For those of you who missed some of this week's articles, here is a recap:
You're nothing without your iPhone What are your 5 most used apps? Favorite apps of the month Milk Crater: a different way to browse your iPod Do you remember the first day you had your iPhone? Netflix on the iPhone? Yes please! InfiniBoardInfiniboard Brings Vertical Scrolling to Your iPhone Springboard
Chpwn is one of my favorite jailbreak devs because he creates really useful apps and mods that just make your iPhone experience better. He worked with Ryan Petrich on ProSwitcher, he developed InfiniDock, and today, he just released InfiniBoard. InfiniBoard is a jailbreak application that simply brings vertical scrolling to your iPhone springboard. It lets you add as many icons as you wish to any page, and access them by flicking up and down. I've played with InfiniBoard for about an hour now and it works as described. The way I went about it is that instead of moving my icons one by one to a page, I used MultiIconMover to move all my icons at once. It saved me lots of time. On the springboard, I left my first and second page of apps with 12 icons per page. These are the apps I use the most and I wanted to keep part of my springboard "clean". On the third page, I added every other application so I can just browse through them by scrolling vertically.
I'll have to test InfiniBoard on a longer period of time to figure out if I like it or not. So far, I think it's worth the $1.99. What do you think?
Netflix On the iPhone? Yes Please!
Even though Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told Reuters a few months ago that Netflix wasn't going to work on an iPhone app for a while, it seems that Netflix has been feeling the water about it. A RWW article notes that:
Recently, Netflix sent out a survey to select subscribers in order to determine interest in an iPhone application for streaming movies via mobile phones. According to the survey's wording, the proposed app would be Wi-Fi only and would offer the same content that the Netflix "Watch Instantly" service provides.
Hacking Netflix has the full text of the survey:
Imagine that Netflix offers its subscribers the ability to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on their iPhone. The selection availability to instantly watch includes some new releases, lots of classics and TV episodes. There are no advertisements or trailers, and movies start in as little as 30 seconds. You can fast-forward, rewind, and pause or watch again. The movies & TV episodes you instantly watch are included in your Netflix membership for no additional fee.
Whenever you want to instantly watch content on your iPhone, your iPhone must be connected to a Wi-Fi network (such as one you might have at home or at work, or in public places like coffee shops, book stores, hotels, airports, etc.)
If this functionality were available, how likely would you or someone in your household be to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on your iPhone via a Wi-Fi network?
As a long-time Netflix customer, I have to say that I've been waiting for an iPhone app pretty much since the iPhone came out. It does make sense for Netflix to be present on mobile devices, especially the iPhone.
Now there are two problems. First issue is technological. Flash is not going to happen, so what technology could Netflix use to make itself available on the iPhone? Well apparently, Microsoft has been working with Apple on porting Silverlight to the iPhone and it seems to be working well. That would be a solution. I personally think Netflix would develop its own format but it's just a guess.
The second problem facing Netflix is... Apple itself. Would Apple allow video streaming when it has the same plans in mind for iTunes? While I doubt Apple will be particularly excited about having a Netflix app, I believe it will have to allow it in the App Store to avoid being taught a lesson by the FTC.
At any rates, I'm very excited about having Netflix on my iPhone. You know what? I'm even more excited about having Netflix on my iPad!
What say you?
Do You Remember the First Day You Had Your iPhone?
The other day someone asked me how I got into the iPhone, which took me back to 2007 and the day this little piece of electronics completely changed my life.
I wasn't in line at the Apple Store when the iPhone came out in 2007. I actually didn't care much about it. That was until my best friend bought an iPhone.
The first day I actually got to play with my friend's iPhone, I really fell in love with it. I loved the design and how it fit in my hands. I was so impressed that just about 5 minutes after playing with it, I got up and told my friend "hey, I'm going to the AT&T store, I'll be right back".
I came back to my friend's house an hour later with my brand new iPhone. That was probably the quickest buying decision I ever made, considering the price of this product.
The first day I bought my first iPhone, I literally spent hours just looking at it. I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever designed. To this date, even though the first gen iPhone is completely outdated, I still think it was a radical design that changed the way we'll look at phones forever.
Mind you, I bought my first iPhone about a month after it first came out. The following year, I was in line at a local AT&T store. Last year, I got smarter and pre-ordered my iPhone 3GS. I didn't live the "whole experience" of waiting in line for it, but at least... I didn't have to wait in line for hours...
Do you remember the first day you had your iPhone? Was it a very particular moment or just another day?
