Iphone Updates

Not long after rumors that the 3G iPhone would be launched in Italy without an exclusive carrier deal, now comes speculation that a similar plan is being formulated for Belgium.  According to Astel.be, not only will the 3G version of the handset be launched soon, all three main carriers – Proximus, Mobistar and BASE – will have access to unlocked iPhones for their customers.  One possible reason for this could be Belgium’s law concerning the availability of unlocked, service-free devices. 

The rumor continues that each of the carriers is currently developing iPhone specific plans, which will include provision for unlimited data and “visual messaging”.  That final point could either point to Visual Voicemail, as present on the current iPhone, or to MMS media messaging.  Mobistar are said to have secured a two-month exclusivity on the handset, before the other carriers can begin selling it.

As with the Italy rumor, there’s little to go on here aside from the word of one news source.  Unsurprisingly the carriers and Apple themselves are remaining silent on the issue.

[via IntoMobile]

Less than two weeks since they cut £100 from the price tag of an 8GB iPhone, UK stocks of the model at retailer The Carphone Warehouse have been completely sold.  The news was first broken by the store, carrier O2’s official retail partner for the handset, and later confirmed by O2 themselves who have only minimal in-store stock and none left for online orders.

“Our price promotion has given many more of our customers the opportunity to enjoy the iPhone experience.  Due to this unprecedented demand we have now sold out of the 8GB iPhone and we’re currently reviewing the stock situation.  In the meantime, customers can still purchase the 16GB iPhone at the standard price at The Carphone Warehouse” Carphone Warehouse statement

Both companies are now apparently “reviewing” whether to re-order 8GB handsets, which has added fuel to the rumors that a 3G iPhone announcement is imminent.  Sales of the device overall were, up until now, suspected to be a disappointment to Apple, although O2 claim they have fallen within expectations.

To be honest, when we reported on the price cut I did wonder whether UK consumers would be so easily bought when rumors of a 3G iPhone are so virulent.  But it turns out there are plenty of people perfectly happy putting up with the fledgling EDGE network in the UK.  Hopefully they’ll still feel the same way in two years time, when their contract runs out.

Filed under: Flickr Find, iPhone

Like it or not, unboxing is a ritual for many Apple users, and when there’s a new product on the streets, Flickr is home to many Mac users’ latest acquisitions. We don’t feature unboxing photosets for no-longer-new products all that often here at TUAW, but upon seeing a photoset on Flickr from user ntr23 this morning we couldn’t help but share these frankly incredible unboxing shots of an iPhone.

Lego men abound in the set, with precision unboxing being captured (including ladders to help scale those heights) in a truly amazing set of shots. Yes, it’s Apple unboxing shots. But of all the unboxing shots we’ve seen here at TUAW, these have quite possibly captured our hearts as the best we’ve seen to date.

Be sure to check out ntr23‘s full set on Flickr and admire these works of art.

[Via]

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Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone

If you regularly type on your iPhone with a non-supported language such as Danish, Dutch, Finnish or Portuguese, you’ll be pleased to learn about iPhoneDict, a repository of free keyboard dictionaries. The solution is a bit of a hack. After downloading, you have to add the dictionary into the English (UK) slot. This may be a problem if you’re actually a British iPhone user. Once downloaded, you activate the keyboard and its dictionary from Settings > International > Keybaords. You can learn more and find step-by-step instructions on the iPhoneDict website.

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Filed under: Software, Video

ScreenFlow 1.1 hit today, and there are over 80 fixes and improvements in the release notes for the current top-dog Mac screencasting application. If you weren’t excited the first time we covered this, it might be time to look again. As for me, I had already forged a committed relationship with ScreenFlow. It’s always a pleasure to see your partner get smarter and better looking after you tie the knot.

The new version exports faster, thankfully. The press release says export speeds are up 20 to 40% (across most presets), but a little TUAW testing showed that the web-preset exports were 40% faster and then some. And that’s with video and audio actions, embedded QuickTime video and an additional MP3 audio track. Export time was a drawback of version 1.0 that I was willing to live with, but I’m quite grateful that I don’t have to anymore.

I haven’t experienced the oft-mentioned crashing that was plaguing some users, but improvements to overall stability may be of interest to those who have. There are interface improvements such as audio waveforms visible in the tracks, as well as the addition of markers which can be converted to QuickTime chapters. I won’t drone on about the dozens of other fixes/changes right now but — if release notes are your thing — you can read them here. Or just grab the demo and see it in action. ScreenFlow has a price tag of $99 for a registered version, and 1.1 is a free upgrade for current owners.

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Watermelons, avocados, apples, onions, carrots, squash, tangerines—these fruits and vegetables come to your dinner table thanks in large part to the industry of the tiny honey bee. Better Bees, a podcast from KQED Public Broadcasting (part of iTunes U) explains what researchers are doing to ensure that the honey bee survives deadly mites, Colony Collapse Disorder, and other threats to their survival.

Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone

According to Installer, Twinkle from Gogo Apps is “Twitter plus Location.” It’s a Twitter client that adds photos and geolocation as well as clickable URLs and Follow / Stop Following control within the app. With it, you can find people twittering near you — in fact it seems to be using my findme utility to power its location-awareness. And no, I have no financial interest in this thing — I gave permission for them to use the utility so long as the app remains non-commercial.

I logged in, entered my Twitter account info (yes, the account information is stored in clear text in ~mobile/Library/Preferences) and within seconds, it found tweets within 50 miles of my location.

You can tweet directly from Twinkle. Tap the pencil button at the top-right corner (it’s the one that for quite a while I mistook for a mis-shaped lower-case “i”). From there, you can enter your tweet, specify whether to tag with a location and optionally snap a photo.

Twinkle offers a professionally designed interface and good ease of use. The only negative occurred after I mistyped my password. I ended up in an infinite loop of authentication errors and had to force-quit the application.

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Filed under: iTS, Features, Deals

Once again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won’t be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don’t forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.

Continue reading iTunes: Free Tuesday

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Filed under: Software, Video, Internet Tools

Just last week we noted that BusySync 2, which adds Google calendar syncing to the iCal sync app, is now shipping. Another 2.0 would seem to be around the corner, as a post on the SpanningSync blog shows a video demo of Address Book -> Google contact synchronization coming in the next version of the utility.

While Plaxo and other tools are lining up to take on the contact sync challenge — most sync only in one direction right now, although with the Google contacts API in play that’s going to change — it’s nice to see SpanningSync picking up the torch on contacts as the competition on calendaring heats up.

[via ars technica]

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Technically speaking, the WildCharge adapter for the iPhone and iPod touch is actually integrated into a high-quality gel case called “Skins”, a gel covered product made of Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) material. WildCharge wire-free charging technology is located on the back of the case and all you have to do is slip your iPhone or iPod touch into the case and then drop it anywhere on the WildCharger charging pad. It’s that easy. A blue light on the left hand side of the pad lights up notifying you that the juice is pumping through your device.

The silver placemat-like WildCharger pad can charge up to five devices simultaneously (with a maximum power output of 15 Watts), once these are outfitted with the WildCharge adapters. WildCharge hinted that it’s possible for manufacturer to integrate their adapters directly in the devices during manufacture – I’d sure love to see Apple embrace this technology in future iPhone and iPod models! There are half a dozen of phones on my desk at any give time, so you can imagine the clutter from all the wires. They get tangled up, cause my desk to look messy and, worse of all, I’ve got multiple wall-bricks all over the floor underneath my desk. So what’s included? The WildCharger is composed of the charger itself and an AC power adapter, priced at $59.95. I can definitely see myself bringing this on a long road trip to use in hotel rooms. It’s either this or an extension cord because there is hardly ever enough electrical outlets near the nightstand.

As I mentioned earlier, the technology that cuts the power cord on your iPhone or iPod touch is integrated into the back of a gel case, doubling as a protective case for your investment. I personally love the feel of the case or “skin” as Izhar referred to it in the demo video below. The adapter on the back is hardly noticeable. WildCharge plan on releasing a rainbow of colors for you to choose from, starting with black, shiny black, blue, pink, clear and many, many other colors to pick from. If you go with the clear case, you have the option of purchasing one that shows off the guts of the adapter. If that’s your thing, go for it. I prefer the traditional all around black case. Make sure to drop a comment and let me know your favorite color! Ship date is still officially undetermined, but Izhar did mention the iPhone and iPod touch cases “are ready to go, and should launch next month.” The cases will cost $34.95 each. That’s not a bad deal considering most cases on the market average between $15 and $40+.

Slipping the iPhone or iPod touch into the case is pretty simple, taking just seconds to apply. The only suggestion I have for WildCharge is to figure out a way to open up the dock port so that I can sync via my sync cable.

So how does it work? The way I understand it, electrical current is delivered to the shiny metal stripes on the pad from the AC adapter, which is then passed to the little metal bumps (aka the adapter) and then on to the iPhone or iPod touch. Yes I’m aware this technology has been around for ages, but heck, the folks at WildCharge figured out an ingenious way to put it into practice. All I care about is charging takes the same amount of time with WildCharge as it would plug in.

In conclusion, I love the technology and I love that it finally cuts the (almost) last cord attached to my iPhone! Is WildCharge right for you? Well, only you can answer that. Before making the purchase, factor in the price of $60 for the WildCharger pad and an additional $35 per adapter for your iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry 8800, Pearl or a third-gen iPod. At the end of the day, if you have the cash and find the product convenient to have, then make the purchase.

WildCharge road map…

Yes, I’d mentioned the BlackBerry 8800, Pearl, and third-gen iPod adapters earlier and yes, they are coming soon. In the case of the BlackBerry 8800, the version I saw didn’t have a pass through for a USB plug. Izhar briefly mentioned they’re looking into the “possibility” of making the mod to accommodate it. And you’re probably wondering what if you have a Samsung, Motorola or Nokia handset? Well, rest assured that WildCharge is planning to release a universal adapter with exchangeable tips. While I’m not allowed to say too much, what I’m permitted to share is that the adapter has a magnet that’ll attach to the back of your handset with an arm-like extension outwards towards the power adapter, whether it be a USB, miroUSB or even a proprietary plug such as on Samsung handsets.

