Early yesterday, vlingo, a voice app maker for the BlackBerry announced that they have brought the same voice technology to the iPhone. Naturally, everyone, including Gruber got all rattled up. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take this app for a spin.

I didn’t have much expectations for this voice app, as most voice recognition applications can’t understand my sloppy way of speaking. To add to that most voice applications (and Google explicitely mentions this) cater to the North American accent. So it’s very surprising that vlingo got everything I was saying from the time I started talking to it. Just like Google App it sends voice data back to the servers for processing, so there’s no voice training involved. 

vlingo presents a slick interface that feels just right for the iPhone. The darker tones really focus your attention on the push to speak button. Yes, unlike the Google App, which used unauthorised APIs to get the swing to ear and speak function, vlingo requires you to press a button. However, vlingo trumps Google App by means of the functionality it offers. vlingo has support for finding map locations, regular web searches, dialing phone numbers and posting to twitter and/or facebook. 

From the home screen you can speak instructions like “Twitter update… think I’ll have some tea” which automatically takes you to the twitter screen from where you can post a tweet. Unfortunately, the formatting of text is pathetic so you have to go in and capitalise those ‘i’s and add characters like questions marks if needed. The voice dial option is satisfactory. If it is sure of the number you spoke, it auto dials it, failing which it presents you with a list with the most probable number selected. 

Web searches work well enough for most generic terms (the word ‘vlingo’ however is very easily recognised), and you can choose between Yahoo and Google as your search engine. It did make mistakes, but I attribute that to my way of speaking which sometimes humans find difficult to understand. Maps however only searches for the location, the actual map will load up in the built in maps application. 

If voice based searching is your thing, then you can’t go wrong with vlingo. The app is fully featured, produces great overall results, and is free in the App Store. iPod Touch users will not be able to install this version so you might have to wait for an update to install it. However, I did find that the inline mic of the headset produced some bad results, so iPod Touch users might not like this app even if it does get an update.

Engadget reported that the In-Ear headphones that Apple announced in September have started shipping. The $79, dual-driver earbuds have inline controls for volume and playback, as well as an in built microphone for voice recording. Of course the iPhone’s earbuds already have this functionality, except for the volume control. Yet, Apple clearly states that these new earbuds will not be entirely compatible with the iPhone.

Compatibility Information: The remote and mic are supported only by iPod nano (4th generation), iPod classic (120GB), and iPod touch (2nd generation). Audio is supported by all iPod models.

The 10 million+ iPhone users will only have to be hopeful for a software update to fix it. However, judging by the recent release of the iPhone 2.2 software, it seems that Apple has tried and failed to implement those inline controls with the iPhone. 

Update: According to this support document, the mic and center button are supported on both iPhone models. Only the volume controls won’t work. (Thanks Nowhereman!)

Personally I’ve been using the Future Sonics FS1 from Ultimate Buds, which feature the same iPhone button control and I’m thrilled to have them. Judging by everyone’s reaction I may have overpaid but I couldn’t suffer with the standard earbuds any more. And now that I see that Apple has made the new earbuds pretty much useless for the iPhone, I’m feeling much better about my purchase. 

We will of course hopefully have a review of the new earbuds on SA, but till then, what’s your take on this bit of news?

In a revealing story at the Touch Arcade, research has shown that the iPod Touch 2G sports a faster CPU clock speed and possibly some GPU tweaks that make it not only superior to the previous generation iPod Touch, but also the iPhone 3G. 

“The most clear difference is that fact that the iPod Touch’s processor was quietly boosted to 532MHz (up from 412MHz) with the 2nd generation model introduced in September. Meanwhile, the iPhone 3G, Original iPhone and 1st Generation iPod Touch continue to run at the original 412MHz.” says the report on Touch Arcade.

Backing up a bit, we find that the iPhone’s ARM processor is actually capable of a speed of 620Mhz, but is downclocked to 412Mhz. This is most possibly to reduce heating and battery life issues. While we have no idea whether Apple will increase the clock speed via a firmware update or as a brand new device, we have one instance where Apple has pushed the Mhz via a firmware update.

Apple better do something about this, as developers are having a hard time developing games for the varied configurations. Tests have shown that there are performance differences between even those with the same clock speed. 

“Where we can easily display two 1500 polygon tennis players with 32 bones each on the iPod touch 2G and maintain fast and fluid game play, the original iPod touch just chokes, and in some instances so do the iPhones.” Thomas Fessler, a game developer, reports to Touch Arcade.

