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iPhone App Video Review: Warm Gun + Carnival of Bullets – iPhone app article – Andrew Koziara

Warm Gun is a new first person shooter from Emotional Robots. It’s a gorgeous looking game running in the Unreal Engine that is unfortunately riddled with more bugs and issues than your enemies are riddled with bullets. Still, the game has massive potential.

What we have here is a class based shooter that looks and feels like a cross of Team Fortress 2 and Borderlands. the premise is a post-apocalyptic future in which the old west makes a comeback, except now it’s all steam punk-like. there are four classes with three unique weapons each, though they don’t feel all that different. There’s the 49er, with his powerful shotgun and revolver, the Shaman with his rifle and one-hit-kills-all shock staff, the Preacher with his dual pistols and ranged shotgun, and the Heavy- err, Blacksmith, with his minigun and deadly hammer of Thor. each class also has their own kind of grenade/Molotov cocktail thrown explosive, which mostly feel the same. in terms of controls, you can play with one, two, or three virtual sticks. even when I was using the three stick configuration, I still just swiped and tapped the screen to look around and shoot anyway.

The game is multiplayer only, and comes with an offline mode against bots, and an online mode. there are five maps to choose from, each of which is fairly well designed. Multiplayer is handled through GameSpy, which I was never a big fan of, but I was able to dust off my old account and hop on. trying to register a new account led to unknown errors, unfortunately, so you’ll have to remember your old password or create a new account at their website. Online play ranged from smooth and functional to completely unplayable. make sure you reset your device after installing the game, or it probably won’t work at all. there is some aim assist auto targeting kind of stuff to help compensate for the difficulty of fast paced movement and shooting on a phone, and it works pretty well most of the time. the online is pretty bare bones in the first place, and there isn’t much in the way of stat tracking or a rewards system of any kind.

This is a very cool game with decent gameplay and a lot of potential, but all of these issues need to be fixed. aside from what I’ve mentioned, there’s no back button on several screens, which is just mildly annoying. the game would automatically shut down every time I finished an offline match, and to top it all off, it crashes constantly. the game worked much better on my iPad than on my iPhone 4, but it was still a mess.

If you don’t want to commit to a purchase, there is a separate demo version of the game called Warm Gun: Carnival of Bullets. in this mode, you get to test out the Preacher in a specially designed carnival level. You roam from game to game, a mix of different kinds of shooting galleries, testing out the look and feel of the shooting mechanics. It’s a very cool alternative to a lite version of the game. It’s just a shame that the carnival map is more colorful and interesting than the five maps that went into the full game.

The excellent visuals of the Unreal Engine shine through here. the western-themed music that always plays is excellent too. When the game works, it works pretty well, but the developers need to fix all of these issues. They’ve already released several minor updates, and are working hard to fix everything, so I have hope for this game’s future. both Carnival and the main game are iOS universal, and the game is five dollars. You should probably wait for more updates to download it, but if you love shooters, go ahead and give this one a chance.

Download the free Appolicious iPhone app

The New iPhone is Coming; the New iPhone is Coming…Who Cares?

1HGSeptember 27, 2011 at 3:51 pm

+100 on the battery life. they could make the iPhone 3mm thicker and use it all for battery.

I’d add a simple belt clip mechanism. The old Blackberries clicked perfectly into their holsters and I recall that Siemens had a neat clip that locked into one of their models to hold it in a belt clip. I don’t want to wrap my phone in a plastic/rubber/leather/neoprene case and sometimes I just want to clip it to my belt but use it in it’s naked stake as God intended.

2Ken SchoenbergSeptember 27, 2011 at 3:57 pm

One thing Apple should be credited for is understanding the need for good battery life. If you look at the insides of an iPhone or iPad they really are a very small circuit board enveloped by a giant battery. Apple does a far better job of managing battery life than Android.

3RLSeptember 27, 2011 at 4:09 pm 4HGSeptember 27, 2011 at 4:28 pm

Ken – I’m sure you’re right about Apple’s power management, but as a relative newcomer to smartphones I find the iPhone nostalgic. It takes me back to the 1990s where one constantly worried about lack of signal and, once a signal was found the next problem was having enough battery life left to make a call! Moving from a Nokia E52 (battery life? Dunno – I don’t really remember having to charge it!) to an iPhone was one helluva shock.

If I need to stay in touch or I’m going to be away from power or out in the sticks then I take the Nokia cos the iPhone just doesn’t cut it. I wonder how much more standby and talk time they could get for a 3mm thicker phone.

