Via www.blipfoto.com

The article was part app review and part me venting my frustration at Apples nanny attitude to nudity and porn (come on Steve we are all adults) which has frustrated many an app developer.

Mike Amerson at WET productions  is one of the creative geniuses behind the app My virtual girlfriend and he recently wrote to Appertunity to let us know that there is a new guy on the block in the form of My virtual boyfriend!

I was quite pleased to hear this being a gay man and I know that since My virtual girlfriend arrived on the app scene about a year ago many women have expressed an interest in getting them selves a virtual boyfriend too and so My virtual boyfriend has great entertainment value for both women and gay men.

My Virtual Boyfriend has just as much entertainment value as My virtual girlfriend (more so for me as a gay man) and it’s nod nod wink wink cheesy dialogue will have you laughing in no time.

If a guy said either of these lines to you in real life you might run a mile but when your virtual boyfriend quips:

“They say the pen is mightier than the sword, but obviously they haven’t seen my sword.”

or

“There must be a light switch on my forehead because every time I see you, I’m turned on,”

its quite charming and certainly funny and thats what this latest app is all about, entertainment!

Much like My virtual girlfriend you can interact with your tamagotchi like mate to the extent that he will almost fall over if you shake your phone and even give him a slap should he step out of line!

Take a look at this promo video then grab yourself a virtual boyfriend, for just $0.99 cents (69p), you wont be disappointed and there’s hours of fun to be had!

My virtual boyfriend iTunes link HERE

With Silent Film Director you can create very realistic retro films: add special effects, customize video speed, add soundracks, title cards, transitions and more.

Here’s a great example of what you can create with Silent film director

You can check some of the most awesome films here (or right from inside the application).

The essay details the lives of U.S. Marines in Helmand province in 2010 and 2011 and of the Afghans they interacted with.

Omar Mullick’s travels during six weeks from March and April 2011 show some amazing scenes and its an impressive body of work.

Via Scoop.it – Appertunity’s fun & creative iphone news

Visit the Foreign policy site for the full story & the rest of Omars hipsamatic phot

FOR THE LATEST IPHONEOGRAPHY NEWS CLICK HERE FOR OUR NEWS LETTER

These products promise to turn the ultimate phone into the ultimate toy!

British toy manufacturer ‘apptoyz’ have created a range of amazing iphone accessories which turn your phone into a whole new toy and it seems the possibilities are endless.

Other apptoyz products to be released later in the summer include the appCopter, appRacer andappWheel.

That’s something to get excited about but for now the appBlaster is the toy of the moment. The appBlaster combines a toy, an iPhone/iPod touch and the future of gaming – augmented reality and for a steal at just £19.99 so its sure to become the toy of the summer and the perfect Christmas present as well.

If your not already aware augmented reality allows you to play games in real time incorporating your surroundings so its as if the (in this case) alien attackers are in the room (or park or bus!) with you!

Ingeniously the gaming gun uses trigger-to-touch-screen technology to fire the in-game gun, getting around the need for any batteries. The triggers operate two pads that touch the screen and shoot the in-game gun, allowing the user to use both the primary and secondary gun functions.

To make the experience even more realistic, the gun can be cocked and reloaded using theiPhone’s/iPod touch’s motion sensitivity.

Simply download the free shoot ‘em up game, Alien Attack, from the iTunes AppStore, lock and load your iPhone/iPod touch to the top of the gun, and using the unique trigger-to-touch-screen technology, shoot the advancing aliens from all corners of the room.

The augmented reality feature of the game means that the alien invasion will becoming straight at you from the surrounding area, so whether you are on the bus, in the office or at home, there’s no place to hide!

You can purchase the appBlaster from Red 5, Modelzone, HMV and Hamleys stores from the end of July.

Be sure to visit www.apptoyz.com for further information on the appBlaster and apptoyz other products.

You can also follow the apptoyz buzz on twitter or facebook

Having an interest in Iphoneography myself Iphoneography central were recently kind enough to publish my own take on iphone street photography and the article is reproduced below along with a few examples of my own work.

