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Apple has a new ad airing on TV called "Read". They use the same format/structure as usual, which makes this ad not really interesting. The moral of this ad? There is an app for everything!
Watch the video below and tell us what you think in the comments.
Flash needs to be on the iPhone. Adobe knows it, Apple knows it, we know it. Due to Flash's many integrations on the Internet from advertisements to games and even full blown web sites, people are craving this functionality on their iPhone everywhere and a quick search on Twitter shows you what I am talking about. Not to mention it flys in the face of Apple's own statements that Mobile Safari browses "the true web" as it most certainly does not without Flash, Java and Active-X support.
The Good News, Flash streaming video is close ...
Streaming flash video for example can be interpreted by iMobile Cinema but it is only available for 1.x version firmware at the moment. According to the website the 2.x firmware version is in the works. Can't wait for this to be a reality as it is the main reason I want flash to perform on my phone.
Many sites are also offering iPhone friendly video now as they realize the political lockout of the Flash player may take a while to get resolved.
The Bad News, Wired says it will never happen ...
If you read the doom and gloom article over at Wired you may agree with them and give up hope.
Personally, I think they are dead wrong because hackers or 3rd party developers will address the solution if Apple does not. My prediction is that a jailbreak version of the Flash player shows up mid-next year at the latest. Can't wait.
The rumor was right... Apple did release firmware 2.2 last night and for once, it seems that we have some useful features added:
Enhancements to Maps:
Google Street View public transit and walking directions display address of dropped pins share location via emailEnhancements to Mail
resolve isolated issues with scheduled fetching of email improved formatting of wide HTML emailOther Enhancements
Improved stability and performance of Safari Podcasts are now available for download in the iTunes application (over Wi-Fi and cellular networks) Decrease in call set-up failures and call drops Improved sound quality of visual voicemail messages Pressing the Home button from any Home screen takes you the first Home screen Preference to turn on/off keyboard auto-correctionApparently, iPod Touch users don't get the Google Maps upgrade that includes the addition of Street View as well as public transit and walking directions.
Like they did earlier this week, the Dev Team warns us about updating the iPhone using iTunes.
So, as anticipated our friends the misfits have recently released the long awaited 2.2 update. We can confirm that this update SHOULD NOT be applied using iTunes if you want the chance of a soft-unlock in the near future.
If you want to keep that option of a ‘soft-unlock in the near future’ available but you want the new features of 2.2, you will be able to update to 2.2 using a PwnageTool created custom ipsw file that disables the baseband update. You will be able to do this using an updated version of PwnageTool that will be released sometime soon.
Some facts -
The 2.2 firmware for 3G contains a baseband update for the 3G iPhone The 2.2 firmware for 2G (1st gen iPhones) doesn’t contain a baseband update and the baseband is still at 04.05.04 We believe that our Pwnage technique (and therefore the Jailbreak) isn’t affected, but PwnageTool and QuickPwn do not support this release as yet, so DO NOT install 2.2 using iTunes as you will lose your jailbreak If you apply this update and you previously relied on PwnageTool or QuickPwn to activate your phone, it may become temporarily deactivated and unusable (until we release the new version of PwnageTool or QuickPwn). PwnageTool and QuickPwn updates will be released as soon as possible that will allow a safe update path to 2.2 the release of these updates is inevitable but not imminent, we are creating the modifications right now and we need to put the new software through the usual testing process. If you apply this update and you have third-party (non AppStore) applications that you rely on they will stop working. 2G (1st gen) iPhone users who cannot wait for the new PwnageTool or QuickPwn can safely “Update” to 2.2 using iTunes, this will preserve the existing activation. However “restoring” to 2.2 using iTunes will return the iPhone to the unactivated state. If you are in any doubt just wait. NB: This works for 2G ONLY. The use of SIM-Proxies (small circuit boards/chips that sit underneath the SIM card) to provide GSM/UMTS service on your locked iPhone 3G is a method that we have always advised against. Early reports suggest that the 2.2 update disables the functionality of these devices. The techniques used were always unreliable and we are surprised that they have lasted this long. We are not working on the 2nd generation iPod touch at the moment, so we cannot comment on what the the 2.2 software update may do to this specific modelSo, as always, if you are in any doubt whatsoever please delay the install of this firmware on any of your devices until we have investigated the release in more detail. Watch this space ;-)
Also, iTunes 8.0.2 is out now. I doubt this will make much difference either way, but ask yourself, why bother. Just because a new version is out doesn’t mean you want it. I would hold off on this also.