5Ken SchoenbergSeptember 27, 2011 at 4:50 pm

@RL – I’m not sure if any of them are future proofed. I’m really not thrilled with the way Apple cuts devices out of updates after basically two generations. Not because I believe they have to support them with new features, but someone using an iPod Touch 2G should still receive security updates and bug fixes. The same goes for the mess of Android phones. when you consider the true price of many of these phones and tablets they’re on par or more expensive than many PCs and notebooks…yet Microsoft and Apple will support those operating systems for many years. In Microsoft’s case they’re still supporting Windows XP over 10 years after launch.

6Ken SchoenbergSeptember 27, 2011 at 4:55 pm

Who cares about articles written by Ken Schoenberg. He sounds like one of those elitest opinionated technologists that writes articles on the backend of the internet. The phone only has set a high standard of customer service, battery life, with 100 million phones projected to be sold in 2010, but it is more than not the phone that Android users trade up for. Ken, pitchforks at the ready.

7Ken SchoenbergSeptember 27, 2011 at 5:02 pm

Elitist? Nahh…Opinionated? Aren’t we all. Technologists? Not exactly what that is. I enjoy technology been working with computers since 1975. Much of it is pretty neat stuff that has improved our lives. A lot of it has done little but improve some company’s bottom-line.As for the rest of your comment…did you read the whole article? I believe that the Android phones are guilty of the same issues I have with the iPhone.Why is everyone so sensitive? it’s a phone/computer not a religion or a family member. all of the manufacturers can do better…a lot better.

Oh, and as for who cares about my articles…well, my wife tends to like them…but even she won’t camp out overnight to get one.

8JohnSeptember 27, 2011 at 6:45 pm

The only thing I have an issue with your contradiction of wanting bigger (or alternate) screens and smaller devices. There are quite a few Android phones with larger than 4″ screens (and the ill fated Dell Streak was even larger). If the iPad 2 has airplay mirroring in iOS5, I’d guess that feature could come to the iPhone 4S/5 too given its pedigree.

The phone size grows and shrinks with the screen size. The iPhone 4 is actually thinner than a razr… (.37″ v .54″) and only a little taller, so there’s not a whole lot of room to get smaller.

And my last little bit is that if you want a better typing mechanism, smaller is the last place you want to be (did you see the HP Veer? unusable keyboard)

Ultimately though, we all have our dream device and the iPhone 4S/5 probably won’t be it if the current crop of smartphones hasn’t done it for you yet.

9Ken SchoenbergSeptember 27, 2011 at 7:01 pm

John,It’s not so much that I want a bigger screen. I want devices to use other resources around them to better the experience. sure, there are times when it’s just us and our phones, but for many of us…we’re constantly in the presence of a bigger display and better input device. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had the option of having your phone display on the notebook or desktop monitor…a nearby HDTV, GPS screen, etc? Maybe the same functionality for nearby keyboards, mice, etc.

I think the display stuff will be easier to solve than the input problems. right now we’re shrinking down a very inefficient QWERTY keyboard.

I’m thinking that a symbolic language might be a possibility. Anyone that used a Palm remembers Graffiti…perhaps that can be taken further and a system that utilizes symbols for words or phrases can be easily adapted and utilized. I can see the verbal interfaces also getting better, but that’s really limited as its hard to use them when you’re not alone.

I don’t foresee any of my list getting solved right away…but should someone do it…then I’ll be waiting on line.

10JohnSeptember 27, 2011 at 7:54 pm

Android will probably be the place to get your phone display on another screen – it seems like Google’s apps do a lot of crosstalk already (although not in a windows view like I imagine you’re suggesting). I think proximity based keyboards, etc would be more of a challenge (when is your keyboard closer to the phone or PC if it’s on the same desk?). but I don’t think the market is really there yet – the Atrix hasn’t done so well as far as I know (cost prohibitive?) Pioneer has a stereo that mimics the iPhone screens for input, a few inches bigger and slightly simplified for driving functionality.

QWERTY is as QWERTY does – it is, and probably will be, the standard until we reach Star Trek PADD & LCARS advancements (well, LCARS anyway…iPad is a PADD). The concept of interface design and language will have to evolve with each generation of touchscreen devices (and tablets will probably drive that evolution)

I think all that’s holding back these advancements is the creativity of the engineers and programmers. we definitely have all of the technology needed to implement them.

