Some relatively “legit-looking” pictures of the new iPhone have been leaked on a Chinese blog (note that the site is down at the moment). The pictures show an iPhone using autofocusing with its camera, movie recording and the digital compass. You can never tell if it’s real or fake for sure but I’m 99% positive that it’s for real. Read More
This picture was posted on Mac Rumors, claiming that it might be the new iPhone 3G 2009.
I don’t know if it’s just me but it looks like the matte iPhone is slimmer than the shiny one.
So what do you think? Is this real or just another rumor?
John Gruber wrote an absolutely hilarious blog post faking the diary of an App Store reviewer. It is a very sarcastic post showing the stupidity of the system. While it is pure fiction, you can’t help realizing that Gruber is very close to reality, mostly on the app approval rejection process.
Here are some of my favorite pieces of the post:
Wednesday May 13
Began examining some game submitted a week or two ago. Slick UI, kind of fun to play. But: one of the help screen images shows a little icon representing an iPhone. Rejected the app with this message:
Thank you for submitting [app name] to the App Store. We’ve reviewed [app name] and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because of an Apple trademark image. Rule 2 under “Unauthorized Use of Apple Trademarks” in Apple’s Copyright and Trademark Guidelines states:
“You may not use the Apple Logo or any other Apple-owned graphic symbol, logo, or icon on or in connection with web sites, products, packaging, manuals, promotional/advertising materials, or for any other purpose except pursuant to an express written trademark license from Apple, such as a reseller agreement.”
Like all iPhone owners, I want to protect my investment. But like most iPhone owners, I’m going to go thru a few cases before I land the right one. In this journey of trial and error I have purchased a few iPhone cases and returned a few as well. In doing so I have kept a few for different purposes or environments. I have one for the business casual affairs, while I have another for the in-pocket tote. But I have an outdoorsy one that I like for its extra protection (or sense of protection) that it provides while out in the rough. I go on campouts and hikes a few times a year and I love to take my iPhone with me (mainly for its GPS mapping ability).
There is no way that I’m going to trust just any case out in the woods, that is why I purchased and kept the Tough Skin Rugged Rubber Case by Speck. This bad boy not only protects your iPhone, but gives it a rugged outdoor look. I am glad that it doesn’t come in camouflage though because if it was dropped on the ground it would easily blend in, making it difficult to find through the natures grassy floor. Read More
You read the title right: if you need an app for that, there is an app for that. “An App For That” is actually a web app that let’s you create, view, and share app for that jokes such as the one in the picture above.
The app looks like the SMS app from iPhone and let’s you type whatever you want as long as it ends with “there’s an app for that”. Pretty useless, yet very funny. Some of the entries are just hilarious.
Some of my favorites are:
Check it out and tell us what your favorites are, or even better, come up with your own!
I’m not sure what my position about cracked iPhone apps is. I don’t endorse any type of piracy. Developers spend time working on applications and they do deserve to get paid for it. On the other side, you have kids that may or may not have much money and who don’t want to spend $0.99 on an application.
I think that a kid who downloads a pirated app would most likely NOT have paid for this app if the cracked version wasn’t available for free somewhere. This means that either way, the developer would not have earned money from this kid anyway. At least, the developer gets the name of his app out.
What I just described is what we may call “common piracy”. That’s the type or piracy we’ve known since the democratization of MP3 music files. Now there is another kind of piracy that I think is scandalous and should be highly punished by law… I’m talking about website that resell cracked iPhone apps.
I was browsing several iPhone blogs over the weekend when I came across a website called Mega. The website prides itself in being able to deliver 34,060 iPhone apps worth a total of $108,746 for free. Mega is an application that you can download through Cydia. Once installed, you will get a new icon on your springboard that looks like the App Store icon, with “Free” written all across. Read More
This one is kinda funny… There is a new app in the App Store called Photo Effects! that uses the screenshot of a jailbroken iPhone in its description. You can clearly see the jailbreak apps Installer, Launcher, Terminal, and DockSwap. You will also notice that the dock is a custom one.
This comes roughly a month after Apple updated the SDK agreement forbidding developers to jailbreak their iPhones.
