“By creating games and other programs for the iPhone, software developers hoped to find millions of new customers. But they didn’t expect to feel muzzled.

The software development kit that Apple Inc. distributed to programmers bound them to not discuss the process of creating programs for the iPhone. Companies typically waive such legal restrictions once the product in question launches, but Apple didn’t. And it won’t say why.

As a result, iPhone developers — and businesses that cater to them — say they are prohibited from asking technical questions or sharing tips anywhere in public. On Apple’s official support website, moderators remind visitors that they are bound by the nondisclosure agreement and should mind what they say or ask.

Conference organizers are trying to figure out how to plan sessions for iPhone software developers when they’re not allowed to talk about iPhone software. Book publishers are sitting on how-to manuals, afraid that if they ship them Apple will sue.

And software developers are forced to make applications for the iPhone in an information vacuum, without the help of a developer community that is used to openly sharing tricks of the trade. Quality may suffer.

The Cupertino, Calif., company is famous for tightly controlling its products and image. But even professionals who for years have made products and services to complement Apple’s are startled by the information clampdown.

Many had hoped to make big money off the much-hyped iPhone franchise, and many developers are. Apple recently said that customers have downloaded more than 60 million games, productivity tools and other widgets through its iPhone App Store, which lets programmers sell software or give it away.

But many Apple enthusiasts are left in the cold.

“We can’t talk about our problems,” said Jeffrey Long, a developer for Banterability who is working on a satellite radio program for the iPhone. “At the same time, we can’t talk about the problems we’ve fixed.”

Apple did not return calls seeking comment.

When it launched the iPhone last year, Apple decided it would be a closed platform — developers could create programs that ran on the device’s Web browser but not programs that could be downloaded to the device itself, as they can for computers.

After a backlash, Apple opened the iPhone to programmers in March and began selling their programs through its App Store in July. Apple says it sells about $1 million in iPhone programs each day.

But to get the software needed to create iPhone programs, developers had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. They expected Apple to lift the restrictions on July 11, when the new version of the multifunction gadget, the iPhone 3G, hit stores.

Many developers say they are erring on the side of caution. They interpret the agreement to mean they can talk about the programs that they make, but they can’t discuss the Apple developer tools used to make them, even with friends.

They also believe they’re barred from…….” Read the rest

[via]

“When Apple Inc rolled out its iPhone in the United States, some fans paid big money to be among the first to get their hands on the device. In Poland, people are getting paid to line up.

There were no queues at T-Mobile’s Era stores, which will also due to launch the iPhone on Friday.”

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords – brings you puzzle-game action backed with an epic and classic story of good vs. evil. Your quest is to build your empire as you capture cities, to build castles and to add companions that will aid you in battle. Match skull tiles to inflict damage on other players or use your matches to earn money, experience and manna for spells. You can use your new found wealth to buy helms, weapons, armor, and more.

From engadget

Here’s the story: The Scruffs are depending on you to save their family home from being sold. Grandpa Scruff has a solution: a scavenger hunt to recover his valuable artifacts. But in a surprising twist, Grandpa Scruff reveals that he’s been hiding something else – a shocking family secret. Help the Scruffs uncover the secret that will change their lives forever by finding lost items and putting together the clues they need. Buy it now or click below to download it.

Download it now

Watch the ads from the UK

Watch the video

“Whether you are a Mac person or a PC person, even the briefest exposure to the Apple logo may make you behave more creatively, according to recent research from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the University of Waterloo, Canada.

In work to be published in the April issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, Professors Gavan Fitzsimons and Tanya Chartrand of Duke, and Gráinne Fitzsimons of Waterloo, found that even the briefest exposure to well-known brands can cause people to behave in ways that mirror those brands’ traits.
“Each of us is exposed to thousands of brand images every day, most of which are not related to paid advertising,” said Gavan Fitzsimons. “We assume that incidental brand exposures do not affect us, but our work demonstrates that even fleeting glimpses of logos can affect us quite dramatically.”
To assess the effects of brands on behavior, the researchers selected two competing brands, both well respected by consumers, with distinct and well-defined brand personalities. “Apple has worked for many years to develop a brand character associated with nonconformity, innovation and creativity,” said Chartrand, “and IBM is viewed by consumers as traditional, smart and responsible.”
The team conducted an experiment in which 341 university students completed what they believed was a visual acuity task, during which either the Apple or IBM logo was flashed so quickly that they were unaware they had been exposed to the brand logo. The participants then completed a task designed to evaluate how creative they were, listing all of the uses for a brick that they could imagine beyond building a wall.

