Iphone Updates

If you struggle to find what you want on the App Store, or if you want some suggestions on which free or paid applications-games you should install on your iPhone or iPod Touch, Apptism is for you, check it out:

Tags:appstore apptism iphone ipod touchappstore, apptism, iphone, ipod, touch

I’ve just discovered a new supplier for the iPod-iPhone family that provides wonderful kits and demos about Apple IPod Repair, but also Apple Iphone Repair and finally replacement of your battery.

You can also use their no-obligation repair evaluation services, and then check if your beloved iPod-iPhone is possible to repair after a water damage, cracked screen, etc…

The batteries that iPodJuice put inside your iPod or iPhone are better than the original ones from Apple. So it is worth considering if your battery is out of order or not good enough to handle a full day of use.

Here is an example of the kind of videos iPod Juice provides to help customers change themselves the batteries of their Ipod, and also do a full Ipod Repair eventually.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

iPod juice provides as well other tools and devices useful for iPod/iPhone users, such as:

• Solar-powered charger
• iPod charger and backup battery
• Automobile outlet charger
• USB and firewire charging cable
• USB Retractable charging cable
• Repair kits to open your iPod/iPhone

In terms of warranty, the batteries are guaranteed for 10 years. In terms of shipping and delivery, iPod Juice is using USPS, UPS or FedEx.

Tags:battery iphone ipod ipodjuice juice repairbattery, iphone, ipod, ipodjuice, juice, repair

Filed under: Software, Other Events, Developer, iPhone, SDK

The O’Reilly iPhoneLive Conference, which was scheduled for November 18th in San Jose, California, has been postponed.

Bill Dudney, one of the co-chairs of the conference, mentioned to me this morning that the conference had been postponed and would be rescheduled at a future date. The O’Reilly website for the conference
is now showing an announcement about the postponement, but no explanation.

Several TUAW readers have expressed their anger about the postponement, particularly because they’ve already purchased non-refundable airline tickets.

As we receive more info from O’Reilly about the postponement, this post will be updated.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: OS, Software

Cocoatech’s Path Finder is the Mac OS Finder replacement that many users love (including us). If you haven’t used it, you are missing out on something. A tabbed interface, insane customization options, powerful search (you can completely override Spotlight if you like) and so much more will have you ditching the Finder in no time. Path Finder can be run in conjunction with the Mac OS X Finder or on its own.

Today, it gets even better with the release of version 5.0. There are cool new features like a dual-pane file browser, which lets you display two folders simultaneously in one window and move files between them. Other new features include sidebar, Favorite Places and shared network places.

Many so-called “power users” complain about the Finder’s limitations. If that’s you, chances are Path Finder has the fix. It requires Mac OS 10.4 Leopard 10.5, and costs $34.95$39.95 for a single license. (Cocoatech let us know that they’re working on the server issues that blocked access to the PF5 pages earlier.)

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Check your iTunes (8.0) now:

Tags:2.1 firmware iphone2.1, firmware, iphone

Interesting chart from Admob today:

Tags:admob iphone smartphoneadmob, iphone, smartphone

Let’s Rock has given us the latest news about the Apple products for the Christmas season. So we have a new iTunes 8, a new iPod Touch and new iPod Nano-chromatic!

Tags:2.1 christmas chromatic firmware ipod itunes 8 touch2.1, christmas, chromatic, firmware, ipod, itunes 8, touch

Tags:iphone iphone life magazineiphone, iphone life, magazine

Electronic Arts has finally launched Spore Origins on the iPhone’s App Store. I guess all the iPhone gamers would be very happy.

Tags:ea electronic arts iphone origins spore spore originsea, electronic arts, iphone, origins, spore, spore origins

Another seller for the iPhone 3G in the US:

Tags:3G best buy iphone3G, best buy, iphone

It’s all about the services and not actually the phone itself. It’s a totally different angle to the Apple way of selling the phone. Let’s see what is the best:

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Tags:ad android G1 google phone tvad, android, G1, google, phone, tv

Tags:ad game games iphone tvad, game, games, iphone, tv

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Rumors, Steve Jobs

When Steve Jobs denied that Apple was working on a netbook (small, inexpensive laptop device) during Tuesday’s 4Q earnings call, it immediately set off alarm bells for a lot of people. After all, Jobs has denied that Apple was working on other products, only to have them appear months later.

