Dolphin Browser iPhone app updated with ‘Sonar’ voice control functionality
Popular third-party Android browser Dolphin made its way to the App Store in August of last year bringing highly customizable gestures, built-in translations, and a dock-style sidebar for quick access to tabs, bookmarks, and speed dial. Today, developers MoboTap Inc. pushed out an update to the iPhone app that, among other new features, introduced voice search functionality called “Dolphin Sonar.”
Dolphin Sonar is super easy to use and can do almost anything. Instead of typing, tap the microphone at the bottom left or just shake your phone (because who doesn’t want an excuse to do that!). Then say what you want to say and Dolphin will do the rest… use your voice to search the Web, find exactly what you’re looking for on sites like Facebook or eBay, bookmark your favorite website, and (like a real Dolphin!) use Sonar to navigate. Ask Dolphin to search on Facebook or create a new tab…all without having to type a single letter.
Other additions to the update include the return of the URL keyboard “by popular demand,” new search engine options to switch between four default settings, three font size options for browsing, and the ability to dim the screen with a single tap using “Night Mode.” Like the default Safari browser, Dolphin will also now save images directly to your iPhone’s photo album. You will also get the usual stability and performance enhancements when you grab version 4.0 of the Dolphin browser on the App Store (iTunes link).
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Apple boosts iAd revenue share for developers from 60% to 70%, here’s a possible explanation
Apple has always provided 70% of application download revenues to developers, but has only provided 60% of the revenue for iAd clicks. Now, Apple has boosted the iAd revenue share to 70%. In this long run, this may mean a major boost in income for developers who rely on the iAd platform for their income. (While today is April 1/Fools day, this comes direct from Apple’s developer iTunes Connect website.) Apple notes the change in an updated developer agreement:
(a) Apple Campaigns. Developer shall receive seventy percent (70%) of the Net Advertising Revenue derived from the sale of advertising on the Developer’s Mobile Properties (“Developer Revenue Share”) net of any applicable taxes as provided in Section 6 of this Agreement. The Developer Revenue Share percentage may be adjusted from time to time at Apple’s sole discretion. Notice of material changes to the Revenue Share percentage will be posted on the Company Portal. “Net Advertising Revenue” is defined as gross advertising revenue recognized through the delivery of ads by Apple less: a) any allowances actually made or taken for returns, credits, cash discounts and promotional allowances; and, b) Agency and agent fees, discounts, commissions and referral fees.
While we can’t confirm this independently, a possible explanation for the revenue share increase has been posted by developer zSprawl. According to the developer, Apple – starting today – will only count impressions, not clicks, for developer revenue. If this is true, it can be assumed that Apple is including the extra 10% to make up for the lost click money. Also, advertisers apparently only have to create $100,000 (or up) accounts with Apple, which is down significantly from the former $500,000 and $1,000,000 minimums, according to the developer.
Crest: The most fun, creative way to view tweets on your iPad
Retina Display iPads are fully supported
The iPad App Store is packed with many Twitter clients, but most of these clients offer a similar experience. A user interface with a timeline, a button to open up a tweet sheet, and several more advanced features like direct messaging, tweet quoting, translating and more. Crest ($1.99), however, throws the concept of a typical iOS Twitter client away and offers a brand new way to view your Twitter timeline. This view is a plain black background with falling tiles of Twitter user profile pictures. A user taps the small icon and then that particular user’s tweet will popup.
The application also allows you to view that user’s profile by tapping on their name. You can view your own profile by swiping your finger across the display to the right, and you can post tweets by swiping to the left. Additionally, you can swipe to the right on a tweet to reply to it. Tapping the top of the user interface brings up a settings module and a search bar. The application is very minimal and we can’t recommend it as a Twitter “power-user’s” only iPad Twitter client, but we can recommend it to Twitter users who focus on reading tweets, and we can definitely recommend it to any Twitter user who wants to complement their main Twitter application with a fun alternative. I’ve been using Crest for about a week and have enjoyed the unique and convenient experience.
Rejected twice by Apple, ‘Find My Facebook Friends’ app finally goes live on App Store
Rejected twice for being too similar to Apple’s “Find My Friends” app, a new app from developer IZE called “Find My Facebook Friends” is now live on the App Store. The app essentially works the same as Apple’s, allowing you to see your friend’s location on a Google map. It also provides privacy settings to control who can view your location. The difference is rather than using your Apple ID and iCloud account, the app allows you to sign-in and invite friends through Facebook. We talked to the developers who told us the story behind why Apple rejected the app the first two times…
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Square rebrands Card Case as ‘Pay with Square’ in monster update following Paypal’s announcement
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Square updated its “Card Case” app with a new design, new name, and a shiny new icon (literally) less than a week after PayPal announced its triangular Square competitor.
Unlike the previous version of the app, which used a credit card metaphor for each store you had an account with, version 2.0, now called “Pay with Square,” uses a list of businesses nearby that accept Square payments and allow you to quickly open a tab at any of them. You can also search a map for nearby Square-compatible businesses and add your favorites to a list for quick and easy access on future visits.
What’s new in Version 2.0, below:
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