The | Apple iPhone | Thread

[SRASC]

A new feature in the iPhone 3.0 firmware appears to let users remotely pinpoint a lost or stolen phone by securely requesting the device’s location via Apple’s MobileMe service.

The setting appears under the MobileMe settings page, where push updates for mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks are configured. Below these settings is a simple control to activate “Find My iPhone.”

When activated, the phone opens an alert that says, “this enables the “Find my iPhone” service on your MobileMe account at me.com.” It would appear that the service obtains the iPhone’s location and makes it available to the MobileMe user on request if the unit is lost or stolen.

The rationale for linking the feature into MobileMe is evidently the same as that behind Apple’s Back to My Mac feature: security. By only allowing the linked MobileMe account to obtain a location remotely, using GPS or WiFi/cell tower triangulation, users don’t have to worry about an outside party being able to track their location.

MobileMe supports setting up secure IPSec tunnels between remote clients over the Internet, acting as a catalyst by tracking the locations of MobileMe-registered systems and securely publishing their location to other MobileMe-registered devices using Wide Area Bonjour.



In this case, the iPhone would simply give its registered MobileMe user the option of remotely requesting its location. The settings to support the new feature are not yet visible on the MobileMe website, as the iPhone 3.0 firmware is currently still in developer release and won’t ship until this summer.

[SRASC]

An update to the Cydia Installer has added a new feature which can queue packages for batch installation.

To use the feature press the Cancel button when at a Package’s Confirm Install screen. This will bring up two large buttons: Continue Queuing and Cancel and Clear.

If you press Continue Queuing you will notice that the package is highlighted in light green. You can now go and queue up more packages.

When ready to install press the Manage tab at the bottom of the screen then press the Queue button at the top right of the screen.

[SRASC]

A chart comparing the features in iPhone OS 3.0 and the features in the upcoming Android Cupcake Update has been posted by LifeHacker.

As you can see from the chart the iPhone and Android have come a lot closer in capability. One of the main differences still being Push Notifications versus Background Processes.

Click for full-size.

[SRASC]

Next Gen iPhones Coming To Trinidad & Tobago In June?

[SRASC]

BigBoss has issued a warning asking non developers not to install the iPhone 3.0 Beta on a live iPhone. He stresses that this early operating system is for developers only and lists some important reasons why...

1) The iPhone OS will probably expire every couple of weeks. If you are out and need a phone the day it expires you are screwed. You will not be able to use the iPhone until you restore to the “upgraded” version. If the current version is “leaked” (meaning you are not a developer and got it through unofficial means), there is no guarantee you will have access to the next beta to keep the iPhone running.

2) The iPhone v3.0 OS is due out for this summer. That puts the release date to be about 3 months away still. That is a long time! The OS is not done. Why would you want to run a buggy incomplete OS on your iPhone?

3) The beta will have compatibility issues with some apps.

4) You will not be able to jailbreak your beta.

5) If you want some of the new features, read this post on how to use them on a 2.x.

6) Your 3g baseband will be updated, and you cannot go back. Yellowsn0w on 3g will also stop working. There will be no fix for this. It is permanent!

7) The 3.0 beta is likely very battery hungry and has a lot of debug symbols in use. It is likely also to use more memory than expected causing some apps to outright crash. Such is often the case with beta operating systems.

The 3.0 beta baseband is likely to not be very efficient and tested.

[SRASC]

Smarthouse, an Australian website is claiming that as per their source, Apple's new iPhone which is widely speculated to be released in June will include an OLED screen made by LG.

If this rumor is true then an OLED screen along with a better battery pack could address one of my biggest gripes about iPhone 3G which is poor battery life.


Smarthouse claims:

"It’s believed that a new iPhone and iPod Touch due later this year will include an OLED screen made by LG who last year scored a multibillion dollar deal to manufacture display screens for Apple."
The current iPhones make use of LED-backlight display. A significant benefit of OLED displays over the current LCD display used in iPhones is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function. Thus they draw far less power and, when powered from a battery, can operate longer on the same charge. The other advantage of OLEDs is that since they don't need backlight, they can be much thinner than an LCD panel.