iPhone Firmware 2.2 and iTunes 8.0.2 are both available from the downloads section of our blog.
The weather app that comes with your iPhone is usable, but it doesn't provide much information. Sometimes an icon doesn't tell you exactly what you can expect weather-wise. Heading into these autumn and, eventually, winter months we'll need more information about the weather.
Even with the advent of the App Store, there hasn't been a free weather app that just knocked my socks off. Perhaps I am a bit tougher to please than the average iPhone user because I have been a weather producer at the television station I work at.
Well, the must-have free weather app is finally here and it's no surprise that it was created by The Weather Channel [iTunes link]. It features the current conditions, an hourly forecast, a 36-hour forecast and a 10-day forecast. I really like the hourly forecast. Today, I see that the rain is going to start to pick up at around 6 p.m. Very useful.
The "Explore Map" option (pictured, above) features doppler radar, which shows you exactly where it is raining, snowing or both. Another extremely useful feature.
There's also an updated video of the forecast for the major city near your area. And finally, there's a "Severe Weather Alerts" tab. "The Weather Channel" can detect your location using your GPS if you allow it.
So, if you haven't bought a full-featured weather app already, get "The Weather Channel." It's free, and I highly recommend it.
Strategic design and research firm Create With Context published a very interesting survey about how people use the iPhone. Originally created for developers, the survey reveals a lot on how we interact with our favorite device.
Here is a brief overview of what the survey reveals:
Understand how people interact with the iPhone platform What works, what doesn’t work, and why? Are there mismatches between expectations and platform? Where are there usability and/or usefulness issues? Where does the iPhone UI excel, and where doesn’t it? Observe how the mass market - not the experts - uses the iPhoneClick here to read the full survey.
At the Web 2.0 Summit on Wednesday, AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega described what he believed is the future of the iPhone.
In response to TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington question, Ralph de la Vega announcement a long list of possible scenarios for the iPhone.
Before the iPhone wakes you up in the morning with its alarm clock, De la Vega says, it will have already loaded all of your daily news feeds onto the phone. It will also have already sent a wireless message to your coffee maker to get the coffee ready. While you’re sitting there drinking your coffee, he says, you might decide that you’d rather read your news on the TV screen; so with a wave of the device toward the TV, de la Vega says, you’ll send your news feeds wirelessly from the phone to the TV for reading.
Now you leave the house, and use your iPhone to lock the door on the way out. You get in the car. The iPhone starts your car. On the way to work, the iPhone continues reading your news to you using its text-to-speech function.
Later on, at your office, the iPhone initiates a conference call between you and two potential customers in Japan. On the call, when you speak English, the iPhone translates it to Japanese so that your potential customers can understand you. When they answer in Japanese, the iPhone converts their speech into English so you can understand them.
Now, who wouldn’t want a phone that could do all that?
If you would like to silence an incoming call, just press the sleep/wake button on the top of the phone. If, instead, you would like to send the call directly to your voicemail, press this button twice.
Entering Pauses To Automated Number Series Dialing.A lot of times you want to automate dialing a series of numbers. We do this all the time for calling cards, extensions, etc. For example, I have a telecom number at work and I want to dial the main number, wait a second or two and then dial the passcode for me. On my blackberry it was an X to insert a pause, but on iPhone it is a comma. Here is how it looks in my contact: 18005555555,,1234567. The two commas created a long enough pause for me to make this work for me.