To all those who have been wondering why their friend’s iPod Touch 2G provides better frame-rates than their iPhone, know that Apple has been discriminating under the hood. Well, at least this will please those users who are bummed about the missing Street View on the iPod Touch.

It came as quite a surprise to everyone when the iPod Touch didn’t get the Street View that the iPhone OS 2.2 brings to the iPhone. The official reason is not yet known, but it is highly unlikely that Apple deemed the Street View as useless on the iPod Touch. After all, it wouldn’t be any extra trouble to add it to the feature set. 

My best guess is that it has something to do with those accounting rules that took over when they charged for the five apps and the 2.0 upgrade. 

“It’s an accounting requirement that if you upgrade a device that’s not on a subscription, you have to charge,” Needham and Company financial analyst Charles Wolf said. “Apple has a choice of what to charge, but they have to charge.”

Will the iPod Touch ever get the Street View? Hard to say for sure. If the exclusion has anything to do with the accounting rules, then we will definitely see the Street View ‘for sale’ in a future, more substantial update. This could be once or twice a year as and when new features are aggregated. It doesn’t, after all, make sense to charge customers every so often for each feature. Till then, bug fixes and minor changes will be the name of the game with the iPod Touch.

As for the Podcast download feature, my assumption is that the iTunes Music Store app has a revenue model that allows it (and any other functions) to remain as a free update. 

Not to forget, we also need to wait and see whether or not the newer ‘post-2.2’ iPod Touches that are sold have the Street View feature. The iPod Touch product page doesn’t mention anything of the Street View, neither does it include the Podcast download feature.

Your thoughts?

There aren’t a lot of things out there that iPhone users wait for more anxiously than Apple’s free firmware updates. Unlike every single other company in the industry, Apple has taken it upon themselves to provide iPhone users with regular software updates that actually add valuable new features to these devices without costing them a dime (although iPod touch users do generally have to pay a price for them)!

All the iPhone and iPod touch users among our readership will be glad to know that, after a lot of leaks and rumourmongering, Apple has just made available the v2.2 firmware update for both these devices. The focus this time round has primarily been on enhancing Google Maps and adding podcasts to the “iTunes application” (that’s what Apple is calling it now because, with the addition of podcasts and the ability to download them over the cellular network, the original name ‘iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store’ would perhaps have been a misnomer). Continue Reading »

For all those in India who are wondering what the juicy new iPods are gonna cost, Apple has announced the prices! The new iPods will not arrive in stores for at least another week, so this gives you ample time to get that cash ready.

These prices are on the higher side. Of course these are MRPs so you might be able to work your way into getting a discount if you know the store well. 

As you can see, the price of the 8GB iPod Touch has dropped to 15,100 from its earlier price of 17,100. The classic and the nano’s stay at the same price point as earlier, except now with twice the capacity. Watch out for deals though, as you might even be able to snag a new 3G iPod Nano for a lesser price. The iPod Shuffle stays at the same price point of 2,700 for the 1GB, and 3,800 for the 2GB. 

The Imagine Store (Goa) has offered to do nationwide shipping for the higher-end iPods, so if you want to get it delivered home, just get in touch with them.

Oh, so soon? After hearing about Apple incorporating preventive measures into iTunes 8, I was a bit worried that the iPhone Dev-Team would take some time before they came up with a smooth and safe PwnageTool for my iPhone. But they did it, and in record time. Just a day after the iPhone 2.1 software was released (5 days after iPod touch 2.1 was released), the iPhone Dev-Team got their show on the road with PwnageTool 2.1, and QuickPwn 1.1.

The ‘pwn’ goes around iTunes 8’s protection, without hacking or patching a single core file of iTunes or Mac OS X. The tool will unlock and jailbreak first generation iPhones. iPhone 3G will only be jailbroken, as will the first generation iPod Touch. This tool is not tested on the iPod Touch 2G, as the developers claim they don’t have any to test it on! Too bad they don’t accept any donations. 

If you are confused about the differences between PwnageTool and QuickPwn, let me put it in simple words. QuickPwn lets you pwn your iPhone after you have officially updated with iTunes. On the other hand, PwnageTool will create a custom firmware which you then use to update your iPhone. Both tools will achieve the same end result, but with PwnageTool you have more control as to what packages you want to install, whether you want a custom boot logo or not, etc. QuickPwn, on the other hand, is much quicker. Both tools are very easy to use. 

