iPhone Configuration Utility Is a Great Troubleshooting Tool

Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility 1.0.1, released late last week, isn't designed as an end-user troubleshooting tool. Instead it's meant to "create, maintain, and sign configuration profiles, and track and install provisioning profiles and authorized applications" allowing enterprise users to create configuration profiles for device deployment.

The Configuration Utility provides two functions, however, that can be very useful for troubleshooting:

• It can uninstall applications directly from the host computer. This capability can remove stubborn apps that cannot be deleted directly from the iPhone. Some third-party applications can cause systemic issues, which can be resolved through their removal via a host computer.
• It allows easy access to the iPhone's console log, showing application and general system errors, successful or failed attempts to connect to networks and much more. These logs can prove invaluable for pinpointing otherwise elusive issues.

The iPhone Configuration Utility is currently available only for Mac OS X as a 9.1MB download.