People who were exposed to the Apple logo generated significantly more…”

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[via]

Premier Event: Saturday, March 22, 2008.

Mac Day L.A.
CBS Studio Center — “Radford Studios”
4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City CA 91604
Website: Macdayla (for details and required RSVP)

[via adlab]

Having just watched the trailer for this film, all I can say is – WOW. You have to see this!

MacHeads is a new documentary film that chronicles the lives and experiences of several members of the “Cult of Mac”, including the 2007 Macworld announcement of the iPhone during Steve Job’s Keynote.

From the trailer the film has a very “Trekkies” vibe to it. That documentary is a favorite of mine for chronicling the lives of Star Trek fans who are obsessed with the sci-fi series. MacHeads appears as though its going to follow the same type of fans -but with a Mac focus.

You can view the trailer by clicking here.

There is no word yet on the official release date of the film. I’m hoping to have more information on the project soon.

Click here to watch the vid

Instructions:
- Collect all of the 10 items you need for your presentation (the blue dots)
- Avoid industrial spies and journalists (arrow keys)
- Use your “Reality distortion field” to momentarily stun spies and journalists (spacebar)

Play Now!

PC users have gotten used to all the so-called freebies for all those years of pirating music that they simply continue to do so. And freakin’ expect things to be free for them. The nerve.

Mac users, on the other hand, CAN pirate music but tend not to. Perhaps because they have a conscience.

Of course, I think that’s going to change with all the Switchers to Mac. Cuz. What were those those switchers before they became Mac users? PC USERS! Switchers, you’re gonna give Mac users a bad name. Cut it out, will you?

Directed by Drew Lightfoot. Characters designed by Shane Prigmore.

[via the ward-o-matic]

“Oh?”

Read the whole story

From the consumerist:

Yep, it’s another one of those “email Steve Jobs” posts.

Reader Stephen wrote us a nice lengthy complaint email and cc’d Steve Jobs:

Hi Consumerist!

I purchased a MacBook Pro in November of 2006. Prior to the expiration of my one year warranty, I’ve had several component failures. Since being without the laptop affects my work productivity, I put the repairs off and figured I’d just bring it in with a laundry list of items just before the warranty expired.

On October 15th, I asked my wife to drop the laptop off at the Apple Store in Raleigh, NC for a display-related buzzing sound, a top case replacement (the coating was peeling off) and a SuperDrive replacement (an Apple firmware upgrade killed it). The Genius at the store said the buzzing noise was a…

Read the whole letter and post.

It has a happy ending! Yay.

From the motley fool:

I’m going to talk about long-term technology trends, which kind of sucks for me, as it will show just how old I am. Anyway, I’ll be referring to products and services that don’t exist any more. So bear with me youngsters. It’s All True.

In 1986, I told my dad he should buy some Microsoft stock. “Hey Dad,” I said. “You should buy some Microsoft.” He didn’t buy any, probably because I was more or less clueless about why he should buy Microsoft. “Because they make the software that runs computers.” I was kinda like that guy in The Graduate who told Dustin Hoffman, “Plastics.” That was me, the one word guy. And I was right! That’s the crazy thing.

Flash forward nine years. It’s 1995, I’m in law school, working on my personal computer. No, ha ha, just kidding. I was still using a typewriter in 1995. I know, I know.

Anyway, 1995, I had no computer. And I was watching the playoffs on TV and this little promo appears about how I could get more information on the world wide web. The information superhighway.

I had no idea what they were talking about. And I had this intuition that I was missing out on something. Plus, it was getting harder and harder to buy ink cartridges for my typewriter. So anyway, kicking and screaming and without any Microsoft stock to my daddy’s name, I was dragged into the internet age. Or information age, whatever.

So I had a decision to make. PC, or Apple? This actually was a very easy decision to make. Why it was an easy decision, I’ll need to disrupt the space-time continuum again and rewind to 1982. Or maybe it was 1983, it’s kinda foggy. Anyway…

Read the whole article

Here’s a funny Steve Jobs Bobblehead app by Spiffy Tech’s Sean Haber. Every couple of moments, Jobs spits out a “Boom!” giving fanboys the comforting feeling of new Apple producs dropping at keynotes. Use jailbreakme.com to get this on your iPhone, but note some caveats…[Here]

Link

Go here for the interview!

After Apple fanatic Nick Haley posted his homemade iPod Touch commercial to YouTube last month, a few ad execs at the Cupertino based company saw it. But rather than send him a cease-and-desist letter, they bought his ad, flew him out to Los Angeles to reshoot it in high def, and will be broadcasting it during the World Series this weekend. THAT’S how you love your customers, people!

Check it out here.