New York Times columnist John Markoff has reported that an “unnamed search engine company” is seeing visits from an unannounced Apple device with a screen resolution somewhere between that of the iPhone (480 x 320) and the 13″ MacBook (1,280 x 800). This is leading Markoff to believe that perhaps the long-awaited Mac netbook or new, larger iPhone tablet is going to be announced at Macworld Expo 2009 in early January. Of course, it could just be a hackint0sh that is showing up on the search engine’s logs.

When Jobs mentioned during the earnings call that “We don’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk”, perhaps he’s telling the truth — and Apple will have a $500, high-quality tablet or netbook to announce in January.

What’s your take on the Mac netbook / tablet rumor mill? Inquiring TUAW readers want to know!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Apple Financial, iPhone

Earlier this week, Apple executives shared the company’s fourth quarter financial results. It was a great quarter for Apple, including 6.8 million iPhones sold in June, July and August. During the call, Apple declined to report carrier-specific numbers.

Now, AT&T is reporting that 2.4 million 3G iPhones were activated during that time (that’s global sales vs. US activations). It’s noteworthy that 1.7 million of those were new subscription customers, representing the largest quarterly increase ever for AT&T.

What’s also noteworthy is that US sales account for just 34.8 percent of the total iPhone market, a number likely to shrink even further when the African and Middle Eastern markets are expanded in the coming months.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Latest iPhone News: Friday 25th October 2008

Rumour: Apple portable device

This one is firmly in the pen of speculation, despite rumours that Apple has been working on a “netbook” device for some time. According to “an unnamed search engine”, it has received visits from an unknown Apple device with a display resolution between that of an iPhone and a MacBook. Thing is, it’s very easy to spoof, or even make up, a device’s identity, at least as far as web servers are concerned, so this has to be taken with a grain of salt. Steve Jobs has said that Apple will not enter such a netbook market in its current state, saying that the iPhone and iPod Touch are the company’s portable Internet devices. (Via Into Mobile)

Latest iPhone News: Friday 25th October 2008

Rumour: Apple portable device

This one is firmly in the pen of speculation, despite rumours that Apple has been working on a “netbook” device for some time. According to “an unnamed search engine”, it has received visits from an unknown Apple device with a display resolution between that of an iPhone and a MacBook. Thing is, it’s very easy to spoof, or even make up, a device’s identity, at least as far as web servers are concerned, so this has to be taken with a grain of salt. Steve Jobs has said that Apple will not enter such a netbook market in its current state, saying that the iPhone and iPod Touch are the company’s portable Internet devices. (Via Into Mobile)

Brain Jogging

The Brain Jogging application for the iPhone continues the popular genre of “brain training” games. The feature set of many of these games is quite similar, so it’s not surprising that it sounds rather like Gameloft’s “Brain Challenge” — it allows you to train up your response times and improve various mental abilities such as arithmetic, geometry, recall, and the like. It includes three different difficulty levels and “comprehensive evaluation of every game played”. Available for £2.99 ($4.99) (Via Macworld)…

Filed under: Apple Financial, iPhone

Earlier this week, Apple executives shared the company’s fourth quarter financial results. It was a great quarter for Apple, including 6.8 million iPhones sold in June, July and August. During the call, Apple declined to report carrier-specific numbers.

Now, AT&T is reporting that 2.4 million 3G iPhones were activated during that time (that’s global sales vs. US activations). It’s noteworthy that 1.7 million of those were new subscription customers, representing the largest quarterly increase ever for AT&T.

What’s also noteworthy is that US sales account for just 34.8 percent of the total iPhone market, a number likely to shrink even further when the African and Middle Eastern markets are expanded in the coming months.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: iPod Family, Apple, iPhone, Apple History, iPod nano, iPod touch, iPod classic

It’s hard to believe that 7 years have passed since Steve took the stage and introduced our friend, the iPod. Over the past few years, the iPod has gone from new guy on the block to “funnest” guy on the block. While the basic design hasn’t changed much (for the Classic model at least), the features definitely have. When the iPod launched in 2001, it was basically a FireWire-capable hard drive and MP3 player — nothing more, nothing less.

The first iPod sold for $399 for a 5GB version (which was Mac-only). Apple later came out with a 10GB version of the same iPod for $499. Here’s some fun facts about the first iPod via Mactracker:

• Codename: Dulcimer
• Dimensions: 4.02″ H x 2.43″ W x 0.78″ D
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• iPod OS: version 1.0, upgradeable to 1.5
• Introduced: October 2001
• Terminated: April 2003
• Hard Drive: 4200 RPM in capacities of 5/10/20 GB

To celebrate the iPod’s birthday, we have created a gallery to show the many changes over the years. If you want to brush-up on your iPod trivia, check out Wikipedia’s iPod page. If you have any happy (or unhappy) memories of the iPod, be sure to reminisce in the comments.