11JohnSeptember 27, 2011 at 7:57 pm 12GiqueGEAR_ToddSeptember 27, 2011 at 10:20 pm

This article has some very valid points. And, let’s face it, even “average” smartphones are pretty darn amazing. In my opinion, the smartphone is the ONE device that has surpassed the predicted technological advancements promised by the sci-fi writers of yesteryear. As a sidenote, platform loyalty is NOT a religion. Athough that didn’t keep one potential business partner from trying to stomp off from a business meeting (yeah, iPhone user).

13VaughanSeptember 28, 2011 at 12:01 am

1 and 4 seem to contradict each other. You want a smaller phone but bigger screen? BTW, you can already project onto nearby devices with Android (there’s a few PC/Android apps that work that way). I’m not sure if iPhone has something similar but I’d be surprised if it doesn’t.

2. Without a massive change in battery tech I don’t know how this will happen without making bigger batteries. better screens like the ones Samsung is making (AMOLED’s) is a good start though.

3. The idea of less radios is nice, but first, you need the cross compatibility for alot of things and second, they don’t actually use that much battery. If you’ve ever looked at a battery graph, it’s the display that uses 80%-90%+ of the battery (this is my Galaxy S, which I use constantly with wifi/3G internet and games and get about 16 hours of use out of till flat. Without constant screen use, it gets a few days before needing a charge. almost as much as the old Nokias with the monochrome screens.

4. The voice input on the Galaxy S is actually superb. It gets it right almost all the time. but the thing is, even with perfect recognition, you don’t want to be speaking to your phone in public. That’s sometimes why you text, so you don’t share everything with the other people on the train. And it’s why I hope this new “assistent” feature on the iPhone isn’t that, because even if flawless, it will fail for this reason. Swype is actually a fantastic text input method once you are used to it. Give it a try if you haven’t. I think they are still trying to get Apple to play with them, but it’s free on Android. And Google just bought blindtype, which will be nice assuming it works as promised.

6. I’m not sure if this is a phone issue (except for the “non-existent” iPhone 4 issue of course), I thought it was more a carrier/capacity issue?

14Logan KennellySeptember 28, 2011 at 12:18 am

First off, I’ll admit that I’m not a big fan of Android bashing. That’s not because Apple makes bad products (they tend to be really good), but because I believe there is viable competition out there.

Also, the way a normal person (i.e., not us technogeeks) is: go to store, find best phone that fits budget, and buy. The fact that phones get better at a pace that is hard to keep track of is not a problem that we need to solve.

Addressing the points one-by-one:

1) It’s getting there. we already have display mirroring via HDMI out on our phones. DLNA is growing in the marketplace, and I expect we’ll see mirroring via WiFi soon enough. I’m not sure how Intel’s WiDi is faring.

2) Battery is good on most models and getting better. my Android phone gets two days of use without charging, and, if necessary, I can swap the battery in seconds (if you don’t count the couple of minutes to reboot).

3) Yeah, there are a lot of radios, and I’m not happy about some of the new ones they are introducing. on the plus side, I can enable and disable the radios at will with a simple tap (no having to dig through menus). Yeah, it’s user management, but if I don’t generally use Bluetooth, then I have no problem taking a fraction of second to toggle it on and off.

4) Swype-type systems are really quite good … some of the time. (Configuration plays into it a lot.) plus, I can easily associate with a Bluetooth keyboard. Or I could have purchased a phone with a physical keyboard. At the end of the day, though, you are right that phones aren’t ready for massive amounts of input.

5) As someone else pointed out, phones are really small. I like the folding phones, too, but things like Gorilla Glass go a long way to protecting the device. plus, I’m not willing to give up screen real estate.

6) call quality is a huge issue that seems to fall behind coverage density. Even with the new networks (such as LTE) they just leave voice out of the initial deployment. That’s crazy!

15Ken SchoenbergSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:58 am

I’m not suggesting you are wrong, but I’m looking for jumps (think wired network to wireless innovation) rather thanWhile some of what I’m talking about is possible to sort of create working models today. In general I’m looking for faster and more seamless connections.

For instance. used to be to get two devices to talk with each other you would use some kind of proprietary cable and have to have proprietary software running on both machines. The next step was a standardization on a serial cable and maybe only having to have that software running on one machine. Then along came wired networks, then faster wired networks, then wireless networks, then WiFi/Bluetooth/NFC. The next jump is and will it be used for data transfer, display and command input/output. I’ll pick on Bluetooth. It’s a beginning but it’s slow, takes too long to connect, and insecure. NFC solves part of that, but isn’t means yet for the type of data necessary for display.

1. when I say display projection, I’m not talking about running a cable nor even taking over the whole display. oh, and while they’re at it…figure out a way for fingerprints and smears not to exist.

2. Battery technology has been an anchor on mobile devices for a long time. so, let’s move around it and instead of trying to hold energy that we use a myriad of relatively inefficient chargers to port to these devices…create it at the point of consumption while at the other time reduce that consumption dramatically. That’s why I suggest that maybe the wireless signal could also transport a charge…or a device within the phone could create (transform is probably a better work) the energy from a wireless signal. Think of the difference between the power usage in calculators in the 1970s and today. Many contain very small batteries and use light to energy conversion. I know, that’s not going to happen this year, but…

3.Displays use the most power in phones today, but radios use quite a bit (comparatively) and even more when they’re in use…except if you start looking at a device like the Kindle. In that case its the radio that uses more power than the display.

4. I’ve used voice recognition on Android and it’s not bad until you try it in a noisy environment. but we’ve all touched on its limitations. I’ve tried Swype…and don’t find it all that much faster. It’s still the pretty much the same motions on the same keyboards. If we’re going to learn new ways to work with the same keyboard design…why not learn a new keyboard too? Think rotary dial vs. touch tone jumps in input speed. this is going to be the toughest of my requests to correct because it requires human change and learning…and that can take a long time.

5. Phone size doesn’t have to be tied to screen size. A 50-inch TV from 10 years ago is quite a bit bigger and heavier than one today…so the technology can grow more efficient and smaller. Also, take a look at pico projectors…they can be many times smaller than what they’re displaying. There are various ways of creating a bigger display and/or input areas without increasing the main unit by the same amount. Some methods save size others might shave weight. Projection and folding are two possibilities.

Remember I’m talking about stuff that will make me want to camp out overnight in a mall parking lot to purchase and while some suggest that I’m saying their current brand of technology isn’t good. I’m not…but I want better…lots better.

16jaamgansSeptember 28, 2011 at 6:45 am 17deslockSeptember 28, 2011 at 2:01 pm

I’m considering switching to Android (out of slight boredom with iOS), however, there are a few things I’m concerned about:

1. I have a lot of Google and Exchange calendars. they all show up in iOS’ iCal app seamlessly, but I’ve read that on Android I would need to use two different apps (such as Touchdown).

2. No integration with things (OSX todo app).

3. No equivalent to TopoMaps (USGS topo quads mapping app).

4. Power management. I have many friends and coworkers with Android phones and they have to turn brightness down, turn off GPS, etc. A couple of them run task killers, but they have found those can cause even more problems. I don’t want to deal with charging/carrying a spare battery (I did this with my old Axim X50v and it was a PITA).

Any suggestions for those?

For now, I’m waiting to see what Apple produces with iPhone5 before deciding. Some Android devices are now as thin and light as the iPhone while also having a removable battery and larger screen. I don’t care about a removable battery, but since the iPhone doesn’t have one, it should be even thinner and lighter and/or have more WHr. Likewise, I was fine with a 3.5″ screen when devices with 4.3″ screens weighed 6+ ounces, but now that they’re as light as (or lighter than) the iPhone, Apple needs to increase its screen size.

18Logan KennellySeptember 29, 2011 at 12:14 am

1) Integration with Android is fantastic (from a software standpoint). my Google, Exchange, and Facebook contacts and calender all appear seamlessly where I expect them. we even write our own custom application at work that adds contacts, calenders, and allows custom searches.

That being said, I’ve heard that solid exchange support is spotty. I don’t know, it all just works on my phone (and we’re running an old Exchange server that isn’t really supported) thanks to the manufacturer.

2) things appears to be very Mac specific. There might be something you could do with the iCal integration, but I wouldn’t count on it. I use Google Calendar entries under a custom calendar (you can have more than one), but that may not be robust enough for you.

3) I’m not sure about topographic maps, but a quick Google search brings up Backcountry Navigator and MyTracks as possible options.

4) Task killers are evil. Playing with brightness is silly as almost all devices include a light sensor, and the GPS doesn’t run unless something specifically requests it (so shutting it off won’t change anything). The reason you find a lot of people playing with these settings is because you can with Android, it’s easy, and Android people tend to be fiddlers. I generally rely on the talk time and standby time as good indicators of whether or not the device will meet my needs.

Apple makes some great products, but, as far as I’m concerned, Apple is like Sony; a good manufacturer that makes above-average products but not necessarily the best products or the best value. do your research and then decide if Apple is the right choice.

PS: I would think anyone looking to use their phone for topographical maps would see immediate value in having at least one spare battery, seeing as how you are likely away from electricity for long periods of time.

19Ken SchoenbergSeptember 29, 2011 at 7:53 am 20deslockSeptember 29, 2011 at 9:49 pm

Thanks for the reply.

1) A couple IT people I work with unsuccessfully tried configuring both Exchange and Google calendars to work on the calendar app, so unless ICS fixes this, it looks like I’m SOL (unless I decide to put up with running multiple calendar apps).

2) I’d have to use an alternative to things (I just haven’t found one as feature-rich).

3) BackCountry Navigator is pricey, but looks like it’ll do the trick (I don’t think that app existed when I last looked for Android topo apps). thanks for mentioning it!

4) my friend who turns down his brightness is the most capable IT techie I know… he finds that the light sensor makes it bright enough to wear down the battery too fast (he said the screen typically eats over 60% of his battery). The users who tried task killers were doing it not because they could, but simply because they were trying anything that might improve battery life. they stopped using the task killers after having issues. that one of my Android-using-friends keeps his GPS off surprised me… the process he went through to enable it wasn’t especially cumbersome, but it seemed inconvenient between that and how long it took to attain a lock.

P.S. when I hike, I don’t keep the GPS app running the whole time. I just open it periodically to check my progress/location. I’ve never had battery life issues using it like that.

iPhone 4S: 5 Missing Features

As perhaps some feared, the iPhone 4S announced by Apple on Tuesday is but an incremental update to the iPhone 4. It comes packaged in the same hardware, albeit with some vastly improved innards. while Apple added a number of great new features–including the Siri personal assistant–it managed to leave out a lot. Here’s what’s missing.

1. A bigger display: Apple disappointed people the instant it introduced the iPhone 4S during its press conference by mentioning that it carries forward the same hardware design as the iPhone 4. Why does that matter? It means Apple didn’t change anything about the iPhone’s display, which is small compared to most of today’s Android smartphones.

The iPhone 4S will have the same 3.5-inch 960 x 540 Retina display as found on the 2010-era iPhone 4. just today, LG (LG, for cripes sakes!!!) announced an Android handset that has a 4.5-inch 1280 x 720p HD display. bad form, Apple. iPhone fanatics wanted a bigger display.

While the iPhone 4S’s Retina display will no doubt continue to be impressive in its appearance, Apple could have boosted it to 3.7- or 4.0-inches and kept the pixel count high enough.

2. no 4G: The iPhone 4S does not introduce HSPA+ at 4G speeds, LTE, or WiMax. in fact, its HSPA+ radio isn’t nearly as fast as many had hoped. Rather than go for the gusto and support AT&T’s fastest HSPA+ network, it supports a middle-of-the-road HSPA+ network at 14.4 Mbps on the downlink. Sure that’s twice as fast as the iPhone 4, but with a huge percentage of Android smartphones already packing HSPA+ at 21 Mbps and 42 Mbps, or WiMax or LTE, 14.4 Mbps in the iPhone simply isn’t going to cut it.

While it is great that the new iPhone 4S is a world phone and will work on the networks run by AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless, the poor CDMA 3G customers over at Sprint and Verizon will be stuck with a device that’s even pokier than AT&T’s.

3. no Brand new Design: If the carried-over screen isn’t bad enough, the iPhone 4S still packs front and back glass surfaces. This means it will be as apt as ever to break when dropped. The glass back plate, in particular, has plagued unfortunate customers with cracks and shatters. Apple didn’t make mention of any improvements to the glass surfaces to toughen them up. A metal design would be stronger. It also would be nice to have some hardware that’s thinner and looks nicer.

4. Standards-Based Technologies: Apple continues to shun industry standards in favor of its own. for example, the International Telecommunications Union has decreed that all cellular telephones use the microUSB port for charging and data transfer.

The iPhone 4S, likes its predecessors, uses a proprietary Apple-made connector for attaching it to computers, chargers, and other peripherals. This means people are beholden to purchase cables from Apple and its partners rather than use any old cable. Apple also didn’t add an HDMI port for easier sharing with HDTVs. Instead, it wants you to spend $100 on the Apple TV and stream the content wirelessly.

5. NFC: Totally absent from the iPhone 4S is any way to make mobile tap-and-go payments. It doesn’t support NFC (near-field communications), which means it won’t enable customers to make mobile payments at retail stores on the go. meanwhile, Google, Sprint, Visa, MasterCard, RIM, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and myriad others are in the middle of packaging together vast NFC-based mobile payment tech. when it comes to mobile payments, Apple is clearly allowing other companies to lead the way.

Looking Inside the iPhone 4S

photo via ifixit

The team over at ifixit, a popular free repair manual Web site, has been busy dissecting Apple’s iPhone 4S like a frog in a science classroom.

What did they find? Luckily slicing into an iPhone 4S isn’t as messy as cutting open an amphibian, but there are still a number of interesting things to look at.

First, there’s the new battery, which is slightly larger than the iPhone 4 variety. Ifixit notes that although the new battery can accommodate an extra hour of talk time over a 3G network, Apple has shaved 100 hours from the phone’s standby time. this is because the new iPhone 4S has a faster processor and other hardware upgrades that tend to consume more power.

Several people have wondered if Siri, Apple’s new personal assistant software, will work on previous iPhone models. Ifixit found that the software is designed to work only with the new A5 chip, which is a dual-core processor. the only other Apple device with an A5 chip is the iPad 2, meaning Siri could easily be integrated into the iPad with a software upgrade.

The camera in the iPhone 4S has been upgraded to eight megapixels from the iPhone 4’s five-megapixel camera. Apple didn’t just drop in a new camera: the company has enhanced its integration with other hardware upgrades too, tapping into the new processor and memory. Ifixit writes that the iPhone 4S knows how to use every last pixel, letting in 73 percent more light than the previous camera and increasing camera speeds by 33 percent.

You can see more of the guts of the iPhone 4S at the ifixit Web site.

Bose SoundLink wireless Bluetooth speaker review: It lives up to the hype

Bose, create a groundbreaking product? sure, the company’s got some really nice headphones and decent sound systems that are just a tad overpriced. but Bose? since when does Bose make a game-changer?

Since it came out with its compact Bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink Wireless Mobile, that’s when. no, it’s not theiPhone or anything, but it may just be the iPhone of portable Bluetooth speakers.

for the uninitiated, Bluetooth speakers let you stream music and other audio from any smartphone and manytablets (including theiPad) wirelessly. There’s no need for network configurations–just a simple pairing procedure, and whatever you’re playing on your phone or tablet gets wirelessly sent to the speakers, whether it’s MP3 music, Spotify, Rdio, a baseball game, or a video soundtrack.

Bluetooth speakers have been around for years, so what’s so special about the Bose? well, it starts with how small it is and ends with just how much sound comes out of it–and impressive sound at that.

Bose also seems to be taking a few cues from Apple: along with the compact shape and clean, elegant design, the SoundLink Wireless Mobile, starting at $300, is equipped with a magnetic protective combined cover and stand that automatically turns the speaker off when closed. Sound familiar?

Click here to read the full review of Bose’s SoundLink Wireless speakers.

Subaru introduces smartphone integration for the 2012 model year

Including Facebook and Twitter updates via text to speech- Online  Monday, September 26, 2011 (0) Comments | Print friendly | Email Us

TORONTO, – Subaru Canada, inc. and Pioneer Electronics of Canada have teamed up to offer a navigation system that allows users on select Legacy, Outback, Forester, and WRX STI models to be connected to social networks, local searches, and traffic services while keeping their focus on the road.

At a time when consumers can take their personal devices with them virtually anywhere, including the automobile, Subaru is helping to make it easier and safer to integrate these devices into the car environment. the new in-dash navigation keeps drivers entertained, informed and up-to-date with smartphone connectivity to Aha Radio for Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Traffic, Podcasts, and App Mode. Sirius satellite radio is also included with a free 3-month trial

Aha Radio

The Pioneer in-dash navigation system is the first to conveniently connect drivers to the world around them with on-demand, interactive, personalized radio. Via an iPhone™ 4 with the free Aha Radio mobile app, users can listen to the latest traffic conditions, listen to Facebook and Twitter updates, access hundreds of podcasts and other services such as the “Hungry” and “Coffee” stations that deliver real-time vicinity search results and directions to preferred restaurant categories listed on Yelp. Aha Radio offers over 100 stations, including podcasts, that can be conveniently accessed and controlled directly from the display.

App Mode

The App Mode feature, which can be accessed only when the vehicle has the parking brake engaged, lets users view a connected iPhone’s video (Quicktime) content from Safari, as well as YouTube and other select apps, directly on the larger 6.1-inch high resolution screen.

The new Pioneer audio unit features 4GB of flash memory, a 6.1-inch WVGA touch screen display, a 3D graphics accelerator, DVD playback, built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and music streaming, a USB port for iPod/iPhone connectivity, and a micro SD card slot. for users travelling to the United States, the system is HD Radio ready. (This unit also features full control of Pandora Internet radio when listening through the Pandora app on an iPhone, should Pandora become available in Canada.)

