WindowsPhone/7

People keep saying Google/Android is the new Microsoft when comparing the smart phone OS battle to the computer OS battle back in the day.

But they keep missing the comparison for Microsoft Windows Phone 7--they're the new IBM OS/2.

iPhone 360 predictions

AT&T has done a few changes that aren't so friendly for people (increasing the early-termination and changing the data plans.) Apple might have let them do it without objecting too loudly in return for "something".

My prediction is that like last year the "old" iPhone 3GS will drop in price to keep a low end model & keep putting pressure on all the other cell phone companies. But I think they may go REALLY low in return for those cell plan changes. Such as free (with a 2 year contract of couse.)

I've yet to be right, but who knows this time. We'll see next week.

(Update: so I'm 100% on my predictions! all wrong.)

"Lost in a Bar" App....denied

We were saddened to hear our "Lost in a Bar" app has been denied and will not be coming to the App Store. (Its icon is shown to the right.)

It would have let you create a custom wallpaper to use as your iPhone's "locked" screen that had contact information you chose. An email or phone number you provided would have been easily visible if your phone was found, even if a passcode lock is used.

It would have protected your privacy too--without it, even a good samaritan would have to search your contacts, email, or your apps to find where to return your lost iPhone. You even could have chosen from several built in backgrounds, picked any image from your photo library, or taken a photo right within the app.

While it is a shame, it's honestly not a surprise. We were hoping the reviewers might have a little sense of humor in this case--but it's probably a pretty touchy topic within Apple. When I saw "Apple Inc" on the caller ID, I figured that's what they were calling for :)

But there is good news! Thankfully, it is already in the App Store with the name "Reward for Return". It's been there since last June. If it had been used on a certain lost iPhone, it might have saved a lot of trouble for a lot of people.

As an aside to the finder of the lost iPhone...did it never occur to you that Apple (with billions of dollars at stake) might have given a pretty nice "thank you" to get their device back and to keep the whole thing quiet and private?

iPhone HD scaling on iPad

One thing I've not seen posted: Assuming the next iPhone is HD/higher resolution, and does double the current resolution in both directions (so 640x960) those iPhone apps should look much better on an iPad too.

Right now, when the iPad stretches a 320x480 iPhone app up to that double-size they look pixelated and blocky. But for those "HD" iPhone apps, stretching should display at their normal resolution--so they would look larger, but perfect, on the iPad.

(iPad apps have adopted the HD naming convention--not sure what we'll all call iPhone apps that are optimized for the next iPhone's screen.)

Update...well, they COULD have done it. But they haven't. Makes sense, forces us to really optimize for the iPad...

#2/#3 now

Slowly dropping, in the 2 & 3 position yesterday (Sunday May 2) and today. Still holding in the top 30 free apps, but dropping there. Crazy people wanting utilities...oh, wait, go get our utilities: FTP On The Go PRO, Camera for iPad.

Quite a drop in downloads downloads: 3,700. But the sales of the In-App upgrade were again very close to the day before! Compared to Friday's numbers, to get 40% as many downloads--but 95% as many purchase--that is awesome.

I think people must like it and keep the game; buying after playing a few times. So that's a really good sign it will keep going along once it drops out of the "What's Hot" Apple pick.

#1/#2 free game; more updates

For May 1, 2010: Heads Up: Hold'em HD stayed the #1 game through most of yesterday, falling to #2 sometime in the afternoon (damn you, Solitaire!! but that does mean that card games are dominating the iPad right now at #1 & #2 free games) #2 game gets us to the #23 spot overall in the Free Apps. Pretty much the opposite of the iPhone where games and not utilities fill nearly all of the top 25 free apps.

More interesting stats. 5,800 downloads, so about a third less then the day before. But sales of the in-app Upgrade were a couple Higher. That's a really good sign that people are keeping the game, and upgrading after playing the free one awhile :)

The iPhone versions of the game have been getting a nice boost too--since the iPad version can play wireless games against the iPhone ones, that makes sense.

#1 iPad free game, chart updates

For April 30, 2010, Heads Up: Hold'em HD was the #1 free iPad game again. Sweet! It's interesting that all the utilities and other free things have pushed us down to the #16 free app this morning. Everybody with a new 3G iPad is getting newspapers (WSJ, NY Times, USA Today, NPR), video (NetFlix, ABC), books (iBooks, Kindle), and other utilities. Only 2 games are in the top 20 free apps right now.

But it's the weekend today, so hopefully everybody will start looking for games too.

The number of downloads yesterday was 8,800; a little (6%) above the day before. Again, a small fraction of the number of downloads needed to reach the #1 iPhone free game. On a day when Knife Dancing got roughly the same number of downloads back in March, it was #119 in the free iPhone game list. (Ranking stats are thanks to our TopAppCharts.com website.)

Even Better: While the downloads were only a few percent higher; the sales of the In-App purchase to upgrade were nearly 50% higher. Whether that's because people have played more and decided they do want more chips and opponents; or because we added a "Why Buy?" button in the top ad area, I don't know. Probably both :)

Our Other iPad Apps: Camera for iPad is floating around toward the bottom of the top 100 paid iPad apps. If you have an iPhone and an iPad--and if you have an iPad you do--go get it to use your iPhone as a wireless camera from the iPad :) It's only in the Business charts, but FTP On The Go PRO had its best day yet as well.