iPhone App Blog

Pretty much everyone is still reeling from Apple’s big announcement yesterday. Not only did Steve Jobs introduce three new/improved iPod models, but announced an iPhone price drop…a big one. Just two months after it’s release and iPhone’s price has dropped…wait for it…200 DOLLARS. That’s right, the 8GB iPhone is now on sale for $399.

That’s fantastic for folks that have waited for a price drop before shelling out the cash for this gadget. But what about the early adopters who bought an iPhone for full price two months ago? Well…they are really pissed. I’ll admit that I was really shocked about the huge price drop; I expected maybe a $100 drop and then another drop in time for Christmas.

The good news is if you bought an iPhone and are still in the 14 day return period you can take it to an Apple store and demand money back. For other early adopters there are fewer ways to get your vengeance on Apple, MacRumors and The Unofficial Apple Weblog both have good articles about getting something back from Apple after the 14 day return period has expired.

USA Today’s interview with Steve Jobs managed to get Apple fans into even more of an uproar. Specifically this exchange:

Q: What do you say to customers who just bought a new iPhone for $599? Sorry?

A: That’s technology. If they bought it this morning, they should go back to where they bought it and talk to them. If they bought it a month ago, well, that’s what happens in technology.

A lot of unhappy iPhone owners saw this as a big “F-You” from Jobs, but, seriously, that iswhat happens with technology. Almost everyone was expecting a price drop on the iPhone yesterday and, yes, it was a huge price drop and, yes, a lot of people feel cheated and, yes, it came extremely soon after the iPhone’s release. Is it really worth spending hours on the phone with Apple’s customer service for a $100 rebate or denouncing all Apple products forever? Well, probably not.

If you still want an explanation for the sudden price drop Apple 2.0 has compiled a rather comprehensive list. As always, the discussion continues at Techmeme…

One of the biggest complaints about the iPhone is the inability for users to add custom ringtones. There have been a lot of ringtone hacks around and even a ringtone maker download or two. Most, if not all, of these have required at least jailbreaking your iPhone to get them to work and then have to be re-hacked after firmware updates are released.

Well, there’s a new option in town. Ambrosia Software has just released iToner, a new iPhone ringtone maker that requires NO HACKING. That’s right, you can add ringtones to your heart’s content without worrying about re-installing them after the next update or bricking the thing and voiding your warranty.

And adding ringtones to your iPhone is as easy as it can be. Just drag and drop any MP3 or AAC files into the interface and then click the Sync button to add the songs to add the file to your iPhone ringtone options. There’s a free thirty day trial of iToner from Ambrosia Software, and the full download is only $15. 

Join the discussion at MobileWhack and Techmeme…

Last week’s announcement of teenage hacker George Hotz’s successful iPhone unlocking has generated a deluge of programmers promising easy unlocking software. Most notably iPhoneSIMfree had promised iPhone users a simple unlocking tool that would take only “2 minutes” to render the gadget usable on non-AT&T networks. iPhoneSIMfree even went so far as to demonstrate their hack for CNN.

After weeks of promising the hack will be on sale “next week” or “in 48 to 72 hours” iPhoneSIMfree has started selling bulk orders of the unlock. The bulk orders run from 50 licenses for $36 each to 5,000 licenses for $25 each. The hackers at iPhoneSIMfree are most likely trying to cover their collective butts due to the questionable legality of the product they’re selling.

So instead of just putting their butts on the line they ask you to become sort-of partners in their reselling scheme. This is mainly because, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, unlocking a phone is protected, but distributors of unlocking software are not. iPhoneSIMfree switching from retailer to wholesaler also opens up opportunities for folks to sell unlocked iPhones for insane prices.

Many iPhone users are rightfully sceptical of iPhoneSIMfree’s unlocking software. They offer no guarantee that the software will work once new firmware updates are launched, and there’s the questionable legality of the whole thing. While most folks agree that Apple probably doesn’t mind the hackers, AT&T is all up in arms about it. So if you’re chomping at the bit to get your iPhone unlocked, I’d wait until the guys at the iPhone Dev Wiki or some other hackers make a free, open-source version.

For more information check out the relevant articles at iTWire and ars technica. There’s also a heady discussion going on in the comments section over at Engadget’s article.