Looking at this app in the App Store, I’m wondering why the developer did this. I mean, it’s a very stupid move. The screenshot doesn’t help understand what the app is about at all. It seems to me like this dev did this as a big “F U” to Apple.
So now, the real question is: how long will it take Apple to remove this app from the App Store?
I am really excited to announce that we now have a forum section on the site. I should have set this up a long time ago but for some reason I never did until last weekend. We’ve been testing the forum to make sure it works 100% and it is now out of beta for all of you to use.
The forum will be the perfect place for everyone to share, comment, and ask any iPhone-related question. For your convenience, I divided the forum into 8 sections:
If you have any question or comment about the new iPhone forum, please let me know. The forum is YOUR place and I want to make sure it’s as cosy as possible 
Enough talking, go visit the forum now!
Rumors are flying around about the specs of the new iPhone supposed to be coming out July 17. Can we believe rumors coming from some unknown factory in China? I don’t know. However, there are rumors we can trust and those come directly from John Gruber of Daring Fireball.
According to Gruber’s sources, the upcoming iPhone will carry a next generation processor:
Let’s say the rumors are right — and I believe they are — that the next-generation iPhone’s CPU will be running at 600 MHz. In the same way that, say, a 90 MHz Pentium was more than 1.5 times as fast as a 60 MHz 486, the 600 MHz CPU in the next iPhone will be more than 1.5 times as fast as the current 400 MHz iPhone CPU.
Apparently, RAM and storage will also be increased:
More RAM will significantly help performance, too, and I believe the new iPhones will sport 256 MB of memory, up from the 128 MB in all current models. Prices will stay the same — $199 and $299 — but storage will increase to 16 and 32 GB.
What about the overall look of the new iPhone?
Industrial design changes will be subtle, perhaps very subtle. I expect that cases designed for the iPhone 3G will continue to fit the new iPhone, and that the only colors will remain black and white.
Gruber also confirmed that the next iPhone will include a magnetometer, and improved camera that will shoot videos, and basic video editing capabilities.
I invite you to read the full article for more insights on the new iPhone.
I rarely visit the App Store but yesterday I wanted to check out new apps so I opened the App Store from my iPhone and I noticed that there was a new section in the store called iPhone Apps From TV Ads. I don’t know how long it’s been here but I thought it was a good idea.
I also think it’s a great opportunity for the showcased applications to gain further exposure. I wonder how the applications that appear in ads are chosen. I guess it’s a mix of top rated, staff pick, and randomness…
Anyway, so now when wonder what this app you see on TV is called, go to the App Store and look into the ‘iPhone Apps From TV Ads” section and you’ll find out.
There have been more than enough rumors about what the new iPhone will have. I say, give me a break. Although we don’t have an inside source telling us, think about it. Now, see our reasoning below:
Seriously? First of all, this would look horrible. It would be bumping out, making it look bad. On top of that it would kill battery life. And think about it, a ton of users use a case for their iPhone. A lit-up Apple logo would be useless for them. Don’t see my point? OK, here’s a mock-up by us:
That is how odd it would look. Plus, an apple that small would not make a difference. But it would kill you battery life.
Again, I think this is very unlikely. So far, the two latest models have had this. Though I’m not saying it is completely fake, it is unlikely. Maybe Apple will bring the plastic black / white front to the edge as well.
Unlikely! Apple has kept on going with the metal back for the iTouches and has only changed the iPhone to plastic back. Considering most other phones are plastic, this is also unlikely. So far, the only proof is this:
It’s an image MacRumors posted. I dunno… but I have seen fakes before. However, from Apple you never know.
Possible…
Now a small listing of a few others. Faster speed, internet, and processor are all likely. It is needed and Apple will most likely deliver. Longer battery is also likely. FM transmitter: unlikely! Think about that. Higher resolution camera is likely. Since most smartphones also have this. Built-in compass also sounds likely.
“Revolutionary combination of the camera, GPS, compass, and Google maps to identify photo and inform about photo locations.” Doubt it!! I think people have things mixed up. I’m sure that they will let the camera take a pic and save the location and information about the compass. But I doubt the iPhone itself will inform you about the location. However, I think that with the data from the picture, when passed to the computer using Google Maps / Earth it will inform about the location.
