The iphone has enjoyed the most spectacular success Apple could ever ask for. The revolutionary touch screen interface and its exceptional build quality has been the talk of the geek and fasion world alike, even two years after its much hyped release. As it was the first of its kind, Apple had made sure that everything about the phone’s design was flawless. Hence, despite the absence of a video-recording camera, the phone has a fan following that matches upto that of The Beatles.
Another iphone related announcement that generated quite a buzz was Steve Job’s decision to support the development of third-party applications for the iphone. An iphone Software Development Kit (SDK) was announced which simulated the iphone and developers could test their appllications on it. The developers could set a fee and hand over the apps to Apple which would distribute these apps through the app store. They would get to retain 70% of the revenue generated through the sale of their apps. The iphone’s popularity and this money-earning stream encouraged developers to create numerous apps, some of them very useful while some of them were pure fun.
Games,GPS and social networking apps are among the most downloaded iphone apps. Facebook and twitter have apps for iphone. Instant Messaging apps are also prevalent with Gtalk and Yahoo messenger apps being made available. Apple recently unveiled the latest upgraded version of the iphone called the iphone 3.0,which runs a new OS with a host of new features.
Apps are not just created by independent developers or companies dedicated to the same. Apple’s communications partner AT &T recently announced the AT&T navigator application for the new iphone. The application would be available for download from the app store and is tailor made for the iphone 3.0 powered by the new OS. The app can be downloaded for free but the company stipulates a usage fee of $9.99 per month. The new iphone offers more in terms of GPS functionality. Though other GPS apps are around such as the wayfinder app and the GPS app by the Dutch based company TomTom, AT&T is trying its hand at capitalizing on the lucrative apps business by targeting the GPS app segment.
Apart from giving turn-by-turn directions,AT&T’s navigator app has other significant features such as voice guided directions and user command recognition so that a driver can concentrate on the road rather than fiddle with the device.
Another feature that is bound to help is the 3D map feature that makes it easier for drivers to visualize where they are and drive accordingly. The app also sketches an alternaltive route in case you miss a particular turn or traffic density is high.
The app also helps the user find the nearest rest spot for a fuel refill or food which is convenient.
Updates of maps have been made automatic so that users don’t have to bear the inconvenience of buying updates.
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