Reference design for the iPod nano.

In theory…this is how I’d like for things to look in the future…

BEFORE

AFTER

[Show as slideshow]

Over 200,000 developers have signed up for the iPhone SDK beta so far, according to Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer. That’s just over a month after the 100,000 download milestone was reached…

Apple’s iPhone SDK beta release updates are coming thick and fast, with version 4 out today…

Starting next month, Apple takes the Final Cut World Tour to cities from Hollywood to Mumbai. During the free, in-depth seminar on Final Cut Studio 2 and Final Cut Server, Apple production experts offer step-by-step demonstrations of workflows used by leading post-production houses, creative agencies, Hollywood film studios, and broadcast television operations. Sign up today to reserve your seat.

What a number! In the second fiscal quarter of this year, Apple was able to push a little over 1.7 million iPhones out the door. This is the overall theme of the Apple earnings report, with Apple announcing a whopping $1.05 billion in profit. Since there is not last year comparison of iPhone sales, their is no growth estimate, but they are no doubt selling plenty of them.

The iPhone may be selling great, but there is quite a bit more exciting news for Apple than the iPhone. The amount of Macs sold is up 51%, and the amount of profit from them is 54%, over last year. This is of course in line with the exploding popularity of Macs lately. Apple is not longer a US only affair, as 44% of Apple’s revenue came from international sales.

iPod sales are still high, but seem to be pretty flat. No real growth there. 1% growth in sales, and 8% growth in revenue. Any growth is good though, so it is not like the iPod division is not performing well or anything. The iPod still carries 73% of the MP3 player market.

[Via Apple]

Apple has made the 4th beta of it’s iPhone SDK (Software Developers Kit) available to iPhone developers. The new version of the iPhone SDK has support for OpenGL ES for the iPhone emulator that is included in the SDK. Before the support for this came out, to truly and reliably test iPhone applications, the developers would have to load the application onto the iPhone.

You can download the new SDK by visiting the iPhone Developer Center. The new SDK weighs in at 1.15GB, so if you have a slow connection, you should probably get that download started so you can begin playing with the new SDK by morning.

“The fourth beta version of the iPhone SDK includes Xcode IDE, iPhone simulator with Open GL ES support, Interface Builder, Instruments, frameworks and samples, compilers, and Shark analysis” tool.

From the iPhone SDK change log

Apple also took the opportunity to drop a new firmware build 5A258f. It is of course only available to select developers. It is not known if the Pwnage Tool, in it’s current form, will work. It could take a little while for the Pwnage Tool to catch up with the new firmware. The firmware file is 200MB, much more bandwidth friendly than the SDK.

Please check back soon for hands-on review of iPhone firmware 2.0 5A258f.

Filed under: Internet Tools, Apple, iPhone

The one feature that most of us iPhone owners want is native instant messaging. With the upcoming SDK release, instant messaging apps will most likely not be able to run in the background (in other words, they may not receive messages when the phone is sleeping or doing other things). However, AppleInsider is reporting on an Apple patent for instant messaging on the iPhone that was filed in August of last year, but just granted in March of this year.

The drawing included with the patent filing looks identical to the SMS application on the iPhone, with some key differences, one of which is word suggestions that appear as bubbles above the keyboard. AppleInsider also reports that this service could be used as a substitute for MMS (multi media messaging) which the current iPhone is lacking.

You can read the full patent filing on the USPTO’s website.

[via AppleInsider]

Thanks, James!

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Filed under: Retail

According to ifoAppleStore, Virginia’s newest Apple Store will open this weekend at Fair Oaks. This time, Fairfax, Virginia will play host, joining McLean, Norfolk, Richmond and Arlington (they’ve got two. Lucky dogs).

Doors will open on Saturday, April 26th at 10 AM. As usual, we’re asking any TUAW readers who visit this store over the weekend to share their stories and pictures. The first 1,000 people to show up will receive a T-shirt, but there won’t be a big giveaway this time around (sorry, Fair Oaks!).

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Filed under: Internet Tools, Security

There’s been some talk about PayPal blocking Safari from using its services, and I’m among those concerned about it… even if only from a convenience standpoint. Originally the news was gleaned from statements by PayPal Chief Information Security Officer Michael Barrett regarding browsers without phishing protection — which most assumed included our beloved Webkit-based compass. But in a brief addendum to a post at the Wall Street Journal last week it was reported that — while Paypal will be blocking older browsers (IE4-era) and older operating systems — Safari is safe from the cut.

