Iphone Updates

Unity Technologies, who produce development tools for 3D web and desktop games, have announced they intend to create an iPhone version of their Unity engine, opening up possibilities of 3D console-quality titles on the Apple handset. 

“The Unity engine is the core technology that facilitates visually rich, engaging 3D game play, whether it’s on a traditional desktop, or on the Web at major gaming sites like shockwave.com, or now on the world’s leading mobile device - the iPhone … With support of the iPhone platform, the Unity engine becomes platform agnostic and significantly expands the reach and capabilities of the tool. As a fully supported deployment platform, developers can now use Unity to drive development of the best games to iPhone’s massive mobile market and beyond” Unity Technologies statement 

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The iPhone Dev Team strikes at Apple’s core with the Pwnage tool. The PWN, which is publicaly available later today, Sunday March 30th, allows you to flash custom unsigned firmware onto the iPhone or iPod touch. Not only will PWN properly hack the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPhone Dev Team claims, “any subsequent firmware releases will also be vulnerable to “Pwnage”…like 1.2 (2.0) beta.” Is the iPhone Dev Team getting too arrogant for their own good or is it possible they’re that good to believe they’ve developed a tool that’s Jobs proof? Apple, I believe the ball is now in your court. Click over to watch the video and view screen shots of PWN in action.

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CNN Money has reported that some person familiar with the situation, told Dow Jones Newswire that Hon Hai will be the folks assembling what they’re referring to as a more advanced version of the first-gen iPhone. The unnamed source stated Hon Hai scored the exclusive contract from Apple. Unfortunately, the source declined to provide more details.

In case you’re wondering how much more advance the iPhone can really get. Lets just say at the moment it sorely lack 3G, integrated GPS as well as the not so-advance feature such as copy and paste. Well, the last one is an OS feature that doesn’t require new hardware - I just thought it’s important to throw in there.

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Apple’s decision to refuse third-party developers from using background processes on the iPhone has been a regular sore-point in discussion of whether the handset is a “true smartphone”, and at first glance Rupert Goodwin’s article on the subject comes across as just more bile-bait.  However, what differentiates Goodwin’s piece - once you look past his comparison of the iPhone to a 1981 IBM PC - is the fact that he offers some actual suggestions for how Apple could have handled the situation differently.

“If the design of the iPhone precludes proper always-on connectivity — which wouldn’t be the first time the company has gone for form over function — then have a decent scheduler, which understands the metrics of wireless access and makes intelligent decisions about when to allow what to connect. This does put the onus on application designers to understand the limitations and capabilities of such a channel and to create software accordingly, but then that is their job”Rupert Goodwins, ZDNet 

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Sling Media have been talking about creating a version of their SlingPlayer software for the iPhone since April 2007, and the demand for just such an app hasn’t let up since.  We heard rumors that the development team there were looking at the iPhone SDK and considering the possibilities, and now Dave Zatz from Sling has confirmed that, if they can satisfy the tech side, there’ll likely be a client release on the horizon.

“We were definitely one of those 100,000 who downloaded the iPhone SDK, which we’re currently evaluating. We know it’s a hot platform and we’ll see what our options are” Dave Zatz, Sling Media

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Apple have today released an updated version of the iPhone SDK, the package necessary for developers to code sanctioned third-party applications for the cellphone (and its iPod Touch PMP counterpart). Beta 2 is primarily notable for adding Interface Builder, the drag’n’drop GUI development tool which allows, as its name suggests, coders to put together interfaces for their software. According to the SDK readme file, the rest of the changes are generally tweaks in response to known issues, although there are still outstanding problems Apple are yet to address.

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It’s just a matter of time until somebody ram-raids an Apple Store, gets caught, and blames Steve Jobs for making products so alluring that they were morally obliged to steal them.  Perhaps that should be the defence strategy for a couple of dastards in Salem, MA, who were caught by police after stealing 332 iPhones from the Rockingham Park Apple Store; they’ve apparently been swiping the coveted handsets since last year, and have taken $132,468 worth of stock in total.

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According to sources close to iPhone Atlas, we could see a public leak of the iPhone 2.0 as early as this weekend. The update is currently officially available only to folks accepted into Apple’s $99 iPhone Developer program or who have been selected to beta test the release’s enterprise functionality.

Installation of the iPhone OS 1.2 beta generally requires a special signature from Apple, but an underground team has discovered a method for bypassing this signature and installing a modified edition of OS 1.2. This installation method requires the use of “Pwnage,” a tool that leverages an exploit found in the lower levels of the iPhone/iPod Touch bootloader. Exercising the exploit allows these devices to run unsigned code. With this capability in place, Pwnage can modify the iPhone OS 1.2 IPSW (installation file), pre-activating and pre-jailbreaking it.

