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August 2007 Archives
Aug 1, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 4:03 AM ETOur iPhone Wish List: The interface and general features
Our first installment of the full list of iPhone features and improvements Macworld editors are wishing for covered hardware. This batch includes the overall interface and general features. (The number after each item represents how many editors, out of seven, requested that feature in our informal survey. Be sure...
Aug 1, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 1:05 PM ET
No need to feel insecure: iPhone update details
We brought you news of the http://iphone.macworld.com/2007/07/iphone_software_101_released_1.php'>iPhone 1.0.1 update last night, but for the detail-oriented among us, here's what the new software brings to your favorite three, three, three devices in one. Five, count 'em, security fixes, all of which have to do with the iPhone's web connection. Two of...
Aug 1, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 1:45 PM ET
iPhone Calculator does not compute
I admit: I really haven't gotten much out of the iPhone's Calculator app, but it's comforting to know it's there. Or at least, it was until I started playing around with the other day and discovered a bug the size of Mothra. The Calculator can display up to nine digits...
Aug 1, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 4:31 PM ET
Our iPhone Wish List: Mail
In our ongoing series of wish lists (previous installments: consensus wishes, hardware, the interface and general features), this one covers the improvements and features we'd like to see in the iPhone's Mail application. Not surprisingly, given how much the Macworld staff relies on email, Mail generated the most requests...
Aug 1, 2007 - Posted by Philip Michaels at 4:58 PM ET
iPhone users: PC World would like to ask you a few questions
We get to opine at length about what we think of the iPhone—we set up this entire blog to do just that, and when that proves to be too confining, we can devote an entire podcast to talking about a month’s worth of iPhone experience. Your opportunities to comment are...
Aug 1, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 5:14 PM ET
Review: Case-Mate Signature Leather Case
Among the first non-silicone cases we received back in June was Case-Mate's $35 Signature Leather Case for iPhone, available in black, red, or pink. (Also available for the same price is the Perforated Leather Case for iPhone, which is the same case but with, well, perforated leather.) The Signature...
Aug 2, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 1:09 PM ET
Our iPhone Wish List: Phone and Contacts
This next installment of our topic-specific wishes for the iPhone covers the phone and Contacts features. (To review, we asked seven iPhone-using Macworld editors what new features they'd like to see, and which existing features they'd like to see improved. We came up with a consensus list, but that...
Aug 2, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 2:11 PM ET
Our iPhone Wish List: Safari and Text/chat
Continuing the Wish List series, here's our list of features we'd like to see in Safari and Text (chat); the number after each item represents how many editors, out of seven, requested that feature in our informal survey. SAFARI Already covered: Flash support (7). Remember usernames and passwords (4):...
Aug 2, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 3:31 PM ET
Net free Wi-Fi from Boingo in August
Planning on doing some traveling in August? If you're doing a fair amount of flying in and out of airports, and you happen to be carrying your iPhone around with you, you may be able to reap the benefits of some free Wi-Fi. Wireless provider Boingo, who run a network...
Aug 3, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 4:13 AM ET
Our iPhone Wish List: the iPod
Continuing the Wish List series, here's our list of features we'd like to see in the iPhone's iPod section; the number after each item represents how many editors, out of seven, requested that feature in our informal survey. Already covered: iPod Disk Mode (6). Bluetooth A2DP (4): As I...
Aug 3, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 12:48 PM ET
Our iPhone Wish List: the Camera
Whew! We're almost done. Here's our (short) list of improvements we'd like to see in the iPhone's camera; the number after each item represents how many editors, out of seven, requested that feature in our informal survey. Already covered: video capture (5), a flash (2), and better overall camera...
Aug 3, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 3:39 PM ET
Our iPhone Wish List: Everything Else
In our final installment of the Wish List series, here are all the other iPhone improvements and new features we'd like to see, broken down by application or category; the number after each item represents how many editors, out of seven, requested that feature in our informal survey. Already...
Aug 3, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 4:11 PM ET
Our iPhone Wish List: Let's Review
Over the past four days, and over nine articles, we've covered the list of improvements and new features Macworld's iPhone-using editors would like to see. Some of the requests were unanimous (or nearly so); others represented minor gripes by one editor or another. Some we fully expect to see...
Aug 3, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 4:44 PM ET
iPhone gets Terminal development
A team of intrepid developers appear to have developed their own native GUI iPhone application. Called MobileTerminal, it emulates a command-line environment on the iPhone. Details are a little sketchy at present, but the team's Google Code page says: "MobileTerminal.app is NOT an SSH client, nor Telnet for that matter....