Avoiding 411 chargesInstead of calling regular 411 to get information (and an extra charge on your phone bill), Google by voice by calling 1-800-GOOG-411 to get a street address or phone number. Some Lifehacker readers say GOOG 411 works better than others; if you haven't tried it, here's a YouTube clip (courtesy of Google) on how to give it a try
Avoid Calls from certain People using silent ringtoneDo you have people calling you that you want to ignore? Create a silent ringtone and make a contact for them and set the ringtone to silent.
Trick Automated Phone Bots into Thinking your Phone is Dead.If you've got automated phone marketers or political campaigns or debt collectors ringing your phone at all hours, trick the system into thinking your phone's dead. Add the U.S. Special Information Tone signal for "vacant circuit"to the beginning of your voicemail greeting to automatically unsubscribe your phone number from bot call lists.
Getting your Voicemail when RoamingIf you are roaming and visual voicemail is unavailable, you can call your own phone number and get your voicemail the old fashioned way.
Enter your 10-digit wireless number Interrupt your personal greeting by pressing the "*" key Enter your voice mail password Use the standard keys to manage your messages. (7 to delete, 33 to skip to the end, etc) Avoid Roaming Charges While Travelingto avoid roaming charges, set your phone to "unconditional call forwarding" that way, your phone will NOT ring while you are roaming (calls go STRAIGHT to voicemail). to do that, follow these instructions: # On your phone, dial *#62# and click Send. # Phone number of your voicemail will be displayed. # Write down the number (including +1) # Dial **21*+1xxxyyyzzzz*11# and hit Send. +1xxxyyyzzzz is the number you wrote down previously to forward your calls automatically to your voice mail. # Dial *#21# to verify that the new settings are active. # When no longer desired, dial ##002# to reset back to normal.
Copying voicemail messages to your computerIf you want to save that favorite voicemail message to your PC so you can save it for all time, follow these steps.
First, if you haven’t already, jailbreak your iPhone 2.0 (here’s the Windows method). This will install an OpenSSH server on your device that lets you transfer files from it to your computer. On the iPhone, under Settings->Wi-Fi, select the network you have joined to view connection details. Write down the phone’s IP address. Fire up your favorite FTP client. (I like the not-free but great Transmit, butthe free FileZilla works, too.) Using your FTP program, connect to the device’s IP address with username root and password alpine (unless you’ve changed your password). You’ll need to use SFTP (secure FTP), not plain FTP. Once you’re connected to the device, browse to/private/var/mobile/Library/Voicemail/ to view the list of VM files. They’re saved as .AMR files, which QuickTime can play. Transfer them to your computer and you’re done. Create Speed dial icons for your screen using QlinkA very nice person created a web site that lets you associate a phone number with a web page so that you can create a Homepage bookmark that dials a number.
Using Favorites to Create a Speed Dial ListMost people have figured this one out, but I recently talked to two people lately who hadn't put it all together. You can set up your phone so that pressing the home button twice (In Settings/General/Home Button/Phone Favorites) brings up your contact list Favorites list. This makes dialing a number simply pressing the home button twice and then selecting one of your favorites in the list.
Reordering Favorites in Phone on iPhoneFavorites are usually displayed in the order they’re added to the Favorites list. But they can be reordered in whatever way you want. It’s as easy as drag and drop.
