming) can be a bit tough to grasp for beginners. But once you get the basics, there is no reason you can’t go on to master the language and build your own killer apps for iPhone. Read the rest of this entry »

A lot of people complain about how the iPhone is not ready for business. That can’t be further from the truth considering the number of apps that you can install on your phone to enhance its capabilities. Whether you are a business person who deals with documents on the go or are always traveling, iTunes has something for you.

Doing business on iPhone has never been easier. There are plenty of apps that let you get all kinds of things done on the road. If you are looking for a place to get started, here are 10 powerful iPhone apps for business you should try:

Pocket Informant: one of the most powerful task management tools on iTunes. Helps you keep track of your daily tasks and events on the go.

Quick Office Mobile: not only opens Excel and Word files, but it can handle a wide variety of document formats on your phone. Reads MS documents as well.

FTP On The Go: a FTP client that lets you access you files right on your iPhone. Very similar to what we have all seen in desktop FTP program.

Touch Fill Go: a cool little app that lets you take pictures from your forms, fill them out on your phone, and send them away as a PDF file.

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Recently, we had a chance to write a piece about how you can make your iPhone scratch proof. In that article, we talked about some of the solutions that people put their hopes on to get rid of scratches. There are such solutions out there, but as long as your scratches are minor. Major scratches almost always require a visit to a professional repair shop or part replacement.

Not all scratches are created the same. If you happen to be one of the lucky ones and have gotten only minor scratches on your phone, here are 4 iPhone/iPod scratch removers that could come in handy:

Podshop iDrops: PodShop iDrops  is one of the more popular scratch removal kits on the market. It doesn’t do magic and doesn’t fix all scratches, but if your scratch is not too deep, iDrops may help out. Works with other Apple products as well.

iPhone 3G Scratch Remover Cleaning Care Kit: it’s more of a cleaning solution for iPhone, but it helps remove those minor scratches too. Once again, don’t expect miracles. Read the rest of this entry »

It seems all the hate talk that AT&T has received in the past few months is finally paying off as the company seems to be more open to new innovative solutions for iPhone. Sling Media’s iPhone app is one of those solutions. If you have ever wanted to watch your TV from a remote location or over your home network, you have probably heard of Sling. SlingPlayer is not a new app by any means. Sling Media developed the app a while ago, but the app was restricted to WiFi only by AT&T. It seems after Sling Media’s complaint to the FCC and AT&T testing the app for a few months already, the company is ready to allow it to work over 3G as well.

The FCC was fast to respond to AT&T’s decision to let SlingPlayer go 3G. After all, it may have played a role in AT&T’s decision to reverse its course:

AT&T’s announcement is a step in the right direction. Consumers benefit from mobile video choice

Sling Media is happy with the decision as well. After all, the company is all about giving consumers more options when it comes to watching TV. But is AT&T shooting itself in the foot by becoming more lenient towards bandwidth-intensive apps such as Slingplayer?

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