I’m relieved, at least from the previously mentioned convenience standpoint. I prefer Safari as my surfing browser¹ and I frequently use PayPal. It’s too bad that there are still a good number of sites that, while not blocking Safari, just plain don’t work with it yet. Add to that some of the great plugins available for Flock/Firefox and you’ll almost always find me with multiple browsers open. In much the way that the iPhone is preventing Gargoylism* by consolidating peripherals, I’m hoping for a day when I open just one browser in the morning. I’m getting a little teary-eyed thinking about it.

¹Since I know it will be bandied about in the comments, I’d like to offer these reasons for preferring Safari: It’s faster (in general). It’s more elegant (or prettier, either way it’s subjective). It’s AppleScriptable (which I make daily use of). And it’s more elegant (redundant, but worth mentioning again).

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Everybody calm down for a minute, this just what one site is reporting, and this does not mean that an iPhone is coming to Japan, not just yet at least. It is telling though, that Apple at least has an interest in Japan. Why this matters so much though, as opposed to other countries the iPhone goes to, is what type of network they run in Japan. If what they are saying is true, then the iPhone just could be on it’s way.

If you guessed 3G, then you are absolutely correct. Unlike the US, where AT&T offers a GSM network, and a 3G network, in Japan, they have already abolished traditional GSM in favor of 3G GSM, which is actually W-CDMA. 3G of course offers faster data, better voice quality, and overall more interactivity than the 2G based GSM technology.

For the iPhone to come to Japan, it would have to be 3G enabled. Apple negotiating terms for the iPhone trademark in Japan, means they got their eye on Japan. We all know the 3G iPhone is coming soon, but Japan is just another piece of the puzzle. Everything is falling into place, all the signs are there. Now, it is just a waiting game with Apple.

[Via DigitalWorldTokyo]

An Apple spokesman has confirmed to Forbes that the company has agreed to buy the boutique microprocessor design specialists PA Semi. Known for their expertise in low-power mobile processors, PA Semi was founded in 2003 by Dan Dobberpuhl, a lead designer on early ARM chips; the company currently employs 150 people. Speculation is rife that PA Semi chips will now find their way into the iPhone and future portable devices by Apple.

Although neither company would comment on the value of the deal, a person familiar with the arrangement has suggested it was a cash sale worth $278 million. The buy has come as a surprise to many analysts, who expected Apple’s headline-grabbing relationship with Intel to see future mobile devices using the chip company’s own Atom platform, itself a low-power design. It’s been suggested that Apple’s acquisition is in part to further seal off the potential of upcoming products leaking, which has historically plagued the run-up to each eagerly-anticipated launch. Negotiations took mere weeks, although prior to the Intel deal Apple and PA Semi were in talks which then fell through.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that we’ll see a PA Semi chip in the 3G iPhone; the deal is too recent for that. But given the ongoing rumors of an Apple UMPC – possibly in the form of a larger, maybe QWERTY-equipped iPod Touch – and the iPhone’s further blurring of the smartphone, MID and UMPC niches, it’s unsurprising that the company is looking for highly efficient mobile processors. According to Forbes, Apple plans to continue to supply and support existing PA Semi customers, but keep future chips exclusively for itself.

While poking around the the iPhone 2.0 firmware Vincent got a hold of, he noticed not only can you save images directly from Safari, but you can save images from email attachments. The saving of images from an email attachment works much like it does when you save an image from Safari. Video of it in action after the jump.

Just as in Safari, it is very simple to save and store images from an email attachment to your iPhone. You hold your finger over the image for a few seconds, and a menu will come up and offer you some options for saving the image. The image is saved in your camera roll. More and more, the iPhone 2.0 firmware is appearing to make the iPhone a very formidable opponent to Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices.

Once again, iPhone Buzz has gotten you the story on the new iPhone firmware 2.0 to you first. If you want to be the first to know when a new feature drops, keep checking back. You will know when we do.

Apple today posted revenue of $7.51 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per diluted share, for its fiscal 2008 second quarter, which ended March 29. “We’re delighted to report 43 percent revenue growth and the strongest March quarter revenue and earnings in Apple’s history,” said Steve Jobs. During the quarter, Apple shipped 2,289,000 Mac computers (representing 51 percent unit growth and 54 percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter), sold 10,644,000 iPods, and reported quarterly iPhone sales of 1,703,000.

Did you know that you can use iCal to easily set up recurring events, send yourself reminders, invite participants to meetings, reserve meeting rooms and equipment, attach documents to an event, and more. Find out how you can tap into the power of iCal by reading the latest Pro Tip of the Week.

We have been seeing the M8 Mini One by Meizu for quite some time now. It was not too long after the iPhone came out that we started seeing the clones. This one my Meizu though, has arguably been the most successful, well persistent, clone to date.

While Meizu had very little mind of their own when making this device, and it is very apparent when looking at the device. Before totally writing it off though, it is at least worth glancing at the spec sheet, with features such as: Wifi, TV out, capacitive touch screen, quad band GSM, 3 megapixel camera, and Bluetooth 2.0.

The device will be made available in August. While the device will never go on sale here, it is supported, as it has that 4th GSM band. No price has been set. Really though, does anybody that has even heard of Meizu not have an iPhone already though?

