iPhone Buzz Week in Review - Week 47 2008

Pocket Jockey may sounds a little perverse but in reality it’s one of the weirdest games we have found on the iPhone. The game itself is your typical horse racing game, but it is played by shaking your iPhone vigorously. If you’re in a Wi-Fi area you can also play ...

iPhone Firmware 2.2 SDK Reveals Undocumented TV-out Features

Tips and How To’s: Post-2.2 Battery Woes

Like most iPhone users out there, I’m always excited about firmware upgrades because you EXPECT things to be BETTER afterward, right? I just so happened to be up late, writing, on the night that the 2.2 firmware update hit, and wasted no time in downloading it to my precious iPhone 3G. Once completed, everything was fine and much improved!  Or…   was it?

It wasn’t long until I realized that my iPhone was heating up excessively and I couldn’t keep it close enough to a charger. If my phone was topped off when I went to bed, and left unplugged, it was dead by morning. How could this be? Even a reset didn’t help. There had to be some app running in the background that was chewing up my battery faster than Pac-man on a steroid/speed cocktail. Are YOU having the same problem since the 2.2 update? If so, read on. This tip may apply to you!

Does this picture look familiar? It’s what I was looking at after only mere hours off the charger. The only thing I could think of was that an app was running in the background, draining my battery even when my iPhone was only in standby and unused.

I closed any apps that could be the culprit - I logged off of my IM app. Since the 2.2 update, I had changed nothing, so I assumed the update made some kind of change that resulted in something on my iPhone being ‘always on’ and, likely, using data at a voracious rate. I reset my Safari to make sure it wasn’t the culprit. What could it be?

The only other app on my phone to use data was Mail. I have Exchange set up on my iPhone so that I can get my company mail, contacts, and appointments in as close to ‘real-time’ as possible. Could the update somehow have affected my Exchange settings and made everything wonky? It was time to experiment.

One thing I’ve learned through painful experience is that, in most cases, a problem can be fixed by starting with the simple things. I’ve learned this when diagnosing car problems. If the car doesn’t start, why? Does it turn over when you turn the ignition? Nothing at all? Could be the alternator, right? Oh wait! What about the battery? It’s a lot cheaper to check the battery and replace it before digging under the hood and replacing an alternator.

With this start-with-simple approach, I deleted my Exchange email account and then set it up again from scratch. Guess what? It worked. For some reason, the update did not play nice with existing Exchange settings and email. Once the update ran, my Exchange was locked into a constant ‘on’ state and was endlessly searching for mail that wasn’t there, rather than waiting for the mail to be ‘pushed’. No wonder my iPhone was like carrying a hot coal in my pocket! A simple deletion and setup of my Exchange mail account resolved the problem and my battery life has been normal ever since.

If you use Exchange on your iPhone, I recommend deleting and reinstalling your mail account after all future iPhone updates. Then, you’ll avoid the distress I went through when I couldn’t get 5 hours out of my iPhone after a full charge.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Tips and How To’s: Post-2.2 Battery Woes

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Quick WebApp: Ecardlets for the iPhone

Eric wrote in to let us know about Ecardlets, an eCard WebApp targeted specifically at the iPhone. Says Eric:

Ecardlets shows that the Web App SDK is every bit as exciting as the iPhone SDK. We were able to build a rich, tactile, 3-D card experience in a way that can be run entirely through Safari and requires no additional downloads for senders or recipients.

Ecardlets on the iPhone is the first mobile greeting card application that takes advantage of digital photography in such a big way, simply because this is the first platform that has had a beautiful, high-resolution screen.

If any eCard fans out there give it a try, please let us know how it works for you!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Quick WebApp: Ecardlets for the iPhone

Almost 10,000 iPhone Apps on the App Store

Midomi Allows you to Search Music Using your Voice by Singing or Humming

Linux Kernal Running on the iPhone

Remember that story about the iPhone almost having run Linux as its OS? Well, some enterprising young hackers have now gotten it doing just that — the Linux Kernal at least, via tether.

No touch control yet, no writing to the actual device, but first steps are first steps, and no doubt other hackers everywhere are already drooling at the possibility…

Or shaking their heads and wondering about Linux’s near obsessive need to notch its bedpost with every device on the planet.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Linux Kernal Running on the iPhone

App Store Almost Reaches 10,000 Apps

While several sites have reported that 10,000 iPhone Apps have been released into the App Store, the actual number of active iPhone apps that can be downloaded is about 9,676 as of today's count. The discrepancy comes from the fact that many apps ha...

Sneak Preview - Freeverse Flick Fishing 1.2

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

Wow, it seems like only a few weeks ago our very own Mike Schramm was telling us about Flick Fishing, a new fishing simulation game from Freeverse. They've let us know that version 1.2 of this great game will be available soon in the App Store (click opens iTunes - note that version 1.2 may not be available yet).