This time round the team has decided to go the BitTorrent route to reduce the server loads, especially during the initial stages. If you are wary of BitTorrent technology, they also have direct download mirrors listed by third party hosts. The whole thing feels like it’s a community event! If you are having trouble with downloading the 2.1 update via iTunes, iClarified lists official download links so you can get it using your preferred download manager. 

The tool is currently only available for Mac OS X, but a Windows version should be out soon. 

Go pwn that iPhone!

[Ed note: If you already have a successfully ‘pwned’ iPhone running on older firmware, all you need to do is hit the Update button in iTunes to update to v2.1. It will update your iPhone without locking it back to AT&T, just as if it were legitimately running on AT&T’s network. That’s what I did today and had no problems at all.]

Apple Events are a very dangerous affair, especially if you are low on finances. The new iPod Nano and iPod Touch look so delicious, you would want to eat them like Halloween candy. Luckily for you, Apple has released high quality tours for both these gadgets. Remember to drink lots of water and clean your screen before hitting the links, lest you get dehydrated licking the dust off it. 

The iPod Nano 4G Quicktour shows you the delicious interface, which now includes support from the built in accelerometer, the Genius playlist feature, and the shake to shuffle. There’s also an ad to follow up on that, where dozens of Nanos are floating around until they line up and the colours start melting. ‘Nano-chromatic’, they call it.

The iPod Touch Guided Tour is a bit longer due to the 2.1 software features, and comes in five different sizes that will please anyone. Watch as the Genius feature carries on from iTunes 8 to the iPod. And if you still need more iPod Touch goodness, check out the TV ad “Funnest iPod ever” featuring a whole lot of games from the App Store. Whether ‘funnest’ is the best word to use is debatable, considering it doesn’t even exist in Apple’s own dictionary. 

And, if you don’t have any patience, you can get a hold of the streaming video of the Keynote itself. Presented in crappy quality, with poor bandwidth, this keynote is best left alone. The video will eventually show up in the Apple Keynotes podcast, as well as a better quality (possibly HD) download on the Apple site itself. And you can be sure we will let you know when that happens.

The rumours were spot on with this one, as Apple releases the iPod Nano 4G, the iPod Touch 2G, and to go along with that the iPhone software 2.1. The Macs were not even mentioned at the event. 

The Nano departs from the fatty tag and goes back to the earlier long design, a stunning one at that. Featuring a curved body, a larger screen, and 9 different colours to choose from, the nano seems like an awesome upgrade. To add to that, it features a new spiced up UI, featuring the Genius Playlist feature introduced with iTunes 8. The nano also features an accelerometer for Coverflow mode and video. The nano comes in two sizes, 8GB and 16GB priced at $149 and $199 respectively.

Next up is the iPod Touch. Going curvy like the iPhone 3G, the Touch get some minor additions in the form of volume buttons, a built in speaker and a Nike+ receiver. The Touch also adds the Genius playlist feature, similar to the one on the Nano. A minor price drop is also effective, with the 8GB at $229, 16GB at $299, and 32GB at $399.

And to go with the iPod Touch is the 2.1 software update. A $9.99 update for previous iPod Touch users, but free for iPhone users. “iPhone owners get a 2.1 software update that “fixes lots of bugs.” Significantly improved battery life, fewer call drops, crashing problems, increased speed for iTunes backups and various other fixes.” The update is not going to be available until Friday this week.

The iPod Classic on the other hand received little attention at the event. The 80GB has been bumped to 120GB, but surprisingly they have discontinued the 160GB version. Priced at $249, this is in direct competition with Microsoft’s recently announced 120GB Zune.

Apple also silently refreshed the iPod Shuffle’s colours. They started off with silver. Leaving behind the subtle colours, the Shuffle is back with flashy red, green, blue, and you guessed it, pink!

For more pictures and information, visit the Apple Website.

Are you satisfied with the new iPod lineup? Or were you hoping for something else. Shout out in the comments.

Pack your bags, folks—we’re traveling to San Francisco. Join us in the special celebration where Santa Steve distributes those shiny gifts he and his elves have been cooking up at the north pole—which, of course, is situated at the Apple headquarters in California. 

If none of that made sense to you, here’s the dumbed down version: Apple has just about sent out invites to the press, informing them about an Apple Special Event, to be held on September 9th, 2008 in San Francisco. The event will go live at 10:00 a.m. PDT, which is 10:30 p.m. for folks out here in India. 

The event seems to be focussed on Apple’s music department, involving iTunes, iTunes store, and the iPods. It is practically guaranteed that new iPods are going to be released. That being said, let the rumour mongering begin…