OLEDs also enable a greater range of colors, gamut, brightness, contrast and viewing angle than LCDs because OLED pixels directly emit light.

But the biggest technical problem for OLEDs is the limited lifetime of the organic materials which has also limited their use.

Mac Rumors is also skeptical about this rumor as it has been doing the rounds since 2003 but Apple has yet to adopt that technology for any of its products.

[SRASC]

After signaling its intent to follow Apple's wildly successful iPhone into the smartphone business, Dell's first attempts to produce a phone have been rejected by the carries for being too dull and lacking enough differentiation to stand out in a competitive environment, according to a report.

A research note published today by Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu said that Dell's new prototypes, capable of running both Windows Mobile or Google's Android, simply didn't interest the carriers.

Mobile service providers either want basic phones they can sell for free (as the majority of LG units do) or headline grabbing models that can stand out and hopefully pull new subscribers from rivals, such as AT&T's iPhone 3G, Verizon Wireless' BlackBerry Storm, T-Mobile's Android G1, or Sprint's hopeful Palm Pre.

"From our conversation with supply chain and industry sources," Wu wrote, "it appears that it ultimately came down to lack of carrier interest and small subsidies, making it difficult for Dell to make a profit. In our view, the last thing Dell needs is to enter another money losing business as it seeks to preserve its operating margins of 5%-6%.” Wu noted that those figures compares with HP's 11% margins and Apple and IBM at 15%.

Wu said Dell is “going back to the drawing board in designing a cell phone with more differentiation,” that could “likely involve vertical integration of some sort including software and/or services.”

"PC guys are not going to just figure this out"

Dell's failure to successfully step from the commodity PC business into the mobile handset market should come as no surprise, as smartphones requires expertise in software platform development, consumer design savvy, and portable device engineering, all things Dell has never demonstrated any proficiency in.

That calls to mind the quote from Palm CEO Ed Colligan, who said “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in." He was specifically referring to Apple, which did "just walk in" with the iPhone launch, but carried with it a half decade of experience with the iPod and decades of experience in maintaing successful software platforms building highly customized hardware.

Some pundits have speculated that Dell may need to buy its way into smartphones, citing Palm as a target. Palm is struggling to release its new webOSand the Palm Pre as the first phone to use it. As sales of its aging Treo line collapse, Palm has been kept afloat only by millions of new venture capital injected by Elevation Partners. Were Dell to buy Palm and inherit the webOS, it would come at the expense of Windows Mobile and Android, both of which are trying to line up new licensees.

Smartphone shakeout

Microsoft is being hit particularly hard, with two of its top names from last year (Samsung and Sony Ericsson) abandoning Windows Mobile for the Symbian OS in their new flagship phones demonstrated at this year's Mobile World Congress, leaving Microsoft's main licensees LG (which also has plans to sell Android phones) and HTC (which makes 80% of the phones that use Microsoft's mobile OS, but is similarly planning Android phones and is apparently losing its business of building phones for Palm).

The smartphone market's ability to resist collapse during difficult economic times, paired with the shrinking global market for PCs, has already sent other PC makers scrambling to enter the phone business, including Acer, Asustek and Lenovo. However, the tough competition for attention in a complex market that requires building relationships with the carriers who control the retail sale of phones through service plan subsidies is not going to allow PC makers to "just walk in," as Colligan stated.

Long time phone makers Motorola and Sony Ericsson are in big trouble, with little to excite new buyers and mounting pressure to catch up with Apple's App Store, its vertical MobileMe cloud sync offerings, and its sophisticated software development tools. Even market leading Nokia is having trouble announcing plans to maintain the pace of Apple in the areas of software updates; API and development tools; and music, video, and mobile software andgaming offerings.

(via AppleInsider.com)

[SRASC]

Apple has announced many new features in iPhone OS 3.0; however, only developers currently have access to the new software. However many of these features are available via free and paid apps found either in Cydia or the App Store.

