All About Iphone

What is perhaps the easiest-to-use computer-to-iPhone file transfer tool has debuted. File Magic, a new Mac or PC and iPhone tandem application purportedly requires only three steps:

1. Launch File Magic on the desktop and the handheld. The handheld application will ask you to allow the connection.
2. Drag and drop any file into the File Magic desktop and it will be transferred over Wi-Fi to the device. You will see the progress of the transfer on both the desktop and handheld applications.
3. Tap the folder, then the file you wish to view on the handheld.


The application is available for both Mac OS X and WIndows XP or Vista.
Supported filetypes, including the following, can be opened on the iPhone once transferred:

* .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word)
* .htm and .html (web pages)
* .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat)
* .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint)
* .txt (text)
* .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)
* various music, video and image formats

The application set requires iPhone OS 2.1 or later.

File Magic for the iPhone or iPod Touch is a $5 download from the App Store. The desktop application is free.

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Following the release of HP's iPrint Photo application, which allows printing from the iPhone to capable HP printers, River Past Corporation has released another wireless printing application with one key advantage: the ability to direct output to printers from any manufacturer.

The new iPhone app, dubbed Air Photo, requires a server to be installed on a host Windows or Mac OS X system. That means it's not a direct-to-device solution like HP's offering. The software's description reads:

"Set up the printer only once on your computer, then simply tap "Print" with Air Photo app on iPhone."

The app includes settings on the server for cropping/white space control, persistent printer settings and automatic portrait/landscape adjustment.

Air Photo is priced at $1 for a limited time.

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Internet phone company Jajah can turn the iPod Touch into an iPhone. (Download from CNET Download.com.)

The company, which competes with other low-cost Internet calling applications such as Skype, announced Thursday a new application that will allow Touch users to call and text messages using a voice over IP network instead of a carrier's cellular network.

All that is needed to start making calls is the Jajah application, the latest version of the iPod Touch, a microphone headset, and a Wi-Fi connection. While the Jajah service can reduce calling costs up to 98 percent, the fact that it must be connected via a Wi-Fi network limits where it can be used. For this reason, it's unlikely that the Jajah-enabled Touch would really steal business away from the iPhone, which is a full-fledged mobile phone that operates over a traditional cellular network.

Jajah plans to sell the application as a "white label" service. This means that it will license the application to wireless operators and non-wireless operators who offer it under their own brand instead of a standalone Jajah application. It's unlikely the service will be offered for free. Instead, service providers might offer the application for $10 a month.

The application could be very useful for iPhone users too, especially those wanting to make low-cost international calls from their iPhones. But it's not clear yet whether Apple would allow the application on its App Store, since it essentially bypasses the carrier network. Skype, which also provides free and cheap Internet calling, is not available on the App Store. That said, iPhone users can access Skype functions and users through other applications such as Fring and Truphone.

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For Senior Editors Bonnie Cha and Kent German, Future Apps' new language program for the iPhone and iPod Touch may be just the thing to get them around Barcelona next week as they attend the GSMA Mobile World Congress in that famed Spanish city.

iSpeak is a set of translation apps that can convert words and sentences from English to another language, or vice versa. You type your phrase into the app, which quickly translates your text. If you're not sure how to pronounce the phrase, pressing a button triggers the app to speak the words aloud. iSpeak got our basic Spanish-to-English and English-to-Spanish test phrases pretty closely, though it didn't manage to pronounce the read-out as Catalonians would (though, to be fair, Catalan is not the same language as Spanish).

We wish we could speak phrases into the app rather than type them, because that would save time as well as joint use. Of course, voice recognition is a different technology, and one that adds layers of complexity if multiple dialects are involved. Still, as long as we're drawing up a wish list, voice input is at the top.

The application's extra features are modest, and include two sliders to control the volume and speed of the voice that utters your translation. You'll also be able to save a translation or e-mail a particularly useful one to a friend. iSpeak stores a list of the translations you saved, and can helpfully switch the direction of translation, from Polish to English and back again, for instance, by pressing a toggle button.

iSpeak costs $2 for each of its separate nine translators of Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, and Swedish. The heavy focus on European languages is likely attributed to Acapela Group, which is a European voice company that provided the "speak" element of the iSpeak app. Acapela says in a press release that new languages are part of the company's plan.

Here's another item for our iSpeak wish list: an all-in-one version of the translation app that lets frequent international travelers translate from English to any language in iSpeak's greater lexicon, not just from English to one other language. The next step after that, of course, is to let non-English travelers translate among iSpeak's language directories, for example translating from French to Swedish. For now, though, iSpeak for iPhone is a good, basic translator that can also coach you in how to pronounce words and phrases. For a more intensive travel language guide that also includes voice playback, try these other travel apps.

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More than two years after the original iPhone's announcement, and the lack of MMS (multimedia messaging) support still constitutes the most lamented feature deart--aside from, perhaps, copy and paste--on the device. An application for full-blown MMS exchange is available for jailbroken phones, and many users have resorted to emailing messages, but most users still pine for a native MMS application that would allow sending and receiving of images to and from other capable phones.

Two fairly new applications in the App Store, offer semi-solutions.

Fetch MMS allows users to send MMS to cell phone numbers, receive replies to MMS via email, and choose images from the Photo Album or Camera. The developer states;

"Our server then detects the wireless network that the chosen number is on and converts the image to a multimedia message for delivery to the recipient's device. Recipient will receive the message as a normal multimedia message."

Missing, of course, is the ability to receive MMS messages directly at your iPhone's number. That's where the second app (kind of) swoops in for the save.

Fetch My MMS accesses accesses messages from ViewMyMessage.com, which, as you would know if anyone has ever sent you thwarted MMS, is where multimedia messages go if they are sent directly to your iPhone, necessitating an irritating (even more so because of the lack of copy and paste) trip to the site, at which you must enter a lengthy code to access the image.
Fetch My MMS works by extracting the irritating code out of the viewmymessage.com SMS message and automatically entering it on the site.

Until a real MMS application is developed by Apple, or the company decides to stop barring such applications from the App Store, these kludgy workarounds are your best bets.

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Tired of fumbling around the iPhone's onscreen keyboard to send a text message? Soon you can skip that altogether, as long as you can speak English properly.
This is thanks to a new iPhone application that Promptu, a talk-and-type mobile phone application developer, introduced Monday called ShoutOUT. The application is going to be the first voice-to-SMS application for iPhone users in the United States.

The application lets you dictate text messages instead of typing on the iPhone's touch-screen keypad. It also allows for checking the transcribed messages for errors and make corrections if necessary before sending them out to the intended recipients.

This seems an overdue application for iPhone, considering the ubiquity in the usage of text messaging. According to Gartner Group, by 2010 the total number of sent text messages will reach 2.3 trillion.

I wonder if this app also means you can send text messages while driving in California, where since Januray 1, texting and reading text messages while driving has been banned. It's not that I think people should text behind the wheel, just that if speaking on the phone via a hand-free device is allowed, sending text without using your hands should be, too.

ShoutOUT will soon be available at Apple's App Store. For now it's unclear how much it will cost. A non-English version of the application will also be available to European users.

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Updated on March 28 at 12 p.m. PDT: The developers of Star Guitar explained to me that the latency between chord changes is intentional--it's meant to change on the first beat of the next measure. If you want to change it immediately, you can simply double-tap. Also, Star Guitar also records .WAV files--they're hidden at the bottom of the library list, below all the .pattern files that represent the built-in rhythms (you can edit them or create new ones on your computer). Finally, they asked me to link to the demo video on YouTube, so here it is.

