The Online Magazine Focused on App Design, Branding & Marketing

(Talksauce is the Friday editorial where Tapsauce editor-in-chief Jacob Hall talks about something that’s on his mind. His brutally honest opinions don’t represent the views of Rocksauce Studios, but hopefully they’ll give you some food for thought!)

“Nowhere” is an exaggeration, but it feels dramatically apt. Does technology have to be good looking? No. Does it need to be good looking it you want to actually sell it? Of course!

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The Apps: Flashlight, Calculator, Teeter, Mail and Internet

The Device: HTC Incredible

The Price: Free (They’re already on the phone when you buy it!)

The Basics: Normally, App Spotlight seeks out the latest and greatest in the world of app, selecting a mobile application of interest from the app store or Google Play. Today, I’m doing something a little different. I’m taking a closer look at a few of the apps that came equipped on my HTC Incredible straight out of the box, apps that many people don’t even think twice about in their rush to download Angry Birds and Instagram. That’s right…I’m talking about the Flashight app. The Calculator app. The generic Mail app. The standard web browser with the ominously simple name of “Internet.” How do these pre-packaged apps function alongside what’s available for download?

The Examination: Let’s take this on an app-by-app basis, shall we?

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There are only so many technological leaps that make us go “Wow!” The iPhone was a “Wow!” moment, for example. Every iPhone since then? Impressive for sure, but no “Wow!” moments to be found. We’ve grown accustomed to the hardware and while we enjoy watching it steadily get better, that initial shock of seeing something wonderful and new has abated. We’re all going to want the iPhone 5, but our minds have already been blown. The next big leap forward, the next thing to re-blow our minds, will have to come from a different direction.

The next revolution will be a better battery. Why? Because smartphones are amazing creations hindered by batteries that stink. In my time with my HTC Incredible, I’ve never once thought “Oh wow, I’ve had my phone on for most of the day and I still have a significant charge. I am very impressed with the power capacity in my mobile device!” However, I have frequently thought “What do you mean 15% charge remaining? I Just charged you! I hate you!”

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TransTalk: Welcome to the Socially Conscious edition of Cool New Apps, where we’ll examine a few apps that make the world a better place and/or help us live in a more free, enlightened society (cue the abacuses and poetry pamphlets!). Did you know that the Army has its own personal app store for soldiers? Well, it does! In fact, the United States Military is taking smartphone technology very seriously, even going so far as to test iPhone and Android phones in the field to see how they function as practical navigation and communication equipment. App developer Raytheon has been working on a new translation app specifically for soldiers that will translate English into Arabic, Dari and Pashto, with an emphasis on phrases that are commonly used between soldiers and civilians in the Middle East. The app hasn’t been approved for inclusion in the Army’s app store yet, but it’s obvious why such a tool would prove infinitely useful. How many lives can be saved and how many problems can be solved if we remove miscommunication from the equation?

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Remember all of the whining and moaning about the iPhone 4S? Remember how everyone complained that it wasn’t the brand new iPhone 5 everyone was expecting? Well, the real world has proven time and time again to take the collective displeasure of the internet with a grain of salt: the iPhone 4S pre-orders have topped one million in twenty four hours. That’s the entire pre-order stock. If you weren’t one of those lucky million Apple fans, you have to wait a few more weeks before you can have an iPhone 4S of your own. Of course, a couple of weeks is the equivalent of roughly seventeen years when it comes to salivating over the thought of a new smartphone.

To put this in perspective, the previous record for iPhone pre-orders in one day was 600,000 for the iPhone 4. That’s not just a shattered record — that’s a record stabbed to death and left to bleed out in a darkened alley where no one can hear it scream.

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How much does Sprint have invested in the iPhone? How about everything. They’ve officially signed on the dotted line that requires them to purchase $20 billion worth of iPhones, which amounts to about $30.5 million individual units. That’s an incredibly risky deal for a company that only has 27 million subscribers. Is the iPhone popular enough to win over the majority of their user base? Will their new perks, including an unlimited data plan, steal AT&T and Verizon iPhone users? This will be the deal that saves Sprint or breaks it. Grab some popcorn.

Pinterest is an invite-only, beta social network that currently has 1.5 million users, so it’s doing something right. It bills itself as a “virtual pinboard”, letting you post and collect images in any way you choose, whether it be professionally or personally. It looks ready to explode into something big, so make sure you jump on now so you can say you were there before everyone else!

Japan is beating us, guys. They have not one, but two smartphone-exclusive television stations, the latest of which is called Nottv. What places this new arrival above the competition? You can post and share responses to what you’re watching with other viewers. Hey, Obama, forget about the economy. Use that executive power of yours to bring smartphone television to these shores!

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