iPhone 3.0 Beta 5: Digital Compass Settings Found in Debug Menu

BGR, citing sources of the shinobi-kind, has posted a couple of screen captures showing the Settings for the digital Compass enabled via debug menus in iPhone 3.0 Beta 5.

We’d heard rumors of a digital compass being included in the next generation iPhone — widely speculated for a WWDC 2009 introduction this coming June — but it’s nice to actually see some confirmation.

Google Maps integration is a no-brainer, but could Apple figure out more ways to leverage this? Could 3rd-part developers?

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

iPhone 3.0 Beta 5: Digital Compass Settings Found in Debug Menu

TiPb Birthday Bash: Quickoffice Mobile Suite Give Away

Confession: I bought my first PDA so I could work on some book projects while mobile. Several Palm PDAs, Treos, and Windows Mobiles later, and I was still looking for that holy grail: seamless back-and-forth compatibility between my desktop tools and my handset. Of course, the iPhone didn’t have any document editing features when it was launched, but flashforward to today, and Quickoffice is the first to fill that huge functionality gap. Quickoffice Mobile Suite ($19.99 - iTunes link) sets the bar:

Quickoffice’s integrated application is the essential high-performance mobile office productivity tool for anyone on the go. Experience enterprise-grade Microsoft® Word and Excel® Office functionality with leading-edge innovation and unparalleled ease-of-use. Edit important files with confidence; Quickoffice maintains 100% data integrity and guarantees Microsoft compatibility.

Is this my holy grail? Let’s find out: courtesy of Quickoffice, we’re giving away two (2) copies of the full Mobile Suite to two lucky forum members and all you have to do to win is help me finish my latest story:

It was a dark and stormy night, and the full moon lent an anxious glow to San Francisco’s Moscone Center, still but for long, wind-snapped banners that read: Welcome to Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2009.

Rene sat, finger poised above the mouse button, ready to click into being the last rumor round up, the TiPb Prediction post. He smiled, his finger coiled, tensed, and–

“Hold the presses!” Dieter roared as he burst through the doors of TiPb HQ, iPhone clenched and shaking in his hands.

“Presses?” Rene said. “Really? We have this thing now called the inter–”

“Quite youse!” Dieter shoved his iPhone at Rene. “And read.”

Rene bent forward, took it. “What am I reading?”

“Just the scoop of the century.” A smile raced up Dieter’s face. “Secret source. Top secret. Roof of the world secret. Would you believe that tomorrow, during the WWDC, Apple is going to…”

What?! Don’t leave us hanging like that! What is Apple going to announce?

Turns out YOU have to finish the story, the conversation. That’s right. Don’t just tell us, show us: we want action, dialog, drama, suspense, comedy. What’s Dieter going to say, and how is Rene going to take it? How’s the internet going to take it?!

Get your creative juices flowing and two story-tellers will get each get a copy of Quickoffice Mobile Suite absolutely free.

• One entry per person
• Must have access to US App Store account to redeem promo codes
• Inappropriate or off-topic material will be removed at the sole discretion of the moderators.

Now hurry up, get over to the TiPb Birthday Bash: Quickoffice Mobile Suite Give Away forum thread and get writing! I want to know how it ends!

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

TiPb Birthday Bash: Quickoffice Mobile Suite Give Away

Digital Compass (Magnetometer) Confirmed in Next iPhone?

BoyGeniusReport posts a screenshot from debugging menus in the 3.0 beta firmware which seems to confirm that Apple has built-in magnetometer (digital compass) support into the operating system.

Evidence of a magnetometer was f...

Magnetometer finding its way into next iPhone?

Add "compass" to that list of rumored features -- again -- for the next, still-unconfirmed iPhone revision, alongside video production capabilities, a slide-out keyboard, OLED display, LTE / Verizon support, and EV-DO rev. B (okay, not really that last one). Boy Genius Report has obtained two screens allegedly from an unreleased iPhone OS build that suggest a magnetometer'll be part of the new hardware. Given turn-by-turn navigation is now an option for developrs, we'd say having directional support is almost a necessity. Why there's also an option for Kitchen Sink in the image we haven't the foggiest, but we're gonna go ahead and add "holographic plumbing assistant" to that wishlist.

Filed under: Cellphones

Magnetometer finding its way into next iPhone? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek game beams onto iPhone, iPod touch

Star Trek: The Mobile Game has appeared for the iPhone and iPod touch, just in time for the movie's premier.

Apple: All new apps must work with iPhone 3.0

Apple sent out an e-mail to iPhone developers Thursday, telling them that all new apps submitted to the App Store must work with the upcoming version of the iPhone OS.

AT&T Considering a $10 Price Cut in Monthly iPhone Plan to Boost Sales?

Breaking News: No new app submissions unless they run on OS 3.0

Filed under: Bad Apple, Apple, iPhone, SDK

iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 was only released for general consumption yesterday, and already Apple is rocking our collective faces off with big news. While a cool new feature being uncovered would be great, what Apple has in store for would-be iPhone application submitters is a bit more challenging.

Effective today, Apple will no longer be accepting any iPhone or iPod touch applications that are not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0. According to an email sent to developers,

"Beginning today, all submissions to the App Store will be reviewed on the latest beta of iPhone OS 3.0. If your app submission is not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0, it will not be approved."

While this may make sense at first glance, consider that OS 3.0 does not yet have a release date and developers might be pushed to spend time and energy tweaking apps against an unstable OS base. Also, any devs who only ship free apps will now have to pony up $99 to join the beta if they want to debug their apps against the new version.

Further, it seems that Apple might be removing existing applications from the App Store, once iPhone OS 3.0 is released, if it is found that they are not compatible with the new operating system. So grab your Twitter clients and flame-throwers, it's gripin' time!

Update: iPhone Developer Program enrollment is required for App Store application distribution; regardless of whether the application is free or paid, the enrollment fee applies, and any developers with apps in the store have already paid their $99 for access to the beta. Thanks goes to our intrepid commenters for reminding us.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

[via @razorianfly & the Loop Blog]

Breaking News: No new app submissions unless they run on OS 3.0 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 07 May 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Breaking News: No new app submissions unless they run on OS 3.0 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 07 May 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

First look: Twitterrific 2 for iPhone

Jason Snell has an exclusive first look at Twitterrific 2 for iPhone.

iPhone OS 3.0 now being used for App Store admission reviews

So this is interesting -- we were just forwarded an email from Apple informing iPhone developers that all future App Store testing and review will occur on iPhone OS 3.0 to prepare for a smooth transition this summer, and that incompatible applications won't be approved. Seeing as we're already on beta 5, we're guessing most devs shouldn't find this too much of a burden, but we're wondering if the recent string of bad publicity over App Store approval guidelines has forced Apple's hand here, since 3.0's parental control features will ostensibly relax Apple's currently asinine content restrictions and allow non-kiddie-apps to get through without any hoopla. Let's hope.

Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone OS 3.0 now being used for App Store admission reviews originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Review: SoundCurtain for iPhone

SoundCurtain distinguishes itself from other apps that banish distracting noise by using adaptive masking technology that analyzes surrounding sounds to better block them out.

App Store Submissions Now Being Reviewed for iPhone OS 3.0 Compatibility

In an e-mail sent out to registered iPhone developers a short time ago, Apple announced that starting today, all applications submitted for App Store approval will be reviewed using iPhone OS 3.0 to ensure compatibility with the forthcoming operating...

Apple Now Accepting Submissions for iPhone 3.0 Apps

Maybe this explains, at least in part, the new iPhone 3.0 Beta 5released yesterday? Looks like Apple is super-eager to get developers testing and submitting 3.0 compatible applications.

We’re really eager to see what developers are coming up with to leverage all those great 3.0 features as well. Really, really eager. Ahem.

Full text of Apple’s email to developers:

All apps must be compatible with iPhone OS 3.0

Millions of iPhone and iPod touch customers will move to iPhone OS 3.0 this summer. Beginning today, all submissions to the App Store will be reviewed on the latest beta of iPhone OS 3.0. If your app submission is not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0, it will not be approved.

Existing apps in the App Store should already run on iPhone OS 3.0 without modification, but you should test your existing apps with iPhone OS 3.0 to ensure there are no compatibility issues. After iPhone OS 3.0 becomes available to customers, any app that is incompatible with iPhone OS 3.0 may be removed from the App Store.

Begin testing now

iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 and iPhone SDK 3.0 beta 5 are now posted to the iPhone Dev Center. Start testing today to ensure your application runs on iPhone OS 3.0. Visit the iPhone Dev Center for additional development information including iPhone SDK Release Notes for iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 and Getting ready for iPhone OS 3.0.

(Thanks DevX for the tip!)

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

Apple Now Accepting Submissions for iPhone 3.0 Apps

Apple Releases 5th Beta of iPhone OS 3.0: App Store gets Age-Based Restrictions, MMS Hidden, Blocks Tethering & More

Review: GI Joyride for iPhone

A simple side-scroller that uses accelerometer controls, GI Joyride only costs $1.

Apple Reconsiders and Approves Nine Inch Nails’ App Update

Nine Inch Nails' frontman Trent Reznor recently spoke out about Apple's approval process for iPhone applications after an update to the band's own application was rejected due to "objectionable" downloadable content that wasn't housed within the app ...

T-Mobile supporting iPhone? Yep

Filed under: iPhone

It doesn't sell them. It doesn't promote them. Apparently, however, T-Mobile will support them. The Consumerist is reporting today that a recent change left iPhone users on the T-Mobile network without voicemail. Worse, when someone tried to call an iPhone on the T-Mobile network, the system sent a blank text message. Unless the iPhone user had an unlimited text account, those little messages were costing money.

Several customers contacted Executive Customer Support and got a phone call that acknowledged the problem, and gave the customers a 1 month service credit.

T-Mobile, through a representative, said "T-Mobile, though they do not offer the iPhone, (but) they are committed to supporting users on their network who have them."

True to their word, within a day or two the problem was fixed.

Wow. Just wow.

Via The Consumerist

T-Mobile supporting iPhone? Yep originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 07 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

T-Mobile supporting iPhone? Yep originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 07 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Snow Leopard Evidence of Built-In 3G in Future Macs?

Mockup of OS X Snow Leopard System Profiler (AppleInsider)
AppleInsider reports that the latest Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard developer builds have broken out "WWAN" (Wireless Wide Area Network) into its own category within the System Pro...

Nine Inch Nails iPhone app update approved, reports Reznor

Our national nightmare is over -- Apple has approved the update to Nine Inch Nails' iPhone app.

iPhone 3.0 Beta 5: AT&T Data Network Problems and Potential Fixes

Apple made mention that some developers, when updating to iPhone 3.0 Beta 5, might experience problems connecting to AT&T’s data network. Apple asked any devs so affected to contact them, and one dev who had the problem called in and let us know what Apple told him:

Apple just called me back, had me turn the phone off then back on. Then turn the wifi off and try it and it seems to be back to working. Thaaaank you apple.

Thanks indeed! If you’re experiencing similar problems, you might want to try the above. If that doesn’t work for you, however, get on the phone with Apple asap.

(Thanks for the tip!)

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

iPhone 3.0 Beta 5: AT&T Data Network Problems and Potential Fixes