Apple’s iPhone Developer Connection Site Down-ish?

TiPb is getting reports that Apple’s iPhone Developer Connection site is down for update, although it looks like some are logging in fine, and others get the update warning at first, but can log in fine later.

Whether this is just some form of maintenance, or something is actually being changed, is uncertain. We haven’t seen iPhone 3.1 Beta 4 yet, even though Beta 3 was released two weeks and a day ago, and the site hasn’t been taken offline for previous betas, so the obvious guess may not be so obvious after all…

More if/as this develops. (Pun only partially intended.)

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

Apple’s iPhone Developer Connection Site Down-ish?

T-Mobile stops offering prepaid Sidekick data service to unlocked iPhone users

Filed under: iPhone, Jailbreak/pwnage

Over the past week, some T-Mobile iPhone customers noticed that their data service suddenly stopped working. Users with unlocked iPhones had been paying $1 a day for unlimited data and text messaging using the Sidekick data plan. It was a great value.

Customers who contacted T-Mobile support received mixed answers. Representatives stated that service was down in their area or that they needed to upgrade to their normal data plan.

Yesterday, T-Mobile sent a tweet on their official Twitter account that they would no longer service iPhone customers using the prepaid Sidekick plan. So just like AT&T cutting off prepaid GoPhone service to iPhone customers, T-Mobile has now eliminated an affordable data option for unlocked iPhones. At this time, it appears that Android-specific data plans remain unaffected.

TUAW has contacted T-Mobile for an official statement on the matter but we have not heard anything back yet.

Thanks Gabe for the tip!

T-Mobile stops offering prepaid Sidekick data service to unlocked iPhone users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

T-Mobile stops offering prepaid Sidekick data service to unlocked iPhone users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Updates Mac and Windows Safari Web Browser to 4.0.3

Desktop Safari, predecessor and big brother to the iPhone’s Mobile Safari web browser, has just received an update chock a block full of the usual security and compatibility fixed, and stability improvements. Mac users (and Windows users?!) can get it via Apple’s Software Update or directly from the web via Apple.com/safari.

Under the theory that where goes desktop Safari, so goes the iPhone and iPod touch’s Mobile Safari, it’s not hard to imagine any and all applicable fixes getting rolled into the iPhone 3.1 firmware which should ship by Apple’s next iTunes and iPod music event, typically held in September (and given the rapidity of exploit discovery, and the media-darling status of the iPhone, can’t come too soon).

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

Apple Updates Mac and Windows Safari Web Browser to 4.0.3

Apple VP Phil Schiller Emails Steven Frank, No E-Book Rejection Policy, Working to Improve App Store

Mac developer and Panic luminary Steven Frank’s public break-up with the iPhone over Apple’s capricious App Store policy was one of the few so grounded in rationale and reason we couldn’t discount it, and neither could Apple’s Senior VP of Marketing, Phil Schiller.

While Schiller previously responded to Daring Fireball’s John Gruber over concerns about the Ninjawords app, Schiller’s response to Steve Frank was different in kind, if similar in sentiment:

I haven’t sought Phil’s explicit permission to republish the letter, so I won’t do so here. But to summarize, he said: “we’re listening to your feedback”. Not all of my suggested solutions were viable, he said, but they were taking it all in as they continue to evolve the app store.

He went on to say that the rumors of widespread e-book app rejection I’d heard were false — that specifically one e-book app had been rejected because it facilitated iPhone-to-iPhone sharing of (potentially copyrighted) books. But that otherwise, there was no sweeping ban on e-book readers.

First, it’s interesting to see such high level and yet fairly intimate intervention by an Apple executive when it comes to the App Store. It’s not an open letter by Steve Jobs — it’s something subtler, and yet seemingly targeted to engender the type of good will that could give Apple the time and good faith they need to fix the App Store approval process if — and it’s a huge if — they truly take the time to fix it. And that’s the fulcrum of actions and results upon which Schiller’s intervention will ultimately succeed or fail.

Second, Steven Frank is now left to wonder whether to continue his boycott of the iPhone given the lack of those observable actions visible results, or to extend his hand back to Apple and give them that same second chance.

It will be interesting to see what happens next…

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

Apple VP Phil Schiller Emails Steven Frank, No E-Book Rejection Policy, Working to Improve App Store

Magic trick developers find the trick is on them

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Bad Apple, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Just when you thought the App Store approval process could not get any weirder comes word that the developers of magic tricks for the iPhone are coming under increased scrutiny from the gatekeepers at Apple.

According to the iTricks website, developer Chris Kenner's Rising Card app has been sitting in App Store limbo after Apple suggested the app might violate their guidelines.

Which guideline might that be? Consumer confusion of course. The developers respond that many tricks rely on confusing the consumer, that's how people get fooled.

The dust-up is causing many magic trick developers to have second thoughts about the App Store. They may re-do their trick as a web app, or work to find some way around Apple.

One magic developer, Hotrix, is selling so called 'Premier' apps that don't require the App Store at all. It works well, but I'm not at liberty to divulge how they are doing it.

One of my colleagues quite correctly points out that Apple has not been overly long in the approval process, and the apps are likely held up because they mess with some of the strict iPhone interface guidelines. Apple is setting the 'confusion' bar pretty low, but one can understand both sides in this controversy.

Gerald Kirchner, who runs Magic City and has produced some first class magic apps, sees the dilemma. "Apple has a point when they say the spectator would be confused, as the iPhone is not "working correctly". Apple is all about the "Apple experience", in a way, we magicians are taking that "Apple experience" away. There is an app in Cydia that I love that makes it look like your friend breaks your phone and cracks the screen. It is great fun, but does Apple really want to condone software that makes it look like you broke their device. It sucks, because I make a lot of these tricks, but I understand Apples views."

Still, it would be nice if the App Store had consistent guidelines. We've been all over that topic, but the issues remain.

Advice to Apple: Be careful about messing with someone who has a magic wand.

Thanks Harrison for the tip.

Magic trick developers find the trick is on them originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Magic trick developers find the trick is on them originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft, Nokia may strike apps alliance Wednesday

Microsoft and Nokia will unveil an alliance Wednesday that will likely reveal a plan to deliver Microsoft Office applications on Nokia handsets.

Trick to Get More than 11 Home Screens on your iPhone

Review: AlarmTunes for iPhone

This app, which wakes you up by playing a song stored on your iPhone or iPod touch, has it virtues. But poor scheduling features make it not nearly as usable as it should be.

Win a copy of Distant Suns for your iPhone and show us your Perseid meteor shots

Filed under: Cool tools, iPhone, iPod touch

The Perseid meteor shower should peak tomorrow, August 12, and stay spectacular for a few days after. If you've got the means, I highly recommend you check it out. Quite a show. I'm not sure an iPhone camera would do it justice, but you can prove me wrong by submitting your Perseid meteor shower shots on our TUAW tumblr page. They don't really have to be taken with the iPhone, so if you have a nice telescope, don't be shy.

To celebrate the Perseids we're giving away 25 copies of Distant Suns, a nifty astronomy app for the iPhone and iPod touch (which we've covered before), in one of our patented random giveaways. As usual, this is limited to the US (sorry!), you must be over 18, and so forth. Full rules down below. To enter, just leave us a comment telling us whether you've seen the Perseids.

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment indicating whether you've seen the Perseid Meteor Shower.
• The comment must be left before Friday, August 14, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Twenty-five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: Promo code for one copy of Distant Suns for iPhone, US$5.99 value
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Note: The current version of Distant Suns is iPhone OS 3.0-only, but a pre-3.0 version should be available soon.

Win a copy of Distant Suns for your iPhone and show us your Perseid meteor shots originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Win a copy of Distant Suns for your iPhone and show us your Perseid meteor shots originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Duke Nukem 3D blasts onto the App Store

Duke Nukem 3D for the iPhone has just made its debut in the App Store. This version of the popular first person shooter game first appeared in 1996 for the PC, with subsequent ports to other platforms along with multiple expansion packs and add-ons made available in the years since. TouchArcade has taken a first look [...]

ThiPhone accessory - A work of genius?

This is either completely ludicrous or completely ingenious: the Thiphone. It’s a holder for your iPhone that wraps around your thigh, letting you rest it there without risk of falling off. Is it a work of art that fits your needs perfectly, or is it not your cup of tea? I mean, sure, maybe once in [...]

Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI to Launch iTunes “Cocktail” Album Competitor?

According to Times Online, It now seems as if Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI are putting the finishing touches on their new album format, CMX, and are ready to do battle against Apple’s rumored “Cocktail” enhanced album format.

It was just last month we reported about Cocktail, which would feature new interactive booklets, sleeve notes and other features alongside music downloads in an attempt to lure consumers into making more full album purchases. Now, while it looks like “Cocktail” does exist, it seems that none of the record labels had any hand in creating it. According to this story, record labels first approached Apple 18 months ago to see if they wanted in on this new CMX format and Apple politely refused. Apple then created “Cocktail” in order to compete with Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI.

One senior record label insider said: “Apple at first told us that they were not interested, but now they have decided to do their own, in case ours catches on.

While most of us here at TiPb have no major quarrels purchasing our music digitally, there are a lot of people out there who feel when purchasing digital albums over the internet you are not getting the full album experience. Would this new format make purchasing digital albums any less painful for you? And would you rather go with Apple’s “Cocktail” or the music industry’s CMX?

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

Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI to Launch iTunes “Cocktail” Album Competitor?

Non-US version of New SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone will Work over 3G (if Approved)

Apple Releases Safari 4.0.3

Apple today released Safari 4.0.3 via Software Update, offering fixes for several stability and performance issues, as well as security updates. The new version is also available on Apple's Safari download page.

This update i...

Sonos remote for iPhone and iPod touch does it all

Filed under: Audio, Multimedia, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review, Music

If you're lucky enough to have a Sonos music system in the house, you've got lots of music everywhere. The Sonos is a deluxe, wireless distribution system that integrates beautifully with iTunes, and can get your music, Sirius Radio and Pandora, Last.fm, Napster, Rhapsody and Deezer to any room where you have a Sonos Zone player. It can also access more than 15,000 internet radio stations. Subscriptions are required for some of these services.

It's an elegant, easy to set up (yet pricey) system. It is also very reliable and supports wake up and sleep alarms, sending music to every room at once, or letting each room have a choice of what to listen to.

Sonos has a very strong iPhone app, [App Store] which is free. It's been recently updated to version 3, and gives you complete and easy control of your system. You can see album art, change the configuration of the system, adjust the volume, and even access artist information on Rhapsody and Last.fm. If you are running Pandora, as I am, you can create new stations, advance to another tune, or even rate what you are listening to so you can tailor your custom station to your taste.

Sonos has recently offered a wireless handheld controller for US$349.00, but frankly, the iPhone is free [assuming you already have one -Ed.] and has the same capabilities.

Even if you bought the cheapest iPod touch for $229.00, and ran the free Sonos app, you'd have the same features, plus you'd have an iPod touch.

The Sonos system also comes with desktop controller software that lets you play and manage the system from a Mac or PC.

I've had the system for years, and it really is great. I have also used and enjoyed the Squeezebox solution, and Apple can get your music moving around with Airport Express running Airtunes.

If you have a Sonos system and an iPhone or iPod touch, the free app is a no-brainer. If you're looking for a whole house, state of the art music system, the Sonos should be on your list.

Screen shots of the iPhone app in use are below:

Sonos remote for iPhone and iPod touch does it all originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sonos remote for iPhone and iPod touch does it all originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac OS X Snow Leopard Build 10A432 Designated ‘Golden Master’?

Mac4Ever has received [Google translation] multiple tips claiming that Mac OS X Snow Leopard has reached "Golden Master" status, meaning that it has been finalized and is ready to be released to manufacturing for the public launch. The build number ...

Mac OS X Snow Leopard Build 10A432 Designated ‘Golden Master’

Mac4Ever has received [Google translation] multiple tips claiming that Mac OS X Snow Leopard has reached "Golden Master" status, meaning that it has been finalized and is ready to be released to manufacturing for the public launch. The build number ...

Mac OS X Snow Leopard Build 10A432 Designated ‘Gold Master’?

Mac4Ever has received [Google translation] multiple tips claiming that Mac OS X Snow Leopard has reached "Gold Master" status, meaning that it has been finalized and is ready to be released to manufacturing for the public launch. The build number of...

Football season kicks off with Gameloft’s NFL 2010 for iPhone

The National Football League doesn't start its season until September, but iPhone and iPod touch users can get things started right now with the newly released NFL 2010 game from Gameloft.

Music Labels to Offer Enhanced Album Format to Compete With Apple’s ‘Cocktail’?

The Times reported over the weekend that the "big four" record labels are planning a November launch of a new digital album format known as "CMX" that will compete with Apple's rumored "Cocktail" offering reportedly scheduled for a September release....