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The fanboy Apple/Microsoft debate may rage on, but don’t doubt that both companies are viewing the iPhone as a big profit opportunity. Fortune has been talking to the Specialized Devices and Applications Group at Microsoft, who are responsible for Mac-friendly software like Office for OS X, and the team there are keen to stress that they’re seeing the coveted Apple cellphone as a prospective platform.

“It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone. To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we’re actually in the process of trying to understand that now” Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president, Specialized Devices and Applications Group, Microsoft

“We do have experience with that environment, and that gives us confidence to be able to do something. The key question is, what is the value that we need to bring? We’re still getting comfortable with the SDK, right? It’s just come out. So we had a guess as to what feasibility would be like, now we’ll really get our head wrapped around that” Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president, Specialized Devices and Applications Group, Microsoft

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Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney told iPod Observer in an interview that he believes Apple has ordered a second batch of 3G iPhone, amounting to 10 million more units on top of the original 10 million first generation iPhone that Apple had already ordered and committed to sell by end of 2008.

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Love that iPhone look but hating the on-screen keyboard?  Don’t worry, you’re not alone; Ruddy Ugarte was so fed up at smushing his fingers against the touchscreen and ending up with typo-filled emails that he came up with My Touch Keys, a transparent screen protector with cut-outs for the iPhone’s QWERTY keyboard.

(more…)

Apple have today released an updated version of the iPhone SDK, the package necessary for developers to code sanctioned third-party applications for the cellphone (and its iPod Touch PMP counterpart). Beta 2 is primarily notable for adding Interface Builder, the drag’n’drop GUI development tool which allows, as its name suggests, coders to put together interfaces for their software. According to the SDK readme file, the rest of the changes are generally tweaks in response to known issues, although there are still outstanding problems Apple are yet to address.

(more…)

It’s just a matter of time until somebody ram-raids an Apple Store, gets caught, and blames Steve Jobs for making products so alluring that they were morally obliged to steal them.  Perhaps that should be the defence strategy for a couple of dastards in Salem, MA, who were caught by police after stealing 332 iPhones from the Rockingham Park Apple Store; they’ve apparently been swiping the coveted handsets since last year, and have taken $132,468 worth of stock in total.

(more…)

According to sources close to iPhone Atlas, we could see a public leak of the iPhone 2.0 as early as this weekend. The update is currently officially available only to folks accepted into Apple’s $99 iPhone Developer program or who have been selected to beta test the release’s enterprise functionality.

Installation of the iPhone OS 1.2 beta generally requires a special signature from Apple, but an underground team has discovered a method for bypassing this signature and installing a modified edition of OS 1.2. This installation method requires the use of “Pwnage,” a tool that leverages an exploit found in the lower levels of the iPhone/iPod Touch bootloader. Exercising the exploit allows these devices to run unsigned code. With this capability in place, Pwnage can modify the iPhone OS 1.2 IPSW (installation file), pre-activating and pre-jailbreaking it.

(more…)

The fanboy Apple/Microsoft debate may rage on, but don’t doubt that both companies are viewing the iPhone as a big profit opportunity. Fortune has been talking to the Specialized Devices and Applications Group at Microsoft, who are responsible for Mac-friendly software like Office for OS X, and the team there are keen to stress that they’re seeing the coveted Apple cellphone as a prospective platform.

“It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone. To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we’re actually in the process of trying to understand that now” Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president, Specialized Devices and Applications Group, Microsoft

“We do have experience with that environment, and that gives us confidence to be able to do something. The key question is, what is the value that we need to bring? We’re still getting comfortable with the SDK, right? It’s just come out. So we had a guess as to what feasibility would be like, now we’ll really get our head wrapped around that” Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president, Specialized Devices and Applications Group, Microsoft

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Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney told iPod Observer in an interview that he believes Apple has ordered a second batch of 3G iPhone, amounting to 10 million more units on top of the original 10 million first generation iPhone that Apple had already ordered and committed to sell by end of 2008.

(more…)

Love that iPhone look but hating the on-screen keyboard?  Don’t worry, you’re not alone; Ruddy Ugarte was so fed up at smushing his fingers against the touchscreen and ending up with typo-filled emails that he came up with My Touch Keys, a transparent screen protector with cut-outs for the iPhone’s QWERTY keyboard.

(more…)

The screen shots below might be a rare sneak peak of the new App Store. As to whether they’re fake or real, only time will tell and it’s up to you to decide. From what I can gather from the images, the look of the supposed App Store appears to be very similar to installer.app with notable features include the ability to browse Featured, Genres, Top 50, Search and Updates.

