Microsoft Live Labs have just released their first application for Apple’s iPhone  before making it available on Microsoft’s own mobile platform.

Curious…………..

Seadragon Mobile was added to the App Store over the weeked. 

It’s a free image-browsing app that allows users to quickly ‘deep zoom’ online images and is intended to “demonstrate what is possible with a mobile platform”.

Seadragon is the backbone for Microsoft’s Photosynth, which allows users to take a grouping of photographs and stitch them together into a faux 3D environment.

“So where’s the Windows Mobile version of Seadragon?”, all you Windows Mobile users may well ask.

Alex Daley, group product manager for Microsoft Live Labs, told TechFlash, “The iPhone is the most widely distributed phone with a [graphics processing unit]. Most phones out today don’t have accelerated graphics in them. The iPhone does and so it enabled us to do something that has been previously difficult to do.”

Crave

Here’s one for those creepy Halloween phone-calls from your iPhone.

“Do you like scary movies?………………………”

Now the chance to disguise your voice either as Darth Vader or Mickey Mouse or just mess around with the echo layering effects is available at the app store thanks to SonicVox from Smule.

As an added bonus you can connect your iPhone through a 3.5 mm cable to the line-in of your computer and use it as a microphone with Skype.

Here’s the official blurb:

Tired of your same old voice? Seeking a little vocal variety? Get into character with Smule’s Sonic Vox, the real-time voice shifter.

• With Sonic Vox you can alter your voice with a swipe of your finger. Want to cross over to the Dark Side? Slide your finger to the left. Now say it. You know you want to. “Luke, I am your…”

• Or maybe you are feeling conflicted about having lost a “preciousssss” ring? Move your finger back and forth horizontally and go ahead, rant on.

• Transform your voice even more. Simply swipe your finger up and down and hear what happens… happens… happens…

• We recommend using Sonic Vox like a microphone: just plug your iPhone into speakers. You can test it out by just talking into your phone. Or try it with headphones.

• Adventurous? Connect your iPhone (speaker-out) to your MacBook (mic-in). Switch the system preference to Line-In. Launch Sonic Vox. Launch Skype. Make that call.

Here’s the link for it at the App Store

iPhone Firmware 2.2 - Cut and Paste, video and pics over MMS, typing emails and texts in landscape are all the things that aren’t going to appear!

What you will get, however, is Google Street View and walking directions - obviously more important than those I mentioned above.

There is something a little more interesting on the horizon though.  It sounds SDK is now supporting line-in audio devices - this could open up some potentially interesting apps.

If you are on of the few that’s been hankering over streetmap views check out iPhoneyap’s gallery.

Boy Genius Report

I’ve tried to stop posting all the neato iPhone apps that keep cropping up but couldn’t resist this one.

All you folks ‘of an age’ will understand my excitement of discovering Pac-Man for the iPhone - and it being FREE!

This is the originally styled Pac-Man game and you can control the character through many ways, not just via the accelometer which is the case in some other games.

Click the pic for the full screen view and note the onscreen controller

Did I mention that it was free?

Now run my childern, run and get this app!!

Get get it at the App Store

I’ve just been told that the 2.1 software is update is now available for download.

This is supposed to be the “big update” that comes bundled with Steve’s personal promise of “….significantly improved battery life….fixed a lot of bugs….. backing up to iTunes is dramatically faster.”

I’m out and about so if you’re updating let me know how it was for you

Stevey J got stuck straight in with the new iTunes offerings by announcing HD TV show downloads, from $2.99.

As well as that he added, “NBC is coming back to iTunes, and they’re bringing all their great shows with them”.  Nice

The new iTunes 8 package will launch, with HD TV downloads, new browsing features and that “Genius” feature I’ve mentioned before.

Browsing will change, with the ability to look at albums just by their covers.

“Genius will automatically let you create playslists from songs in your iTunes library with just one click”.

All it will take is one click of the button in the bottom left-hand corner  to create a full playlist.

Information and algorithms about your iTunes library, like number of plays on one song, will be sent to Apple, basically so they can collect data on their users, to “combine your information with the knowledge of other iTunes users too”.

This will apparently allow Genius to “get smarter and smarter and smarter”, and Apple will send the results back to their users.

Before the freaking out begins, all this takes place anonymously of course.

Apple

The Electric Pig has had a chat with Spore and Sim City creator, Will Wright, who has just revealed that the iPhone version of Spore would go live on Apple’s app store this Friday!

FTW!!!!!!

Spore is the ambitious new life simulator from Wright & co that has been developed over the last 7 years.

I think it probably goes without saying that the iPhone version will represent but a portion of the the larger PC and Mac versions but I’m sure it’s gonna be fabulous and highly addictive.

But, on saying that it’s also probably one of the most anticipated titles yet to head to Apple’s blower.

“It has nice graphics, and feel-good music, but it’s not the whole game,” Wright explained.

“It’s just the Cell Stage, but I’ve been told the game will be going live on the App Store this Friday.”

The full puter version also launches on Friday September 5th.

Sporetastic mate! I’m gonna get me this for sure!

Roll on Friday!!!

The word on the interblogweb street is that Apple’s iPhone 3G is getting yet another software update this month, speeding up its operating system and ironing out security and GPS bugs.

According to AppleInsider, the handset’s lagging contacts list (something I’ve noticed but just put down to the many contacts I have) will be fixed by a September software update.

