Camera+ coming back to the App Store
Do you remember Camera+? It was the amazing US$1.99 photography app from development house tap tap tap that ended up getting yanked from the App Store after the developers used the iPhone volume button as a camera shutter button.
In a postscript to a blog entry today, tap tap tap let it slip that Camera+ is on the way back to the App Store. The teaser comment says that it's currently in review, and that this will be the "biggest update yet." Let's hope that they stay within the sometimes ridiculous guidelines for App Store approval, and that the app is as successful in its second incarnation as it was in the first.
Camera+ might face an uphill battle for renewed market share, however. One of the cool features of the app was its ability to share apps to Twitter, Facebook and Flickr with one tap. Since Camera+ went missing, the relatively new and free Instagram app has become very popular, and it also features easy sharing and fun filters. However, Instagram doesn't have the zoom or exposure controls that made Camera+ so useful, and a recent update deleted a popular filter (Poprocket) that was enjoyed by many users.
However, competition is good for those of us on the receiving end of the app wars, so it's good to see that Camera+ is going to be back soon. TUAW will let you know when the new version is available on the App Store and what those exciting new features might be.
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Do you remember Camera+? It was the amazing US$1.99 photography app from development house tap tap tap that ended up getting yanked from...
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Imagine my frustration when I tried to adjust the volume on my iphone by pressing my DSLR shutter button. It doesn't work! These newfangled devices are just too hard to figure out! Apple is right!
December 20 2010 at 9:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYeah, am I going to have to pay again? Cause if so, not gonna happen.
Unless there are nude photos of Lisa included!! ;)
so that's not creepy
rocksteady,
danno~
I hope the update is free because I won't be giving Jason Casasanta any more money. Mainly because he's a douchebag but taptaptap's customer service is abysmal. How can they go this long without word of their products fate?! It takes the smallest amount of time to send a tweet.
December 20 2010 at 4:32 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply"It was the amazing US$1.99 photography app from development house tap tap tap that ended up getting yanked from the App Store after the developers used the iPhone volume button as a camera shutter button."
Nice attempt at trying to mislead people, but this was widely covered before.
They used a private API, and were asked to remove that piece of code.
Then they resubmitted the app, and hid the code. The app was accepted.
When Apple found out the developer had been dishonest, they pulled the app.
Shame, because it was a great app. I've kept it on my iPhone since.
Whatever your views on the review process, try to keep reporting faithful to the truth ;^)
I still use this app all of the time, it's nice to know that friends of mine will soon be able to use it's epicness...
And an update? Awesome.
One is focus, the other exposure. It was one of the more useful features of the app.
December 20 2010 at 3:18 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySo I guess when this comes back to the App Store, I'll have "1" permanently displayed on my app store icon. To get back in the app store they will have to lose the "take a picture via volume buttons). Thats the reason I downloaded the app in the first place.
December 20 2010 at 3:12 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyLisa Bettany was on Macbreak Weekly, or maybe TWiT, a month or two ago and said they are working with closely with Apple to update it. She wouldn't comment on the relationship with Apple, obviously, but did say that Apple is involved.
December 20 2010 at 2:43 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI don't recall Lisa saying they were working with Apple per se. I may be wrong but she just said that she couldn't comment on the situation.
December 20 2010 at 2:49 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIt was TWiT episode 272. I can't find the exact spot they were talking about it, because I'm impatient. However, Leo asked her about Camera+ and she said they were working with Apple but clammed up when asked further. Of course, the App Store staff could just be helping them meet approval guidelines. She seemed to be hinting that the collaboration was deeper, though.
December 20 2010 at 3:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIt was a cool app... but then I bought PhotoForge and got Instagram. I didn't see the need for Camera+ anymore after that. It was always too slow, anyway. I think the volume button restriction Apple imposes makes perfect sense too, and TapTapTap was stupid to try and slip it by them.
December 20 2010 at 2:43 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply"Let's hope that they stay within the sometimes ridiculous guidelines for App Store approval..."
Sometimes-ridiculous perhaps, but there's nothing ridiculous about knowing that my volume buttons will always change the volume. Imagine a world where different TV shows could alter what the volume buttons do on your remote. Talk about ridiculous.
You've got a point and I think the "UI/UX guidelines" from Apple are useful.
Nevertheless I am _absolutely_ missing the option(!) to take a picture with a volume button (best solution would be to add a dedicated shutter button; I'm sure Apple could realize this in a nice, unobstrusive way).
The requirement to actually look at the screen even for a split-second (to hit the shutter button at the screen) is a downer for me almost every time. :(
I agree that a hard button would be nice.
It's worth noting that the built-in Camera app and most third-party camera apps take the photo on the event "TouchUpInside," which means you can put your finger on the button and hold it there, frame your photo, and then lift your finger to take it.
It's no hardware button, but it's a bit better.
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TUAW (or The Unofficial Apple Weblog) is a website devoted to tips, reviews, news, analysis and opinion on everything Apple.
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