Andy Baio from The Tumblr blog has generated his own index of stories from The Daily, the iPad-only newspaper publication launched just yesterday. The app itself does not contain an index of stories, but a table of contents of ten featured stories. The Daily:Indexed (“a very unofficial index”) was ostensibly created to fill this void. The website allows users to review all available stories and launch links to them. The links are not available through The Daily’s own website or search engine. In essence, readers without iPads, or those not wanting to pay for the content, can view it for free. However, it does not replace the iPad experience, as the iPad versions of the stories do not translate nicely to the web, with the interactive component of photos and images being stripped down.

It is a common feature for iPad or online magazine content to be available for sharing via email, Twitter, Facebook, et al. However, it is not common for all the links to be aggregated and posted on a dedicated website. In the end, the Daily’s website may see more traffic, which won’t necessarily be a bad thing. But with Apple taking a 30% cut, and readers doling out content for free, it may make publishers more leery of developing iPad-specific apps and content.

[Techcrunch]

To satisfy the vast majority of its users, Verizon has released a PDF memo outlining its strategy as it attempts to keep its data network humming. With new iPhone users about to flood the system, Verizon plans to lessen the data flow to their heaviest users (those 5% that use an “extraordinary” amount of data) over this and the next billing cycle. To regulate the flow, they plan to optimize video, and use transcoding technologies to make the most efficient use of their stream. More details of the process are available. 

In other words, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. Verizon is trying to avoid the pitfalls AT&T faced when the iPhone was first launched. 3G smartphone users already use about one-fourth of Verizon’s available data feeds and the launch of the Verizon iPhone will compound any network problems. 

You can read the Verizon memo after the jump. 

[Ars Technica via BGR] 

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Apple is taking steps towards their new digital publication subscription policy. With the release of The Daily today, subscribers may purchase, through Apple, weekly issues for 99 cents, or an annual subscription for $39.99. Apple also changed their terms and conditions for the App Store to reflect the new subscription policy. In essence, the change states that subscriptions may now be paid through iTunes, with Apple handling the billing – and taking their 30% cut. Apple has now solidified its position that it will not allow apps, like Sony’s eBook reader, to circumvent the in-app purchase procedure, if publications which to push subscriptions through their apps. Publishers offering free access to their iPad or iOS versions to paid print subscribers will not be affected.

The still unresolved issue is what access publishers will have to consumer data as relegated through the App Store. And will the new one-click subscription model help the rapid decline in emagazine downloads? Apple exec Eddy Cue hinted at a future announcement regarding the new policy ”very soon.”

[TechCrunch] [TUAW]

CameraWallpaper, the long-awaited tweak previously available for Android phones is now available in the Cydia store. iOS devices running 4.0 or higher with cameras can set their camera view as the wallpaper and take screenshots from the Springboard. No word yet on battery issues, although it does offer battery saving options. Other features include:

• Use your live camera as your wallpaper.
• Take a picture anytime from SpringBoard.
• Innovative control menu, activator-enabled.
• Toggle between front and rear camera*.
• Turn the torch on/off*.
• Set flash mode (auto,force-on,force-off) when capturing photos*.
• (* on devices that support it).
• Auto Focus.
• Auto Exposure.
• Auto WhiteBalance.
• Pause-resume camera.
• Auto-start modes.
• Battery saving options.
• Set video tranparency so you can see your wallpaper in the back.
• Set icons transparency, and more!

The app, created by limneos, is $1.99 in the Cydia store. Click the image below to see the app in action on YouTube.

[FreakGeeks]

In response to Verizon’s move to give users an additional 2GB of monthly bandwidth to use with the iPhone 4′s mobile hotspot, AT&T has opted to do the same, giving users a total of 4GB of bandwidth for $45 per month. Users with both the $25 DataPro plan and the $20 tethering option will benefit from the change.

AT&T has also announced that they will begin to offer a mobile hotspot app (currently, they only offer USB tethering) on select Android smartphones February 13th. Hopefully, AT&T will enable the option on the iPhone with the release of iOS 4.3.

In addition, also on February 13th, to bring AT&T’s smartphone tethering plan in line with the AT&T Mobile Hotspot offer, AT&T will automatically add the additional 2GB of monthly data usage to smartphone customers already on a tethering plan – at no extra charge. Customers will incur the same $20 monthly fee they’re accustomed to paying, only now they’ll receive an extra 2GB of data each month.

AT&T Mobile Hotspot details include:

• Connectivity for multiple wireless devices to AT&T’s mobile broadband network
• 2 GB of data usage for $20 a month, bundled with AT&T’s Data Pro plan ($25 / 2GB)
• The combined AT&T Data Pro plus AT&T Mobile Hotspot will provide 4GB for $45 per month
• 4GB applies to collective use among all devices
• Overage fee of $10 per gigabyte

[AT&T]

Read on for the full press release.

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