Updating to the iPhone 3GS
With the editor's 2-year AT&T contract up, he qualified for the US$199 price of the new 16GB iPhone 3GS. Compared to the original iPhone, that means more memory, more speed, GPS, voice control, a higher res camera, video, an electronic compass and more. Here's how the upgrade/activation went, and what difference you can expect to see. [Read Switching to the iPhone 3GS] -- Posted Monday, June 29, 2009 by chb

New iPhone 3GS -- mostly incremental improvements
Apple announced the iPhone 3GS ("S" for "Speed"), which is an incremental improvement over the iPhone 3G. The new model looks and measures the same, but comes with 16 (US$199) or 32GB (US$299) of memory, more speed via an unspecified new processor, a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus and macro mode that can also do VGA video, a digital compass, a new fingerprint-resistant coating, and, of course, the new iPhone OS 3.0 with cut & paste, MMA, and many other goodies. The iPhone 3GS will be available June 19 and the new OS 3.0 on June 17. -- Posted Monday, June 8, 2009 by chb

First iPhone document management solution for the legal market
Autonomy Corporation announced that its flagship document management solution, iManage WorkSite, now supports the Apple iPhone. With this announcement, Autonomy is bringing the legal industry's leading document management solution to users of the iPhone, which is increasing adoption within law firms. Autonomy iManage is the undisputed leader in the legal and professional services market place with over 75% of the Global 100 and 73% of AmLaw 100 law firms as customers. [See full press release] -- Posted Monday, June 8, 2009 by chb

iPhone market share doubles
According to Gartner, Apple's share of global smartphone sales grew from 5.3% in Q1 of 2008 to 10.8% in Q1 of 2009, with unit sales going from 1.7 to 3.9 million. RIM's BlackBerry market share also rose from 13.3% in Q1 of 2008 to 19.9% in Q1 of 2009, with unit sales rising from 4.3 to 7.2 million. Apple and RIM's gains came mostly at the expense of Nokia, which suffered a market share drop from 45.1 percent to 41.2 percent. -- Posted Thursday, May 21, 2009 by chb

Broken iPhone LCD and/or touch screen? Fix it yourself
With over 20 million iPhones sold, there will be broken screens and digitizers, and maybe yours is one of them. Apple can fix it, of course, but that can take a while. An alternate is getting replacement parts from DirectFix.com. They also have instructional videos and everything else you need to get your iPhone back into working condition. The warranty goes bye-bye if you do that, so keep that in mind. -- Posted Wednesday, May 20, 2009 by chb

Amazon launches optimized Kindle for iPhone store
Kindle for iPhone, the free app released early March, apparently has been a considerable success. We've been using Kindle for iPhone ever since its release and have read about a dozen books. One weak spot was having to purchase books though Safari and the regular Amazon website. Now Amazon released a specially formatted Kindle Store that makes the purchasing experience much easier. -- Posted Monday, May 11, 2009 by chb

Missing Sync for iPhone 2.0
Mark/Space, creator of synchronization software, released The Missing Sync for iPhone Version 2.0 for Mac, featuring true, two-way syncing of notes, tasks and documents between the Mac and iPhone or iPod touch via Wi-Fi. Edit notes on the Mac and those changes will be synced to the iPhone. Complete tasks on the iPhone and they will be updated on the Mac. Create and revise documents and files on the Mac and they will sync to the iPhone. -- Posted Sunday, May 3, 2009 by chb

Review: Quickoffice for the iPhone
Quickoffice singlehandedly advanced the case of the iPhone as a serious business tool by a mile. With Quickoffice you can read, create and edit Word and Excel files on the iPhone, read numerous other file formats, move and email them, and even cut and paste within the application. This app is worth its US$20 price many times over. [Read review of Quickoffice for the iPhone] -- Posted Wednesday, April 29, 2009 by chb

Apple reaches one billion app downloads
The billionth iPhone app was downloaded from Apple’s App Store shortly after 5 p.m. ET on April 23, 2009. It took only about nine months to reach that number, which means there are almost four million iPhone app downloads per day. -- Posted Thursday, April 23, 2009 by chb

AT&T to sell iPhones without service contract
AT&T will start selling iPhones without the 2-year contract requirement for US$599 or $699 for the 8-GB or 16-GB versions. The phones, however, will still be locked to the AT&T network. -- Posted Monday, March 23, 2009 by chb

Apple announces iPhone OS 3.0
On March 17, Apple presented the blueprint for iPhone OS 3.0, the next version of the world’s most advanced mobile platform. In addition to previewing its innovative features, Apple gave members of the iPhone Developer Program immediate access to the iPhone OS 3.0 software beta and an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) with over 1,000 completely new APIs. -- Posted Tuesday, March 17, 2009 by chb

iPhone software upgrade woes -- again
During our last sync, iTunes suggested an upgrade from system software 2.2 to 2.2.1. The upgrade failed with an ominuous "unable to open device_map.txt: No such file or directory" message. The iPhone had to be restored from scratch in a process that took two hours. After the restore, data and almost all software purchased from the apps store were missing from the iPhone. -- Posted Thursday, February 26, 2009 by chb

Credit card processing app for the iPhone
A application is bringing credit card processing to the iPhone. ProcessAway is a complete mobile processing solution for accepting credit card payments both in and out of the office. Business owners can use their iPhone to conduct real business. The ProcessAway software uses the Authorize.net gateway, which was one of the first Internet payment gateways and today has one of the largest customer bases. The ProcessAway software will be sold through the iTunes AppStore for $19.99. A fully functional free version, called ProcessLite, is identical to ProcessAway except the charge amount is limited to US$5. ProcessAway] -- Posted Thursday, January 29, 2009 by chb