What goodies did Freeverse pack into the latest incarnation of this US$0.99 bargain? The list is extensive:

• New fish
• New locations
• Quest modes
• Fishing tournaments
• Easter eggs!

In the fishing tournaments, you can play against the iPhone, another player on the same iPhone, or against other Flick Fishing owners on the same Wi-Fi network. The old man in the lighthouse is still dispensing questionable wisdom to fishermen, and the lighthouse has a new, more energy-efficient light source than it did in the 1.0 version. The old man also has a new job as the head of the virtual aquarium, and you can make his day by catching specimens for him.

As with Flick Bowling, another title in the Freeverse Flick Sports line, Flick Fishing is a blast to play and it's cheap. Check out the gallery for fun screenshots!

Sneak Preview - Freeverse Flick Fishing 1.2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sneak Preview - Freeverse Flick Fishing 1.2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 2.2.1 Rumors: Push Notifications and Notes Sync?

MacRumors has linked up RussianiPhone.ru which claims to have gotten a pre-release look at the upcoming first beta for 2.2.1, which is said to include both the long-delayed Push Notification Service and something Mike first discovered way back with Mac OS X Leopard’s release: Notes sync.

Rightly, they point out how easy to fake something like this is, and we won’t know anything for certain until a public beta is actually made available for 2.2.1 (or 2.3, Apple hasn’t done minor point bumps for the 2.x architecture yet, so why now?)

But even if it’s not real, just how desperate have we become for these long overdue, or mind-boggling-ly missing features that we’ll fall all over even fake news about them?

Battered consumer syndrome much?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 2.2.1 Rumors: Push Notifications and Notes Sync?

‘Push’ Notifications Coming in iPhone 2.2.1?

RussianiPhone.ru claims that they have seen iPhone 2.2.1 Beta 1 and that it implements Push notifications as well as over-the-air MobileMe syncing with Notes support.

As proof they've posted a screenshot showing the Notes and Calendar...

TiPb Retorts: iPhone Shmodcasts?! WinMo GPS Locks?! Fight the Real Enemy!

Sibling site WMExperts, which — while Dieter doffs his WinMo cap and rounds his robin reviewing the iPhone — brings us Phil Nickinson’s exception to iPhone OS 2.2’s Podcast Download feature.

Okay, it’s not cut and paste, lack of MMS, no unified inbox, no Flash, etc. etc. In all fairness, it’s an interesting look at some of the things we here at TiPb complain about as well, pointedly the 10MB cap for podcast downloads over the 3G network (you have to switch to WiFi for anything larger, same as the App Store has enforced since iPhone OS 2.0):

It’s this kind of manipulation from Apple that keeps a good many of us from wanting to deal with the company (and frustrates many who do). It’s not that the hardware’s not sexy. It’s not that the software is lacking. It’s that lines are being blurred, or destroyed. Apple makes the hardware, and AT&T provides the service. There’s too much collusion going on. If AT&T wants to set a 5-gigabyte cap on my data, fine. But don’t tell me how to use those gigs. And don’t use Apple as a proxy to do so.

The only problem with the argument? The inclusion of Apple.

Look no further than the very next day on WMExperts, when Dieter posted a rant of his own, asking people to help save GPS on Windows Mobile, which we’ll paraphrase thusly:

It’s this kind of manipulation from [Microsoft and the OEMs] that keeps a good many of us from wanting to deal with the company (and frustrates many who do). It’s not that the hardware’s not sexy. It’s not that the software is lacking. It’s that lines are being blurred, or destroyed. [Microsoft and the OEMs] make the [software and hardware], and [Verizon] provides the service. There’s too much collusion going on. If [Verizon] wants to [lock down the GPS that's not fine]. [And] don’t tell me [I have to pay to subscribe to Telenav in order to do it]. And don’t use [Microsoft and the OEMs] as a proxy to do so.

See what we’re getting at? Targeting Apple and the iPhone — which hits the rabbit-eared AT&T 3G towers like Elmer Fudd with a rail gun — for redirecting high-bandwidth traffic to WiFi, when Verizon is locking out GPS entirely is platform division at the expense of a united front against a common enemy. It’s the WinPot calling the iKettle black in a cupboard full of charred cooking ware, and it misses the main culprit: the carrier fire.

Now, while Apple has done more in it’s brief 1 1/2 years in the mobile space to break the carrier locks than Microsoft or any other megacorps have done in a decade it’s still not enough. Just imagine what could happen if Microsoft put their own, still ginormous weight behind reform. Imagine if Google, rather than taking the carrier-centric, business-as-usual Android licensing route put their “don’t be evil” mantra where their handset was? Imagine if RIM, rather than letting carriers rip WiFi from the Blackberry Storm, stood up told the carriers just where exactly they could push their odiferous demands? Imagine if Apple told AT&T to invest a little in infrastructure cause unlimited means unlimited and podcast downloads they are a coming!

Those are the rants I want to see more of, and in more places.

Go get ‘em, tigers!

