6 months later, OnLive app is still waiting for approval

In late 2011, OnLive announced that it would be bringing its over-the-air console gaming platform to iOS. It promised that users, wielding its dedicated controller, would have access to a library of tens of thousands of popular games on their iOS devices.

But as cool as it sounded, the magic soon wore off as the app’s ETA went from “imminent” to “your guess is as good as ours.” It’s now been 6 months since the OnLive team submitted its iOS client to the App Store. And it’s still awaiting Apple’s approval…
TouchArcade recently spoke to OnLive at the ongoing E3 gaming conference. And here’s what it had to say:

“It’s not much of a surprise that Apple might have issues with the OnLive app, as it’s offering a complete platform that Apple doesn’t have control over, promotes a gamepad, and provides content purchased outside of the App store ecosystem. So, here’s to keeping our fingers crossed to OnLive and Apple coming to some sort of middle ground to get the app out.”

It’s pretty much common knowledge these days that if Apple doesn’t understand or like what your app is doing, it won’t see the inside of the App Store. We’ve seen evidence of this as recent as the whole Airfoil Speakers Touch debacle, where Apple pulled an app that wasn’t technically breaking any of its guidelines.

But you have to admit that this would be a difficult decision. Would you approve an application that would surely negatively impact your App Store revenue? Because not only would OnLive sell its service outside of the App Store (and Apple’s 30% cut), but it would also likely cause a noticeable drop in App Store (game) downloads.

That’s a tough call. And you can bet that all eyes in the industry are on Apple right now awaiting its decision. If it shoots down the gaming client, then everyone will likely say “figures,” and move on. But if it approves it, it could unlock a whole new world of possibilities for developers.

What do you think Apple should do?

Spending time with Kickstarter’s Touchtype iPad & keyboard case

Not too long ago we told you about a new Kickstarter project that caught our eye. Called the Touchtype, the project offered up a new type of iPad case that really piqued our interest.

More than just an iPad case, the Touchtype promised to offer a safe home for not just your tablet, but also an accompanying Apple wireless keyboard. If you’ve ever wanted to leave your hefty MacBook Pro at home when popping down to the coffee shop to do a little work, then the Touchtype aimed to make using your iPad for work a real possibility.

The thing is, and as we have all witnessed before, Kickstarter projects all look great when asking for money, but what about the finished article? We have been lucky enough to spend some time with a shipping version of the Touchtype, and we don’t think you’ll be disappointed…
Before we get started, this is not going to be a 1,000 word review of the Touchtype, covering its every feature and benefit because, to be honest, the project’s founder does a much better job of that than we could. Check out the video on the project’s Kickstarter page and you will see what we mean.

The project, now with less than 24 hours left to run, requires backers to offer a minimum of $47 in order to get their hands on a Touchtype. That gets you the grey polyurethane model. The one we have been testing is the $85 espresso leather version, and we have to say it is gorgeous.

Made from top layer buffalo hide, the Touchtype oozes quality and has that lovely leather smell to it. We have not had our hands on the polyurethane version so we cannot really compare, but we can’t recommend this particular color and material enough. Top marks there.

A black leather version is also available, should the espresso brown color not be to your liking.

Packaging is also gorgeous, with a black cardboard box that has a real feel of quality about it. It may not seem like much, but being presented with something with such a neat finish sets you up nicely for what is inside.

How to enable Lock screen wallpaper even when your device is charging

ChargingBackground is a tweak that lends the ability to view wallpaper on the Lock screen even while your iOS device is charging. For some reason Apple throws up a black background whenever the device is charging, eliminating your wallpaper. ChargingBackground allows you to reclaim your device’s background while it’s plugged into a power source.

I’m pretty sure this tweak isn’t the first on the block to do this, but sadly, the original tweak’s name escapes me at the moment. Nonetheless, ChargingBackground is free, and it works. Check out our video demonstration inside…

If you’ve been looking for a way to enable wallpaper on your LockScreen, the ChargingWallpaper is up to the task. Take a stroll over to Cydia’s BigBoss repo where it can be had for free.

What do you think?

Also, tell me what you think about copy-cat tweaks? That seems to be a Cydia store epidemic as of late. I’m not sure exactly what problems the developers of these tweaks are trying to solve, but I guess one can never have too many options. I’m interested to hear what you think about it in the comments section.

This tweak lets you lock your device by swiping to the Spotlight page

SpotLock is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to lock your iPhone simply by swiping over to the place where Spotlight search normally resides. Granted, this tweak will totally eliminate the ability to use Spotlight search, but I believe the popular consensus is that many of you don’t use Spotlight to begin with.

Of course, a quick press of the sleep button at the top of your iPhone is the quickest way to secure your iPhone from a software perspective, but SpotLock is an interesting way to break the monotony and switch things up a bit…

SpotLock contains no settings or Home screen icons; just install it and go. If you feel like trying it, then head over to Cydia’s BigBoss repo where you can download it for free.

As always, let me know what you think in the comment section about SpotLock. Would you use it?