Apple has some work to do with iTunes 7.7, iPhone 2.0, and the App Store

Section: iPod + iTunes, iPod touch, iTunes, iPhone + Communications, iPhone, iPhone SDK & AppsApple’s recent launch of a few very popular services and products has brought many complaints and problems to the company. Despite this, the iPhone 3G has sold out practically everywhere, and the App Store is a huge hit, but Apple really needs to get on top of these issues. These products, namely iTunes 7.7, the App Store, and the iPhone 2.0 software, are near perfect, but each have its own flaws. After the break I will outline some of these issues. iTunes 7.7 Although this product’s initial failure could be blamed on the huge toll the servers were taking due to everyone trying to activate, it still needs some work. For one, syncing with the new iPhone 2.0 software isn’t quite there yet. For example, when you delete an app off of iTunes, but not your iPhone, that app will just be put back onto iTunes during the next sync, even though you don’t want it. Also, backing up iPhones with the new software takes an unbelievably long time, and some people have said those backups usually turn out to be corrupt. Let’s hope this gets fixed. App Store This part of the new iPhone was a huge success, with 10 million downloads in its opening weekend.  It has brought amazing third party apps to the device that make it much better than competing phones. That said, the App Store isn’t perfect, either. For example, it still has some difficulty when it comes to determining which applications need updating and how many updates there are. In addition to this, many developers are not at all happy with the review system and how hard it is to debug their apps and talk to their customers. iPhone 2.0 Software This is probably the part that needs the most work. Many iPhone users are experiencing all sorts of lag when typing, opening applications, and doing everyday stuff. Along with that, many applications are crashing upon launch, even Apple made apps. Some may argue that the growing list of lacking features (copy and paste, turn by turn nav, etc.) could even be an iPhone 2.0 software issue. Items such as this are making the iPhone seem like a bad device even though it isn’t. Did I miss anything? Do you agree? Let us know in the comments. Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

iPhone 3G jailbreaking tool goes live

The well-known iPhone Dev Team has released one of the first utilities to jailbreak iPhone 3G and let it run unsanctioned apps, albeit one with more than a few catches. The group's new Pwnage Tool 2.0 now simplifies the process of removing Apple's...

zCover ships iSAglove 3G cases for iPhone (Macworld.com)

Macworld.com - zCover on Friday announced that it is shipping its iSAglove 3G cover for the iPhone. It costs $29.99 and joins zCover's line of iPhone accessories.

TUAW Best of the Week

Welcome to the latest installment of TUAW's best of the week, where we gather up our favorite posts for your easy clicking enjoyment. Mac Mix Promo gives you deals on Mac apps, starts todayThe software bundle biz has a new player! Mac Mix Promo allows you to make your own software bundle and receive a discount based on how many applications you choose, the more you add, the bigger the discount! Mystery Apple boxThis week wasn't just about reviewing iPhone software, we also did some detective work to figure out the origins of a mysterious Apple box. The consensus in the comments is that it's a wine box given to Apple resellers in the 1980s. Thoughts on iPhone Apps ManagementErica takes a look at what you can do to shorten the sync times on your iPhone or iPod touch. Turn your iPhone into a wireless drive with DataCaseThe ultimate phone, iPod, application, and development platform is also a cool way to carry around your files? When Apple squeezes a 200 GB drive in there, I'm totally ditching my notebook! Resurrecting Apple I BASICEver wondered what Apple I BASIC sounded like? Sure you did! ... no? The BASIC cassette for the Apple I has been digitized and made available on MP3. Even better, that audio has been converted to 1s and 0s so you can examine the 6502 assembly language for yourself! iPod touch 1.1.5 software also availableFor users uninterested in the 2.0 firmware (or paying for it, anyway), Apple has released a 1.1.5 update to keep you secure. See, Apple still loves you! Apple prepping iPhone 2.1 softwareBGR reports that Apple is prepping iPhone 2.1 software. Let's hope this includes the laundry list of features that everyone wants ... salt and pepper shaker anyone? Apple sues Psystar for license violations, copyright infringementFirst Apple sues Psystar for license violations and copyright infringemen, now Apple wants Psystar to recall all of its Mac clones from users. Good luck guys, good luck! iTunes: Free TuesdayGet some free tunes. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

First Look: Pwnage for 2.0

Veni. Vidi. Pwni. My iPhone has been updated to 2.0-pwnage, I have installed Open SSH and successfully run programs outside the official Apple boundaries. Without getting into details (I hope to do a live chat tomorrow, along with several other developers), I'd rate the new 2.0 Pwnage software as "for dedicated hackers only". If you're a casual jailbreaker, or looking to simply unlock your iPhone, you probably want to wait for another week for the bugs to be ironed out of the system and the software to become more stable. The iPhone dev team have done a fabulous job as a first approach -- especially under the huge pressure and time constraints they've been subjected to -- but it's still not "ready for Grandma". Be aware that a 3G unlock is not part of the current pwnage tool. You can still unlock first generation iPhones though. Jailbreak supports every platform: 3G, 1st Gen and iPod touches. I'm heading off to bed right now so I've only had a few hours to play. 2.0 from the command line seems both slow and clunky, with a noticeable lag after running even just an "ls" command. In contrast, Applications run more sprightly. (Sprightlier?) They launch quickly and in the case of AppFlow (which was rejected from AppStore) with peppier interface interaction. The Cydia software, a 2.0-ready Installer.app alternative, seems solid. I had no problems downloading OpenSSH and getting it going. Cydia provides several system optimization features that allow you to relocate space-consuming elements from the limited system partition into the more open user partition. Cydia assumes a more command-line friendly audience than Installer.app did and many of its features are best accessed from the shell. All in all, it's nice to finally be back home on the phone.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Italian company plans RPG for the iPhone

So the first generation of games and apps is in the iPhone's App Store, and as predicted, we've got more than our share of accelerometer races and the usual gaming standbys -- Tetris, poker, and even some nice tech demos like Andy Qua's Cube Runner. But now it's time to iterate and see if we can't start filling some of the promises a great would-be gaming platform like the iPhone offers. How about an in-depth RPG that uses the clock or camera, or a full-length platformer, or a social game that takes advantage of things like location awareness?Italian company KikiTechonlogy dropped us a note to say they're doing their part -- they're working on a full-length, console-style RPG for the iPhone called PanfobiA. Unfortunately, we hope the game's translation is better than their blog post -- they're working towards "performing not less than 100 hours in single player," and "Online Gameing Modality," which is supposed to be some type of online gameplay after the singleplayer experience. The pictures provide a little more hope -- they show a nice sense of art direction and some old-school style RPG characters.But even if PanfobiA is nothing but vaporware, they've got the right idea. For years, PDAs and mobile phones have had games, but they've all boiled down to poker, puzzles, and putrid junk. Now that the App Store is up and running, we can't wait for a developer to step up and provide a really deep and satisfying gaming experience on the platform.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments