January 2008 Archives
You can't beat the iPhone's Safari browser for basic Web surfing from a mobile device. View full Web pages on the iPhone's sharp, bright and large display. Zoom in on a section you want to read with a pinch of two fingers on the touch screen and out by pulling them apart. A flick of your finger and you’re quickly scrolling through a page. Another nice feature of Safari is how easy Apple's makes it to perform an Internet search and choose between either the default Google setting or Yahoo!.
Find out more after the break...
Author: Troy Dreier
For longtime Mac fans who appreciate the openness that the Mac OS and Apple hardware offers, the recent battle over applications for the iPhone and the iPod Touch has been demoralizing. The Mac is supposed to be the open alternative, right?
Thankfully, that still holds, as Apple CEO Steve Jobs has done the right thing and announced a software developer kit (SDK) which will allow application writers to create programs for both devices.
The announcement, made in October, is as much a victory for Apple fans as for Apple itself.
The War Over the iPhone
For those new to the issue, there are two kinds of third-party applications for the iPhone and the iPhone Touch: native and Web-based. Native apps run directly on the device and show up on the start screen. Web-based apps are accessible through a browser and require an Internet connection.
While Apple originally said that the iPhone wouldn't run third-party applications natively, that didn't stop scores of developers from creating them. Unfortunately for them and for early adopters, the iPhone's version 1.1.1 upgrade wiped out any installed native apps and made loading new apps more difficult.
Hackers again discovered ways around Apple's safeguards, but it seemed likely that Apple would steamroll over any new installed apps with the next iPhone upgrade. Users had the choice between easy upgrades or a constant cat-and-mouse battle to get around Apple's rules.
Web Apps No Substitute for Real Thing
Apple originally cited security and stability as the reason it wouldn't allow native apps, but that was hard to believe. Apple allows developers to create widgets that run under the Mac OS Dashboard, and that's been a huge success.
Web apps are really a poor alternative to native apps. If you want to use Web apps, you first need to discover a few that are useful. Apple launched its own directory recently, with hundreds of apps grouped into categories. You can find more apps at iPhone Source or Mod My iPhone.
When you've found one you like, bookmark it. You'll need to have an active Internet connection before you can use it again. iPhone users will have no problems, since all the iPhone service contracts include unlimited data. iPod Touch users aren't so lucky. They can only use Web apps when they have an open Wi-Fi connection, which greatly cuts down on usefulness.
Because Web apps don't live on the desktop, they're not as visible and not as useful as native apps. With a tip calculator running natively, you can power on your iPhone after dinner, enter a few numbers, and get the results. With a Web app, you need to remember to bookmark the calculator for easy access, then open Safari, load the page, and enter your information into a slow Web interface.
A New Day for iPhone Apps
The SDK for native apps will be available in February, 2008. While details aren't yet available, third-party apps will likely need to carry a digital signature or be approved by Apple.
That's a great compromise, one that protects iPhone and iPod Touch users while opening them to a vast new world of programs. The users win with new options, and the company wins by selling devices that are suddenly a lot more versatile.
When the native app SDK finally appears, we're betting that the company's online list of Web apps will start collecting cobwebs. Web apps are useful, but they're no substitute for native.
The long-awaited Wi-Fi-enabled iPod is finally here, but it's taken a different form from what most of us would have guessed. The iPod touch doesn't resemble a classic iPod at all, but is instead a stripped-down, slimmed-down iPhone. While having Wi-Fi on board is nice, Apple isn't breaking any new ground with the wireless features.
A number of iPhone users attempting to access AT&T's EDGE network to access the Web and send or receive e-mail are running into trouble today, according to a number of messages posted to Apple's Support forums.
The outage, apparently due to tower/server problems, is mostly affecting folks in the middle of the country. They're receiving the following message: "Could not activate EDGE."
This lack of connectivity is especially frustrating for those not within range of a Wi-Fi hotspot.
AT&T says the problem should be fixed by the end of the day, but it could last until February 5th, according to one forum member who says he spoke to the wireless carrier about the outage today. The former timeframe is acceptable, the latter completely unacceptable.
We tested our EDGE connection with an iPhone in St. Louis. And, like other iPhone users in this area, ran into the EDGE outage issue, usually receiving the "Could not activate EDGE" message, but sometimes having the iPhone’s Safari browser go and go and go without anything happing—no message and no Web site loading.