I've been playing around with a new iPhone app, Star Guitar, for the last day or so, and it's a sophisticated piece of work that could help beginning guitar players learn how chords fit together into songs, as well as give more experienced songwriters a quick way to record their ideas when they don't have a guitar handy.

Released last week by Amidio, the creators of the Noise.io Pro synthesizer application for the iPhone, Star Guitar is based around a calculator-like interface that lets you choose from 144 chords.

The designers had to be very clever to fit that many chords on a single screen--essentially, you start by picking one of the seven natural-tone letters (A through G), then adding various modifications (flat or sharp, seventh, major, and suspended fourth). You might have to consult the help screen to figure out exactly which combination of buttons will create a particular chord--for example, a G6 is created by hitting "G" and "major"--but for the most part, if you know your chords, it's fairly intuitive.

If you don't know your chords, it's a fantastic way to learn what all these cryptically named chords sound like. I've played for years, but still have to think for a few seconds before I could hum you the notes in a suspended fourth. With Star Guitar, I can just play it.

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On Monday we noted in a First Look video that the Yahoo Messenger feature in the new Yahoo Mobile chat application for iPhone wasn't as strong as we'd like. On Tuesday, Yahoo released a distinct Yahoo Messenger for iPhone application that's free through the iTunes App Store, and tailor-made for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Yahoo Messenger for iPhone has many of the same core chatting features you'll find on Yahoo Messenger for the desktop: sending IM and SMS messages, support for emoticons, status updates, adding new contacts, and photo sharing (either an image from the camera roll or a new picture taken from within the application itself).

Yahoo Messenger for iPhone looks clean and crisp, and has a similar feel to the desktop chat experience. It delivers notifications of new incoming chats while you're in a different conversation window, as well as alerting you on a dedicated messaging screen. We like that when a new message arrives, you hear the familiar Yahoo ping, and that the app buzzes to get your attention when the screen goes dark; however, we don't see a way to turn that off in the Settings menu.

Unlike the Yahoo Messenger built into Yahoo Mobile, this standalone version incorporates the iPhone's spell check. While mostly good for fat-fingered typos, the spell check feature is less convenient when you realize the words "hee hee" have been translated as "her her." We had some explaining to do.

While the application won't be able to run in the background on the iPhone, it will keep you signed in, but idle, for 10 minutes while you're off playing with other apps. After 10 minutes is up, you'll need to log in anew to continue chatting. As a side note, Yahoo Messenger on the iPhone will log you off your desktop Messenger.

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Mediamote is a free app that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a remote control for Windows Media Center.

That's awesome news for anyone who runs WMC on, say, a laptop or den PC, and wants a way to control it from the couch. Mediamote sets up a simple ad-hoc Wi-Fi network between Windows and the iPhone.

I'm not sure I've ever seen an App Store listing with less information than the one for Mediamote, which is something of a problem: there's no indication that you need to visit the developer's Web site and install the Mediamote server on your PC.

With that step done, run the server and then fire up the Mediamote app on your iPhone. It should immediately find the server and get you connected. Now just start Windows Media Center and you should be all set.

Mediamote isn't much to look at--if ever a program needed skins, it's this one--but it gets the job done. It sports all the controls you need to operate WMC, with dedicated buttons for Recorded TV, Guide, Live TV, and DVD Menu. (Here's a complete button guide if you need help.)

Ironically, the one thing missing is WMC's signature big, green Start button. But at least there's a pop-up numeric keypad for punching in channel numbers.

In my initial tests, Mediamote worked like a charm, with zero lag between button-taps and the corresponding action on the PC. And guess what? There's a nifty hidden feature: shake your iPhone and you can choose two other apps to control: iTunes and Windows Media Player 11. (Needless to say, Apple's own Remote app handles the former much better.)

Although Mediamote definitely comes across as a 1.0 release (actually, more like 0.9), it works as advertised. It's a very handy little freebie for those seeking some distance from Windows Media Center.

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I've heard people say that two-thirds of Americans are not good at math and the other half just don't care. I totally agree, and we need to do something about this.

Apparently, the folks at LeapFrog think so, too. The company on Monday released its new game for the iPhone and iPod Touch called "Number Rumble" (hands-on review.)

This is the first in LeapFrog's planned series of learning games. Taking advantage of the multitouch technology, the application lets children spin and tap the devices to increase their math skills.

With the Number Rumble game, they can practice simple math skills in addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division by themselves or they can challenge friends. The game helps them memorize math basics through three modes of play:

* Learn It mode lets the player spin the number wheels to create a math problem, then tap the equals sign to see and hear the answer.
* Quiz Time mode lets the player use their skills by choosing the problem type and spin the wheel to get a random quiz. Then they can shake the phone to select an answer.
* Random Quiz mode lets the player practice all four operations at once. For example, they can shake the iPhone to a fill-in-the-blank style questions, such as "13 + 7 = ?" or "? ÷ 2 = 11." and so on.

Unfortunately, LeapFrog is not all about education, as it charges $2.99 for the application at Apple's App Store, which is rather expensive for a simple game. But at least as far as math is concerned, that's less that $3.

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Quickoffice, the maker of office productivity software for Symbian and BlackBerry handsets, has released its first suite for the iPhone.

Quickoffice for iPhone, which was released Monday, allows full editing of Microsoft Office documents and spreadsheets, and incorporates cut-and-paste functionality--a feature that will not be natively supported by the iPhone until the summer.

File-sharing and content-management capabilities are also built into Quickoffice for iPhone. Aside from allowing editing of Office documents, the suite also supports the viewing of iWorks and PDF format files.

The new suite also incorporates access to MobileMe iDisk accounts. However, that functionality was already enabled in Quickoffice's free MobileFiles application, which was released in November. Quickoffice for iPhone can be downloaded from iTunes for $19.99.

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On April 14 Apple released iPhone OS 3.0 beta 3 build 7A280f to developers. You know the drill! With each update comes a new jailbreak. Even though iPhone OS 3.0 is still in beta, developers still want to keep the jailbreak. Especially developers that develop for the jailbroken app store. As of this post, QuickPWN 3.0 Beta 3 has been released! Remember, this is an “unofficial release” as it is not created by the iPhone Dev Team. The latest iPhone 3.0 beta 3 firmware has noticeably improved in speed and performance so it’s worth the update. As of right now you can only jailbreak on the iPhone 3.0 Beta 3, iPhone 3G 3.0 beta 3, and iPod Touch 1st Gen 3.0 beta 3 firmware. Support for iPod Touch 2nd gen has not been added. Saurik is working on adding support for Cydia on iPhone OS 3.0 so it won’t work yet. Jailbreaking with this QuickPWN release will install the Icy app created by RipDev. Once you’ve jailbroken you can launch Icy, refresh the sources and install OpenSSH to SSH into it. If you need any help please join the iPhone OS 3.0 discussion board and you can get help there. The download is available only for Windows users.

Warning for iPhone 3G - yellowsn0w users: This will permanently block the yellowsn0w unlock
Download QuickPWN 3.0 Beta 3

Note: This is BETA software, and many jailbroken apps don’t work with it yet. Continue discussion in the iPhone OS 3.0 forum.
Follow @QuickPWN on Twitter to catch the latest.