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Back when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone SDK, he told excited developers that the only applications Apple wouldn’t be permitting through the AppStore were those illegal or pornographic.  Now that some of the dust has settled - and those 100,000+ coders sitting down in front of the SDK! - questions are being asked about just how accurate that statement was.  While it’s open-season for mobile entertainment software such as games, productive apps or messenger clients, developers behind services such as Rhapsody or Napster, who would rival Apple’s own iTunes store, are curious to know Steve Jobs stance on them creating programs for the iPhone.

“It’s an open question at this point how amenable Apple will be to offering products or applications that could conceivably interfere with its own iTunes revenue stream.  The real interesting test case will be Amazon.  Here’s a music vendor selling songs that are clearly compatible with the iPhone. Unlike with Rhapsody or Napster, there’s no DRM you need to make work” Ross Rubin, analyst, NPD Group

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It looks like Steve Jobs sharp criticism of Adobe’s mobile Flash offering was enough to send them scurrying off to download the iPhone SDK. The Wall Street Journal [subscription required] is reporting that Adobe have been examining the public release of the developer’s package, and are considering creating a special iPhone version of the Flash player.

“We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone. We have evaluated [the iPhone SDK] and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves”Shantanu Narayen, CEO, Adobe

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Engadget has gotten their hands on iPhone firmware version 2.0. Some of the new features include a scientific calculator when you turn your iPhone sideways with the calculator open and the previously announced Exchange support is as smooth as it should be.

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Back when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone SDK, he told excited developers that the only applications Apple wouldn’t be permitting through the AppStore were those illegal or pornographic.  Now that some of the dust has settled - and those 100,000+ coders sitting down in front of the SDK! - questions are being asked about just how accurate that statement was.  While it’s open-season for mobile entertainment software such as games, productive apps or messenger clients, developers behind services such as Rhapsody or Napster, who would rival Apple’s own iTunes store, are curious to know Steve Jobs stance on them creating programs for the iPhone.

“It’s an open question at this point how amenable Apple will be to offering products or applications that could conceivably interfere with its own iTunes revenue stream.  The real interesting test case will be Amazon.  Here’s a music vendor selling songs that are clearly compatible with the iPhone. Unlike with Rhapsody or Napster, there’s no DRM you need to make work” Ross Rubin, analyst, NPD Group

(more…)

It looks like Steve Jobs sharp criticism of Adobe’s mobile Flash offering was enough to send them scurrying off to download the iPhone SDK. The Wall Street Journal [subscription required] is reporting that Adobe have been examining the public release of the developer’s package, and are considering creating a special iPhone version of the Flash player.

“We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone. We have evaluated [the iPhone SDK] and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves”Shantanu Narayen, CEO, Adobe

(more…)

Engadget has gotten their hands on iPhone firmware version 2.0. Some of the new features include a scientific calculator when you turn your iPhone sideways with the calculator open and the previously announced Exchange support is as smooth as it should be.

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Potential big changes afoot in the way Apple handles iTunes downloads, with the FT reporting that discussions are underway regarding both “all you can eat” unlimited downloads, based on an at-purchase premium, and subscription-based downloads for the iPhone. While Apple themselves refused to comment on the rumors, “executives familiar with the negotiations” cited disagreements over the price offered to the labels per-device as the primary stumbling block so far.

Apple is understood to be offering around $20 out of the sale of each iPhone or iPod Touch in order for the labels to agree to catalogue access; this is a quarter of what Nokia have agreed to with their “Comes With Music” scheme announced last December. “It’s who blinks first, and whether or not anyone does blink” commented one executive.

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When is an iPhone not an iPhone? When it’s a spirit-level, of course; at least, that’s the latest way to repurpose your $399+ wunderphone. Photographer Ben Long was seemingly staging a ghetto photoshoot but lacked a level to make sure his camera was straight. Thankfully he’d had the foresight to Jailbreak his iPhone, load iLevel - which taps into the iPhone’s accelerometer - and slapped that on the back of the Canon to get the shot balanced.

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Unless you’re reading this via the RSS feed, you can’t help but have noticed that we’ve redesigned and relaunched the site. We’ve decided to take MY iTablet back to its roots: riding the iPhone Buzz! The name might be different, but you can still expect the same great mixture of news, reviews and opinion together with our active iPhone community.