Jason Feather give us his view on the moral dilemma of shooting the street and shares his 20 techniques & tips on how to photograph the street through the lens of your iphone.

One of the great aspects of iphone photography is that the device lends itself very well to stealth street photography.

The iPhones size & ubiquity immediately gives the iphone photographer an advantage over traditional bulky SLRs (& even simple point & shoot digital cameras) as it confers the ability to snap a good human interest shot while remaining inconspicuous & avoiding the observer effect (where subjects suddenly start posing for the camera).

Cartier Bresson famously used a handkerchief to cover his Leica camera which he would whip away to snap many of his iconic shots before hiding his camera underneath it once again.

With the iPhone camera there is almost no need for such elaborate subterfuge as it is already disguised…as a phone!

If you wish to disguise your iPhone still further (a good idea in itself to avoid the apple symbol becoming dollar signs in a muggers eyes) there are some quite innovative cases to aide your clandestine photography HERE

A moral dilemma?

The morality of taking someone’s picture without prior permission means that candid street photography isn’t for everyone & although here is perhaps not the place for such moral debate consider the fact that even when you are obviously and openly taking a photo people are ‘caught’ in such photographs unawares everyday and to seek permission from each & every one would be an impossible & arduous task.

In all honesty there is a frisson of excitement to be had in the danger of being caught and a great more satisfaction in finding hidden gems amongst your days snaps. These gems often reveal the small dramas that take place across your habitat everyday and such clandestine photography really does allow you to see the world afresh!

Finally there are much worse things you could be doing so try not to let your art suffer by getting too distracted by the morality of an activity that hurts no one & that brings pleasure to many.

20 iPhone street photography techniques & tips:

There is no end to the tips and tricks that individual iPhone street photographers employ but these are gleaned from my own experience of photography on the streets of Bradford & Leeds in Yorkshire, UK (some of my work illustrates this article).

1. Rule number one is have fun! If your not then your photographs are likely to become formulaic and lack spontaneity.

2. Try not to think but if you do think then think fast & then shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Then shoot some more! If you have time take a few shots of your subject from a variety of different angles.

3. Although the iphone 4′s auto focus & exposure technology are brilliant and a blessing they can be a hinderance to quick unplanned shots. The cure is to take a number of shots of the same scene tapping different areas of the screen.

4. Look inconspicuous? Pretend your fiddling with your phone, put it up to your ear as if your on a call but use a finger to take shots, look left while shooting right & vice versa, plug your ear phones in so it looks less like your taking shots & more like your iPod (be careful not to ruin too many shots by getting the wire in the way) etc Try Sneaky pics app or set Gorilla cam to take repeated shots while wielding your phone. Remember to also turn off the iphone cameras shutter noise in settings or flip switch to silent!

5. Be obvious. No need for subterfuge if you are uncomfortable with this you can simply shoot the scene in front of you and if anyone objects they will tell you soon enough! This has the disadvantage of leading to less ‘natural’ shots but a clearer conscience!

6. Keep the lens clean. Dust easily gathers on your lens while your iphone is in your pocket so clean it on occasion with a cloth (or even your finger or an item of clothing if no cloth is available). This applies even more for older generation iPhones that don’t have the anti grease coating of the iPhone 4.

7. The iPhone’s camera works best in good lighting conditions. With older iphone models that don’t have the iphone 4′s LED flash if it’s too dark your pictures will be grainy and indistinct. There may be occasions where this is to your advantage (if your aiming for a grainy or indistinct look) but on the whole your going to want a clear picture especially if your planning on using apps to add effects to your composition as many of them can reduce your photos resolution further.

8. There are a number of apps that claim to improve lighting conditions or create a flash effect for 3G and 3GS iPhone’s but invariably these are gimmicks. If lighting conditions are good, shoot your photos with the sun behind you if you want a clear image unless you’re looking for silhouettes which can often make impressive pictures.

