November 2007 Archives
Electronista is reporting that some select developers have gotten the iPhone SDK early. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen but we suspect it's probably true.
From Electronista
From Electronista
A handful of companies are said to be getting rough versions of the tools to help code more advanced applications than would be possible with the current web-only solution. Exact details of what the kit allows are unknown, though it is confirmed that it produces native programs and somewhat resembles Google's OpenSocial in that it mediates between the programmer and the iPhone operating system.Read the article here.
Fortune has a great interview with Greg Koswiak, Apple iPod and iPhone marketing chief. The interview covers all of the iPods, including the iPhone. There are some juicy things said about the Apple iPhone SDK and what Apple is trying to do with the SDK, namely digital signatures.
I think the software development kit (SDK) that’s going to be available for the iPhone is very interesting, because we think that with the revolutionary multi-touch interface and the phenomenal product that the iPhone is, and certainly having OS X underneath it, that it’s going to be an unbelievable platform for developers.
Of course what we want to make sure we’ve done is keep the phone safe and reliable, and that’s why it’s taken us a little while to get this SDK out. Especially now that we’ll have a real SDK which means legitimate developers are going to come into the space. There are all kinds of fantastic and great things that they’re going to do.
on digital signatures with iPhone SDK
One of the things Steve talked about in his open letter is something Nokia’s doing, which is requiring a digital signature. That way if there’s something wrong with an application, you have a way to track it back to where it came from. So one of the things we want to do, again, is create a development environment that is going to maintain the security and reliability of the iPhone yet at the same time offer developers some really cool things that we can do.on the future of software on iPhone and iPod Touch
Developers see the opportunity already. You only have to look and see how many were creating iPhone applications without permission, when they actually had to break it, as it were, to do it. I think that was a good indication as to how much the developer community loves the iPhone, how much they see an opportunity to create great things. With the SDK, I think it’s going to bring more legitimate developers into it, as well as having the grassroots, small developers, which I think is awesome. Sometimes these one- or two-person teams have created the most dramatic things.
Read the full interview here.
Seems Apple has posted some operating guidelines that will help users determine whether or not their iPhone is working correctly. The following is a sample of the topics covered on their page and the url.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305689#faq12
- Accoustic-speaker/microphone/receiver
- Power / Battery
- Display
- General phone use
- Camera
- Accessories
- SIM
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305689#faq12
Is Apple tracking you via your IMEI number? Thats what the hacker community is thinking ever since they discovered that Apple is embedding your IMEI number in the Stocks and Weather applications.
An IMEI number is a number that each phone has. This is not unique to the iPhone and is actually something that all GSM phones have. This unique number is the way phone networks identify you and your phone as a customer.
Should you be worried? In my opinion, no. Apple is probably using this as a way to keep non-iPhone authorized applications from using the data feed in the Weather and Stocks widgets/applications. However, until Apple says anything, feel free to remain suspicious. I'll keep using my iPhone as usual.
An IMEI number is a number that each phone has. This is not unique to the iPhone and is actually something that all GSM phones have. This unique number is the way phone networks identify you and your phone as a customer.
Should you be worried? In my opinion, no. Apple is probably using this as a way to keep non-iPhone authorized applications from using the data feed in the Weather and Stocks widgets/applications. However, until Apple says anything, feel free to remain suspicious. I'll keep using my iPhone as usual.
One of the very first things new iPhone owners do is to look for a case that fits their particular lifestyle and how they want to be using the phone. Often times, the biggest challenges is that the amount of cases being manufactured is just amazing.
In my former life as a Windows Smartphone user(not by choice), I've had the holster style of case and it worked pretty well for me. With the iPhone I knew I was looking for a case that could be used both horizontally and vertically. On top of that, it had to have some sort of protective case/shell around it to protect the iphone from bumps and minor falls.
I started looking online and seeing what other people were saying and it seemed like a lot of them liked the Contour Showcase. Eventually I went down to our local Apple store and decided to take a look for myself. When I got to the store, and saw all the different cases, the Speck ToughSkin case caught my eye. It looked really good, so I bought it, went outside and quickly put it on the iPhone. Looking back on the experience, immediately putting on the case was a really good idea because although it fit well and I liked the feel of it, the belt clip plastic was weak and felt like it would break easily.
In my former life as a Windows Smartphone user(not by choice), I've had the holster style of case and it worked pretty well for me. With the iPhone I knew I was looking for a case that could be used both horizontally and vertically. On top of that, it had to have some sort of protective case/shell around it to protect the iphone from bumps and minor falls.
I started looking online and seeing what other people were saying and it seemed like a lot of them liked the Contour Showcase. Eventually I went down to our local Apple store and decided to take a look for myself. When I got to the store, and saw all the different cases, the Speck ToughSkin case caught my eye. It looked really good, so I bought it, went outside and quickly put it on the iPhone. Looking back on the experience, immediately putting on the case was a really good idea because although it fit well and I liked the feel of it, the belt clip plastic was weak and felt like it would break easily.
Continue reading Contour Showcase Review.
Apple finally released iPhone update 1.1.2 via iTunes. Others who have already updated their phones have reported numerous interesting things about the update, including the fact that non-iTunes ringtones are back again. Others have reported louder speakerphone and some said that the update increased their AT&T signal. Others have reported crashes and other problems.
Read this discussion over at the Apple Discussion forums here.
We're downloading and installing the update right now and we'll let you know what we find.
3:19 pm - Software downloaded. Installing now.
3:23pm - Still updating firmware. Silver Apple and spinny wheel thing.
3:25pm - iPhone has been updated. Now I see the connect to iTunes icon and the languages all flashed in the slide for emergency. Unplugged iPhone from connector and replugged in. iPhone is now activating. It's now activated.
3:27pm - iPhone updated to 1.1.2 (3B48b)
3:32pm - iPhone speaker is a bit louder and clearer or it might just be my imagination.
3:44pm - Just added my own ringtones to the iPhone. Why does this work again? I just don't get it!
Other than what was mentioned above, I couldn't find anything else that was very obvious in this update. So far, Mobile Safari has been good to me, so no complaints there. Let's hope the crashing I encountered in 1.1.1 won't show up again in 1.1.2.
Read this discussion over at the Apple Discussion forums here.
We're downloading and installing the update right now and we'll let you know what we find.
3:19 pm - Software downloaded. Installing now.
3:23pm - Still updating firmware. Silver Apple and spinny wheel thing.
3:25pm - iPhone has been updated. Now I see the connect to iTunes icon and the languages all flashed in the slide for emergency. Unplugged iPhone from connector and replugged in. iPhone is now activating. It's now activated.
3:27pm - iPhone updated to 1.1.2 (3B48b)
3:32pm - iPhone speaker is a bit louder and clearer or it might just be my imagination.
3:44pm - Just added my own ringtones to the iPhone. Why does this work again? I just don't get it!
Other than what was mentioned above, I couldn't find anything else that was very obvious in this update. So far, Mobile Safari has been good to me, so no complaints there. Let's hope the crashing I encountered in 1.1.1 won't show up again in 1.1.2.
UPDATE: Maybe Apple didn't let it loose yet. Seems like only a few people have it and they got it via this link. It doesn't appear in iTunes, at least not yet.
Tonight Apple released iPhone 1.1.2 update. We haven't installed this yet but will in a few minutes. So far TUAW is reporting that it un-jailbreaks the phone but leaves stuff that you installed where it is, you're just unable to access it. If you're hoping to hang on to your third party apps, don't do this upgrade yet.
BTW: A friend just checked for the firmware upgrade via iTunes and noticed that it said his iPhone was up to date. We think it's because he hasn't updated to the latest iTunes and is still on version 7.
Tonight Apple released iPhone 1.1.2 update. We haven't installed this yet but will in a few minutes. So far TUAW is reporting that it un-jailbreaks the phone but leaves stuff that you installed where it is, you're just unable to access it. If you're hoping to hang on to your third party apps, don't do this upgrade yet.
BTW: A friend just checked for the firmware upgrade via iTunes and noticed that it said his iPhone was up to date. We think it's because he hasn't updated to the latest iTunes and is still on version 7.
Google officially announced today that they are developing a free software package for cell phones. Free with Google means that it's another platform for them to sell ads and services on.
This shouldn't be viewed as Google's answer to Apple's iPhone. For those of you waiting for the "G-Phone", you shouldn't hold your breath. Google isn't creating a handset at all. What they have done instead is work with four cell phone manufacturers who have agreed to use Google's software applications on the handsets. Motorolla, Samsung, HTC and LG Electronics are all on board and have agreed to put the software on some of their phones.
For those of you thinking Googles applications will work on your current phone, we're sorry to report that you'll need to buy a new phone to run these applications. Furthermore, the software won't be available until the second half of 2008.
We'll soon see the fruits of Android, the company Google purchased in 2005.
This shouldn't be viewed as Google's answer to Apple's iPhone. For those of you waiting for the "G-Phone", you shouldn't hold your breath. Google isn't creating a handset at all. What they have done instead is work with four cell phone manufacturers who have agreed to use Google's software applications on the handsets. Motorolla, Samsung, HTC and LG Electronics are all on board and have agreed to put the software on some of their phones.
For those of you thinking Googles applications will work on your current phone, we're sorry to report that you'll need to buy a new phone to run these applications. Furthermore, the software won't be available until the second half of 2008.
We'll soon see the fruits of Android, the company Google purchased in 2005.
According to the folks over at T3 in the UK, the iPhone that will be arriving for them on November 9, 2007. Also coming with it is the new 1.1.2 firmware update and it plugs the TIFF exploit, just as we predicted.
T3:We'll probably see the 1.1.2 firmware released sometime next week. Stay tuned!
Undoubtedly, 1.1.2 will send the hacking community into frenzy - the previous update certainly did. We're not advocating hacking your iPod in any way, of course, but some gentle experimentation shows that the TIFF exploit (described over at MacNN) which could be used to jailbreak and hack the 1.1.1 iPhone has been closed, rendering the latest attempts to jailbreak the phone obsolete.
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