[Show as slideshow]

[Via VR-Zone]

Some telling information has been pulled from the device emulator included in the iPhone SDK. There is some evidence there that the new iPhone could have true GPS functionality, which is currently a talking point of iPhone critics. It is important to keep in mind, this could mean something, but could just as easily, mean nothing.

Reference to NMEA found in the locationd service on the iPhone, suggest that GPS could be coming. NMEA is the standard way to present GPS data to applications that can use it. The locationd service also revealed some strings related to satellite positioning, latitude, longitude, speed, and satellite link quality. There are more strings than just those relating to GPS, including current position and estimated accuracy.

True GPS support is a huge leap over the current solution on the iPhone, which uses triangulation of towers to determine the iPhone position relative to themselves. This is also known as A-GPS, or assisted GSPS. GPS is much more efficient. All this though, does not mean GPS will be there for sure. All it means, is there is software support for it, only the new iPhone will tell us for sure.

[Via iPhone Atlas]

Keeping your iPhone juiced on the go is critical. The inability to switch out batteries means, in times of serious use, you will need access to some sort of power source. For those times when a charger is not around, there is still hope. It comes in the form of the Portable Power Station 2.

USBfever has released this accessory, to keep you connected when on the run. This version is only capable of 800mAh, which is not enough to fully charge the iPhone battery. It is however, good enough to give it some extra life before it calls it quits. After all, an extra hour or two can make all the difference.

While it may not have enough power to fully juice an iPhone, it does have enough power to fully charge up an iPod Nano 3rd Gen. The choice as to which device you will use it on is yours. Perhaps the best part of this device, is the very wallet friendly price tag. At $28 dollars, this is not a bad deal by any means.

[Via iPodNN]

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Retail, Rumors, iTunes, Apple

Here’s an interesting idea — MacNN is reporting that Apple is working on new ways to improve online shopping. Apparently the biggest music seller in the US thinks that online shopping can feel “sterile and isolating.” Hmm.

To counteract the isolation, Apple is reportly considering showing customers where other shoppers are in the virtual stores, and maybe even letting customers interact while shopping, via chat or other interfaces. This system would also allow for storewide announcements of special events or sales going down.

It’s quite a concept — online store as virtual space — but the fact for me as a consumer is that I shop online mostly to avoid exactly those things (chatting with less knowledgeable customers and annoying store loudspeaker systems). Even if this idea makes it through the gauntlet and we see this type of thing in Apple’s online shopping environments, I doubt the old methods of clicking and browsing by yourself are going away anytime soon.

[via MacRumors]

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Filed under: Rumors, iPhone

Euro-iPhone purchasers note: there’s something in the wind that says a 3G, revenue-sharing-absent and exclusivity-free iPhone may be on the way shortly for Italian (or iTalian) buyers. An article at La Repubblica indicates that the iPhone’s arrival in Rome may be accompanied by a new sales model: no revenue kickback from subscriptions for Apple, but a higher selling price on the phone, and a very limited or nonexistent exclusivity period for the telecom partner (Telecom Italia at launch during summer 2008, with other carriers onboard probably by the holiday season).

Sadly, my Italian is basically as nonexistent as the exclusivity for the iTPhone, so I’m depending on the machine translation here. If any of our readers can distill and inform based on the original, please do!

[via Engadget]

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Apple has been making some moves in the last year. I am not just talking about product sales either. Apple has jumped up to number 103 on the FORTUNE 500 list. The FORTUNE 500 is a list of the 500 top companies according to net revenue. Last year, Apple was 121. This 18 spot jump is a result of almost $3.5 billion in profits last year.

Some of this success no doubt must be contributed to the huge hit that has been the iPhone. Never before has a single phone captured the eye of so many people. It is absolutely unprecedented. It is not to say that Mac and iPod sales were not good last year, but with 4 million plus iPhones sold so far, and that revenue sharing agreement, Apple is living large off the iPhone.

Interesting note as well, AT&T made a huge jump on the list as well. They jumped from spot 27 to 10. This is speaking of the main AT&T division. The mobile interests of AT&T were no doubt flooded with money this year, meaning the iPhone may be responsible for at least part of AT&T’s great year.

[Via Macsimus News]

Native instant messaging is a much sought after feature for iPhone owners. There are already a number of third party applications that bring instant messaging to the iPhone, some of them even do a really good job of it. With the SDK on it’s way there will be even more, and of them, a lot more clients that perform well. There is one problem with both of these type of clients though; they can not run in the background.

The reason for this, is applications that do not have Apple’s blessing generally can not run in the background, as they do not have the correct permissions to do so. This means if you close the instant messaging application, or leave to do something else, then you will be signed off and your conversations ended. If Apple made the application though, they could allow it to run in the background, just as other services on the iPhone do, such as the phone application.

This patent sketch shows some clues on how the application would work. The application is set up much like the current SMS application on the iPhone, with a few notable differences. The patent application was filed in August of last year, and granted last month. It was not said if Apple plans to release this application with iPhone firmware 2.0, or iif it will be made available through iTunes, and downloaded at the owners discretion.

