Month: October 2013

App•Net: Tweetbot’s Little Brother Netbot Stuck In iOS 6 Purgatory

Posted by | Oct 26, 2013 | , , , |

After releasing an iOS 7 version of Tweetbot to the masses, Mark Jardine (one of the co-founders of Tapbots along with Paul Hadad) has confirmed that further development for the App.Net clone Netbot has ceased. Note: Screen shot of this tweet exchange Honestly Netbot was a slick app even if it was a near identical clone of its Twitter sibling. The app raised the bar as far as App.Net apps went, being the first to introduce features like translation tools, numerous third party image support & even video (the latter which is lacking in most App.Net clients today). While I wish them the best of luck with Tweetbot (which is worth every penmy), it’s sad to see another great app languish on the sidelines....

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iOS Woes: Google+ And YouTube Down‽

Posted by | Oct 24, 2013 | , , |

It looks like YouTube for iOS & Google+ are not cooperating with many users right now.  Signing into YouTube greets me with a weird “authenticating” error… …while Google+ just crashes.  So far those are the only Google apps I’m having trouble with (Gmail, Chrome, Blogger & Google Voice are fine but I’m hearing reports about trouble with the latter now).  I do not rely heavily upon Google as I use to, but for those who do I feel your pain! Kind...

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How Google And Apple Are Turning Carriers Into Dumb Pipes

Posted by | Oct 21, 2013 | , , , |

When Google updated their iOS Hangouts app, they introduced a key feature that will haunt every carrier on planet Earth. “You can now make calls to phones from the iOS app, and calls to the US and Canada are free! You can dial internationally too (with super low rates), but you’ll first need some calling credit: google.com/voice/m/credit .” “If you’re a Google Voice user, you can make and receive calls from any of your iOS devices with today’s update. Outgoing calls will come from your Google Voice number, and incoming Voice calls can be answered from Google+ Hangouts. (via Kate Cushing (a Googler) on Google+)” Basically I can now call my friends without having to use ANY of my minutes over WiFi or faux 4G data (the latter which I have unlimited with on AT&T). Provided they have the app of course! (which many Android phones already carry) Note: This feature hasn’t yet rolled out to Android, but when it does it’s going to present a new challenge for carriers. But that is only half the story, as Apple has also regulated the global carriers to “dumb pipes” thanks to FaceTime Audio: “New in iOS 7 is the ability to make FaceTime Audio calls. FaceTime Audio works internationally and works on a Wi-fi network, or on a cellular connection. Using Facetime Audio sounds nicer than actually using the iPhone...

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Purging Dead (And Useless) Apps Via MyPermissions

Posted by | Oct 18, 2013 | , |

If you haven’t heard of MyPermissions or if you have (and declined to install this app upon your iDevice) then you need to perform a geek cleansing and download this app right now. I’ll wait… …for a few seconds. Installed it? Great! MyPermissions has been around for awhile but the latest update embraces not only iOS 7 but bids a farewell to their “beta” tag. One reason why I love this apps is that I can easily conduct a “permissions purge” of various web services, native apps or dead pool companies who still retain access to my social accounts (or to platforms like Dropbox). Beware of Bugs: Despite the latest and greatest update the app is still slightly buggy as revoking a service can mysteriously render the other revoke buttons “unresponsive.” To get around this I had to close out the mini pop up window, then restart the app purge again. Also adding new services to MyPermissions can produce side effects (such as a brief sensation of app slowness followed by confusion and frustration). Aside from those two major bugs the app works flawlessly! 😉 Needed features: Sadly MyPermissions only supports… Dropbox Twitter Facebook Google Flickr Instagram LinkedIn Foursquare …which is great start but the the geek in me wishes that MyPermissions would support other platforms/social platforms like: Vimeo Evernote WordPress Tumblr App.Net Etcetera (insert your service here) Hopefully...

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:-D @ATT Updates U-verse App, Makes Video News Apps Irrelevant

Posted by | Oct 7, 2013 | , |

I can finally watch live news and sports via iPhone without having to download another silly app! AT&T has updated their U-verse app, allowing geeks and consumers to watch live television from their iDevice! (which includes all my sports, news, and occasionally SciFi flicks!) I tested this on Futurama and although the signal was choppy at first (at least upon my iPhone 4S), within 30 seconds it became crystal clear. Sadly the commercials are included in the live broadcast without (to my knowledge) the ability to skip them. 🙁 Note: Since viewing live TV will consume a massive amount of bandwidth I’d recommend watching it over Wifi instead of...

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