PS: Particularly perplexing with the current 10MB cap on podcasts in iPhone OS 2.2 is that they only apply to direct downloads. Hitting the title, on the other hand, will begin to stream the podcast over 3G (or WiFi) without any such limitations or restrictions. What’s up with that? Anyone know if streaming traffic is any different for the 3G network than download traffic?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Retorts: iPhone Shmodcasts?! WinMo GPS Locks?! Fight the Real Enemy!

dTunes Allows Users to Download Music and Videos directly to the iPhone

iTunes Plus Now Even Plusier? But Beatles Bailing?

On the rare occasions when I hit iTunes looking for music, I go immediately to iTunes Plus. When it comes to DRM music, I’m just not gonna do it, so if I can’t find it on iTunes Plus, I can’t find it. Trouble now is, I can’t find iTunes Plus! Used to be in the Quicklinks, but now it’s gone missing from the iTunes Canadian Store. Maybe MacRumors knows:

Forum user Doodledoo has been following it closely and found evidence of tracks from both Warner and Sony studios participating in iTunes Plus. Apple originally launched their DRM-Free iTunes Plus format with the support of only EMI but recent rumors have suggested Apple is working on winning over the other three majors studios (Warner, Sony, Universal).

Whazzat? Really? Could it be that Big Media is finally learning that treating customers to fair use for fair price is the way to go? In a word… “no”. According to Apple Insider, progress and all, the Beatles are still going to need some help:

“EMI want something we’re not prepared to give ‘em. It’s between EMI and The Beatles I think - what else is new?,” McCartney said. “Last word I got back was it’s stalled at the moment. But I really hope it will happen because I think it should.”

So are we finally on the cusp of a revolution? Is (music, at least) DRM dying? And will all of us be long gone before the Beatles show up for download as well?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iTunes Plus Now Even Plusier? But Beatles Bailing?

Apple releases iPhone firmware 2.2 with plenty of goodies

Apple just dropped the fresh new iPhone firmware 2.2 into iTunes and not a minute too soon. We have been impatiently awaiting launch for days now after reading the rumored date of November 21st. Now we welcome it with open arms. After the long 246MB download users will be booting their ...

iPhone Dev Team delivers 2.2 jailbreak with a warning

As promised the iPhone Dev team has delivered the 2.2 firmware jailbreak in the form of the Pwnage tool and Quickpwn for both Mac and Windows machines. This update seems to be the real deal breaker in regards to future unlocks. Upgrading using iTunes can forever eliminate your chances of ever ...

Breaking News: Linux Ported to the iPhone

Last chance for two App Store freebies

Filed under: Deals, iPhone, App Store

There are lots of iPhone app discounts to be had for the remaining 3 hours of the day (that's ET -- different developers may trigger the return to regular pricing at different times, although I believe 'official App Store time' is PT), but two in particular caught my eye as excellent temp-free apps, and probably worth their regular prices as well.

Houdah Software's ACTPrinter addresses a longstanding challenge for the iPhone: how to easily get PDF files or other printables onto the device without having to email them to yourself. Using a driver on the Mac side to wirelessly ship the printed doc across to the device is a delightful approach to the problem, and from what I've seen it works like a charm (you can judge for yourself via this screencast). Such a bargain! ACTPrinter is normally $0.99.

For a different moneysaving strategy, check out MeterRead from Zerogate. This app (video demo here) lets you keep track of your electrical usage by saving and analyzing your meter statistics. Does the dishwasher use more power than the air hockey table? Do compact-fluorescent bulbs save major kilowatts, or just a trickle? You can find out with MeterRead; the developer cites a study that indicates 10-20% electrical savings for motivated consumers who analyze their usage. MeterRead is normally $2.99.

Last chance to submit your favorite App Store ephemeral freebies in the comments!

Last chance for two App Store freebies originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last chance for two App Store freebies originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone hackers achieve a milestone: Linux boot

Filed under: OS, Open Source, iPhone, Jailbreak/pwnage

Call it the Touchable Penguin. OK, the touchscreen drivers aren't there yet, but the simple, scrolling shell output of a Linux kernel running on the iPhone represents a big achievement for the iPhone Dev Team and dev lead 'planetbeing.' The build is far from complete -- no wireless networking, no sound, no writeable support for the NAND flash memory -- but it's still very cool, and the effort involved was substantial (the team had to reverse-engineer the iPhone's boot loader so they could write their own).

Having a working Linux kernel on jailbroken iPhones and iPod touch handhelds might seem frivolous, but imagine the ability to run other touch phone OS platforms on top of an iPhone (like, perhaps, Android)... very tempting. You can see more of the rationale behind the Linux-on-iPhone project here, or you can skip to the second half of this post to see the video.

[via Engadget & Erica]

Continue reading iPhone hackers achieve a milestone: Linux boot

iPhone hackers achieve a milestone: Linux boot originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone hackers achieve a milestone: Linux boot originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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