Photo Credit: iPhone Savior
Milk Crater: A Different way to Browse Your iPod Music Collection (sponsored)
Back in December I tweeted about a new app called TUN3R, a sort of visual dial for Internet Radio. The app is interesting if you like Internet radio, but doesn't really go beyond that. The same folks have just released another application called Milk Crater which they claim to be the world's first real-time audio iPod browser. Okay, but how does it actually work?
Milk Crater generates a large grid created from your iPod collection. It uses cover art to generate the tiles, or if no cover art is available for a song, then it uses the song title.
The first time you run the app, it starts a "Dial Rebuild" process which can take anywhere from 10 seconds to a couple of minutes. It does this in order to generate a giant "dial" (which is more like a grid of cover art and song titles). This is where the fun begins. After generating this “dial”, you can move around it by sliding your fingers.
What really sets Milk Crater apart from other music apps (including the iPod app itself) is the fact that it switches audio in real-time as you slip and slide around the grid with your fingers.
Once you get the hang of it, you can start doing more interesting things like building playlists on-the-fly as you browse. It's also possible to export these playlists back into your iPod, through an e-mail export (the only way possible).
Another worthwhile feature is its search capability, which begins highlighting results on the "dial" as you type.
At this point, it's tough to say if it will replace the iPod app itself, but it may give it a run for its $1.99.
Favorite Apps of the Month
These are actually my favorite apps of February but I'm a little late...
Power Downloader [iTunes link] - This is a free app that lets you download a host of files to your iPhone like JPG, GIF, HTML, MP3, MP4, 3GP and more. But, what I like to use it for is downloading YouTube videos for later viewing at full resolution. However, you can only watch the video from within the app and there's no way to get the video off your iPhone. Obviously, Apple wouldn't have an app that would pirate YouTube videos. Since YouTube videos don't stream on 3G at full resolution on the iPhone, this helps to watch your videos more cleanly. There doesn't seem to be a size limit when downloading on 3G.
Which location-based app has more than double the amount of users of Foursquare and Gowalla combined and is free? If the answer is MyTown [iTunes link] you'd be correct! Unlike other location-sharing apps, MyTown plays much more like a real game. When you check in to places, you have the option of buying them for your virtual town. The properties you buy give you constant income and to upgrade them you need money. To level up, you need points and you get that by checking in to more places. I have to admit I'm kind of addicted to this. However, the GPS locating on this app is not very good and I have to type in my location most of the time.
I used Beejive for the longest time to instant message on my iPhone. I loved it for the most part but the app loading time was horrendous. Plus, I paid $9.99 for the app. Then came Meebo [iTunes link]. It's free and I believe it does load a little faster than Beejive. I'm sure it's even more magnified for me since I have the older 3G. 3GS users may or may not see that much of a difference. Sure, Beejive has a lot more features. But, I don't use most of them. I just want to IM. Meebo supports push notifications and when you bring up Meebo on your desktop, push notifications are disabled on your iPhone. Nice touch.
Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock [iTunes link] - Apparently, we sleep in cycles of light and deep sleep. Every night, we set our alarm to go off at a certain time in the morning but many times it is when we are in a deep sleep cycle. So, we're very groggy when it's time to get up. The Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock is app designed to change that. The app will sound a soothing alarm when you're in a light sleep cycle and then you can gradually get up. Just as a warning, sometimes your light sleep cycle could come 30 minutes before you actually want to get up. The accelerometer tracks the movement on your bed and knows if you're in a light or deep sleep cycle. So, yes, you will have to sleep with your iPhone on your bed. And, yes, I have knocked my iPhone off my bed a couple of times. What I really like the $.99 app for is tracking how long I'm in light and deep sleep. I posted a sample of one of my night's sleep. I have a lot of peaks and valleys. I am a light sleeper.
What are your favorite apps of the month?
What Are Your 5 Most Used iPhone Apps?
I'm curious to see what App Store or stock apps you use on a daily basis.
Here are my 5 most used apps, in no specific order:
Tweetie 2 Byline Mail Safari CameraI usually don't use the camera app much but since I started traveling a few months ago, I now use it several times a day.
Please take a few seconds to share your most used apps by leaving a comment.
You’re Nothing Without Your iPhone
As my fiancee and I are a few minutes away from boarding a flight to Cambodia, I'm freaking out at the idea that I might not be able to get a data plan for my iPhone over there.
I've been doing a little bit of research online and the information I got is not reassuring. Apparently you have to be a Cambodian citizen to be able to buy a SIM card. Not much of a problem as you can always pay someone to go get a SIM card for you.
