iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource » 3rd Party Applications

Yahoo Introduces iOS App Shopper With QR Code Integration

Matt Watterworth — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:19:50 +0000

Yahoo has done Apple and Android a kindness by creating an interesting “App Gallery” that allows you to scan through a number of popular apps within the Yahoo ecosystem.

The interface uses a fun slider effect to feature popular apps and can go deeper into detail when you open them up.

Once you’ve found the app you’re looking for you can use a provided QR code to jump right into the App Store on your phone and download away!

I did notice that the Yahoo database isn’t quite up to date as “Temple Jump”, one of the knock-off apps we recently learned about, is still listed.

This kind of in-browser shopping experience is certainly more versatile that the Apple version. Would you use it?

Yahoo Introduces iOS App Shopper With QR Code Integration is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Fake Games in App Store Plague Real Developers

Keith Little — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:45:35 +0000

According to The Guardian, his name is Anton Sinelnikov and he makes fake apps–games mostly–intended to dupe iPhone and iPad owners into buying one of his titles instead of the real thing. Fake apps that are costing real independent developers lost profits, costing customers lost cash, and generating a mixed response from Apple.

Sinelnikov’s fake apps are designed to look like the real thing, at least until you purchase one. Titles run the gamut from Numbers with Friends, Tiny Birds, Angry Ninja Birds, Plants vs. Zombie, and Temple Jump. Before their removal by Apple this past week, the knock-off apps garnered negative and angry reviews from users who’d mistakenly purchased the fake titles. But in some cases Apple was slow to remove the fake apps.

Keith Shepherd, founder of Imangi Studios, creator of the popular Temple Run game, tweeted throughout the week about Temple Jump, the knock-off app created by Sinelnikov. When Apple pulled some of the earlier knock-off titles from their store, Shepherd continued to tweet, wondering when the fake app based on his game would eventually be taken down. It was, sometime early this morning, but not before an unknown number of customers were duped and not without press attention.

Still, there are some serious questions that need to be asked of Apple’s App Store policies. Surely an argument can be made that fake apps, like the kind created by Sinelnikov, which do nothing more than trick a customer out of their money, should be taken down. But what about apps like Dream Heights? Zynga’s clone of the incredibly popular Tiny Tower which debuted in Canada this past week. Is there a case to be made for games being too similar? And where do we draw the line?

Are knock-offs just part of the App Store economy and, if so, will the market take care of itself and weed out the imposters?

Fake Games in App Store Plague Real Developers is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Intuit GoPayment Introduces New Credit Card Reader For iOS Devices In Canada

Usman — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:29:59 +0000

Smartphone payment player Intuit, which recently launched Intuit GoPayment mobile payments system in collaboration with AT&T, has just introduced an all new credit card reader for iOS devices. Best of all, the new card reader comes free when you sign up with the service and its official launch is kicking off first with Canada. The swipe card reader will sit atop any iPhone, iPod or iPad helping small businesses accept credit card payments on-the-go.

Here is the official press release via Engadget:

GoPayment Goes Global – First Stop Canada;
Unveils Newly Designed, Free Credit Card Reader

Canadians Will Be Able to Easily Accept Credit Cards on Mobile Devices;
Innovative Card Reader Improves Sales, Protects Data

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Jan. 10, 2012 – Canadians and new GoPayment users in the U.S. can soon easily accept credit cards on a mobile device with the GoPayment app and a newly-designed, free credit card reader.

New GoPayment Card Reader

The GoPayment card reader will be available in both the U.S. and Canada. It attaches to the audio jack of most popular iOS and Android devices. It is designed for use on the go and addresses many of the problems and challenges that users confront when using competitors’ card readers. It features a silicone sleeve that conforms to the phone or tablet to provide stability support to keep the reader from moving or spinning when swiping a card. Similar products typically spin on the audio jack, causing misreads of the credit card and requiring the user to awkwardly hold the product in place while swiping.

In addition, Intuit improved the swipe channel to read cards accurately the first time by putting it on an angle, beveling it and making it longer. These features help ensure an accurate read so a business owner doesn’t have to swipe the card multiple times and potentially lose a sale and look unprofessional.