View Poll

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The iPhone 3G is a high precision technical device which demands high precision technical protection that only Case-mate’s Clear Armor can provide. Crafted from a unique transparent film, the same materials used on military helicopter blades.

The Body Glove Snap-On protective case offers the ultimate custom fit phone case that is designed to fit like a glove!

Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.

“I’ve been testing the base model of the new MacBook for the past five days, and I like it a lot,” reports Walt Mossberg (allthingsd.com). He “found this new MacBook to be speedy, solid, innovative, and comfortable to use, with very good battery life.” “A terrific choice for consumer and students,” MacBook comes with Leopard but also runs tested Windows-only programs “at snappy speeds,” notes Mossberg.

Apple, says Edward C. Baig (usatoday.com), “has fashioned a winner with the new MacBook.” The new model features a “bold new metal design with a glossy backlit widescreen LED display, spacious buttonless trackpad and souped-up Nvidia graphics for gamers.” In fact, Baig reports being “pleased with the detail and fluid motion as I played Spore from Electronic Arts and Call of Duty 4 from Activision.

Opening in select theaters today and more widely next Friday, Changeling boasts a stellar cast—led by Academy Award winning actors Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich—and an Academy Award winning director. Clint Eastwood. In the film, Christine Collins (Jolie) must endure not only the kidnapping of her child but a police force more interested in silencing her criticism than finding her son.

Visit the University of California Television, and you’ll find a wealth of diverse programming. Take, for example, 21st Century Zoos, a fascinating program that features interviews with Jane Goodall and veterinarians from such noted zoos as the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Learn about 21st Century Zoos and the unique challenges veterinarians face caring for a captive audience.

Bone

The graphic novel “Bone”, by Jeff Smith, is now available as an iPhone application, courtesy of Uclick’s own comic reader software. The first edition “Out of Boneville” is available for $0.99 (69p)…

Latest iPhone News: Thursday 23 October 2008

200,000 application downloads

Over 200,000 applications have been downloaded from the iTunes App Store, just a month after it hit the 100,000 mark.

iPhone is a netbook

With all sorts of rumours and speculation over Apple releasing a small computer (netbook), Steve Jobs has responded, claiming that the iPod and the iPod Touch devices offer the same functionality as low-cost netbooks. “We choose to be in certain segments of the market, and we choose not to be in certain segments of the market,” Jobs told Wall Street analysts on Tuesday. Taking a veiled swipe at current netbooks, he continued, “We don’t know how to make a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk, and our DNA will not let us ship that,” Jobs said. “But we can continue to deliver greater and greater value to those customers that we choose to serve, and there’s a lot of them. And we’ve seen great success by focusing on certain segments of the market and not trying to be everything to everybody.” (Via ComputerWorld)…

Filed under: Enterprise, iPhone

TheHill.com is reporting that members of the U.S. House of Representatives could be getting iPhones when they return to Washington, D.C. after the elections.

The Chief Administrative Office (CAO) oversees all communications systems for the House and has been testing a small number of iPhones to see how they meet the needs of congressmen and their staffs.

House members and their staffs currently use RIM BlackBerry devices, with nearly 8,200 installed. The CAO delivers all emails to the BlackBerrys using a BlackBerry Enterprise Server. A new server would be required for the iPhones, so the CAO wants to test the devices and email delivery prior to making a decision to approve use of iPhones.

The CAO is testing iPhones simply because a number of people had requested them as an option. If the CAO does approve the iPhone and lawmakers decide to switch, they’ll pay for the devices out of their Member’s Representational Allowance (i.e., taxpayers will be paying for them).

Adoption of the iPhone by the U.S. Congress could be another blow to RIM, which is now behind Apple in terms of sales and revenues. Apple CEO Steve Jobs gleefully reported that “Apple beat RIM” during yesterday’s Q4 Earnings Call.

Thanks to Kyle for the tip!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

With the availability of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, for the iPhone and iPod touch, Noah Webster must be a happy ghost. His namesake dictionary, converted to Apple’s handheld platforms by Paragon Technologie GmbH, now gives teachers, writers, and students a fully searchable reference at their fingertips.

