There are only a few more days until the new iPhone 3G hits stores, the new iPhone software will be ready for download, and the iPhone App Store will be open for business. We have yet to find any local developers that have been approved to be in the App Store, but the screenshot shows that there will at least be a couple apps available.
You can see Sega’s Super Monkey Ball, eBay, Twitterific, AOL’s AIM, and TypePad from Six Apart. Along the bottom row you can see Featured, Search by Category, Popular, Search by Name, and see which of your applications have new versions available (that last button).
Once you select an item from the App Store, you can use the big green button to buy it. We’re not exactly sure what the Tell A Friend feature does. If the application is small, the Edge or 3G networks will be used. If the application is large, they’re going to tell you to find a WiFi hotspot for download or to connect to iTunes. Once you start downloading the app, the icon shows up on your iPhone along with a little progress bar. It’s nice to see that you don’t have to use iTunes to buy and install apps, so if you discover something cool while you’re on the road, you can just add it.
Will localization get better with GPS? SkyHook just announced that they’re integrating GPS into the way they figure out your location. SkyHook is the technology used to find your location on Google Maps. The problem with keeping your GPS functions on all the time is that the GPS chipset eats up battery faster than normal. If you’re in your office, your phone probably won’t be able to locate the handful of satellites it needs to fix a position because you’ve have a roof (or more) over your head. It may work if you’re by a window though. We will just have to wait and see.
If GPS turns out to be not that great of a feature, and if the 3G data plan costs an extra $25/month (over the two year contract that would be $600) there may be more interest in the “iPhone Classic.” If there was a killer app that leveraged the GPS and the faster data rate, that could drive more adoption. Maybe something like Qik for the iPhone with geotagging, so that you could search for live video of your friends doing their best hip hop moves at Gruv?
About Bryan Menell
[...] The Editor placed an interesting blog post on iPhone App Store DetailsHere’s a brief overviewThere are only a few more days until the new iPhone 3G hits stores, the new iPhone software will be ready for download, and the iPhone App Store will be open for business. We have yet to find any local developers that have been approved … [...]