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No matter how long your iPhone or iPod's battery life is, it's never long enough. (In the case of the iPhone 3G, it's not even long to begin with). So, it's natural that you'd want to get a juice pack, which will provide extended battery power that can double or even triple the amount of time you can use your device between charges.
Most juice packs work with only a particular model of a device. The Juice Pack Air from Mophie, for example, works only with the iPhone 3G.

This doesn't present a problem if you only have the iPhone 3G. But if you also have an iPod Nano, you may get frustrated with its inflexibility. This is when you want something like the iPWR SuperPack from Wireless Input, the first juice pack I've seen that works with most of Apple's handheld devices, including the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, the iPod Touch (first and second generations), the iPod Video, the iPod Nano (third and fourth generations), and the iPod Classic. It's also one of the most affordable devices for extended battery life, costing less than $60.

Other than that, the iPWR SuperPack is equipped with an 1,800mAh battery to double the iPhone 3G's battery life. As the iPhone 3G is the biggest battery drainer on the list of supported devices, the SuperPack will likely increase use time even more for others, such as the iPod Nano.

The iPWR SuperPack does have a few easily noticeable shortcomings, however. For example, when connected to a device, it can't be charged, and you can't sync the device with a computer at the same time. It also doesn't have a battery gauge to show how much juice it has left.

Check back at CNET soon for a full review of the product. In the meantime, enjoy a quick slide show.

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According to Apple's release notes, iPhone OS 2.1 delivers "significantly better battery life for most users." "Most" appears to be the operative word in that sentence, as a number of users are reporting seriously degraded battery life after the update.

One iPhone Atlas reader, Jerry Flaby, writes:

"Since updating to 2.1 I have seen a dramatic decrease in battery life. I can make it about half a day with moderate use as opposed to a day and a half before the update. My usage meter continues to grow when I am not using the phone. I have tried soft reboot, hard reboot, restore from backup, and reseting all settings. None worked!! Some people have narrowed this down to a push issue with both MobileMe and Exchange. I personally have used push with exchange with no problems, until now. I have turned off push and will see if it helps. This is by far the worst problem I have had with this phone. It makes text lag and reception issues look like a joke in comparison. Also, I cannot get a fix with GPS while 3G enabled. Works fine with 3G disabled."


Flaby's sentiment is echoed across Apple's Discussion boards.

Among the workarounds and fixes that have proven at least semi-successful with regard to boosting battery life under iPhone OS 2.1 so far:

Drain the battery completely Use your iPhone until the battery dies completely (indicated by a battery icon appearing on the screen when the sleep/wake button is pressed), then fully recharge the device. It appears that the full discharge may reset circuitry that prevents a full charge from occurring, despite iconic indication of a full charge.

Turn off location services It appears that the Maps application and some third-party applications that use GPS functionality fail to power down the necessary hardware components when they are no longer in use. Navigate to Settings > General > Location Services and turn these services off when you are not using Maps or another location-enabled app.

Turn off Push then restart The iPhone 3G?s Push functionality for Exchange and Mobile Me accounts can destroy battery life. Turn this option off in "Settings" then restart your iPhone by powering it off then on.

Restore the iPhone with original settings Launch iTunes and select the second option in the "Version" section on the Summary page for your iPhone. This restore process will erase your iPhone software and data, including all settings, which can be restored later via iTunes.

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Several users have reported an issue in which the iPhone 3G fails to find and or connect to otherwise valid WiFi networks. A sampling of reports from this Apple Discussions thread:

* "My laptop can find my router network fine. I reset my router and iPhone but my iPhone still cant find any routers. I reset the network settings too. If I try to put in the name and password manually it just says 'Joining InsertNetworkNameHere' Over and over, with no results."
* "Suddenly my iPhone 3g can't find any wifi network. I have restored factory configuration but still the same. Yesterday my iPhone could find 4-5 wifi networks including my own now not even one."
* "My brother and sister have iPod touches and theirs each work fine on my home network. I got an iphone last Tuesday, had to get update to start, won't connect to my home network."


An Apple support document entitled "Unable to use Wi-Fi with iPhone or iPod touch because there's no Wi-Fi address listed for the device" has a list of potential solutions, though most have proven ineffective for readers. Among the listed fixes:

* Reset network settings (Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Setting)
* Erase all settings (Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings)
* Restore the iPhone

Users posting to the aforementioned thread have had little success with any of these fixes.

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know at http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.

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A number of users have reported a sudden inability to send SMS text messages on the iPhone 3G, receiving the message "error sending" upon attempting to send. Among the user reports:

* "When I try to send an SMS and i press "send", the iPhone returns "Error Sending Message". I've tried with another SIM card from another Italian operator (I use Vodafone), but the problem is the same."
* "I had the people at the store swap SIM cards with another iPhone they had there, and I they could send SMSes from their phone with my SIM card, however on my phone with their card, they couldn't send an SMS. I already restored my iPhone 3G (2.2), and still am having this problem."
* "I have this problem, as well. Interestingly, mine started 12/7, all of a sudden. I notice that several people had the problem develop that week. I spent 2.5 hours on the phone with Apple and AT&T last night. Reset everything, no one could find a solution. "

Despite the aforementioned reports, a number of users have been able to resolve this issue through SIM card replacement. Other fixes, including resets and restores have proven ineffective.

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Several users have experienced an issue in which the iPhone 3G does not ring and calls are, instead, routed straight to voicemail. Of course, this can occur if the iPhone is off or the signal is weak or non-existent. However, several users have reported this behavior even with a full available signal.

Among the user reports from this Apple Discussions thread:

* "Around November 15th, I started seeing some of the same problems on my iPhone 3G (calls not coming through, voicemails & texts getting delayed, unable to make calls / send texts)."
* "It seems totally random when it happens to me. On the one hand, several calls will come through as expected, no problems. Then there will simply be a "voice message" tone and the on-screen message saying that someone had left me a voice message - while the phone sits next to me, fully charged, silent."
* "Just wanted to say that I have the same problem... Phone with good signal but no ring and straight to voicemail."

Possible solutions for this issue:

* Turn off Bluetooth in Settings
* Turn off WiFi
* Turn off 3G
* Replace your SIM card (requires contacting your provider)
* Reset the iPhone: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time for at least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.

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Recently we reported on errors iPhone users receive when attempting to send SMS messages. Users experiencing this problem might also receive errors claiming the number used is invalid, and asks for a new number.

This problem has affected users off and on for some time, and seems to be a result of an improperly formatted number synchronized to the phone. When users synchronize their phones from various computers, if their personal contact vCard includes only a 7-digit number then it will sync to the phone and cause this problem. As such, users should be sure to enter a full 10-digit number into their contact information. In addition, users should be sure to remove all text messages made with the phone prior to updating the number.

Fixes

Update personal number to include "1" and area code Go to the iPhone's contacts and update the personal information to have a phone number with "1", the area code, the 7-digit main number. In addition, update all contacts which might be synchronized with the phone. These may include Outlook address books (Windows) or "Address Book" contacts (Mac). MobileMe users should also update the contacts via the web interfaces to ensure those are not pushed back to the phone with improper information.

Remove existing text messages In the phone, tap the "Messages" option and in the list of text conversations remove any that were made before updating the phone's contacts. These old messages will still associate the old 7-digit number with the contact, and may prevent the phone from properly using the 10-digit number.

