[読んだ] Review: Super Water Bomber : App Advice

super-water-bomber-level

While I feel this is a very entertaining game with a ton of replay value due to the massive amount of levels included in it, the app does have the lag issue that really hurts the overall gameplay here. When the Free version is available I recommend trying that out first.

無料版出たら遊んでみたいですね、たしかに。

[読んだ] New iPods With Cameras Could Be Delayed (AAPL)

Apple will likely unveil new iPods at an event in San Francisco tomorrow. But they may not be ready to ship right away.

AppleInsider reports that Apple has hit a snag with its new, camera-enabled iPods. The site doesn't know if the iPods will be scrapped from the show entirely, or if they'll simply be introduced without immediate retail availability.

Neil Hughes: A person with a strong track record in predicting Apple's upcoming product launches recently told AppleInsider that the iPod maker has experienced technical problems (bad parts) with the cameras modules. The person said that it was uncertain whether the new hardware, which has been widely expected to debut at Wednesday's "Only rock and roll" media-centric event, would make the cut for early September retail distribution.

No big deal for Apple, assuming the delay is temporary.

iPod touchだけ問題があるのかと思ってましたが、この記事ではiPod全体のようですね。
ちょっとイベントの盛り上がりに影響が出るかもですね……。

[読んだ] Rumor: Could the new iPod touch be delayed?

Courtesy of Apple
Here at TUAW, we are all looking forward to the possible launch of a new iPod touch at Apple's music event on Wednesday. After all, who isn't excited after a slow Labor Day weekend (with no talkcast)? Unfortunately, over at AppleInsider and HardMac, they are both reporting that the new iPod touch revision may be delayed. They state that the delay could be related to last-minute technical issues with the rumored camera modules on the new devices.

We have already seen many case designs in various places showing a opening on the back for a possible camera, which already makes for lots of speculation. However, both sites still expect that new a iPod touch will be announced on Wednesday, but the new devices might not ship immediately after the announcement. It's still not known if this will affect possible upcoming iPod nano and iPod classic refreshes, which might also include a camera. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long to get our hands (and fingers!) on a new iPod touch with a camera.

日本時間では明日の深夜にAppleの音楽イベントが行われるはずですが、ここにきて嫌なウワサが流れてますね。
中国の工場で生産をストップしたとかなんとか。
nanoとclassicだけ先行発売とかあんまりだなぁ……。

[読んだ] Button: 仕事の能率が上がるかもしれないiPhoneゲーム

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Blank Softwareは、ボタンを光らせるタイミングをランダムに決めていて、世界中のユーザー全員のところで光る。そして時々、Buttonプレーヤーを1人ランダムに選び、その人のボタンを賞品ボタンに変える。それを見つけて押せば賞品がもらえる。見落としたり、その時プレイしていなかったりすると、賞品はシステムに戻されて、いずれまたランダムに送り出される。

Buttonは無料アプリで、今後もずっと無料にするとKumparakは言っている。現在のところ、ボタンの横に広告を付ける予定だが、アイディアが軌道に乗れば、他の収益化の計画もあるという。

面白いこと考えますね。

[読んだ] Turn Your iPhone And iPod Touch Into A Commodore 64 : App Advice

c64

C64 is a fully licensed Commodore 64 emulator for the iPhone and iPod touch.  Manomio really nailed the look and feel of the classic 8-bit home computer system, so those of you who were already gaming in the early ’80s should feel right at home.

C64 is priced at $4.99 and includes five games: Dragons Den, Le Mans, Jupiter Lander, Arctic Shipwreck, and Jack Attack.  More games will be made available for download at prices ranging from $.99-$1.99 sometime in the near future.   Sadly, this final, approved version of C64 only supports fully licensed disk images that are offered through Manomio, so you won’t be loading your own games, and it doesn’t include BASIC.  The developer has stated that BASIC should be re-enabled sometime in the future.

C64 also features the portrait and landscape modes, classic sounds, and an auto-save system so you won’t lose your progress.

かつて遊んだ経験のあるひとなら感涙モノのアプリなんでしょうね。
僕には何の感慨もありませんが(^^;

[読んだ] ついにココまで!? iPhoneアプリ専用検索サイト「Uquery」 - s2works ~妄想IT戦士blog~

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このサイトではiPhoneアプリを見つけるのを脅威的に速くするように
「AppRank」と呼ばれるアルゴリズムのシステムを使用しているそうです。
なんと、「Uquery」は、iPhoneアプリのGoogleを目指すとか。

で、現在の欠点としては
■日本語対応していない点
■iTunesのAppStoreにない情報はない
■任意のユーザーのコメントやスターのオススメリストが表示されない
とまだまだ足りない機能もありますが、今後の動向が気になります。

おぉ、こんなサービスがあったんですね。
まだまだ使い勝手に改善の余地があるようですが、これからに期待。

[読んだ] Japan’s 32 Best iPhone Apps (All Available In English)

http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/iphone_japan.jpg

The local developer community has noticed and produced a slew of apps aimed at a global audience. What follows is my subjective selection of the “best” of these made-in-Japan apps, all of which are at least available in English. (I left out iPhone games released by big companies such as Capcom, Konami, Sega or Namco to focus on apps created by startups or individuals based in Japan instead.)

My personal favorite is a free (and fantastic) GPS-based photo sharing app called Memory Tree (just like all the apps in the following list, it works worldwide). But here’s a round-up of all the 32 apps I chose, grouped in six categories (games, productivity, tools, photography and art, music, and everything else).

日本発のアプリなのに知らないものが多くて参考になります。
この企画は定期的にやってもらいたいですね。
日本の開発者の励みにもなりますし。

[読んだ] Apple To Kill Off iPod Classic, Double Down On Touch, iPhone Developer Predicts (AAPL)

Marco Arment, who created the excellent Instapaper, has some guesses. In a blog post (worth reading the whole thing), Arment predicts:

  • Apple will kill off the iPod classic.
  • Apple will cut the price on the iPod shuffle to $59.
  • Apple might stick a camera into the iPod nano, but will reduce the line to one model, 8 GB, for $99.
  • Apple will stick a camera into the iPod touch, double the storage capacities, and adjust pricing: 8 GB for $149, 16 GB for $199, 32 GB for $249, 64 GB for $349.

Certainly plausible. The main idea is to gradually spin down the legacy iPod line -- which Apple has already told us is slowly headed toward zero -- and get as many people using the iPod touch line instead.

Why? It's a more exciting, sophisticated experience, for one.

But also, the App Store, of course. Apple is in the beginning of a mobile platform war with RIM, Palm, Google, and others, and the iPod touch is a key part of it. Getting more people exposed to the App Store, which is only available on the OS X-powered touch iPod, will boost app sales, could boost iPhone sales, and should build platform loyalty and lock-in that is important, especially as Apple's rivals improve their own app platforms. Plus, it makes the App Store user base look even bigger, which makes the platform look better to developers.

iPod touchを値下げ・容量アップしてtouchユーザー増加を図り、さらにiTunes Storeの売上増も狙う、という構図はたしかにありえそうですね。