This is a pocket version of the best-selling dictionary in the USA, featuring over 225,000 defined words. Since it is a self-contained application and not a web front-end to an online dictionary, it can be used in situations where your device is in airplane mode.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary isn’t cheap — it sells for US$24.99 in the App Store (click opens iTunes). However, carrying this app on your iPhone is a lot lighter than lugging around the US$23.95, 3.6 lb. (1.63 kg.) printed version.

The other major competition to this application, Webster’s New World Dictionary (click opens iTunes) from AcroDesign, is a bit less expensive at US$14.99, but is less complete with only 163,000 entries.

What’s the favorite reference you’d like to have on your handheld device? Leave us a comment!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

In a highly unscientific test, the iPhone 3G and T-Mobile G1 were pitted against each other, loading a web page over their respective 3G network. Though the G1 beat the iPhone by around eight seconds, this video lasts longer than their combined time. That’s the real travesty.

If by any chance you still don’t have some kind of charging dock for your iPhone or iPod, and you want one, then the i.Sound Twin Charger will allow you to charge (but not sync) two devices at once…

Motorola Bluetooth Stereo PC Adapter D200 plugs into an USB port of a PC to add Bluetooth Stereo capabilities, and it lets the music in the PC go wireless. Wirelessly connects to Bluetooth Stereo headphones for music streaming freedom.

Filed under: Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK, iPod touch, Jailbreak/pwnage

We know of a few iPhone applications that were unloved by Apple. What are we talking about? You know … the cool iPhone applications that developers make — then Apple doesn’t approve of them, and they never see the light of day again (or maybe they do). Needless to say, there are probably more iPhone applications out there that we don’t know about.

That is the basis of the iPhone Application Graveyard — it is a website designed to document all of the rejected iPhone applications. The site is run by Peter Hosey of Growl and Adium fame. Developers can email him tidbits of information about their unloved application, and he will post it to the site.

Which rejected application do you wish you could have on the App Store?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Software, TUAW Business

Clips is a clipboard that works like an app, complete with previews, easy access via hot corners, support for Spaces and even clips across different Macs. Mike mentioned the 1.1 update last month, and now we’re giving away five copies of the app (which currently sells for $34.99). To enter, simply leave a comment in this post before Wednesday night (details below).

• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment telling us what was the last thing you copied to the clipboard.
• The comment must be left before October 23, 11:59PM Eastern Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: One license for Clips ($34.99)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Featuring a unique blend of timeless design and technical innovation,JX20 Pura is a true premium experience.JX20 Pura is made from genuineanodized titanium; an incredibly strong, timeless metal.

Add graphic novels to the list of amazing things you can enjoy on iPhone and iPod touch. In this case, Out of Boneville, the first volume of Jeff Smith’s multiple-award winning Bone series. Out of Boneville (.99) looks great on iPhone, letting you move back and forth with a simple swipe. And if you do have to pull yourself away from the story, iPhone takes you right back to where you were before you left.

Registration is now open for the 2008 Insomnia Film Festival. In the festival, student teams write, cast, shoot, edit, score, and submit a 3-minute, original film just 24 hours after we release a “top-secret” elements list to all teams. We’ll post the entries online, so film lovers can cast their votes. The top 25 films will then be screened by such great filmmakers as Barry Sonnenfeld, Jason Bateman, and Paul Haggis.

Filed under: Software, Apple Professional, Software Update

Apple just released an update for their professional photo management software, Aperture. Update 2.1.2 “Improves the printing quality of books ordered through the Aperture printing service.” It sounds like this would be a welcomed update by many professional users who rely on photo books and prints ordered through Aperture.

You can download this update through Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update), or by downloading the installer package from Apple’s update download website.

Update: Apple has just created a download page for the Aperture update.

Thanks for the tip, Nik!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Hardware, Portables, Tips and tricks, Mac 101

There’s a good tip at CreativeBits today on prolonging your battery’s life. Specifically, it’s about letting it run through “cycles.”

When your battery is fully charged, be it in your laptop, iPhone or iPod, and you let it run until the device dies, you’ve used up one cycle. Over time, it will lose its ability to retain a full charge. However, there are simple steps you can take to prolong its life (or draw out its death. However you choose to look at it). The folks at CreativeBits recommend at least one cycle every two weeks.

You can also use tools like CoconutBattery and iStatPro to see how many cycles your laptop battery has completed and to monitor its health.

