I will agree with the article, if this is a fake (more than likely is), it’s a damn good one. Someone would have had to put a lot of time and effort into it. With that said, there are some questions I have about it, which could prove or disprove it legitimacy.

First off, it’s fairly blurry, which is almost always the case with hoax videos. It makes it easier to hide CGI effects and what have you.

Secondly, Why would it run iPhone apps in their native size? I mean they have an entire screen, that is rumored to be as large as 10 inches in size. People complain about typing on an iPhone as it is. Now imagine that same keyboard, remaining the same size but on a 10-inch screen. That’s crap.

Lastly, notice when the user touches the screen. Notice the color change/bruising thing it does. You know, kinda like when you touch a matte LCD screen. Why would Apple ship a “touch” product with a screen that can be easily “bruised” or otherwise damaged?

Could this be a prototype? Sure, but I still think my points hold strong even if it was in the earliest stages of development.

Have an opinion? Leave a comment!

This shouldn’t come as a shock, as it is no secret that George Lucas is quite controlling of his product licensing… One might argue even more than Steve Jobs. It’s a toss up.

The only good thing that is coming of this is that THQ is apparently being quite good about this. They want to work with the developer MacBox to bring a new, official version to the App Store. Good on Lucas and THQ Wireless. Take a bad situation and turn it into a win/win…

That’s what I always love to see!

[via Macenstein]

From Frontier Design Group comes ‘Cowbell Plus’, a fun little app available for only $1.99 at the App Store. With Cowbell Plus you can, well, use your iPhone as a cowbell, or any one of numerous other percussion instruments.

To play, simply tap or shake your iPhone and you’ll hear your instrument being played. Play along with your favorite music.

Might I suggest ‘(Don’t Fear) the Reaper’ by Blue Öyster Cult?

Buy via the App Store for $1.99: Cowbell Plus
More Info: Frontier Design

Urbanspoon makes finding a restaurant near you fun and exciting. Shake your iPhone and the Urbanspoon slot machine picks a good restaurant for you to try… and if you don’t like what it comes up with, simply keep shaking the iPhone until you’re happy

Urbanspoon uses the built-in GPS in your iPhone to locate all of the restaurants near you. You can filter by neighborhood, price, or even the type of food you’re after. Inside the app you’ll also find ratings and reviews from diners all over the world.

Pretty darn cool!… And the price is right on the money too… It’s FREE, so what are you waiting for? Go ahead and check it out… Shake your iPhone to find out where you should be eating tonight

Screenshots:

Get for FREE via the App Store: Urbanspoon
More Info: Urbanspoon

New from the folks at IMAK Creations comes ColorTilt. It’s a fun new app that lets you create one-of-a-kind artwork right on your iPhone. To get started, all you need to do is use the iPhone’s accelerometer to select one of 4,096 colors as a background. Then, use your finger to swipe the screen to paint. You can save your work in your photo library.

Controls are dead simple, anyone can have a few minutes of fun with this little app. If you’re the creative type, you’ll enjoy using this as a colorful doodle pad or just a way to sketch out ideas for that new project or design you’ve been working on.

To erase your work, much like the old ‘etch-a-sketch’, simply shake the iPhone and your work dissapears

Why not take some screenshots (How to take a screenshot on iPhone 2.0 Firmware) and send them to me? Or post them in the forums!? Or maybe even post them to our iPhone Wallpaper Gallery!? Would love to see your creative ColorTilt art

Note: It should be noted that this could be a great art learning tool for younger kids. At the price this is selling at (only $0.99), it’s a worthwhile pickup for anyone with a young child too. Keep that in mind!

A few ColorTilt creations:

Buy for $0.99 at the App Store: ColorTilt
More Info: IMAK Creations

The developers at ZEN Studios put this game together…and they have the experience to know what they’re doing when building a pinball app/simulator. They also developed ‘Pinball FX‘, an Xbox LIVE arcade game.

Graphics and gameplay is rich and colorful. The game is played in a full 3D environment with stunning details built into the graphics to make the gameplay stellar. You can even explore the playfield in 3D using the gyroscopic capabilities of the iPhone.

Gameplay is fast, and the tables include all of the things you’re used to seeing on your typical pin… Bumpers, run lanes, ramps, drop targets… you name it, they’re in play… and if you’re getting a bit frustrated you can always nudge the table by shaking your iPhone

Perhaps what I appreciate most in the game however is the realistic physics. The ball and table react how they should, bumps and shakes and movements are accurate. It just ‘feels’ real, like you’re playing on an actual table. Two thumbs up to the developers here.

A good game for the right price. Any pinball fan will surely want to pick this title up.

Screenshots:

Buy via App Store for $4.99: ZEN Pinball: Rollercoaster
More Info: Publisher X

Ever wonder what the name or title is of that song that you’re hearing on the radio? No worries, here comes ‘Shazam‘ to the rescue!

All you need to do is launch ‘Shazam‘ and hold your iPhone to the music source. Wait a few ticks for the app to sample the track, and ‘Shazam‘ will show you what song it is, and even give you links to buy the song using your iPhone’s built-in iTunes store. On top of that, the app does a YouTube search to see if there are any videos available for download as well. Can you say ‘Cool Beans!?’

Some key features of ‘Shazam’:

• Identify music anytime, anywhere from radio, TV or elsewhere
• Buy the music you hear via iTunes
• Personalize your music with photos

‘Shazam‘ is a free app available for download from the app store, and at the moment, it looks to be getting glowing reviews. 4.5 out of 5 stars last time I checked.

Download via iTunes: Shazam
More Info: Shazam Entertainment Ltd.

1. A Student’s Opinion On Mac and Software Available For Students.

2. A Journey Through Learning and Coding For the iPhone SDK.

Along with these I will also be posting any reviews that I deem useful to you. The reader.

But for now its down to business! In my first app here developed exclusively for the iPhone I give you the custom built Mactropolis iPhone RSS Reader. Built using the SDK components for Dashcode this is a very basic web app. Yes mobile safari has a built in RSS reader but it doesn’t allow for customization or any images to give it a personalized look, this is where Dashcode comes in, using its own built in JavaScript based code you can edit everything and customize the JavaScript a tiny bit to create something that fits towards your blog or websites theme.

As you can see its very simple to use considering you understand the key concepts. The Mayor and I have been working on this for the past three weeks and we have now got a version ready for release, be warned this may not function as we are expecting and we would love your feedback on the app. If you are using firmware 1.1.3 or higher then you can add this as a web clip with a custom icon developed but if you are using an older firmware then you can always just add it as a bookmark on your device. Just visit http://mactropolis.com/reader to view the page although don’t try to view it using a standard desktop browser as it WILL NOT work.

Any feedback that you have will be taken into account. Please send any feedback you have to mayor AT mactropolis.com. We are looking to improve it massively in comparison to where it is right now!

Thanks and watch out for improvements and other apps in the future!

iLevel can be found in installer.app. Simply go to install > all packages > iLevel.

See a few pics of iLevel in action below:

[via iPhoneBuzz]

Third-party developers are now busy with the SDK, and developers are working diligently on all kinds of apps, including ones for the healthcare industry.

The portability and wide range of functionality make the iPhone an ideal tool for doctors in the hospital, paramedics on the scene, firefighters and even police officers on duty. Look for apps to pop up for these professions in the months to come.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see more hospitals and clinics run on a completely Mac network, complete with iPhones for the docs. At my local family doctor, all the staff and doctors run macs, and I’ve often chatted to them about the performance and reliability of the whole system. There have been no complaints, the system works great according to the people I’ve talked to… All staff and especially the doctors seem to love the mac!

[via Silicon.com]