Gizmodo has posted a nice list of features and associated applications which you can see below. You likely will need to jailbreak your iPhone before continuing.

Cut and Paste: Clippy (Cydia, Free while in Beta)
Apple's ridiculously delayed cut and paste solution looks slick. Slicker than Clippy, the best unofficial C+P solution, which still gets the job done though.

GPS Turn-by-Turn: xGPS (Cydia, Free)
xGPS does use Google's Maps, and does turn-by-turn brilliantly with active GPS tracking.

Tethering: iPhoneModem/PDANet (Cydia, Free)
Tethering via these jailbreak solutions works in the meantime, but be careful with how much data you use to not raise any eyebrows at the Death Star.

Email Multiple Photos: Emailpix (App Store, $US3)
Emailpix does it fairly smoothly, though, and gives you a choice of resolution to send to save time.

Bluetooth File Transfer: iBluetooth (Cydia, Free 15-day trial)
iBluetooth lets you pair with your computer to send and receive files. It's kind of buggy, but does work

Universal Search: Search (Cydia, Free)
It doesn't search your applications or your iTunes music like the 3.0 version, but Search is great for the most valuable searching situation: email. It also searches contacts, notes, SMS and the web.

Accelerometer Controls: mCoolPhone (Cydia, Free Trial/$3)
While mCoolPhones can't touch your iTunes functionality, it lets you assign shake events to various other phone functions, like answering calls.

Notes Sync: iPhoneNotes (Mac-only desktop App, Jailbreak required. Free)
To pull off native notes sync, make sure you have OpenSSH installed on your jailbroken phone and grab iPhoneNotes, which will import all of your notes and also sync back any text file you have on your computer.

Background Apps/Push Notifications: Backgrounder (Cydia, Free)
You can use Backgrounder to force official App Store apps to keep running even when you switch away to another app. It's great for keeping IM apps open and signed in while you do other things.

Landscape Keyboard: iRealSMS (Cydia, €10) and EasyWriter (App Store, Free)
For email, try the free EasyWriter App Store app, and for SMS, there's iRealSMS, which also adds a number of other features for hardcore texters like quick-replying and advanced sorting.

MMS: SwirlyMMS (Cydia, $ and Get MMS (App Store, $4)
The best is SwirlyMMS, but even that doesn't work very well with AT&T's MMS provider

Get MMS, on the other hand, makes receiving MMS messages via AT&T's annoying web interface a little easier. It takes a screengrab of the login and password AT&T sends, and lets you save the attached video or photo.

Voice Memos: Epiphany (App Store, $2)
We love Epiphany, which buffers its recordings and only goes back in time to grab the important parts when you tell it to.


Adding Features Still Missing From iPhone 3.0:
- Video Capture: Cycorder (Cydia, Free)
- Flash: iMobileCinema (Cydia, Free)

[SRASC]

CyDelete is a new application which deletes jailbroken iPhone applications straight from the SpringBoard just like Official App Store apps.

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Since the dawn of Cydia, users have been struggling to remove applications they’ve installed with it. Uninstalling a package is a seven-step operation at best: Start Cydia, Manage, Packages, (locate package), Modify, Remove, Confirm.

With the advent of CyDelete, however, Cydia packages can now be removed like any App Store applications- hold down the icon, wait for them to start wiggling, and tap the X. What was once cumbersome is now integrated into the standard iPhoneOS workflow. It is a lightweight MobileSubstrate plugin that only does anything in Wiggle Mode.

CyDelete will not remove applications that are not managed by Cydia, though they will be branded with an X. From SpringBoard’s standpoint, applications managed by Cydia and applications just sitting in /Applications are one and the same. CyDelete will also not remove Cydia itself, for safety reasons.
—–

You can install CyDelete from the BigBoss Cydia Repository.

[Wolfie]

Animated Weather Elements HD V2 by MNIDHK

http://macthemes2.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16793347




Places a nice image of the current weather on your lock screen.