Aug 4, 2007 - Posted by Christopher Breen at 12:53 AM ET
Publish Aperture for iPhone
Our buddies at Automator.us continue their explorations of the iPhone as it relates to automating tasks on the Mac. A couple of weeks ago I detailed their iPhone Mail Rules scripts. With these scripts you could send a message from your iPhone and trigger Mail rules that would do such...
Aug 6, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 11:46 AM ET
Touchy: company claims patent violation on iPhone's keyboard
How to tell when a product is a success? When it starts generating numerous lawsuits. On top of the class action battery suit comes a second legal action against Apple, this time on charges of patent violation. A company called SP Technologies is seeking "reasonable royalties" for the iPhone's usage...
Aug 6, 2007 - Posted by Jason Snell at 1:37 PM ET
Pogue, you've done it again!
David Pogue, the man, the myth, the legend. First he blows the roof off by being one of the first people to review the iPhone. Then he follows it up with two hilarious videos, one spoofing the pre-launch iPhone secrecy, the next a "My Way" musical parody. (If we know...
Aug 6, 2007 - Posted by Jason Snell at 6:58 PM ET
Think President Bush is in the favorites list?
From Time magazine photographer Chris Usher comes this photo of Presidential adviser Karl Rove tapping on an iPhone (presumably his?) in landscape mode, which probably means he's using MobileSafari. Rove was photographed during President Bush's visit to the collapsed I-35W bridge in Minneapolis. (By the way, everyone here at...
Aug 7, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 2:53 AM ET
Review: Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset
Since the iPhone's release, we've received several Bluetooth headsets for review. Today I tackle Apple's own $129 iPhone Bluetooth Headset, a svelte and stylish model that's likely the simplest on the market--in terms of both its ease of use and its functionality. In the box One thing to point...
Aug 7, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 11:45 AM ET
For third-party iPhone apps, it's game on
While we're busy getting all our ducks in a row for the fast approaching Mac-related event, there's still plenty of iPhone news in the house. After the appearance of the MobileTerminal app on Friday, it seems like the third-party development scene has virtually exploded. Erica Sadun over at The Unofficial...
Aug 7, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 3:58 PM ET
Review: WaterField Designs iPhone Smart Cases
A number of Macworld editors have long been fans of WaterField Designs' various bags and cases, so we've been looking forward to WaterFields' entries into the iPhone accessory market. The first such foray is the company's iPhone Smart Case, which is actually one case available in three different versions:...
Aug 7, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 4:09 PM ET
Apple kicks iPhone users in the shins
Sure, there was some love for the iPhone in today's Mac-centric presentation by Steve Jobs. The new .Mac Web Gallery, for example, has an iPhone specific interface (that doesn't appear to let you pinch or flick, sadly). And the new version of iMovie will make it a snap to export...
Aug 8, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 12:37 PM ET
The case of the mysteriously updating iPhone software
One of the few iPhone features to get any notice during yesterday's Apple event was integration with the new .Mac Web Gallery feature. As I was reading the updates of the event, it was mentioned that you'd be able to send photos directly to the gallery from your iPhone—given that...
Aug 8, 2007 - Posted by Christopher Breen at 2:08 PM ET
iPhone to Web Gallery workaround
In the space just below this one, Dan Moren talks about how the iPhone's new Send to Web Gallery feature might have appeared out of thin air. In today's Mac 911 blog, I talk about how to make it work and, when that doesn't work, how to work around the...
Aug 8, 2007 - Posted by Philip Michaels at 2:43 PM ET
PC World asks, you answer
Last week, we told you about PC World's survey of iPhone owners, asking about their attitudes toward the phone after a month's worth of use. The results are out now -- we posted an excerpt at the Mothership, though you can read the full report at PC World. The heart...
Aug 8, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 3:01 PM ET
Review: WaterField Designs iPhone Suede Jacket
In addition to WaterField Design's iPhone Smart Cases, the company also recently released its $9 iPhone Suede Jacket. Perhaps the simplest iPhone case we've yet seen, it will nevertheless be appealing to some people. The Jacket is merely a slip-in pouch made of the same black, machine-washable "Ultrasuede" used...
Aug 9, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 10:47 AM ET
How copy-and-paste might work on the iPhone
From my point of view (amply discussed in our wish list magnum opus), one of the iPhone's key lacks is any sort of text selection and copy and paste. It can be frustrating to try and move text from one application to another—my most recent experience was with picture messages...
Aug 10, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 11:15 AM ET
Cable convergence
As I was packing this morning for a weekend trip to Chicago, for the C4 developers conference, I found myself finally noticing the effects of convergence. No, it wasn't my iPhone and my iPod—I still packed both of those for the trip. But I did have to pack significantly fewer...
Aug 13, 2007 - Posted by Ben Long at 7:27 PM ET
The iPhone Hacking Kit, step by step
PLEASE NOTE THESE TECHNIQUES WERE POSTED IN AUGUST 2007 AND ARE ONLY APPLICABLE TO 1.0 VERSION IPHONES. For better or worse, Apple designed the iPhone to be a completely closed system. That is, you can't add new applications to it, and even some seemingly "normal" cell phone features - like...
Aug 13, 2007 - Posted by Jason Snell at 8:29 PM ET
C4 conference: iPhone hacks aplenty
Comrade Moren has returned victoriously from Chicago, home of the C4 conference. He reports on the Mothership about the plethora of iPhone hacks at the conference. Of course, Mac developers are among the most passionate users of the platform, and that's no different when it comes to the iPhone. There...
Aug 13, 2007 - Posted by Jason Snell at 11:13 PM ET
iPhones out, Lights Off, game on!
Boy, if today isn't iPhone Hack Day. To cap it all off tonight, here it is: the first native game written just for the iPhone. No, this isn't a web app. It's Lights Off by Lucas Newman and Adam Betts, winner of second place in the Iron Coder contest at...
Aug 14, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 3:26 PM ET
Is the game afoot at Apple?
And it's yet another foray into the exciting world of Apple and gaming. A couple of game-related stories came out this week, but don't go putting your Wii or Xbox 360 up on eBay just yet. First, last Thursday, Download Squad broke a story point out that iTunes contains strings...
Aug 15, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 12:34 PM ET
When I was your age, iPhones were called books
These days, the iPhone is starting to remind me of that old Beatles' song "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby." Whether it's the accessories market, third-party developers, or website designers, everybody wants to cash in on the iPhone—even that most old school of media, books. Harper Collins has launched a...
Aug 15, 2007 - Posted by Christopher Breen at 12:47 PM ET
Why I like the iPhone (Reason #139)
So I'm still taking screenshots for my iPhone book. I'm at the point where I need both WiFi access and a strong signal from AT&T (the latter I lack at my home office). I hop in the car, drive to Starbucks, purchase my dose of caffeine, connect the iPhone to...
Aug 15, 2007 - Posted by Jason Snell at 1:43 PM ET
Facebook on iPhone
Social networking site Facebook has launched a new iPhone version at iphone.facebook.com. Joe Hewitt, the mad genius behind the iUI scripts that we're using for our own beta test of an iPhoney version of our site, is the man behind this new iPhone version of Facebook. And it's a beautiful,...
Aug 15, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 4:07 PM ET
Apple on the mysterious "Send to Web Gallery" button
I'm not really sure whether this will put to rest the conspiracy theories over the "Send to Web Gallery" button that appeared on some users' iPhones last week or just fan the flames, but Apple has released a support document that provides more details on the functionality. Most of the...
Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 1:06 PM ET
Meebo online IM comes to iPhone
And another challenger has entered the ring of web-based IM clients. This time it's Meebo, who knows a thing or two about that setup, having been providing web-based IM for computers for almost two years now. However, their web client proved to be a little too intensive for mobile devices,...
Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Christopher Breen at 2:16 PM ET
iPhone screenshooting improves
As I explained in iPhone Hacking For The Rest of Us, I've been busy gathering screenshots of the iPhone for an upcoming book. For this noble job I've used Erica Sadun's oh-so-handy Screenshot application, an application that runs on the iPhone that you trigger via Terminal and ssh. Grateful as...
Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 4:39 PM ET
A handful of new iPhone spots
Does anybody else every find themselves whistling the music from the iPhone commercials? No? Just me? I find it strangely addictive. So much so that I actually found a site that let me download it, and sometimes I just play it as I drift off to sleep at night. I'm...
Aug 17, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 3:16 PM ET
Some more iPhone app suggestions
Everybody's got an axe to grind about what kind of applications they'd like to see on the iPhone. Me? Despite all the great web-based alternatives, I'm holding out for IM and an RSS newsreader. Phill Ryu of My Dream App and Mac Heist has his own list of five applications...
Aug 17, 2007 - Posted by Aaron Freedman at 5:18 PM ET
TeleMoose closes down and Amazon launches an iPhone site
While Apple heavily touts the iPhone's ability to view "the real web," I still prefer to use sites customized for the iPhone whenever possible. One of these iPhone-optimized sites is TeleMoose, an interface for accessing Amazon.com. Unfortunately, when I opened the site today, I was greeted to a message...
Aug 20, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 10:01 AM ET
All about the Benjamins: save $100 on an iPhone
Been holding out on the iPhone until that lowest possible price drops to under half a G? Today may be your lucky day: you can snag a 4GB or 8GB model for $100 under the usual retail price. Think of all the things you could do with that extra $100:...
Aug 20, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 11:14 AM ET
iPhone hacking goes mainstream
On the one hand, it's nice to see iPhone hacking get a little mainstream attention in the form of an article in the Washington Post. Mike Musgrove's piece touches upon the Nintendo emulator designed by Stephen White, White's subsequent attempt to bring classic shooter Doom to the platform, and the...
Aug 20, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 1:29 PM ET
Saved by the iPhone
The iPhone may be a pretty versatile piece of machinery, but did you know it can save your life? That's what 53 year old Irwin Koss of DeWitt, New York discovered after a trip to the golf course. The proud owner of a brand new iPhone, Mr. Koss decided that...
Aug 20, 2007 - Posted by Christopher Breen at 1:29 PM ET
Totally stupid iPhone practical joke #1
I've yet to see a mention of a practical joke that can be played with an iPhone. So let me be the first to offer one—albeit one that will only momentarily confuse your victim*. Download this image, gain access to your victim's iPhone, and sync the image to their Photo...
Aug 20, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 2:52 PM ET
When it comes to third party iPhone apps, who installs the installer?
Installing custom applications on your iPhone has just gotten a heck of a lot easier. While it'll still require a dive into the deep dark recesses of Terminal.app, the trip to the command line has just been reduced into a couple of quick commands. Nullriver created an Installer application for...
Aug 21, 2007 - Posted by Jim Dalrymple at 9:01 PM ET
Apple updates iPhone software
Apple on Tuesday updated the software for its iPhone, bringing the most current version to 1.0.2. Notes accompanying the software update only say that the new version fixes bugs, but does not provide any details on what has been fixed. The update is available when the iPhone is connected to...
Aug 22, 2007 - Posted by Jim Dalrymple at 12:30 PM ET
iPhone sales may top Apple's goal
Analyst’s predictions have been all over the map since the iPhone was first released, but the latest projections actually sound very reasonable. UBS analyst Benjamin Reitzes said in a research note that Apple may sell more than 800,000 iPhones in the fourth quarter. That would top Apple’s own estimates of...
Aug 22, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 4:57 PM ET
AT&T reducing paper usage
Looks like AT&T has gotten tired of the negative press they've been getting over telephone bills that run slightly longer than an unabridged copy of War and Peace. I just got a text message from the company that reads as follows:We are simplifying your paper bill, removing itemized detail. To...
Aug 22, 2007 - Posted by Peter Cohen at 5:11 PM ET
Not charged up
In the iPhone's short stint as a shipping product, battery life has been a major topic of discussion for would-be owners. After all, before you slap down $499 for a device, you'd like to know just how much juice it's going to suck up. Apple's tech specs give battery ratings...
Aug 23, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 10:51 AM ET
Sending and receiving MMS on your iPhone, with a little help from your friends
The iPhone's lack of integrated support for multimedia messaging (MMS) is quite the pain. Fortunately, using the iPhone's built-in support for email you can work around this lack of functionality. With a little preparation on both you and your friends' parts, you can send and receive picture messages without too...
Aug 23, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 11:32 AM ET
Nullriver's installer contains graphic images
The Terminal's a scary place—I understand. For those of you who decided to forego hacking your iPhone if it required delving into the land of green text on a black background, the time for excuses is now over. The folks at Nullriver, who brought you the iPhone Installer, have now...
Aug 23, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 12:15 PM ET
AT&T says it will "gladly" unlock your iPhone. In two years.
Reader Leo points us to an article in today's USA Today about the tying of handsets to wireless providers. As we're all intimately aware, the iPhone requires a two-year contract from AT&T unless you want to undergo some sneaky trickery. This enforced "locking" of the phone annoys may consumers, especially...
Aug 23, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 1:53 PM ET
The iPhone is evil
At least according to Amber Schroader, CEO of forensic-software developer Paraben, interviewed for a Wired article about the iPhone and forensic evidence. You see, it appears that the e-CSI community can't extract forensic evidence from the iPhone in a way that guarantees the data hasn't been altered -- a...
