All About Iphone

Pick Up The Phone, Dawg: All About Ultrasonic Ringtones

2009-07-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of times when you DON'T want that Top-40-hit ringtone going off in a room full of people. Oh, you can set your phone on "vibrate," but that buzz is still audible enough to attract attention (and maybe make you flash on the "dildo in the luggage" scene from FIGHT CLUB).

What's the solution? How about a ringtone that only YOU can hear?

Ultrasonic Ringtones offers just that: ring tones in the 8KHz-22KHz audio range, i.e. right up at the top end of your hearing range. The idea of ringtones in the dog-whistle end of the spectrum was first championed by schoolkids, who wanted to take cell calls under their teachers' noses.

The site lets you "test-drive" each frequency before downloading it, but also cautions that hearing it on your computer and actually using it on your phone are two different things. They also caution that anything over 12KHz will probably be inaudible to people over the age of 20. Still, the 8-12KHz range tones might be right up your alley -- they'll still cut through all kinds of ambient noise, and you won't mistake anyone else's phone ringing for your own.

Journey From Cydia to App Store: TuneWiki Went Legit

2009-07-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

As of today, TuneWiki is a legit iPhone app that's available in the App Store. You can check out our tunewiki review from the days when it was available only on Cydia.

Besides being available in the App Store, not much has changed. TuneWiki is a must have app for any music lover.

(From our previous review...)

Features:
- easy to use navigation buttons
- album art support for your music collection
- live song lyrics - sing along with your favorite tunes, and contribute back to the project with lyrics for your songs if they are not in the database.
- music maps - see what songs are playing near your location or in a specific region (like the United Kingdom)
- Tune Wiki Top 50 - see what other Tune Wiki users are playing
- help menu - shows you how to use the tunewiki interface
- very good reliability - never crashed during my tests

Limitations:
- it needs an internet connection, either WiFi or EDGE/3G because all the information displayed is stored on Tune Wiki's servers.
- can be sluggish in low performance network conditions

We are glad that Apple's new iPhone 3.0 allows access to the music library, which encourages developers to migrate their jailbroken-only apps to legitimate ones.

Strangely, TuneWiki is still available on Cydia, which is (we're pretty sure) against Apple's agreements.

Try Tune Wiki for free at the App Store.

Testing Testing One Two: Add An External Mic To Your iPhone

2009-07-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

Whether it's that first cassette tape recorder I bought back in the 70's, or my nifty HD camcorder that was financed by Dubya's economic-stimulus check, the mantra is the same: Get An External Microphone! The audio you record will be automatically better than from the built-in variety.

There are now a handful of add-on microphones available for the iPhone and its cousins, with the Brando Workshop Flexible Mini Capsule Microphone claiming to be both the latest and greatest. It boasts battery-free operation, plug-and-play compatibility with the iPhone 2/3/3GS and iPod Nano 4G (sorry, iTouch fans!), a swivel design for omni-directional positioning, and a 25dB gain increase over the internal "iMic."

("Boasts" being the operative word: the unit is not scheduled to ship until the end of July, but the pre-order page also includes sample audio recordings done with and without the Mini Capsule for your own comparison -- and the difference in sound, if legit, is like night and day. Still, if you plan to do a fair amount of audio recording with your iPhone, its MSRP of US$14.00 -- plus another three bucks shipping from Hong Kong -- might make trying it out worth the risk.)

How to Jailbreak and Unlock iPhone 3GS

2009-07-08T21:33:00.001-07:00

The iPhone 3GS is now jailbreakable and unlockable via redsn0w and ultrasn0w on both Mac and Windows! In the words of the iPhone Dev Team, "Last night we released updated versions of our redsn0w jailbreak and ultrasn0w carrier unlock. These versions are now compatible with the iPhone 3GS running at 3.0. Welcome aboard, 3GS owner!" One can't help but notice a sense of triumph in their words. While the Dev Team was planning to hold out on the release due to fear of Apple releasing an update blocking the hole they used to hack the software, the release of PurpleRa1n undoubtedly pressured them into releasing the tool sooner.

The new version of redsn0w and ultrasn0w are essentially the same but with a few updated tools which allow it to be entirely functional with the new iPhone 3GS. It's all safe, tested, and certainly works if you do it correctly. The recent release of PurpleRa1n, another jailbreak tool, is less stable and buggier than the Dev Team's tools. If you're new to the iPhone world, then let me tell you one thing: always go with the Dev Team.

To download the stuff, simply go to the Dev Team's download page.

Then simply follow our guides:

How To Jailbreak iPhone OS 3.0 On Windows and Mac Using Redsn0w

How To Unlock iPhone 3G and 3GS Using Ultrasn0w

Feel free to ask any questions.

How To Send Documents As Email Attachments On Your iPhone

2009-07-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Iphone_email
If you've been wondering how you can store, view, and send files as email attachments from your iPhone or iPod Touch, this article will teach you how. There is an iPhone appcalled Files, and it allows you to do incredible things with...well...files. It's available in the iTunes App Store. While the app is not free (it'll cost you $4.99), the price is well worth the options that the app offers you.

Continue reading to learn how to use this application so you can send documents and other files as email attachments from your iPhone.

How To Turn Your iPhone Into The Ultimate Remote

2009-06-30T02:47:00.000-07:00

Nothing trumps the convenience of having a universal remote that's always in your pocket - especially if it's your cell phone, and especially if it's a touch screen, motion detecting, internet browsing cell phone. This guide will show you various ways your iPhone can be used as a "remote" to wirelessly control some useful programs and devices.

1. Remote (Apple Inc.)
This is an oldie but a goodie. Remote allows you to wirelessly control the music on your computer or Apple TV from your iPhone or iPod Touch. With remote, you can play, pause, skip, shuffle, see your songs, see your playlists, see your album art, edit playlists, create and update Genius playlists, search your library, and control your AirTunes speakers.
Go here for an easy set-up guide.

2. DirecTV
Let's say you're running late at work, and forgot to schedule the recording of this week's episode of Heroes because last week it was interrupted by the President's address to congress and it messed up your schedule. Normally you'd break down and cry - but with this free iPhone app - simply log into your account and set the recording.

You can even choose which receiver (as in which room), the priority, and how long to store it.

This application allows you to:

* Search for any show or movie up to 2 weeks in advance
* Browse programs by channel or date & time and access program info instantly (description, length, rating)
* Record a single episode/movie or an entire series
* Record to any DVR in your home

Note: You must have a DIRECTV residential home account registered on www.directv.com to record shows. You must have DIRECTV PLUS DVR (models R15, R16, R22), DIRECTV PlUS HD DVR (models HR20, HR21, HR22, HR23), or TiVo Series 2 receivers with 6.4a software.
3. TiVo
If you're just looking for a way to browse and record shows on-the-go, TiVo's mobile site will work wonders for you. Simply follow this link on your iPhone: http://m.tivo.com/
4. DVR Remote for TiVo
This app literally turns your iPhone into a remote control, allowing you to wirelessly control the TiVo Series 3 DVR and to browse your Now Playing information.

Features:

* TiVo DVR's are automatically detected by the application (no IP entry needed)
* Fast text entry to search on the DVR (including YouTube - simply swipe to select the red keyboard)
* Save favorites
* View "Now Playing" info on your iPhone or iPod Touch
* Edit Button Layout
* Embedded browser for TiVo Mobile to find and schedule shows

Requirements:

* TiVo Series 3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL DVR
* Wireless network on the same subnet as the DVR with Bonjour support

To set up the remote control, go to: Messages and Settings > Settings > Remote and Devices > Network Remote Control. Enable "Network Remote Control".

To set up the "Now Playing" feature, go to: Messages and Settings > Account and System Information > Media Access Key. Locate your "Media Access Key" and enter it into the iphone application.
5. Keynote Remote (Apple Inc.)
Keynote Remote allows you to control your Keynote slide presentation on your computer from your iPhone or iPod Touch. The application is clearly very helpful and useful for all Keynote users who give presentations.

Features:

* Control your Keynote presentation
* Swipe across the screen to change slides
* Flip the phone to landscape made to preview the next slide
* Works with any Mac with Keynote '09

6. Rowmote
Rowmote tries to turn your iPhone into a replica of the little white remote control which came with your Mac. The actual remote costs $20, while this app only costs $0.99, and eliminates the need for extra hardware.

Make sure you read all the features, this application can do amazing things.

Features:

* Control your Mac over a wireless network
* Switch between controlled programs
* Wake a sleeping Mac
* Put your Mac to sleep by pressing and holding the play button for 3 seconds while controlling any Apple application
* Control iTunes
* Toggle visualizer
* Toggle coverflow
* Toggle fullscreen mode in many applications
* Click-and-hold works just like on physical remote
* Hold right to fast forward (and left for rewind)
* Control Apple TV

Functions like the actual Apple remote in:

* Front Row
* Airfoil Video
* Apple TV
* Boxee
* DVD Player
* iPhoto
* iTunes
* Keynote '08 and '09
* Last.fm
* Microsoft Powerpoint '04 and '08
* Quicktime
* PandoraJam
* Plex
* Skim
* Spotify
* VLC
* XBox Media Center
* eyeTV

If you're a Mac user with an iPhone, this application is definitely worth the price.
7. Boxee Remote
Boxee is a cross-platform freeware media center software with social networking features designed for the television. This application gives boxee users the ability to turn their iPhone into a boxee remote control. Connect to boxee over WiFi.

There are two modes of control: button and gesture. In button mode you click, while in gesture mode you hold the boxee logo (2nd screenshot above) and drag it up, down, left, or right. Click on the boxee logo to perform an action.

Price: Free
8. Sonos Controller
This free application turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a full-featured controller for the Sonos Multi-Room Music System. Sonos Controller extends the already extremely convenient (and pretty pricey) Sonos music system by allowing you to wirelessly control your entire home's music from your phone. Instantly access all the music in your personal collection, including your itunes playlists.

Sonos allows you to listen to different things in each area of the house.

You can listen to:

* iTunes
* Sirius
* XM
* Pandora
* Rhapsody
* Deezer
* Last.fm

Features:

* Stream millions of songs and stations in separate areas of the house wireleslly with no computer required
* Play tunes from a NAS drive or Apple Time Capsule without turning your computer on
* Control music selection and volume for each individual room
* Full-featured alarms
* Search for any song

You must have Sonos in your home in order for this to work.

For more info about Sonos

9. iLinc Pro Insteon/X10 Controller
iLinc Pro is an iPhone application that allows you to control all the lights in your home or office wirelessly from 1,000 miles away. Forgot to turn off the lights? Want to turn the lights on so it looks like someone is home? Do it with your iPhone.

This application allows you to command all the Insteon and X10 lights and devices in your home or office.
Features:

* Turn Insteon and/or X10 devices on, off, or dim
* Username and password protected
* Create custom scenes with a mix of Insteon and X10 devices
* Supports up to 60 Insteon or X10 devices

Requirements:

* PowerLinc Controller 2414U or 2414S
* Insteon SDM Software running on a Windows PC

More info about Insteon.
10. Air Mouse Pro
With Air Mouse Pro your iPhone or iPod Touch becomes an in air, wireless mouse for your computer. Use it to browse the web, browse libraries, or control your music player. The application uses your phone's accelerometer to translate your hand motions into commands on your computer screen. You can also use it as a trackpad, sliding your finger around the screen.

The app comes in handy for home theatres, presentations, and showing off in front of your friends.

Works with Mac or Windows. WiFi required.

How To Disable Auto-Correct and Auto-Capitalize

2009-06-30T00:37:00.000-07:00

One of the best features of the iPhone is it's auto-correct for typing. This feature is particularly useful for text messaging, and typically does a great job. However, there are situations in which auto-correct is a pain.

For example, if you're trying to type in a different language, turning off auto-correct would be easier than pressing the little "X" above each word, each time. If you're so confident in your typing that auto-correct is nothing but a nuisance to you, here's how you turn it off:

1. Go to Settings

2. Go to General

3. Go to Keyboard

As you can see, you can toggle Auto-Correction on/off. You can also disable auto-capitalization, enable caps lock, disable the "." shortcut, or change the number of international keyboards.

(The "." shortcut refers to double tapping the space bar to insert a period followed by a space.)

How To Add An Extension To A Contact's Number

2009-06-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

There's a simple way to add an extension to any of your contacts' phone numbers, so your iPhone automatically dials. This way, you'll never have to listen through the "If you know the extension of the party you're trying to reach, please enter it now" speech.

Here's how:

1. Click on the contact.

2. Click on Edit.

3. Press on the number. Then, press "+ * #" in the bottom left corner.

4. Press "pause", which inputs a comma. After the comma enter the extension.

this method is valid on other phones, used it on my old Motorola 8 years ago.

How To Sync Your iPhone To Multiple Computers

2009-06-30T00:31:00.000-07:00

Apple only allows you to sync your iPhone with one iTunes library at a time. When you attempt to sync your iPhone to another computer, you get the following message.
Note: "Computer 1" represents your usual computer, "Computer 2" represents the new computer you would like to sync your iPhone to.

On "Computer 2", backup "iTunes Music Library.xml" and "iTunes Music Library" (Tunes Music Library on Windows) safely.

Download a Hex editor.

1. On Computer 1, open "iTunes Music Library.xml" with Notepad and search (Ctrl+F) for "Library Persistent ID"

2. Following "Library Persistent ID", copy the code between and

In this example it is "8B6C633F7DACB74B".

3. On computer 2, find that same code, and replace it with the code from computer 1.

4. Open "iTunes Music Library" (iTunes Library.itl on Windows) using your Hex Editor on computer 2.

5. In the Hex Editor, go to Edit > Replace.

6. In "Find", insert code from computer 2. In "Replace With", insert code from computer 1. There should be one match.

7. Save this file. Close it.
8. Start iTunes on computer 2, and plug in your iPhone.
9. Select "Manually manage music and videos"
10. You will no longer be alerted to erase your data.

How To Stop App Crashes

2009-06-30T00:29:00.000-07:00

Every iPhone user has had this experience. You download an app, you open it, you wait....and wait....the screen goes black, and the home page reappears. Apparently, this app crashing phenomenon is the result of problems with the application's embedded DRM.
There are a few tricks that should help resolve this issue:

1. Reboot iPhone

Just like your computer, sometimes you just need a plain ole restart. Shut down your iPhone, wait 30 seconds, and power it back up. You'll be surprised how often this works.

2. Delete and Re-Install

Press and hold on the application, and tap the "X" to delete it. Connect your iPhone to iTunes, and resync to get the application back.

3. Restore your iPhone

NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU DO A BACKUP FIRST. Restoring your iPhone wipes all the data, and then rewrites whatever you backed up. This could take some time. If restoring your iPhone doesn't make the application work, give up and wait for an update with bug fixes.

4. Reduce your Number of Apps

Sometimes your iPhone is just overwhelmed. Go through your device, and get rid of all the junk apps you never use.

How To Wipe All Data From Your iPhone

2009-06-30T00:26:00.000-07:00

Whether you're suffering from the dark economic climate, switching to a different phone (a mistake), or getting ready for a new iPhone (which is still unconfirmed), selling your iPhone makes you vulnerable to giving away private information. There have been many reports of individuals (with a good deal of programming expertise) being able to access all information the iPhone's previous owner thought he deleted.

Here's how you wipe out all private data for good:

1. Restore the iPhone through iTunes
2. Click on "Info" tab
3. Un-check all options (so you do not synchronize calendar, email, bookmarks, and contacts)
4. Go to Photos Tab, Podcasts Tab, and Videos Tab
5. In each one, uncheck "Sync"
6. Create 3 big playlists as large as the storage capacity of your iPhone
7. Go to "Music" tab
8. Select the first of the 3 playlists you just created to sync
9. Make sure the storage bar at the bottom is full
10. Sync your iPhone, change to the next playlist, sync again
11. Repeat for the 3rd playlist

This iPhone hack overwrites all the free space on your iPhone hence preventing any personal data from being recovered by the new owner.

How To Fix iTunes Error 5002

2009-06-30T00:24:00.000-07:00

If you've upgraded to iTunes version 8.x recently, you may have experienced a problem when trying to view items in your shopping cart, or agreeing to upgrade apps that you already have installed:
We could not complete your iTunes Store Request.
An unknown error occurred (5002).

That's really helpful... (Read more after the fold.)

If you get the 5002 error attempting to browse your shopping cart, the favored solution is to go to iTunes Preferences, then the Store tab, and select "Buy and download using 1-Click" instead of "Buy using a shopping cart." (Clearing the items in your cart also seems to eliminate the error message.)

Another (Mac OS X-specific) flavor of the 5002 arises if there are permission errors in or around the iTunes Music folder. According to a thread on the Apple Support Forum, the follow steps can fix the permissions problem:

1. Log in using an administrator account.
2. Locate your iTunes Music folder. If you are not sure where your iTunes Music folder is located, launch iTunes, open Preferences from the iTunes Menu and click Advanced. This will show you where the iTunes Music Folder is located.
3. Select the iTunes Music folder.
4. From the File menu, choose Get Info.
5. Click the disclosure triangle to open the Ownership and Permissions section of the Info window.
6. Set the permissions as follows (you may be prompted to enter an administrator account password):
* Owner: access Read & Write
* Group: access Read Only
* Others: access Read Only
7. Click the "Apply to enclosed items" button.
8. Close the Get Info window.

If the error is generated by app update attempts, (carefully!) take the following steps, courtesy of WikiAnswers:

1. Back up Mobile Applications from /Users/myusername/Music/iTunes by dragging them to another disk -- simply moving them elsewhere on the same disk doesn't work, since iTunes keeps track of their location. Duplicating the folder would likely work too, if you haven't got anywhere else to copy them.

2. Once you have the Mobile Applications folder backed up, and have verified and reverified that you've got a copy and haven't simply moved the folder, open iTunes WITHOUT YOUR IPHONE/IPOD CONNECTED and select all your applications and delete them. (if your iPhone/iPod were connected, it would now start helpfully deleting apps)

3. When they're all gone, quit iTunes

4. Start iTunes again and verify that you have no apps listed.

5. Drag your backup Mobile Applications folder to your open iTunes window -- if you have default iTunes settings (copy/manage my music), then iTunes will start re-adding your applications. The nice thing about this is that it also eliminates all the duplicate apps and renames along the way -- all those updates you keep doing don't get rid of older versions, so these just pile up as "Application 1", 2, 3, etc. You may end up saving a lot of disk space. Many apps have gone through name changes too, so you may clear up some confusion and duplication too.

6. Read the iTunes notices carefully -- you will likely get something like "an OLDER version of this app already exists, do you want to replace it" (you DO), or "a NEWER version of this app already exists, do you want to replace it" (you DON'T), or sometimes a mention that this app already exists as the same version (replace it).