Turn by turn directions is also likely as it is something heavily asked for. Also, a GPS company (forgot the name, think it was TomTom) posted somewhere they were looking for someone with iPhone coding experience.
This is just me reasoning here. I know some people will not agree, but that some might. But believe me, the rumors will keep on coming as WWDC gets closer. Don’t believe everything you read!!
The following is a guest post by iPhone Download Blog reader Gavin Nachbar.
The mobile gaming industry is growing like wildfire. Video gaming giants like EA were caught off guard by the explosion of mobile gaming, and are now scrambling to release popular their popular games before the bubble pops. With that, a recent study by Gartner found that the mobile gaming industry will continue to grow by 10% a year, and will hit $6.3 billion (yes that is with a b) by the year 2011.
With the iPhone representing a solid chunk of that revenue, it is only expected that the iPhone accessory business will grow in parallel. Enter the iPhone gaming grip.
The grip was invented and released by a Japanese company named Trinity, who focus specifically on accessories for iPods, iPhones and other Apple products. The gaming grip is made out of sweat proof silicon, which is actually more convenient that one might first think. However, it does not come without a hefty price tag at $51 a pop.
While some say this may be the most absurd iPhone accessory released to date, I beg to differ. With Apple recently announcing the billionth download from the App Store, this is just the beginning for iPhone gaming accessories.
And why shouldn’t it be? While some games work well on the small screen, others just don’t have the right feel. The Wii was all the rage just a year ago, and Wii gamers have their wheel. Now, it’s the iPhone’s turn.
While the iPhone may never replace Nintendo’s DS or Playstation’s PSP, the development of products like this one is a step in that direction. This new gaming grip indisputably makes it easier to play games on the iPhone, and that’s a great start.
Could this be the new iPhone? No, these pictures are just conceps but they sure look great!
More pictures after the break. Read More
Parents on the go, that’s what many of us are. Upon awaking you may spend the first few moments of the day fumbling between nuking breakfast and getting yourself ready for the workday. Somewhere in the midst of this insanity, the kids have to be ready too! Dropping them off at school and heading to work in itself is quiet the trek. This is not the old fashioned morning where sitting at the breakfast table and reading the paper comes with ease. You not only race thru the madness of the week or weekend, but often race blindly! The iPhone proudly boasts that there is an app for that and delivers as always. Read More
Sometimes, the most simple applications are actually the best. That’s the case of SmackTalk, an hilarious voice-altering app that features an animated guinea pig, puppy, kitten, and chihuahua that repeat what you say in high-pitched squeaky voices in real-time. Sounds retarded? Well, it is kinda retarded but I laughed my ass off while watching the demo video below and while playing with the app. SmackTalk totally made my day!
SmackTalk is currently on sale in the App Store for $0.99 but we happen to have 4 promo codes. The first 4 people to comment on this post will get a promo code (note that you have to be in the US).
I am excited to announce that we have a new blog design. If you visited the blog this afternoon/evening, you most likely noticed it. If you read this from an RSS reader, I encourage you to come see the new design and tell us what you think.
You will see that this new layout is much cleaner than the other one. The content area is wider and the font is bigger, making it easier for you to read and browse through the site. I also added some social bookmarking icons at the bottom of each post to make it easy for you to retweet or digg a story.
I spent a decent amount of time tweaking this new design so I hope you guys like it…
This is still new and there might be some broken features. If you see anything that doesn’t work or anything that look strange, please let me know! Note that it may look a little funky on some versions of Internet Explorer. That’s another reason to switch to FireFox
Since the release of the SlingPlayer iPhone app in the App Store yesterday, there’s been much noise about AT&T’s restriction that makes the app operational over wifi only. But as usual, the jailbreak community is here to save the day! If you haven’t jailbroken your iPhone yet, here is reason #1,563,982 to do it…
Thanks to VoIPover3G, you will now be able to use the SlingPlayer app over 3G and Edge. VoIPover3G can trick any application into thinking that it is on Wifi even though it is on a cellular data connection. You can configure what apps get tricked by adding the app’s bundle identifier to “/Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries/VoIPover3G.plist”.
In order to use this simple hack, your iPhone must be jailbroken (see quickpwn tutorials) and you must install Mobile Substrate, OpenSSH and VoIPover3G (reboot after install) from Cydia.
Assuming you’ve installed these apps and that you know how to SSH into your iPhone, follow these instructions:
1. SSH into your iPhone and go to the root directory “/”
2. Navigate to /Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries
3. With a text editor, open VoIPover3G.plist
4. Look for:
Filter = {Bundles = (“com.Fringland.Fring”, “com.apple.AppStore”, “com.audiofile.Interstate”, “com.apple.MobileStore”);};
Now add this part: , “com.slingmedia.SlingPlayer”
It should look like this:
Filter = {Bundles = (“com.Fringland.Fring”, “com.apple.AppStore”, “com.audiofile.Interstate”, “com.apple.MobileStore”, “com.slingmedia.SlingPlayer”);};
Don’t forget the “,” and the quotation marks!
5. Save the changes you just made and upload the file back to its location: /Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries
6. Reboot your iPhone
7. Done! SlingPlayer should now work over 3G!
There is also an easier way to get SlingPlayer to work over 3G… Simply launch Cydia and look for the Tricker ThreeG application. It does the exact same thing as the above hack except it tricks ALL apps to think they are on wifi. It’s much simpler than SSHing into your iPhone but remember that by installing Tricker ThreeG, all apps will behave like they are on wifi. This is not recommended because for a lot of apps its makes sense to know whether they are on wifi or 3G.
UPDATE: Jordan, the developer of Tricker ThreeG left a comment below explaining that my description of Tricker ThreeG was not entirely true. Unlike what I wrote above (strikethrough text), Tricker ThreeG only trick Fring, Skype and SlingPlayer to think the apps are on wifi. Knowing this now, I believe Tricker ThreeG is a far better option that VoIPover3G as it doesn’t require manually editing file in the iPhone.
Good news for Need For Speed Undercover gamers cheaters! If you can’t afford the Porsche Carrera GT or the Pagani Zonda F, well, now you can thanks to 2 cheats available in Cydia.
The first cheat for Need For Speed Undercover will patch the gamedata to give you 5 million dollars in cash and unlock the top 2 cars mentioned above. The second cheat will patch the gamedata to have $999,999 in cash. Not too bad, he?
To install these 2 cheats, you need to have the iphone.org.hk/apt/ installed in Cydia.
You gotta love the Dev Team! It hasn’t been 24 hours since Apple released the fifth beta of their OS 3.0 that our favorite team of iPhone hackers has already shown proofs that it has been jailbroken. And better than that, the Dev Team says that unless Apple changes the hardware of the iPhone, all future version of the OS will be jailbreakable as well.
As should be expected, the modern devteam jailbreak process is still valid. The picture below is 3.0beta5 jailbroken on an iPhone 3G. As we’ve said in previous posts, nothing other than a hardware respin can prevent our jailbreak from working on all exisiting iPhone and iPod Touches. They’ve chased our jailbreak so far down in the chain of trust, the only way they can fix it is in hardware.
One thing worries me a bit here though. Why is the Dev Team so open about it? I mean, they said several times now that Apple would have to spin the iPhone hardware to prevent all future jailbreak. If I was the Dev Team, that’s something I would keep for myself. I assume by now Apple has figured out what little piece of electronics it needs to add to the future iPhone to prevent any jailbreak.
What I think about that is that the Dev Team likes challenges. It likes to be fair play too! It’s as if the Dev Team said to Apple “hey, look what you need to do to prevent me from hacking your phone. I’m telling you all that because I’m smarter than you and whatever you do, I’ll still me able to hack your phone”.
In its blog post today, the Dev Team also warns us about the non-official version of QuickPwn:
Because there are so many beta releases, we couldn’t possible refine, test, and release both PwnageTool and QuickPwn for each of them. That’s why we’re waiting until the final release. You may have seen other “hijacked” versions of QuickPwn out there, but all of them are buggy, none of them work on OSX, and almost everyone who uses them reverts back to 2.2.1 (because none of the useful jailbroken apps (Qik, Cycorder, and others) work on 3.0 yet).
As usual, it is safe to remind everyone that if you care about the YellowSn0w unlock, you should NOT play with the 3.0 betas as they may prevent you from ever being able to unlock your iPhone.
