The Problem with XM Radio on the iPhone
So it’s been a few months with the XM radio app on the iPhone. First off the app is great, the problem is with the company and how they run it. XM/Sirius is a company with no imagination and no marketing savy. It seems like they are run by a bunch of old timers who run their business like they did 20 years ago.
XM/Sirius is a company without a future, with the debt they have there is no way they can survive. The iPhone is killing them when it should have helped them but they did it all wrong.
What they did:
They took forever to release an iPhone app, far to long.
What they Should Have Done:
That app should have been released when the app store first opened.
What They Did:
They gave the app away for free and the only people that could use it are subscribers who already have a radio with a subscription. You could try a 7 day demo, but you have to buy a radio to get a radio ID to use the subscription. On top of that they shut down existing subscribers free online access and started charging an additional $3.00 to use the streaming service for the iPhone app.
What They Should Have Done:
The app should be $5.99, they would have made a ton of money on the sales of the app like the MLB did with their app. They should not have screwed their existing customers by charging them for something they have been giving away for years. And they should not require potential subscribers to buy a radio just to use their iPhone apps. Since the iPhone version does not have all the channels why should users pay extra for something they don’t get.
So there is no way for them to attract new subscribers to the iPhone, big mistake on XM’s part and the reason they are in the position they are in.
Some companies just don”t get it.
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Tweeting with Tweetdeck
I have about 6 or 7 Twitter clients on my iPhone and have been using all of them on and off and never really staying with one all the time. I’m happy to say that I’m down to two. Two because Tweet Deck does not work in wide keyboard mode. Yet, I hope.
Tweet Decks non use of the wide keyboard is about the only downside to the app. But it excels in so many other areas that you tent to over look it’s one short coming. What I love most about Tweet Deck is it’s ability to have all the functionality of the desktop app. You have the ability to create different columns for almost anything you want including mentions and any specific topic you want to follow.
I find Tweet Deck to be the best Twitter app for the iPhone but would love to hear what Twitter apps you might be using.
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EA Sports Gets Nasty On The iPhone with Need For Speed UndercoverAnd
Nasty is a good thing! And EA Sports takes racing games to a new level. If you have read any of my posts on racing games you will know I’m a racing game junky! Need For Speed Undercover is one rocking game!
Lets start with the graphics. Hands down the best offered on a racing game to date on the iPhone. Comparing the graphics on this game on the iPhone to Need For Speed on the PSP, would be like comparing the PS3 to a PS1. The graphics rock, the game play is smooth and fast and handling is really nice.
One thing about racing games on the iPhone platform is they tend to be pretty easy. That however is not the case with Need For Speed Undercover. This game is very competitive and not so easy, it really keeps you engaged.
Packed with features
Along with excellent graphics and engaging game play the feature set is really sweet allowing you to unlock new tracks, buy new cars and upgrade the ones in your garage, you can expect many hours of exciting game play with this title.
Need For Speed Undercover for the iPhone rocks!!!! Hands down, 5 thumbs up.
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Analytics Agent keeps your website traffic handy at all times
Google Analytics is a fantastic tool for any website owner to keep track of all the activity on their website. I use it on all of my websites including my clients sites. It’s a must have tool for any website owner.
Now how great would it be to have all that info at your finger tips on your iPhone? Well thing no more there is a nice little app called Analytics Agents that keeps it all organized in one place.
Simply log in and configure to work with your online Google Analytics account and all the sites you have in your account are listed you open up to a list of all your sites, when you click on the site you want to see stats for it shows you a graph with daily hits. Below that you have listed all the important info you need
- Visits
- Pageviews
- Pages/Visits
- Bounce Rate
- Avg. Time On Site
- New Visitors
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Groups is a better address book for your iPhone
The iPhone is a great product, an industry changing device but the one thing that’s kind of weak is the address book. Take a look at an app called Groups. Groups is a cool little address book application that allows you to create different groups with a nice little tab off to the left.
Graphically the interface is great it pretty slick. My favorite feature is the ability to bulk email all the names in a group a very useful feature.
For an address book its a great app and we give it 5 thumbs
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iPhone 3GS Voice Control
So I’ve been playing around a lot with the Voice Control feature on the 3GS. First let’s start by saying this technology is nothing new to cell phones, my wife pointed that out to me when I tried to impress her with one of the many cool iPhone features.
However the Voice Control interface on the iPhone is pretty cool.
You simply press and hold the START button for 5 seconds and the program opens, the commands float by on the screen so you are always reminded of what to say to activate whatever it is you are trying to do. Such as make a phone call or play a song.
There has been a lot of complaints about the Voice Control but all in all it’s not bad, I find you have talk slow and clear to get it to work. When it finds what you command it reads it back to you and does not always pronounce names properly. For instance it calls Michael Buble; Michael Bubble.
And for whatever reason; every single time I say “Play Artist Bon Jovi” is plays Motley Crue. But that’s ok for me, and I’m thinking very few people still carry around Motley Crue songs on their iPhone.
In conclusion. I like the Voice Control feature on the new iPhone 3GS, it’s one of those things you will use to demo you new iPhone to your friends
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2XL SX is the BOMB!!!!
Lets start by saying I love motorcycle video games, I have been addicted to them and never found one that I really liked with the exception of the MX vs ATV franchise on the PSP. The selection of motocycle racing games on the iPhone are pretty slim and I’ve been bored by a few them over the last year. So I was weary about buying 2XL SX. The first thing that came to my mind was “the controls have to be a bitch”. As much as I love MX vs ATV on the XBOX and PSP the controls start to hurt your hands after a while.
Then I saw that 2XL SX offers a FREE demo, I like that try before you buy thing. If you make good software try before you buy will never burn you.
Ok so here I go ready to play and my expectations are low, I’m not expecting anything.
@#$% They had me at go!
This game ROCKS!!!!!!!
I could watch the intro over and over, the graphics are unreal, and the game play is stellar. It’s fast as hell on an iPhone 3GS and the controls are the best. Turning the iPhone is so natural you feel like you are really riding the bike.
This is not only the best motorcycle racing game on the iPhone, it’s the best motorcycle racing game on any platform and that includes the PS3 and XBOX 360.
At $7.99 it’s nothing considering I payed $29.99 for MX vs ATV on the PSP.
Buy you will love it will not disappoint.
We give it 5 thumbs up.
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New iPhones announced today
Today was a big day for iPhone fans worldwide as Apple introduced the new iPhone 3GS and the 3.0 software. The new iPhone 3GS comes in 16GB $199. and 32GB $299. models and is available in both black and white. Apple also announced the existing 3G model will still be available in the 8GB model selling for $99.
New features include:
- 2X Faster
- 30fps video
- Publish video to YouTube
- Edit Video on the iPhone
- 3MP Camera
- Voice Control
- Compass
- Landscape Keyboard
- Cut and Paste
- Spotlight searching
- MMS support
- Internet tethering (not avial. in the US)
- Voice Memos
- Nike Support
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Polls
Do you think the iPhone 5 is coming in October?
- Yes (100%, 2 Votes)
- No (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 2
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