In the Favorites screen, press Edit. Tap the three-line icon and hold it. The favorite you’ve selected will become active (when active, it appears to be slightly above the other favorites). Drag the favorite to the position in the list you want it to have and let it go. Click “done” in the top left and your favorites will be reordered. Secret Service Numbers *3001#12345#*and then tap Call. This enters you into field mode. Field mode reveals many of the inner settings of your iPhone, specifically up-to-date network and cell information. *#06# Displays your IMEI. No need to tap Call. IMEI is the unique identifier for your cell phone hardware. Together with your SIM information it identifies you to the provider network. *777# and tap Call. Account balance for prepaid iPhone. *225# and tap Call. Bill Balance. (Postpaid only) *646# and tap Call. Check minutes. (Postpaid only) *#21# and tap Call. Discover the settings for your call forwarding. You'll see whether you have voice, data, fax, sms, sync, async, packet access, and pad access call forwarding enabled or disabled. *#30# and tap Call. This displays whether you have enabled or disabled the presentation of the calling line, presumably the number of the party placing the call. *#76# and tap Call. Check whether the connected line presentation is enabled or not. State whether the connected line presentation is enabled or disabled. Presumably similar to the calling line presentation. *#43# and tap Call. Determine if call waiting is enabled. Displays call waiting status for voice, data, fax, sms, sync data, async data, packet access and pad access. Each item is either enabled or disabled. *#61# and tap Call. Check the number for unanswered calls. Show the number for voice call forwarding when a call is unanswered. Also show the options for data, fax, sms, sync, async, packet access and pad access. *#62# and tap Call. Check the number for call forwarding if no service is available. Just like the previous, except for no-service rather than no-answer situations. *#67# and tap Call. Check the number for call forwarding when the iPhone is busy.I know that most people have figured this one out, but to be complete, and for Newbies, I thought it would be good to add this. When you press on a key and you hit the wrong letter, simply slide your finger to the right letter (without lifting it) and lift up to correct your mistake.
Slide to Period TappingInstead of switching between letter and punctuation modes, slide your finger to the @123 button, but don’t release it until after sliding and releasing over the period key. The keyboard will switch back to letter input automatically. This makes a big difference. Be sure to measure the improvement of the slide method on your typing speed. This is also known as the McCallum method via Pogue. An otherwise, well documented shortcut, but addresses a very common complaint about the iPhone keyboard.
Misspelling ContractionsYou can intentionally spell it’s incorrectly as “itsp” or “itsa” and “it’s” will be suggested. The A and P keys are ideally positioned for this kind of a shortcut. To get popular contractions filled in automatically just add a third repetitive letter to get Safari to suggest the contraction word. Examples include “helll” -> “he’ll” , “welll” -> “we’ll”, “weree” -> “we’re” etc.
Keyboard SwitchingPress the space bar from the .123 keyboard to return to the alpha keyboard. This can be good when you just need a number or a period. If you have the iPhone 1.1.1 update you can simply double-tap the space key to get a period.
Automating Other URL SuffixesOn the keyboard press and hold the .com key to see other tld extensions based on your selected languages. For example in the U.S. you will see .net, .edu .org, with German you will see .edu .org .de, and with Spanish you will see .edu .org and .es in a pop up list.
Don't Even Bother Typing .COMJust like a real browser, it appears that the iPhone will allow you to type in most .com URLs without having to type the actual .com or pressing the button. Simply press Go after typing the site name and iPhone's Safari browser should automatically insert the .com for you.
Magnifying GlassWhen typing in an email message, URL, web page text box, or any other item that requires the keyboard, you may make a spelling error. To fix any errors that aren't at the tail end of the string you just typed, hold your finger over the text until a small magnifying glass appears. You will now be able to position the cursor at the proper location in order to make your change.
I have a Hotmail Plus account so I have been able to access my hotmail account on my iPhone but I couldn't access my folders and I had to go back to the web interface to permanently delete my mail. It was an okay solution so that I could at least read it on the go, but nFluent just came out with a new app mBoxMail [iTunes Link].
I installed it yesterday and I love this app. It is a bit pricey at $9.99 but I have to say that I didn't even hesitate to buy it. It is very easy to setup and very intuitive and straightforward to use.
nFluent created a short demo on their web page so you can see how it works.
Here are the features of the software according to nFluent's website:
Security In today's world, your information is only as secure as your email account. There is no middle man with m•Box Mail. This application speaks directly to the Windows Live Hotmail servers so you do not have to worry about your confidential information getting stored elsewhere. Your email, user name and password are not stored outside your mobile device. Passwords are securely kept in iPhone’s key store so they do not get into the wrong hands.