Apple receives comprehensive touch screen patent
On January 20, 2009, Apple was awarded a large, complex patent that covers much of the iPhone's touch screen and graphical user interface operation. See patent] -- Posted Thursday, January 29, 2009 by chb

Apple's Jobs takes medical leave of absence
In a letter to Apple employees, Steve Jobs wrote: "I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community... Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.... In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June." Get well, Steve. We still need you. It's not over yet. -- Posted Thursday, January 15, 2009 by chb

iPhone US web usage grows dramaticlly
AdMob serves ads for more than 6,000 mobile websites and analyzes data from every ad request. For December 2008 they found that in the US the iPhone has passed RIM and Windows Mobile combined. [See AdMob PDF report on Mobile Metrics] -- Posted Thursday, January 8, 2009 by chb

Teardown of the iPhone 3G
The Japanese Tech-On! site presented an interesting teardown of the iPhone 3G, including a very detailed description of the main circuit board and its components. -- Posted Wednesday, January 7, 2009 by chb

iambic Unveils First iPhone App
iambic, Inc., a leading provider of innovative productivity-enhancing software, unveiled its first iPhone App, SnappySeeker, a super efficient way for users to launch Internet searches with just one tap. This app, formerly known as GoogHelper, has an easy-to-use interface that can accommodate searches in 15 different categories. iambic, incidentally, was one of the first companies to offer software for the original Apple Newton MessagePad. Way to go guys! -- Posted Thursday, December 18, 2008 by chb

Apple passes RIM in smartphone race
According to Canalysis, Apple shipped 17.3% of all smartphones worldwide in Q3 of 2008, passing RIM's 15.2% and second only to market leader Nokia (38.9%). J.D. Power, in the meantime, reports the iPhone getting by far the highest customer satisfaction among business customers, well ahead of RIM (see ranking). -- Posted Friday, November 7, 2008 by chb

iLounge releases comprehensive free 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide
iLounge.com has released its 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide, a comprehensive shopping guide to Apple's iPods, iPhones, their accessories, and software. It is neatly laid out like a print magazine and has ratings and reviews of a stunning number of products. The 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide is the latest in iLounge's multi-million-downloaded series of digital publications, available immediately as a free download in PDF format. [Go to free 2009 iPhone Buyers Guide download page] -- Posted Friday, October 31, 2008 by chb

AT&T WiFi hotspots free for iPhone users
AT&T now offers free use of AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots to all Apple iPhone users. Doing so, however, is a wee bit cumbersome. When in range of an AT&T WiFi, select "attwifi", then enter your iPhone's phone number. You then get a text message from AT&T with a secure link to the hotspot. The link, however, will only be good for 24 hours. -- Posted Thursday, October 30, 2008 by chb

ComponentOne Announces Studio for iPhone
ComponentOne announced a new product in its line-up, ComponentOne Studio for iPhone. It is the first and only suite of components in the industry that enables you to generate Web applications that mimic the iPhone interface and navigation. ComponentOne Studio for iPhone combines the power of Microsoft ASP.NET to create a cutting-edge version of corporate Web sites that targets the iPhone and iTouch devices. -- Posted Monday, October 27, 2008 by chb

Google Earth arrives on the iPhone
On October 26, 2008, a special version of Google Earth became available for the iPhone. It is downloadable free of charge from the Apple App store. The iPhone version is optimized to take advantage of the iPhone's multi-touch interface and accelerometer. This is a must-have app and tons of fun. -- Posted Monday, October 27, 2008 by chb

Onboard a Boat With Apple's iPhone
The folks at ActiveCaptain.com have a lot of first rate content in their "Going Mobile" library. Of particular interest for boat lovers is Onboard a Boat With Apple's iPhone. It is a detailed analysis and assessment of how the iPhone fits into the boating and onboard lifestyle. -- Posted Thursday, October 16, 2008 by chb

10 million iPhones?
According to a CNET report, Apple may be closing in on ten million iPhones. Also, the NDG Group, a market research firm, stated that 30% of smartphone buyers this summer left their existing carrier to get an iPhone 3G. -- Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 by chb

Those lucky dogs in Hong Kong!
While the rest of the world grumbles over being locked into certain carriers and in the US the activation procedure has become quite inconvenient, customers in Hong Kong appear to have no such problems. "Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 for complete activation," it says on the Apple Store page (see below). Prices? That'd be about US$699 and US$799 for the 8 and 16GB versions, respectively. That's no more than a Newton was back in 1993, and those were 1993 dollars.

-- Posted Friday, September 26, 2008 by chb

Zollinger's Atlas of Surgical Operations on iPhone and iPod touch
McGraw-Hill Professional has partnered with Modality to bring Zollinger's Atlas of Surgical Operations to the iPhone and iPod touch. The classic general surgery atlas, Zollinger's offers step-by- step details for abdominal, gastrointestinal, vascular, and hepatopancreaticobiliary operations. The first two Zollinger's applications, covering upper gastrointestinal and colorectal procedures, are available for $34.99 through the Apple App Store. -- Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 by chb

iPhone 2.1 upgrade
Apple released a comprehensive software upgrade to fix and enhance various parts of the iPhone. Unlike the earlier 2.02 update, this one installed for us without a hitch. However, some earlier purchased apps still fail to appear on the iPhone. -- Posted Sunday, September 14, 2008 by chb

