Family Guy

The clips are organized into four categories, which are continually refreshed. Among recent examples are: New Today, Brian’s World, Life of Lois, Evening News, and Farting Fun (you had to know this last one was coming). Each of the clips end with the option of purchasing the entire episode through iTunes. There are also some mixes thrown in that have a compilation of other clips, though you may find that some of the earlier videos will repeat.

If you are feeling creative, there is a video mixer for blending together some of the Family Guy videos. Maybe you want a compilation of Stewie vomiting; or blend together a mix of Peter being Peter.

There are a couple of other games included. In one, you can mix and match Stewie’s outfit, which can be turned into a wallpaper for your iPhone. In another game Peter will appear either sitting on a toilet or some other awkward position and you flick him around the screen with your finger.

Family Guy allows for sharing the video clips, but it’s not really functional because the person who receives the video only get a link to purchase the app (described in the e-mail as “freakin’ sweet) in order to view it.

If you are a dedicated fan of Family Guy, it may be worth a download to have ongoing access to some of the better moments from the animated series. If you are a more casual fan, or not one at all, then probably better to pass – although Stewie will surely have something to say about it.

• rating: 8/10
• price: $1.99
• app_name: Family Guy

When did you start developing apps for the iPhone? Did you have previous experience as a developer?

I started developing apps during my last year at University of Washington because I was broke. I was living in a run-down, cheap apartment eating spaghetti 5 nights a week to save money, and I had a 3-week break from school and decided to give it a go.

My girlfriend even had to promise me she’d give me $100 for the Apple’s initial developer fee if I didn’t make that much within the first few months. I had taken some programming classes here and there at UW for my Electrical Engineering major, but didn’t have any graphic design experience.

What / how many apps have you made so far?

I’ve made four apps so far. The first was an app called “lolSpeak“, a pretty silly basic app that helped me learn the app development ropes. I made a holiday app called “Christmas Sounds” that does exactly what it implies — plays Christmas Sounds.

My third app, “Animal Years” was my sister-in-law Beth’s idea. It converts a human age into an animal’s age. My brother Bryan did the design and graphics, while I did all the programming.

My most recent app, “myBatteryLife” has been a much bigger hit than the last three — it monitors your battery level percentage and tells you the remaining time you have for the differing iPhone or iPod Touch uses.

What type of apps/games/software inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?

Most of my ideas have come from friends and family, but I thought of “myBatteryLife” when my iPhone died on a flight to Chicago while I was watching a movie.

How do you settle on the price point for your apps?

I try to consider how much work went into the app when coming up with a fair price, but usually the price drops when things in the App store start to get competitive. A lot of copycats have come out with battery monitoring apps, but “myBatteryLife” was the first.

What has been the best thing about designing for the iPhone?

It has been such a rush watching “myBatteryLife” skyrocket up the charts! In less than a month, it has become the #1 paid utility app in the US store and is now in the top 15 paid apps overall. It has done really well in the UK and Canada too. I never expected an app that I developed in my tiny apartment to be purchased by so many people.

What has been the biggest challenge about designing for the iPhone?

This was a completely new programming language for me, and I had to completely start from scratch. I bought a book on app development and read it cover to cover, then I jumped head-first into developing.

Is your company venture backed or privately held?

KVapps is privately held. I’m the only employee, and I do all my app development, marketing, and customer support from my apartment on nights and weekends.

Do you have any other apps in the works?

I have a couple apps in the “research” phase, but I’m mostly focusing on some updates coming out soon for “myBatteryLife” with some new, super secret features.

What apps do you have on your iPhone?

Currently, I have “TwitterFon“, “Facebook“, “Lose It!”, and Etrade’s “Mobile Pro” app on my iPhone and iPod Touch, along with each of my four apps.

What do you like to do when you’re not coding for the iPhone?

I live in what I think is paradise — Western Washington, so I spend a lot of time hiking and enjoying the great summer weather. Other than that, I just spend a lot of my time with family and friends, and try to think of new ideas.

Apple says you should operate your iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperatures are between 32º to 95º F (0º and 35º C ). Low- or high-temps might temporarily shorten battery life or cause the device to temporarily stop working properly.

Store your iPhone where the temperatures are likely to stay between 4º to 113º F (-20º and 45º C). Leaving your iPhone in your car on a sunny day is not a good idea because inside temps in a parked car can exceed this range.

Some clues that the interior temp of you iPhone is beyond normal range are:

• The device stops charging
• Display dims
• Weak cellular signal
• Temperature warning screen appears with the message “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it”

The warning message is a safety mechanism that protects the components of your iPhone, Apple says. If the message pops up on your display, turn the device off and let it cool down before firing it up again.

No worries: Even if you get the warning message, you’ll still be able to make emergency calls, Apple adds.

You’ll see the temp warning message under the following conditions, Apple says:

• Leaving the device in a car on a hot day
• Leaving it in direct sunlight for extended amounts of time
• Using certain applications in hot conditions or direct sunlight for long periods of time, such as GPS tracking in a car on a sunny day or listening to music while in direct sunlight

For what it’s worth, I’ve been running my new iPhone 3GS nonstop since I received it 4-5 days ago and have not experienced any issues with over heating. In fact, the only issues I’ve experienced with the new phone is an over abundance of goodness.