The source of the rumour is pretty good as it is none other than Apple boss Steve Jobs, who apparently responded to angry customers directly, unveiling the update to one who accused his firm of using customers as “beta testers.”

So - get ready to update people - via AppleInsider

TheElectricPig have a very cool article and listed their favourite 5 iPhone applications for all you Londoners.

Some I’ve already mentioned before but there’s some other great gems.

They cover all from helping you select a restaurant, GPS tagging your ride so that you can find it again through to weather reports (how very British).

Nip over here to see their reviews and rundown :)

There are moments (apparently) that more private viewing of the interweb is required.

Microsoft has confirmed IE 8 would get its own “porn mode” (there’s such things on the internet??? ) albeit they’re calling it a “private browsing mode”.

They have gone and named it “InPrivate” which still sounds a bit ‘dirty raincoat’ to me, but perhaps that’s just how my mind works….

Beta 2 is now available here.

IE Blog via The Register via BGR

Apple has released the latest update for the iPhone - version 2.0.2.

Apparently this is to fix problems that some folks have reported with reception of 3G.

Once you hook up to iTunes users of the iPhone 2.0 software and iPod Touch 2.0 software are recommended to download the latest update.

So, what is it for?  What is it going to “fix”?

“This version of the software includes the following improvements and supersedes all previous versions”, Apple says before citing said improvements as merely:  “Bug fixes”

So, what are these “bugs” that have prompted these “fixes”?

Is it purly for the reception problems that supposedly affects 2% of iPhone users?

Do you have an iPhone 2.0 that was experiencing problems?

Are they fixed after the update?

I’d be interested to hear from you :0)

Here’s another natty free app for the iPhone!

Anyone living in London, or indeed that visits London on a regular basis, will be aware of our lovely underground train system.

Where it is generally reliable there are those occassions where you have to be somewhere at a certain time and need that up-to-the-minute information regarding the state of the tube.

I got caught out when travelling from my home-base (Chalk Farm) to the Regent Street Apple Store - thinking I’d take a short-cut on the Victoria Line to get me to Oxford Circus - the line was down :0/

So, go and download this fabby freebie and before you dive down to the underground have a quick check on your iPhone :0)

Update!

As of August 16th this great app also features DLR status

THQ Wireless has released a set of screenshots showing what Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is going to look like on Apple’s 3Gesus iPhone.

Apparently the game will utilise the touch screen to activate force powers, such as drawing a lightning bolt to activate force lightning.

It’s looking pretty cool to me and a definite step up from the PhoneSaber for all of us would-be Jedi’s!

There’s more pics and stuff to be found at Kotaku.

Microsoft Research is sorting a Windows replacement!

A leaked white paper that is the source of an article on SD Times has started the beautiful rumour-mill on the interblogweb and all the whispers are about “Midori”.

For those who are thinking “Midori? Wassaten?”

It’s a stripped down and modular Operating System that centers around the net.

So I’m guessing that means it’ll be accessable via multiple puters……….but everything is a little on the covert side at the mo.

Could Midori be MinWin (the OS that cropped up in ‘07) under a different name?

Another feather in the cap for Sony’s Reader.

An update will allow it to use EPUB books as well as the ones from the Sony e-Book Store. 

This is something that the Kindle can’t do and opens up a large range of books to the new reader which it was definetly lacking before.

Could this be the start of more open readers?

Yahoo News

Here you go.

The new freebie from Apple that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a remote control.

It handles Apple TV and iTunes over the WiFi network to play, pause, skip and shuffle your songs that are stored in your iTunes library.

You can access playlists, album art (displayed in the Remote app) and the ability to control AirTunes speakers and search your entire library.

No video support though but it is FREE!

Word is that Sony’s 2.41 firmware for the PS3 is apparently out and riding the network updates.

This is according to the official PlayStation Blog.

Now deep breath, install, cross everything and hope your system doesn’t bork like it did for the 2.40 unfortunates out there.

Good luck PS3ers!!!

Sony has had to pull the 2.40 firmware update from both its in-console update and website after some users reported that the firmware had bricked their system.

SCEA PR director Patrick Seybold told Joystiq that

Sony is “looking into it right now and will work with those customers directly to address any issues they may be experiencing.”

Have you d/loaded it?

Is your PS3 still working? - let me know :0)

Slashdot has discovered that Sony BMG has been caught in a BSA raid with a ton of unauthorised software - potentially up to 47% of the software at the offices.

If  Sony BMG is using the naughty software, the company has some explaining to do as it’s one of the major labels that also happens to be a huge supporter of the RIAA’s “anti-piracy” campaign.

Pot / Kettle anybody?

Microsoft is rumoured to be buying Logitech thus forcing shares to skyrocket today!

According to Reuters, traders said rumours circulated that Logitech, which has a market capitalization of around 7 billion Swiss francs (£3 billion), would receive a takeover bid at 48 francs per share from Microsoft.

“Rumors are rumors. I can’t make any specific comment on them,” Daniel Borel, co-founder, and the company’s largest shareholder, told Reuters.

The move would make Logitech the largest manufacturer of computer mice and keyboards although the big M may be using the bid to capture the company’s remote control and webcam divisions rather than the keyboard or mice departments.

Likewise Microsoft could use the company’s webcam brand and technical know how to further enhance its instant messaging services beyond its current offering.