The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

It doesn't happen so much anymore, but not too long ago you'd hear about a new offering arriving in the App Store that would stir up a little controversy (the NetShare tethering app springs to mind). They'd enjoy some fanfare and a ton of purchases for a few days before being summarily removed, never to return and often without a thorough explanation from Apple. A relatively small number of users would retain possession of the app and would take a bit of pride in knowing that they were in the right place at just the right time to snag a copy of the app before it was yanked.

When I got the email from our very own Mike Rose regarding the release of GV Mobile, I was pretty excited. I'd been wanting to more fully adopt the Google Voice service, but had wanted a more iPhone-ish experience in doing so and GV Mobile seemed to have just what I was jonesing for. I paid the three bucks right then and, like The Giving Tree, was happy.

My adoption plan for Google Voice didn't pan out quite like I'd hoped for a while after that. I'd use it occasionally, but I had trouble moving it from the number I gave to sales people to the number I gave to my mother-in-law. But, despite the absence of the app in the App Store, I still had a perfectly working copy of it on my iPhone, ready when I was - or so I thought.

A couple of weeks ago, I had decided that it was time to make Google Voice a more central part of my communication workflow. Having not launched GV Mobile in a while, I fired it up to reacquaint myself with the interface, capabilities, etc. Trouble is, I couldn't authenticate with Google. I triple-checked my credentials but the app would just throw an error on launch and that was that. A couple of people on Twitter had mentioned having the same issue and a quick Google search informed me that, sure enough, the app no longer worked. Apparently, Google had modified the Voice API such that authentication now worked differently than it did when GV Mobile was written. Because the app no longer had Apple's seal of approval, I had little recourse because there obviously weren't going to be any updates to the app anytime soon.

Which raised the broader question - how heavily should we rely on "orphaned" apps? If they're self-contained (which is to say, they don't rely on any web sites or services to function properly), it probably isn't a big deal, but if you're a heavy Google Voice user and GV Mobile is how you got your work done, is it really a good idea to hang your hopes on an app that will likely never see any type of upgrade or bugfix release?

I can confidently say that this little hiccup has seriously cramped my plans for more completely adopting Google Voice. Is the same true for you? Have you experienced this type of dilemma with any other now-missing App Store purchases? Tell us about it in the comments!

Since the arrival of the Push Notifications feature in iPhone OS 3.0, all manner of apps have added support for it. Games, task management applications, you name it -- they're all more than happy to make your phone beep at you in the middle of the night and prompt your spouse to kindly insist that you silence that infernal device. Or so I've heard.

It seems like a no-brainer to me that this type of functionality would exist among the throngs of social networking applications. If the game where you flick the thing while the music is playing can tell me when I've got a new challenger from the Far East, why can't my favorite Twitter client let me know when I've got a new direct message? Sadly, most of the apps in the store (as far as I know) haven't implemented this functionality yet. I realize that it has some sporadic adoption, but certainly not the universal support that I personally expected.

Enter Boxcar [iTunes Link]. This little free app has existed in the store for months now and has received some very nice reviews, and for good reason. I've been a faithful user of this app for many moons and I find it pretty indispensable. Here's how it works:

When you install the app (which is free at the time of this writing), you can choose to enable a single service for notification -- Twitter, Facebook or an email account. It will poll the selected service at a short interval and send you a standard push notification message if there are any updates. In the case of Twitter, you can configure it to open one of several supported Twitter client apps. If you want to enable additional services, you can do so through the in-app purchase mechanism, and most options cost $.99US.

I'm a big fan of Boxcar and use it for Twitter and Facebook. It's one of those free applications that's actually worth more than what you're paying for it -- a quality that's becoming increasingly rare among free iPhone apps these days! Version 2.1 was just released a few days ago and includes several new features like support for Facebook Mail and better accessibility.

Pick up Boxcar now for free from the App Store.

Most of us have really crappy, insecure passwords. Sure, we tack a couple of numbers or punctuation characters at the end of our cat's name, but that's a far cry from secure -- especially since we also have the equally nasty habit of using the same password on every single site/service/machine/device with which we have regular contact. We're not just asking for trouble, we're offering it a delectable stolen identity sandwich.

As most of us Mac folks know, a solution exists and it's called 1Password. If you've owned your Mac for more than an hour or so, chances are pretty good that you've been admonished to acquire this lovely app (maybe even by more than one person). Several of us at TUAW are big fans of 1Password, and today our pointy party hats are standing taller than ever thanks to the opening of the public beta for 1Password 3.

This new version brings with it a massive list of changes, improvements and new features -- a couple of which have helped me to realize the dream of being able to utilize 1Password data on OSes other than OS X. You see, like many other Mac enthusiasts, I use Windows at work. Obviously, this precludes me from fully embracing Mac-only software like 1Password, but thanks to a brand new feature called 1Password Anywhere, my pain is dulled.

1Password Anywhere allows you to take your 1Password data and open it using any modern web browser. I've tested this with Chrome, Firefox and IE under Windows XP and they all work wonderfully. Your data is still absolutely secure and stored behind the same master password that protects the data in 1Password proper. They didn't spare any detail, either -- 1Password Anywhere looks and feels remarkably similar to the native OSX application. The data is read-only in your browser, but being able to easily the strong passwords and paste them is worth the admission price. The truly enlightened will see the application of a service like Dropbox here -- just move your keychain file into your Dropbox and your passwords are now with you whenever you go.

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Being a productivity nerd who happens to love technology has its benefits. Those of us who are happy to spend a Friday night creating and destroying a list of tasks have absolutely no shortage of quality applications upon which to practice and hone our weirdo craft.

For web-based task management there's the popular and venerable Backpack by 37Signals which, up until very recently, was in bad need of an equally awesome representation on our iPhones. I'm happy to say that the clouds have wandered west and the iPhone-toting Backpack lovers can rejoice at the advent of Satchel [App Store].

I know what you're thinking. "Dude, could you be a little more gushy about a freaking iPhone application?" Perhaps I could, but there's a reason that this article is written with such an overt sense of elation and joy. I love this application. It has succeeded where others (most notably, FrontPocket) have woefully failed. So, if you just want to know whether or not I "endorse" this product, the answer is yes. Read on if you're curious as to why.

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LittleSnapper from Realmac Software has been available for OS X for quite some time (and was one of the apps available in this year's Macheist bundle), and a few days ago they released a trimmed-down version that runs on your iPhone. While it lacks the basic photo editing and annotation available on its desktop counterpart, LittleSnapper for iPhone is no slouch.

One of the things about LittleSnapper that first caught my eye was the interface, which is extremely slick and shows great attention to detail on the part of the developers. The real jewels of this app, however, are a bit less obvious. In fact, after just a few hours of use, it has supplanted the built-in Camera application on my home screen.

Using the default configuration, when you snap a picture, it's immediately added to your Camera Roll (hence the replacing of Camera). After you've taken your photo, you can then upload it to QuickSnapper (Realmac's companion photo sharing site, which is free to use). Once that's done, you can then email a link to it or post it to Twitter (via Tweetie, Twitterrific or Twitterfon) right from within the app. I don't know about you, but whenever I take a picture with my iPhone, there's a very good chance that I'd like to email it immediately afterward. For me, being able to do this within a single app is huge.

The other killer feature of LittleSnapper is the ability to screenshot any web page from within the application. The only downside to this feature is that you don't have access to your Mobile Safari bookmarks and you must type in the URL manually (or browse to it via another URL, like a Google search). Obviously this issue will be history once iPhone OS 3.0 is out in June (which includes system-wide copy-and-paste), so it's understandable that they didn't bother getting to crazy with the cheez-whiz in terms of browser integration and whatnot. LittleSnapper's chrome is also removed from the webpage snap, which is a nice touch.

Of course, no application is perfect, and LittleSnapper has a few (small) warts. For one, I'd love to see a subset of the annotation tools available on the desktop version, as well as a more iPhone friendly view of the QuickSnapper site when browsing your uploaded photos. Tighter integration with the OSX application (like syncing photos and their metadata) would also be pretty sweet. These aren't anywhere close to deal-breakers for me, but I can see them being becoming popular feature requests.

I'm very impressed with LittleSnapper and, given the amount of half-baked throwaway apps that seem to be cropping up lately, it's nice to see one with a good bit of polish. LittleSnapper [App Store] is available now for $2.99US.

If you're the type that spends your winter cubicle moments dreaming of making lazy doglegs down a snowy slope, than you might just find a tiny bit of solace in Touch Ski 3D from Naquatic, Inc. This game got some tweaks under the hood recently and it looks like they may really have something here.