7. Quit iTunes, then restart it to "set" the changes

How To Activate Internet Tethering Now On iPhone OS 3.0

2009-06-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

Everything you need to know about iPhone internet tethering:

Internet tethering on the iPhone has a lengthy history. (For those who don't know what internet tethering is, it basically allows you to connect to WiFi or 3G on your laptop through your iPhone by turning your iPhone into a "modem".) There was once an application in the iTunes App Store called NetShare. The app appeared, disappeared, then appeared again, and finally disappeared for good. It was a shock to see a tethering application make it to the App Store after Apple intentionally left tethering out of the iPhone package. Go here and here to read more about NetShare. More after the fold.
There have since been several jailbroken alternatives to enable iPhone tethering. PdaNet, made by June Fabrics, has been available for Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and jailbroken iPhones for a long time. Since the jailbreaking phenomenon, PdaNet has been one of the most downloaded applications in Cydia through the ModMyI depository.

Go here to read more about PdaNet, and here to learn about other useful jailbroken iPhone applications.

Fortunately for us iPhone users, applications like PdaNet will no longer be necessary, because full (legit Apple built) internet tethering is now available on the iPhone OS 3.0. PdaNet is one of many applications that have become obsolete since the release of iPhone OS 3.0.

The new iPhone OS 3.0 was released today, but was installed by many users last week thanks to the torrent leak of the iPhone OS 3.0 Golden Master. The new firmware is great, and offers many excellent new features.

The problem is, however, that due to AT&T's incompetence, internet tethering and MMS messaging will not be available to 3.0 users until the end of the summer at best. The reason that tethering is delayed is because AT&T is still trying to form some kind of a pricing plan (to maximize the amount of money they rob from you.)

Allegedly, the pricing plan we're most likely to end up with is $70/month for unlimited tethering. Something tells me only 7 people in all of America would actually pay $70/month for tethering. Hopefully AT&T will realize that.

All that aside, someone has created an amazing way to activate internet tethering on your iPhone 3.0, today!

1. Install iPhone 3.0:

Get On With iPhone 3.0: Download and Install Now

2. Go to http://tr.im/oS1h

On your iPhone, in the Safari browser, go to the following website: http://tr.im/oS1h
3. Go to Mobileconfigs and download

Press Mobileconfigs. Find your country, select your provider, and press download.
4. Press Install and Confirm

The message reads: "IMPORTANT: The authenticity os "US AT&T" cannot be verified. Installing this profile will change settings on your iPhone." Changing settings is exactly what we're trying to do. Confirm with "Intall Now".
5. Go to Settings>>General>>Network>>Internet Tethering
7. Bluetooth or USB

Decide how you'd like to tether. Follow the instructions on the screen (it's almost automatic).

WARNINGS:

* AT&T could be charging you. Nobody knows.
* Do this at your own risk.

Opening And Fixing Your iPhone 3GS

2009-06-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

Rapid Repair got their hands on a brand spankin' new iPhone 3GS, and promptly did what they do best: took it apart. (While pointing and laughing at Apple's "void the warranty" clause...)

It's all for a good cause: RR wants to show you what when into the House of Jobs' latest and greatest, so the mechanically-minded out there can affect their own repairs. To that end, they list not only the disassembly steps, but also the tools needed and even a comparison chart comparing the 3GS to the 2/3G as well as the Palm Pre.

Gentlemen: start your screwdrivers, if the whole night of jailbreaking was not enough for you!

iPhone 3.0 Home Button Tricks

2009-06-30T00:12:00.000-07:00

Besides taking you back to the home page, the iPhone's home button (circled with red above) has lots of little features. With the iPhone 3.0 update, it got even more of them.
iPhone Home Button Trick 1:

Press the home button from the first page to go to Spotlight search. Press it again from Spotlight search to go back to the first page.

iPhone Home Button Trick 2:

Press the home button to go back to the first page from any other page on your iPhone. It's much easier than swiping back 8 times.
iPhone Home Button Trick 3:

Use the home button to wake your iPhone. If the iPhone is locked and the screen is black, you don't have to exclusively press the Sleep/Wake button on the top right of the phone. The home button does the same exact thing.

iPhone Home Button Trick 4:

Double click the home button to access:

* Home
* Search
* Phone Favorites
* Camera
* iPod

How to change settings for the double click home button feature:

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to General
3. Go to Home
4. Select what you want

iPhone Home Button Trick 5:

If you already have music/video playing on the iPod, double clicking the home button will take you to the iPod controls no matter what you have selected in Settings.
iPhone Home Button Trick 6:

If the phone is locked, and you have music/video playing on the iPod, double clicking the home button will allow you to control your iPod without unlocking your iPhone.
As you can tell, there's hidden functionality in every little aspect of your iPhone. Go here to learn how to use 40 awesome iPhone 3.0 features you probably weren't even aware of. As an iPhone user, it's almost your responsibility to learn and master every aspect of the iPhone (considering how much you pay for the damn thing.) So check back often, because we are all about giving iPhone tips, tricks, and hacks to optimize your mobile experience.

How To Transfer Files Between Your Computer and iPhone

2009-06-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

You know how USB Flash Drives are convenient, and easy to use, but hard to keep track of? We've all had this experience: You have a presentation at school/work, you load the powerpoint onto the little flash drive, and then when morning comes you haven't got the slightest clue about where the little USB drive is. Now you've gotta get back on the computer and email the file to yourself, and now you're late for work.
Well, wouldn't it be nice to be able to put the files onto something which you'll never lose? Like onto an item that's always in your pocket? Follow these steps and you'll be able to tranfer files from your computer (Windows/Mac OS X) to your iPhone or iPod Touch.

With this guide, you'll be able to transfer files to and from a PC/Mac through your iPhone, over WiFi or through a USB cable, so even when there's no internet, you'll have your files available. And it's all free.

Note: You will not be able to load these files and use them on your iPhone. In other words, you won't be able to listen to the song file or watch the video file, you'll simply be able to store it, and transfer to another computer. Just like a flash drive.

Over WiFi:

Windows:

1. Download FileAid on your iPhone/iPod Touch

FileAid is a free app in the App Store. Download it here.

2. Start the App, Click http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=297804694&mt=8
3. Right click Start, press Open
4. Enter ftp://______________________

In the blank, fill in the IP number:port it gives you in the application (just look at the app in your iPhone).
5. Drag and Drop

Just drag and drop whatever files you want stored on your iPhone/iPod Touch. To transfer them from the device to another computer, just drag them out. It's that easy.

Mac:

1. Download FileAid on your iPhone/iPod Touch

iTunes Link

2. Download and install Cyberduck

http://cyberduck.ch

3. Click on the "Bonjour" tab and double click your device (iPhone/iPod Touch)

4. Check "Anonymous Login" and click "Login"

5. Drag and Drop Files

Tranfser via USB:

If you're transferring larger files, you might want to do it through a USB connection to your computer. Also, if you have to deal with a computer that doesn't have internet connection, this is the way to go (obviously.)

Windows:

1. Download DiskAid for PC

The file is free, get it here. DiskAid is made by the same folks who make FileAid.

2. Install and start it
3. Drag and Drop Files

You can also create folders to better organize the files. With DiskAid, you can transfer files to and from your device. It's very simple.

Mac: (same as for Windows above)

1. Download DiskAid for Mac

The file is free, get it here.

2. Install and start it

3. Drag and Drop files from Finder

Files supported by FileAid:

* JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF
* PDF
* MS Word
* MS Excel
* MS Powerpoint
* iWork Pages
* iWork Numbers
* iWork Keynotes
* OpenDocuments
* Plain Text
* RTF
* ZIP
* HTML
* Web Archives
* MP3
* AAC
* Audible
* Apple Lossless
* AIFF
* WAV
* CAF
* MPEG-4
* H.264

The First Accurate iPhone Barcode Scanner

2009-06-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

There already are a few barcode related applications in the app store, but they all have one thing in common - they don't really work. Red Laser, which has just hit the iTunes App Store, is the ultimate iPhone barcode scanner, which works just like one of those red-laser scanners at the checkout (hence the name.)

Red Laser is made by Occipital, the minds behind ClearCam, the application which is responsible for greatly enhancing your iPhone's camera.

What Red Laser Does

Scan an item, and instantly have access to a bunch of online prices and information. Scan movies at the store and beam them to your TiVo. Scan a book and check for online reviews. Scan a food item and add it to your grocery list.

Features

Beyond the fact that it's the first accurate iPhone barcode scanner for UPC and EAN, probably the most noteworthy thing about RedLaser is that the developers are not keeping the technology locked in their own products. Instead, they've made an SDK available so others can integrate it in their apps too.

The RedLaser application allows you to use Google product search to find online prices, and allows you to keep a list of all your scanned items.

Jailbreak iPhone 3GS

2009-06-29T02:42:00.000-07:00

I can’t remember the number of times someone has e-mailed me saying “Can the iPhone 3GS be jailbroken?” Apple has put too many restrictions on the iPhone so iPhone users these days need to jailbreak or PWN their iPhone in order to customize it the way they want to. The Dev Team have previously confirmed with us that the jailbreaking of the iPhone devices can be permanently blocked with a simple hardware upgrade, so it made sense for us to believe that Apple would block the jailbreak on the new iPhone 3GS.

Thankfully, Geohot (the first person to ever create an iPhone 3G Unlock) has been working hard on figuring out whether or not we can jailbreak iPhone 3GS. I have good news to share with iPhone 3GS users. The iPhone 3GS can be jailbroken! Geohot confirmed this in his recent blog post. The iPhone 3GS is vulnerable to the same 24kpwn exploit that is in the iPod Touch 2G. Here is what Geohot said:

With the help of chronic, posixninja, and pod2g, I verified that it is still vulnerable to the 24kpwn exploit present in the iPod Touch 2G. This is great news for all of you. Basically, this means if someone makes a tethered jailbreak, it becomes untethered, because the boot chain is broken. Expect big things soon =)

iPhone 3GS users, don’t worry. Looks like Geohot or the DevTeam will be having an iPhone 3GS jailbreak and iPhone 3GS unlock for us very sooner than you think! Planning on jailbreaking/unlocking your iPhone 3GS? Scroll up to the top and subscribe to our newsletter. We’ll have a full guide up for you once it’s out.

How to Jailbreak iPhone OS 3.0 Windows/Mac

2009-06-29T02:41:00.000-07:00

Do you like this post? Then go and Digg it!

If you’re having trouble downloading the firmware through iTunes, heare are the direct download links to firmware 3.0:

- Download iPhone 2G firmware 3.0 (filename: iPhone1,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw)

- Download iPhone 3G firmware 3.0 (filename: iPhone1,2_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw)

- Download iPod Touch 2G firmware 3.0 (filename: iPod2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw)

- Download iPod Touch 1G firmware 3.0 (filename: iPod1,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw )

The new iPhone 3.0 update has 100 new features, including the following:

• Browse and download movies, TV shows and audiobooks from the iTunes Store**
• Stereo Bluetooth*
• Shake to shuffle
• New Voice Memos application*
• Cut, Copy & Paste with shake to undo
• Landscape keyboard in key applications
• Added search feature in Music, Videos, Mail, Calendar and Notes
• Spotlight search across iPod touch
• Improvements to Safari
- Performance
- HTML 5 support
- HTTP Streaming audio and video
- Auto-fill usernames and passwords
• Wi-Fi auto login
• Sync Notes with a Mac or PC via iTunes
• iTunes account creation and login**
• YouTube account login and access to subscriptions, ratings and favorites**
• More Parental Control options for Apps, Music, Movies and TV Shows
• New languages, dictionaries, and keyboards
• Enhanced Stocks application
• Support for CalDAV and subscriptions in Calendar
• Find my iPod touch and Remote Wipe via MobileMe (subscription required)**
• 1,000 new developer APIs, including:
- In App Purchases
- Apple Push Notification Service
- Accessories support
- Peer to Peer Connectivity
- Embedded Maps
- iPod Library Access
• Bug fixes

And if this was not enough to convince you to update to iPhone OS 3.0, check out our iPhone 3G S Speed test post.

Subscribe to our RSS feed for future updates. If you run in to any issues or need help, please join the QuickPWN forums and post it there instead of posting it in the comments.

Flash is coming to mobile operating systems!

2009-06-29T02:35:00.000-07:00

Adobe has announced that they will be releasing a beta version of Flashplayer 10 for mobile operating systems some time in October. The specific operating systems Adobe mentioned were Google Android, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Nokia Symbian, and Palm WebOS. Notice something missing from this list? Yes, the iPhone was not mentioned! Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen said that Adobe and Apple are still collaborating on Flash for the iPhone, with no specific launch date in sight. It doesn’t look like we will be seeing flash on the iPhone any time soon, but at least it will still be coming to other big mobile operating systems.

Flash coming to mobile operating systems is a really big thing not only for us but also for application developers. Developers will be able to easily make apps that work with other mobile operating systems too. Video streaming, flash games, and all normal flash content will be viewable on our mobile phones. I can’t wait till flashplayer 10 is out, I’ve seen way too many websites that don’t work on my mobile browser because of flash!

iPhone 3GS review

2009-06-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

If it ain't broke, don't fix it -- right? We know countless reviews of the iPhone 3GS may begin with that cliché, but there's little chance you'd find a better way to describe the strategy that Apple has just put into play with its latest smartphone. In many ways, the 3GS is a mirror image of the iPhone 3G; externally there's no difference. It's inside where all the changes have happened, with Apple issuing a beefed-up CPU, new internal compass, larger capacities for storage, and improved optics for its camera. More to the point, the release of the 3GS coincides with the launch of iPhone OS 3.0, a major jump from previous versions of the system software featuring highly sought after features like cut, copy, and paste, stereo Bluetooth, MMS, tethering, video recording, landscape keyboard options for more applications, and an iPhone version of Spotlight. At a glance, what Apple seems to be doing is less a reinvention of the wheel and more like retreading the wheel it's already got (and what a wheel, right?). So, do the iPhone 3GS and OS 3.0 tweak the details in just the right places, or has Apple gone and gotten lazy on us? Read on to find out.

As we said in the intro, there is nothing visually different about the iPhone 3GS versus the iPhone 3G, save for the lettering on the back, which is now mirrored like the Apple logo. While we had seen leaked images of a matte finish, bezel-free version of the device, when push came to shove, what we got was essentially a carbon copy of the iPhone 3G. In terms of the general elements of the phone -- the plastic casing, mute switch, home and power buttons, etc. -- there is no change at all. In fact, if you were to lay this phone and its predecessor next to one another face up, the new model would be indistinguishable. Of course, the 3GS is not just a clone of the previous device, and Apple has made most of its significant changes inside the phone.
First off, the company has supercharged the CPU of the 3GS (remember, the S is for speed), jacking up the processor numbers from 412MHz to a rumored 600MHz. Additionally, the RAM is said to have doubled from 128MB to 256MB, the phone is offered with 16GB or 32GB of storage, and Apple has swapped out the previous graphics chip for a new version -- dubbed the PowerVR SGX -- which adds support for more robust visuals via OpenGL ES 2.0. All this should mean that end users will see a noticeable difference in app speeds and loading times (Apple claims an average of 2x faster loads, though since the company has been cagey about upgrade details, it's hard to know what the real differences are).

So, do the revamped insides equal an improved experience on the phone? Kinda.

For our oft-used phone actions -- flicking through homescreens, calling up search terms in Spotlight, scrolling through long lists -- we definitely felt like the 3GS was snappier than its predecessor. It wasn't like the doors were flying off, but there was a noticeable bump in speed, particularly when it came to initial data loads (how quickly you see content pop up within an application). When it came to opening apps which pull lots of that kind of content, like Contacts, Calendar, or Messaging, we saw an even more noticeable improvement. Comparing the 3G and 3GS side-by-side yielded small but absolutely palpable differences -- the 3GS does seem to eliminate quite a few of the hangs we find maddening as we go through our day. It's not the perfect salve, but it's a start.

We're excited by the cranked up CPU, but in our experience you'll see lowered load times (though obviously not as drastic) if you take a standard 3G and do a full restore, so there is the lingering question of whether or not the jacked-up feel of the 3GS will last, or will begin to bog down after months of use and heaps of data.
A spot where we really saw the fruits of Apple's labors (and one we don't expect to decline as you pile on data) was actually in the more graphically intense apps for the phone. Comparing a CPU-hungry 3D game like Resident Evil: Degeneration on the 3GS with the same title 3G yielded striking results. The load time was drastically reduced, and rendering and frame rates on the game were noticeably smoother than on the older device (though game speeds stay the same) -- a side effect of the more powerful guts we'd hoped to see, but weren't sure would be so stark. If you're an avid gamer looking for the device with more power, the difference will be crystal clear: the 3GS obviously flexes in this department.

Display

We mentioned that Apple didn't really make any cosmetic changes to the phone, but that's not entirely accurate. While the 480 x 320 display on the iPhone 3GS is technically identical to its predecessor's screen, it adds one small feature which should make some users extremely happy.

The company has changed the treatment on the surface of the touchscreen, utilizing an oleophobic coating -- essentially a protectant that's highly resistant to fingerprint smudging. For those of you constantly wiping burger grease, WD40, and various other toxic materials from your iPhone, this will come as a tremendous little perk. The most surprising thing about the tech is that it actually does what the company says it will: namely, it resists new smudges and wipes almost entirely clean with a single swipe on a pant leg. This wasn't exactly the most pressing issue we had with the phone, but it's nice to know that Apple is innovating in the dirty screen space.

Camera

A camera tweak is a big deal for iPhone fans -- after all, they've had to suffer through not one, but two iterations of a phone with a paltry 2 megapixel camera, no autofocus, and no flash. Apple has tweaked two out of three here, and as Meat Loaf tells us, that ain't bad. The 3GS upgrades the built-in camera to a 3 megapixel version -- not insanely great, but at least competitive -- and has added an autofocus function with a nifty software tie-in. Instead of having to use a gross physical button to snap your shots, the iPhone continues to rely on its onscreen trigger, but cranks up the use of that big display by allowing you to focus in on subjects based on where you tap. In our experience, the parlor trick actually turned out to be quite useful, accurately zeroing in on what we wanted most of the time. Struggles to focus were minor at best, though you won't be able to do any heavy macro work here, and during video recording you're stuck with a constantly focusing lens -- no tapping allowed.
We do have some complaints about exposure, which seems to be permanently cranked to "blinding," and while the shutter speed is faster than on the 3G, it's still not quite snappy enough for our taste. Hey -- we guess we should just be glad they gave us an extra megapixel, right?

Software

As we said in the opener, the 3GS launch isn't just about the hardware -- in fact, you could argue that it's hardly about the hardware. The biggest changes with this device really come in the form of software tweaks, and to a point, the software tweaks provided by iPhone OS 3.0. Apple really piled on the fixes and additions in its latest OS iteration (the company boasts of 1,000 new APIs for developers), and there's plenty to plow through that up until now has only been the domain of those lucky / hard working few. What's all the fuss about? See below.

We'd like to preface this section by saying that because we're testing a US device, MMS and tethering options are disabled thanks to AT&T's current policies on the services. Obviously, not being able to properly test two of the most anticipated aspects of the new OS is disheartening, and while we could hack a solution to get both working (see here), it's not a reasonable option for most end users right now, and probably wouldn't be fair to include in this review.

On a "brighter" note, AT&T claims it will be delivering MMS to the iPhone come late Summer as part of its standard SMS packages (no word on tethering), though we think it's patently absurd that the second largest carrier in America -- a carrier which currently has MMS enabled for all of its other devices -- is failing to make this available at launch. Judging from the reaction to this news during the WWDC keynote, it would seem that most others agree. Apple included.

CUT COPY AND PASTE

Of all the features added to the new 3.0 cocktail, copy / paste is easily the most talked about. Perhaps because it was such an obvious feature to leave out to begin with, or perhaps because Apple made it through multiple updates with no change (till now). Regardless, the iPhone line now has the ability to perform one of the most basic tasks known to computing. So how does it fare? Well, it's actually a pretty smart implementation of the process on a mobile device -- one of the best we've seen. To grab a chunk of text, you simply tap on the section you want to grab and the phone tries to figure out just how much you meant to select. Usually it's pretty smart about what you want (sort of the copy / paste version of Apple's predictive text input), but it also gives you anchors to grab on the top, bottom, left, and right of the selection box, allowing you to pull your copy area out as needed. A contextual menu appears above or below your selection, and changes based on what stage of the process you're in. To paste you just tap on an empty spot in a document, and the menu presents itself again. For undoing actions, you shake the phone (cute, but a little annoying -- we would have preferred a menu item).
The beauty here is that unlike competitors such as the Pre or Android, iPhone copy and paste doesn't just let you grab text -- you can grab whole chunks of mixed media, like text and images, and it will copy the content with proper formatting and elements. If you want to pull out a section of a webpage, for instance, the function elegantly allows you to zero in on the area you want to copy and easily transfer it into an email or document without losing any components (unless you're pasting into a text only area, like Notes, which strips out formatting and images).

While we don't think the wait was necessarily justified for a feature so simple (and so necessary), we do think Apple has pulled off a tremendously useful implementation of the process. It's the kind of thing you'll miss once you go to another device without such broad and universal functionality.

Push notifications

Way back in June of 2008, Apple promised that we'd see push notifications -- instantaneous alerts for emails, messages, and other app-related notices -- due in an OS update come that September. Needless to say, the fall came and went without so much as a mention of the software addition. Earlier this year, Apple showed off the functionality again at the iPhone OS 3.0 preview, combatting arguments for true multitasking within the iPhone operating system by saying push would not only work as a surrogate for most background tasks, but would allow the devices to retain sufficient battery life. Background tasks, Apple warned us, create a drain on power that would have users running for their chargers far too often.

So -- do push notifications take the place of background tasks? Do they give the end-user the feeling of constant connectedness the way Apple seems to intend them to? In our experience, not quite. At the time of this writing, there are only a few apps actually employing the service, though we're sure more will come. Overall, where push is really useful is in receiving updates or messages -- individual pings which direct your attention towards a particular application -- but they don't keep you in the stream of information the way an AIM session running in the background does. Yes, you get alerted to new messages (or in the case of something like Tap Tap Revenge, challenges), but those appear as either one of the iPhone's annoying pop-ups, or as a background audio notification coupled with a growing message counter for a particular app (AIM for instance). The service is extremely useful, and we're happy that Apple is endeavoring to make it available for all of its developers, but from a practical perspective, it doesn't feel that different than an email notification or a calendar event. In short, it will help you stay connected, but it won't take the place of true multitasking, and unless Apple finds a less obtrusive notification solution, it could actually create quite a mess. Besides those obvious issues, we're still not seeing push for the things we really want, namely, Gmail. We don't know when (or if) a rollout of said feature is planned, but we're guessing it can't be too far off for a device which now has central functionality orbiting around this feature.

Ultimately, we still feel strongly that true multitasking can't be replaced by these notifications, and if there's anything we learned from using the Pre, it's that background tasks can be handled elegantly without a mind-blowing hit to battery life. For a company which prides itself on advanced battery tech, you'd think instead of shying away from the challenge, Apple would be looking for ways to innovate in this space.

Spotlight

We've got to hand it to Apple -- the company has really answered the call when it comes to search functionality on the iPhone. The addition of Spotlight to the iPhone OS is quite notable for two reasons: first, it gives you homescreen access to a full search of all your content on the device, including notes, email, contacts, calendar events, and applications. Secondly, it provides new search functionality within mail that not only lets your get at downloaded messages, but extends the hooks into server-side content. That's a bit of a stunner, as we can't count the number of times we've needed to fish some info from an email that had long moved outside of our 200 message limit (and what's up with that anyway Apple?). Spotlight searching works flawlessly in email, but we have a few gripes about the phone-facing implementation.

To start with, in order to navigate to your Spotlight screen, you have to either assign the home button double-tap shortcut to take you to the search window, swipe back when you're in homescreen view, or single tap once to get to your first page, then again to get into Spotlight. It all seems a bit complicated to us -- what would have made more sense was some kind of universal gesture... like maybe that long home button press reserved for Voice Control (more on that in a bit). Another problem is that you still have to jump through multiple hoops to get to the content you're looking for, particularly with contacts. Once you bring up a name, you have to actually jump into the contact card to call or send a text message -- why isn't this info accessible from the search window? As with a lot of processes on the phone, you still feel like you're clicking through way, way too many screens to get where you need to be.

Video recording / editing

Okay -- you got us. Video recording on the iPhone 3G S is really quite impressive, and there are two reasons why. For starters, the phone handles pretty fantastic looking VGA video at 30 FPS, which makes for not just passable mobile video, but usable mobile video. The size, clarity, and smoothness of the sequences we shot looked tremendous to our eyes -- certainly on par if not outclassing many of the contenders in this space. In our opinion, the 3GS video quality is high enough that we'd consider this a viable stand-in for lower end camcorders or flip cams -- if you want to capture your kids at the park but don't want to come packing a ton of gear, this produces totally reasonable results.

The second reason we're a fan of the 3GS video functionality is simple: editing. After you snap some video, you can easily pull out just the section you want to use in a kind of dumbed down iMovie edit window, which gives you a timeline of your clip, replete with a preview of the action. You can long-press on the section you're editing to see a more detailed view, and you can pull either the start or end points to snag just the section you want. We love the fact that you can grab and cut video in-phone without having to offload anywhere else, but we'd love it even more if OS 3.0 allowed for non-destructive editing of the clips. As it is now, once you cut something down, you're done -- there's no way to retrieve the full length version of the video. We're hoping in future version Apple gives users either the option to retain the deleted sections, or at least the option to copy the clip over to a new file. We wouldn't scoff at an option to splice or merge multiple clips together either, but we don't want to break the bank with our lofty requests.

One other nice feature that's been tacked on the video tool is the ability to auto-compress and upload to YouTube, MobileMe (a 45 second video took about three minutes to up over WiFi), or send a .MOV in an email. If we had a device that could actually utilize MMS, there's an option for that as well.

Voice Control

Voice Control is a bit like an answer to a question that no one asked. The basic premise is that Apple has given 3GS owners the ability to control their phone via simple voice commands, relayed through a glitzy Voice Control homescreen (which is accessed by holding down the home button for a few seconds). As you issue commands, the screen provides fly-bys of possible actions, ostensibly to make the process a bit easier on those with a blown short term memory. In practice, the application performed admirably when we made specific requests, whether it was dialing contacts, or playing a particular band -- though it wasn't without its hang-ups. The first problem we encountered is that it would sometimes just mishear us altogether, for instance, we asked it to "play M83" and it thought we wanted to listen to a playlist called "Pre" (oh the irony). Another irksome behavior is that you can ask Voice Control things like what song is currently playing, but after telling you, the app closes itself, forcing you to reopen if you want to change the track or perform another action. This seems like weird UI design to us -- why wouldn't Voice Control stay open until we were ready to close it? We also discovered that the range of options for voice activated functions are quite limited -- if you want to do anything beyond controlling music playback or making calls, you're pretty much out of luck.

There's clearly a lot of use for something like this when driving or working on something which keeps your hands away from your phone, though you still have to engage the app physically, so we're not sure how much you'd get out of it in those situations. The whole concept seems something very much in the vein of Cover Flow -- a really impressive component for the phone that just doesn't have a ton of practical use. Yes, your friends will think it's pretty cool, but as a pragmatic group of gadget nerds, we don't see a tremendous need for this functionality. Perhaps Apple will give it a little more undercarriage work in future versions of the OS, because we see lots of interesting places they could take it.

Compass / Google Maps

It may seem like an odd choice, but Apple decided to stick a proper compass inside the 3G S. At first we were a little perplexed by the addition, since we've gotten in this weird habit of expecting bolder moves from the company. Still, in practice the inclusion of a hardware compass is actually really helpful when it comes to doing things like navigating a new city. As far as the hardware is concerned, the compass seems to do what's promised with pretty impressive accuracy.

The Compass app itself, viewed as a standalone product, doesn't really do much for us. We rarely have a need to know which direction we're facing or where north is in relation to where we're standing -- it's just not a piece of data we typically use. The combination of Google Maps and the compass, however, is a powerful marriage that could put an end to many of your navigation woes. Within Maps, you now have the option to not only locate your position via GPS, but orient the map to the direction you're facing. Once the compass picks up your bearing, it rotates the map to reflect. This may not sound like much, but if you've ever tried to walk a new city using just maps and geolocation, you'll understand quickly. Being able to not only see your surrounding landmarks, but how they relate to you from a directional standpoint is incredibly useful, and we found ourselves reaching for the help often with the 3GS. One sour note was that you're not treated to the same reality-bending feat of using the compass while in street view (as Android does -- always great at parties), though it's a minor complaint. We can't say what extended functionality the compass will hold, but the pairing with GMaps here is enough to make it a worthy addition in our opinion

Landscape keyboard, Nike+, A2DP, further thoughts on iPhone OS 3.0

There are lots of little odds and ends, improvements both small and large, in the iPhone OS 3.0. At the time of this writing, anyone with an iPhone or iPhone 3G should be able to download and test most of them, but we wanted to give a brief overview / opinion on the ones that stood out to us.

The first big one that stands out is the extension of a landscape keyboard to all of the main applications in Apple's arsenal. That means you now have access to the more spacious layout in Mail, Notes, Messages, etc. There are a lot of users out there who were hoping this day would come, and we'll admit, our typing accuracy definitely goes up when we bust out the broader keyboard. Like copy and paste, this is probably an addition that should have been part of the package right out of the gate, but better late than never guys.

Another addition is the inclusion of Nike+ for the 3GS. The app itself is identical to the version which we've already seen for the iPod touch, but it's now in convenient iPhone form. We don't know about you, but carrying around the iPhone for a jog doesn't seem like the best option to us (then again, we don't know if carrying around a touch is preferable). Still, we won't knock Apple for trying to cram as much functionality into this thing as possible -- this is a welcome addition.

And for those wondering about A2DP -- it's here, and it works flawlessly. Testing things out with the Motorola ROKR S9-HD yielded a simple pairing right out of the gate, and the sound quality was excellent. We thought we'd never see the day where Apple came around to a stereo Bluetooth profile, but it's here, and it's fantastic.

It's clear that Apple has taken great pains to listen to users and go over the OS with a fine tooth comb -- you see the company's careful work in places like the call log (which now shows much more detailed info on callers), upgrades to standard apps like Stocks, and the thoughtfulness of adding oft-requested features like voice memo recording. We're not saying Apple has gotten kind and gentle, but the company does seem more kind and more gentle as it insinuates itself into the mainstream.

Battery life, pricing, wrap-up

Battery life

Apple claimed that the battery life on the 3GS is somehow better than what we've previously seen on the 3G, but in our tests, we could barely tell the difference between the two handsets. First off, in terms of talktime and data over a 3G network, the count is exactly the same (five hours) -- though the battery gains two hours (up from 10 to 12) using 2G. Where the differences really show according to Apple are during strictly WiFi, video, or audio use. The claim is that you'll see roughly three to four more hours of life out of the device in those scenarios, but honestly, if you're just using this thing to play audio, why did you bother getting an iPhone? In our tests -- real world, admittedly non-scientific tests -- we hardly noticed a difference in battery life between the new and old model. The point is, you're still very much in the same boat when it comes to general use -- but on the plus side, there's no noticeable deficit in power with the new version (though we have yet to see what heavy video capture does to a full charge).

Pricing

As with any phone, the big, highlighted number you see advertised left and right for the iPhone 3GS -- $199 for the 16GB version and $299 for the 32GB -- is the new contract price, which means there are plenty of thick, barbed strings attached. If you're still using a RAZR from 2006 and you haven't touched your service or bought a new phone directly from the carrier since then, you're almost certainly in business with these maximum subsidies; AT&T's made its money off of you several times over and it's willing to put a little dough back in your pocket once again in order to get a whole lot more out of you over the course of a contract. On the flipside, customers who have been upgrading religiously from iPhone to 3G to 3GS will not necessarily be eligible for those most lucrative prices unless they paid the off-contract price for their 3G (to avoid re-upping the contract they were already on) and are now out of contract altogether -- unless AT&T says otherwise, of course. More on that next.

If you're what AT&T calls "ineligible," you have a a few options. The company has taken the very unusual step of letting iPhone 3G customers who are becoming upgrade eligible in the next three months through the end of September (note that this can be, and usually is, different from the date that your contract is up) can take advantage of the fully subsidized pricing. The way your upgrade eligibility date is an inexact science, involving Magic 8-Balls, mainframes from the 1960s, and faerie dust, but the bottom line is that you need to check with the carrier to find out when that date is (you can see it using online account management -- no need to call in).

You can always add a line, assuming you clear the usual battery of credit checks, which would also get you back in the game for $199 / $299 -- the tradeoff being that you're stuck with another line of service, of course, which ends up significantly outweighing any subsidy advantage upfront by the time your new contract has run its course. If you want to upgrade your existing line early, you can do so for $399 or $499 for the 16GB or 32GB model, respectively, and for contract breakage newbies, that can definitely be an unwelcome shock to the wallet. Even folks who upgraded from the original iPhone to the 3G and don't become eligible in the next few months won't much appreciate what's going on here, since they'd essentially paid "full price" for the first model which allowed AT&T to offer the 3G at maximum subsidy provided customers re-upped their contracts. At any rate, keep in mind that buying in at these $399 / $499 price points will extend your contract back to two years, because -- believe it or not -- they're still slightly discounted. If you want to buy a 3G S outright without the moral and financial dilemma of signing your name to a very pricey piece of paper, get ready for the big bucks: $599 or $699, depending on the model you choose.

It can all be a little confusing, yes -- and if you aren't upgrade eligible or have questions about your individual situation, your best bet is to go into a store; representatives can typically work magic on your account that you can't work yourself through AT&T's website.

Wrap-up

There are probably two very large groups of people thinking about buying an iPhone right now. One set is current users, either those with the 3G, or those still using the original model. The other set is a group of new users -- people who've never owned an iPhone and are now faced with not one, but two different options when it comes to getting in the door. For both groups, there are huge questions to answer about whether or not getting the 3GS makes sense, and very few of them have to do with the quality of the phone.

For current users, we have this to say: the iPhone 3GS is a solid spec bump to a phone you already own... but it is, at its core, a phone you already own. Your real deciding factors will be two-fold, first, are you able to purchase the 3GS at a price which is reasonable or sensible to you? For a lot of current users -- particularly more recent customers -- the pricing will be exorbitant, and it's hard to think of dropping $399 or $499 when you've just shelled out for a very, very similar phone (remember, you're paying for a speed bump, a compass, and video recording). On the other hand, if you're within contract renewal range and you don't plan on jumping platforms anytime soon, $199 nabs you an unquestionably excellent smartphone.

That conclusion speaks to new users who are undecided about the iPhone (or exactly which iPhone to buy). At this stage, we wouldn't recommend anything but the 3GS for newcomers planning on getting into Apple's game. For another $100, you're nabbing a much more robust device with a handful of great additions. It's a small price to pay for something you plan to keep long term -- or until Apple pops the next iteration on us. The other big questions here aren't about the 3G or 3GS -- they're about Apple's platform and AT&T's network. While the smartphone market has cracked wide open lately, the iPhone is arguably the market leader (at least in mindshare), and really does showcase a superb platform -- lack of physical keyboard and multitasking aside. AT&T, on the other hand, isn't exactly acting like the top-tier carrier it's supposed to be, and its service can sometimes be maddeningly poor.

So while it's tough to argue with the package Apple has put together (a stellar device with just enough new to make it nearly perfect), we couldn't help feeling a bit let down by the 3GS. Maybe we've been spoiled by devices like the Pre and Ion (and it's possible we're a little numb to OS 3.0 since we've played with the beta for a while now), but the additions of video recording, a compass, and a speed bump just don't seem that compelling to us. The mix of new features and a ever-growing App Store will still be potent to new buyers -- but pricing schemes which amount to hundreds more for current owners might give previous early adopters and eager upgraders reason for pause. Ultimately we're not saying it's time to jump ship, but we've come to expect a bit more pedal to the floor from Apple -- you've raised the bar guys, now it's time to jump over it.

iBacon is cooking on the iPhone

2009-06-29T02:22:00.001-07:00

G-Monkey Productions has released iBacon 1.0, a novelty game for the iPhone and iPod touch. It’s available for US$0.99 at the Apple App Store>

iBacon uses 30 fps video loops to “cook” real bacon. Users can pinch virtual cooking tongs to flip individual slices and even tilt to pour off the bacon grease, tilt to eat bacon, as well as shake to turn off the smoke alarm, and more.

When your bacon is perfectly cooked, press the “eat bacon” button and tilt the device to the right or left to eat your bacon. iBacon also has a variety of sound effects; you can hear your bacon crackle and pop as it cooks

Tekkeon releases myCase for iPhone 3G S

2009-06-29T02:20:00.000-07:00

Tekkeon has released the myCase for iPhone, a new family of silicone cases that protect the iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3G, and iPhone with a “three dimensional style,” according to Tekkeon President Jerry Yang.

myCase is available in eight styles that provide easy access to all user controls while protecting the iPhone from everyday wear and tear. For advanced screen protection, each myCase comes with a myGuard Screen Protector for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for Tekkeon’s myCase for iPhone is US$29.95. The cases come with a one-year limited warranty.

Sanus launches iPhone compatible mobile app

2009-06-29T02:19:00.000-07:00

accessories—has launched Sanus Mobile, a new mobile web site application allowing consumers and industry professionals the ability to access the Sanus website on the go from their cellular phones at m.sanus.com.

With the new application, users can access the full Sanus product offering as well as many resources, such as the Sanus MountFinder mount-to-TV compatibility feature, HeightFinder installation assistant and a store locator.

Kavapoint announces iEmergency 1.0 for iPhone

2009-06-29T02:17:00.001-07:00

Kavapoint has announced iEmergency 1.0, their most comprehensive medical emergency app for iPhone and iPod touch. iEmergency is the first emergency medical application with a full solution for emergency situations. iEmergency also stores all your allergies, medications, and medical conditions in a single place. You can keep your iPhone locked and still have security of having a solution where medical personal can access your medical data on your iPhone.

iEmergency is the first emergency medical application with a full solution for emergency situations. In addition to keeping near emergency contact information, it also stores all your allergies, medications, and medical conditions in a single place. The iEmergency application has a long list of features such as the following:

• Emergency contact list
• One-Touch Phone Call*
• Single Screen Summary
• Unlimited list for medical information
• Doctor, Insurance and More!
• Lockbanner Wallpaper Creator (for LOCKED phones)
• Free Printable Medical ID Card via website

In addition, unlike other solutions, you can keep your iPhone locked and still have security of having a solution where medical personal can access your medical data on your iPhone. Our goal is to save hundreds of lives this year with this application. Help us Spread The Word. Let’s save a few lives!

Never be boring again for iPhone

2009-06-29T02:13:00.000-07:00

Rexi Media today announces the release of Presenter Pro 1.0, the first application to deliver professional presentation skills training on the iPhone. Presenter Pro uses media-rich content to teach business professionals how to deliver high-impact, memorable presentations, without a high-impact, memorable price. Presenter Pro includes over 70 detailed presentation topics providing expert guidance on all aspects of designing and delivering outstanding presentations.

Presenter Pro makes available a caliber of training traditionally only affordable by large corporations. Combining rich supporting graphics, audio and video, with proven techniques from psychology, sociology, advertising, sales, and education, Presenter Pro was designed to give corporate and sales executives, managers, trainers, lawyers and other professionals the skills needed to become outstanding presenters.

Presenter Pro includes over 70 detailed presentation topics providing expert guidance on all aspects of designing and delivering outstanding presentations. It is a truly comprehensive business application with appealing graphics, audio, and video clips. The application serves time-thirsty presenters who can review content for a few minutes at a time for a practical and immediate impact to their presentations.”

An iPhone Application for Business Users:
With the introduction of Presenter Pro, Rexi Media has set a new standard for high-end business applications for the iPhone. By empowering users to be more effective in their business, Presenter Pro is an indispensable tool for professionals who need to influence audiences. The application is a best-in-class business solution now available on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

How to Enable Carrier Bundle Support in iTunes 8.2 (Windows)

2009-06-20T08:42:00.001-07:00

These are instructions on how to enable support for carrier bundles in iTunes 8.2 for Windows.

You'll notice if you try to update your iPhone carrier settings using the final version of iTunes 8.2 the .ipcc files are greyed out. In order to re-enabled access to these files you will need to follow the simple steps below.

Step One
Quit iTunes

Step Two
Press Windows Key + R to open the run dialog. Enter in cmd then click OK

Step Three
Enter the following command into the Command Prompt window.

"C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe" /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1

Step Four
Connect your iPhone and click to launch iTunes from your Start Menu.

Step Five
Select your iPhone from the list of devices on the left then hold down the Shift key and click the Check for Updates button.

Step Six
Notice you can now select your .ipcc file as it is not greyed out.

How to Jailbreak Your iPhone on OS 3.0 Using RedSn0w (Windows)

2009-06-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

These are instructions on how to jailbreak your iPhone 3.0 iPhone firmware using RedSn0w for Windows. The Mac version of this tutorial is here

This tutorial can be used to jailbreak before applying the UltraSn0w unlock.

Step One
Create a folder on your desktop called Pwnage

Download RedSn0wfrom here or here and place it in the Pwnage folder. Likewise, download the latest 3.0 firmware from below and place it in the same folder.

3.0.0 (2G): iPhone1,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw
3.0.0 (3G): iPhone1,2_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw

Extract the RedSn0w zip file to the Pwnage folder.

Step Two
Connect your iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes.

Select your iPhone from the list of devices on the left. Now hold down shift and click the Restore button. Restore is preferred as it won't create any wasted space on your iPhone.

Navigate to the Pwnage folder on your desktop and select the firmware ipsw. Click the Open button to continue.

Step Three
Once iTunes has finished updating your iPhone to the desired firmware you may launch redsnw0w.exe from the Pwnage folder on your desktop.

Step Four
Once RedSn0w opens click the Browse button

Step Five
Select the firmware ipsw we placed in the Pwnage folder on our desktop then click Open

Step Six
Once the firmware has been verified click the Next button to continue.

Step Seven
Make sure Cydia is selected and click the Next button.

Step Eight
Please plug your iPhone into the computer and make sure its OFF then click the Next button

Step Nine
RedSn0w will now guide you through the steps to get into DFU mode.

Hold down both the Home button and the Power button for 10 seconds.

Release the Power button and continue holding the Home button until RedSn0w detects the device.

Step Ten
Your iPhone will now reboot

Step Eleven
RedSn0w will then begin uploading the new RAM Disk.

Step Twelve
Once this is complete you will be notified that RedSn0w is done. Click the Finish button.
When your iPhone finishes reboot (5 minutes or so). It will be jailbroken with Cydia on the SpringBoard.

How to Unlock/Jailbreak Your iPhone 2G on OS 3.0 Using RedSn0w (Windows)

2009-06-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

These are instructions on how to unlock and jailbreak your iPhone 2G on the 3.0 iPhone firmware using RedSn0w for Windows. Before beginning make sure you have updated to iTunes 8.2.

You can find the Mac version of this tutorial here

Step One
Create a folder called Pwnage on your desktop.

Download the following files and place them in the Pwnage folder you just created:
- RedSn0w
- BL 3.9
- BL 4.6
- 3.0.0 (2G): iPhone1,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw

Extract the RedSn0w zip file to the Pwnage folder.

Navigate to the Pwnage folder on your desktop and select the firmware ipsw. Click the Open button to continue.

Step Five
Select the firmware ipsw we placed in the Pwnage folder on our desktop then click Open

Step Six
Once the firmware has been verified click the Next button to continue.

Step Seven
Make sure Cydia and Unlock is selected and click the Next button.

Step Eight
We will know need to set the location of our bootloader files.

Click Browse and select the 3.9 bootloader file from the Pwnage folder on your desktop.

Click Browse and select the 4.6 bootloader file from the Pwnage folder on your desktop.

Click the Next button to continue.

Step Eight
Please plug your iPhone into the computer and make sure its OFF then click the Next button

Step Nine
RedSn0w will now guide you through the steps to get into DFU mode.

Hold down both the Home button and the Power button for 10 seconds.

Release the Power button and continue holding the Home button until RedSn0w detects the device.

Step Ten
Your iPhone will now reboot

Step Eleven
RedSn0w will then begin uploading the new RAM Disk.

How to Jailbreak Your iPod Touch on OS 3.0 Using RedSn0w (Mac)

2009-06-20T08:23:00.001-07:00

These are instructions on how to jailbreak your iPod (1G or 2G) on OS 3.0 firmware using RedSn0w for Mac. The Windows version of this tutorial is here

Step One
Create a folder on your desktop called Pwnage

Download RedSn0w from here and place it in the Pwnage folder. Likewise, download the latest 3.0 firmware and place it in the same folder.

NOTE*: The iPod touch 3.0 firmware must be purchased from iTunes. iTunes will save the firmware files here:
~/Library/iTunes/iPod Software Updates/iPod2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw
~/Library/iTunes/iPod Software Updates/iPod1,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw

Extract the redsn0w application from the RedSn0w zip file to the Pwnage folder.

Navigate to the Pwnage folder on your desktop and select the firmware ipsw. Click the Open button to continue.

Step Three
Once iTunes has finished updating your iPhone to the desired firmware you may launch redsnw0w.app from the Pwnage folder on your desktop.

Step Four
Once RedSn0w opens click the Browse button

Step Five
Select the firmware ipsw we placed in the Pwnage folder on our desktop then click Open

Step Six
Once the firmware has been verified click the Next button to continue.

Step Seven
Make sure Cydia is selected and click the Next button.

Step Eight
Please plug your iPhone into the computer and make sure its OFF then click the Next button

Step Nine
RedSn0w will now guide you through the steps to get into DFU mode. You can find more help with DFU mode here

Hold down both the Home button and the Power button for 10 seconds.

Release the Power button and continue holding the Home button until RedSn0w detects the device.

Step Ten
Your iPhone will now reboot

Step Eleven
RedSn0w will then begin uploading the new RAM Disk.

Step Twelve
Once this is complete you will be notified that RedSn0w is done. Click the Finish button.

When your iPhone finishes reboot (5 minutes or so). It will be jailbroken with Cydia on the SpringBoard.

trois, drei, три, három!

2009-06-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

This is the low down on our tools for use with the 3.0 firmware from Apple, read the whole post in full before attempting anything. Because of some bugs and unexpected changes this will be a multipart release, starting with the release of PwnageTool for Mac OS X. QuickPwn for Mac OS X and Windows will follow sometime soon, please don’t bug us about it, we are working flat out to get everything finished to release them.

1. GOLDEN RULE: If you are using a 3G iPhone with yellowsn0w and rely on yellowsn0w to obtain cellular service, then you should NOT use PwnageTool right now. UltraSn0w is not included with this release and therefore your baseband will be locked and unable to use an operator other than the official one it was bought for. UltraSn0w will be release via APT (cydia and icy) soon. If you have an original iPhone (1st generation) then 3.0 unlock works with this PwnageTool release.
2. Yellowsn0w in its current form will NOT work with the baseband version that is present in the 3.0 update, you will need Ultrasn0w, which will be released sometime soon, Ultrasn0w will work with all iPhone 3G models (but not 3GS), even ones that were previously unlockable, Ultrasn0w (when available) will be released via APT (this means you can get it via Cydia or Icy).
3. Please read all parts of this post before downloading and using these tools.
4. Read items 1, 2 and 3 again and again.
5. At the bottom of this post are the bittorrent files for the 3.0 capable version of PwnageTool.
6. This app is suitable for the recent 3.0 release.
7. PwnageTool will NOT work for the iPhone 3GS.
8. PwnageTool WILL work for Original iPhone (1st Generation), Original iPod touch (1st Generation) and the iPhone 3G.

Baseband 101

The ‘baseband’ is the generic nickname given to the internal components of the iPhone that handle the phone calls and Internet access. This ‘baseband’ is a tiny and unique independent computer system that runs inside your iPhone, it is separate to the main system that handles the applications (such as email and google maps) and it talks to the main part of the phone over an internal communications network. Think of it like a cable modem or other peripheral that is attached to your home PC that needs occasional updates. When a software update is released and presented to you within iTunes the baseband is sometimes updated (to fix bugs or add new features). The 3.0 update for the iPhone 3G contains such an update, so running the vanilla updater straight away with iTunes will reprogram and update the baseband.

SIM Free/SP Unlocked/Factory Unlocked iPhone 3G

This applies if you bought your iPhone 3G for $$$$$$$. This model of iPhone 3G doesn’t have an Service Provider lock (aka factory unlocked) and you are able to put any SIM card into the phone and get service. Your phone is already unlocked so you do not need to worry about baseband updates, simply upgrade to 3.0 using iTunes and then use PwnageTool to create an ipsw and then use this to jailbreak your phone.

iPhone 2G (1st Generation)

Update or Restore your iPhone 2G with iTunes then use PwnageTool to do the magic, ‘nuff said, you don’t need to worry about anything, the baseband will be unlocked, the phone jailbroken.

iPod Touch 1G (Original iPod Touch)

Update to 3.0 with iTunes and use PwnageTool.

iPod Touch 2G (New iPod Touch)

Sorry, no support at this time within PwnageTool, use Redsn0w for an earlier (pre 3.0) firmware release instead.

Official Bittorrent Releases -

* http://torrents.thepiratebay.org/4963802/PwnageTool_3.0.dmg.4963802.TPB.torrent SHA1 = 2e19d39398233f88ae0782fd82462a9223791f7f

Unofficial Mirrors

The following links are unofficial download mirrors, you download these at your own risk, we accept no responsibility if your computer explodes or if it becomes part of a NASA attacking botnet or even worse if your hands fall off mid-way during the use of these files. We do not check these links or archives and we accept no responsibility with regard to the validity of the files, or with other content these links provide or with the content that is on the linked site. Always check the published SHA1 sums. We would prefer that you downloaded the official bittorrent release that is linked above, but you are welcome to try these if you really must. Mirror owners should email direct links only to blog@iphone-dev.org , please don’t place mirrors in the comments as they will be deleted.

Castle of Magic hands-on

2009-06-13T09:28:00.001-07:00

Gameloft was kind enough to show us their whole upcoming stable of iPhone and iPod touch titles at E3 last week, and the most impressive game we saw in their "party bus," parked outside the Los Angeles Convention Center, was Castle of Magic. It's a 2D platformer with colorful and great-looking 3D graphics in which you play a young wizard trying to get a girl back. So it's pretty well-tread ground, especially as platformers go (so named because you spend the game jumping from platform to platform), but it's one of the first straightforward examples of the genre on the iPhone.

The game's controlled with a virtual d-pad right on the screen, as well as two ability buttons that change depending on whatever powerups you have at the time. And powerups are found throughout the game world -- there are five themed overworlds to choose from (space, water, ice, forest, etc.), and three levels each within those worlds, and while the kid can pick up some abilities any time (a magical beam to shoot enemies with is a pretty common one), each world also has its own ability (you can be a spaceman in space, Robin Hood in the forest level, a swordfish while swimming, and so on). The game's graphics are immensely charming, and given that, like most platformers, there's plenty of doohickeys to collect, there's a good amount of replayability here as well.

Turn by turn navigation coming with TomTom for iPhone

2009-06-13T09:26:00.001-07:00

It's been a gap in the functionality of the GPS-enabled iPhone 3G for months, and one that was promised for the 3.0 software update (even though third parties have been trying to get it working for a while now): turn-by-turn navigation. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel has been conclusively demonstrated not to be an oncoming train; it's the faint guiding glow from TomTom for iPhone, the first announced TBT navigation package for the 3.0 software (X-Road is already in the store for 2.1 devices).

There's no cost information yet (Engadget speculates 'pricey' so as not to cannibalize TomTom's hardware business), and the launch date is only noted as after the June 17th 3.0 software availability, but it certainly looks cool: a software app combined with a custom bracket & charging cable, hands-free calling and 'enhanced GPS performance' included. For iPhone owners who don't yet have in-car GPS, this could be a fantastic offering, if the price is right.

Video of the TomTom solution in the second half of the post. I already own a TomTom ONE, and just ponied up the $79 for a year of map updates... probably should have waited.

Guitar Rock Tour 2 and DJ Mix Tour

2009-06-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

While we really liked Gameloft's Castle of Magic at E3, these two music games in their lineup didn't impress nearly as much. Guitar Rock Tour 2 is a sequel to Guitar Rock Tour, and as you can tell from the picture at right, it's more or less a Guitar Hero knock-off: hit the notes as they pass the line at the bottom, and you'll hear whatever song you choose to play. At this point, gameplay on all of these games is more or less the same, so song selection makes the difference, and that's where Guitar Rock Tour 2 falls short: the game contains only four original tracks, and fifteen covers. While they do lay claim to tracks by Judas Priest, Panic at the Disco, Wolfmother, Placebo and Twisted Sister, Tapulous pretty much has the market covered in terms of getting great music playable on the iPhone, and we didn't see anything during our hands on that would attract us away from Tap Tap Revenge and its various forms.

DJ Mix Tour is the other music game they showed us -- this one had a club feel and had you pressing notes on a turntable rather than guitar frets. There were some interesting choices in that game -- we saw some covers of Britney Spears club mixes, as well as Lady Gaga and Darude's famous Sandstorm tune, so if you're a die-hard techno fan, there might be some new tunes in there for you among the sixteen total songs. But again, Tap Tap Revenge is so polished after all their updates, and already has such a great selection of tunes that it's hard to recommend Gameloft's versions.

Both will be available for $5.99 in the App Store sometime this month.

Trains for iPhone: For lovers of Flight Control, except with trains

2009-06-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

I have a particular affinity for trains. My father and grandfather both worked on the railroad, presumably all the live-long day. When a train rolls by, I'll make a comment about the engine or trucks or what-have-you, and my girlfriend will madly clap her hands together and yell yay twains! in a dumb voice. I love her so much.

Anyway. ZAGG, the same people who make the unscratchable Invisible Shield films for various devices, released Trains, a game not unlike Flight Control, where you must route freight trains, drop off cargo, and avoid collisions.

Flight Control itself recently had an update, and now includes new tropical and aircraft carrier levels. Having lost hours of time to the original level, I was thrilled to have more places to land. (My high score is 103, by the way: Post yours in comments.)

Trains, on the other hand, takes the same approach, only with -- well -- trains. You must tap the switches to create a route for each train through the cargo depot of the appropriate color, and safely off the screen. You can let trains pass through without dropping their cargo, but you won't earn any points.

Of the two, I think I prefer Flight Control, only because there's more flexibility in determining where exactly the airplane goes by drawing a path with your finger. Switching train intersections accomplishes the same goal, but is somehow less satisfying than drawing a flight path freehand.

Trains, though, is good fun. It's on sale for 99 cents until June 15. After that it will be $1.99. Flight Control is also on sale for 99 cents "for a limited time." Both Trains and Flight Control are available from the App Store, and are well worth the money.

Palm and Verizon looking to take shine off Apple and AT&T

2009-06-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

In a minefield of failed "iPhone killers" one is making some headway on fulfilling that murderous promise: the Palm Pre.

Perhaps it's no surprise: the Palm Pre was conceived by a team that includes plenty of Apple alumni, including Jon Rubenstein, who was made Palm's CEO yesterday to replace Ed Colligan. (John Gruber reminds us of one of Colligan's more famous quotes.) Rubenstein used to be the general manager of Apple's iPod division.

Not only that, but Fred Anderson, Lynn Fox, and Mike Bell are all connected (if not employed by) the re-energized Palm. Valleywag's Ryan Tate says it's no wonder, then, that the Pre syncs with iTunes right out of the box.

Competition is good, though, right? We'll see improvements to both the iPhone and the Pre because of the products' competitive relationship with each other. Look at the rivalry between Canon and Nikon: The result? Awesome cameras both. In the end, the customer wins.

This is true with carriers, too, as exclusivity agreements begin to expire. There were rumblings that the Pre would be released on the Verizon network around Christmas, but blowback from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse pushed the rumor mill's schedule back a month to January 2010, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Watercooler talk suggests that the iPhone's exclusivity agreement with AT&T expires around the same time for U.S. customers, but the Magic 8 Ball says that we might not see an iPhone for Verizon until both they and AT&T finish their LTE networks.

If you're using a Pre with your Mac, especially if you're taking advantage of the iTunes sync capability, let us know in the comments how it's going.

TUAW at E3: Real Tennis 2009

2009-06-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

The last preview we've got for you from E3 last week isn't really a preview -- Real Tennis 2009 was the first game due out from Gameloft that we played in their party bus outside the Los Angeles Convention Center, and sure enough, it's out right now in the App Store for $4.99 (all of the games we played with them last week, including the impressive Castle of Magic, are due out before the end of June). As a tennis game -- Gameloft claimed it was the first on the platform, though that doesn't seem true -- it plays pretty well, though the players are controlled with onscreen buttons rather than touchscreen gestures. Serving is the only activity that tries to take full advantage of the iPhone's controls: you can target your serve with the accelerometer, and then tap the screen anywhere when the serve meter is full. The action is pretty fast, and sometimes too fast: if you don't get moving in the right direction right off the ball, your player will get to where they need to be way too late.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the game lies in multiplayer: though we didn't see it in action, we were told that the game offers up to four-player WiFi multiplayer (even before 3.0 is set to make it easier for developers to do). So that's pretty impressive in and of itself -- if you can find three other people with iPhones and the game to play.

More secret iPhone codes

2009-06-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

What a hack-y afternoon. Here are some more secret iPhone codes for you to enjoy. After realizing that the *3001#12345#* was a familiar Nokia code, I decided to spend some time googling for other phone codes that might work on the iPhone. These (mostly) do. There are more. Feel free to add your own to the comments.

*3001#12345#* and tap Call. Enter Field Mode.

Field mode reveals many of the inner settings of your iPhone, specifically up-to-date network and cell information.

*#06# Displays your IMEI. No need to tap Call.

IMEI is the unique identifier for your cell phone hardware. Together with your SIM information it identifies you to the provider network.

*777# and tap Call. Account balance for prepaid iPhone.

*225# and tap Call. Bill Balance. (Postpaid only)

*646# and tap Call. Check minutes. (Postpaid only)

*#21# and tap Call. Setting interrogation for call forwards.

Discover the settings for your call forwarding. You'll see whether you have voice, data, fax, sms, sync, async, packet access, and pad access call forwarding enabled or disabled.

*#30# and tap Call. Calling line presentation check.

This displays whether you have enabled or disabled the presentation of the calling line, presumably the number of the party placing the call.

*#76# and tap Call. Check whether the connected line presentation is enabled or not.

State whether the connected line presentation is enabled or disabled. Presumably similar to the calling line presentation.

*#43# and tap Call. Determine if call waiting is enabled.

Displays call waiting status for voice, data, fax, sms, sync data, async data, packet access and pad access. Each item is either enabled or disabled.

*#61# and tap Call. Check the number for unanswered calls.

Show the number for voice call forwarding when a call is unanswered. Also show the options for data, fax, sms, sync, async, packet access and pad access.

*#62# and tap Call. Check the number for call forwarding if no service is available.

Just like the previous, except for no-service rather than no-answer situations.

*#67# and tap Call. Check the number for call forwarding when the iPhone is busy.

And again, but for when the iPhone is busy.

*#33# and tap Call. Check for call control bars.

Check all the usual suspects (voice, data, fax, sms, etc) to see whether barring is enabled or disabled for outgoing.

iPhone 3G vs. iPhone 3G S

2009-06-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

The very first thing we want to know about this newfangled iPhone 3G S is exactly what we're getting for our extra Benjamin (or two, depending on the model you spring for). We don't have all the answers just yet -- Apple's being coy about processor specs on the 3G S, for example -- but here's what we do know so far.

	iPhone 3G	iPhone 3G S
Basics
Price	$99 8GB ($299 for ineligible upgraders)	$199 16GB, $299 32GB ($399 and $499 for ineligible upgraders)
Processor	412MHz ARM 11	Unknown, "on average up to twice as fast"
Graphics capability	OpenGL ES 1.1	OpenGL ES 2.0
Camera	2.0 megapixel fixed focus	3.0 megapixel autofocus with macro mode and auto white balance
Video recording	None	30fps VGA with on-device editing capability
Voice control	None	Dialing, music control
Nike+ support	No	Yes
Wireless technologies	3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR	7.2Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Water- and oil-resistant finish	No	Yes
Integrated magnetic compass	No	Yes
Included headphones	Standard	Inline remote for music control
Battery life	Up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 10 hours on 2G Up to 6 hours data on WiFi Up to 24 hours audio Up to 7 hours video	Up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 12 hours on 2G Up to 9 hours data on WiFi Up to 30 hours audio Up to 10 hours video
Dimensions	115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm	115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm
Weight	133 grams / 4.69 oz.	135 grams / 4.76 oz.

113 new fiture at iPhone OS 3.0

2009-06-11T06:22:00.000-07:00

1. Cut/Paste
2. Copy/Paste
3. Shake to undo/redo typing
4. Text selection for easy mass deletion
5. MMS
6. Landscape keyboard in Notes
7. Landscape keyboard in Mail
8. Landscape keyboard in Messages
9. Forward texts or picture messages
10. Delete individual texts or picture messages
11. Sending progress bar in Messages app moved to title instead of over the keyboard area (allows typing new message while the first one is sending)
12. USB tethering
13. Bluetooth tethering
14. Stereo bluetooth (A2DP)
15. Spotlight search (searches all app titles, mail, media, contact details, and calendar appointments)
16. Search in Notes
17. Search in Mail
18. Search in iPod
19. In-App purchases
20. Option to have double clicking the home button go to the Spotlight Search

21. Option to have double clicking the home button go to the Camera
22. Preview icon in lower left hand corner for last shot taken in Camera app
23. Shake to shuffle in iPod
24. Scrolling of screenshots in App Store
25. Type of phone used under each call in Recents (i.e., mobile, home, work, etc.)
26. Call history log (including call duration)
27. Option to Share Contact in each contact listing
28. Hold link in Safari to Copy
29. Hold link in Safari to Open in New Page
30. Auto Fill contact information, usernames and passwords in Safari
31. Login to your YouTube account
32. See Comments in YouTube
33. Subscribe in YouTube
34. Rate in YouTube
35. Shake to undo what you have typed
36. Option to retry sending failed text messages, indicated by red exclamation point next to text
37. Turn-by-turn GPS capabilities
38. Maps can be run inside other applications
39. Access to dock port for accessories to communicate
40. Peer-to-peer connectivity using Bluetooth (no Wi-Fi required)
41. New Voice memo application
42. Extended Parental controls
43. Anti-phishing
44. Wi-Fi auto login
45. Note syncing in iTunes
46. Improved Stocks app
47. New calendar types (CalDAV)
48. Prompt to confirm deleting a note
49. Prompt to confirm deleting a photo
50. Option to select multiple photos to attach to an email
51. "Find My iPhone" option for MobileMe users
52. Unlimited size podcast downloads over 3G
53. Pushing home button on first home screen takes user to Spotlight
54. Pushing home button on Spotlight takes user to first home screen
55. Variable speed playback for audio books
56. App Store subscriptions
57. Push notifications
58. Audio/Video tags
59. New video streaming capabilities (HTML 5 video, h.264 and HTTP)
60. Calendar subscriptions
61. iTunes login
62. iTunes account creation
63. Encypted profiles
64. LDAP (directory services)
65. VPN on-demand
66. EAP SIM
67. Proxy support
68. OTA profiles
69. Revoke certificates
70. Exchange ActiveSync Policies
71. Media scrubber
72. More languages
73. Improved keyboards
74. Failed app updates now are shown in a duplicate icon and labeled "Paused"
75. When selecting multiple emails to forward/delete, any unread emails' blue dot are shown next to the red selector dot instead of being overridden by the red selector dot
76. Non-contact phone calls list their city and state of origin in Recents and Visual Voicemail under the number.
77. Ability to change ringtones straight from Favorites
78. Lap time display now displayed smaller and above time in Stopwatch
79. Polished Phone, Messages, and iPod icons
80. Swipe to delete notes in the Notes app
81. Advanced Bluetooth options for Handsfree devices
82. Option to close a single web page in Safari page view, which immediately opens a new blank page
83. Improved predictive dictionary
84. Blue dot now displayed in center of location circle in Maps (V1 only)
85. Listening to music while charging the battery now displays the album art instead of the battery
86. Smaller font for song title on lock screen
87. Option in Phone Settings to choose your phone number
88. Option to disable text message reminder alerts
89. Option to disable text message previews
90. Option to show subject field in text messages
91. Ability to integrate iPod music into apps
92. Clickable email links in App Store app descriptions
93. JavaScript 3x speed boost
94. 11 homescreens now allowed
95. Reboots to "slide to unlock" screen instead of homescreen
96. In Settings>General>Home>Search Results, users can choose what is searched on the phone and in what order.
97. Application count added in Settings>General>About
98. Option "Load Remote Images" added in Mail settings
99. Global address book option available if Exchange account is set up
100. Speed control in audiobooks
101. 30 second repeat option for audiobooks
102. Improved scrubbing speeds when holding white dot in song progress bar in iPod
103. When sending a text, your text box where you typed smoothly fades from white to green instead of instantly changing from white to green.
104. When moving an app across homescreens, holding the app on either the left or right side will slowly advance the app one through one homescreen at a time, without leaving empty spots in the bottom right corner or each homescreen it advances through.
105. Album name displayed on lockscreen iPod controls
106. Shake to shuffle on lockscreen iPod controls
107. Podcasts saved on iPhone now show Run Time, Time Left and Date Published
108. Screen goes from dimmed to full brightness after each song when playing the iPod while plugged in
109. WAVE file support in Mail
110. Attachment no longer automatically downloaded until user taps the attachment in Mail
111. When using a bluetooth headset with iPod, volume bar is removed and bluetooth headset name is displayed in its place.
112. A hard reset on your phone (holding sleep and home for 10 seconds) now turns it off instead of restarting it.
113. A space is no longer needed between two words for predictive texting to function.

WWDC Announcements: iPhone 3GS Fastest and Most Powerful iPhone

2009-06-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

Update: If you currently have an iPhone on a contract then you will not be eligible for a standard iPhone upgrade - bummer. You will, however, be eligible for a full retail price upgrade (Prices below).

* $499.00USD — 8GB iPhone 3G (black)
* $599.00USD — 16GB iPhone 3G S (black or white)
* $699.00USD — 32GB iPhone 3G S (black or white)

WWDC was awesome this year ’round. Apple has announced a new iPhone. Say hello to the iPhone 3GS! The fastest and most powerful iPhone yet.
As you can see, the iPhone 3GS looks exactly the same as the current shipping iPhone 3G, the rumored iPhone 3GS leaked pictures were completely fake. The iPhone 3GS will come in 2 models - 16GB and 32GB.

What about features?
* 3 megapixel Camera - Autofocus - Tap to focus -Video recording
* Improved performance
* Built-in video camera with editing
* Voice Control - Voice Dial and Control the iPod
* Compass - you can tap to go right into Maps, and if you tap a second time it will orient the map to where you’re facing
* Cut, Copy, and Paste - Comes with iPhone OS 3.0
* MMS - Comes with iPhone OS 3.0
* Spotlight Search - Comes with iPhone OS 3.0
* Voice Memos - Comes with iPhone OS 3.0

Battery life:

* Talk time: Up to 5 hours on 3G - Up to 12 hours on 2G
* Standby time: Up to 300 hours
* Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi
* Audio playback: Up to 30 hours on audio
* Video playback: Up to 10 hours of video

Apple is being very aggressive with pricing, the iPhone 3G will stay and will sell for $99USD for 8GB model and the new iPhone 3GS will sell for an amazing $199USD for the 16GB model and $299USD for the 32GB model. And it will be available to buy June 19th! So get ready to go stay in line.

iPhone OS 3.0 Announcements

2009-06-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today at WWDC, Apple announced that the long awaited iPhone OS 3.0 will be available June 17th. iPhone OS 3.0 brings in over 100 new features.

A few of the mentioned features include:

* MMS: While the inclusion of multimedia messaging in iPhone OS 3.0 was discussed at Apple’s previous media event, Apple today revealed the MMS will not be available for AT&T customers until “late summer”, as much as several months after the launch of the new operating system. A number of other wireless carriers throughout the world will be supporting MMS at launch.

* Internet Tethering: At its previous media event, Apple chose not to focus on tethering, addressing it only in a Q&A period by saying that while the functionality is being built into the iPhone OS 3.0, cooperation from carriers would be needed in order to enable it. During today’s keynote, Apple announced that tethering via USB and Bluetooth will be offered on a number of carriers at launch, although AT&T will not be supporting it for the time being.
* “Find My iPhone”: A newly-advertised feature only for MobileMe subscribers allows customers to track the location of their lost iPhone, send alerts to the device, and perform remote wipes for data security. If later found, wiped iPhones can then be restored by syncing with iTunes.

This major update to the iPhone OS will be available for free to all existing iPhone users and will be $9.95USD to iPod Touch users.

Half way home?

2009-06-09T01:44:00.000-07:00

Apple just released the fifth beta of their 3.0 OS. Back when 2.0 was still in beta, they released about nine beta firmwares, so it’s reasonable to assume we’re about half way through the 3.0 beta process.

As should be expected, the modern devteam jailbreak process is still valid. The picture below is 3.0beta5 jailbroken on an iPhone 3G. As we’ve said in previous posts, nothing other than a hardware respin can prevent our jailbreak from working on all exisiting iPhone and iPod Touches. They’ve chased our jailbreak so far down in the chain of trust, the only way they can fix it is in hardware.

Because there are so many beta releases, we couldn’t possible refine, test, and release both PwnageTool and QuickPwn for each of them. That’s why we’re waiting until the final release. You may have seen other “hijacked” versions of QuickPwn out there, but all of them are buggy, none of them work on OSX, and almost everyone who uses them reverts back to 2.2.1 (because none of the useful jailbroken apps (Qik, Cycorder, and others) work on 3.0 yet).

But this is a good time to remind everyone. If you care about the yellowsn0w unlock, don’t go anywhere near the beta releases. You will lose your unlock, possibly forever.

Yell0w Fever

2009-06-09T01:40:00.001-07:00

These are very exciting days ahead! WWDC, the new 3.0 firmware, the new iPhone2,1 device. All in the span of a month or two. Nobody is more excited than we are :)

Unfortunately, there are predators out there that are counting on your over-exuberance. Maybe we should call it yell0w fever. One very recent example is a certain yellowsn0w221 page on wordpress.com. Do not download anything from that page if you’re on a PC, else you’ll be infected with a virus. The page talks and talks about a supposed Firmware 2.2.1 yellowsn0w exploit, but it’s all a ruse to get you to download and infect your PC.

We’re used to (though still aren’t happy about) less predatory websites, like quickpwn.com. That site (1) is not us. We don’t consult with them in any way (2) makes money from their Google hits (they’re usually near the top) (3) sometimes gives very very bad advice (like tweeting yellowsn0w users to use QuickPwn on 3.0 betas. Bad suggestion). (4) also owns yellowsn0w.net, another money making website.

The wordpress page, though, is at another level. It’s out to 0wn your PC for spamming purposes. Please be on the lookout for any pages that mention “dev team” news that you don’t actually see on this blog first. We are very good at not leaking sensitive info (since that really wrecks this whole “cat&mouse” thing). So no blog or forum or youtube page would have any “insider” dev team knowledge that you won’t see announced here first.
About the unlock (the real yellowsn0w): you all paid lots of money for your iPhones, and so we know that if you are depending on a software unlock, this is a sensitive issue. It’s a very sensitive issue to us too, which is why we can’t say or release anything prematurely that could potentially compromise any 3.0 software unlock. The commenters on this blog that have high ratings (20 or above) understand this intimately so please listen to them when they try to assist those waiting for any unlock :)

That tempting "update" button

2009-06-09T01:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Apple started pushing out their official iTunes 8.2, which supports mobile devices at firmware 3.0. Here’s why you jailbreakers and yellowsn0w-users shouldn’t really accept that “Update now?” question:

* Most people aren’t at 3.0. In fact 3.0 is still in beta and has lots of bugs (especially related to push updates).
* It breaks your ability to use QuickPwn, PwnageTool, and iPhone Tunneling Suite (ssh over usb). We don’t think this is a deliberate breakage of these tools. It’s just that Apple has updated a low-level USB protocol that normally only Apple cares about (but jailbreakers care about).
* So far, the only appreciable change to iTunes 8.2 is the Genius function working on videos.
* It may actually break Palm Pre’s connection to the device (please give us feedback on this).

This update is one of those that incidentally breaks QuickPwn and PwnageTool. It doesn’t seem like an anti-jailbreak. But nonetheless, it will break your ability to re-run QuickPwn or PwnageTool’s dfu-entry.

Because this update isn’t a deliberate anti-jailbreak measure, it’s easily fixed in our tools. But we really don’t want to update our tools until 3.0 is out, so please don’t update to 8.2 if you think you’ll need to rejailbreak your device. :)

YellowSn0w on 2.2.1 and beyond

We see many questions about whether yellowsn0w can ever be made to work on firmware versions past 2.2 (or equivalently, basebands past 02.28). This is probably a good place to address those questions:

If there is a yellowsn0w update for firmware after 2.2 (or basebands after 02.28), there is no way it would ever be released before 3.0 is official. It just wouldn’t make any sense to release an exploit for something that only those who have beta 3.0’s (NDA signers) could use. Most people in the world aren’t NDA signers. Any yellowsn0w update for 3.0 would need to happen *after* 3.0 is officially available.

iPhone games: ScribBall

2009-06-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

ScribBall for the iPhone is a color matching puzzle game with a few twists. Differently colored balls descend from the top of the screen — when a group of four balls of the same color touch, they will pop. The goal is to quickly and strategically tap out a few balls to create combinations before the playing field fills up. There are power up balls that can change the play a bit, such as exploding ones that will knock around the balls closest to them, lightning strikes and more.

ScribBall features realistic physics — balls cascade and jostle around realistically, and Howling Moon Software has taken the game a step beyond its Mac roots on the iPhone, as balls will tumble when you tilt your iPhone. The game also features hand-drawn graphics, giving ScribBall a unique “doodle” style.

ScribBall works on any iPhone or iPod touch running iPhone 2.0 software.

iPhone Game: Let's Golf

2009-06-07T22:07:00.001-07:00

Play the first iPhone/iPod touch family golf game and discover a fun filled experience accessible to anyone. Choose from among the 4 customizable characters and play on 4 locations created in full 3D
Gameloft today released Let's Golf game for the iPhone and iPod touch. Here is some info on this new iPhone game:

• 63 holes in 4 distinct locations remodelled in 3D: Fiji Beach, the American Mountains, the English Countryside, and Scottish Lochs.
• 4 cool and animated characters customizable with your own style. Each player has unique strengths and weaknesses.
• Show your friends who the best player is through Local Wi-Fi Multiplayer mode.
• Controls adaptable to anyone: Advanced mode plays like a sports simulation game and you can even add spin to the ball. Casual mode for easy fun and fewer bogies (but no, it won’t let you cheat).

iPhone game iSperm-Guiding a sperm to the egg

2009-06-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

lol, This iPhone game make me laugh, By using (very) Simple Animation cartoon style, iSperm is definitely a unique experience. It takes you through 3 phases of gameplay:

1. Shake the phone back and forth to advance.
2. Tilt to avoid obstacles.
3. Tap to enter and fertilize the egg. lol

This is one of those games that you will play through a couple times, For that, it’s certainly not a bad purchase for $.99. As long as you buy it knowing that it will only be good for a few laughs and run-throughs.

Bookworm word puzzle game

2009-06-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

PopCap Games has launched a port Bookworm($5) for the iPhone and iPod touch. Players build words from a series of letter tiles on a grid, Basic features of the game offer over 170,000 words from the Oxford English Dictionary. Attempting to make the longest and most difficult words possible for the greatest points. Complicating matters are burning tiles, which force a game over if not used before they hit the bottom of the screen. The iPhone port is said to have all the features of the Mac-version.

Kensington Mini Battery Extender and Charger for iPhone

2009-06-07T21:57:00.001-07:00

Power and charge your iPhone or iPod on-the-go, and enjoy an extended playtime of up to 30 hours of music; 6 hours of video; or 3 hours of talk. The high-capacity, rechargeable Lithium-Ion Polymer battery pack is small and unobtrusive enough to keep connected to your iPhone or iPod while you're using it.

The LED battery meter lets you visualize how much juice you have left, and the included retractable USB charging cable makes powering up the battery pack a snap. Backed by Kensington's 1-year warranty.

What's in the Box
Kensington Mini Battery Extender and Charger for iPhone and iPod (Black), USB charging cable

Technical Details

* Compatibility: iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch; iPhone
* Power and charge your iPhone or iPod--extends play time up to 30 hours of music or 6 hours of video (on iPod nano 3G) or 3 hours of talk (on iPhone)
* Includes retractable USB charging cable
* High-capacity, rechargeable Lithium-Ion polymer battery pack for increased energy efficiency
* Small enough to keep connected to your iPhone or iPod
* Dimensions: 5.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches ; 3 pounds

Check firmware version

2009-06-07T21:55:00.001-07:00

Its old, but its still be most asking question;

How can I check which firmware version is installed onto my iphone?

You can check what firmware is installed on your iphone by going to the emergency call enter: *3001#12345#* then press "Call". Under Versions you will find what revision firmware is on the phone

03.12.06_G is firmware 1.0.0
03.14.08_G is firmware 1.0.1 and 1.02
04.01.13_G is firmware 1.1.1
04.02.04_G is firmware 1.1.1
04.02.13_G is firmware version 1.1.2
04.03.13_G is firmware version 1.1.3
04.04.05_G is firmware version 1.1.4

Re downloading your application

2009-06-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

Some times When you try to Sync your iPhone, Disaster happen, Your favorite paid application for your iPhone is Missing, What to do now? Stay calm i think. Do you have Backup For that? If yes, then restore it, if no, thats fine too, Apple has designed the App Store to allow for re-downloading purchased applications. Now, Browse to the application that you originally bought in the App Store and tap "Buy." You will have to enter your password, and the App Store will return you to your home screen where it displays a message saying that you've already bought this application and are entitled to an additional free download. After you tap "OK," your app will begin downloading.

Issues sending and receiving mail on iPhone

2009-06-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

Is your iPhone not able to send or receive mail as expected? These tips will help you resolve most common email issues.

1. Verify you have an active Internet connection using Wi-Fi or EDGE. You can test the connection by using any Internet-based application on iPhone including Safari, Stocks, Maps, Weather, You Tube, App Store, or iTunes Store.

If you're not using Wi-Fi and you're trying to access the Internet, make sure you have a cellular data connection by checking next to the carrier name at the top of the screen for one of the following indicators:
3G connection
EDGE connection
GPRS connection

2. Check with your ISP to verify you have the correct email account settings. Some ISPs have special settings for using mail outside of your home network that are different from the settings that are used inside your home network.

An example of an outgoing mail server:
smtp.example.com

Example incoming mail servers:
pop.example.com or mail.example.com

Example user names:
username or username@example.com

3. Try setting up your email account on iPhone instead of syncing it from your computer.

1. From the Home screen choose Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Add Account...
2. Choose your email account type: Microsoft Exchange, .mac, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, AOL, or Other
3. Enter your ISPs Mail settings

4. Check password
iPhone hides your password for security purposes and each character you type will show briefly before it changes into a bullet character. It may be hard to tell if you accidentally typed the wrong password. You may want to try typing your password again, entering it slowly and fully pressing down on each key to verify that you typed it in correctly.

USB defice not recognize your iPhone anymore

2009-06-07T21:45:00.001-07:00

If Suddenly, you see that pop up, dont panic. Try this tips. These steps are in order. Only continue to follow them if the previous step didn’t solve your problem.

1. Unplug the usb cable and plug it into another port if available.
2. This one sounds a bit crazy but it has worked for me twice now, disconnect your iPhone from your computer, power off your PC/MAC and un-plug it from the power for about 15 minutes. Now plug it back in, turn it on and reconnect your iPhone.
3. Check the USB cable to make sure there is nothing broken or torn or bent.
4. Still not resolved? It must be something related with the power.

Smart Battery

2009-06-07T21:01:00.001-07:00

Usually, Your iPhone will last up to eight hours for talk, seven hours for video playback, six hours for Internet browsing, or 24 hours for audio playback. (The iPod nano, in comparison, is rated for up to 24 hours of audio playback, and the 80GB iPod can play up to six and a half hours of video.) Standby time is rated at up to 250 hours. But these guidelines generally reflect doing one of these things at a time, and in favorable circumstances. In the real world, you’ll likely be doing a combination of these things over the course of a day, and in varying environments (sometimes using Wi-Fi, sometimes using EDGE, sometimes listening to music and surfing the Web.

If you don’t need to be available for emerency calls or messages, turning the iPhone of completely will conserve maximum battery life to do so, press and hold the on/off button for several seconds. If you want to use just the iPhone’s alarm-clock feature, turn on Airplane Mode; this disables all wireless functionality (phone, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) but lets you use the iPhone’s non Internet programs. Turning on Airplane Mode is also a good idea when you want to use your iPhone strictly for its music-playing iPod functionality. This way, you can easily get more than a full day’s worth of playtime from your iPhone.

Syncing Calendars

2009-06-07T20:57:00.003-07:00

You can sync the iPhone with iCal (Mac) and Outlook(Windows) calendars. To set this up, attach your iPhone to your computer, select it in iTunes’ Source list, and then click on the Info tab. You can sync all the calendars in your chosen calendar program, or choose to sync only a select group. To save space on the iPhone, you can also limit how many old events sync to the device.Although you can view the contents of multiple calendars on your iPhone, you can’t create events and assign them to those calendars. Instead, you’ll need to use the Info tab in iTunes to choose a single calendar that will receive all the events you create on your iPhone.If you’re a Mac user who uses Microsoft Entourage as your calendaring program or address book, don’t despair: there is a way to use Entourage with the iPhone. You’ll need to be using Office 11.3.5 or later, which may mean downloading an update from Microsoft.

In Entourage, choose Entourage: Preferences, and then click on Sync Services. Check the boxes for Address Book and iCal syncing. You’ll be prompted to choose whether to replace Sync Services items with Entourage items, replace Entourage items with Sync Services items, or merge Entourage items with Sync Services items.
Your choice will depend on what data you’ve stored in Address Book, iCal, and Entourage.Unless you specifically want to wipe out the contents of the Mac’s Address Book and iCal, which might not be wise, especially since Address Book data is used for items such as Buddy names in iChat—the safest approach is to choose Merge. Once you’ve set up Entourage to sync with iCal, you should be able to sync those calendars with your iPhone as well.

Locating Songs

2009-06-07T20:57:00.001-07:00

With so many songs on your iPod, finding a particular one can very difficult. use this tips to organizes your music.

By album:

1. Select the Music item from the iPod main menu.
Scroll the main menu until Music is highlighted, and then press the Select button. The Music menu appears.

2. Select the Albums item.
Scroll the Music menu until Albums is highlighted, and then press the
Select button. The Albums menu appears.Select the Composers item to choose a composer, and then select a composer from the Composers menu to get a list of songs for that composer.

3. Select an album from the Albums menu.
The albums are listed in alphabetical order The order is by first word . Scroll the Albums menu until the album name is highlighted and then press the Select button. A song list appears.

4. Select the song from the list.
The songs in the album list are in the order in which they appear on the album. Scroll the list to highlight the song name and press the Select button. The artist name and song name appear.

By artist

Your iPod organizes music by artist, and within each artist by album. Follow these steps to locate a song by artist and then album:

1. Select the Music item from the iPod main menu. Scroll the main menu until Music is highlighted, and then press the Select button. The Music menu appears.

2. Select the Artists item.
The Artists item is second from the top of the Music menu. Scroll the menu until Artists is highlighted, and then press the Select button. The Artists menu appears. To browse by genre, select the Genres item, and then select a genre from the Genres menu to get a reduced list of artists that have songs in that genre

Charge Your iPhone and iPod at the Same Time

2009-06-07T20:54:00.001-07:00

Since their unveiling, both the iPod and the iPhone have been among the world's best-known gadgets, their names and images reaching pretty much every corner of the world. As mentioned time and time again, this huge level of popularity has led to an overflow of accessories hitting the market, out of which, however, very few really stand out from the crowd in terms of versatility and extra functions, since, typically, manufacturers tend to underline the design, rather than the features.

However, that's not exactly the case with the iSound Twin Charger. This device, whose name pretty much says it all, has been designed for those hardcore Apple fans who, instead of having just an iPod or an iPhone, have decided to purchase them both. So, this device will allow users to charge two iProducts at the same time, whether we're talking about two iPhones, two iPods or one of each.
The device from iSound is extremely easy to use, since all the users have to do is simply place the iPhone and/or iPod into one of the Twin Charger's two docking areas and enjoy the custom LED illumination while it safely charges. That's so easy that pretty much any iPod/iPhone user can do it.

2.2.1 iPhone FW Updates Kills Some Users Wi-Fi

2009-06-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

We haven't seen this with my iPhone 3G and the 2.2.1 firmware, but apparently some users lost wifi connectivity after applying that firmware update.
The problem seems to affect iPhones and older iPhone 3Gs, and it seems to be heat-related, as some users say putting the affected iPhone into the freezer for a short time temporarily restores connectivity.
The obvious assumption is overheating, and some believe that what happened was Apple was throttling the wi-fi chip until 2.2.1 and that after removing that "brake," older units were affected by overheating.
Interestingly, Apple tells users affected by the issue to request a unit that does not have 2.2.1 when calling. Admission of an issue in the 2.2.1 firmware, but no patch to fix it apparently?

Typical of Apple, there's no official word on the issue. If you have an issue, it seems like tech support is understanding enough, but an admission of an actual problem would be a nice (although unexpected, from Apple) thing.

myWireless Mobile from AT&T

2009-06-07T20:47:00.001-07:00

AT&T announced the availability of its AT&T myWireless Mobile application on the Apple App Store. AT&T developed the application to allow iPhone customers to manage family and individual accounts directly from their iPhone anytime, anywhere.

Supplementing AT&T myWireless, a popular service through att.com used today by millions of AT&T customers, the Mobile edition for iPhone brings greater ease and simplicity to virtually all elements of account management. The app's primary functions include:

• Bill and Pay – View monthly bill in full and make one-touch payments
• Voice and Data Usage – View all voice and data usage, including text messages
• Features – Browse and manage bolt-on features, including new texting plans and more

For parents managing several AT&T accounts within a family plan, They can view voice minutes as part of Anytime, Night & Weekend, Mobile to Mobile and Rollover usage- plus, view current data usage and text messages, including both sent and received texts. Account information is available for both family and individual accounts.

iPhone game-Time Crisis Strike

2009-06-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

Time Crisis Strike is a 1 st-person shooter for iPhone with clever gyroscopic and multi touch gameplay, adequate graphics, and solid re-playability. The game offers a solid arcade feel while embracing the iPhone’s unique capabilities.

The game offers three separate gameplay modes: Arcade, which lets you play through all three levels; One Stage Trial, where you pick which of those three levels you’d like to attack; and Crisis Mission, which features 5 unique missions that can be unlocked after achieving success in Arcade mode. The 3D images render quick and without choppiness
You can download a free version that offers just one level to see if you’ll enjoy the game.

Wind Meter for iPhone

2009-06-07T20:44:00.001-07:00

Good news, Now sailors have another tempting application to bring out the best from their favorite high-tech gadget. Your iPhone now can become a windspeed instrument as well! Some very clever engineer types realized that the intensity of wind blowing into the microphone of an iPhone (that roaring static we hear when people call us from their boats) could be calibrated to reveal the speed of said wind. The harder the blow, the more intense the sound—and the higher the wind gauge needle moves. How cool is that! According to reviews, it really works. Learn more about it here.

Freeverse Flick NBA Basketball for iPhone

2009-06-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

Flick Basketball(Freeverse’s) is the first iPhone game that has been licensed by the NBA. With five mini games, an energetic soundtrack, and licensed players from every NBA team, Freeverse has given the game a great deal of superficial polish.
The soundtrack is pretty catchy, and the commentators veer from overly laudatory goofball comments.

While the graphics are impressive and the players’ appearances are fairly accurate, you’ll be limited to using them in a 3-point shooting contest, playing HORSE, or engaging in a “Long Shot” race against time that you might recognize from various college basketball halftime competitions, What’s most frustrating about the Flick NBA Basketball application is that it feels like Freeverse is selling you the leftovers of an actual basketball game. It appears to be that the developers spent all the money they could have spent on developing an actual basketball game into securing the expensive licensing rights of the NBA players, teams, and logos represented. Instead of developing a small sports simulator, you have aspects of the game of basketball dressed up real pretty and passed off as the real thing.

The Sims 3 for iPhone

2009-06-07T20:33:00.001-07:00

We’ll avoid the obvious question (why live in a SIM world when you can live in the real one), and the metaphysical (maybe you’re just a SIM in someone else’s iPhone already…?) because, frankly, no one cares! The Sims 3 is — finally! — out for the iPhone and iPod touch:

Play with your Sim using touch and accelerometer controls while exploring stunning 3D open-world environments. Customize your Sim with personality traits and physical characteristics, as you decide whether to fulfill their destiny…or not. Do good or mischief. Fall in love or watch them get dumped. Pick a fight or make a friend. Good or bad, enjoy the ride with The Sims as they experience everything “real” life has to offer. ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE!

If you try it out, and manage to remember the rest of us still exist, let us know how you like the Sims 3 for the iPhone, okay?

iPhone vs. BlackBerry Deathmatch

2009-06-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

While the iPhone vs. Palm Pre is the current darling of the blogerati (we’re not sure anyone in the mainstream is even aware of it…), we can’t forget that most iconic of rivalries: iPhone vs. BlackBerry. Not when Infoworld has written up the provocatively titled: “Deathmatch: BlackBerry versus iPhone — It’s time for us to bury the BlackBerry and move on to modern mobile — even for e-mail”.

In the massive, 8-page-jump article, the author contends that while the BlackBerry still scores points for security, non-Exchange email, hardware keyboard, and lack of good web browsing (for bosses who don’t want their employees using WebApps), the summation states:

For everyone else, the BlackBerry is yesterday’s mobile messenger, way past its prime and heading toward retirement. The iPhone is light-years ahead of the BlackBerry on almost every count. RIM should be ashamed.

Ouch. We’re sure our friends over at CrackBerry.com would beg to differ, but… ouch.

Can RIM fight back with new devices like the BlackBerry Tour and impending Storm 2, or — like Palm with the Pre and Microsoft with Windows Mobile 7 — will RIM have to “spend time in the desert” and come out with a rebuilt, revamped, new BlackBerry OS for the next wave of mobile computers?

Apple iPhone 2009 Coming on July 17

2009-06-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Internet has tons of information about the iPhone 2009 and the following material will try to filter out the most important. It is clear that July 17 will be the official presentation of the phone from Apple, but there is new interesting information.

One of the recent rumors on the Internet is that iPhone 2009 will use OLED displays to replace the current. So far we have not seen AMOLED display quality such as the iPhone, but who knows maybe we will be surprised. One is certain, however, AMOLED displays use less power than standard LCD which will definitely affect positively the life of the battery.

Also, the Apple logo on the back will “shine” like on the company’s laptops, this is still one of the allegedly occurring on the Internet lately.

It is likely that the new iPhone 2009 has no metal frame around the display and the camera is 3.2 megapixel with autofocus and video recording function and a function for sending video/images on MMS. The RAM memory will be doubled, and the processor will be about 30 percent more rapid. Initially thought that the phone will have a rubber coated back, but nothing can be said with certainty before the official presentation.

Finally, the new iPhone will be available in two versions - a 16GB built-in memory and 32GB memory. All this sounds very good, we are impatient to see whether it will prove true.

iPhone OS 3.0 Unlock Warning

2009-06-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the start of WWDC and there are some people out there who truly believe Apple will official release the iPhone OS 3.0 software very soon. Whether or not it is released this week or within the next month, don’t be so quick to pull the trigger on the upgrade button within iTunes if you are planning on unlocking your device. If you choose to update there is a high possibility that you will lose your option to unlock in the future. Don’t want to listen to us, ok, will you take the Dev-Teams word for it?

you all paid lots of money for your iPhones, and so we know that if you are depending on a software unlock, this is a sensitive issue. It’s a very sensitive issue to us too, which is why we can’t say or release anything prematurely that could potentially compromise any 3.0 software unlock.

In other words, don’t do anything until the Dev-Team releases any official unlock for the 3.0 software. Also something to keep in mind, which we’ve warned you about in the past, don’t be fooled these fake wanna be Dev-Team websites that are out there.

We’re used to (though still aren’t happy about) less predatory websites, like quickpwn.com. That site (1) is not us. We don’t consult with them in any way (2) makes money from their Google hits (they’re usually near the top) (3) sometimes gives very very bad advice (like tweeting yellowsn0w users to use QuickPwn on 3.0 betas. Bad suggestion). (4) also owns yellowsn0w.net, another money making website.

For more information, be sure to check out the official Dev-Team blog. So there you have it folks, be careful out there.

Quickoffice updates its iPhone apps

2009-06-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

Quickoffice recently added important capabilities for its iPhone applications — which include Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite, Quicksheet, Quickword and Quickoffice Files. The updates to the separate applications are expected to be available on the App Store soon.
users to view and edit Excel documents; now allows landscape editing, direct double-tap cell editing, copy and paste columns, rows and cells, as well as the ability to add a new sheet within a worksheet.

The Word editor Quickword adds auto-correct, auto-capitalization, find text, adjusting indentation level of bulleted lists and paragraphs, and double tapping space bar to enter a period. Quickoffice Files enables users to enjoy slideshow viewing of images in remote and local directories and the ability to bookmark last viewed position in documents.

VistaPerfection 2.0 iPhone Theme Gives Your iPhone A Vista Flavour

2009-06-02T02:02:00.001-07:00

Towards the end of last week we featured the truly magnificent iDial application for the iPhone that brings retro, analogue style dialling to your Apple handset and now, thanks to an especially talented skinner by the name of Spec Works, the Vista fanboys amongst you can sport an iPhone (assuming you have one, of course) with an unmistakably Vista feel courtesy of his exhaustively detailed VistaPerfection iPhone Windows Vista theme.

To refer to Spec Works’ VistaPerfection 2.0 theme as a work of considerable accomplishment is by no means an exaggeration as the theme consists of over 80 Vista icons, Vista wallpapers, Vista themed boot and restore splash-screens, as well as login and log off screens, and is even accompanied by a faithful set of associated Vista sound effects – and, yes, Vista’s Start Menu also puts in an appearance.

An astonishingly polished and accomplished theme by anyone’s standards, the only downside is that, at the time of writing, you’ll be forced to jump through a series of hoops in order to get it installed on account of the fact that there’s no installer – hence to install this theme you’ll need Jailbreak, SSH access, SummerBoard and some measure of sheer determination. If, however, you simply cannot wait to get VistaPerfection 2.0 installed (an Installer is purportedly in development, incidentally) then you’ll find a full walkthrough of the steps you need to take to get the theme up and running via the site linked below.

Modmyifone [via JAIB / Technabob]
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Read more: http://nexus404.com/Blog/2008/05/19/vistaperfection-20-iphone-theme-gives-your-iphone-a-vista-flavour-apple-ms-in-sweet-harmony-kind-of/#ixzz0HGHzkyeO&B

iGrip Car Holder for iPhone

2009-05-31T23:03:00.000-07:00

iGrip offers an array of iPhone car holders, some of them with very innovative design, like this cigarette lighter mount. Not only that it looks great but it's also very easy to use. Installing this holder means only to plug it into your car's cigarette lighter socket, rotate the plug to tighten itself, then adjust the flexible neck to keep the phone in the desired position. No glue, screws or clips also makes it easy to remove and store into the gloves compartment when not in use.

The iPhone itself is hold in place by two padded sides, that move in and out at a push of a button. The funny part about this holder is that, even if it plugs into a 12 volt power source, it does NOT charge the iPhone. It is just a holder. In the following pictures you can see some other iPhone car holders from iGrip and you can visit the official page HERE (as usual, no affiliate link to keep the review impartial).

iPhone FM Transmitter

2009-05-31T23:02:00.001-07:00

Many of you probably have heard about the classic FM transmitters compatible to normal mp3 players. It would have been really discriminating for the iPhone owners if someone hadn't developed something similar compatible to iPhone and iPod.

Thanks to Pro Power now you can enjoy your favorite music in your car while traveling, without having to take a trip at the car service and modify your audio system.

They developed the first iPhone FM Transmitter, which will allow you to play the music you choose on a frequency that will be easily detected by your radio and so you will listen to it trough the cars stereo system. The smart thing about it, is that there is no sound quality loss at all, you will be hearing the exact song but only much louder than on the iPhone's standard speaker.

Many FM Transmitters work with batteries, this one is fully adapted and prepared for long journeys, with a built-in Car DC Charger so your iPhone will get charged while you comfortably sit your seat and listen to the music.

In order to prevent some frequency intercalation you can easily choose the FM frequency you like to play your songs on, delivering excellent sound. The configuration of the device can be easily done trough the LCD Screen, you will have no problems in understanding and controlling the device.

Pro Power One-Piece Car Kit is also very light and portable, people who spend much time on the road won't regret spending $33.99 on this device from Amazon.com.

iPhone projector

2009-05-31T22:53:00.000-07:00

Like the name sais and as you can clearely see from the above picture this is a video projector with an iPhone dock. It allows you to watch videos from your iPhone on a 15 to 27 inch display. Also has a set of 2W stereo speakers.

It has a 0.44" panel with 4:3 aspect ratio and manual focus that provides a 640:480 resolution, enough for videos from your iPhone. It has a 5W led lamp which will last forever, but is only able to provide a 200:1 contrast. For more details see Honlai's website: honlai.com.tw

The iPhone Wi-Fi Black Hole

2009-05-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

Devicescape is all about Wi-Fi, and I’ve been using Wi-Fi on an iPhone ever since we got our first one on June 30, 2007. Over that time, we’ve learnt a lot about the iPhone’s Wi-Fi experience.

If your thinking is limited to home networks, Apple’s decision to make the switch to a known Wi-Fi network happen automatically seems pretty smart. You walk into your home (or office, etc), the iPhone switches to your Wi-Fi network and everything is good.

But, the iPhone is a mobile device, and one that people tend to have with them all the time (unlike a laptop). Increasingly, those devices are being connected to other Wi-Fi networks, including public hotspots like AT&T’s network in the US Starbucks locations. So now my iPhone knows the AT&T Wi-Fi network as well. And therein lies the problem: every AT&T Wi-Fi becomes a black hole for data access until I log in.

Daily Annoyance

Every morning I walk from the ferry terminal to my bus stop. In between the two, very conveniently, there is a Starbucks where I stop to buy a coffee and check my email and catch up on my Twitter stream before the bus comes. As I walk towards the door, my iPhone switches from the cellular network to the Wi-Fi one, and in doing so disconnects me from the internet. Now I am stuck in the AT&T walled garden. My email no longer works. I can no longer update my Twitter stream. I can’t connect to the App Store.

Sure, I can launch Easy Wi-Fi and within a few seconds the connection is back (or, I can launch Safari, enter my phone number, jump through a few hoops and get online that way). But that’s annoying. I just wanted to check my email. It’s even worse on the days when I’m tapping out a quick reply as I walk, only to find the send fails because the network switched. That slick automatic switching from 3G to Wi-Fi, intended to do away with the need for me to think about the type of network my phone is using, just disconnected me from the world!

Known Problem

Oddly, Apple should be well aware of the problem since their original launch of the iTunes store in Starbucks, back at the end of 2007 when Starbucks still used T-Mobile for Wi-Fi, did exactly the same thing. Glenn Fleishman wrote a great description of this over at Wi-Fi Net News.

T-Mobile hotspot subscribers noticed the problem before this was launched, but by giving others a reason to connect to the Wi-Fi signal in Starbucks, Apple made the problem affect a much larger group of people. And with the addition of free access at AT&T’s Wi-Fi network for all AT&T iPhone users, the problem just became much larger.

What can be done about this?

There are really two things that Apple needs to change to make this black hole a thing of the past:

1. Apple’s network reachability mechanism needs to become aware of the concept of web-based authentication;
2. There needs to be a mechanism to allow third parties, like Devicescape, to add authentication services to the OS.

The first means that when a device latches on to a Wi-Fi signal, it won’t automatically switch all traffic to that network until it knows that it can actually get to the internet, and is not just stuck in a walled garden.

The second provides a way to support the thousands of different networks out there without having to have them all built into the firmware. The default option here could be to ask the user whether they want to sign in using Mobile Safari.

Beyond Switching

The holy grail when it comes to handling Wi-Fi and cellular data networks is that the selection and transition is totally transparent to the user. Even if the black hole issue is resolved, the iPhone still switches from one network to another. When that happens, any connections open on the old network are dropped (especially going from Wi-Fi back to cellular).

Applications can try to resolve that by catching the error, re-opening the connections and carrying on where they left off, but that’s very dependent on the application and may not give the best user experience. A nicer solution is to include a mobile IP solution so that data connections can move between the radios without interruptions. Of course, some applications (esp. streaming media apps) might need to adjust to the new network’s capabilities, but at least they stay connected.

Save Time & Money with the iPhone

2009-05-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

The iphone has become one of the phones to beat and with 15,000 + applications for the device there is bound to be one that will help you make something easier in your day. In the video below I will show you a nice little free program named Around Me. This program has great features to help you find what you need when you need it.

No more driving around aimlessly trying to find the nearest store or gas station in your area. There is also another program I will mention which is Gas Buddy and this program will help you find not only the nearest gas station but it will show the price at the pump in that gas station. It also has a great beautiful interface. Gas Buddy is $2.99, Oil and Gas is Free, and Around Me is also Free.

I was not able to find links that will activate itunes directly to find the programs. Below are their names, just open your itunes program and on the search bar on the top right put the name of the programs as they appear below. You can also do this on your iphone by going to the app store.

32GB iPhone Confirmed by AT&T ?

2009-05-25T04:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago T-Mobile Austria “Accidentally” Posts 32GB iPhone , now its time for AT&T to fuck with our emotions.I wonder whats the story behind this “mistakes” …. hmmm?!?? There is no official statement from AT&T or Apple but this AT&T mistake has exposed that there is some truth in the rumors. I can’t say anything about the specs except the 32GB of storage ( there are lots of rumours but nobody knows for sure ). Cost? Yeah! according to the AT&T tradeups website, it is worth $335. If you’re fast enough, you can check the products list for yourself here. Don’t know when they will remove it, or will they?

Cyder: Manage Cydia From Your PC

2009-05-25T04:27:00.000-07:00

Im so excited about this one. Today it’s the first time in a looong long time im glad that i got a PC. The software, that made me so exiced, its called Cyder and it will let you manage everything in Cydia straight from your PC. Cyder lets you sync, download/update packages and install them to the iPhone and it’s wicked . especially for people that can’t get 3G speeds or Wi-Fi.

Cyder it’s FREE and you can get it from here. On the page you will see a button that says Click here to download Cider . On the rest of the page, you will basically see just some curves on your screen ( no offence to the language or the people who speaks it ) and i didnt even bother to translate the page. Instead i decided to figure out the software by myself. Not exactly brain surgery .

After you install Cyder connect your iPhone/Touch and , ( this is the first thing i did : checked out Settings duhhh ) , you need to click on Settings where you have a bunch of options that you can check in order for Cyder to suit your needs. I only checked two of them but you can check all or none of them. This one depends on you.

Next you click on Syncronization and you click on the button Copy sources from Cydia . This is a quick process and now once you do that, you get access to all of your sources inside Cydia.

When that is done, you are pretty much good to go. You can add or delete sources, install packages , remove packages , upgrade and pretty much anything you can do in Cydia, you can do , now, on your PC. To add or remove a source you need to click on the Sources button. There you can check all the sources you want to delete and delete them, or you can add new sources just by typing the source and click the big green “+” button.

Next , is probably the most important button in this software : Packages . Here you can search packages by category or you can use the search bar to search for a specific package. One thing that it’s abolutely a blessing is that you can check multiple packages and then install all of them at once. WICKEEEDD!!!!! When you click on a package on the right side, you will find all the info about the app just like in Cydia ( dev, category, homepage, description etc ).

Galaga

2009-05-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

Call me stoked when I was doing my not-often-enough browse through the App Store look for something to download on my iPhone, when I got nothing better to do, and I came across Galaga. Previously I had been impressed with the turnout of games like Pacman, for example, but I was never really a Pacman guy back in the day, but I was definitely a Galaga guy. So when I saw Galaga Remix, I was intrigued. I have to admit though I am a perennial cheapskate though, so the $5.99 price tag took me for a bit of a loop as I am never really sure how much interest such a game will hold for me. In other words, will I play it once and then never play it again?

So I filed it away as a cool blast from the past and something I might consider in the future and went back to my browsing. This is when I got to the free applications and found Galaga Remix Lite. Now the price was right for me. I realized it was probably a very limited reproduction but that is okay I just wanted a taste of the old days. So I downloaded the Lite version and started it up. First I chose the arrow controls over the slider controls, because it seemed to make more sense, although I was a little concerned about my abilities to play Galaga on the iPhone. So as it loaded up, automatically in landscape mode, I got ready. I was hit by the music first, then the very nice graphics and I was engrossed. I was able to clear the first two levels even though one of my dogs attacked me on the second screen. That being said, the game was over, and now I had to decide what to do.

As soon as I finish writing this, I will be forking out the $5.99 as Galaga is one of those games that never gets old. The only game that might capture me more is if someone made Tempest on the iPhone, although I am really not sure how that control would work.

Problem with Digg and iPhone

2009-05-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

I tried to submit a story via the iPhone earlier and ran into a few problems. The first problem is that there is no Cut and Paste on the iPhone, so when using the Submit a Story URL you have to type it all in. That is where the problem comes in. When I hit the backspace/delete button on the iPhone it erases the entire line including the “http://” that is pre-entered. Since I am still getting used to the keyboard, it was difficult for me not to make at least one mistake when entering a 60-70 character URL.

By the way the funny thing is the story I was submitting to Digg was something someone else had already submitted so I would have ended up canceling the submission anyways.

Blogging on an iPhone with Wordpress

2009-05-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

Since this is a blog and a blog about iPhone, it stands to reckon that I would eventually try to write a blog entry on my iPhone. I was not sure how it would go and how well the latest revision of Wordpress would work. So I was in a parking lot away from home dutifully on the EDGE network when I decided to give it a go.

It was easy enough to log in to Word Press and choose “Write Post”. The problem came, however when entering my post. My Wordpress defaults to the visual editor, which is great when using my computer, but I soon found out that with the iPhone, at least on the edge network. Apparently it is redrawning the entire text box with every key stroke. This makes sense as it is a WYSIWYG editor. The problem on the iPhone is after pretty much every keystroke the focus flies all over the page and makes it virtually impossible to type anything in.

Fortunately I did not struggle with it for too long and I was able to switch to the Code setting and was good to go right away. I did not have any fancy formating, images or anything else, so it maybe a bit more of a challenge if you want to do anything beyond basic text. There is always old-fashioned HTML in the Code window. If anyone figures out how to overcome the issue in the Visual editor on the EDGE network please let me know. Otherwise it is completely possible and relatively easy to blog from the iPhone.

Setting Up Mail on the iPhone

2009-05-21T20:19:00.002-07:00

One of my last hurdles to overcome in fully utilizing my iPhone was setting up e-mail. I have been essentially dreading it as my set up has me getting a lot of mail every day, with a significant portion of it being spam. I have essentially been relying on Thunderbird to deal with SPAM which is not the best solution. After mulling it over for a day or so, I came upon a solution.

I decided I would try to utilize Gmail as a Spam filter for my E-mail. Then I would either pick it up from Gmail or forward it back. My original plan was wanting to forward it back to the same address. This is doable, but I would to muck around with my mail on the server, and my main mail account is actually hosted on a shared server that I do not own, not on one of my own servers. I attempted some half-hearted hacks with Cpanel, but suffice it to say it did not work how I wanted it.

So while still trying to crack the nut of having Gmail sending mail back to the same account that was forwarding to it in the first place, I decided to try the Gmail setup on the iPhone directly. You have to use POP3 with Gmail and the iPhone. This is fine, but the problem for me was that it does not honor the changed “From” field when sending mail. So when I sent mail even though I wanted it to show coming from “me @ mydomain.com” it showed coming from “Mynick @ gmail.com”. This simply was not workable as it made my e-mails potentially confusing to recipients. I really needed a solution that would allow me to send out mail and have the from and reply-to line set to what I wanted, so it would appear to be coming from my original address.

I finally settled on using a second email account. I just set up a second account on my server and had Gmail forward the mail to that account.

So to explain how it works:

Mail comes to my server at “me @ mydomain.com”

My server automatically forwards all mail for “me @ mydomain.com” to “mynick @ gmail.com”

Gmail takes all that mail runs it through their very good spam filtering, and then forwards the remaining messages to “me-secondary @ mydomain.com” and then also archives the messages on Gmail.

I receive the messages at “me-secondary @ mydomain.com” with IMAP both through Thunderbird, and through my iPhone.

So far it has been working excellently. There is no filtering or ability to create new folders on the iPhone, so I have to do all that on Thunderbird, but it has not been a big deal so far. Gmail has been doing an amazing job filtering out the spam, leaving me with a reasonable inflow of mail that can be effectively used on the iPhone. I will ocassionally go to Thunderbird and run my mail filters, but I can access the same mail from both locations now.

The only thing I had to change on the iPhone was what some of my default boxes were. For Trash and Sent boxes, I had to choose the ones I was using on Thunderbird, to sync them up. When people get messages from me it shows as coming from my original address and replies get sent back to the same address.

iPhone WiFi on the Move

2009-05-21T20:19:00.001-07:00

In case it has not been specifically said, one of my favorite features of the iPhone is its WiFi capabilities. So when I struggled with getting WiFi to work initially, I was bummed. You can read about what I did to fix it here. Regardless, now we move on and really start to see how WiFi is going to work with the iPhone. So Sunday morning I was going out to breakfast, and WiFi hits were popping up all over the neighborhood. I could see all the local routers. I even tried to attach to one unsecured network to see what would happen, but I got out of range too quickly.

Then today I was in the center of nearby McDonalds that offers WiFi, and noticed a pop-up for their network. I connected up, and in a few seconds I was browsing on their WiFi network. The great thing about this, though, is the iPhone remembers these things, so anytime I am in range of this WiFi in the future it will automatically switch over and use it. So anywhere you go where you can tap into a WiFi (that you are authorized to use), I recommend setting it up. Then in the future, even if you are not thinking about it, you can get all the benefits and speed from going through the WiFi network.

I am really pretty excited about this. I know a lot of people like to take about EV-DO and 3G and the rest, but honestly, the future of mobile communications is not going to be tied to cellular networks. It is going to be WiFi Maxi WiFi, Broadband WiFi and the rest.

iPhone Battery

2009-05-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of discussion as it relates to the iPhone battery. I was not paying much attention to it the first few days, but once I buckled down I discovered a few things. For one it is not entirely clear how you get the gauge to actually start working on the settings screen. I did it by using only the wall charger. My experience tells me the USB charger is significantly slower then the included wall charger.

So once I got a full charge and got my timer reset I decided to see what kind of results I got. At first I kept it off for a day, but the battery was still at 50% so I kept it off a charge for 2 days.

The results:

~5% battery life remaining

Usage 5 hours 17 minutes

Standy 1 day 12 hours

So over those two days the phone was on or in standby the entire time. WiFi was never toggled off as I use it a lot and had no interest in turning it off. Most of my usage was e-mail, browsing, and some of the widgets. Did not use the iPod at all. On the second day I used it much less than the first day, as I only had a little over an hour of usage during day 2.