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Several iPhone users have experienced problems wherein their phones will display an error claiming repair is needed on the device, disallowing use.

Apple Discussions poster Xraycovert writes:

"Abruptly, my new iPhone began, and continues to flash, a REPAIR NEEDED message on the screen. I can only access an SOS."

While for the most part this error does indicate a problem with the phone will need to be fixed, in some instances this error message is being shown erroneously. There are several things users can do to try to fix the problem before contacting Apple support or taking the phone in for servicing. If these fixes do not work, users can contact Apple at 1-800-MY-APPLE or go to a local Apple store.

Potential Fixes

Reset the phone Press the Sleep/Wake button for several seconds until the red slider appears, and then slide it to turn the phone off. Then press the Sleep/Wake button again to restart the phone. The Apple logo will appear when the phone starts up.

Charge the phone This may be due to the batteries not being charged enough, and it is recommended to turn the phone completely off and plug it in to charge it for at least 30 minutes. Then try starting the phone up again by pressing the Sleep/Wake button.

Restore iPhone software This procedure will erase the iPhone contents, so be sure everything is backed up before proceeding (even though there is an option to do this before the restore begins). To restore the iPhone software, first connect the iPhone to your computer and then in iTunes select the device and select the "Summary" tab. Then click the "Restore" option and in the dialogue box choose "Back Up" to ensure the data is safe. Then click "Restore" in the next window and the phone should automatically reset. Finally, when the phone is working again, it will require activation where the phone's data and settings can optionally be applied from the backup made before the restore.

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Upon restoring iPhones and iPod touches, some users have experienced a problem where the device will not startup past the Apple logo.

Apple Discussions poster Solivern writes:

"Hi all, I was trying to restore the iPod's os because I'm selling it and wanted to clean it up, and the iPod just froze with the apple logo on the screen. If I restart, it just goes back to the apple logo and freezes there. The problem is now I can't even get iTunes to recognise it, so I can't even re-restore it."

For some users, the device will freeze at the Apple logo, but for others it will reset repeatedly after displaying the logo. One option recommended by Apple is to put the iPod into recovery mode and then have iTunes restore the iPod's software. Apply the following procedure:

1. Ensure the latest version of iTunes is installed, and launch the application.
2. Unplug the iPod Touch/iPhone from the computer and press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears. Slide the slider and wait for the device to turn off.
3. Then press and hold the Home button, and reattach it to the computer with the home button still held down.
4. The device should power on, and may display a "Charging" message. If so, allow the device to charge for 10-15 minutes before trying this procedure again. If not, the device should start up and display the apple logo.
5. After a few minutes the device should display a "Connect to iTunes" message. At this point the Home button can be released and iTunes should display a message detecting the device and prompting for a software restore.

This process may need to be repeated if the "Connect to iTunes" message does not display.

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Several users have reported an issue in which YouTube content downloads extremely slowly, even over otherwise speedy WiFi connections, on the iPhone. In fact, YouTube videos generally download much more quickly over a 3G connection for afflicted users.

A few sample reports from this Apple Discussions thread:

* "Everything else is fast, but Youtube is so slow I don't use it. If I switch to 3g it's very fast, but wifi forget it."
* "I'm having the same problem: safari is fast, speedtests show my connection to be fine, but when the YouTube app is running over wifi, it runs SLOW. YouTube is fine in safari on my other computers."
* "Same problem right here. I can use the Internet just fine speed tests give good results However YouTube app performance is 10-20 times slower than on 3G. "


The issue may be restricted to iPhone 3Gs. One user writes:

"I have been having the same problem as listed here... i still have the original iphone running 1.1.4 and a 3g running the latest update. So i thought i would do a test. I put the two phones side by side and tried to watch the same 2 minute clip. The 1.1.4 phone streamed it seamlessly while the 3g struggled to keep up. old phone had buffered the whole clip while the 3g had only buffered about 1/4."

You can test your iPhone's throughput at http://testmyiphone.com/. Try comparing 3G and WiFi. If your WiFi connection doesn't deliver on-par speeds, try changing your wireless router settings from 802.11b+g to 802.11b.

You can also try setting using OpenDNS rather than my local ISP DNS servers.

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A number of users have reported that virtually all third-party applications crash soon after launching under iPhone OS 2.2.1. Fortunately, an extremely simple fix works in many instances of this problem:

* Touch and hold any application icon the icons begin to shake.
* Tap the "x" in the corner of the application you want to delete.
* Tap Delete.
* Press the Home button.
* Download the application again, either from your iPhone or your desktop computer (there will be no additional charge for the redownload)

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Dozens for iPhone Atlas readers, and dozens more on Apple's Discussion boards, are reporting a bevy of issues after applying the iPhone OS 2.2.1 update. As usual, the following two procedures will work to solve a number of problems:

* Reset your iPhone by holding down the sleep and home buttons until the Apple logo appears;
* Restore your iPhone: Click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, etc.

However, some serious issues, chronicled below, persist:

Slow interface Several users have reported poor performance from the iPhone interface after the update.

iPhone Atlas reader Eddie writes:

"Slow and laggy interface when openning thing such as camera and settings, maps. It would seem as though there is a bit of a pause."

However, some users are noticing a significant performance boost.

Justin writes:

"Personally I have noticed a massive performance improvement. My iPhone 3G has never operated as fluidly as my original iPhone. However this update appears to have returned my phone to it's perfect operating speed, eg. Keyboard strokes suffer no delay whatsoever and switching through the settings menus faster than ever."

In many cases, the lag can be eliminated by resetting the iPhone: Turn the iPhone off completely, by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button (on top of the device) for a few seconds then slide the red slider. Turn it back on by holding the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears. Unfortunately, poor performance generally returns after a period of normal operation post-reset.

Slow Internet Some users have reported slow data throughput in a number of applications, particularly Safari, after the update.

One reader writes:

"After updating to iphone 2.2.1 my phone's email and data services are horrible. Slow, lagging, almost non existent. I called AT&T 5 times, and they said that this is common after the 2.2.1 update. Apparently a lot of users have been having this issue. I am extremely disappointed."

Another reader adds:

"Safari got really slow, takes a long time to load now even with full signal and 3g , mail takes a long time to download, still lots of dropped calls

Yet another reader adds:

"I have found that ever since upgrading to 2.2.1, both my edge and wi-fi have been slugish, and my mail.app crashes. i have tried 3 times restoring, and setting up a new device, and my mail.app keeps crashing on me."

In some cases, slow throughput can be solved by one of the following fixes:

* Reset network settings Tap Settings, tap General, tap Reset, tap Reset Network Settings. This will cause your iPhone to restart, and will delete any stored Wi-Fi passwords as well as DNS settings and more. It can resolve signal strength issues in some cases.
* Reseat your SIM card If your iPhone's SIM card is not seated properly, signal strength can suffer. Try re-seating the SIM by pushing a straightened paper clip into the small hole on the top of the device to open the SIM tray, making sure the SIM Card is properly in place, then re-inserting the SIM tray. Also check for debris inside the tray or SIM card slot.
* Replace your SIM card If you've exhausted conventional solutions, a replacement SIM card from your local provider may prove beneficial to signal strength.

Exchange server doesn't sync Some users are unable to connect to Exchange servers after the 2.2.1 update. One reader writes:

"Upgraded iPhone 3G to firmware 2.2.1. Now the iPhone does not sync to exchange server. Spoke to Apple support and confirmed problem with software update."

