iPhone - page 480

Developer Cyrus Najmabadi, the man behind the iPhone app Box Office, which disappeared from the AppStore earlier this month, has apparently kissed and made up with Apple.

In a post to an Ars Technica forum last night, Najmabadi (who posts under the user name Metasyntactic) said, “I got an apology [from Apple] for the length of time it took to respond to me. I’m very happy by this turn of events, and I’m glad that apple will be letting me stay in the store.”

The reasons behind Box Office’s disappearance from the AppStore remain a mystery, though some speculate it may have had something to do with trademark conflicts, which may have in turn prompted the name change. The app is still listed in the AppStore under the name Box Office, though a search for “Box Office” will not get you to it. To find the app, you’ll have to search by Najmabadi’s name or by “Now Playing.”

Via Ars Technica

Some iPhone application developers have taken to using Apple’s iTunes gift certificates as an effective, if cumbersome, means of getting copies of their apps in to the hands of reviewers and other key feedback agents. While Apple allows limited ad hoc distribution of apps outside the AppStore, that even more arcane method of getting apps into the ecosytem is better suited for beta testing than it is for getting feedback on a release-stage product.

John Cassanata, director of MacHeist and co-developer of a suite of new apps for the iPhone says, “I’ve heard rumors of being able to do it using coupons in the future,” but has thus far relied on sending out iTunes gift certificates to get the word out about his products. “It’s a pain to do since I have to do them one at a time,” he adds, “[but] it’s still less than the cost of putting out a press release through a national news wire. And it’s more personal so the response rate has been good so far.”

Image via Flickr

Boosted no doubt by the surge of sales in the iPhone 3G over the past 30 days, Apple’s phone is now the most-used cell phone camera used to shoot pictures posted to the popular photo-sharing site, Flickr.

Via Ars Technica

Steve Jobs told the Wall Street Journal users downloaded over 60 million iPhone applications and rung up sales of close to $30 million in the first month the AppStore was open for business.

While many of the iPhone applications available at the AppStore are free, paid apps such as Sega Corp.’s $9.99 Super Monkeball game helped bring in nearly $9 million to the top ten developers selling apps on the store. In all, Apple will distribute over $21 million in revenues from the 70% cut of sales developers make for software sold through the AppStore.

Jobs said the early results point to the success of Apple’s strategy to invest in the AppStore as a means of differentiating the iPhone among competitors in the smartphone handset market. He speculated on a potential $1 billion marketplace, saying, “I’ve never seen anything like this in my career for software.”

“Phone differentiation used to be about radios and antennas and things like that,” Jobs said. “We think, going forward, the phone of the future will be differentiated by software.”

The Apple CEO also confirmed reports of a “kill switch” in the iPhone’s software that would allow the company to remotely disable software users had previously paid for and installed on their phones. He argued that Apple needs it in case it inadvertently allows a malicious program — one that stole users’ personal data, for example — to be distributed to iPhones through the App Store. “Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull,” he said.

Via The Wall Street Journal

Go ahead. Watch the clip. You “deserv” it. Then download the cracked version here.Via TUAW

In the wake of last week’s NetShare takedown, the fizzle this week with Box Office, and the it-might-be-a-crime-if-it-weren’t-so-funny debacle of I Am Rich, third party iPhone developers are starting to clamor for more, well, actually, any transparency from Apple about the process for approving and disapproving listings in the AppStore.

Many really wish the NDA would just go away, or at least apply only to developers whose applications remain unreleased, but that’s not likely to clear Apple legal. We do think it’s not unreasonable, however, to ask the company to be more responsive to requests for information about the approval and rejection process.

A mobile applications development author has discovered functionality in iPhone 2.0 software that would allow Apple to blacklist and remotely disable iPhone applications on users’ phones. While the company already retains control over third-party iPhone apps through its certificate signing program, this more targeted system gives Apple the ability to kill specific applications and effectively places all iPhones under potential surveillance as long as they have an active internet connection.

iPhone 2.0 (as well as the updated iPod touch firmware) uses its CoreLocation framework to point to a secure website that appears to contain at least placeholder code for a list of “unauthorized” apps, according to iPhone Open Application Development author Jonathan Zdziarksi.

“This suggests that the iPhone calls home once in a while to find out what applications it should turn off,” he says. “At the moment, no apps have been blacklisted, but by all appearances, this has been added to disable applications that the user has already downloaded and paid for, if Apple so chooses to shut them down.”

