iPhone Review

FRING - Talking on you iPhone, free of charge!

2008-04-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

Here’s a great new application I found today. This application developed by Fring which allows you to make free calls anywhere in the world through Skype. It also allows you to connect to different messenger services such as MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, Google Talk, AIM and SIP for use over your VOIP network. The coolest thing that I found about the app is you can make free phone calls from the iPhone to any land line or cell phones by other makers (ie. Nokia, Motorola etc.) The application is very easy to download and install after watching this video. I highly recommend it to every iPhone user as it’s fun, simple and saves you a lot of money!
Gsm Talk
GSM Talk stands for Global System for Mobile Communications Forum.

How to talk on your iphone for free

iTunes All-You-Can-Download Service Coming?

2008-04-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

Apple may open up iTunes to buffet-style listening if reports of negotiations with record labels are true.
Apple’s pay-per-song approach to peddling music online through the iTunes store may soon be joined by a new all-you-can-download option based on the purchase of a player, or a subscription fee. According to the Financial Times, Apple is currently in talks with major music labels over the proposed service.

The plan could offer unlimited downloads for a monthly subscription fee, as services like Rhapsody do, or build the cost of downloads into the cost of Apple’s portable devices, as Nokia has done with its “Comes with Music” devices. Nokia’s approach gives portable owners unlimited downloads for one year, and the ability to keep their libraries without paying when the service runs out.

According to unnamed executives cited in the Financial Times, the remaining dispute between record labels and Apple concerns price. Nokia reportedly pays music industry partners $80 per device to offer “Comes with Music,” but Apple will only lay about $20 on the table.

Although subscription models are also a possibility, no details have emerged on what such a service might cost if offered by Apple. Research cited by executives suggests consumers are generally willing to plunk down $7 or $8 per month for it.
Free Mobile Games
Free Mobile Games - Download latest mobile contents. Games, logos, wallpapers, ringtones and software.

How to Create Ringtones for Your iPhone With iTunes

2008-04-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a short but sweet "how to" video on how to create ring tones for your iphone from your itunes library.
In addition, keep in mind that the ring tone must be 29 seconds, but you can start the 29 seconds on any portion of the song.

enjoy

Find more how to and instructional Mobile videos on 5min.com

Why Is There No Flash On The iPhone ?

2008-03-25T05:25:00.000-07:00

This Tuesday rumors were buzzing and news items published around the globe reported that Adobe has chosen to finally join the game, forgoing a collaboration with Apple and instead deciding to independently develop a Flash player of their own for the iPhone. Well, just as the saying goes, it seems to be all talk and no walk.
During a video conference held two days ago, Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen said that in order to provide users with a complete web-browsing experience, support for Flash must be enabled. “Flash is synonymous with the internet and frankly, anybody who wants to browse the web and experience the web’s glory really needs Flash support”, said Narayen. “We are also committed to bringing the Flash experience to the iPhone and we will work with Apple. We’ve evaluated the SDK, we can now start to develop the Flash player ourselves and we think it benefits our joint customers. So we want to work with Apple to bring that capability to the device."
The only catch is, Adobe still desperately needs endorsement and approval from Apple, not to mention some help.
It turns out that the folks at Adobe haven’t quite digested all of the terms and conditions of Apple’s recently announced SDK package before making these kind of declarations. Contrary to the statements made by Adobe, a Flash player is in no way considered a third party application, such as games or instant chat applications, but rather an add-on which is to be embedded in the iPhone’s Safari browser, and completely dependent on the device’s operating system – just as any other video player.
In the terms and conditions of the SDK, it is clearly stated that the development of add-ons is frowned upon by the design gurus at Apple – developers are allowed to develop only third party apps unless given Apple’s blessing and approval.
Even if Adobe will eventually develop an independent player as a third party application, Apple’s approval would still be required in order to include the new player in Apple’s official application download store, the AppStore. Personally, I don’t see Adobe releasing a player meant for iPhones that have been through the Jailbreak circuit or allowing the installation of unofficial third party applications.
For obvious reasons, Adobe will instead prefer to develop an application which is to be installed via the AppStore, or officially embedded by Apple in the iPhone’s future releases.
Was Narayen’s statement a miserable blooper, or a genius stunt in public relations?
Adobe and Apple are well-known for their collaborations over the years. On the one hand, Apple head honcho Steve Jobs has claimed that Adobe’s Flash player is not suited for the iPhone, being too “heavy”, and that the Flash Lite player, which is tailored specifically for mobile devices, doesn’t meet Apple’s vision for the ultimate viewing experience on the iPhone.
On the other hand, Adobe is left wondering how come the Flash Lite player, which was adopted by big names in the mobile industry, such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and Sony-Ericsson, just isn’t good enough for the likes of Steve Jobs.
One delightful notion is that Adobe and Apple are indeed in cahoots developing a Flash player that will be incorporated in future versions of the iPhone, just as they were when they developed a Flash player for the Mac’s operating systems, and that Narayen was just stirring up some drama.
Whatever the real story is, iPhone users are still waiting for a Flash player.
Until then, here is a partial solution – a Java application which converts Flash videos for the following sites:
blip, clipfish, godtube, metacafe,myspace, myvideo,putfile,rofl, sevenload, video.google, videotube,youtube , youporn
Here is a video explaining how to use this application and access videos on your iPhone:

