According to a post on GigaOM, a company in Germany has released a web-based Skype application. Instead of installing a software client on the phone, this site uses a call-back system to initiate the call. This means that you will still be charged for local cell minutes in addition to Skype charges.
At this time, the SkypeForIPhone site appears to be down. We have not yet been able to test the application and confirm that it works.
The guys at Mac Daddy World won first place in the Iron Coder Live contest at the C4 conference last week by developing an iPhone videoconferencing application. Obviously the camera located on the back of the iPhone presents problems for video conferencing, so the Mac Daddy World guys solved this by using a custom stand with mirrors.
No downloads are available yet, but there are lots of pictures to check out.
User ‘Pack’ on IRC (#iphone-uikit) has discovered an easy way to use your own prerecorded sound files as your voicemail greeting. This is great for if you want to use a prerecorded novelty greeting or if you just don’t want to record your greeting through the less-than-hifi iPhone microphone.
Here’s the process:
Version 0.30 of NES.app is out. This version adds the ability to save games. Both in-game saving (like in Zelda) and “Save States” are supported. “Save states” will save your exact progress in any game and let you come back right where you left off the next time you play.
The same people behind Installer.app have just released Launcher.app v0.1. Launcher.app provides a way to run more than four custom applications on the iPhone. When Launcher.app is installed, you can click on it and go to a sub-menu listing all the custom software installed on the phone. Now you can install an unlimited number of applications without worrying about the “four app limit”.
Launcher.app does not yet have a website, but it is available for download through Installer.app.
Installer.app is a new application from nullriver.com that allows you to install new applications directly from the iPhone. Using Installer.app, you can look for new software, download it, and install it - all without using a separate computer.
Installer.app is currently in beta and is a free download. Let’s hope these guys get together with Sparks from PXL and the other package management app developers and agree on some standards!
The source code for Books.app has been released. Books.app is the first ebook reader for the iPhone and it supports files in text and html format.
Books.app is a simple eBook reader for the iPhone. It reads HTML and text files stored in your Media/EBooks folder, and is smart enough to enter subdirectories, if, for instance, you’ve broken a book down by chapters.
Books.app is recommended for use with Project Gutenberg texts, in conjunction with GutenMark, a fantastic PG markup tool by Ronald Burkey, which makes pretty HTML out of Gutenberg .txt files, and splits them by chapter using a second tool.
The iPhone Dev Team has reported another milestone in their mission to unlock the iPhone. They have released a new ARM decompiler. Using this tool, they will be able to more easily examine the iPhone firmware to figure out how the locking process works.
We are pleased to announce the availability of a new tool to aid in the firmware reverse-engineering process. For a few days now, we’ve been working on an ARM decompiler plugin for IDA named Aqualung. It’s still quite basic, but should decompile most ARM (non-Thumb) code and make things much easier to follow.
Stepwhite, the original creator of iPhoneNES, has just released the first version of iPhoneDOOM. This is a very early version. The game runs correctly in demo mode, but there are no controls and no sound yet. Also, the screen layout isn’t optimal.
Stepwhite is soliciting ideas for the best control scheme on the iPhoneDOOM wiki.
An online coder going by the name ‘Sparks’ is readying a new application called PXL for release. PXL is a Mac OSX application that can easily install custom applications on the iPhone. In addition, it automatically handles all the work of ‘jailbreaking’ so that normal users don’t need to know anything about using Terminal or SSH to install custom iPhone software.
PXL consists of two pieces. First, the PXL desktop application talks to the phone and keeps track of available software. Second, PXL installs a small server application on the iPhone to manage talking back to the desktop and handle the installation and removal of software.
When completed, PXL has the potential to bring homebrew iPhone applications into the mainstream. By removing the technical barriers, anyone will be able to install software with a few clicks.
Sparks is aiming to release the first version of PXL on Sunday. Check back for updates.