[monkeypeaches]

so i finally ready to purchase an iphone ...where can i get one and whats the cost

[SRASC]

For those that want the new look iPod, Phone, SMS (to be named Messages) & Stock icons of the soon to be released iPhone 3.0 OS, I've made a theme doing just that. Additional details are here.

iPhone OS 3.0 theme. Includes the 3.0 redone versions of the Phone, Text (to be called Messages), Stocks & iPod icons. For use with WinterBoard.

(Still allows custom backgrounds by the way)

[xtech]

[SRASC]

Click for full-size.

Apple announced Thursday that its annual developers conference will kick-off on Monday June 8th and run through the 12th at the Moscone West convention center in downtown San Francisco.

Tickets for 5-day event will run $1295 through April 24th, at which time Apple plans to increase the price by $300.

Snow Leopard at WWDC

Apple is expected to use this year’s conference to show off a feature-complete version of its Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system, possibly unveiling an updated interface theme if it does not do so in developer builds that arrive in the weeks leading up to the conference.

The primary focus for developers is Snow Leopard’s new 64-bit kernel with enhanced support for multicore and GPU computing. Apple is also drawing developers’ attention to QuickTime X as a streamlined media playback system.

Specific sessions will target how to get the most from Apple’s developer tools in terms of performance and efficiency, how to debug and analyze applications as they run with Dtrace, how to build solid user interfaces, and how to port existing code from other platforms to the Mac.

In depth sessions will focus on how to get the most from Apple’s frameworks, including high performance graphics accelerated in GPU hardware and how to leverage OpenCL and Grand Central to get the most from multicore systems with powerful graphics processors.

WWDC will also present how to use open web standards to take full advantage of new technologies in HTML 5, including client-side storage, audio and video playback, CSS vector animations, transitions, transforms, form control styling, CSS3 downloadable fonts, and other emerging features.

iPhone at WWDC

The iPhone platform will also serve as a major component of WWDC, with sessions and hands-on labs covering the new iPhone 3.0 SDK. Information how to to implement the new 3.0 features, including peer to peer Bluetooth, interaction with hardware accessories, in-app purchases, and the new Apple Push Notification service, will be presented, along with details on best practices for building mobile apps with an engaging user interface that takes full advantage of the iPhone’s rich media and graphics features, and how to localize apps to reach a global audience.

The event may likely also serve as the introduction of new iPhone hardware, as Apple has long been expected to release a significantly new iPhone version in mid June.

IT at WWDC

Apple also maintains an information technologies track at WWDC. This year, attention is being placed on how to use Snow Leopard Server to deploy collaboration features such as the new iPhone-optimized wiki features, enhanced new Podcast Producer capabilities, new standards-based services for exchanging calendar events and meeting request and shared contact records.

There’s also new information on how to use the iPhone in large organizations, both with push notifications and the new Mobile Access Server, as well as tools to integrate the iPhone into existing corporate infrastructure from Exchange Server to 802.1x wireless authentication.

WWDC for students

WWDC will host a Student Career Fair, offering the opportunity to meet hiring managers from around the world. Apple is also offering free passes to WWDC as part of its student scholarship program for ADC Student Members and student Team Members in the iPhone Developer University Program.
_________
Skype is almost ready to launch an iPhone app and may release it as soon as next week, according to a GigaOM report.

A tipster — a very reliable one — tells me that Skype is almost ready to launch that iPhone version, perhaps as soon as next week. CTIA Wireless, a large mobile industry trade event, kicks off in Las Vegas next Wednesday, so perhaps the announcement will be made there. I am working on getting more details, as well as screenshots of the service.

Back in January Scott Durschlag, Skype’s chief operating officer, said “Skype’s iPhone application is still under development. Engineers are still working on cutting the amount of power the application consumes.”

Other VOIP applications have been released for the iPhone; however, an official Skype application has been highly requested.

[mitch]

Apple stores now selling iPhone 3G without a contract

Apple retail stores are now selling unrestricted quantities of the iPhone 3G at the full, non-subsidized price of $599 for the 8GB version and $699 for the 16GB models.