It shouldn't just be iPhone users being affected by AT&T's EDGE outage. It is likely that any cell phone or smartphone attempting to access the carrier's 2.5G data network in the areas affected should run into trouble as well.
See the postings on Apple's Support forum here for more on this problem.
You no longer need a host computer to turn a jailbroken iPhone/iPod touch with firmware 1.1.2 into a jailbroken iPhone/iPod touch with Apple's latest firmware, 1.1.3, installed. Jailbreaking allows users of these Apple devices to run third-party applications directly on their iPhond/iPod touch, instead of just through the Safari web browser from a remote location.
Introduced by the iPhone dev team, the new jailbreak - called Official 1.1.3 Upgrader - works by cracking Apple's application-signing method, which (unfortunately) may have negative consequences when it comes time to install official, Apple approved software. Rather than a PC or Mac, all that's required to set this jailbreak upgrade in motion is Wi-Fi connection and an outlet, the latter to make sure your iPhone/iPod touch’s power source doesn't poop out in the middle of installation.
For directions how to install this jailbreak, see here. Remember, the new computer-less 1.1.3 jailbreak method is only for those who've already jailbroken their 1.1.2 iPhone/iPod touch. If you haven't jailbroken 1.1.3 yet - or if simply require more detailed directions - head over here. We recommend you check out the info at the previous link first, however.
As we've mentioned before, performing any type of unofficial software upgrade, especially a jailbreak, isn't for the faint of heart. Jailbreaks, in particular, have been known to cause trouble for some iPhon/iPod touch users. They do open up a whole new world of applications to the user, though. So the risk, for many, is worth the potential benefit.
[via iPhone Atlas]
An analysis of Apple and AT&T's sales numbers reveals that the companies cannot account for more than 1 in 4 iPhones sold last year.
Of 1.45 million missing iPhones, it is believed AT&T is holding about 480,000 in inventory, leaving 27 percent of these iPhones with no official home. That's a little more than a million of the 4 million iPhones Apple shipped in 2007.
Those iPhones were likely unlocked to work on carrier networks other than those of Apple's operator- partners. 27 percent is also a far greater percentage of unlocked iPhones than the 20 percent some analysts expected.
And since Apple gets a (unknown) percentage of the monthly service fees its carrier-partners receive for each iPhone sold, the more iPhones that are unlocked the greater Apple's bottom-line is negatively affected.
For example, Apple has often stated it would like to ship 10 million iPhones in 2008. Should 30 percent of these be unlocked, resulting in no ongoing revenue for Apple from them, then Apple would miss out on $500 million of expected revenue, according to one analyst.
So why is the unlocked iPhone market so big? Demand.
When Apple released the iPhone last June you could only use it on AT&T's wireless network, which remains true for the U.S. So, from the beginning, there have been those who've made it their mission to unlock the iPhone so it could be used with operators other than Apple’s carrier partners, both here and abroad.
Even though there is an official way for some customers to unlock their iPhones in Europe now, by far the majority of iPhone unlocks are performed unofficially: Either one at a time by individuals for personal user or, of greater concern for Apple, in large quantities for shipment overseas—mostly to markets (all of Asia, for instance) where the iPhone isn't available yet.
[Via internetnews.com]
Nate True over at cre.ations.net quickly followed up last week's release of a software-based jailbreak for PC iPhone users with a version for the Mac. As with the Windows edition, this jailbreak allows users to run 'unofficial' third-party applications directly on their iPhone with 1.1.3 installed.
The 1.1.3 upgrade, as with previous iPhone firmwares, disabled this capability, extending the cat-and-mouse game Apple's been playing against hackers ever since the iPhone launched back in June of last year for another round.
Remember, jailbreaking an iPhone could have negative consequences on your device and Apple, which doesn't look kindly on them, won't be sympathetic should you run into trouble. So be careful.
In fact, you may want to wait until Apple unleashes its iPhone software developer kit (SDK), which is due next month and will finally allow developers to create Apple-approved native software. Once the SDK is out the door, official versions of these types of applications will probably appear pretty quickly.
Google has just become the latest Web site to create an iPhone-specific portal, the third major iPhone initiative for the search Giant. It is also the default search engine on Apple's smartphone (Yahoo! is an option as well) and delivered Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) access to Gmail not too long ago.
So the next time you try to go to Google.com from an iPhone, instead of the standard Google desktop portal, which you had been getting, you'll be directed to a new iPhone-specific Google user interface (see top image).