Aug 24, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 12:35 PM ET
Unlocking the iPhone in ten sort-of-kinda easy steps
By now you've heard the news. Town criers are shouting it from the rooftops. People passing in the streets are whispering to one another, and even the animals have sensed that something is amiss. But in case you've just emerged from some sort of ursine-like hibernation, allow me to tell...
Aug 24, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 1:47 PM ET
iPhone unlocked *again*, now via software
Keeping up with the thrill-a-minute world of online news is tricky: by the time you write something, it's pretty much out of date. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to see, only moments after I posted a story about how to unlock your iPhone via hardware, a vastly...
Aug 27, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 1:46 PM ET
Apollo IM will someday be native IM for iPhone
We know how you feel: If it's not iPhone unlocking-related, it's something about the interminable hacks. Face it: with little new from Apple that doesn't contain the words "bug" and "fixes," mad hax0ring is the hottest thing going right now. Since its release, we've been eagerly awaiting the day that...
Aug 28, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 2:24 PM ET
$100,000 bounty on free iPhone unlocking
Methods for unlocking the iPhone seem to be coming out of the fake wood paneling around these parts, but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for more. A anonymous group of donors has offered up a $100,000 bounty for the code to unlock the iPhone, as long as said...
Aug 28, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 3:25 PM ET
The Hebrew Hackers
We noted way back when that the iPhone lacked the ability to display either Hebrew or Arabic characters in Mobile Safari. Fortunately, a group from Israel has taken matters into their own hands to enable the display of Hebrew on the iPhone so you can browse the Tanakh until your...
Aug 29, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 4:11 PM ET
The iPhone moves one step closer to sprechen sie Deutsche
While Europeans are still eagerly awaiting the arrival of the iPhone on the continent, there's not much concrete information to be had. All we have to go on is fairly vague information from Apple that the phone will make its way to European markets sometime in Q4. However, the initial...
Aug 29, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 6:37 PM ET
Another iPhone unlock method: class action suits
Who doesn't love a good lawsuit? Especially when combined with recent fad of unlocking the iPhone. Well, I suppose "good" might be a bit strong of a word. Sixty-eight year old Herbert Kliegerman is a bit put out that AT&T and Apple didn't adequately inform him that the iPhone was...
Aug 30, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 1:09 PM ET
Have iPhone, will travel
I've been doing a fair amount of traveling recently, and while the iPhone is great at letting me find my way about unfamiliar city streets, the Maps program is primarily designed for traveling in personal wheeled conveyances around the streets, and not so much for walking or—and this is key—public...
Aug 30, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 2:28 PM ET
Make your own iPhone stand on the cheap
You might call us "advocates of frugality"—after all, it's much nicer than saying we're cheap skinflints. So, instead of buying yourself an expensive case for the iPhone that doubles as a stand for watching videos, why not just make your own? But how? you may wonder. I don't have the...
Aug 31, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 11:48 AM ET
iToner brings no muss, no fuss iPhone ringtones
One of the first things I did when I got my first cell phone was create some custom ringtones. Back in those days, I had to actually sit down at my piano, pick out a song, and then program it into the phone with an archaic code representing musical notes....
Aug 31, 2007 - Posted by Dan Frakes at 1:01 PM ET
Apple vs. NBC: Touché
Apple's feeling a bit feisty this morning. Sure, the company's looking forward to next week's special event. But I'm talking about the latest comments on a particular iTunes Store partnership (or soon-to-be-ex-partnership, as the case may be). Back in July, we learned that Universal has decided not to continue...
Aug 31, 2007 - Posted by Dan Moren at 2:40 PM ET
iPhone dock app solves the "too many apps" problem
Intrepid iPhone hacker Nate True has released a new app that solves one of my major problems with the presentation of third-party apps. As I noted when I first began installing third-party native apps on the iPhone, Apple had clearly not designed Springboard (the iPhone's launcher application) to support more...
Aug 31, 2007 - Posted by Rob Griffiths at 11:33 PM ET
Installer.app makes iPhone mods simple
So the iPhone has been out for a couple months now, and I’ve pretty much left mine alone—no hacking of any sort, beyond trying out Ambrosia’s new iToner. Then today, fellow Macworld staffer Chris Breen pointed me to Nullriver’s Installer.app beta. Using this program, “hacking” your iPhone to support third-party...
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