Well, I thought it was about time to do another iPhone game app spotlight. The iPhone is great for games and there have been a lot of great ones developed for the gadget. Some of these have been designed just for iPhone while others have simply been iPhone optimized. Today I’m going to feature some fun little games for iPhone.

First up, the iPhone version of the classic logic game MasterMind. In this game a pattern of four colors is chosen randomly; you then have to figure out the pattern. You’re given six colors to choose from and are told when you have the right color in the right position or the right color in the wrong position. This game can be maddening or challenging depending on how good you are at logic puzzles.

Next up, Othello, the challenging strategy game. Also known as Reversi, Turncoat, or even Iago, Othello is rather similar to chess or checkers in that there are two players; each trying to “capture” the other’s pieces. This game requires a lot of forethought and planning, and I am terrible at it. Luckily the player settings allow you to make the computer stupid and actually win…or you could play for real…whatever.

NES Roms for the iPhone have been getting some press lately, so guess what? I have some NES game apps here. First up, a really addicting version of Knock Out, the Nintendo boxing game. This version is a little tricky because you have to punch the guy and bob and weave and I think you need an extra hand.

Next in the NES game round-up is the all time classic Duck Hunt, complete with laughing retriever. The ducks can be a little hard to hit sometimes because they are so small and you may have to suppress the urge to destroy your iPhone if you see that laughing dog one more time!!! While it’s not the same as pointing a big hunk of orange plastic at your TV screen, it is a good time waster.

Last up in this spotlight is a new game made just for the iPhone. Now this game sounds deceptively simple, everything you need to know is right in the title, Stack The Log! Stack one log on top of the other as evenly as you can to gain the title of “STACKMASTER.” Thing is, depending on how off you are, you can end up with a tall stack of tiny, tiny logs.

Yesterday Cisco-owned online collaboration company WebEx announced a new version of its remote access software. WebEx PCNow ver. 3.0 is now compatible with the iPhone as well as several other mobile devices. Now you can access your home or work PC from anywhere and from any device.

PCNow is the only remote access service that is available for both PCs and mobile devices. With PCNow you can access desktop PC files, Microsoft Outlook, contacts, tasks, and appointments straight from your iPhone. Thanks to WebEx’s partnership with SoonR iPhone users can also make and recieve VoIP calls via Skype.

Programs like PCNow are allowing the iPhone to become a more business minded mobile device. Although iPhone has yet to become a heavy hitter in the corporate world, there are many applications and programs that are making it a little easier for business folk to let go of their Blackberries and other PDAs. Whether or not iPhone will ever replace those bastions of mobile business, though, will take time.

Meanwhile, WebEx’s PCNow represents a nice step in the right direction for businessmen and women on the go. If you’re interested, head over to PCNow’s website to take advantage of their free 30 day trial period. After the first 30 days PCNow offers many different package options depending on how many PCs you have.

If you’ve ever had trouble finding a clear station when using an FM transmitter in your car? If you hardly travel or live in a small town it probably isn’t that big of a deal, but if you love to go on road trips and use your iPhone, iPod, or other MP3 player you know how frustrating finding a good channel can be.

Luckily, the folks at Digital Lifestyle Outfitters(DLO) has developed a free app to help FM transmitter users to find open FM frequencies in their area. Designed to be used with DLO’s TransDock FM transmitter line, the app can be used with any transmitter. Simply enter a city and state or zip code into OpenFM to find the nearest and best open FM frequencies in the area.

This app is incredibly useful for people who love to listen to their MP3 players in the car during a road trip or long commute to work or school. Folks in big cities who have trouble finding signals from one area to another will find this service really helpful. Even if you’ve just bought an FM transmitter you can use OpenFM to find a channel quickly without fumbling around the dial.

After spending $600 on your iPhone the coffers may be running a little low. Luckily there are lots of applications developed for the iPhone that are designed to help you find the bargains you’re looking for. Whether it’s online deals, coupons, or deals on gas there’s an iPhone app out there to help.

Whenever you go shopping or to run errands the first step is to make a list. Now there are lots of iPhone list apps out there. Some are for grocery lists while others allow you type in any kind of list. One of the most flexible list apps I’ve found is iPhonedItIn, a list generator that allows you to type in what you need to buy or do, cross it off, and e-mail it off.

Now that you have your list and you’re ready to go you probably need some gas. Have you seen those prices lately? Ouch. Luckily there’s an app that helps you find the best prices at local gas stations. Simply type your zip code into Gas.app and find the cheapest gas around.

However, if you’d rather stay home and shop from the comfort of your couch there are apps that can help you find the best online deals. To find great online coupons there’s KeepCash. Just look up the name of the store and see all the online deals and coupons available right on your iPhone.

To just find really great deals on your iPhone check out iSave. Deals on electronics, games, clothing, and all kinds of good stuff can be found at iSave. Compare prices from many different online stores and find the best deal right from you couch. So make sure that you check out these and other great apps to help you save a few bucks.

This week Apple has released its second update for the iPhone. The notes on update 1.0.2 cryptically states that it includes “bug fixes” but gives no specific details. The 3.7 MB download only takes a few minutes to download, and there are lots of reports flying around as to what the update actually does.

Some users are reporting extended Wi-Fi coverage in areas where it was previously difficult or impossible to connect. Others are reporting increased speaker volume as well as fixing an issue with iPhone’s camera that caused a blue/green tint to cover photos.

If you’ve hacked your iPhone, though, getting the update becomes a bit tricky. Like update 1.0.1, hacked iPhones require a full restore to get the update working. Hacked iPhone owners will see the update as a ridiculously large 92.1 MB download. This is just because it includes the restore.

Of course restoring your hacked iPhone results in losing all of your hacks. Some users have reported that they have been able to choose past backups and restore their user settings. Of course there are now a lot of new and simple ways to get your favorite hacks and third party apps back.

While reloading your favorite hacks may seem like a pain it’s interesting to note that Apple has made no attempt to prevent future hacks. If we get up to updates 1.2 or 1.3 with no software to prevent hacking those who love to fiddle around with their iPhones may be in the clear. We’ll just have to wait till the next updates.

If you want to get super cool sweet third party apps on your iPhone, but lack the skillz to hack it then you’re in luck! Installer.app is a new UIKit based package manager for the iPhone that is super easy to download and use. It features a simple one line command download scheme that makes it easy for even the most technologically inept iPhone user to hack the phone.

The single command installer automates not only the Installer.app installation, but jailbreaking your iPhone as well. Right now the software is in its beta stages and isn’t backed up by any warranty or guarantee, but has been getting decent reviews. Gizmodo’s Jesus Diaz did a full step-by-step install for Mac OS X users complete with very nerdy joke picture at the top of the article.

Another good package managment tool for the iPhone is pxl. If you have a little more technical skill/courage pxl is a fairly easy and well recieved hack to get third party apps on your iPhone. To get pxl going on your phone you’ll have to jailbreak it yourself; a daunting task for non-hackers. Fortunately iPhone Central has a very long and detailed jailbreak how-to.

Not even two months after the iPhone’s release and Apple is already offering refurbished units at a $100 discount. That’s right; if you haven’t gotten an iPhone because of the rather large price tag attached you can now pick up an “Apple Certified Refurbished” iPhone at a bit of a discount.

The refurbished units are being sold through Apple’s online store for $100 dollars off of the ticket price making the 4 GB model $399 with the 8 GB model going for $499. Both refurbished models come with a year warranty and are eligible for AppleCare Protection Program which extends repair coverage to two years. Even with the $69 AppleCare Protection Program you’ll get your refurbished iPhone at a discount.

Now the fact that these are “refurbished” units might deter some potential iPhone buyers, but the one year warranty should assuage most buyer’s fears. The reasons that an iPhone may be offered as a refurbished unit are many. Maybe it was returned days after purchase by unsatisfied customers, maybe it’s a retired loaner phone, maybe it was defective in some way. There are a lot of options.

Apple’s online store also offers refurbished Macs and iPods and includes warranties on everything it sells, so Apple has a pretty good reputation when it comes to refurbished items. Buying refurbished items can be a bit of a crap shoot, but they can be a good way to get the newest technology at a discount. For more information check out the discussions at DailyTech and Information Week.