In the countdown to Firmware 2.0, the iPhone juggernaut is going to pick up speed: we’re expecting Enterprise-grade business apps, the best mobile gaming that the big software houses can offer, and so much portable entertainment that you’ll have to spend twice as much time out of the house just to keep up with it all. We’re also predicting big-headline ructions as Apple shoulder their way among Microsoft, RIM and new guys Android. Exciting days, and iPhone Buzz will be bringing you the best of it. Keep reading!

Despite having only been available for less than 12 months, the iPhone’s form-factor is already well-cemented; could an Apple handset sporting anything other than a full-face touchscreen be viewed as a true iPhone? Brand recognition is great, but it can be stifling as well, especially if you want to introduce new form-factors but still preserve the functionality you’ve built up. After all, any handset with the iPhone’s GUI but with, say, a smaller display would cause a drop in usability. Staska from Unwired View has been doing some patent digging and come up with what might be Apple’s solution to the issue: titled “Dual-Sided Trackpad”, it describes a clamshell cellphone with a transparent, flip-down touchpad covering a large display. When closed it can be used like the original iPhone - touching the screen directly - but when open the reverse side of the trackpad is active.

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Unless you’re reading this via the RSS feed, you can’t help but have noticed that we’ve redesigned and relaunched the site. We’ve decided to take MY iTablet back to its roots: riding the iPhone Buzz! The name might be different, but you can still expect the same great mixture of news, reviews and opinion together with our active iPhone community.

In the countdown to Firmware 2.0, the iPhone juggernaut is going to pick up speed: we’re expecting Enterprise-grade business apps, the best mobile gaming that the big software houses can offer, and so much portable entertainment that you’ll have to spend twice as much time out of the house just to keep up with it all. We’re also predicting big-headline ructions as Apple shoulder their way among Microsoft, RIM and new guys Android. Exciting days, and iPhone Buzz will be bringing you the best of it. Keep reading!

Despite having only been available for less than 12 months, the iPhone’s form-factor is already well-cemented; could an Apple handset sporting anything other than a full-face touchscreen be viewed as a true iPhone? Brand recognition is great, but it can be stifling as well, especially if you want to introduce new form-factors but still preserve the functionality you’ve built up. After all, any handset with the iPhone’s GUI but with, say, a smaller display would cause a drop in usability. Staska from Unwired View has been doing some patent digging and come up with what might be Apple’s solution to the issue: titled “Dual-Sided Trackpad”, it describes a clamshell cellphone with a transparent, flip-down touchpad covering a large display. When closed it can be used like the original iPhone - touching the screen directly - but when open the reverse side of the trackpad is active.

(more…)

The iPhone is the ultimate gaming device - Nokia are you worried yet?

Gameloft said it will develop more than 15 game titles for Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone in 2008.

A New York-based mobile-gaming developer said it intends to develop mobile game titles built on Apple’s iPhone software-development kit released Thursday.

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Apple is really taking baby steps…keep in mind that it’s only a small portion of apps that are affected by this restriction. Games or utilities can still save their application status to disk often allowing you to resume where you left off when you start it back up.

But the single biggest issue we’ve found is in the 100 page iPhone Human Interface Guidelines. It’s a public document, but you must be a registered iPhone developer to see it. We’ve embedded it below via docstoc.

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Epocrates®, Inc., developer of mobile applications used by more than 500,000 healthcare professionals, is excited to announce that it has begun development of its clinical software products for the iPhone operating system. Epocrates was one of only five companies, including Salesforce.com, AOL, EA and Sega, to be highlighted by Steve Jobs during the iPhone Software Roadmap media briefing.

“By putting so much computing power into such an elegant mobile device, Apple has opened up tremendous opportunities for application developers”, said Kirk Loevner, Chairman and CEO of Epocrates, Inc. “The technology and software in the iPhone OS will allow us to create new and innovative applications that help improve patient safety and provide healthcare professionals with an unsurpassed user experience.”

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I was under the impression that Apple said they wouldn’t allow code parser such as Sun’s JVM on the iPhone.

Sun came to the conclusion it could make a JVM work on the iPhone after taking 24 hours to look at information on Apple’s SDK. Sun saw nothing in the public statements preventing the JVM from being one of the applications enabled on the iPhone, said Klein. Apple released the SDK in conjunction with the beta release if its iPhone 2.0 software; the general release of iPhone 2.0 is scheduled for June.

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As developers eagerly download the iPhone SDK, is the gloss beginning to rub off? Robert Balousek spotted a potentially app-upsetting clause in the software’s documentation regarding third-party apps and background processes. It seems Apple is concerned that iPhone users might feel some of the molasses drag that Windows Mobile handsets experience when there are too many programs running in the background; rather than deal with that as creatively as they’ve managed the rest of the SDK, though, they’ve issued a blanket ban on any third-party software running when not the in-focus app. That means - no matter whether IM client, image editor or game - the program has to quit.