The reader and the northward expansion will be available in “early 2012″ with a high-end encryption that protects a customer’s sensitive credit card data from the moment a card is swiped.

Intuit GoPayment Introduces New Credit Card Reader For iOS Devices In Canada is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

President Obama Joins Instagram–Where’s PM Stephen Harper?

Matt Watterworth — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:03:28 +0000

Back in September, Instagram hit their 10 Millionth user. Yesterday, the popular app had another important user milestone; the President of The United States.

Instagram is a photo sharing app that allows you to edit and upload your photos and then interact with other users in many of the same ways Twitter does. The differences are that everything you post has to have an accompanied photo and it’s a mobility only platform meaning that you have to use the app to share and interact.

The Obama machine has always been social media savvy so it’s no surprise that the app has been added to their information arsenal. What makes this foray stand out is the reality of the mobility-only platform however, the campaign team obviously believes the app has enough reach to make it worth their effort. Interesting timing, to be sure, as the Republican Iowa Caucus took place on the very same day he joined up.

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said on the Instagram blog:

”As we get closer to election day in 2012, we look forward to seeing how campaigns, reporters and voters use Instagram to tell the story of the 2012 Presidential Election through photos.”

Obama’s first two photos revolved around his video appearances at the Iowa Caucuses which marked the first day voters have had any kind of say in the GOP Presidential nomination race.

By the way–when will Prime Minister Stephen Harper join Instagram? Bets?

President Obama Joins Instagram–Where’s PM Stephen Harper? is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Banque Nationale du Canada Launches Banking App

Stephen Cleary — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 03:36:19 +0000

A few weeks back, we reported that the National Bank of Canada (Banque Nationale du Canada), had recently updated their website to support mobile devices. Since then, they’ve launched a dedicated banking application. The application is free. [iTunes link]

The application allow users to access all their important banking information, instantly and in real-time:

• Check bank balance and view activity;
• Transfer between accounts;
• Pay bills;
• Use Interac® fund transfers to transfer funds to any person with a cell phone or email address;
• Use interactive tools to calculate mortgage payments and to evaluate financial needs for retirement.

The ‘Big Five’ (CIBC, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Montreal, Royal Bank of Canada, and Scotiabank) have all had dedicated iPhone apps for some time now. It’s great to see Canada’s sixth largest bank and the leading bank in Quebec join the club.

Banque Nationale du Canada Launches Banking App is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

JJ Abrams Releases a Special Effects Movie App

Stephen Cleary — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 00:07:30 +0000

Director JJ Abrams and his company Bad Robot Productions have released an iOS application that lets users create Hollywood style special effects on their iPhone. The free app, called Action Movie FX, includes two realistic special effects, “Missile Attack” and “Car Smash”.

Unlike similar iOS apps, Action Movie FX works very well. As an example, Business Insider‘s Ellis Hamburger posted this clip. He notes that the creation of the movie took “two minutes, tops.”

Action Movie FX is available for free in the App Store [iTunes Link]. Four more effects are available via in-app purchase for $0.99 per two-pack: Chopper Down/Tornado and Air Strike/Fire Fight.

[via MacRumors]

[Source Action Movie FX (iTunes App Store)]

JJ Abrams Releases a Special Effects Movie App is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

FireCore’s aTV Flash (Black) Version 1.1 Released, Download Now

Usman — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:05:53 +0000

Team FireCore has just released the final version of aTV Flash (black) designed specifically for Apple TV 2G. Version 1.1 of aTV Flash (Black) adds ability to play additional media formats including AVI, FLAC, ISO, M2TS, MKV, MP3, MP4, MPEG, VOB, and WAV along with subtitle and AC3/DTS sound support, an extended menu system, web surfing, Last.fm support among other features. It even allows users to access files directly from a Mac, PC or network drive without using iTunes. You can download aTV Flash for your second generation Apple TV for $29.95.