iPhone for video surveillance
videoNEXT, which is physical security information management (PSIM) solutions, announced the availability of its wireless video surveillance solution, SKM-Mobile, utilizing the iPhone. Offering its video surveillance application, Security Knowledge Manager, on the iPhone device provides organizations with video monitoring and increased responsiveness no matter where they are located. -- Posted Friday, September 12, 2008 by chb

iPhone Life Magazine premieres on newsstands!
Now on newsstands and in bookstores is the premiere issue of iPhone Life, a glossy, perfect-bound 100-page magazine chock-full of the best iPhone coverage anywhere. iPhone Life comes courtesy of Thaddeus, one of the original, and most dedicated, publishers in the mobile enthusiast space. What's Apple's gain is Microsoft's loss as Thaddeus was forced to suspend publication of its excellent Smartphone Magazine due to lack of Microsoft, TelCo and OEM support and interest. Check out the iPhone Life Table of Contents and show your support by subscribing to iPhone Life. -- Posted Thursday, September 11, 2008 by chb

Apple introduces second gen iPod Touch
Apple introduced the second generation iPod touch featuring a thin contoured metal design, a 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, 802.11 b/g WiFi, integrated volume control buttons, a built-in speaker for casual listening, a built-in accelerometer and other advanced sensors, and Apple's Multi-Touch user interface. The new iPod touch is available immediately for a suggested price of US$229 for the 8GB model, US$299 for the 16GB and US$399 for the 32 GB model. -- Posted Tuesday, September 9, 2008 by chb

iMarkMySpot tags pics with exact GPS info
iCloseBy.com has announced the release of iMarkMySpot, an iPhone app that is used to "one-touch" Geotag and Geocode digital photos with exact GPS locations. iMarkMySpot uses the built in GPS functionality of the Apple iPhone to store exact waypoint locations with one-touch simplicity. Stored waypoint locations can then be emailed to any address as a standard GPX-formatted file, compatible with many photography and mapping software packages. Cost? Just US$0.99 from the app store. -- Posted Monday, September 8, 2008 by chb

Bets Buy now selling iPhone
Electronics retailer Best Buy is beginning sales of the iPhone today, becoming the first U.S. chain to do so outside of Apple and AT&T's own stores. The Minneapolis-based chain will offer the popular cell phone that has a cult-like following in 970 full-size stores as well as 16 smaller Best Buy Mobile stores. -- Posted Monday, September 8, 2008 by chb

Scanbuy launches 2D barcode app for Apple iPhone
Scanbuy, a leader in mobile marketing solutions, announced that its ScanLife 2D barcode application is now available for free on the iPhone App Store. Scanbuy's technology uses the phone's camera to give users an instant connection to information, without needing to search by keyword or type in a lengthy URL. Individuals can also create and scan Personal EZcodes to link to their blogs or networking sites by registering an account at www.scanlife.com. -- Posted Wednesday, August 13, 2008 by chb

iPhone software 2.01: damage assessment
The iPhone 2.01 update caused our iPhone to go into an indefinite backup/restore loop. All data was lost from the iPhone. iTunes removed all purchased applications both from the phone and from its database, so we lost what we paid for. iPhone is now downloading music and photos from scratch. Not good. -- Posted Tuesday, August 5, 2008 by chb

iPhone 2.01 hell
As we're posting this, our original iPhone is in limbo after the installation of the 2.01 software upgrade. It seems to be in an infinite loop, restoring itself without ever loading photos or some other data, and iTunes then acting as if it did not know the phone and offering to endlessly restore from a backup... Boo, Apple! -- Posted Tuesday, August 5, 2008 by chb

Over 500 Native Applications for iPhone Available at Launch
Apple announced that more than 500 native applications will be available on the iPhone's App Store when Apple's iPhone 3G goes on sale tomorrow (July 11). These apps will be available on Apple's new App Store, enabling customers to wirelessly download them directly onto their iPhones and start using them immediately. More than 125 applications are being offered to iPhone customers for free. According to Apple, many of these applications take advantage of iPhone's Multi-Touch interface, 3D graphics, built-in accelerometer and location-based technology. -- Posted Thursday, July 10, 2008 by chb

iPhone 3G: initial reviews
According to news.com, the first few reviews on the iPhone 3G are in. Here are the findings: 1) Battery life no better or less, perhaps due to higher power demand of 3G; 2) GPS reception and performance unexpectedly good; 3) dramatically improved audio quality; 4) $360 extra service costs for basic service over the 2-year contract negates hardware savings; 5) data speeds 3-5 times faster. For initial reviews click: Walt Mossberg, David Pogue. -- Posted Wednesday, July 9, 2008 by chb

3G iPhone: In-store activation only
Thinking of getting an iPhone 3G when it goes on sale Friday, July 11? Better prepare for a long wait and some hassle as this time you must have it activated in the store. Apple and AT&T probably decided to do it this way to cut down on unlocking and reselling iPhones. For us regular folks, it's just more hassle and further proof that the phone companies now own the market and even companies like Apple have sold out to them. -- Posted Monday, July 7, 2008 by chb

AT&T jacks up rates for new iPhone 3G
The good news is that the new Apple iPhone, which will become available on July 11, goes for US$199 (8MB version) and US$299 (16GB version). The bad news is that AT&T is jacking up the rates. Whereas basic service (450 minutes + unlimited data) used to be US$59.99 including 200 SMS messages, the new basic rate is US$69.99, without any SMS messages included. 200 SMS messages are US$5, so AT&T jacked up the rates by 25% for a comparable individual service plan. -- Posted Tuesday, July 1, 2008 by chb

New iPhone -- 3G and more at half the price
Apple finally unveiled the new 3G iPhone under the headline "Twice as fast. Half the price." The new iPhone looks pretty much like the original, though it's a bit thinner (0.46 inches) and lighter (4.7 ounces). Two versions will be available starting July 11: the US$199 8GB model has a black back, whereas the US$299 16GB model has a black or white back. Both have A-GPS, 3G wireless technology and the ability to run installable applications. In addition to the accelerometer there are ambient light and proximity sensors. Battery life has been boosted, too. -- Posted Monday, June 9, 2008 by chb

MuseStorm adds iPhone support
MuseStorm announced it has extended the MuseStorm Engagement Platform to offer support for the iPhone. Companies that have been waiting for a fast, cost-effective and measurable way to create web applications for delivery through a web browser to iPhones can now do so, thanks to the extended capabilities of the MuseStorm Engagement Platform. -- Posted Tuesday, June 3, 2008 by chb

Orb releases iPhone application to play recorded and live media
Orb Networks announced that owners of iPhones and iPod touch devices can now play all their media -- music, recorded and live TV, downloaded and home movies, and more -- directly from their computers. Orb's new OrbLive iPhone application enables users to enjoy content in any video format -- downloaded BitTorrent files, TiVo-to-Go files, DivX, Mov, MP4, even live video and TV streams. However, it only works on a jailbroken iPhone, and so we pass. -- Posted Wednesday, May 28, 2008 by chb

iPhone "Currently Unavailable"
Apple'ss website lists both the 8 and16GB versions of the original iPhone as "Currenty Unavailable." Since it seems unlikely that Apple cannot meet demand, we assume something new is in the works. Speculation has been that a next-gen 3G iPhone may be introduced at Apple's June 9 Worldwde Developers Conference on June 9th, or perhaps the iPhone's June 29th anniversary. We can't imagine Apple not selling any iPhones for that long, so something new may be announced real soon. -- Posted Monday, May 12, 2008 by chb

Orb enables live TV on (jailbroken) iPhone
For several years now, you could use the free Orb service and Orb software to watch live TV and any media located on your PC on just about any device. Except the iPhone. Now Orb has created a special media format and application for iPhone. With it, you can watch actual live TV from your iPhone (assuming that you have an Orb-enabled PC with video card and live cable or satellite feed). For now this requires a jailbroken iPhones (which ours are not), and you can watch how it's installed and how it works on a YouTube How-To vdeo -- Posted Friday, May 9, 2008 by chb

Review: Otterbox Defender case for the iPhone
If you have an iphone and don't want it scratch, but also don't want to have to open a case every time you use it, try the US$49.95 Otterbox Defender case for the iPhone. It offer's full protection, including the screen, and you never have to take it out of its case or open the case. [See full review and demonstration video of the Otterbox iPhone Defender] -- Posted Thursday, May 8, 2008 by chb

iPhone reinvigorated touch panel market, report says
A new report available from DisplaySearch says the touch panel market is on track to grow to $3.3 billion and 660 million units by 2015, thanks in part due to a market reinvigorated by last year's launch of the iPhone. "The iPhone demonstrated how multi-touch technology is enabling a new generation of user interfaces,” explains Chris Crotty, Director of Small and Medium Displays Research at DisplaySearch. Crotty adds, "High volume mobile phone shipments will drive down the cost of touch technology and thereby enable it to spread more rapidly into other devices such as portable media players, digital cameras and others.” -- Posted Thursday, May 8, 2008 by chb

HTC Touch Diamond -- a real competitor?
HTC is first to bring a 3/3.5G touch device to market. The Touch Diamond is smaller and lighter than the iPhone, has higher resolution (480 x 640), an elegant 3-D user interface sitting on top of Windows Mobile 6.1, a 3.2 megapixel camera, GPS, and 4GB of storage for music, pictures and video. Our sister siteHHCMag.com examined HTC's latest and compared its specs side-by-side with the iPhone. [Read description of the HTC Touch Diamond] -- Posted Thursday, May 8, 2008 by chb

Analysts predicts 14 million iPhones in 2009
BC Capital Markets analyst Mark Abramsky, who has an outperform rating on Apple, said in a note that the company is likely to beat its 10-million goal for iphone units in 2008, thanks to new distribution agreements with Voda phone, Europe's largest carrier, and Telecom Italia Mobile. He recently upped his iPhone outlook to 14 million in 2008 and 24 million in 2009. That's 1.7% of the global market. -- Posted Tuesday, May 6, 2008 by chb

AT&T Introduces New iPhone Text Accessibility Plan for Customers With Disabilities
The iPhone is now even more accessible for Americans who are deaf or have a hearing or speech disability. AT&T announced a new Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) for iPhone, designed to give iPhone customers with disabilities the choice of unlimited text messaging, Web browsing and easy access to e-mail for $40 a month. This new plan is available to new and current iPhone users with qualifying disabilities through AT&T's National Center for Customers with Disabilities. To qualify for the iPhone TAP, customers must complete an application for eligibility. The form is available for download here. -- Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008 by chb

An opinion on Apple's Blackberry Offensive
At Infoworld.com, Tom Yager posts a detailed and interesting entry entitled "Apple's BlackBerry Offensive." In it, Yager analyzes Steve Jobs' many claims of iPhone superiority. -- Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2008 by chb

