As Apple Lifts Restrictions, VoIP through 3G Now Possible in the iPhone
Prior to this, VoIP through cellular networks was not possible for the iPhone. Or should say, Apple did not allow the feature. For whatever reason, you can only make VoIP calls whenever your iPhone is connected via Wi-Fi. Sudddenly, Apple realized that it’s now time to lift this restriction and allow VoIP feature through cellular networks.
As soon as Apple updated the iPhone SDK, we now have the first iPhone app to make this possible – iCall. In fact, this app will go down into history as being the first and currently the only VoIP application that uses 3G networks for the iPhone.
So, now you make unrestricted free local and long distance calling vover 3G networks using your iPhone.
iCall is already available at the Apps Store as a free download. And iCall CEO is more than happy about the release of this app and applauded Apple for lifting the restrictions.
“I applaud Apple’s decision to allow iCall to extend its functionality beyond Wi-Fi and onto the 3G networks. This heralds a new era for VoIP applications on mobile platforms, especially for iCall and our free calling model. I hope that now more developers will begin using our VoIP as a platform to integrate VoIP into their applications.”
Here’s the link to iCall iPhone App at the Apps Store.
TweetDeck for iPhone Gets Updated with List and New ReTweet Style
Of all the Twitter apps that I have downloaded on my iPhone, TweetDeck is the one that I have constantly used. It’s one of the best and most robust Twitter iPhone app that I have used so far. In fact, I also have TweetDeck on my Mac. That’s how much I like TweetDeck.
And guess what, TweetDeck for iPhone has just been upgraded to version 1.3. With the version update are some great new features that you will surely appreciate including mobile retweets, Twitter lists, view on map, location features and more.
In brief, here’s what each of these new TweetDeck features can do:
- Keep up with your favourite Twitter Lists – add your own Twitter List or List you subscribed to on a new column
- Mobile retweets – lets you choose how you want to retweet a post, that is using the old style or new style of posting a retweet. TweetDeck remembers your first preference and maintains it in your succeeding retweets until you change your preference
- Location features – you can now geotag your tweets based on your current location; needs activation
- View on Map – takes all the geo-coded tweets from the column of your choosing plot them on a map, this helps you find out where all your Twitter followers are at the moment
Aside from those new features, TweetDeck did some tweaks and fixes.
If you have not downloaded a Twitter app for your iPhone, you might want to check out TweetDeck. [iTunes Link]
Samsung Galaxy Spica Joins the Android Crowd
Android (ver. Android 1.5)Aside from the Nexus One, another Android Phone just debut, this time at the CES 2010 event. Samsung has launched its latest Android phone called the Samsung Galaxy Spica.
The Samsung Galaxy Spica boasts of a slim and compact form factor and with its Android platform gives you seamless connectivity and access to various Google such as Gmail, Maps, Google Search and more. It also supports popular social networking sites including Facebook and MySpace. This phone is loaded with an 800 MHZ processor and supports DivX. Of course you can also download various applications from the Android market.
This Android phone also features DNSe 2.0 that provides better sound quality. For your listening the Galaxy Spica has a 3.5mm ear jack.
Complete specs of the Samsung Galaxy Spica are as follow:
- Android (ver. Android 1.5)
- 3.2” HVGA(320×480) TFT Display
- 3MP autofocus camera
- 180MB Internal Memory
- microSD expansion card
- video and audio playback
The Samsung Galaxy Spica is a HSDPA 3.6Mbps (900/2100)
EDGE/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900) phone. It runs on 1500 mAh battery. While this maybe a nice Android device, the Samsung Galaxy Spica is still not as feature-packed as the Nexus One. Unfortunately, pricing and release date of this Android phone are still unknown. Although, we’re pretty much sure that it will be much cheaper than the Nexus One.
iPhone Apps for Business Productivity
Mashable.com has a great list of work productivity-related iPhone apps with a bit of an overblown title. These apps are ideal for the busy entpreneur, manager and others, and fall into the categories of virtual assistant, to-do/ reminder lists, flight updates, web meetings, password managers, expense trackers and a few others.
While most of the apps listed do cost money, a few of the valuable ones are free:
- AT&T virtual receptionist, which apparently includes a free toll-free number.
- Fuze Meeting, which is similar to WebEx but free, includes instant messages, video sharing, desktop sharing, conference calling. Did we say it’s free? Now you never have an excuse to skip a meeting. Ever. Unless your carrier doesn’t have coverage where you are, or there’s no Wi-Fi. Or you “accidentally” turn off your phone and “forget” about it.
- UPS Mobile. Got an account with UPS? Get an UPS ID (register online) and you can initiate pickups and deliveries, see rates and track your packages.
See Mashable for more info.
Free Gorillacam iPhone Photography App Packed with Goodies
Gorillacam is a neat little iPhone photography app, and combined with Joby.com’s GorillaMobile tripod (pictured below) for mobile devices, you can have a lot of fun photo sessions. Some of your pics might even come out looking reasonably professional. Don’t believe me? Check out the iPhoneography.com website in general, but specifically look at some of the iPhone photography work shown there.
Now about Gorillacam… It’s packed with features. You can set the “bubble” feature to get a carpenter’s level accuracy about your camera position. (See the very top of the image above to see the yellow/green bubble.) Turn on the grid feature to pull off better photo compositions. Want to take a group pic with you in it? Use a GorillaMobile or other tripod and the Gorillacam self-timer feature. You can also do multi-frame “bursts” and set the interval (in seconds) between pics. This is great for time-lapse photography of slow-moving objects, or even to create stop-motion videos. (Just remember to disable your iPhone’s auto-screen save so that it doesn’t turn off in the middle of your photo sessions.)
Not bad at all for a free app. I think I’m impressed enough to buy a GorillaMobile tripod for my iPhone 3GS. The hefty price of US$39.95 seems worth it, given how flexible this tripod is (just like the original Gorillapod). You can attach to all kinds of objects.
Trouble Waking Up? Use the iPhone Alarm Clock App in a Creative Way
If you’re like me and have trouble getting up in the mornings, get creative with the default Clock app on your iPhone. What I do is set two alarms about 10, 15 or 30 minutes apart, with different sounds for each. For me, a deeper sound such as a drum works better, but I mix it up with a Xylophone or Harp sound. In fact, what works best for me is a softer sound for the 1st alarm, and a more insistent sound for the 2nd alarm.
As far as timing, the 2nd alarm is set for the time that I don’t want to get up past. Give it try.