9. It’s easy to get hooked on keeping your subject within a horizontal or vertical field of view. However don’t be afraid to tilt the angle of your iPhone and break with convention if the end result is aesthetically pleasing.

10. Unless you have the iphone 4 (or a case which includes a lens like some Griffin cases) don’t shoot things too close. People look best from 2-12 feet away. This is fine when you’re planning a shot but isn’t always possible so again snap away – take a few shots and choose the best later.

11. It goes without saying that holding your phone steady will mean less blur. There are apps that allow you to sharpen or blur your shots in various ways but to do so it’s best to start with a clear photo. If your ‘planning’ a shot rather than being snap happy then try using two hands to hold the camera and a thumb to shoot.

12. Hold, release & shoot! The iPhone camera app shoots on ‘release’. Press and hold – line up your shot & then release your finger, it’s at the point of release that your photo is taken. This is not the same however for some apps (e.g. camera genius) so have a play around with whichever camera app it is your using to discover if this is the case.

13. The iphone camera can create some unusual wave or jelly like movements if you move the camera while your taking photos or while taking photos of moving objects. These can sometimes be to your advantage and create some interesting effects but on the whole its best to avoid movement – either the camera or your subject.

14. Keep your photos simple. Images with too much clutter don’t usually make good iphone photographs so try to have a few simple elements in your frame.

15. Use a camera app that allows a ‘full screen’ button i.e. you can tap anywhere on screen to take the picture. This means you wont loose time looking for the shutter button. A great all round app that includes this function is ‘camera genius’.

16. Try to keep your iPhone in your hand with your chosen camera app open, on and ready to shoot so you never miss an opportunity while on the streets.

17. If you’re right handed the bottom left hand side of your home screen (within easy thumb reach) is the best location for quick launch of your favourite camera app (& vice versa if your left handed).

18. As there is a slight lag time between screen/shutter press & the shot being taken press screen a few moments before your subject is likely to arrive in the shot.

19. Keep it charged! There’s nothing more frustrating than finding yourself amongst a great photo opportunity & your iPhone dies! Keep a charger with you or if traveling light at very least a USB cable you can always they charging at an Internet cafe or library if desperate.

20. Remember you might take 300 shots & be left with three by the end of the session. Poor focus, blurred subjects, bad composition are to be expected with such unplanned shots. These are the chaff you must blow away to get at the wheat thus the rest of your battle will be in carefully choosing your shots & finally creative app-ing.

If iphone street photography had a tag line it would have to be:

“Good street photography doesn’t stop to ask knowing that the moment is fleeting”

So remember keep shooting, keep it simple & have fun!

Other useful iphone street photography resources:

Street photography blog

Flickr iPhone street photography group

Inspiration from other iPhone street photographers:

Greg Schmigel

Dominique Jost

Ugur Kaner

(If you would like your name added here please email me with site details at pukkap (at) gmail (dot) com)

There are further examples of my own iphone photographs along with many other artists and tutorials so be sure to check out the site Iphoneography central

The board has a great name sure to attract interest: Applicable Jobs

Whether you are looking for work or hoping to attract potential developers it has a clean easy to use interface that will help you find work in no time so be sure to check it out.

Th focus of the app lies in sharing photos of your location so as well as discovering some great sites there is also some great photography so the app appeals both to explorers and photographers

The app is free app although you do need a Facebook account to connect to.

Once you open the app you will find photos with a description of the location and a Google Map to the location. You can also follow other Trovers to find those who have located the most interesting areas to visit.

Having used the app I can say that unlike other travel apps Trover reveals interesting places to visit precisely because it doesn’t rely on guide books but on users inputting their own experiences thus I’ve found some outstanding areas of natural beauty and quirky sites I wouldn’t otherwise have considered visiting!

Guide books give you the sites that everyone visits while Trover gives you the potential to locate sites that are the hidden gems of travelling (on your doorstep, a few miles from your home or abroad).

Check out the Trover website for further information about the app or simply download from iTunes for free HERE

Happy exploring and I have no doubt you’ll have fun using Trover