Watch more DIY videos on 5min.com

iPhone 2.0 Hacked Pre-Release

2008-03-08T05:06:00.000-08:00

Dev Team, the American-based development team specializing in hacking and unlocking various versions of the iPhone, reportedly managed to successfully break hack and activate the iPhone’s latest firmware. The most amazing part regarding this feat is that the firmware in question has yet to be officially released!

At this point in time, the Dev Team’s latest hack enables users to activate the iPhone from any cellular network. However, it is not yet possible to use third party apps which were not approved by Apple for use with the iPhone.

Steve Jobs announced the upcoming release of the 2.0 firmware in a keynote address on March 6^th, stating that this version will be available for download by the end of June, while Apple’s release history leads us to assume that the new firmware will be available to download from June 27^th, the last Friday of the month.

The 2.0 firmware ushers in many new changes and improvements for iPhone users. Apple is clearly making a pass at the corporate market, both in the United States and globally, by structured incorporation of Microsoft’s Active Sync technology. The new firmware will support Push technology for email, as well as contacts and calendar uses. The 2.0 firmware will support both Microsoft Exchange servers and virtual private networks (VPNs), enabling remote control for the iPhone, including a way to delete and lock the iPhone in the case of theft or loss.

As expected, the biggest and most exciting prospect is Apple opening up to third party applications and their development. Following its release, iPhone users will be able to download and install third party applications via the AppStore, available through the device itself as well as via the iTunes program.

As mentioned above, it seems that the firmware was broken prior to its official release, meaning iPhone users who have already unlocked their devices for use with other cellular networks, unapproved by Apple, will be able to enjoy the new release as soon as it’s out, without the usual delay they’ve become accustomed to.

So, is Steve Jobs a liar?!

2008-03-06T02:44:00.000-08:00

Robert Scoble thinks he is: Today I got a note from someone I know who works closely with Adobe and Apple. He saw my “Apple stabs Adobe in the Back” post and wanted to give me some details about what’s going on between Adobe and Apple. He says that he’s seen Flash running on an iPhone in a lab and that it’s been running for quite a while and that it’s not a technical issue that caused Steve Jobs to go public about not putting Adobe’s Flash on the iPhone. He wrote “Geez - my Chumby with half the CPU horsepower can run Flash8/AS2.”

More on this later.

The 10 Best iPhone Applications

2008-02-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

With the recent surge in iPhone applications popping up everywhere, it might seem nearly impossible to decide which ones to try out. I have lined up the top 10 applications your iPhone won't be complete without. The following selection is based on parameters such as usability, price, utilization of system resources, stability and update speed.

1.The first application to really cause serious change in the way we use the iPhone is the Installer, which surpassed other competing applications. This app concentrates all available applications, allowing you to receive updates on the different apps. Its simplicity and the fact that it enables to download and install applications without any need for a computer have definitely earned Installer a place of honor in the iPhone application pantheon. All you need are some good sources for updates:

Bigboss: sleepers.net/iphone.xml

ModMyiFone: modmyifone.com/installer.xml
AppTappOfficial: repository.apptapp.com
Conceited Software: conceitedsoftware.com/iphone
Ste Packaging: psmxy.org/iphone-apps

To help you out, I also located a video explaining how to add more sources to your iPhone:

2.The second must-have application on my list is Customize, which allows you to change themes, change the locations and order of the different icons and much more. An awesome tool for anyone who appreciates personalization! Here you'll find a video explaining how to use this terrific application:

3.The next favorite on my list is the amazing and addictive game iPhysics. If you're not familiar with this yet, go ahead and download! You'll be hooked in no time. The real upside here is that there is an endless amount of levels, and you can always get more from the sources I listed above. Check it out!