Via AppleInsider

Ladies and gentlemen of the Cult, I bring you bad news: As of 2:18 p.m. Pacific yesterday, I Am Rich is no longer available from the iPhone AppStore. At the behest of VentureBeat and many other bloggers, Apple has yanked a brand new app in the prime of life. Yes, I know. It’s tragic. Never again will you get to spend $1,000 NOW JUST $999.99!!1! for an utterly useless program that just displays a red gem to flaunt your wealth to passersby.

Now, I Am Rich was obviously intended by author Armin Heinrich to be either a joke or a piece of art, and it wasn’t particularly successful as either. It’s sort of one-note, you know? But its removal actually reflects an extremely obnoxious habit that Apple has had as of late: they’ve been pulling apps, including the extremely popular NetShare and Box Office, neither of which appears to violates Apple’s SDK (not that anyone knows, thanks to the blanket NDA…)

Jason Kottke puts it well:

Excluding I Am Rich would be excluding for taste…because some feel that it costs too much for what it does. (And this isn’t the only example. There have been many cries of too many poor quality (but otherwise functional) apps in the store and that Apple should address the problem.) App Store shoppers should get to make the choice of whether or not to buy an iPhone app, not Apple, particularly since the App Store is the only way to legitimately purchase consumer iPhone apps. Imagine if Apple chose which music they stocked in the iTunes store based on the company’s taste. No Kanye because Jay-Z is better. No Dylan because it’s too whiney. Of course they don’t do that; they stock a crapload of different music and let the buyer decide. We should deride Apple for that type of behavior, not cheering them on.

Hear, hear!

Technorati Tags: iphone, i am rich, kottke

In an increasingly populous iPhone app universe, iUseThis may become a useful method for finding the sturdy trees in a deep dark forest of what some are calling “useless crap.”

Blogger Erica Sadun calls it “basically a Digg for iPhone apps,” but says, “[the] site shows early promise should it manage to attract a large enough user base.”

Via TUAW

I just installed the whopping 250-Mbyte iPhone 2.0.1 update, and it seems to fix most of the problems everyone complained about. Among the highlights:

• Everything runs much faster. Could be my imagination, but feels nice!
• Typing is much faster. No more keyboard lag.
• Infuriatingly sluggish Contacts app now loads fast and scrolls smoothly.
• Syncing is much speedier. No longer backs up every app! TTF.
• Google Maps app seems much faster. Loads quick, smoother scrolling and zippy zooming.
• Overall, update procedure is pretty quick: It installs entirely new firmware, but songs, movies, contacts and other data is left untouched — so there’s no 45 minute restore to suffer through.
• NetShare app is not deleted. My copy of NetShare works fine after the update. Be sure to sync everything, including apps, BEFORE updating. BoxOffice also seems to sync correctly, according to reports on other sites.

As readers of this blog know, we’ve been a bit disappointed in Apple’s July 11 launches, from the mangled mess that is Mobile Me to the crashtacular iPhone OS 2.0 to the absurdly constrained supplies of iPhone 3Gs.

Fortunately, Apple might be turning the corner, at least on the iPhone OS, which shipped in a highly unstable form. Today, effective immediately, Apple has launched a software update for iPhone that promises to deliver, and here I quote, “bug fixes.” All that in a 249-megabyte download. That’s a lot of bugs, folks. I’d love to know how it affects your iPhone and iPod touch experience — particularly as it pertains to third-party app stability.

Launch iTunes and hit the update button to make it happen.

Via Gizmodo

Fans of Box Office, an iPhone lifestyle app that lets users leverage the GPS functionality of the iPhone to list theaters and movies playing within a user-definable radius (e.g. 10 miles) will be disappointed to find the application no longer available on Apple’s AppStore.

Metasyntactic, the developer responsible for the application, claims to have gotten no notification from Apple that the application had been pulled and has been unsuccessful in reaching anyone who could explain why it was taken down. “I’m in regular contact with all my data providers, and none of them have had an issue with my app,” he explained in a post on the MacRumors forum. “I’ve tried to contact [Apple] about the issue, but it’s been a complete dead end.”

The Box Office takedown comes on the heels of NullRiver’s NetShare roller-coaster ride on Friday, in which the app was mysteriously gone from the AppStore, then available again, and finally gone again, all with apparently no communication between Apple and the developer.

Via The iPhone Blog

The NullRiver tethering application we blogged earlier today is apparently still available on the AppStore through a direct link according to Cult of Mac sources.

No indication how long this may be the case, so if you are interested in the technology…

A select group of some 5000 beta customers in North America can now make and receive international VoIP calls through Skype, GoogleTalk, SIP, and many VoIP services for the cost of a local cell phone call with the RF Dialer from Ring Free Mobility, Inc.

Ask the developers behind RF.com, makers of the multi-platform calling service designed to enhance the phone capabilities of the iPhone, and they will tell you reports of the death of the web app are greatly exaggerated.

The SanFrancisco-based company’s application allows users to make Internet calls over their cell phone’s GSM network. RF Dialer is the first iPhone application that allows SIP URI calls, integrating with thousands of SIP-based VoIP telephone providers and IP-based PBXes (such as the popular open=source Asterisk PBX and Communigate Pro.), allowing business users to utilize their iPhone as a direct PBX extension.

Here’s how it works (after registering with RF, providing your email address, country of service, mobile carrier and Caller ID):

1. You dial a number, or enter a user name, SIP URI, etc., on the RF Dialer, and click “Call”;
2. Using any kind of data connection (Edge, 3G or WiFi — it doesn’t matter as it’s only a small bit of data being sent) and encrypted HTTP, the RF Media Server is sent a call request: your cell phone number, RF password, call destination, and calling service used (i.e.: Skype, GoogleTalk, your own VoIP provider, straight SIP calling, etc.);
3. Once it verifies your credentials, the RF Media Server now refreshes the web page on your iPhone and sends a JavaScript message that includes a link to directly call the RF Media Server (a cell phone call to your local RF number, now either in the US or Canada, depending on where you are);
4. The RF Media Server answers the call knowing it’s you through caller-ID; and immediately makes the connection to the desired call destination stored in its queue.

RF is currently in beta with customers in the US and Canada and plans to go live in Europe sometime in August.

“We use the right technology for the task at hand,” according to RF founder Marcelo Rodriguez. “The calls we facilitate are transmitted via the carriers’ voice network. Our users have mobile access to Skype, GoogleTalk, MSN, Yahoo, etc., and the carrier is reimbursed for that access. It’s a perfect partnership.”

Apple began providing registered software developers daily download statistics this week that point to the “game changing” success of the AppStore distribution model.

Eliza Block, the part-time developer behind a popular iPhone crossword application shared a few days worth of her statistics with 9to5Mac that highlight the revenue opportunity for iPhone application developers.

Block’s 2Across app, which sells for $5.99 and has lately been listed as an Apple “Staff Favorite” on the iTunes AppStore, earned her nearly $2000 a day in the last week of July.

While there’s no way to predict whether hers or any other application can sustain that kind of momentum, the news should be enough to send many a coder scurrying to get up-to-speed with Objective C.

Apple abruptly disabled NullRiver‘s NetShare in iTunes yesterday without explanation to the developer or its customers. The application, developed by the team behind Installer.app, allowed iPhone users to share their phone’s EDGE or 3G connection with a computer, a process called “tethering,” for which AT&T typically charges other smartphone customers an extra $30 per month. NetShare was briefly available in Apple’s AppStore for $10 but a current search for it returns a “no longer available” message and the developer’s website posts a message saying “We’re updating our site…”

Via MacRumors

Now that the AppStore has reached the milestone of 1000 iPhone applications on offer, the timing for the return of PerversionTracker could not be better.

Be sure to consult their incisive reviews of all the worst tripe at the AppStore before you blow your savings 99¢ at a time.

Picture messaging, text-based messaging and, soon, vocal instant messaging over the iPhone’s data connection come to the AppStore with Palringo’s Rich Messaging Service (RMS), a free application supporting over a half dozen popular messaging services to help you stay connected to your contacts without the need to switch between applications or use Web-based messaging.

Billions of people already use instant messaging on their home and work computers to communicate with each other. “Palringo adds vocal instant messaging and picture messaging and has put IM on the iPhone–that’s a great combination,”  says CEO Kerry Ritz, stressing the program’s minimal data load. One megabyte is sufficient for Palringo to send/receive the equivalent of about 4,500 SMS messages, send/receive about 32 picture messages or send/receive as much as 15 minutes of vocal instant messages.

Available worldwide, Palringo lets conversations incorporate people from across the globe, on any mobile network or connected PC or Mac, which could make it very attractive for multi-national corporate users and extended family use.

Apple has posted a job opportunity for a position it calls “iPhone Security Engineer.” An “exceptional individual” will get the chance to “have a major impact on Apple’s embedded operating system products,” according to the job posting.

Job requirements and useful experience include “passion for developing “proof of concept attacks, industry exposure to and knowledge of OS security and UNIX internals” and “involvement in reverse engineering and security communities.”

The company appears to be taking seriously recent criticisms of its nonchalance toward patching iPhone security holes and its less-than-full-embrace by the enterprise community.

Who says crime doesn’t pay?

Via Ars Technica

A number of third-party iPhone application developers are unhappy with continuing restrictions imposed under the Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) they signed when they joined Apple’s Software Developers Program.

Perhaps some innocently assumed once the AppStore launched their iPhone applications into the wild the terms of the NDA would magically disappear. Others may have simply failed to read the document they were signing.

In any event, a few have put together a website to express their frustration. Be aware the link may be NSFW, depending on your place of employ. The argument seems to be that inability to talk freely with one another about their challenges and successes hampers the advancement of the platform, though, we’re guessing Apple’s legal department thought of that one before drawing up the document.

Via TUAW

AT&T Research Labs is testing a web based application that will bring limited voice control functionality to the iPhone. The so-called Speech Mashups, based on AT&T’s WATSON speech recognition engine, is a web service requiring high-speed wireless access to the internet in order to allow voice control of certain functions, such as entering text into web forms. The service appears to fall well short of meeting the demand for voice dialing, expressed by many as a must-have feature in a mobile phone.

The lone voice dialing application available on the AppStore appears to be Speechcloud Voice Dialer, whose 300+ commenters have thus far given it a 2.5 star rating.

The AT&T Labs chart below shows the complexity of delivering its web-based Speech Mashups solution, though, with the prevalence of speech recognition capability so widespread among other mobile handset manufacturers, we wonder what it is about Apple’s device that has made voice dialing such a difficult hurdle to clear.

The WordPress app for iPhone has just gone live on the iTunes App Store. Here’s the direct link to the WordPress app.

The app allows WordPress blogs to be edited on the iPhone and iPod touch, online and off.

It supports blogs hosted at WordPress.com and self-installed blogs (2.5.1 or higher).

There’s all the features you’d expect for mobile blogging — but best of all, there’s an auto-recovery feature that recovers posts interrupted by phone calls. Let’s hope it works.

More details here on the iPhone WordPress site.

An upskirt warning poster in a subway station outside Tokyo. Photo by Jeff Epp.

The iPhone 3G in Japan has a special feature unique to that country: The camera always makes a conspicuous “shutter” sound when a picture is taken, even when the phone is set to “silent” mode.

The loud shutter sound is supposed to deter voyeurs from taking sneaky pictures up women’s’ skirts — or down their tops.

In Japan, upskirt and downblouse shots have become increasingly popular with the advent of high-resolution camera phones.

As a result, all cell phones sold in Japan make a conspicuous shutter sound, or say the word “cheese” when a snap is taken, according to Nobuyuki Hayashi, a tech reporter based in Tokyo.

On almost all new cell phones, the camera shutter sound can not be muted, Hayashi says.

“Some manufacturers have even put louder shutter sound,” he reports.

The shutter on the first iPhone sold in Japan could be muted in silent mode; an anomaly that many wondered whether Apple would correct in the iPhone 3G, Hayashi says.

Apple did: The shutter sound cannot be turned off, even in silent mode, Hayashi says.

Software engineer Satoshi Nakajima, the lead architect of Microsoft’s Windows 95, picked up a Mac for the first time two years ago.

He was so impressed, he says he’ll never touch a PC again.

Satoshi loves Apple products so much, he started a company in April, Big Canvas, to develop for Apple’s iPhone platform full-time.

“We have chosen iPhone as the platform to release our first product (for) several reasons,” explains his company’s website. “We love Apple products… You need love to be creative.”

Based in Bellevue, WA — right next to Microsoft’s home turf of Redmond — Satoshi spent nearly 14 years at Microsoft, serving as the software architect of Windows 95 and 98. He also oversaw the development of Internet Explorer 3.0 and 4.0. While at Microsoft, he developed the third largest portfolio of intellectual property of any employee at the company, according to his bio.

Last week, Satoshi released his company’s first iPhone application, Photoshare, a free, social networking app for sharing pictures with the iPhone.

Photoshare is like Flickr for iPhone photographers. The downloadable Photoshare app allows users to upload pictures to Photoshare’s website, and then share those pictures publicly or privately — without any required registration or the need for a computer.

We spoke with Satoshi about the pleasures of writing software for the iPhone SDK and got some of his thoughts about Apple’s UI, its distribution model for iPhone apps and the future of handheld communications.

The interview continues after the jump.

Via BoingBoing

Perhaps AT&T employees in New York were so overwhelmed by the amount of business they did this week, they went time out of mind, or began speaking in tongues.

Check back last week for more iPhones.