The following fixes may work for this issue:

* Hard reset Some users have found that performing a hard reset of the iPhone resolves this issue. This can be accomplished by holding the home and sleep/wake buttons simultaneously until the screen turns off, then the white Apple logo reappears.
* Delete domain In addition, some users have found that deleting domain field under Exchange account settings resolves the issue (In Settings > Mail).
* Set no limit for items Finally, some users have found that setting no limit for contacts and calendars resolves the problem. Go to Settings> Mail, Contacts, Calendars, select your account select, then select Mail days to sync> No Limit.

Dropped/missed calls A handful of readers have reported a marked increase in dropped or missed (with no chance to answer) calls after the update. One reader writes:

"Since updating to 2.2.1 on Wednesday I have been having problems receiving calls. When a person calls my number it rings like normal and goes to voicemail. I had 8 missed calls and 6 Voicemails and I was unable to see them until after I rebooted the phone. I have since had to reboot about every half hour."

Another reader adds:

"Since this update, I can't keep a call going longer than 5 minutes without it dropping. I put it on speakerphone and saw the signal drop fast from 4 bars to nothing then back up to 5o or 6. It could be a coincidence of problems with the AT&T tower nearby but the timing is very suspect."

The most reliable indicator of actual signal strength is the iPhones dB meter, which can be accessed in field test mode. Dial *3001#12345#* then press "Call." A dB reading below 50 generally indicates good strength.

In some cases, simply resetting the iPhone can resolve signal strength issues. Hold down the home and sleep buttons simultaneously until you see the white Apple logo, indicating that your iPhone has restarted.

The problem may also be caused by temporary carrier issues unrelated to the software update.

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Dozens for iPhone Atlas readers, and dozens more on Apple's Discussion boards, are reporting a bevy of issues after applying the iPhone OS 2.2.1 update. As usual, the following two procedures will work to solve a number of problems:

* Reset your iPhone by holding down the sleep and home buttons until the Apple logo appears;
* Restore your iPhone: Click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, etc.

However, some serious issues, chronicled below, persist:

Slow interface Several users have reported poor performance from the iPhone interface after the update.

iPhone Atlas reader Eddie writes:

"Slow and laggy interface when openning thing such as camera and settings, maps. It would seem as though there is a bit of a pause."

However, some users are noticing a significant performance boost.

Justin writes:

"Personally I have noticed a massive performance improvement. My iPhone 3G has never operated as fluidly as my original iPhone. However this update appears to have returned my phone to it's perfect operating speed, eg. Keyboard strokes suffer no delay whatsoever and switching through the settings menus faster than ever."

In many cases, the lag can be eliminated by resetting the iPhone: Turn the iPhone off completely, by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button (on top of the device) for a few seconds then slide the red slider. Turn it back on by holding the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears. Unfortunately, poor performance generally returns after a period of normal operation post-reset.

Slow Internet Some users have reported slow data throughput in a number of applications, particularly Safari, after the update.

One reader writes:

"After updating to iphone 2.2.1 my phone's email and data services are horrible. Slow, lagging, almost non existent. I called AT&T 5 times, and they said that this is common after the 2.2.1 update. Apparently a lot of users have been having this issue. I am extremely disappointed."

Another reader adds:

"Safari got really slow, takes a long time to load now even with full signal and 3g , mail takes a long time to download, still lots of dropped calls

Yet another reader adds:

"I have found that ever since upgrading to 2.2.1, both my edge and wi-fi have been slugish, and my mail.app crashes. i have tried 3 times restoring, and setting up a new device, and my mail.app keeps crashing on me."

In some cases, slow throughput can be solved by one of the following fixes:

* Reset network settings Tap Settings, tap General, tap Reset, tap Reset Network Settings. This will cause your iPhone to restart, and will delete any stored Wi-Fi passwords as well as DNS settings and more. It can resolve signal strength issues in some cases.
* Reseat your SIM card If your iPhone's SIM card is not seated properly, signal strength can suffer. Try re-seating the SIM by pushing a straightened paper clip into the small hole on the top of the device to open the SIM tray, making sure the SIM Card is properly in place, then re-inserting the SIM tray. Also check for debris inside the tray or SIM card slot.
* Replace your SIM card If you've exhausted conventional solutions, a replacement SIM card from your local provider may prove beneficial to signal strength.

Exchange server doesn't sync Some users are unable to connect to Exchange servers after the 2.2.1 update. One reader writes:

"Upgraded iPhone 3G to firmware 2.2.1. Now the iPhone does not sync to exchange server. Spoke to Apple support and confirmed problem with software update."

The following fixes may work for this issue:

* Hard reset Some users have found that performing a hard reset of the iPhone resolves this issue. This can be accomplished by holding the home and sleep/wake buttons simultaneously until the screen turns off, then the white Apple logo reappears.
* Delete domain In addition, some users have found that deleting domain field under Exchange account settings resolves the issue (In Settings > Mail).
* Set no limit for items Finally, some users have found that setting no limit for contacts and calendars resolves the problem. Go to Settings> Mail, Contacts, Calendars, select your account select, then select Mail days to sync> No Limit.

Dropped/missed calls A handful of readers have reported a marked increase in dropped or missed (with no chance to answer) calls after the update. One reader writes:

"Since updating to 2.2.1 on Wednesday I have been having problems receiving calls. When a person calls my number it rings like normal and goes to voicemail. I had 8 missed calls and 6 Voicemails and I was unable to see them until after I rebooted the phone. I have since had to reboot about every half hour."

Another reader adds:

"Since this update, I can't keep a call going longer than 5 minutes without it dropping. I put it on speakerphone and saw the signal drop fast from 4 bars to nothing then back up to 5o or 6. It could be a coincidence of problems with the AT&T tower nearby but the timing is very suspect."

The most reliable indicator of actual signal strength is the iPhones dB meter, which can be accessed in field test mode. Dial *3001#12345#* then press "Call." A dB reading below 50 generally indicates good strength.

In some cases, simply resetting the iPhone can resolve signal strength issues. Hold down the home and sleep buttons simultaneously until you see the white Apple logo, indicating that your iPhone has restarted.

The problem may also be caused by temporary carrier issues unrelated to the software update.

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Thanks to an apparent lack of clean-up on iTunes' part, many users have oodles of disk space that is being unnecessarily occupied by old iPhone and/or iPod touch software updates.

As described reader Doug Eldred:

"I have 10 files, ranging from 150 MB to 250 MB for my iPod touch, and much smaller files for two other iPods, one of which I no longer own. They total well over 2 GB! Now, if I really need to keep restore files back to version 1.0, I will, but I'd be happy to pitch the older ones."

You can check for these old files in

* Mac: ~/Library/iTunes/iPod Software Updates
* Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates
* Windows Vista: iPhone: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

Removing these files can not only save disk space, but also can alleviate some update-process isues.

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Dozens of users have reported dramatically reduced battery life under iPhone OS 2.1.1. A sampling of iPhone Atlas readers:

* "Ever since I upgraded to 2.2.1 I have noticed that the battery life of my iPhone has significantly diminished. For example, my phone might have full/near-full battery charge at night, but in the morning it is down to 10%. Before the upgrade there would be almost no battery loss over night. I'm finding that I have to recharge it 2-3 times a day even with little use."
* "Now the battery indicator never goes down. This gives the impression that there is better battery life, but instead, the battery dies instantaneously without warning.
* "I notice my battery not lasting as long as before the update."