The real bad news for me is that it seems you only get coverage in larger cities.
I've been expressing my concern to my fiancee about this several times during the past day and I think she's getting over it. Today she said to me: "you're nothing without your iPhone, aren't you?"
It made me think about it for a minute and I came to realize that it's not really my iPhone that I need most, it's the mobile Internet access I get anywhere, anytime.
So no, I am not nothing without my iPhone. However, I'm totally miserable without a connection to the Internet that fits in my pocket.
Do you feel the same?
iPhone News You Missed This Week
Here is a summary of the articles that were published on the site this past week. If you like any of them, please feel free to share them on Facebook, Twitter, etc...
Is GeoHot working on unlocking baseband 05.12.01 on iPhone 3.1.3? F0recast: find out if you can jailbreak, unlock, downgrade What is unlocking an iPhone? Hey Apple, ban this! Pocket Blu: control your Blu-Ray from your iPhone Who said the iPhone camera sucks? Traveling with an iPhone: my experience in Thailand Is Steve Jobs using a jailbroken iPhone?Is Steve Jobs Using A Jailbroken iPhone ?
9 to 5 Mac has an article today about a Mac user who emailed Steve Jobs and received an answer back from him, showing that Steve-o was still using an iPhone running OS 3.1.2.
Why would Steve Jobs use an iPhone with 3.1.2? Well, my guess is that he simply has a jailbroken iPhone and he doesn't want to update to 3.1.3 because he knows it brings nothing more than 3.1.2, except the few usual "bug fixes".
Additionally, I believe Steve doesn't want to lose the ability to unlock his iPhone so he can use it with T-Mobile.
Any other reason why you think Steve Jobs would still be using an iPhone on 3.1.2?
Traveling With An iPhone: My Experience in Thailand
If you follow this blog on a regular basis, you probably know that I'm traveling for a few months and that I am sharing my experience getting pay-as-you-go plans for my iPhone in every country I visit. So far, I've documented my experiences in Australia, New Zealand, Bali, and it is now time to tell you about Thailand.
Before even going to Thailand, I had done a little research on the web about possible options. Turns out that there are only 2 mobile carriers in Thailand. Additionally, I learned that there is no 3G in Thailand as the communication infrastructures to support 3G haven't been put in place yet.
As soon as we went through the customs at Bangkok airport, I turned on my iPhone, which was still under my Balinese carrier. I received a text message telling me to switch to the Balinese partner in Thailand called DTAC. So I did just this, hoping that I'd be able to get on Edge to at least check my emails. No luck for me. While I was able to make calls, I couldn't get on the Internet.
Easily enough, there was a DTAC store right inside the airport. I went to the counter and inquired about prices. The guy was super friendly and spoke a better English than I do, which is always nice.
So he told me that for $3 I could buy a SIM card, and that they had various plans for talk time and data. Since I'm more interested in data than talk time, I asked him if it was possible to have unlimited Internet for a month.
He gave me a pricing sheet that showed me the various options. For unlimited Internet for 30 days, the price was about $30. So I chose this plan and added $10 worth of talk time so we can call hotels and stuff.
In about 5 minutes from the time I walked in to the time I walked out, I had a brand new Thai phone number with unlimited Internet and about 2 hours of talk time. That was without a doubt the most painless experience ever!
Edge is not very fast but I'm used to it now. And to be honest, it feels like Edge in Thailand is as fast as 3G in Bali or Australia.
The coverage is amazing too! We've been traveling to remote little islands and I've always been able to get coverage. Heck, even on ferries while island hopping, I was still able to tweet and email.
Next stop for us is Cambodia. Hopefully my experience getting a plan for my iPhone there will be as pleasant and easy as it was here in Thailand. To be continued...
Who Said the iPhone Camera Sucks?
I said the iPhone camera sucks so many times that I can't even count. Lately though, I have rediscovered the CameraBag app and I have been playing with it. I say "rediscover" because I had completely forgotten about this app and stumbled on it again by accident.
If you don't know CameraBag, basically it's an app that allows you to apply some cool filters to your pictures.
Here are a few images I tweaked with Camerabag (pix from my Australia and Thailand trip)
While CameraBag can't improve the quality of the images, I think it does a great job at getting the most out of them.
CameraBag is available from the App Store for $1.99. I know there are other apps in the Store that pretty much do the same job but I'm too lazy to look for them. If you know any, please let us know by leaving a comment.