App Store Rolling Out Real Updates Now

One of the problems I’ve been having lately with the iTunes App Store is the lack of updates being rolled out. I guess Apple is a little backlogged with fixing MobileMe and approving new apps to be added to the store. Updates to apps were a likely candidate for the back-burner. But, I opened up iTunes this morning and clicked the “Check for Updates” button in the Applications section and, to my surprise, there were actual updates.

I’ve had false positives before, in which I was told there were updates, but the iTunes just went ahead and re-downloaded the 1.0 versions that I already had. This time, however, I got version 1.3.1 of Brain Challenge and version 1.1 of PhoneSaber to replace my 1.0 copy of it. And thank goodness PhoneSaber got an update because let me tell you, it was a mission-critical app for me. If it had crashed one more time while I was swinging my iPod touch around, pretending to be Mace Windu, the results could have been disasterous.

Now I just have to wait the hour it takes to sync my iPod touch with iTunes…

Things I like: Vay

Ever since the release of the iPhone 2.0 software I’ve been browsing through the app store and downloading any app that catches my fancy. The latest one is Vay: an RPG that, though I’ve never heard of it, was apparently previously released on an older Sega console.

Vay is great. Despite the old-school graphics and the terrible dialogue, it’s a blast to play. And it’s a bargain at $4.99. I’ve spent about nine hours on it already and I plan to finish it. This is the reason I was excited for the 2.0 software and, hopefully, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Here’s an iTunes download link for anyone who’s interested: Vay

iPhone + Skype = A Slightly Easier Decision

Ever since the announcement of the 3G iPhone in Canada, I’ve been trying to decide whether or not I can fit it into my decidedly student-sized budget. When I first found out about it and that it was CAD$199 I had all but decided that I was going to get one. Then Rogers came out with astronomically high pricing plans that included, very few calling minutes, very little data and no caller ID. At that point I pretty much decided I was not destined to own an iPhone.

Then a thought occured to me: Skype. If Skype managed to pull together a native iPhone app for the App Store, it could prove to be the straw that broke the camel’s back in terms of working an iPhone into my budget. I did a little research and found out that Skype offers a subscription based unlimited calling plan under which you can call anybody in Canada and the USA for under two euros, or just a little over three Canadian Dollars. In other words, anywhere I have access to Wi-Fi, I could make calls for very little money, thus saving me precious anytime minutes on Rogers’ iPhone “high-value plan.”

As it stands now, I still haven’t decided whether to get it or not, but if I do get an iPhone, it certainly won’t be on the release date (July 11). I’ll be waiting to see whether or not there’s a native skype application first.