phones

iPhone apps: Bad for Facebook, OpenSocial?

What does the iPhone 3G have to do with the future of social platforms like Facebook and OpenSocial? A lot, actually.

It's because of the iPhone App Store, the add-on to the iTunes Store that opened its doors on Thursday in anticipation of the new device and its iPhone 2.0 software.

With more than 550 third-party applications available at launch, Apple's new mini marketplace means that for the first time since the social-application craze started more than a year ago, the hottest new trend has nothing to do with Web-based networks.

"(The iPhone is) a device … Read more

Photobucket forges iPhone app, Ask partnership

Looks like some big-media deal-making went into this one.

Photobucket, the photo-sharing site that was acquired by News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media last year, has announced the launch of an iPhone application (download), just like everybody else.

Users can browse their Photobucket albums, as well as upload images from the iPhone to the service with a single click. The application costs $4.99.

But Photobucket had a more interesting announcement on Thursday, namely a multiyear partnership with Ask.com, the search engine owned by new-media conglomerate InterActiveCorp.

Through the deal, Photobucket will use exclusively Ask.com search for its … Read more

iPhone 3G: Hurry up and wait

This post was updated at 2:15 p.m. Pacific. See below.

They've arrived.

Apparently afraid they may not be one of the first people to get their mitts on the updated iPhone tomorrow, a few of the Apple faithful have taken position in front of the downtown San Francisco Apple store. At 8:30 a.m. Thursday, there were just two people and a tent.

Drinking a hot chocolate, and clad in a sport coat and tie, Dale Larson of San Francisco proclaimed the iPhone 3G launch would be "a way bigger deal this year than last … Read more

Why I won't spend money on the App store

Now that Apple has officially launched the App Store, everyone seems excited about the possibility of expanding the functionality of their favorite cell phone and doing more with the same old hardware. I can't fault them for feeling that way, but I don't see any reason to spend money on it.

Undoubtedly, Steve Jobs will come out in January at Macworld and discuss how well the App Store is performing, thanks to strong iPhone app sales and even a few iPod touch sales thrown in for good measure. He'll discuss the benefits of using the App store and why we should all buy up "some of the best applications in the world."

It makes sense -- Apple has a vested interest in the success of the App store and certainly wants to see you buy more software than download for free because it gets a piece of the pie on all profits.

But as for me, I don't see any reason to spend money in the App store and I definitely won't. It's not that I'm protesting anything or trying to stand my ground, it's just that I think there will be so many great free apps in the store that I won't even need to worry about paying for software.

It may sound a bit radical, but trust me, I don't think you'll be spending too much money in there either.… Read more

Photos: Hands-on with Pandora's Internet radio iPhone app

Apple publicly unveiled the Pandora Internet radio iPhone and iPod Touch application during the unveiling of the iTunes App store on Thursday, July 10. Tim Westergren, CEO for Pandora, was kind enough to give me a personal tour of the new application. The following is a synopsis of just about every question I had for Tim. Editors' note: This is not an interview transcript, but a roundup of information on the Pandora iPhone application presented in a FAQ format.

How much will iTunes charge for the Pandora application?

It's free.

Will the iPhone version of the Pandora application stream … Read more

iPhone firmware update 2.0 is live -- kinda

So this morning I got my hands on the new iPhone firmware update 2.0 from a direct link through Apple's site. So far, the Apple page is still saying that it's coming soon and there's no update through iTunes, but by following that link, you'll be all set.

All in all, the installation went relatively well and I was happy to see that it didn't take so long to download it and get it up and running.

So what's in it?

There's a lot to like in the new update for the iPhone. It comes with a link to the App Store (which works) and has all the pushing you're going to want out of it -- calendar, email, contacts -- and Exchange support.… Read more

iPhone 2.0 software is available for download

In conjunction with the App Store that launched earlier this morning, there's an upgrade available for iPhone users to bring their devices up to speed with the compatible iPhone 2.0 software.

There's not an easy path to it yet, but the firmware is on Apple's servers, MacRumors.com reported Thursday.

Twitter users reported that the software is 225 megabytes in size. The download is free for iPhone users and $9.95 for iPod Touch users.

The iPhone 2.0 software allows existing iPhone and iPod Touch owners to have access to the software features that will … Read more

iPhone remote control app goes live

As expected, iPhone and iPod Touch owners can now use their devices as remote controls for their iTunes libraries and Apple TV boxes.

The feature is now available as a download in the new iPhone applications store, which went live on Thursday morning. With the free, one-megabyte application installed, an iPod Touch or iPhone can use a Wi-Fi connection to control and search through an iTunes library remotely, flip around on an Apple TV, and control AirTunes speakers.

Most new Apple products already come with remote-control devices that perform the same functions, but using the iPhone download conveniently renders them … Read more

Okay, okay, I'll get an iPhone 3G!

My very first meaningful blog post here (after an introduction), from June 23, 2007, was titled "Why I'm not getting an iPhone".

Let me review my reasons at the time:

The original iPhone couldn't really do any more for me than my Palm Treo 650. The iPhone couldn't be used to connect my laptop to the Internet. No voice-memo support. No 3G networking. Not enough storage capacity. No native apps from third-party developers. No high-res screen.

Okay, what's changed?

Well, the iPhone 3G still… Read more

Apple launches new iTunes with App Store

Apple has launched the latest version of its iTunes Store a day earlier than anticipated.

iTunes version 7.7, available now for Windows and Mac, includes the App Store, a method for delivering third-party iPhone applications.

The download appears to have some quirks: for this user, the version number remained at 7.6.2, and no direct link to the App Store was available, but it could still be reached by linking here.

The newest version of the iPhone is due out Friday. The App Store will be preinstalled on the new iPhone 3G, but it will also be available … Read more