Here’s the complete list of what’ new in aTV Flash (Black) Version 1.1:

Added support for .IMG files

Added option to mark specific folders as grid or list view

Added subtitle position setting

Added support for larger thumbnail images

Added support for UTF-8 paths in DVD files

Added web page auto-loading feature

Added screen position setting in Couch Surfer

Added show/hide menus option

Improved audio synchronization in DVD and AVI files

Improved metadata fetching logic

Improved filenames parsing logic

Improved playlist logic that marks files as watched

Improved buffering performance

Improved ISO files handling (resolved network error warning)

Improved error handling for DVD files

Improved growl notifications display logic for audio files

Improved warning messages for unplayable files

Improved grid view stability

Improved fanart loading

Improved memory management

Improved installation routin

Improved installer device detection

Resolved issues with long DNS names

Resolved issue with extra period appearing at the end of some DNS names

Resolved crash observed when audio subsystem could not be initialized

Resolved issues with chapter handliing logic

Minor UI improvements

Many other miscellaneous fixes

Here’s a video demo of aTV Flash (Black):

FireCore’s aTV Flash (Black) Version 1.1 Released, Download Now is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Minecraft Pocket Edition Comes to iOS Tomorrow

Stephen Cleary — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:57:53 +0000

Update 1: Minecraft has hit the Canadian App Store at $6.99.

Mojang’s indie game Minecraft, which has sold more than four million copies on the PC, is coming to iOS on November 17th according to its iTunes Store page. It’s a rolling release, based on the International Date Line, so will not be available in Canada until midnight. Currently the iTunes links directs you to the New Zealand Store, but before long you should be able to enter a world of unlimited possibilities from the comfort of your iPhone or iPad.

The game, called Minecraft – Pocket Edition, omits some features that are known and loved by it’s desktop users, but attempts to capture the spirit of the game. For now, you can explore the randomly-generated world, build with unlimited supplies of 36 kinds of blocks, and play multiplayer over a local network.

The game is a universal app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, and will cost ~~$9.99 (NZ Store)~~ $6.99. Who’s jumping on this?

Minecraft Pocket Edition Comes to iOS Tomorrow is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Ceridian Canada Powerpay Mobile App Now Allows Payroll Processing

Usman — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:31:38 +0000

Ceridian Canada Ltd., the leading human capital management solutions provider has just released an update to its official Powerpay Mobile iOS app. In addition to approval and and review of payroll data, the latest version 2.0.0 now provides full payroll functionality on-the-go to all existing web customers of Ceridian’s flexible Powerpay payroll solution. The app can be downloaded on any iPhone, iPod touch iPad as well as BlackBerry handsets.

Ceridian Canada Vice President Shelley Ng said earlier today:

“We are so pleased to announce the productivity enhancements offered in this new release. Our more than 37,000 Powerpay customers are primarily small business owners who are busy people with a breadth of responsibilities. They value ease-of-use, convenience, and access to HR/payroll expertise that can reduce the labour-intensive nature of these functions. We conceived our app with these needs in mind – customers can manage payroll from start to finish without being tied to a computer. They can pay employees accurately and on time, add new employees, access valuable reports to assist in decision-making, and more. This app is full payroll functionality on a smartphone. “

Here’s what’s new in Version 2.0.0:

• Process and submit regular and extra payroll runs
• Rapid or regular time entry with employee search
• Perform employee hire / profile / bank deposits / status changes with ROE
• View deductions and contributions
• Online payroll reports
• Advanced Job Costing

Download Ceridian Canada Powerpay Mobile 2.0 For iPhone / iPod

Ceridian Canada Powerpay Mobile App Now Allows Payroll Processing is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Vancouver Hopes to Boost Voter Turnout with App

Stephen Cleary — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:47:19 +0000

Earlier this month The City of Vancouver released a free iPhone app that aims to increase voter turnout for the November 19th civic election.

The app lists election-related information, such as, including election and pre-election dates, candidates’ biographies, will tell you what polling station to vote at, what ID is required, and how to vote by mail. It also pushes out civic news.

Some interesting information:

Traditionally less than a third of eligible voter vote in Vancouver’s civic elections.
The cities 2011 election has doubled the number of advanced polls to eight.
The city spent “less than $10,000” developing the app.
The cities election budget is just under $1.8 million.

If you live in Vancouver, head on over to the iTunes Store for the free download.

[Vancouver Sun]

Vancouver Hopes to Boost Voter Turnout with App is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource