iPods

[Gordon]

I have an app for live radio, not really tried it over 3g, but it works well over wifi. Not sure if there's any radio stations that you can just run through mobile safari, but iplayer definitely works for archived radio shows (and a good thing too, as there are programs for desktop/laptops that use the iphone mp3 stream, and are thus able to rip whole radio shows off of iplayer with no less of quality.

[northernlight]

I think so. I use a Touch via WiFi at home and use it for all those things. As far as I'm aware 3g lets you do all those things without needing the WiFi. I have no idea how reliable a radio stream will be on the move mind you, but in theory yes it'll do everything a Touch does. I'd get an iPhone myself but I have no need of a phone or the bills that go with them, I love the Touch/ipho e though mainly because I can browse the net lying in bed.

I really like the itouch too, for that odd browsing of the net without having to turn on my pc..

I have just checked being able to listen to 6music on my itouch - it seems to allow you to use iplayer, which means that you can listen to shows previously broadcast rather than current ones. That is still good though!

[northernlight]

I have an app for live radio, not really tried it over 3g, but it works well over wifi. Not sure if there's any radio stations that you can just run through mobile safari, but iplayer definitely works for archived radio shows (and a good thing too, as there are programs for desktop/laptops that use the iphone mp3 stream, and are thus able to rip whole radio shows off of iplayer with no less of quality.

Ah, hadn't spotted your post before finally posting mine!

I have had portable digial radios in the past, and they have been flakey as anything when on the move. I would think that iplayer with 3g would have to be an improvement on those!

[Wheatabeat]

Ooh, those are both on Social Gaming networks. Parachute Ninja is on 'Plus+' and Angry Birds is on 'Crystal'. You should click the little logs, so I can be a massive geek and see if I'm better at them than you (I think there's also challenges and things).

Bloody hell, I had no idea about those! Cheers Gordy!

[Gordon]

I have an app for live radio, not really tried it over 3g, but it works well over wifi. Not sure if there's any radio stations that you can just run through mobile safari, but iplayer definitely works for archived radio shows (and a good thing too, as there are programs for desktop/laptops that use the iphone mp3 stream, and are thus able to rip whole radio shows off of iplayer with no less of quality.

Ah, hadn't spotted your post before finally posting mine!

I have had portable digial radios in the past, and they have been flakey as anything when on the move. I would think that iplayer with 3g would have to be an improvement on those!

Good point! As long as the stations buffer ok, you should get perfect digital quality (potentially at a higher bitrate than DAB)

[Gordon]

Ooh, those are both on Social Gaming networks. Parachute Ninja is on 'Plus+' and Angry Birds is on 'Crystal'. You should click the little logs, so I can be a massive geek and see if I'm better at them than you (I think there's also challenges and things).

Bloody hell, I had no idea about those! Cheers Gordy!

Yes, I am a massive iPhone nerd.

[Gordon]

Oh, also, there's the last.fm app. And spotify.

[Final Loan]

Should I get an iPhone?

The only other phones I'd been looking at was the Sony Ericsson Experia or the Vivaz...

[Uncle Ants]

I have just checked being able to listen to 6music on my itouch - it seems to allow you to use iplayer, which means that you can listen to shows previously broadcast rather than current ones. That is still good though!

There is an app (probably several) that lets you play the live BBC streams. Can't remember wat the one I use is called*. I'll check when I'm home. The one I use was free and works fine.

*Edit - yes I can - Fstream

[Gordon]

The one I found that was popular in the app store is called TuneIn Radio. Not free, but good interface/etc.

[Woodbine]

Anyone use any iPhone or iPod touch social gaming networks like openfeint or plus+? Geeky question I know.

Can't say I do Gordon but right now I'm addicted to Parachute Ninja. And before that I was hooked to Angry Birds for about 3 weeks.

59p games FTW!

Angry Birds is ace! I am totally addicted to it. Was addicted to Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor for yonks too. My iPhone is basically a games console. Any other tips?