4.The next useful application I think deserves a mention is MobileRSS, an application which allows you to update your iPhone with your latest subscription feeds. Here's how to get started:

5. Navizon's Virtual GPS is the best application I've encountered, and would rank as number one if it weren't for the fact that it is available only in a limited range of countries. This application enhances the iPhone to the point of near perfection as a mobile device, lacking only 3G capabilities. Below is a link to a great video shedding more light on using this app:

6. My next application of choice is Converter, the amazingly simple app allowing you to convert currencies, sizes and volumes through online updates. A great and handy tool for any World Citizen or frequent tourist. Check out this video and start converting your heart out:

7. Another fun and useful application is Locations, which displays footage from cameras around the world, including traffic cams, which might save you from those pesky traffic jams. I use this application regularly to save time in the car.

Here's a short video on how to use this application:

8. The next winner in our application list is Apollo, a simple and user-friendly instant chat application, which works with most chat suits. To find out how you can get started chatting on your iPhone, check out this video:

9. The following program, although not freebies, made into this list nonetheless. Photodial and Voicedial both allow you to easily speed dial using pictures or voice commands. The usability is amazing, and the Photodial option to access the dial screen by a double-click on the Home button make this an ultimate favorite. Check out these videos on using Photodial and Voicedial:

10. The last application on my list is Wedict, a dictionary application allowing you to add new dictionaries in a multitude of languages.

Check out this great video on using Wedict here:

iPhone 1.1.4 update released: But where's the SDK? Mm!

2008-02-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

There's a new update in town, and it's heavy like a bitch - 160MB's! I haven't got my hands on it, as it's made for clean iPhone users only-- but 160MB's must mean there's more behind it. "Bug fixes"? I don't buy it, and even if-- your software must be extremely buggy then! 160MB's worth of bugs. Nevertheless, experts suggest there's some SDK mystery behind it. I can't wait for more.

Question of the day: Is iTunes going to replace Wal-Mart as the most-selling online music retailer?

2008-02-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't have any idea. But I sure hope so, and it might be plausible with the advent of movie rentals (presented earlier this year in MacWorld). Some interesting, intelligent and fresh discussion here (iLounge), here (E-Commerce Times), here (Crave), here (Fake Steve Jobs. Hooray!) and there (Ars Technica). Enjoy.

The new MacBooks: Thanks for the Multi-Touch, why so late?!

2008-02-26T03:36:00.000-08:00

The new MacBooks are cool. Faster processors and everything. But the real treasure lies in the Multi-Touch trackpad. Great technology which is going to amazingly imrpove our user experience. I wonder, though, why did Apple decide to add this feature now? I understand their wish to maximize revenue as much as possible, and it's perfectly fine and legit-- but this is getting ridiculous. First the iPhone, then the iPod touch (isn't that same product??) then BIGGER classic iPods, then MacBook Air with MultiTouch support (about a year after that technology was first introduced), and now-- after squeezing the hype's life out-- comes this. A pretty tricky (usually fair) play on the customers.

But... yeah. I'm still gonna get one.

How to unlock any iPhone?

2008-02-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

Come on, kids. Let's get it over with.

Apple thieves: Your PC's suck!

2008-02-25T05:35:00.000-08:00

Gawker.com wrote about kleptomaniac geeks who steal only Apple products. They broke into an apartment in Williamsburg and took an iPod and a PowerBook, but didn't touch the Dell which was sitting there. This is a true story, which means now you can make fun of your PC-loving friends for having stuff that aren't worth stealing! Ha to you, PC guy!

Here it is: The Manila folder sleeve for the Air

2008-02-14T05:04:00.000-08:00

Well, as with all great gimmicks - this one was predictable too. The guy behind the cool electro outfit Yacht invested the time and love to make the Manila MacBook Air sleeve a reality. You can easily pre-order it from here for just $29.95. The makers produce fresh LCD Soundsystem-inspired music, and I suppose the quality of this little envelope doesn't fall. I predict tons of hipster kidddies in New York going bonkers over this. Also, you might wanna check Yacht's very own flickr blocker which lets you say NO to those bastards who take your photo and upload it to flickr later. Anyway, great effort guys!

First iPhone band: Song sucks, the iPhones are pretty

2007-12-20T02:59:00.000-08:00

That's cool and all, but what's that... a Nintendo DS? yuck!

iPhone Oscar Hello Ad: Has Hollywood lost it?

2007-02-26T04:40:00.000-08:00

This is exactly the type of montages Jon Stewart made fun of @ The Oscars, but if it's iPhone related it's definitely cool (even though it's from last year).