Potential fixes include:

Drain the battery completely Use your iPhone until the battery dies completely (indicated by a battery icon appearing on the screen when the sleep/wake button is pressed), then fully recharge the device. It appears that the full discharge may reset circuitry that prevents a full charge from occurring, despite iconic indication of a full charge.

Turn off location services It appears that the Maps application and some third-party applications that use GPS functionality fail to power down the necessary hardware components when they are no longer in use. Navigate to Settings > General > Location Services and turn these services off when you are not using Maps or another location-enabled app.

Turn off Push then restart The iPhone 3G's Push functionality for Exchange and Mobile Me accounts can destroy battery life. Turn this option off in "Settings" then restart your iPhone by powering it off then on.

Restore the iPhone with original settings Launch iTunes and select the second option in the "Version" section on the Summary page for your iPhone. This restore process will erase your iPhone software and data, including all settings, which can be restored later via iTunes.
Feedback? http://www.macfixit.com/contact.

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Dozens of users have reported dramatically reduced battery life under iPhone OS 2.1.1. A sampling of iPhone Atlas readers:

* "Ever since I upgraded to 2.2.1 I have noticed that the battery life of my iPhone has significantly diminished. For example, my phone might have full/near-full battery charge at night, but in the morning it is down to 10%. Before the upgrade there would be almost no battery loss over night. I'm finding that I have to recharge it 2-3 times a day even with little use."
* "Now the battery indicator never goes down. This gives the impression that there is better battery life, but instead, the battery dies instantaneously without warning.
* "I notice my battery not lasting as long as before the update."


Potential fixes include:

Drain the battery completely Use your iPhone until the battery dies completely (indicated by a battery icon appearing on the screen when the sleep/wake button is pressed), then fully recharge the device. It appears that the full discharge may reset circuitry that prevents a full charge from occurring, despite iconic indication of a full charge.

Turn off location services It appears that the Maps application and some third-party applications that use GPS functionality fail to power down the necessary hardware components when they are no longer in use. Navigate to Settings > General > Location Services and turn these services off when you are not using Maps or another location-enabled app.

Turn off Push then restart The iPhone 3G's Push functionality for Exchange and Mobile Me accounts can destroy battery life. Turn this option off in "Settings" then restart your iPhone by powering it off then on.

Restore the iPhone with original settings Launch iTunes and select the second option in the "Version" section on the Summary page for your iPhone. This restore process will erase your iPhone software and data, including all settings, which can be restored later via iTunes.
Feedback? http://www.macfixit.com/contact.

0 Comment

We previously reported on a problem with iTunes Syncing after the iPhone OS 2.2.1 update. Now, a fix from Apple has materialized, and can be executed as follows:

Launch iTunes

Select "Deauthorize Computer" from the Store menu

Enter your iTunes Store Account ID and Password, then clicking on the Deauthorize button.

Select "Authorize Computer" from the Store menu

Enter your iTunes Store Account ID and Password, then click on the Authorize button.

Once this is completed you should be able to sync content again with your iPhone or iPod Touch. However, for some users, syncing content did not work again until after their next purchase from the iTunes Store.

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Several users are experiencing problems wherein iTunes crashes when they attach iPhones or iPods to their systems. In some instances the program will hang with the spinning wheel, and in other instances the program will unexpectedly quit.

Apple Discussions poster Tom75 writes:

"When plugging my iPhone to my iMac (april 08 model) USB: iTunes keeps quiting unexpectedly and I keep sending the feedback to Apple."

Users with this problem may only experience these crashes with one ipod device. Some users with iPhones have been able to synchronize them properly, but when connecting standard ipods the problems occur. Still, others have been stuck with all their mobile devices causing the program to crash.

It appears at least for iPhone users this problem has to do with the authorizing routines after upgrading to the iPhone 2.2.1 software. The following fix has been tried for iPhones and seems to clear the problem, but doing similar things may work for standard iPods as well.

Fix: Re-authorize the computer Open iTunes without the iPod/iPhone attached. Then select "Deauthorize Computer..." from the "Store" menu and confirm deauthorization by entering the iTunes store credentials. Then authorize the computer from the same menu, and go to the iTunes store. Ensure the store is working by getting some free content such as the single of the week, a TV episode, or a free iPhone app. Then try syncing the new file to the mobile device.

Users may also try removing the iTunes preferences file as well, if the problem still persists. After deauthorizing the computer, close iTunes and remove the "com.apple.iTunes.plist" file located in the /username/Library/Preferences/ directory. Then relaunch iTunes and continue authorizing.

0 Comment

Several users are experiencing problems wherein iTunes crashes when they attach iPhones or iPods to their systems. In some instances the program will hang with the spinning wheel, and in other instances the program will unexpectedly quit.

Apple Discussions poster Tom75 writes:

"When plugging my iPhone to my iMac (april 08 model) USB: iTunes keeps quiting unexpectedly and I keep sending the feedback to Apple."

Users with this problem may only experience these crashes with one ipod device. Some users with iPhones have been able to synchronize them properly, but when connecting standard ipods the problems occur. Still, others have been stuck with all their mobile devices causing the program to crash.

It appears at least for iPhone users this problem has to do with the authorizing routines after upgrading to the iPhone 2.2.1 software. The following fix has been tried for iPhones and seems to clear the problem, but doing similar things may work for standard iPods as well.

Fix: Re-authorize the computer Open iTunes without the iPod/iPhone attached. Then select "Deauthorize Computer..." from the "Store" menu and confirm deauthorization by entering the iTunes store credentials. Then authorize the computer from the same menu, and go to the iTunes store. Ensure the store is working by getting some free content such as the single of the week, a TV episode, or a free iPhone app. Then try syncing the new file to the mobile device.

Users may also try removing the iTunes preferences file as well, if the problem still persists. After deauthorizing the computer, close iTunes and remove the "com.apple.iTunes.plist" file located in the /username/Library/Preferences/ directory. Then relaunch iTunes and continue authorizing.

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If you've read my iPhone Apps of the Week posts, you know that I mostly download games and entertainment applications. I also like to check out music apps, because I play a few instruments and am continually interested in what developers are able to come up with musically for the iPhone. Since my coworker, Jessica Dolcourt, wrote the iPhone Starter Kit based around must-have apps of the practical variety, I can really get down to business--the business of fun iPhone apps!

So, what makes a great game or music app? Certainly graphics and sound are important for games, but with a platform as unique as the iPhone or iPod Touch, it's important to consider how it utilizes the accelerometer, touch screen, and other aspects of the device. For musical instruments and drum machines, it's important to note whether the sounds are realistic and how intuitive it is to play the instrument. Finally, it's important to note whether a game or instrument is a good fit for the medium. You probably wouldn't want to spend hours playing an MMO on a tiny device that needs recharging, and, similarly, you're probably not going to be writing concertos on your iPhone. The point is that it should be a good app by itself in addition to being a good app for the iPhone.

Some of the apps I'm including for this end-of-the-year roundup have been in previous posts, but several are new apps to my iPhone. I'm including both free apps and apps for purchase, and sometimes I have a good free version of a genre you can try if you don't want to spend the money. Without further ado, read on to see my favorite fun apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Music apps

PocketGuitar ($0.99) was one of the first apps I bought for my iPhone, because I play the guitar and it seemed like an interesting use of the touch screen. The app shows a few frets of a six-string guitar, letting you play realistic-sounding chords and strum by swiping your finger across the strings. You can twist the iPhone to bend notes using the accelerometer and you can change the fret size to better accommodate your fingers.