Bluetooth functionality requires a compatible Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. for more details about compatible Bluetooth devices, go to pioneerelectronics.com/BluetoothCompatibility. for a list of compatible USB devices, go to pioneerelectronics.com/USBCompatibility.

For more information about the entire Subaru lineup, including the vehicles equipped with the new smartphone-compatible navigation system, please go to Link.

iPhone 4S review – iPad/iPhone – Macworld UK

The initial reaction to the announcement of the iPhone 4S was muted.

First there’s that name: It’s the old phone’s name with an S attached to it. as the iPhone 3GS taught us, adding an S to an iPhone’s name can represent numerous under-the-hood improvements, but it doesn’t send shivers down your spine like incrementing a number by one and unveiling a redesigned exterior with mind-blowing features that may or may not include anti-gravity.

Apple’s never going to win a competition with the wildest imaginations of tech bloggers. But the company seems to be doing OK in the business of building phones. The iPhone 4, which remained more or less unchanged for 15 months as approximately a zillion Android smartphone models came and went, has consistently been the best-selling smartphone around.

Now here comes the iPhone 4S, which is more of a good thing: it takes the successful look of the iPhone 4 and tosses in a dual-core processor for dramatically improved speed, an upgraded camera, and some brand-new voice-command technologies.

It’s a classic look, easily my favorite of all the iPhone designs to date. The fit and finish are immaculate; not a single thing about the iPhone 4S feels cheap. in terms of styling, the iPhone 4 feels like the most expensive electric razor ever made, or maybe like a finely-tuned luxury watch.

The same eye-popping 960-by-640-pixel screen introduced with the iPhone 4 is present on the iPhone 4S, too. Dubbed the “Retina display” by Apple, it’s got a screen resolution of 326 pixels per inch, meaning that the average human eye can’t even see individual pixels. The result is marvelous. Reading text is like looking at a printed page. High-definition videos and photos display tiny details.

With the exception of a micro-SIM card slot on the right side, the iPhone 4S is a dead ringer for the Verizon/CDMA version of the iPhone 4 introduced in February. Extremely precise cases designed specifically for the original iPhone 4 may have trouble fitting over the ring/silent switch and the volume buttons of the iPhone 4S, which are slightly shifted from their position on the GSM iPhone 4; precision cases for the Verizon iPhone 4 and less-precise iPhone 4 cases will have no trouble.

On the front of the phone there’s a VGA-quality camera (640-by-480 pixels) that’s designed to be used for video chatting, either via Apple’s FaceTime technology or via a third-party app such as Skype or Google+. This, too, is unchanged from the specs of the iPhone 4.

In essence, only a Sherlockian attention to detail would allow you to differentiate between the GSM (AT&T) iPhone 4, CDMA (Verizon) iPhone 4, and the iPhone 4S. (Budding detectives: The symmetrical black lines on both sides of the phone are the sign it’s not a GSM iPhone 4; if there’s no micro-SIM slot on the right side, it’s the CDMA iPhone 4; if the lines are symmetrical but the slot is there, it’s the iPhone 4S.)

This does not mean that the iPhone 4S is essentially the iPhone 4 with the benefit of an extra letter. because on the inside, the iPhone 4S is dramatically different from the iPhone 4.

iPhone app developers earn 9x more than Android writers

Rating: Dice report suggest it’s because they’re more iPhone app professionals

A recent report from Dice (the high tech job specialist) found that less than one-in-five (17 per cent) technology professionals have published a mobile app.[ Dice surveyed over 3,200 respondents of whom around 500 reported having developed a mobile app.] What’s interesting is that Dice has broken those figures down into the amount of time tech professionals spent working on apps by mobile OS. it found here that more spent is spent working full-time on iPhone apps by high tech professional than other OS. iPhone developers also made nine times more than their rivals on Android. however, Android is the OS on which they work most part-time. Surprisingly Windows Mobile comes third – above iPad; BlackBerry; and Symbian. that suggest the survey is definitely US centric.The survey showed that over one third (35 per cent) of tech professionals who have dived in and developed an app have made $1 or more.

Significantly, those who prefer developing on iPhone reported nine times more income from apps, than those working on Android.

As an explanation for this discrepancy, Dice suggested that more focus full-time on iPhone development. The company also observed that as app advertising revenue grows so too should Android income.

The gap between Android and iPhone job postings on Dice is widening. For every request in search of iPhone experience, there’s now 1.4 requests for Android – which was more even in March [2011] when Android took a very slight lead.

Presently, of the 17 per cent of professionals who have worked on a mobile app, just over one quarter (27 per cent) work on mobile initiatives full-time.

Dice ‘s md, Alice Hill, concludes that the the bottom line is that publishing a popular app can be the ticket to a better job whether you are working for an employer or not.

Talking of mobile apps, Dice itself has an app for both iPhone and Android which are free and available via their associated app stores.

Curiously, the Android Market reported that the app – Dice Job Search from Dice Career Solutions – isn’t compatible with any of our Android handsets.

It requires Android 2.1 (Éclair) or above and we’ve got two of those. Normally if the app is North America only, Android Market tells you that fact. Curious.

Incidentally, for the record, downloads of the Dice iPhone app are exceeding those of Android, the company says. maybe that’s because others are having the same trouble as us?

Square allows mobile payment processing

one Square mobile application: free. The credit card reader to go with it: free. The technology to process MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover cards on a smart phone or iPad: priceless.

Square, the San Francisco startup, recently raised $100 million to change the way people handle business transactions. Now, anyone from a cab driver to a house-call doctor to a produce purveyor at the farmers’ market – even a couple holding a yard sale – can accept payments on their mobile devices. The technology is a boon for many fledgling entrepreneurs – particularly small and mobile food businesses – who found the traditional way of processing credit cards either cost prohibitive or unfeasible.

It all started in 2009. Jack Dorsey, one of the founders of Twitter, was talking to his childhood friend, Jim McKelvey, a glass blower who had just lost a $2,000 sale on one of his sculptures. a woman had walked into his St. Louis shop, fell in love with the piece and wanted to buy it. she could only pay by credit card. McKelvey was set up to only take cash. so, he kissed his big chunk of change bye-bye.

App inspiration

The two men commiserated over their smart phones. Then McKelvey and Dorsey, a software engineer, had an epiphany. Why not invent an app that accepts payments on an iPhone, iPad or Android phone? They went into business.

“We have fully functional computers in our pockets,” said Keith Rabois, Square’s chief operating officer. “It’s transforming every industry. Why not the way we make payments?”

Once the free application has been downloaded, a reader is mailed to the recipient (it can also be purchased for $9.95, with a $10 rebate, at Apple, Radio Shack and Best buy stores). The little gizmo plugs into the headphone jack of a smart phone or iPad and is used to swipe credit cards.

Since Square was founded in 2010, the company has shipped 750,000 readers to merchants and wannabe merchants. about 65 percent of the businesses using Square are mobile in some way, Rabois said. about half the transactions are made with debit or credit cards.

“The old – archaic – way, you needed some sort of a land phone line,” he said. “With our way all you need is Wi-Fi or 3G.”

Quick turnaround

Square, which is working with Chase bank, cuts and mails a check to the seller just hours after a transaction is made and takes a 2.75 percent cut, said Square spokeswoman Katie Baynes. as of August, the company was processing $4 million in payments a day, and it estimates that by the end of the year it will have done a total of $2 billion. with that kind of volume, it has been able to work out a deal with credit card firms to charge merchants a flat fee for accepting MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover, Baynes said.

Typically, credit card companies base their fees on the credit rating of the merchant. some, such as American Express, have been known to be more expensive than the rest. Sometimes the cost is too much for a new business.

“To rent the terminal alone was going to cost me $40 to $50 a month,” said Maricar Lagura, co-owner of Spin City Coffee, which opened in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood a little more than a year ago. “Our place is really small. We didn’t have a budget for anything, and were pretty much running on hope and prayer.”

Lagura and her partner had decided to be a cash-only business until a Square representative contacted her. Lagura said he didn’t have to get too far into his sales spiel.

“He had me at ‘free,’ ” she said.

Now, credit card sales are 35 to 40 percent of her business, she said, adding that she plans to use Square when she puts her coffee truck on the road next year.

Inventory tracking

“It’s a no-brainer,” said Lagura, who also uses Square Register on her iPad, a full point-of-sale system that includes inventory tracking and ways to publicize her menu and location information. “This is going to change the world.”

Venture capital firms agree. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital and Khosla Ventures are key investors in the startup, which is headquartered in The Chronicle building.

Over the summer the company introduced Square Card Case, a mobile app that enables customers to start tabs with local merchants, store digital receipts and search nearby Square food businesses and their menus.

“The ultimate goal is to reinvent both sides of the counter,” Rabois said. “We want to create a system in which making and receiving payments is less like going to the dentist.”

This article appeared on page D – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle