We previously reported that the recent iPhone update (1.1.1) not only bricks unlocked phones and wipes out third-party software, but also disables custom ringtones--even those installed using iToner, which had previously survived such updates.
However, it turns out that the update doesn't completely break custom ringtones. Apparently, iToner-installed ringtones remain on the phone after the update; it's just that the phone no longer displays them in the Ringtones list. In fact, if you set a custom ringtone before applying the update, the iPhone keeps that custom ringtone after the update--it appears as the chosen ringtone on the Sounds screen, and it still works (when someone calls, the custom ringtone plays). Unfortunately, the first time you view the Ringtones screen after the update, you lose that custom ringtone.
In other words, if you really want a custom ringtone, but you also want the latest iPhone software, here's how to get both: choose a custom ringtone, install the iPhone update, and then don't ever access the Ringtones screen (at least not until Ambrosia figures out how to get iToner working again.) Of course, this means you should choose a custom ringtone you can live with for a while; maybe a long while...
I guess Apple was telling the truth.
I decided to try the 1.1.1 iPhone update on my unlocked and hacked phone. The process went along just fine until the iPhone restarted. Then I got a message on the screen that I had an incorrect SIM. I took the SIM out of the iPhone and put it in my old Treo, and it worked--I called my phone and it rang as expected.
Guess I'll be headed to an AT&T store soon to try and get a new SIM card...
[Update]
Walked (well, more like ran) over to the nearest AT&T store. I told them my iPhone stopped working and that iTunes told me I needed a new SIM card (both true). The guy said no problem, and handed me a new SIM. He told me to install it, connect to iTunes, and activate the SIM with my existing account. Just got back, popped in the SIM, and no luck--getting the same errors.
[Update x2]
I went to an Apple Store this morning and had to wait a long time for a genius, so I made an appointment for the afternoon. Went in, showed them my phone, and the guy said "it appears that someone tampered with the software on this phone" and said there's nothing he could do. I asked him to restore it, and he said he tried, but nothing changed. He then pointed to the notice in the store that says not to hack the phone, and told me the only thing I could do was buy a new one.
I asked if the store's policy was that they can't fix it and won't replace it, and he said "yes." While I was there, I fixed another woman's nano who was waiting... oh, the irony. So I bought a new phone.
Bottom line, Apple appears to be adamant that you're screwed if you've messed with your phone in any way.
The iPhone 1.1.1 software update has proved a divisive issue in the Mac community. There are those who love the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and all the attendant features of the update; and those who have been frustrated with the bricking of phones for what they see as interfering with their personal rights.
But what of those of us in the middle? Who are happy to have the new features and fixes, but still wish they could hold onto some of the things that made the previous version so great: namely, the ability to run third-party applications. Over at Macworld, I've written a—I'm hesitant to call it an obituary, so let's go with a celebration of the third-party app community that may vanish with the new 1.1.1 update.
I'm hoping they'll be back, but if the lack of development on the iPod touch is any indication, there may be some serious hurdles to overcome before hacking is once again possible on the platform.
The iTunes Wi-Fi Store is undeniably the biggest upgrade in the iPhone's 1.1.1 software. The ability to buy music from your phone is quite possibly a killer app for the phone, and one that I've been looking forward to since its announcement at the iPod event earlier this month. But how does it work?
The answer: pretty great. I've already browsed and bought from the store, and I've got to say that the experience is as smooth—if not, in some cases, smoother—than the iTunes Store experience we've had for the past four and a half years. For one thing, formatting the store for the iPhone means removing a lot of the extraneous information you get in the full-blown version. Gone are the recommendation lists, the comments, the artist bios. Instead you merely get the option to browse featured songs and top ten lists. That's great, but the key for the mobile iTunes Store is unquestionably search—the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store is all about the impulse buy, and in that, Apple has succeeded. Searching the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store is fast and it's smart. I didn't have to type more than a few letters to find what I was looking for, and saving me finger taps means I'm less likely to be frustrated in my attempt to lay down some money.
Once you've found what you're looking for, it's a snap to preview any track by tapping it. Buying is easy too; just hit the price and it'll turn into a Buy Now link. Tap that, and you'll be prompted for your iTunes account password. Once you've entered that, the track or album will be queued for download; you can easily se your queue by hitting the Download button on the bar at the bottom.
But there are limitations. First off, as the title implies, this is the iTunes Wi-Fi Music store. You won't find music videos, movies, TV shows, or—sad to say—podcasts. This is a little tricky, since some albums include non-music items. For example, I downloaded the extended version of Motion City Soundtrack's new Even If It Kills Me, which has both a video and a digital booklet. Neither of these items were downloaded to my iPhone, and it took me a while to figure out how to get them on my computer (originally I missed the note on the album page in the Wi-Fi Store that read: "If you purchase this album, the next time you connect to the iTunes Store on your computer, you will also receive..."). If it doesn't prompt you immediately, you can also go to your account page on your Mac/PC, where you'll see a message about pending downloads. Hit the button there, and the missing files will be transferred to your computer. Pretty seamless, though I find it silly that I can't download music videos directly, since I'll probably just end up syncing them over later.
Furthermore, as again suggested by the name of the game, this is the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. Wanna browse and buy over EDGE? Tough luck. You'll see an error telling you that you can only access the store when you're on Wi-Fi. I'd prefer being able to at least browse and bookmark things to download later, but maybe we'll see that in a future update.
Also, the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store doesn't handle pre-orders. Mostly, it seems as though albums available for pre-order don't even show up in searching, though the one time I came across a pre-order album, which currently has a single track available (Jimmy Eat World's forthcoming Big Casino), iTunes popped up an error message saying "The item you've requested is not available." That's little surprise, though: as I said, this is about the impulse buy—you probably aren't going to find yourself pre-ordering a lot of songs from your iPhone, though, again, it would be nice if there was some sort of wishlist feature.
Other than wanting to see some other types of media available, the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store does pretty much what it says on the tin. It's not likely to provide a substantial chunk of iTunes sales in the near future, but it does open the door to making the consumption of digital media a far more pervasive experience than it's been to date.
Remember Bob from the iPhone guided tour (real name: Bob Borchers, senior director of worldwide iPhone product marketing)? Well, if you'd been missing his calm, reasoned delivery explaining all the features of the iPhone, never fear: Bob is back.
Apple's posted a new guided tour video that goes over the features introduced in iPhone software 1.1.1 made available today. The bulk of the video focuses on the marquis addition to the iPhone: the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. The iTunes store is actually pretty straightforward; I already purchased an album with no problem. Bob also gives a quick overview of custom ringtones in iTunes.
Other features covered in the update are the ability reorder cities in Weather and stocks in Stocks, the display of the Apple Bluetooth Headset's battery life in the menubar, double-clicking the home button to bring up favorites or iPod controls, and the ability to double-tap the spacebar to insert a period and a space. I had some trouble with viewing Mail attachments in landscape, but I think that's because it only works if the attachments are not displayed inline, as most images are; I sent myself a message with a PDF, XLS, and DOC attached, and those worked as advertised. I don't have the equipment to confirm how well TV Out works, but I can confirm the existence of Widescreen and TV Signal options in Settings -> General -> iPod, along with a switch for Closed Captioning.
Bob glosses over several other new features, such as the fact that speaker phone and receiver volumes are louder, alert volumes now match your ringer volume, and the ability to turn of EDGE data when traveling internationally (under Settings -> General -> Network; note that this does not seem to deactivate the GSM radio).
According to Bobbo, there are plenty of other new features in the update; the only I noticed that Bob didn't mention was the ability to change the alert sound when you get a new text message—but, for some bizarre reason, only text messages. You can't change the new email, new voicemail, or calendar alert sound. What's up with that, Apple?
Does the date September 27th hold any significance to you? For me, it's the birthday of my grandmother, one of my cousins, and my best friend from college (happy birthday, guys!). And now it's the day that Apple dropped the first featureful software update for the iPhone, version 1.1.1.
Just last week, there was some news on what features we might expect in the update, which weighs in at a hefty 152MB, and it sounds like all of those are in play, and a handful of others have been added as well. I'm installing the new package as we speak, taking my risks with the chances that it might "irreparably damage" my iPhone (though I haven't attempted to unlock my phone, I have installed many a third party application on it). The "Updating Firmware" bar is chugging away as I type this, but so far it hasn't complained about the presence of Nullriver's Installer.app.
We'll have more on the new features and whether we've still got compatibility with third-party apps in a bit. For more info, check over at the mothership.
Update: While installing 1.1.1 did not complain about Installer.app being present, when I started it up, Installer had disappeared. Trying to reinstall it via AppTapp put the phone into recovery mode, forcing me to restore the iPhone software via iTunes.
Update 2: Version 1.1.1 appears to also disable Ambrosia's iToner custom ringtone app, and I've finally lost the ringtones from the iTunes workaround as well. Looks like only Apple-sanctioned ringtones for now.
I confess that in the almost three months I've been using the iPhone, I've used it almost exclusively without the addition of a case. Mostly that's because the phone is just so slick, you hate to have cover it in anything, no matter how thin.
RadTech's Gelz ($9) case is a silicone skin that measures just 1.2mm thick. The rubberized material is slightly slick to the touch, and it fits around the iPhone like a glove, with openings for the screen, camera, headphone jack, dock-connector port/speaker/mic, and the control buttons.
From an aesthetic point of view, it's hard to argue that the iPhone isn't much prettier without the addition of a case. Everyone I knew who saw the case opined that it was garish (I tested a bright blue model), with one going so far as to suggest that it screamed "Hey, everybody! I've got an iPhone! Mug me!" Having tested plenty of cases for the iPod over the years, I'm not convinced that it's any worse than most of silicone skin-style cases, but the point is worth noting.
On the protective side, the Gelz case will keep you from scratching up the back of the phone, or the chrome ring around the screen, but without buying additional protection (RadTech charges $10 for an adhesive film), the screen itself is vulnerable. As that's the only part of the phone that I've actually nicked, that mitigates the case's use somewhat.
Unlike some other silicone cases, the Gelz leaves openings for the volume, sleep/wake, and silent/ring buttons. Because these buttons are even more flush with the iPhone than the thickness of the case, it can make it annoying to hit the controls. Fortunately, the case is stretchy, so you can sort of wiggle your finger in where necessary. The texture of the silicone makes the iPhone grippier, which is nice if you constantly feel like it's about to slip out of your grasp, but is somewhat annoying when it comes to getting it in and out of a snug pocket. Also, I found that the case attracted its fair share of lint and dust, and sometimes trapped particles on the phone itself; nothing that didn't come off with a good wipe when I took the phone out of the case, but it was a little annoying.
Overall, the RadTech Gelz probably isn't any worse than any other silicone case on the market, and it's likely cheaper than many. You may want to opt for something other than bright blue, though: RadTech also offers the Gelz in pink, white, black, green, and orange.
Despite all the developments in the native third-party space, let's not let web apps fall by the wayside. Google sure isn't: the folks in Mountain View have revamped several of their web services to be decidedly friendlier in Safari on the iPhone and iPod touch alike.
If you're constantly on the Gmail, you'll want to check out the slimmed down version of Mobile Gmail. It drops a lot of the superfluous information you'll see in the normal web interface, and it loads in a snap.
Feed junkies who haven't gotten their fix on the iPhone should take a a look at the iPhone version of Google Reader, which is far more lightweight and easier to browse than it's full counterpart.
Finally, the biggest changes are afoot at Google Calendar. By default, it now uses a simple display mode that's similar to the built-in Calendar's list view, showing you your upcoming events color-coded by virtue of what calendar they're on.
Add that in with Maps, and Google and the iPhone seem poised to be best friends 4ever. I just hope they can avoid the inevitable squabbles over popstar crushes.