These features alone were amazing enough for the app to make my list, but Pocket Guitar also offers a multitude of settings and effects you can play around with to get different sounds. You can choose from electric acoustic, classical, electric guitar, muted guitar, bass, and ukulele. Your effects include distortion, delay, and chorus, and any combination of those to find the perfect sound. With added details like the ability to "hammer-on" notes, switch to left-handed guitar, and the ability to play along with your iPod's music library, this app is a must-have for guitarists, even if it's just for the gimmick of having a working, authentic-sounding guitar on your iPhone.

If the guitar simulator is a little too hard to play (and it does take some creative hand positions), try Guitar ($3.99), which lets you choose and press chord letters to strum chords easily. You can even set up and save songs so your chords are ready to go when you want to play


Pianist ($3.99) is probably the best of its kind for piano apps on the iPhone, featuring realistic sounds, a sustain feature, and the ability to record multiple tracks. The screen shows one octave at a time, but you're able to use arrow and double-arrow buttons (like play and fast forward) to move the screen one note higher or one octave higher (or lower, as the case may be). While this means that two-handed play is impossible (not to mention that you couldn't fit both hands on your touch screen!), you can record one hand and then move the screen to a new octave to record your second hand. We were able to record simple songs using Pianist with limited success, but it manages to be a great app for creating melodies and figuring out songs.

There are a few settings to tinker with, letting you adjust sustain, delete previously played tracks, and display note names. The app also offers an adjustable metronome, so you can keep perfect time within the app, or use it as a stand-alone metronome when you play another live instrument. Overall, if you like to tinker with melodies, this app is the best of the bunch for iPhone.


Ocarina ($1.99), a popular music app at the App Store, lets you physically blow into your iPhone's microphone and use your fingers to cover onscreen holes to produce haunting melodies. It takes some experimentation to figure out what sort of sounds you can create, but using the iPhone almost like an actual instrument is very enjoyable. You can choose from several different keys to get the sound you want for your melody. One of the great features of this app is the ability look at a globe view from where you can listen to melodies being played from around the world in real time with a nice animation flowing out of the Ocarina player's location. Ocarina is definitely one of the more interesting music apps for the iPhone. Even those with little musical ability will enjoy using their iPhone as an instrument.

iDrum - Hip Hop Edition ($4.99) is a unique drum machine that lets you visually create beats using an intuitive system and hundreds of different percussion sounds. Beats are broken down into measures and you can zoom in to insert sounds at your chosen intervals. You can then create several measures and use the touch screen to copy and move them around to your specs. You also have the ability to adjust volume, using sliders for each sound. Though there is a small learning curve, once you figure it out, it becomes second nature.

You get a number of preset beats to play with, making it easy to pick a style and work backwards to create your own beats. I would have liked more melodic sounds to work with, to add more flavor to my beats, but overall this app is fantastic. If you have a PA system at your disposal (or simply a cord to connect your iPhone to larger speakers) you can really appreciate this app.

DigiDrummer is another beat-making app, but of a different variety. This app offers several different drum kits to choose from, which you can play by tapping on your touch screen. You're given eight drum pads, which change depending on what drum kit your using, and you can record your beats for playback later. The drum kits include many standards from over the years, including genre-based kits from the '80s, hip-hop kits like the TD88, and other genres for different styles. There are 12 drum kits in all. You can record your beats, but you better have a good sense of rhythm, because Digidrummer records exactly what you play and loops back to the beginning when you stop recording. The sound quality for each of the drum sounds is great, and like iDrum, a good speaker system is required to really do these drum machines justice. If you would like to try before you buy, download DigiDrummer Lite to check out what Digidrummer has to offer.

Games


TouchGrind is a high-quality multitouch skateboarding game that's perfect for the skateboarding fan, but might be a stretch for the casual gamer. If you've ever seen or played with a fingerboard, you will quickly understand TouchGrind's two-finger control system, but it will take some practice to pull off successful tricks. You get two different parks to skate, with numerous obstacles, ramps, and rails to try to perform tricks on, and two different game types to choose from. The Jam Session mode lets you practice tricks and try to pull off combos in an effort to achieve your highest score for a single trick. In Competition mode, you try to pull of as many tricks as possible in 100 seconds, stringing together combos for extra multipliers to get your overall high score. You also can unlock new boards with special abilities as you pass major score milestones.

While people interested in Skateboarding will appreciate the true-to-life sounds, crisp graphics, and realistic physics, the casual gamer might become frustrated quickly. The screen is zoomed in on the board pretty far--so you have more control over tricks, but less time to prepare for approaching obstacles. If you're a skate fan, however, this app is definitely worth the money.

Dropship ($0.99), from popular iPhone game makers ngmoco, is an excellent shoot-em-up game that mixes old-school arcade classics like Gravitron and Thrust and adds smart touch-screen controls to create a fun and extremely challenging game. The object is to maneuver your space ship through intricate mazes while trying to rescue your fellow soldiers. The best way to describe the graphics is that Dropship is a 3D game in a 2D environment.

To control your Dropship, touch and rotate your thumb anywhere on the left side of the touch screen to control thrust and use your other thumb on the right side of the screen to rotate and fire your weapons. It takes some getting used to, but once you have the basics down the game becomes extremely addicting. Dropship offers two game types with Campaign Mode and Free Play. Campaign Mode challenges you to pass increasingly harder levels as you try to save soldiers and transport a mysterious "Pod" to safety. Free Play challenges you to save as many soldiers as possible.

Flick Fishing from Freeverse software is a fun and challenging fishing game that will appeal to just about anyone. Choose from several locations, ranging from a beginner fishing hole to deep sea environments, and make sure to open your tackle box to pick the right bait for the job. When you're ready, flick your iPhone to cast your line. Beautiful living environments set the perfect scene as you wait to get a bite. Once a fish takes the bait, reel it in slowly--you need to watch your line-tension meter so you don't snap the line. You can fish casually at several locations or you can participate in tournaments. You also can play against your friends on the same network. With several locations, dozens of varieties of fish, and numerous types of bait, this game offers great replay value. Complete with fun music and excellent sound effects, Flick Fishing is a lot of fun and one of the best and most polished games available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Live Poker is a fun Texas Hold 'Em game in which you play online opponents for fake cash. You'll need to create an account to start and you can use your Facebook account (and profile picture) to serve as your avatar in the game. Once you're set up, just join a table and get ready to compete against other players from around the world. If you run out of money, you can buy more from the developer Web site, invite your friends for bonus cash, or reset your character. I noticed when I logged on a few days later I had some more playing money so...your mileage may vary.

Field Runners ($4.99) is a great-looking tower-defense game with crisp graphics, realistic sounds, and extremely addictive gameplay. You can also grab the popular free TapDefense and, while that is a great game, there's something to be said for the smooth graphics and open-path style of the tower-defense genre found in Field Runners. Instead of defending a set path, in this game you need to construct your towers in such a way that forces the baddies to take the most damage. As you progress you earn money, which allows you to buy more towers and to upgrade old ones. You also can unlock maps as you get further into the game for a bigger challenge. Field Runners doesn't have as many available towers as TapDefense, but the developers promise more towers and content in coming releases. Either way, any tower defense fan will appreciate the overall look and feel of this challenging game.