Sync your Hotmail and Live Mail Sync your Microsoft Hotmail or Live Mail to iPhone, including all the read and unread flags. All your folders also are available through m•Box Mail so you can stay organized even while on the go.
Fast and Efficient m•Box Mail is highly optimized for mobile platforms so access to your email is the best possible experience. For example, you will be amazed at how fast your email is synced onto your iPhone.
Attachments View emailed image attachments right on your iPhone.
Hotmail Contacts All your Hotmail contacts are available so addressing an email from your iPhone is now as easy as doing it from your computer.
Send from Hotmail m•Box Mail supports sending email from your Hotmail account. Your signature also can be customized on your iPhone for outgoing messages, and you can edit your sent messages folder – keep email for review or delete them as wanted.
[digg-me]One of the reasons I chose an iPhone is because of the large amount of onboard memory. However, a non-jailbroken iPhone can only sync files through iTunes. That means you are limited to the files you can upload to your high-tech device. That's where applications from the App Store come in.
There are many apps that can fill this need. However, two seem to stand out from the rest. Datacase [iTunes link] was one of the first of the wifi file syncing apps. And, Air Sharing [iTunes link] is apparently the most popular wifi file syncing app. As of this writing, Air Sharing is No. 48 on the iTunes Top Paid Apps list. That ranking, however, may or may not be skewed by the fact that it was offered as a free app for a limited time. Keep in mind that these apps can only view documents and not edit them.
For a long time, I believed Air Sharing (pictured, left) was superior to DataCase because of how smoothly it handles PDF documents. However, it appears that DataCase has made significant updates to compete with Air Sharing.
I downloaded the same files to both apps to compare how each app performs.
PDF - Winner: DataCase. Like I said earlier, I believe both apps handle this file type fairly smoothly. When turning to landscape mode, there is a noticeable pause on both apps. But, I'll give the nod to DataCase. DataCase has controls to go to the first and last page, which is helpful for PDFs that are hundreds of pages long. Datacase also has a great bookmarking feature, to tab pages that you frequently go to. Air Sharing does have an accelerated page turning function if you hold down the button. But, that doesn't cut it when you're trying to get to page 200.
Excel - Push. Both apps perform equally well when viewing Excel documents. But, then again, I don't have really complicated Excel documents.
MP3 - Push. Both apps had no problem playing the same MP3 file using QuickTime.
Pictures - Air Sharing. I downloaded a JPG to both apps. I'll give the slight edge to Air Sharing because I can use a double-tap OR a pinch out to zoom. A single tap in Air Sharing removes the border for full-screen viewing. In DataCase, a single-tap removes the borders but cannot recognize a double-tap to zoom.
MHTML & QuickTime Movie - Push. Although you can upload them, both apps equally failed at displaying an MHTML file and playing a QuickTime movie. Granted, MHTML is a weird file type but I knew both could view HTML files. And for some reason, neither app can play QuickTime movies which is really disappointing.
Setup - Air Sharing. Air Sharing is by far easier to set up. It has instructions right inside the app. DataCase's setup is a bit quirky, for Windows XP users at least. It's best to go to the Veiosoft website to learn how to set up DataCase.
Graphical Interface - DataCase. Air Sharing has a straightfoward look to it, which is not bad in itself. But, DataCase brings a lot to the table. The opening screen of DataCase shows a doughnut which is a graph of the amount of free space on your iPhone. As you fill up Datacase, you will see colors which represent the different types of files. Also, when you're uploading large files (pictured, above) DataCase tells you how far along you are in your uploading. It's also nice to see which types of files are taking up the most space. And, you can filter out certain file types when navigating. One nice feature that Air Sharing does have, however, is the ability to easily navigate through a string of folders. On the other hand, I'm not sure why you can't create folders in the Air Sharing app alone. You have to do it in the shared folder on your desktop.
Both apps are $6.99 in the App Store.