[Wheatabeat]

Angry Birds is ace! I am totally addicted to it. Was addicted to Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor for yonks too. My iPhone is basically a games console. Any other tips?

What on Angry Birds, or just games in general?

Try Toki Tori for another bird-themed brilliant game. Platform puzzler, but lots of levels and some are fiendishly difficult. Lovely graphics too.

Regarding Angry Birds, I've three stars on about 2/3's of the levels now. But some I just think it's basically impossible to get three stars, in fact some levels took make ages to complete and a proper fluke got me through.

[Tomb]

Oh, also, there's the last.fm app. And spotify.

I have just purchased an i-touch just for the spotify app. Sad innit!

I have to say the i-pod touch is amazing. I load up the newspapers for the train as well as offline RSS readers and the Read It later application, listen to net radio with tuneinradio when wifi is on and read ghost stories with ghost story app. Not to mention my favourite Risk Clone Lux DLX which is also available. And don't get me started on Angry Birds!!!

[Gordon]

But the most important question is what are all your openfeint and plus+ (and crystal and agon) usernames. It's much less annoying than the games that use facebook connect and want to constantly post things to your walls.

I bought Street Fighter IV. I'm pretty shit.

[Woodbine]

Yeah I meant recommendations for games. I like adventure/puzzle type stuff, so Street Fighter isn't really for me - I imagine playing it on the iPhone would give you RSI though!

I don't understand what these things are you're on about, Gordon....are they ways of looking what your scores are against other people? I don't have that much interest in seeing where I rank against the millions of other people playing stuff, but maybe it might be fun to make our own Anorak league if we can do that. Not that I really need any more incentives to sit around on my arse playing games!

[Woodbine]

I've just remembered that I got The Sims, never having played it before. Crikey, even I can't be arsed investing that much time in a video game! The first thing I did was start trying to pull, and then when I eventually got a bloke back to my flat (following actions which would surely result in a restraining order in reality) he went for a shit every thirty seconds and once WHILE I WAS IN THE BATHROOM. I gave up after that.

[Gordon]

You can send challenges and play scrabble and things like that too. I've got lots of different wordy fun games... I could do screenshots of all my apps. It's safe to say they do not fit on 12 screens.

[Gordon]

Opera Mini is now available for iPhone. It seems pretty wicked if you don't mind the whole rerouting things through their server thing.

Also iPhone OS 4 (beta 1) seems to like eating up battery by leaving everything running in the background. And if you spend ages making folders, iTunes will eat them on the next sync...

[northernlight]

Yeah I meant recommendations for games. I like adventure/puzzle type stuff, so Street Fighter isn't really for me - I imagine playing it on the iPhone would give you RSI though!

I like the puzzle-style stuff - and find drop7 pretty adddictive - well, the hardcore version, at least. The 'normal' game takes just too long!

Trism is kind of fun on the puzzle front too. And 'boxed in' is ok too.

Would welcome any recommendations for other puzzle-type games for me to generally fritter my time away playing..!


Did check out angry birds - it is kind of fun - took me a little while to realise that 1 type of the birds split into 4, and another type could be made to be very fast/ destructive. Made life easier to navigate the levels, once I'd finally figured that out.

[frogblast]

Also iPhone OS 4 (beta 1) seems to like eating up battery by leaving everything running in the background.

My understanding is that it doesn't leave things running, just keeps them in memory, kind of "frozen". Unless they tell the OS that they have a specific task to complete, in which case they will be kept running till that completes, then "frozen". (I think only certain types of background tasks are allowed - things like file uploads and playing music for example, but as far as I know not just any old task). If memory gets low the oldest apps are quit (after getting a chance to save their state) and the memory released. It's not like multitasking on a desktop OS; things like IRC won't work, and IM will still have to rely on push notifications, since I don't thinks apps will be allowed to sit there with an open network connection indefinitely.

Of course I've not read the new developer documentation since it's super sekrit and NDA'd.