If you're really into the tower defense genre like I am, check out 7 Cities TD ($4.99). This new game follows a set path you'll need to defend, but there are seven maps, and several towers to experiment with and upgrade. I highly recommend it.

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I was like you once. After fetching my e-mail, I'd open a message I wanted to delete, tap the trash-can icon, go back to the in-box, open another message, tap the trash-can icon, and on and on.

Then I discovered a killer shortcut: From the in-box, just swipe your finger across the message you want to trash, and then tap the shiny red Delete button that appears. Talk about a time-saver!

You can wipe multiple messages even faster by tapping the Edit button in the top-right corner of the screen, tapping each e-mail you want to mark for deletion, and then tapping the lower-left Delete button.

By the way, if the Mail application isn't showing you enough of each message to decide whether you can pitch it without opening it, there's an easy solution: Head to Settings, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, then tap the Preview button in the Mail section. Two lines is the default, but you might want to bump it up to three or four so you can see more of each message.

Got an e-mail tip of your own to share? Share your wisdom with us in the comments.

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Several iPhone users are experiencing visual feedback lags when attempting to type messages on their iPhones. Symptoms include key animations not activating when keys are touched. The issue does not appear to be for a specific letter or area of the keyboard and is generally considered intermittent, though many users report a consistent problem while typing in the SMS application.

Apple Support Discussions user Delapidator relays their experience with this issue:

"On the iPhone keyboard. You know when you touch a key on the keyboard and as you touch the letter it pops up but larger? Well, occasionally when I'm typing certain letters don't do it. The letter itself does go into the message body or whatever I'm typing into but it just doesn't pop up big to say that the letter has been typed. Not always the same letter, although certain letters do seem to suffer this problem more often than others. S and I are [the ones] that this happens to quite a bit. On the other hand sometimes they all work just fine?

I know it's not a really big problem coz at least the letters are working but sometimes if you're looking at the keyboard and not what your typing you think you haven't touched the letter and keep on touching it and it ends up looking a bit like ttttttthis! lol."

Possible fixes

1. Be sure your iPhone is updated to the latest software--currently iPhone OS 2.2.1.

2. Reset your iPhone. Hold the top button and the home button until the iPhone turns off and the Apple logo appears.

3. Plug your iPhone into your computer and restore it. Be sure you back up all your data, as this will wipe your iPhone clean and restore it to its factory settings. When the iPhone restarts, choose to restore from your backup.

4. Restore and reboot as a new iPhone. Follow the same restore procedure as above, but when the iPhone reboots, choose to restore as a new iPhone. This will create a new backup--effectively deleting all your settings and some of the information on your iPhone. Of course, anything you have backed up on your computer (music, movies, contacts, calendars, etc.) you can restore to your iPhone. Text messages, statistics, and other settings will be lost.

5. Though highly unlikely in this type of situation, if the problems persist after completing the above procedures, your issues could be hardware related-- perhaps related to the touch screen located under the glass face of the iPhone. Take your iPhone into your local Apple Store or to an Authorized AppleCare Technician to have it checked out.

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iPhone Atlas has already covered a number of complaints from iPhone users about iPhone OS 2.2.1.

Frequently, faulty Wi-Fi connections were the source of these complaints. Recently, that problem has resurfaced, and one user is linking the Wi-Fi problems to heat generated by the iPhone and its battery.
A discussion in the Apple forum describes a problem in which some iPhones are randomly dropping Wi-Fi signals, then failing to reconnect to any network for a period of time.

Many people think that the problem is caused by the iPhone overheating, and some go so far as to place their iPhone into a refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. (We don't suggest that you do the same; refrigerating your iPhone could cause water damage and void your warranty.) We recommend letting the iPhone cool at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, or until cool to the touch.

Apple Discussions user ScottieWil goes a step further and actually opened his iPhone to apply a nitrogen stick directly to the relevant chip. His Wi-Fi immediately returned to working order. ScottieWil researched the problem further and said in one of his posts:

I have now found the common factor in my Wi-Fi working and not working...its charge level of the battery. If the cell is under 50 percent, Wi-Fi just works...if it's above, it has problems. If the charge level is 90 percent or more, and I try to use Wi-Fi, the phone can reboot with(out) warning.

This, as I said before, may be the cell not being able to provide the current demand of the phone.

He also suggested that the iPhone's battery is very sensitive to temperature, which explains why Wi-Fi would work temporarily when the phone was cool, but not later, after the phone heated up.

Due to the varied nature of Wi-Fi problems reported, we suggest that you follow some of the troubleshooting tips we wrote about previously here and here before contacting AppleCare.

If the tips above fail to resolve the problem, some people on the same discussion thread are reporting that AppleCare is replacing iPhones experiencing this heating problem. However, Apple is doing so only after the iPhone is examined at a local Apple store.

If you or someone you know has experienced this problem, let us know in the comments.

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For a good six months now, Mint has been the go-to app for managing finances on your iPhone. Today, Quicken debuted its own money manager: Quicken Online Mobile. Like Mint, it's free. Unlike Mint, it's passcode-protected.

That protection addresses a long-standing concern: if someone makes off with your iPhone, they can fire up the Mint app and see how much money's sitting in each of your accounts.

Quicken Online Mobile, on the other hand, won't let you in without first entering your four-digit PIN.

To get started, you'll need to create a free Quicken Online account (if you don't already have one). As with Mint, QO gives you a big-picture overview of your bank accounts, credit cards, and the like. (It also allows for a little forecasting, such as when your next paycheck will hit.)

From there, just load up Quicken Online Mobile (which can also run on an iPod Touch, natch) and sign into your account. In addition to showing you account balances, the app lets you record purchases on the run and can find nearby ATMs--two perks not available in Mint's app.

Is that enough to make you switch? Or do you continue to have concerns about carrying sensitive financial data in a device that's easily lost or stolen? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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You don't have to own a Mac to use FileMaker's new Bento for iPhone and iPod Touch--released Tuesday in the iTunes App Store--but if you do, wireless sync adds extra incentive to take your personal databases to go.

Bento ($4.99) offers non-Mac users a portable personal database for storing everything from birthdays and home expenses to recipes and an exercise log, with 25 templates to start. Integration with the address book, dialer, Safari browser, e-mail in-box, and Google Maps make Bento a useful iPhone app offering that could become a master storehouse for your separate lists; and one that quickly facilitates calls, mapping, and Web searches from within the app.

We got a demo of the handsome, dark Bento app a few weeks ago. After playing with it for a while, it appears to balance a mine of data fields with the iPhone's customarily accessible interface. Bento's home screen displays all your data libraries, which you can swipe through to view. Other screens let you add a new library, search for entries, or sync to Bento on the Mac. Each new library is prepopulated with one dummy entry to get you started. While there is a dedicated search screen, a similar search field within each library facilitates more advanced investigations of your data.

While straightforward at the top level, Bento for iPhone has a few more tricks tucked away--like the option to rate your contacts (your child's babysitters, for instance), and add additional data fields. Bento will also let you create subcollections within any record with the push of a button that looks like three overlapping squares. Those familiar with Bento 2 for Mac will note that while calculations and related records from the desktop version can be transferred to and used on the iPhone version, you won't be able to create either on the device.

We won't know for sure until we build up some databases of our own, but after looking at Bento for iPhone in its prelaunch state, it seems promising for the uberorganized.

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