This iPhone-optimized Web page is, interestingly, quite different than the one Google delivers to other types smartphones. It's got that iPhone look and feel. As you can see from the pictures in this article, the Google iPhone portal sports a user interface quite similar to other iPhone-optimized Web sites and applications.
The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) has come to Gmail. What this mean for smartphone and handheld users, especially iPhone owners, is a far smoother and easier to manage mob-e-mail experience. That's because IMAP synchronizes your inbox across all the devices you use, be it desktop or palmtop, instantly and automatically. So if you read or write an e-mail on your iPhone, for example, the changes you make in Gmail are reflected when you got to access messages on your desktop.
This is quite different from POP-based e-mail, which Gmail has always supported. With POP, you can pull messages down to a mobile device from a mail server, but the changes your make to your inbox on your smartphone, for instance, aren't automatically reflected when you go to access your e-mail somewhere else.
So the next time you access your inbox from your desktop, all the messages will stream in as unread or new (even if you've opened them already on your smartphone), making it difficult to differentiate between e-mail you've already read or managed and those messages that are really new.
Gmail, IMAP, & The iPhone
With the iPhone, you can access your Gmail account through the smartphone's Mail application or through Safari at m.gmail.com.
Although accessing Gmail through the mobile Web site gives you the same Gmail features you get through a browser on your desktop, most iPhone users will want to use the smartphone’s native Mail application.
Here's how...
Author: Damon Brown
What may have been the biggest flaw in the iPhone has been corrected. A few weeks ago, as quietly as a thief in the night, Apple gave a new iPhone update. A new, purple icon appeared on our screens: iTunes. The company made downloadable music on-the-go available, something that competing phones had for years. It is a solid, reliable service, but there are a few caveats.
First, purchasing is truly on the go —provided you happen have access to a Wi-Fi hotspot. AT&T's maple syrup EDGE network isn't up to the task of downloading 5 MB songs and, frankly, Apple probably protected our sanity by not providing the EDGE option. Instead, you'll have to stay in Wi-Fi range.
Getting on Wi-Fi can be a bit tricky, at least if you miss the one opportunity the iPhone gives you from time to time. Go to a Wi-Fi spot, turn on the iPhone and go to the Internet browser. The iPhone will give a list of all the Wi-Fi networks in range. Click on your favorite one. 
However, a problem occurs if you are in a hurry —say, looking up the foodie Web site Yelp for restaurant recommendations in the vicinity —and the (now annoying) iPhone Wi-Fi list pops up as you start the Safari browser. You're probably going to cancel the list.
The iPhone, assuming you don't want Wi-Fi anytime soon, won't show the list again until a) you shut down the phone, b) you significantly change locations and hit other Wi-Fi opportunities (the iPhone goes crazy in Manhattan), or c) an indeterminate, usually long period of time passes and the iPhone decides you're ready for the Wi-Fi list again.
Instead, get Wi-Fied when you want to: From the Start screen, click on Settings. Wi-Fi will be second on the list, right under Airplane Mode. The Wi-Fi button will say "Not Connected." (If it is connected, it will tell the name of the network it is connected to, like "Nora's Home Wireless" or "Linksys81". You can switch Wi-Fi networks by doing these same steps.) 
Press the Wi-Fi button and the familiar list of networks will appear: Click on your favorite network and, if necessary, type in the password to join. The iPhone will now default to the chosen network whenever it is in range.
Once Wi-Fi is in order, there is a second caveat to the portable Apple Music Store: it isn't the whole store. The music selection seems on par with the regular one, but there are no audiobooks or no movies to download. 
As EDGE would be too slow for music downloading, the iPhone's Wi-Fi is probably not fast enough for comfortably download hundreds of megabytes required for video or auidobooks. More importantly, the user would have to stay in one place as it downloaded from a specific Wi-Fi network (unless the iPhone learned to do some fancy footwork, hopping from Wi-Fi network to Wi-Fi network).
Third, purchases only seem available through the account the iPhone is linked to. In other words, you can't use a buddy's iPhone to download music and transfer it to your iTunes later. In fact, the iPhone iTunes will ask you to confirm the account password when purchasing.
Those challenges aside, Apple has created a solid portable Apple Music Store. The iPhone can list music four ways: Featured, Top Tens, Search and Downloads. 
Most impressive is the Search function: it literally mirrors the full Apple Music Store version, down to filling in artists as you type them in. As mentioned earlier, the selection is equal to the original, and wonderfully obscure groups were available at the touch of a few buttons.
Find a song you like? Press the title and the store will give you a 30-second preview. Next to the title is the single price or, for the whole album, scroll to the top for the CD price. (Retail prices seem exactly the same as the regular Apple Music Store.) iTunes Plus music, or songs available at a higher quality, have a plus symbol by the price.
Press a price and the button will switch to "BUY NOW". Press it again and the iPhone will ask for the iTunes account password. Type it in and the music will begin downloading: A small number will appear on the Downloads icon. 
From Downloads you can monitor how much longer a song has to load, view the file size and temporarily pause the download. The download speed was slower than the traditional Apple Music Store, which was probably more representative of the iPhone's power than the store itself.
Fortunately, just like big brother, the portable Apple Music Store tracks what has been purchased. You can re-download any song if Wi-Fi gets disconnected. The music will appear under its respective genre after it is successfully downloaded.
Plug in the iPhone to the computer after your first portable Apple Music Store purchase and iTunes will create a new folder, "Purchased on iPhone". It will automatically become part of your library, even after the iPhone is disconnected.
About the Author
Damon Brown wrote the "Pocket Idiot's Guide to the iPhone" (Alpha/Penguin Books). Available on August 7, you can preorder it at Amazon or your favorite online bookstore. Damon also writes for Playboy, SPIN and The New York Post.
Author: Troy Dreier
On October 2nd, Apple's iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store made its debut at 600 New York and Seattle Starbucks coffee shops, letting patrons browse for music while they enjoy a beverage. Starbucks locations already offer T-Mobile Wi-Fi for purchasing Internet access. Now, that same network lets the owners of Apple iPhones, iPod Touches, or any Wi-Fi-enabled computers running iTunes 7.4 or later connect to the Wi-Fi Music Store for free and shop for songs.
Performance
We tested the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store in five New York area Starbucks locations. One store was in New Jersey, so the initial rollout isn't limited to just stores in New York City's five boroughs. It includes the greater New York metropolitan area.
Our results were mixed, which isn't surprising with a new and ambitious program. In two of the Starbucks, we were able to connect to the store immediately. The signal was strong and pages loaded as quickly as over our home network. In two other locations, we weren't able to connect to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at all in the seating area at the front of the Starbucks, but we could further back by the bathrooms. Those stores should look into beefing up their Wi-Fi signals, because there can't be too many people who want to shop for music in the bathroom. Finally, we couldn't connect to the store at all in one especially cramped and busy 14th Street Starbucks.
We used an iPhone for all of our testing. To connect to the new store, simply launch the iTunes application. iTunes automatically connects to the Starbucks wireless network. On an iPhone, iTunes features a tabbed interface along the bottom of the screen. When connected at a Starbucks, a new tab is added at the bottom left corner, showing the familiar Starbucks logo.
From this screen, you can view the songs that have recently played at that location or view several collections of featured albums. You can also search the full iTunes library using the search controls already present in iTunes. It's the browsing features, however, that are more prominent here.
In our testing, iTunes correctly displayed the currently playing and recently played songs every time, and even updated the currently playing song as soon as a new song started. Songs were the standard $.99—or $1.29 for those without DRM restrictions—and albums were usually $9.99.
The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at Starbucks seems meant mostly for impulse purchases, since the emphasis is on recently played songs. It lets you download a track as quickly as you might buy a chocolate bar from the counter. It isn't a tool for researching music before you buy: while you can see the average rating for an album, you can't view comments that people have posted. The store also lacks album descriptions or quick links to other albums by the same artist.
Previewing songs was quick in our testing. Just tap a song and within a second or two you can hear a 30-second preview. Purchases were as fast as over our home network. Songs downloaded well before our coffee had a chance to cool. When we connected the iPhone to our home computer, the purchased songs quickly transferred to our main iTunes library.
Additional markets
If you're not in New York or Seattle, don't worry—Starbucks is rolling out new locations as fast as it can. The music store will come to 350 San Francisco locations on November 7, 500 Los Angeles stores in early February, 2008, and 300 Chicago stores in March, 2008. The company will add new markets throughout 2008.
Along with the store launch, Starbucks is giving away 50 million iTunes downloads. Shoppers at Starbucks locations nationwide can get song-of-the-day download cards for free through November 7, good for downloading that day's song. The company will give away 1.5 millions songs per day. That should give a jumpstart to the impulse purchase song market both companies are hoping for.