Touch Ski 3D offers visuals and effects that are quite stunning, as well as a rather unique approach to game play. Instead of simply rocking your device in varying directions to control your player, you lay two fingers on the screen and, based on their direction and relative orientation, control the speed and direction. I found this a little awkward at first (mostly because you need to hold the device in such a way that it makes "line-at-the-bank" play a little difficult), but it didn't take much time to acclimate.

Slalom-style Race and Jump are the two types of game play available, and I'd highly recommend starting off with the latter as it lets you focus more on how to orient your fingers and trying to maintain a straight line. The Race involves some pretty tricky turning (if you're a beginner like yours truly) and it's fairly easy to get a confused as to which direction you're supposed to be going. Again, it's not too bad once you get the hang of it, but you can definitely expect your first few minutes to be spent doing a windshield-wiper-style dance with your fingers.

I'm not a big skier; this app doesn't make me dream of faraway Alpine peaks, but for the short time I've spent with it, I enjoyed it. I'm not sure this is something I'll be firing up too often (again, not a skier), but I can definitely see this being some people's go-to game (and it's certainly one of the best looking games I've played on the iPhone). Perhaps a little more variety in the game play would make the $3 price tag a little less of a barrier, but they've certainly nailed the animations and imagery.

Touch Ski 3D [App Store] is available for $2.99US.

Silicon Alley Reporter notes that, according to a well-connected industry executive, a native Hulu application for the iPhone is coming soon (within a few months) and is reported to support streaming content over wifi and 3G. The source was also cited as saying that the app is "badass."

Other video streaming applications for the iPhone (UStream, Joost and i.TV, to name a few) have met with, at best, mixed user reaction. Considering that Hulu is currently riding atop the throngs of sites offering mainstream television and film content online, expectations for this new offering will likely be quite high. Coupled with the recent rumblings regarding AT&T's supposed unwillingness to fully embrace this type of content delivery over its cell network, it's probably safe to say that Hulu on iPhone will be in the news again (and, perhaps, again) before the app sees the light of day.

We'll keep you posted if we catch wind of any new developments with this application, but for now, we'll play the waiting game.

[via Lockergnome]

Hi there, my name is Brett Kelly and I'm one of the new bloggers here at TUAW.

My first Mac was a second-hand G3 PowerMac that I received as a birthday gift about 5 years ago, which has since been upgraded to a white MacBook that I use for absolutely everything (and my kids use as a coaster). I have a first-generation iPhone because I've convinced myself that EDGE is just fine -- or something.

Apple stuff aside, I'm a husband and dad, a web developer, tattoo collector and coffee enthusiast (meaning I roast it myself in my garage). I'm also something of a recovering productivity nerd, so don't be surprised if you see my name at the top of posts ogling over the latest list management application. Yes, it's a sickness.

I've been doing various blogging bits for a few years now (mostly in the realm of personal organization and "lifehacks", as it were), but nothing quite as high profile as this, that's for sure. I'm very excited to be a part of this stellar team and I look forward to presenting you with many thought-provoking, interesting posts, as well as more than a little poorly-executed humor.

Like most of the cool kids, I'm on the Twitter and would love it if you'd say hello. Thanks for having me!

Twitter is many things to many people. Some folks use it to keep up with friends or the latest news; others make it their primary tool for online coversation. There exists, however, within the throng of Twitter users, a group of people who use Twitter as the stage from which they deliver their own special brand of humor.

For these types, a tweet isn't something that's typed and quickly posted a few seconds later -- it's a chance to make his/her followers chuckle. To that end, they take great care to ensure that each tweet is finely honed and worded to deliver the maximum amount of gag within the 140-character limit. Birdhouse is an application for these people.

Dubbed by its creators as "A Notepad for Twitter," Birdhouse isn't your typical Twitter client. Instead of reading, replying to and favoriting your buddies' tweets, it focuses on composition. Got an idea for a really hilarious joke? Plug the idea into Birdhouse, then come back to it when you have time. Tweak and refine it until you've got just what you want, and hit publish.

There's no hard limit to the number of drafts you can keep at once, and it maintains a timestamped history of all of the tweets you've published. You can rate each message using a 5-star system, and it also allows you to email yourself a complete list of all pending and published tweets in case you're staring at the business end of an iPhone restore and you don't want to lose that truly golden mom joke you've been working on.

Birdhouse [App Store] is available now for $3.99US.