“Only one iPhone application can run at a time, and third-party applications never run in the background. This means that when users switch to another application, answer the phone, or check their email, the application they were using quits” Apple SDK documentation

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Scrolling through a list of over 1,200 contacts is a pain in the ass. It’s one feature that 1.1.4 firmware sorely miss. Come on Apple, what’s taking you so to implement search?

Neither Steve or Phil spoke of the feature at the iPhone 2.0 SDK announcement, but thanks to blargkaboom’s finding, there’s a hint that we may see search in the upcoming firmware release. They noticed what appears to be a small search icon in the iPhone’s Contact application.

Ok, I’m confused. Back when AT&T announced the $99.00 unlimited option, it was my understanding that existing and new iPhone owners have the option to pick the $99.99 unlimited voice in addition, pay $20 for 200 SMS text messaging and unlimited web/email. Then if they want unlimited text, tact an additional $20 to the plan. The grand total comes out to $140.

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It’s about time iPhone carries this feature, If you are like me, having 280 contacts is a nightmare to lookup for an individual contact.

While Apple may have been intending to demonstrate their new Enterprise features last week, they also - likely accidentally - unveiled another upcoming addition to the iPhone: contacts search. Spotted by Daniel Ahdout, the functionality is hinted at by the appearance of a small magnifying glass icon at the top of the list; you can see it yourself at 9 minutes 30 into the official Apple SDK Roadmap video.

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Stands for the iPhone are typically pretty dull, they do their job fairly effectively but aren’t always very aesthetically appealing. When you want to sit back and watch a video on your favorite gadget this stand will hold it either vertically or horizontally.

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Our cellphone-loving sister site PHONE Magazine has been invited to Apple’s exclusive iPhone SDK Roadmap event today, 10am PST, and will be live-blogging the whole thing at http://live.phonemag.com/  We’re expecting news not only of the SDK - which will finally allow developers to produce official third-party applications for the iPhone and the iPod Touch - but about new “enterprise features” that Apple is promising.  Does that mean support for Microsoft Exchange?  That’s what the analysts are saying - in fact some believe Apple have been beta testing the corporate push-email over the past few months.

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It was announced recently that the iPhone will be released in Ireland the 14th of this month. However, although that is exciting news for them, they won’t be getting quite as many of the perks that we all know and love.

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It was announced recently that the iPhone will be released in Ireland the 14th of this month. However, although that is exciting news for them, they won’t be getting quite as many of the perks that we all know and love.

(more…)

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Our cellphone-loving sister site PHONE Magazine has been invited to Apple’s exclusive iPhone SDK Roadmap event today, 10am PST, and will be live-blogging the whole thing at http://live.phonemag.com/  We’re expecting news not only of the SDK - which will finally allow developers to produce official third-party applications for the iPhone and the iPod Touch - but about new “enterprise features” that Apple is promising.  Does that mean support for Microsoft Exchange?  That’s what the analysts are saying - in fact some believe Apple have been beta testing the corporate push-email over the past few months.

(more…)

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It was announced recently that the iPhone will be released in Ireland the 14th of this month. However, although that is exciting news for them, they won’t be getting quite as many of the perks that we all know and love.

(more…)

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When purchasing the iPhone, many were thinking about the luxury of all the convenience it offered. However, it seems one of those conveniences might be taken away. PayPal has begun to warn its users against using Safari when checking their accounts.

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Usually iPhone and the iPod Touch cases are shiny and sleek, typically more interested in function as well as fashion than anything else. However, the label Working Class Heroes is offering a refreshing alternative to the norm.

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iPhone cases that don’t add bulk but still keep your iPhone protected are absolutely necessary. As much as some would like to think they can baby their iPhone to death and protect it from all harm, it doesn’t always work that way.

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If you have yet to find speakers that satisfy your needs for your iPhone, these portable speakers from LiveSpeakR might be worth checking out. If you also own an iPod Touch, the speakers work for that as well giving them even more use.

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For those that rely on their iPhone for photographs, it might be important to try to squeeze as much quality as you can out of it. Personally I’d just rather take my actual camera, I never have been satisfied with any phone’s quality of pictures. However, for some it doesn’t matter as much to get high quality, just to get as much picture as they can out of the iPhone.

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Apparently in China they have gotten fed up with waiting around on Apple to finally release the iPhone to them. After the iPhones leave the Chinese factory and get shipped off smugglers are snagging them and bringing them right back to China.

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