[Via TUAW]

The iPhone is capable of doing quite a few nifty things. Anyone that has an iPhone has not doubt enjoyed the versatile phone for a number of applications. There has been one thing conspicuously missing from the iPhone’s feature set however, and that is the ability to use your iPhone to generate drum sounds.

The application, called Drummer, is made by MooTheCow. It works by using the the wonderful multi touch screen on the iPhone, to enable multiple buttons to be pressed, which causes multiple notes to play. Up to 15 buttons, or samples, can be displayed on the screen at once. The application supports up to 5 touches at once, meaning you can blend up to 5 samples at once. You can also load up a track stored on your device and use play the drum along with the song.

Drummer runs on jailbroken iPhones. One of the best parts of Drummer, is it is a free application, and is available on Installer. You will need to add http://www.touchrepo.com/repo.xml to your sources list to get it.

[Via Into Mobile]

A recent patent filed by Apple suggests that they could be working on a native instant messaging (IM) client for the iPhone.

With a look very similar to the SMS functionality already built in to the iPhone, a native IM client would probably be very welcome, if implemented well…

Some accessories for the iPhone aren’t particularly exciting but they do make using your iPhone easier.

Take the latest four accessories from iPodJuice.com. The product they’re most excited about is an external iPhone charger, which connects to the dock and is about one-third the height of the iPhone…

According to unsubstantiated reports in an Italian newspaper, Italy could get a 3G iPhone not tied to any one network, and without any of the operators having to share revenue with Apple.

Having said that, it could well come to Telecom Italia first. I’m not well versed on Italian laws, but there’s the possibility that similar restrictions are in place as in France, which forced Apple to sell an unlocked iPhone to any customer requesting it.

Filed under: How-tos, Odds and ends

Rachel Greenham has written a very good tutorial called ‘Subversion for Writers.’ If you aren’t a coder, you probably aren’t familiar with the popular version control system, Subversion. It allows you to work collaboratively with folks on the same files (in most cases code) without fear of overwriting the work of others. Subversion tracks all the changes made to those files, and who did them, and allows you to rollback changes or branch off into different directions with having to worry about mucking up the entire project.

Rachel, being a geeky writer, immediately saw the potential of using Subversion for writers. Her tutorial walks you through what Subversion is, how to install it on your Mac (if you’re running Leopard it is already installed), some apps you can use to make interacting with Subversion easier, and how to track your changes. To be clear, this method is not for everyone. If you aren’t comfortable with the Terminal you should steer clear of this, and if you don’t revise the same document over and over again you’ll have no need for it. That being said, it is a very clever idea.

[via the Hog Bay Software Forums]

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Filed under: Software, Internet Tools

After six weeks in beta (not long at all in Google-weeks), the new version 2.0 of iCal-sharing tool BusySync is out. The headline feature for 2.0 is of course the new iCal –> Google Calendar synchronization capability, which opens up a wide world of cloud-based options for families and workgroups already using the LAN-based sync of earlier versions. You can keep multiple iCal users synchronized (even on the same machine), sync remotely via Google, and more.

There are plenty other options for syncing your calendars with gCal, but if you need to keep more than one user’s iCal coordinated (think family schedules!) then BusySync may be the product for you, starting at $25 per seat. The guys behind BusySync have a long history with Mac calendaring (including creating the late great Now Up-to-Date, which actually saw its first update in over a year last week) and I’ve been impressed with the quality of the beta release. We’ll do a head-to-head comparison of the iCal sync options soon.

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Filed under: iPod Family, Developer, iPhone

What do Matzoh, Gefilte Fish, and ad hoc iPhone development camps have in common? They’re all scheduled for tomorrow. As the sun sets and Jews around the world begin to celebrate Passover, the festival of freedom from slavery, pale iPhone developers will be crawling back to their rocks after joining together at Polytechnic University for a free iPhone development event.

The event runs from 10AM to 6PM at the Brooklyn Campus at 6 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn 11201. Bagels and/or pizza will be served. Note that you cannot just show up at the event without notifying organizers via the website — security has a list of attendees.

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The Black Night iPhone is the iPhone at it’s most expensive. It is for the true connoisseur of iPhone fans. It is elegantly lined with 24ct gold on the iPhone’s front bezel. The back of the phone is painted in a custom black paint. This paint is normally reserved only for the finest of Bentley’s autos.

The back of the iPhone also sees a 24ct gold Apple logo. The phone itself is the 16GB model, for which to hold all the Liberace and Beethoven stuffed in the cherry wood shelves in your library. Goldstriker is not calling it quits there by any means. They have expressed interest in a Lamborghini and Jaguar themed gold laden iPhone.

This beautifully crafted iPhone can be had for GBP699.95 ($1384). It is quite a chunk of coin to invest in this bad boy. Someone needs to tell Goldstriker the new iPhone is coming out soon. How are all these high priced iPhones going to look to their owners when they are old news?