The move follows AT&T's plans to sell one phone per customer at the full price for existing customers of its service. In Apple's case however, there is no limit on the number of phones a buyer can purchase, and no need to have an existing AT&T contract.

Activation can completed by the customer at home through iTunes.

While the phones are still technically locked to AT&T service, it is possible (but not supported) to unlock the phones for use with other mobile service providers. In the US, that is largely limited to T-Moble and Metro PCS, although both GSM providers do not support the 3G network the iPhone 3G needs to connect at faster than EDGE speeds.

Apple's change in sales policy comes as the company is working to sell off remaining inventory to prepare for the upcoming launch of the new 2009 iPhone, expected to be released around the middle of June, possibly at the company's similarly-timed Worldwide Developer Conference.

[SRASC]

An Apple patent filing details a hidden biometric reader inside an iPhone or a Mac to let users lock down their systems with fingerprints or facial recognition, according to an AppleInsider report.

Apple is trying to provide a method of securing device access that does not require an extra step for authentication.

The solution, the company suggests, would be to automatically use a sensor either hidden within the device or else repurposed from its usual role. Devices could recognize a fingerprint or finger vein pattern simply by waiting for the user to touch the display, which would hide the sensors on or behind the screen. A forward-facing camera could alternately look for retinal patterns or even recognize the facial features of owners when they're in the right position for use.

Notebooks could use the trackpad, palmrest and a webcam for a similar purpose. Apple goes so far as to suggest the possibility of recognizing the user's distinctive voice or even collecting DNA samples to recognize a user's genetic sequence. Biometrics could also be context-sensitive and detect the shape of a user's ear before allowing a call to go through, for example.

[SRASC]

9to5Mac has posted a list of ten signs that points to a new iPhone coming soon.


THE TEN SIGNS:

1. AT&T is selling refurbs for $99 (again) with activation and plan

2. O2 is giving away free iPhones with their low cost plans (not their expensive plans)

3. AT&T and Apple are now selling iPhones without contract (or second line) knowing that more will go Jailbroken this way. (If you have $600-$700 to spend)

4. France is now selling them unlocked at department stores.

5. China Unicom might get offloaded a few million on May 17th, ahead of new model.

6. AT&T executives have the new models for testing and are so excited they can't keep their mouths shut.

7. UK retailers are selling unlocked 3G iPhones.

8. WWDC, the traditional launching pad for new iPhones was announced yesterday. It will be June 8-12th.

9. Remember all of those extra iPhone part numbers found in the 3.0 build? Yeah, those can't all be Tablets.

10. Steve Jobs is coming back at the end of June. You don't think he will be empty handed do you?

[SRASC]

In case it wasn’t clear before, this year’s Game Developers Conference has made it crystal: The iPhone is a legitimate gaming platform. Here’s a quick list of some of the big iPhone titles that were announced at the GDC this week:

Noby Noby Boy: Keita Takahashi’s weird-ass, awesome Noby Noby Boy will be headed to Apple’s platform. Reportedly playable from a top-down perspective, Takahashi said the game was in its early stages. It’s only been in development for a week, but if possible, he’s interested in some kind of interoperability between the PlayStation 3 version of Noby and the iPhone version. Noby Noby Boy for iPhone might even be released for free!

Wolfenstein 3D: The development of the iPhone version of this seminal first-person shooter was overseen by John Carmack, the creator of the original Wolfenstein 3D. Carmack says he plans to release the game episodically and the first episode is available here for free if your iPhone is “jail-broken.” EA is also releasing Wolfenstein RPG to the iPhone. (See below for EA’s 2009 iPhone lineup.)

Doom: Another Carmack-created, history-making FPS game. Reportedly Doom on its way to the App Store, too. Doom on iPhone is a little redundant though. I think the game has already been ported to every electronic device ever invented, including my toaster.