For a more thorough look at your laptop’s battery check out our article on battery calibration.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

AppLoop

AppLoop is a desktop application, currently in beta, which will create individual iPhone applications based on the RSS feed of a web site, with customisable colour palettes and a few other options. The results won’t be aimed at power users who already read a large number of RSS feeds in a dedicated feed reader (like Google Reader or Bloglines), but is more geared towards users who read a few sites regularly each day. That said, there’s a danger that this could be another breed of application which spawns multiple versions that do almost exactly the same thing. At a basic level, this is just an RSS reader, but branded. We already have enough individual applications that count down to a different specific date to one another. I’m not convinced that this application, which automatically applies for inclusion in the App Store on behalf of the blog owner, is going to make things any easier for either other developers, or users looking for quality apps. I’m not totally knocking the principle, but I wonder if the target audience (those who don’t really “get” RSS feeds) wouldn’t be better surfing to their favourite web site and then bookmarking them on their home page. (Via ProBlogger)…

Giving it a 4.5-mouse rating (out of 5), William Porter (macworld.com) calls the recently released Bento 2 “a very slick, very easy-to-use database management system.” A “more mature product,” Bento 2 “boasts a number of significant improvements, including better data import and export, enhancements to the spreadsheet-like table view, on-the-fly customization of forms, and the ability to share libraries.”

For its fiscal 2008 fourth quarter, Apple today posted revenue of $7.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.14 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share. Gross margin was 34.7%. In one of the best quarters in its history, Apple shipped 2.6 million Macintosh computers (an all-time high), 11 million iPods, and 6.9 million iPhones.

In Mac OS X Leopard, Spotlight has become an even more valuable resource. In addition to searching any Mac on your network, Spotlight also lets you take advantage of Boolean search operators—AND, OR, NOT—and other rich search vocabulary. That means you can use Spotlight to conduct pinpoint searches, finding only the files you want. To find out how, watch the latest Quick Tip of the Week.

“It’s not just beautiful,” says Dana Wollman (laptopmag.com) of the new MacBook. “It breaks the mold for thin-and-light notebooks. The new MacBook’s unibody aluminum construction, one-of-a-kind touchpad, and edge-to-edge glass display draw you in, but what impresses us most about Apple’s overhaul of its most popular portable is that it offers robust productivity and graphics performance without sacrificing endurance.”

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, MacBook

Greenpeace is reacting favorably to Apple’s new, environmentally friendlier product line, but chides the company for not reducing the amount of some toxic chemicals more quickly.

According to a blog post on Greenpeace’s website, Apple’s new MacBooks are not entirely free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a kind of plastic. Apple says that internal cables now contain no PVC, but Greenpeace wants to see the entire computer free of PVC.

Greenpeace also examines Apple’s update to Apple’s Greener Apple policies, some of which we highlighted on Tuesday. Apple has promised in this update to have its product line complete PVC free by the end of this year.

The environmental activist organization releases a quarterly Guide to Greener Electronics, where Apple scored a 4.1 (out of 10) last month. Greenpeace’s blog post hints that these new changes to its product line will increase its score. Nokia has the highest score of any company, 7 out of 10.

Thanks, Tom!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Now in its fourth season, Everybody Hates Chris — a runaway success for the CW network — “looks more like the Wire or Homicide than it does like any sitcom you’ve ever seen,” notes the show’s Executive Producer Ali LeRoi. Using Final Cut Pro, he’s reduced his dailies costs by as much as $20,000 a week, savings he reinvested — in songs and actors and sets — and “put right back on the screen.”

“It’s not about brains. It’s not about the accumulation of knowledge. It’s about being decent,” explains novelist Bryce Courtenay. Courtenay is one of 51 notable figures — all 65 or older — interviewed by Andrew Zuckerman for the Wisdom Project. “Using Final Cut to quickly edit the initial footage into compelling clips is what helped us convince the rest of the people to get involved,” Zuckerman says.

In the car, on the street or at the airport, be heard above the noise with the Plantronics Voyager 835 Bluetooth headset. Dual-mic AudioIQ noise canceling technology provides clear sound by separating and enhancing your voice to minimize distracting background sounds.

“iPhone and iPod touch owners can download hundreds of games from Apple’s popular App Store,” reports Marc Saltzman (usatoday.com). While some are free, “most games range from $1.99 to $9.99 and take advantage of the iPhone’s touch-screen, built-in sensors and online connectivity.” So what games does Saltzman recommend for racing fans, flight buffs, card sharks, and others?