[Via iPhone Investigator]

With all the rumors and myths surrounding the 3G iPhone, it can be hard to sift through it all and find out what matters. This article though, is of a particular importance. It seems though, that an Italian newspaper is reporting that the 3G iPhone is hitting Telecom Italia, and that it is coming very soon. Nothing new there. However, something that catches the eye, is that the 3G iPhone will not be an exclusive, as is seen with the current iPhone.

Just as surprising as the concept of the iPhone not being an exclusive, is that the article also says that the revenue sharing agreement is out the window. This would be quite a large step in getting the iPhone to more people, however it is unlikely. Apple currently enjoys a nice chunk of every iPhone subscribers bill, and it is doubtful they would give that up.

In the US we will probably see the iPhone stay as an exclusive to AT&T customers. The effect would be more pronounced in Europe, where many carriers have fought with Apple over the revenue sharing and subsidizing of the iPhone.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Editor’s note: I highly doubt this is true.  Until the paper can produce credible source(s) this news has no merit.

-Vincent

According to reports in a couple of European newspapers, Apple may be applying pressure to mobile carriers, and in particular Orange, to cut the price they’re charging for the iPhone handset, in order to make the initial price more attractive.

In the last couple of weeks, O2 and Carphone Warehouse in the UK, and T-Mobile in Germany, have cut the price of the 8GB iPhone, but no such cut has happened in France, or for the 16GB model…

On the same day that Apple posted the Software Development Kit (SDK) that third-party developers can use to create image editing plug-ins from Aperture 2.1, the first image editing plug-ins from third-party developers have arrived and several others are expected to appear shortly.

The folks at WildCharge are excited about the forthcoming WildCharge adapters for the iPhone and iPod touch. For now, the RAZR V3 is the only handset to have an adapter that works with the WildCharger pad.

So how does the WildCharge wirelessly charges up your favorite gadgets without plugging in? In the case of the Motorola RAZR, it uses a replacement battery panel, which contains the inductive receiver and has a sneaky little tendril snaking down to the RAZR’s mini-USB charging port. It’s not exactly the slickest outfit for Motorola RAZR, frankly, but it could be a lot more convenient than remembering to slot the normal charger in.

Eric Benderoff of Chicago Tribune, was lucky enough to receive a charging adapter built into a gel-type case that he’s been testing out. He says that the gel-type case doubles as protection for the iPod touch, and charges the same way as the RAZR. When the time comes to when the iPod touch is out of juice, simply place it on the WildCharge pad and the device’s battery charges. No plugs are needed, just the one that powers WildCharge.

The WildCharge adapters for the iPod touch and iPhone are expected to ship in May. But the biggest advancement could come when a universal adapter ships by the third quarter, Chief Executive Izhar Matzkevich said.

Price: WildCharge Pad – $60 and RAZR adapter – $35 at wildcharge.com.

I got a call from a buddy of mine earlier tonight all excited that Microsoft Live Maps is now compatible with Safari and more importantly Safari Mobile. He insisted I give it a try, so I did. Two minutes into trying to use Live Maps, I realized why I don’t use Google’s implementation of maps.google.com on the iPhone simply because it is too slow and takes too much work.

So I asked my friend on the phone if he’d ever use the native Maps application on the iPhone. His reply was a quick “heck no.” My response was, don’t ever recommend another web application to me again until you’ve used the iPhone yourself. So why am I not happy with Live Maps? First of, it’s a web app, and web apps do not stand a chance next to the native application Maps. It’s painfully slow to load and requires a lot of work just to zoom in and out to get the damn map to look right. I find it retarded that when clicking on the “Zoom In” control, it zooms in on the center of the map. I bet that if Microsoft wanted to do it right, they could have sized the map to fit the iPhone’s screen. If you really want to make it work, the iPhone needs to be in landscape mode. I can’t in good conscious recommend Live Maps on the iPhone to anyone at this point in time.

I challenge Microsoft to build a better map Application when the App Store opens up. Is it too much to ask for map that’s sized for the iPhone’s screen, implementations of pinch-zoom and swiping to move the map around?

According to Mobile Today, last week’s £100 price cut by O2 and The Carphone Warehouse caused stock level depletion at a number of stores across the UK within 48 hours…

Filed under: iPod Family, Cool tools, Hacks, iPhone

Yes, you can has winpwn – for beta values of “can has”. Pwning an iPhone means preparing it to accept custom iPhone firmware bundles (ipsw files) in iTunes. Winpwn 99.1.8 Beta has been released for public testing (though keep in mind that this particular tool is for use with Windows).

If you’re wary of beta releases and not an early adopter, you’ll probably want to keep waiting. There is no 2.0 support. You may run into LIBUSB errors (apparently fine, meaning you probably just don’t have no ibooter). You must have 1.1.4 firmware loaded onto your unit in order to pwn it — whether for Mac or Windows. The developers strongly request that any new users start with this tutorial. For more help, check out the #winpwn and @winpwn-devel channels on irc.osx86.hu IRC server.

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Filed under: Cult of Mac, Found Footage

This Mahalo Daily-wannabe Lindsay Hamel’s video entry made me laugh even though it seemed very similar to this old Emily Posts post about dating Apple Developers. “This is my boyfriend Kyle. He’s an Apple Coder. Notice how he’s facing his code and not facing me.” If you’re dating an Apple geek, get used to the way his back looks. The ring of truth.

As for those tees? I mostly give away my Xcode t-shirts to my kids and yes they make excellent sleepware.

[Via Mactropolis]

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Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone

The 3G iPhone is (apparently) on its way. 1st gen iPhones are being remaindered and are otherwise thin on the ground. TUAW reader Joël Huxtable writes to ask “what will we do with the old iPhone?” Well, Joel, we’re glad you asked. Here are a few thoughts about what you can do with that old phone.

eBay it. The iPhone may soon be previous gen but it still has pretty good market value — especially if you’re willing to take the risk of auctioning it off to overseas clients. I expect to see some enterprising people realize this soon and start a buyback service specifically intended to put blocks of unlocked previous-generation iPhones together for sale overseas in countries without official iPhone support.

iPod it. Once you’ve pwned your iPhone, it becomes not only a perfectly good iPod touch but one with built-in speakers and a microphone. You don’t need an active AT&T account to keep using that iPhone as one of the best iPods ever built.

Kid it. I don’t know about your kids but mine are constantly after me to use the iPhone. It offers a perfectly portable sub-laptop solution for hooking into the Internet at Wi-Fi hotspots. It takes a lot of the burden off our main computer and allows my kids to watch endless Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus clips.

I’m sure there are plenty of other uses as well in addition to selling, re-purposing or sharing the iPhone. You can probably set it up as a SETI host or cryptography number cruncher. Got more ideas? Let us know about them in the comments.

Update: I am not now and have never been on an iPhone contract. I use prepaid (AT&T GoPhone). The rates are pretty stinky but with good WiFi and now VOIP, I’m not hurting for minutes. When I bought my new refurb 8GB, I swapped out the SIMs and then activated with iLiberty+. It’s working fine–sends and receives calls and SMS. I did not activate through iTunes.

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It has been an exciting week for us Apple fans. iPhone Buzz gave you a first look at iPhone Firwmare 2.0 beta. We walked you through some of the exciting new features Apple has included in the new firmware, like saving images directly from Safari, and setting up Exchange Support.

Across the seas, we saw some interesting news as well. The iPhone saw a £100($196) drop in price. This is supposedly in preparation of the 3G iPhone. In India, the it was revealed the iPhone is coming to India on Vodafone. While we are talking about foreign lands, we gave you tips on how to take your iPhone with you when you travel abroad

In software news, we saw the release of several promising applications for the iPhone. Including the First VoIP application for the iPhone, Fring. Another sweet applications we saw was Feeds, an RSS reader for the iPhone, that syncs with Google Reader. Windows users had something to get excited over, as the Pwnage Tool for Windows was released in beta form.

As for iPhone accessories, we got a first look at the Mophie Juice Pack. Mophie claims it can increase battery life on the iPhone by up to 250 additional standby hours.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Rumors, Apple, iPhone

Apple sources are telling the Business Standard that the iPhone is launching in India on carrier Vodafone, with an expected release date this September. The 8GB version is supposedly launching within the year for sure, with a 16GB version “based on buyer response” in 2009.

These “sources” seem to know quite a bit — they also claimed that Vodaphone was being considered for an Australian release, and said that “multiple carriers” might even be likely. Of course, don’t forget your grain of salt on this one — Vodafone officials denied any knowledge of the deal. But it’s very true that India is one of the biggest players in the “grey market” for iPhones, so a deal there, with Vodafone or another carrier, wouldn’t be unexpected at all.

There is one catch — apparently the price specified by Apple sources is around Rs 28,000, which is a whopping $700 US (for comparison, the price in the UK was £300 on release before the price drops, which comes to $599 US). So if these sources are legit, anyone wanting to take advantage of a Vodafone deal won’t be doing so cheaply.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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Filed under: iPod Family, Internet, iPhone

It was only a couple months ago that Starbucks announced that AT&T would take over hotspot services from T-Mobile. Now the WiFi hotspots are rolling out to some of the Starbucks stores. David Chartier, of previous TUAW and now ArsTechnica fame, recently posted an article on his personal blog about the portal and what it offers. He also took the picture that you can see above.

According to David, AT&T is giving WiFi users 2 free hours of access per day. But AT&T didn’t stop there — they designed an iPhone-specific portal to sign onto the service. A local Starbucks manager told David that all 7,000+ Starbucks stores in the US should be “finished by summer.”

I should note that this iPhone portal isn’t specific to Starbucks — every AT&T WiFi hotspot features the same interface — and all devices are eligible for the 2 free hours of access (not just iPhones and iPod touches). Any WiFi device should be able to logon to the service. It is nice to see AT&T finally giving connectivity away for free.

[via 1FPS]

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