GeekSugar

Celebrate the Fourth Anywhere With a Fireworks iPhone App

GeekSugar — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 01:07:24 PDT

Sometimes you can't be in a place where you get to see fireworks on the Fourth of July - or like me, you're in a place so foggy all you'll see is some colored clouds.

So no matter where you are this Independence Day, get your dose of exploding pyrotechnics with the free Handmarks Fireworks App.

Pick one of your own photos as a background (or use one of four preprogrammed images), grab some music, and then let 'er rip.

Swipe the fireworks with your fingers to manipulate them and be mesmerized as you get your own private show, courtesy your iPhone.

Should Apple Rethink Its App Store Guidelines?

Leta Shy — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 02:00:23 PDT

Amazon may staunchly stand by its policy of not censoring its Kindle offerings (never mind that one incident), but Apple, however, behaves differently. Developers must go through a review process to get their apps approved; Apple bans certain things that it deems low-quality or inappropriate - like apps that lack usefulness, creativity, or effort, or ones that are too racy.

But do you think Apple should extend its guidelines to keep other types of apps out as well, such as discriminatory or potentially dangerous ones? Just this week, outraged users successfully fought to ban an app from Christian group Exodus International that said it could cure homosexuality, and senators are demanding that apps that tell you where DUI checkpoints are located should be taken down.

Read what I think about these controversial apps after the break.

Essential Apps For Your New Verizon iPhone

GeekSugar — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 05:08:26 PST

You finally got your hands on the Verizon iPhone. Now it's time to load it up with helpful and fun apps! Sure, you could get in the iTunes store and just start hunting and pecking around for something good, but don't you want a friendly hand to guide you through your first batch of essentials? Though there are some cool and wildly amusing apps listed in the store, this list is reserved for the most handy and valuable ones to get you started. Did I mention they're all free!? Save that money, honey!

The Apple App Store Makes an Entrance on Twitter

Kristen Hawley — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:00:40 PST

Apple has been mostly absent from Twitter save a few accounts and its recent Ping integration, but it has just added an official AppStore account promising followers app spotlights and special deals.

Welcome to App Store on Twitter! Follow us to discover new apps, get exclusive offers, and share with friends. #appstoreless than a minute ago via Social PublisherApp Store
AppStore

The account, @AppStore, only started posting yesterday, but already tens of thousands of people have elected to follow the account, and its follower count is growing fast. With so many apps crowding the market, it'll be helpful for Apple to use this account as a platform for featuring its favorites that may otherwise be buried elsewhere.

The 10 Billionth App Download Winner Hangs Up on Apple

Kristen Hawley — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:40:27 PST

As Apple approached its 10 billionth app download, it announced a large prize for the person who downloads the milestone app: a $10,000 iTunes gift card. Late last week, Apple hit the mark, and when the VP of iTunes tried to contact the winner, Gail Davis of the UK, she thought it was a sales call and hung up the phone.

Luckily, an Apple representative was able to reach the winner, who realized her daughters had downloaded the fateful app (free game Paper Glider). The family plans to spend the $10,000 on more apps. (Side note: I wonder if that is even possible.)

Davis says, "The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was a genuine call. The girls were getting quite tense. They never would have forgiven me. They would have held it against me for all eternity."

Download the 10 Billionth App, Win $10,000 From Apple

Kristen Hawley — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:00:00 PST

Apple is counting down to its 10 billionth app download, and if you're the lucky user who downloads app No. 10 billion, Apple plans to reward you - with a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

The App Store hit its impressive 1 billionth app download in April 2009, just nine months after the store's inception. In the not-quite two years since, the store has grown by leaps and bounds and is now on target to hit the billionth download soon!

If you're not an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad user, you can actually still win the contest (I assume it's a legal thing) by filling out and submitting a form to Apple. Submitting it at the exact time that the 10 billionth app is downloaded will net you the prize, too!

Google Voice Adds Support For the iPod Touch and iPad

Kristen Hawley — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:45:35 PST

The official Google Voice for iPhone app hit the App Store in November, and now Google has added support for the iPod Touch and iPad, bringing both devices thisclose to standing in for your cell.

The new app allows users to send and receive free text messages and initiate calls by designating which phone they'd like to use; Google Voice then rings that phone and connects the call. So, while it's not a stand-in for a phone, it's very, very close.

Google included a few more features in the app update, including a new Do Not Disturb setting to send all calls to voicemail, faster and easier access to all of your contacts when dialing, and faster, more streamlined text messages. The app and update are available now for free in the App Store.

Are These Quotes From Apple Real or Fake?

GeekSugar — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:45:18 PDT

Earlier this week, Apple finally made public some standards for developers regarding the creation and submission of iPhone apps. Among them, the decree that apps created using Flash technology are acceptable as long as the technology is then converted to an Apple-friendly format when it runs on iOS devices.

That's not all the document said, though - there were certainly some statements that raised a few eyebrows. To that end, can you decipher if the following quotes are really part of Apple's guidelines, or if they're complete fabrications?

Take the Quiz

Will Google Voice Get a Real-Life iPhone App Soon?

GeekSugar — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:27 PDT

Apple released a statement outlining its updated rules and guidelines for app developers this week, which relaxed some restrictions on the company's app approval system. It also gave some tips on what not to submit to the app store - Chatroulette and fart apps being two examples.

The good news is, this opens up some new opportunities for iOS app developers, including the previously rejected Google Voice apps. Will iPhone and iPod Touch users finally get a dedicated Google Voice app to use? A recent tweet from one developer gives us hope. Find out more after the break.

App Downloads Could Overtake Song Downloads This Year

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:47:42 PDT

During last week's presentation, Steve Jobs lauded the successes of iTunes, noting that soon more music will be digitally downloaded via iTunes than purchased on CDs (hence the logo change). But, a new graph comparing the amount of songs downloaded to the amount of apps downloaded from the iTunes store paints a shocking picture; by the end of this year, there will be more app downloads than song downloads.

Find out why this is happening after the jump.