I don’t know if this match up with the specs as it is hard to mix and match usage, but I was not disappointed with the amount of time I got out of the device over nearly 42 hours. That is how long with my normal usage, WiFi always on, never turning it off, that it took to get the battery down to about 5%. As for the percentage, personally I am quoting a number based on a visual guestimation. If there is an actual way to see the % of battery life left I would love to know what it is.

Finally, I think it might take a couple full charge ups before the battery is workingup to specs. The first day or two it seemed my battery ran down quickly, but after I got a few good charges into it, it seems to be lasting longer. Based on some of the complaints I have seen from others, this seems entirely possible.

iPhone Battery Tips

2009-05-21T20:15:00.002-07:00

Well I wrote a little blurb about my battery life this morning here. Then I came across this tip on MacRumors here. Essentially it advises you shut down your applications when not using them. The way to do this is to simply hold the HOME button down for 8 seconds or so while you are in the application you want to close.

For me personally I enjoy being able to flip back and forth between open applications. But to save battery life it does make sense to close down those you are not using. So if they do change this in the future, hopefully they make it an option. So if you are finding your battery draining faster than you would like and you have application that are open in the background that you are not using go ahead and close them down.

iPhone Scrolling - Use Two Fingers

2009-05-21T20:15:00.001-07:00

I came across something I did not know and it would have helped me this weekend. When on the road, I wrote a blog post, but could not place it in the correct category in Wordpress, because the selection of categories is a scroll box. So yesterday when I started using BeeJive IM, I noticed you could use two fingers to scroll the chat box. So today I decided to do a quick test in Wordpress and yes indeed, you can scroll any box with two fingers. Simply place both fingers in the scrollable area and slide them up or down to scroll.

I do not know if everyone knew this, but I certainly did not, and that is what I get for not reading the instruction manual for the iPhone.

iPhone Keyboard Demo - All Thumbs!

2009-05-21T20:14:00.001-07:00

Apple has released a demo of their touchscreen keyboard here. Personally I am very interested to see it. I know people who have long double-thumbed it on regular keyboards want to believe there is no way it can be faster, or without tactile feedback as useful, but the demo does point to some interesting tools it uses to help the overall experience.

It is interesting to see someone typing away at lightning speed with both thumbs at the end of the demo. Personally I will wait and see for myself, but considering all the benfefits the device is able to have because it does not have a hardware keyboard, anything that gets this “soft” keyboard in the ballpark will make it more than a worthwhile trade-off.

Media Using Old Pictures of iPhone

2009-05-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

It was interesting to see on the front page of my local paper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Business Section a big article and picture of the iPhone. A few things caught me right away about the picture though. First of all it only had eleven icons, it was missing the recently revealed YouTube icon, and it also said “Cingular” in the upper-left hand corner, not AT&T. Since both these items have been changed for at least a while now it seems they could have gotten updated images. Doing a quick Google search though, I find many other news sources have been using this older picture to show with recent articles.

I don’t see any straight on images of the iPhone with the updated changes on the Apple site, but I suspect media outlets do have access to newer images from Apple’s PR department, just call it a guess. So why are these media types using old pictures? Probably the same reason why they are going to the same industry pundits and analysts who tend to provide commentary and opinions based on nothing more then conjecture. With the internal headline of “Limitations May Hinder Sales of iPhone” I get to read through a litnany of fancy titles who act like they have actually used the device or have something useful to contribute about it, yet in actuality all I get is a lot of hot air and in some cases bad information.

I boil it down to lazy reporting. They are too lazy to get new images, and they are too lazy to actually do any work for a story, so they e-mail a handful of the same people they always e-mail, put it together and write a story. I probably put my effort into this blog entry then David Wethe put into his Business Page article on the iPhone in the Star-Telegram. You can ask him yourself if you like. Dwethe@star-telegram.com

WiFi, Edge, 3G and the iPhone

2009-05-21T20:12:00.002-07:00

I want to get into this issue right now, because a lot of people bashing the iPhone without using it are basing their claims on the speed of the AT&T Edge network. First of all we need to understand that the Edge network is the largest wireless data network in the United States. We also need to understand that it has been undergoing a pretty significant upgrade. We also need to realize that under ideal conditions 3G is not many times faster than Edge, it is a couple of times faster.

All that is irrelevant though, when you factor in how most people will use the iPhone and where they will use the iPhone and in reality the average data thoroughput for the average user will be much higher than any other comparable smartphone. That is Wifi. I don’t know where some of these critics and analysts live, but where I live I have Wifi. So Wifi will always be the order of the day at my house. Now I work at home so that also covers me there. Regardless, I suspect a lot of people will have Wifi access at or near their work. Add in all the other Wifi hotspots that exist, and in some cities where total Wifi is free everywhere, and you have to understand Wifi is the future of portable device communications, not cellular broadband networks. Apple is embracing the future with this, and it will only help to increase the availability of Wifi.

So while those of you who are pining away for 3G and your miniscule battery life, I will be zooming around on Wifi, and for those times when I am in transient or out of a Wifi area, I will use the slightly slower Edge network and not have any problems with it.

MMS and IM on the iPhone

2009-05-21T20:12:00.001-07:00

So far we know that neither of these will be a part of the iPhone, as of right now. However, in the internal AT&T documents, I mentioned it specifically says that MMS and Instant Messages are included in the data plan. This may be a good sign that with a software upgrade these will eventually be available to iPhone users. I do not care that much about MMS, but I would really love to use Instant Messaging on the iPhone over text messaging. I am not really interested in using any of the web-based hacks either. I want a real time IM client that I can use.

Update: Some people have correctly intepreted the clause to be applicable to other phones that might have the iPhone SIM card placed in them. So it is not directly talking about those features for the iPhone but instead that phones that supported those features would have them included in the iPhone Data Plan if you swapped out SIM cards.

I can still hold out hope for a native Instant Messenging Client.

Network Tools?

2009-05-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

Is there a good suite of network monitoring tools out for the iPhone? I want to be able to punch in my websites and have them saved, then when I run the application it will just go through them all and check all the services I want to see if it is available. Then as long as I keep it open it will keep polling on some interval I can set myself.

Along with that basic ping, nslookup and other network tools would be great. I went looking for this in the App Store and I could find nothing close. If someone wants to go to the next level, when Apple introduces the push service, set up a monitoring service that will push alerts to my phone. I would pay a good monthly fee for this as long as I could monitor all my sites/servers.

If anyone has any recommendations let me know. I will be more than happy to check out any apps tht might work and give them a review.

iPhone Wifi Tips

2009-05-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

Since WIFI was one of the biggest features for me, it was frustrating that the first 15 hours I owned the iPhone I could not get Wifi working. I figured a few things out on my own, and also got some great advice from others. I am compiling those here for others who might have trouble with their home WIFI.

1) WEP Password. If you are using WEP encryption on your network, you have two choices, WEP Password, or WEP hex or ASCII. Notice the little bar at the top that says “WEP Password” with an arrow next to it. If you are entering the Hexadecimal code for your WEP network, you need to toggle it to “WEP Hex or ASCII”.

2) WEP Hexadecimal Password part 2. Another problem I had, even with the above toggle was it still would not take my code. If you are still having this problem, preface your code with a “$” so you might enter: “$D0EBDEED2101555CF5123AEB56A” This worked for me.

3) WIFI Still Not Working? This was me. My WIFI was still not working. My phone would only use the EDGE network. Fortunately Mav over on EverythingIphone.com was able to create a list of steps that got me working. Very much appreciated Mav.

A) Remove yourself from your Network. Go into your network and select “Forget This Network.”

B) Turn WIFI Off. From them Settings Menu for WIFI, you need to toggle the Blue On Button to the Grey Off Position.

C) Reset/Reboot your Wireless Router. Wait for your Router to fully reboot.

D) Turn WIFI back on, on your iPhone.

E) Re-Connect to your WIFI Network. Re-enter your encryption information as needed.

I have been forced to use the EDGE network since I had the phone, and it is not horribly slow, but it was very nice to finally get the phone sailing on my WIFI and using my DSL connection. Very well done. In all honesty all of those above steps should not be necessary so hopefully there is a bug that affects some people that is preventing the devices from properly communicating without a full reset. My 2Wire router has been unbelievably reliable, and I throw all kinds of devices at it, and have never had to reboot it to get one to connect. Regardless, I was able to get it working. Again thanks to all those who provided the tips, suggestions etc. If anyone has any more wifi related tips let me know and I can add them to the list.

Elvis lives on your iPhone!

2009-05-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

A free Elvis application [iTunes link] is now available for iPhone owners. Elvis Presley Enterprises announced it was releasing an iPhone app which allow fans to view newly released pictures and videos, listen to podcasts from Elvis Radio and live images from a camera at his longtime Memphis, Tennessee, residence, Graceland.

According to Scott Williams, vice president of marketing for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Elvis always believed in embracing new technology. “This new Elvis Mobile application is another unique way to continue Elvis’ legacy.”

“Elvis would have been the first person to buy an iPhone and an iPod,” said Chris Przybyszewski, CEO of Resolute Games & Apps, the Memphis company that created the Elvis iPhone app. “He would have loved the portability and would have been one of the biggest iPhone users ever.”

Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer, actor, musician, cultural icon, and sometimes referred to as “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” or “The King”.

GyPSii arrives on the iPhone

2009-05-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

The location-aware, mobile social network application GyPSii has launched its free iPhone application [iTunes link] today. It allows users to create and share “geotagged” content in real time with friends.

GyPSii delivers an all-in-one mobile social networking experience. It allows people to instantly capture and share what they are actually doing, building a multi-media virtual diary on their world – the places they have been and the things that they have done.

GyPSii users can automatically update their status across other social networks such as Twitter and Facebook via the GyPSii Connect service.

The launch of our iPhone app, according to Shane Lennon, SVP Product Management and Marketing at GyPSii, also marks the launch of the company’s next generation of user experience (UX).

The GyPSii iPhone application is currently available in English and Chinese.

Credit Card Transactions on your iPhone with iSwipe

2009-05-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever gone into the Apple Store (who hasn’t?), you’ve seen that many of the employees have mobile checkout capability. Using a Windows Mobile based system, the Apple Store employee can charge your credit card and even email the receipt to you. I surmised that Apple has been forced to use the Windows Mobile based system because at the time they didn’t have a portable device to do the transactions. With the iPhone / iPod Touch, those days may be over. Enter iSwipe Credit Card Terminal iSwipe Credit Card Terminal
AppNinja’s iSwipe for iPhone may just be a glimpse into Apple Store retail future. iSwipe allows anyone with a Authorize.net, Cybersource or PayPal Pro account charge credit cards directly on the iPhone. iSwipe acts as a gateway to these accounts featuring best-of-class encryption and an easy way to charge credit cards on the go.

My wife and I have a side business that frequently does trade shows and conventions. When I first heard about iSwipe, it seemed like the perfect candidate to test out just how easy it would be to accept credit cards on our iPhone. In the past, we’ve used PayPal’s virtual terminal and borrowed a friends Sprint PCS mobile card to get internet access at our shows. We processed the credit cards on my MacBook and while it’s a fairly easy set up, we couldn’t justify the purchase of the WiFi card just for the small amount of shows we do. iSwipe is the perfect solution as it uses 3G to transmit the encrypted data to the gateway of your choice.

AppNinja’s just released iSwipe 1.2 which fixed a lot of shortcomings of the original version. For instance, in the previous version, you had to enter all of your account credentials by hand into your iPhone which was a royal pain! Some of the credentials from our PayPal account looked like a bazillion characters. Chances of getting them keyed in correctly on iPhones virtual keyboard were iffy. The new version 1.2 allows you to easily copy and paste your credentials into a secured web browser form. It then actually sends the info via a secure key to the iSwipe app on your iPhone. Very simple! Once activated, iSwipe sprung to life and I charged myself $.10 to make sure that it worked and it did!

I had a lot of questions for the developer and he was always very nice and answered all of my questions I had about setting things up on iSwipe. AppNinja’s also has a very good support forum on GetSatisfaction. This is a great place to start if you’d like to get any of your questions about the application answered before purchasing.

We used iSwipe this past weekend to process a few credit cards and it worked flawlessly. Version 1.2 was supposed to allow PayPal Pro users turn off the need to enter a customers address information but it was mistakenly left out. That feature will be available soon in the next version. Other than the pain of entering the address information in, I wish that iSwipe had some form of visual communication while it’s processing the credit card. Some kind of status screen or meter would be good as there were some instances where I got scared that the app had crashed, only to see a second later that the credit card had been processed.

Unfortunately, iSwipe Credit Card Terminal iSwipe Credit Card Terminal was on sale LAST week so it’s back at it’s original price of $29.99. It’s well worth the cost though as it’s a very easy to use credit card terminal app. While I could just as easily use PayPal’s virtual terminal on my iPhone, the hassle of logging in then waiting for the virtual terminal to load in Mobile Safari is time that I don’t want my customer to wait through. iSwipe is fast and instantly logs into my PayPal Pro account so I can instantly do credit card transactions. More info about iSwipe is available at AppNinjas website.

Next Gen iPhone Details…

2009-05-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

From what seems to be a questionable post from a forum poster at a Chinese site, it seems that the 3rd generation iPhone may be a small upgrade. So far, the features unveiled are:

* 600 Mhz CPU
* 256 Mb Ram
* Digital Compass & FM tuner
* 3.2 MP Camera w/autofocus
* 32 GB Flash Storage
* No changes to physical size/casing

I’m not sure how much of this to believe as a few things make me doubt it’s validity…however I could be wrong and this feature list could be entirely right. One of the things that doesn’t sit well with me is the fact that it has a digital tuner and an autofocusing camera. Maybe not so much the fact that it has an autofocusing camera but Apple has NEVER included an FM tuner in ANY of it’s iPod products…oh well, we’ll see who’s right in the next few months. Who knows, maybe i’m wrong…it has happened before.

Kindle for iPhone 1.1 released

2009-05-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Amazon updated its free Kindle app for the iPhone, adding features that many people been waiting for. The version 1.1 features include the ability to pinch to zoom in on images in Kindle books, to read in either portrait or landscape mode with auto-rotation and added a couple of new choices of text color.

Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch is available for free from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. You can shop for hundreds of thousands of books, and wirelessly transfer them to your iPhone and iPod Touch.

New iPhone could go on sale July 17

2009-05-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah, never ending rumors on new iPhone. According to AppleiPhoneApps.com, the new Apple’s device is rumored to go on sale July 17. The site also predicts that the $199 and $299 price tags will remain.
Through its very own Deep Throat–aka a source who is “closely connected to Apple’s hardware development team”–the Web site posted some details on just what the third-generation iPhone will offer. What’s more, it names Friday, July 17, as the release date.

We can’t verify anything right now, but some of the predictions make more sense than others. A July 17 release date is very plausible. Both the iPhone Classic and the iPhone 3G went on sale on Fridays (June 29, 2007, and July 11, 2008, respectively). Apple likes to respect tradition.

iPhones not used for work?

2009-05-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

The NYTimes' Jenna Wortham is reporting that an as-yet unreleased Compete study proves that iPhone users don't use their devices for work. Well, that's not what the study really says. But the title of the story is an eye-grabbing: "Apple iPhone Owners Don’t Use It For Work"

This is based on the statistics:

"73 percent of iPhone owners used their mobile devices primarily for personal reasons, such as entertainment. By comparison, 59 percent of owners with other types of smartphones — from manufacturers like HTC, Research in Motion and Nokia — primarily used their devices for business and work-related needs."

Even if you use your iPhone as your sole work communications device, you probably also use it more for personal reasons. It does have a video iPod built-in and access to thousands of games, camera and location-based utilities for personal use. For those 27% who use the iPhone primarily for work, you are missing out!

Do you use your car primarily for work?

Multiple account support in new iPhone 3.0B4?

2009-05-20T04:37:00.000-07:00

The Apple Blog has the goods. Basically, now you can have more than one account on your Touch device. We're not sure how often this would come up or why someone would need multiple accounts (work/play?) but apparantly now you can switch between the two on the iPhone.

Blackberry has strong quarter vs. Palm and iPhone

2009-05-20T03:16:00.000-07:00

Like it or not, the Blackberry did have a strong quarter according to NPD. The Blackberry comes in more varieties, often much cheaper than the iPhone and it is available on every wireless network - including what many percieve to be the best in the US, Verizon. Apple is, so far, sticking to just AT&T.

An aggressive “buy-one-get-one” promotion by Verizon Wireless helped Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Curve move past Apple’s iPhone to become the best-selling consumer smartphone in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2009. RIM’s consumer smartphone market share increased 15 percent to nearly 50 percent of the smartphone market in the first quarter versus the prior quarter, as Cupertino-based Apple Inc.’s and Sunnyvale-based Palm Inc.’s share both declined 10 percent each.

NPD Group Inc. said that the top five best-selling smartphones in the quarter were:
1) BlackBerry Curve
2) Apple's iPhone 3G (all models)
3) BlackBerry Storm
4) BlackBerry Pearl (all models except flip)
5) T-Mobile G1

“Verizon Wireless’s aggressive marketing of the BlackBerry Storm and its buy-one-get-one BlackBerry promotion to its large customer base contributed to RIM capturing three of the top five positions,” said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at The NPD Group. “The more familiar, and less expensive, Curve benefited from these giveaways and was able to leapfrog the iPhone, due to its broader availability on the four major U.S. national carriers.”

Smartphones, which represented just 17 percent of handset sales volume in the first quarter of 2008, now make up 23 percent of sales. “Even in this challenging economy, consumers are migrating toward Web-capable handsets and t1eir supporting data plans to access more information and entertainment on the go.” Rubin said.

New iPhone specs leaked?

2009-05-20T02:14:00.000-07:00

AppleiPhoneApps.com (unknown until now by us) says it has the latest iPhone specs. They've put out a lot of what we've already heard but also have some new "info". We've bolded what we consider new stuff. Here's their list:

* 32GB and 16GB to replace current capacities
* $199 and $299 price-points to be maintained
* 3.2 Megapixel camera
* Video recording & editing capabilities
* Ability to send a picture & video via MMS
* Discontinuation of the metal band surrounding the edge of the device
* OLED screen
* 1.5X The battery life
* Double the RAM and processing power
* Built-in FM transmitter
* Apple logo on the back to light up
* Rubber-tread backing
* Sleeker design
* Built-in compass
* Revolutionary combination of the camera, GPS, compass, and Google maps to identify photo and inform about photo locations.
* Turn by turn directions
* July 17th, 2009 release date

If there is a lighting Apple logo on the back, it will be powered by the screen light, just like MacBooks. There is no way Apple will use extra juice to illuminate a logo, when battery power is so important in mobile devices. The rubber tread backing also seems hard to imagine.

We're split on the FM transmitter. It is a very cool and useful feature, but one Apple hasn't been keen on using up until this point.