iPhone Cruncher

On Friday, Apple removed the option to rent episodes of television shows from iTunes. Previously, rentals had cost iTunes members 99 cents an episode, but an episode could be purchased for $1.99 for standard definition or $2.99 for high definition. The purchase options remain in the store as of Friday. Rentals were first offered to iTunes members when the Apple TV made its first public appearance in September of last year. When an iTunes member made a rental purchase, they had the option of downloading and saving the episode for up to 30 days, but had to finish the episode within 48 hours of starting the program. This was double the amount of time allowed to watch movie rentals which currently stands at 24 hours from starting the film.
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Do you have a great idea for an app? Are you looking to find out how hard it is to launch this app? This article aims to answer that question. This article will also explain how to launch an app and how hard that is to do within the app store.

In order to launch an app, you first must have a plan. This is the most important part. Next, you have to build a very good app. For any type of app that you build you should build it with two versions, a ‘lite’ version, where people get part or half of the app for free, and a paid version where people get the whole app that you have created.

Next, you have to advertise your app. This is the way your app will get noticed and bought by your potential customers. A few good places you may consider advertising your app would be Google Adwords, 148Apps, and Fusion Ads. Unfortunately, in order to get a lot of advertisements out to people who are going to, perhaps, purchase your app, you are going to need to spend some money. Also look into getting your app onto sites that review apps. There are dozens of sites that you can submit you app too, not all are free, you can get people on YouTube to review your app, and there are Bloggers who focus on iPhone apps.

Once your app takes off, the best thing for you, as the developer, to do is listen to the feedback that your customers give. If things in your app are not working they will let you know and you need to make the necessary changes as soon as possible. You should also be sure to track everything about your app, such as how well it is doing since its release, how highly it is ranked, how many downloads you have received, and how many downloads you have versus how much you are spending on advertising.

The last thing to do when you are launching your app is to take it global. There are hundreds of thousands of people outside the U.S. with iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. There are also over 400,000 apps available to consumers. Therefore, your app needs to be spectacular and unique. This way you have a better chance of competing in the app market, and better chances at your app making you money through mobile advertising and display advertising.

We’re all pretty familiar with the Skyfire browser but the company has just released a new iOS app that aims to brings the best videos on the web in one single hub with Skyfire VideoQ.

The company dubs VideoQ as an entertainment app and it can be used as a personal video locker for users to view all types of web video including Adobe Flash videos. We all know that Flash won’t be coming to iOS any time soon, so this is a great way to check out these videos on your iDevice.

The VideoQ app lets you save videos for later and it also has channels to help you discover new videos across the web. While it’s not quite as flashy as something like the ShowYou app, the Skyfire VideoQ app has the added benefit of being able to play and compress all types of videos across the web.

“Skyfire has been known as a ‘browser company,’ but our vision is much broader: cloud solutions for mobility,” said Skyfire CEO Jeffrey Glueck, in a prepared statement. “Our products span consumer apps like Skyfire VideoQTM, which uses the cloud to improve consumers’ mobile video experience, to carrier-grade infrastructure products for operators that use cloud technology to provide game-changing solutions to manage bandwidth.”

The Skyfire VideoQ app is available in the App Store now and it costs $1.99. It’s a universal app for the iPhone and iPad and you can download it here (iTunes link).

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Apple opened its second store in China on Saturday which drawled crowds of all ages as early as 5 am. Some people drove several hours or flew in from different provinces in china for a chance to be there on the opening of the Apple store. Many hoped to catch a glimpse of the iPhone 4 or of Steve Jobs, but were disappointed.

Bystanders were interview and said:

“I didn’t come to see a specific product. I just see it as a chance for us Apple fans to party,” said Penguin, owns a Macbook and an iPhone.

Apple’s retail stores are known to create buzz and serve as successful a marketing tool for the brand in its home market, which has left many wondering why it took so long for Apple to open more of the stores in China, the world’s second largest PC market after the U.S. According to IDC, Apple computers still make up less than 1% of PC unit shipments, and iPhones make up less than 1% of handset sales in China.

Those dints stop a total of 150fans from waiting overnight to be among the first to go into the Apple store. One 20-year-old customer from Zhejiang province took ka buss to Shanghai last night with his friends, hoping to see the iPhone 4. “I guess it may not be available in the store, but it was still worth coming. I came to experience the atmosphere and the culture!” he said.

The building is made entirely of glass, similar to Apple’s flagship New York City store on Fifth Avenue. It has a glass cube entrance that leads customers underground to a space covering some 1,500 square meters, bigger than Apple’s first store in Beijing, which opened two years ago.

Apple said it expects to open a second store in Shanghai, but an opening time has not yet been released. The company has said it plans to open 25 new Apple stores in China by the end of 2011, but gave no additional details on those stores at the opening.

From May 15, 2010 through June 30, 2010, Touchstone Saunas will be giving a free iPad and free shipping with each purchase of a Touchstone Far Infrared Sauna. Like the iPad, Touchstone Saunas utilize the latest technology in their field to provide an unparalleled user experience.

This promotion provides a unique opportunity for consumers to enjoy the health benefits that a Touchstone Infrared Sauna can provide while at the same time, getting one of the hottest new technology products for free. Combined with free shipping, this promotion represents a $750 value to the consumer.

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L5 Technology today introduced the L5 Remote, an accessory and free app that turn any iPhone or iPod touch into a universal remote control. Launching at ShowStoppers @ CES, the L5 Remote provides consumers with a powerful alternative for replacing multiple and often-confusing remote control devices.

The L5 Remote transforms the iPhone and iPod touch into a personal universal remote that controls televisions, DVDs, DVRs, cable boxes, audio equipment, and most other products that come with an infrared remote.

The L5 Remote is portable and does not require batteries, Wi-Fi or external power to work.

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PriceGrabber.com has announced the launch of its free comparison shopping application for the iPhone. This application will give mobile shoppers access to PriceGrabber.com’s comprehensive shopping experience from their iPhone.

With this application, iPhone users will be able to search for their favorite products, access PriceGrabber.com features and make purchases directly from a retailer’s site. Shoppers can make smarter shopping decisions by comparing prices on millions of products in 25 channels, including Electronics, Clothing, Appliances and Computers.

PriceGrabber.com’s new iPhone application allows consumers to save their favorite products and come back and compare prices at their convenience.

(Source) Press

Some say it shows your personality, for others its just something to remind you that is actually your phone ringing, for others its whatever is the latest hot tune in the charts, ringtones have also been a large source of interest for mobile phone users, the demand is always there. With itunes charing at least 1usd for the latest ringtones and other websites charging more and doing various deals for receiving ringtones every month it is good to know that a rumor is in the works about Apple rushing to buy the rights to some “ready made ringtones”.

Some music industries have reportedly told CNet that Apple will announce and begin selling ringtones at a special press event on September 9th. Back in 2007 it was Itunes who made it possible for users to create their own custom ringtones, this feature costed 99 cents. This was instantly a success as it was a pretty simple practice which tended to catch on quickly plus the small price tag for having your own individually created ringtone could not be beaten even know this is still one of the more popular choices made when selecting a ringtone.

It has been known though that most consumers would pay up to 3 dollars for a ringtone so anything less that that will be a bargain in most consumers eyes. The Apple iPod-centric event will take place on September 9th were if rumors are true the announcement will take place and it should be a good move for ringtone lovers who want a change on their iPod.