Mega Man 2: This famous old-school console classic is available right now at the iTunes store and features a “virtual joystick” that will make you virtually feel like you’re in an old-school virtual arcade. This is the full, 14 level game, but the controls have been iPod-ized and gameplay has been “rebalanced.” Does that mean an easy-button? Download and see!

Rolando 2, Rolando 3: Ngmoco announced that the sequel to Rolando will feature four worlds and 36 levels and will be followed by a free level-pack update to bring 20 more levels by October. Rolando 3 will be released in November, with the free level packs released later.

Electronic Arts announced a slew of games coming to the iPhone that represents most of their sports lines (Tiger Woods, FIFA, Madden, NBA Live), as well as iPhone version of other high-profile games(Spore Creatures, Command & Conquer, Need for Speed (really EA? (re: Undercover), Sims 3, SSX, Wolfenstein RPG) and iPhone versions of classic board games (Battleship, Connect Four, RISK, Monopoly classic, Clue) and other titles (American Idol, Mystery Mania.)

(via TheFeed)

[ryan99tt]

any new apps???

[SRASC]

After running through a series of ad campaigns designed to make Windows look cool, then victimized, then simply inescapably ubiquitous, Microsoft is now hoping to attack Apple in new ads that portray Macs as unaffordable compared to generic PCs.

According to a report by the Associated Press, Microsoft hired Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the ad agency behind the campaign pairing Bill Gates with Jerry Seinfeld, to recruit "unwitting subjects by posing as a market research firm studying laptop purchasing decisions."

Participants found on Craigslist were given between $700 to $2,000 to buy a computer fitting certain criteria, and were told they could keep the computer they selected.

One participant named Lauren was told to buy a 17" notebook for less than $1000. She was then filmed entering an Apple Store where she couldn't find one. Lauren then heads to Best Buy and selects a $699 HP machine running Windows. That experience was turned into a 60 second TV spot for Microsoft after the agency told the buyer that the purpose of the excursion was really to promote Windows.

Shopping for hardware

The new ads don't go into details on hardware purchases; they simply make the case that PC laptops can be found for cheaper, playing up tight funds in the tough economy. Best Buy actually does sell the DV7-1245DX, an HP notebook with 17" screen, but it lacks fast wireless 802.11n, fast Gigabit Ethernet, digital audio inputs and outputs, weighs 7.75 pounds, and only features the screen resolution of Apple's 15" notebooks: 1440 by 900. Technically, it is a 17" notebook in terms of size, but it doesn't have the 17" resolution of Apple's MacBook Pro, which is 1920 by 1200.


The new Microsoft Ad


One HP buyer pointed out that this model series "has the worst screen I have ever seen in my life. It's the 1440x900 screen and the viewing angles are so poor that even when sitting directly eye level with the screen it is totally washed out. If I go a little bit off-axis the screen results in a negative image. I was using the default settings. Unfortunately I didn't read reviews before i purchased."

Shopping for software

More importantly however, the HP notebook runs Windows Vista, rated by ChangeWave as having the lowest operating system satisfaction rating in rankings that were led by Mac OS X Leopard and also included Linux and Windows XP. Many PC makers continue to add a "Windows XP downgrade" as a feature on their new PCs.

This makes it particularly interesting that Microsoft would advertise its product by citing the price of the hardware it runs on, rather than calling attention to any of the features in its own product. It's not that Microsoft hasn't tried. Vista's first "Wow" campaign portrayed customers in a state of pleasant shock when using it.

but

this isn't going to come as a big surprise, but "Lauren" (if that is her real name) didn't really go into the Apple store...or Crispin Porter had a bunch of extras walking around during the filming.
How do we know? Notice at 0:13 when she walks into the store, there is a balding guy with jacket and striped shirt and camera walking by. He is still walking by when she leaves the store filmed on the other camera. That gave her less than a second in the store. She said she walked in and looked around but how could this be?.
We also know she is an actress so the rest isn't a stretch. What LA actress wants a hulking, cheap 17 inch HP Notebook over a small white MacBook?!
Not that you believed it before, right?