Adobe CEO: Flash will be on the iPhone
According to Posted in a News Blog by Martin LaMonica, during a conference call to announce Adobe's first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said Adobe "will work with Apple" to make sure that Flash applications can run on the iPhone. According to a transcript by Seeking Alpha, Narayen stated that "frankly, anybody who wants to browse the Web and experience the Web's glory really needs Flash support." Most likely, Flash on the iPhone will be a version of Flash Lite. -- Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2008 by chb

iPhone is tops for mobile web access
According to M:Metrics, six months after the iPhone's U.S. launch it has changed the mobile landscape. The iPhone is already the most popular device for accessing news and information on the mobile Web, with 85% of iPhone users accessing news and information in January 2008. They also found that 30.9% of iPhone owners watched mobile TV or video, versus a 4.6 market average, and more than double the rate for all smartphone users. About half of all iPhone users access social networking sites versus a fifth for other smartphone users. Let's face it: the iPhone is simply much better at all that than the rest, -- Posted Tuesday, March 18, 2008 by chb

Apple announces iPhone 2.0, releases application developer toolkit
Apple has announced the release of a software development kit (SDK) for iPhone, allowing anyone with $99 and a head for programming to create an application for the platform. Apple will be the sole distributor of these applications through iTunes and a new iPhone feature called App Store. Developers set their own price and receive 30% of revenue, the rest stays with Apple to cover the costs of hosting and distribution. Developers can choose to give their applications away for free, in which case Apple hosts and distributes them at no charge to the developer. In June Apple will release the iPhone 2.0 software update for all iPhones users free of -- Posted Thursday, March 6, 2008 by chb

Apple releases US$499 16GB iPhone
It had to happen. More memory on the iPhone. Apple released a 16GB iPhone for US$499 while the 8GB iPhone remains at US$399. That's good news for those are used to filling up 80GB iPods and found the iPhone's 8GB sorely lacking. Me, I have maybe 200 songs and 3,000 pictures on my 8GB iPhone, and almost 5GB left over. I might change my tune if I get into watching movies on my iPhone. As is, I'd like to have seen a price break on the 8GB iPhone and less AT&T bureaucratic boneheadedness when it comes to upgrading an iPhone plan (need two area codes on a family plane? No can do.). -- Posted Tuesday, February 5, 2008 by chb

iPhone Open Application Development Rough Cuts Version
There are programmers and there are geniuses. Jonathan Zdziarski is one of the latter (we know; we use his software) and he has written iPhone Open Application Development. The book will be released by O'Reilly in March, but it's already available via "Rough Cuts." When you buy a book on the Rough Cuts service, you get access to an evolving manuscript. You can read it online, download as a PDF, or print. Once you've purchased a Rough Cuts title, you have a chance to shape the final product - you can send suggestions, bug fixes, and comments directly to the author and editors. [See iPhone Open Application Development: Rough Cuts Version] -- Posted Thursday, January 31, 2008 by chb

iPhone sales in Germany and France
According to Reuters, German telco Deutsche Telekom, which runs T-Mobile, has signed up 70,000 iPhone customers in the 11 weeks since November 9, 2007, making it by far the best-selling multimedia device in T-Mobile's lineup. A couple of weeks ago, France Telecom announced it had sold over 70,000 iPhones since 11/28/2007. -- Posted Monday, January 28, 2008 by chb

What's wrong with the iPhone
As far as I we're concerned very little, and that will likely be addressed soon enough, but David MacNeill, Editor-in-Chief of PersonalMediaReview.com and a diehard Apple fan, has some gripes, and a big one in particular. And no, it's not whining over EDGE. Read his column What's wrong with the iPhone? -- Posted Friday, January 25, 2008 by chb

NewerTech Bass Response Earbuds: WOW!!
The earbuds that come with the iPhone really don't do its sound quality justice, but somehow it never occurred to me to get 3rd party earbuds. I should have. I tried NewerTech's Bass Response Earbuds and the difference is tremendous! They are far more comfortable than the iPhone buds, and NewerTech says their Insert-Passive Noise Reduction engineering reduces noise by an average if 42dB while boosting the audio soundtrack up to 10dB. However they do it, they're sensational. And for US$19.99, they are a total steal. Check them out! -- Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2008 by chb

iPhone outsells HTC Touch family 2:1
According to IDG News Service, HTC of Taiwan has sold two million Windows Mobile-based smartphones from its "Touch" series that includes the Touch, the Touch Cruise, and the Touch Dual and was introduced a few weeks before the iPhone. According to Steve Jobs, Apple sold four million iPhones since its June 2007 launch. -- Posted Tuesday, January 22, 2008 by chb

On2 Technologies to support iPhone with its Flix engine
Video compression specialist On2 Technologies announced today it has released an update to its Flix Engine for creating Apple iPhone compatible video. Flix Engine is a server side encoding platform used by amany Web 2.0 websites and enterprises for creating video in multiple formats, including video for Adobe Flash Player 8 and 9, H.264 and 3GPP. Flix Engine now also supports Apple QuickTime files for iPhone and iPod. -- Posted Thursday, January 17, 2008 by chb

Apple announces iPhone software rev 1.1.3
Apple announced a free software update (rev. 1.1.3) for its revolutionary iPhone that allows users to automatically find their location using the redesigned Maps application; text message multiple people in one message; create Web Clips for their favorite websites; customize their home screen; and watch movies rented from the new iTunes Movie Rentals right on their iPhone. [Read iPhone Rev. 1.1.3 press release] -- Posted Tuesday, January 15, 2008 by chb

Free app from Wesabe lets iPhone track and manage finances
iPhone users can check their financial balances and track spending on the go with a free application from personal finance site Wesabe. The company announced the launch of i.wesabe.com, a free, optimized version of Wesabe Mobile for iPhone users. Unveiled last month, Wesabe Mobile lets members use their cell phone to monitor all of their account balances and transactions for thousands of banks and credit cards worldwide. Wesabe Mobile also provides members with an easy way to record and track where they are spending cash. -- Posted Monday, January 7, 2008 by chb

FlyTunes announces new digital music service for the iPhone
At CES, FlyTunes Inc. demonstrated its new digital music service for the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and other portable media players and cell phones. The FlyTunes service offers users a personalized radio-like experience, with thousands of channels of digital music that can be enjoyed anywhere they go, regardless of wireless connection. FlyTunes 1.0 for iPhone/Touch will be released on January 21, 2008. [View the FlyTunes website] -- Posted Monday, January 7, 2008 by chb

The iPhone on the road
If you're like me, you shlep with you an assortment of electronic stuff whenever you leave the house, and a good deal more when you go on a trip. I mean, one does need a decent laptop, a digital camera or two, an iPod, one or more phones, and then all the power bricks and cables that go with it. So things can get a bit crowded and tangled in your bag, and then you need to keep track of what goes with what, which weapon to choose for what, and making sure the whole gaggle remains charged and ready to go. Well, on a trip over the recent t holidays I found that often I really don't need more than just the iPhone. [Read iPhone on the Road] -- Posted Sunday, January 6, 2008 by chb

Newertech announces iPhone accessory line
Newer Technology, Inc. announced its new NewerTech iPhone Accessory Line consisting of six products that add iPhone functionality and user convenience. The NewerTech iPhone Accessory Line includes the iPhone Speaker Dock & Hands-Free Mic - speaker phone (US$34.99); Hands-Free Mic & Earbud for hands-free communication while driving (US$19.99); an iPhone Mic Extender Cable for hands-free use (US$14.99); Bass Response Earbuds with noise reduction and sound quality enhancer (US$19.99); an iPhone Headphone Jack Adapter that links to headphone connectors (US$7.99), and an iPhone and iPod Auto Charger so you can charge an iPhone or iPod while driving (US$12.99). Check out the NewerTech iPhone Accessory line at the Newer Tech website.

-- Posted Friday, January 4, 2008 by chb

Tekkeon reveals lineup of iPhone cases
Tekkeon revealed a lineup of hard and soft iPhone cases. The $29.95 Hard Case is made of firm leather that makes for a slender package and has a hard plastic face with "soft touch" for protection. It is available in mint, pink, blue, black, and brown. The Leather Flip, Leather Wallet, and Leather Sleeve are soft leather cases available in different color combinations of leather and stitching. The book-style US$32.95 Leather Wallet has a business and credit card pocket, the US$29.95 Leather Sleeve emphasizes small size and includes a screen protector. -- Posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 by chb

Avaya one-X for iPhone
Avaya will bring its Avaya one-X unified communications system to the iPhone. one-X provides an intuitive graphical user interface for access to office phone functionality. Calls to a desktop phone automatically go to the iPhone, there is no need for multiple phone numbers, there's access to all business telephony features, and corporate IT managers welcome the seamless integration of mobile devices into their business operations. [View Avaya one-X explanation] -- Posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 by chb

Statistics and figures and pie charts, oh my!
The usual gaggle of bloggers and tech sites are all atwitter over web browsing figures released by Net Application, a Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based research company. The browser and OS stats showed the usual: Windows having a near monopoly, with the Mac gaining and Linux numbers suspiciously low. But this set of statistics also included smartphones and even game consoles. So the iPhone grabbed 0.09% and Windows CE 0.06%. Now without knowing the capture methods and definitions, those figures are 100% meaningless. Yet, the bloggers and techie mags jumped all over it, proclaimed the iPhone had 50% more market share than WIndows CE, created browser pie charts and made sweeping statements. We wonder if any of hose folks have ever taken a serious statistics class in college. All we'd venture to say is that the iPhone browser is better than Pocket Internet Explorer. -- Posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 by chb

Review: three excellent Proporta iPhone cases
One of the few problems with Apple's iPhone is that it looks so darn nice that you really don't want to hide it in a case. It's sleek, it's sexy, it feels good, and you just want to show it off every chance you get. But protection is good, and so we reviewed three of Proporta's iPhone cases, two leather and one polycarbonate plastic and aluminum. As expected, we found them to be very well made and reasonably priced. The "Alu-Crystal" case shown to the right is especially impressive and costs just US$28.95. [Read reviews of Proporta iPhone cases] -- Posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 by chb

Try out the iPhone simulator
If you want to try the iPhone, but don't have a friend who has one or want to go to an Apple or AT&T store, go to tryphone.com. Thy have full and total simulations of several popular phones, including the iPhone. [Click to go to Tryphone and use the iPhone simulator. -- Posted Tuesday, December 18, 2007 by chb

Astaro offers iPhone VPN solution
Astaro announced that iPhone users can now use two varieties of road warrior virtual private network (VPN) inherent in all Astaro Security Gateway appliances to safely and securely connect their iPhone to their home and business networks. iPhone users can access email and internal sites protected behind any Astaro Security Gateway security appliance. Whether travelling offsite or working from the road, users will no longer have to open their laptop in order to access company or home network resources. Astaro’s VPN capabilities have allowed iPhone users to work as if they are inside their network, even when they are not. [See press release on theAstaro iPhone VPN solution] -- Posted Wednesday, December 12, 2007 by chb

iLegal: No more unlocked iPhones in Germany
Well, no more unlocked iPhones for Germans, not that many probably paid the king's ransom T-Mobile asked for them (almost US$1,500) in the first place. Not long after Vodafone scored an injunction against T-Mobile Germany to force the sale of unlocked phones, another court overturned the decision and now T-Mobile is back to selling only locked iPhones. It's so sad that telcos and lawyers now control our beloved electronics and gadgets. -- Posted Wednesday, December 5, 2007 by chb

mStation announces iPhone battery extender
The iPhone's battery life is quite good, but more is always better. So mStation came out with theUS$99.95 mophie juice pack. It houses a rechargeable lithium polymer battery within an ergonomic, comfort-grip case with a soft-touch, non-slip finish. The added “juice� gives consumers up to an additional 250 hours of standby time, 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback, and 24 hours of audio playback. The juice pack also integrates a 4 LED ‘charge status’ indicator and its own 30-pin dock connector, making it simple to recharge the juice pack using standard iPhone accessories, like the cable included with your iPhone. -- Posted Monday, December 3, 2007 by chb

3G iPhone in 2008?
According to CBG, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson in a Silicon Valley event said there will be a 3G version of the iPhone sometime in 2008, again with AT&T as the exclusive carrier. This is interesting as Apple never pre-announces. -- Posted Friday, November 30, 2007 by chb

iPhone in UK, France and Germany
Seems consumer enthusiasm over the iPhone in other launch countries is related to how they feel about wireless carriers and the required service plans and thus prices. Potential British customers must sign up for an 18-month contract with O2, and the iPhone costs a hefty US$550. As a result, it's selling poorly there. In France, France's Telecom's Orange carrier hopes to sell almost 100,000 iPhones by the end of the year. The iPhone will go on sale there on November 28, and Orange will sell unlocked iPhones for 649 Euros, and locked ones for 399 Euroes with a one-year contract. In Germany, T-Mobile has an iPhone exclusive, but per court order must offer unlocked iPhones. T-Mobile agreed, but at a sky-high price of 999 Euros. It'd be so much easier without the carriers! -- Posted Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by chb

Zinio brings magazines to iPhone and iPod Touch
Zinio, a digital publishing and distribution platform for magazines and books, has introduced a Zinio Mobile Newsstand for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Mobile Newsstand offers mobile users a new way to read a number of print-quality magazines, while affording publishers a new way to reach mobile audiences. Zinio will initially offer free digital editions of major monthly magazines targeted to iPhone users. The Zinio Labs version will include publications representing a wide range of interest area. While not quite as convenient as using Zinio mags on a big screen, on the iPhone you leaf through thumbnails and then can zoom in to the full page. [Check out iPhone Zinio] -- Posted Monday, November 19, 2007 by chb

Avaya one-X Mobile to support Apple iPhone
Avaya Inc. announced that Avaya one-X Mobile will support Apple iPhone. From the iPhone, users will have iPhone optimized access to the Avaya one-X Mobile interface, providing the same ability to make the iPhone their personal remote control for enterprise communications. That includes searching the corporate directory, personal phonebook, and access call logs and remotely initiating the call or callback through the corporate extension while keeping their personal mobile number private. [Check Avaya one-X Mobile] -- Posted Monday, November 19, 2007 by chb

Avaya one-X Mobile to support Apple iPhone
Avaya Inc. announced that Avaya one-X Mobile will support Apple iPhone. From the iPhone, users will have iPhone optimized access to the Avaya one-X Mobile interface, providing the same ability to make the iPhone their personal remote control for enterprise communications. That includes searching the corporate directory, personal phonebook, and access call logs and remotely initiating the call or callback through the corporate extension while keeping their personal mobile number private. [Check Avaya one-X Mobile] -- Posted Tuesday, November 13, 2007 by chb

Open Source native app for contact synchronization
Funambol, a provider of mobile 2.0 messaging software powered by open source, released an open source native app for iPhone contact synchronization. The Funambol plug-in for iPhone synchronizes the iPhone's address book with contacts from popular sources such as Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, GNOME Evolution and SyncML servers such as the Funambol server. Until now, contact synchronization on the iPhone was possible only using a cable connected to a computer running iTunes. [Learn more, view screenshots and download the software.] -- Posted Tuesday, November 13, 2007 by chb

An attractive, though OtterBox case for the iPhone
Our friends at OtterBox, the folks who have a tough protective case for everything, now have one for he iPhone. That's what they had to say: "Apple's revolutionary iPhone is amazingly cool, so we decided to make a case for it. These cases are so hot, that we immediately sold out of them. Not to worry: You can either sign up to receive email notification when we get more cases in, OR you can pre-order your case so it ships right when we receive them (credit cards will not be charged until your item ships). Don't delay, pre-order yours today." Check out the OtterBox for iPhone. -- Posted Saturday, November 10, 2007 by chb

MIR3 empowers iPhone/iTouch as mobile emergency command device
MIR3, providing Intelligent Notification solutions for global enterprises, announced the availability of the first enterprise notification and command interface for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch mobile communications platform. These full-featured Web-based management applications from MIR3 run under Apple's mobile Safari browser to enable corporate executives and IT administrators to initiate emergency notifications and remotely manage enterprise notification systems and response teams using Apple iPhone or iTouch mobile devices. -- Posted Saturday, November 10, 2007 by chb

Tiny Pictures launches web client for iPhone
Tiny Pictures announced custom Apple iPhone support for its Radar photo and video sharing service. Their iPhone client complements the range of other Radar platforms and offers the full range of picture sharing and conversation features available on all Radar platforms. The interface is clean, highly interactive, and specially tuned for the iPhone's touch interface. Radar for iPhone also supports streaming of video clips shared on Radar. -- Posted Saturday, November 10, 2007 by chb

Apple releases iPhone software update 1.1.2
Apple released software update 1.1.2 for the iPhone. Depending on who you believe, the update contains bug fixes and valuable improvements or is another evil attempt by Apple to thwart unlocking attempts and other unauthorized uses of the iPhone. -- Posted Friday, November 9, 2007 by chb

iPhone users now can find homes on REALTOR.com widget
Staying on top of the real estate market is easy and fun with the iPhone. iPhone users now have the power of REALTOR.com at their finger tips. Whether searching for homes nearby or looking for listings in a particular neighborhood, iPhone users now have instant access to all details, including photos and contact information for the listing agent, with REALTOR.com for the iPhone. The release states that industry experts predict consumers will purchase approximately 3.4 million iPhones this year, with an estimated 45 million units sold by the year 2009, making the iPhone potentially one of the most popular hand held devices used to search online for real estate. [Check out iphone.realtor.com.] -- Posted Thursday, November 8, 2007 by chb

DrPepper's freebie game for iPhone users
iPhone games and applications are actually specially formatted applets for the Apple Safari browser on the iPhone. Hundreds are already out there. This morning Dr Pepper introduced what they call the first branded game for the iPhone, Dr Pepper matchcaps. It's a highly addictive freebie that works like the legendary Bejeweled. It also runs on other browsers. [Play Dr Pepper matchcaps]
-- Posted Monday, November 5, 2007 by chb

How do we like the iPhone after three months?
We've been using the Apple iPhone for a few months now here at Pen Computing. Has it lived up to the considerable hype? Do we still think it changed the world? How useful is it in real life? Is it more than just a pretty conversation piece? Does it get scratched? Does the screen get grimy and smudged easily? How's the oft-maligned AT&T cellular and data service? How is battery life? Is the Safari browser really THAT good? Read our assessment in The Apple iPhone -- 3 Months Later. For our full initial review of the iPhone, see The Apple iPhone -- Apple changes the world, again. -- Posted Monday, October 22, 2007 by chb

The Fast Pages - our favorite iPhone portal
We're big iPhone fans, so we were glad to find The Fast Pages, a free mobile web directory with fast access to thousands of mobile-friendly websites and touch-to-dial phone numbers. TFP is particularly helpful for new iPhone users who find the keyboard a bit challenging. With just a flick of a finger, iPhone and iPod Touch owners can access thousands of newspapers and magazines, animated weather, flight delays, traffic reports, emergencies, WiFi locations, all airlines, restaurants, local movies, embassies, maps, directions, travel, ATM locations, health, stock market, weather alert, Netflix, sports, best gas prices, package tracking, tickets to everything, best search engines, local search, translations, flight tracking and so much more. Try it at www.thefastpages.com" on a PC and mytfp.net on the iPhone (or other smartphones! (Or click on the iPhone image to the left to see a full demo!) -- Posted Tuesday, October 9, 2007 by chb

iPhone outsells all other smartphones in the US
ISuppli reiterated its forecast that Apple would sell 4.5 million iPhones this year, rising to more than 30 million in 2011. The iPhone sold more than RIM's Blackberry series, the entire Palm portfolio and any individual smartphone model from Motorol or Samsung. In July 2007, its first full month on sale, the iPhone accounted for 1.8 percent of all U.S. mobile handset sales. -- Posted Wednesday, September 5, 2007 by chb

Apple revamps iPods, adds iPod touch, cuts iPhone price

Apple revamped its entire iPod lineup, added a new one, and lowered the price of the iPhone. The little iPod Shuffle comes in new colors, the iPod Nano now has video on a larger and brighter display (4GB $149, 8GB $199), the video iPod becomes the iPod Classic (80GB $249, 160GB $349), and there is a sleek new iPod that looks like the iPhone. The new iPod Touch has a 3.5-inch display, comes with 8 ($299) or 16GB ($399) of memory, has WiFi and does pretty much everything the iPhone does, except making calls. Yes, it even has Safari. The 4GB iPhone is dropped, the price of 8GB iPhone drops from US$599 to US$399. That's good, but rather vexing for those who paid the original price just a couple of months ago. -- Posted Wednesday, September 5, 2007 by chb

iPhone. Apple changes the world. Again
14 years ago I bought a Newton. It changed my life. It spawned a magazine, Pen Computing. It became a career in publishing. It spawned Digital Camera Magazine also, and then my work with other magazines, such as Handheld Computing. When the iPhone came out, I ordered one from Apple. And have now lived with it for a while. I think it just may change my life. Again. Here's my iPhone story, and what I think of it. --Conrad H. Blickenstorfer

-- Posted Tuesday, July 31, 2007 by chb

An iPhone Story: The Announcement. The Wait. The Day. The Phone
The iPhone has been around for a month and got off to a rousing start. Read the story of how one of our contributors fell in love with the iPhone the day Steve Jobs announced it at his keynote address at MacWorld 2007, then waited and waited and waited, stood in line, and then screamed out "Zero!" when the rope at the Apple store line was lifted. Ann Marie describes the iPhone, what it can do and what it can't, and what she'd like to see in software upgrades and next gen versions. [read iPhone: The Announcement. The Wait. The Day. The Phone] -- Posted Monday, July 30, 2007 by chb

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