Recent Articles

Is it possible that web apps can return from the dead? It seems to me that the 2.0 firmware pretty much buried the poor web apps six feet under. Even if they are not used nearly as often since we have 3rd party apps along with the App store, it seems as if Apple are quietly tweaking the iPhone for them.

According to a reader over at AppleInsider.com:

Today on the forums come a few hot threads from one user! ExBBUser want to know, what are you current top 5 apps from the App store? He's a newcomer to the iPhone and would love to hear your opinions! In this next thread ExBBUser wants to know do you use any other device in addition to your iPhone or if you still carry around your old BlackBerry, Palm, or Windows Mobile device? Would you be so kind to help him out?

The iPhone is an excellent traveling companion, whether you are still sporting the iPhone 2G or loving you some GPS-equipped iPhone 3G. Google Maps, music, movies, and apps are several of the features that make traveling more sublime, but all this functionality requires a lot of juice, and if you haven't noticed by now, you can't swap your iPhone battery when you've run it dry. What to do? Read on for this week's Tip!

A few weeks back we mentioned a little blurb about 4G and when we may start to see it. Even though AT&T announced its decision to deploy Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology for its 4G network, they are confident they can get more life from their 3G network by tweaking it, and in doing so give them more time to perfect their future network. (I know what you are thinking... maybe they should have taken more time to perfect their current network!)

Everyone's favorite (i.e. only licensed) LightSaber emulator for the iPhone just got a tiny micro-point bump of its own tonight. The change?

After 5 times, the annoying marketing screen for the paid Star Wars: The Force Unleashed App is permanently disabled. Says THQ:

Just want to let you know we are listening to your feedback and working hard to make Lightsaber Unleashed the best we can.

And may the force be with them for that!

Thanks Cherryhead25 for the tip!

Continuing the (very welcome) trend of rapid, bug-fix (including the nasty HD overwrite Dieter wrote about a while back!) and stability themed product updates, Apple has released its first minor bump to iTunes 8 (see our feature overview), the aptly numbered 8.0.1. The list of changes, voluminous by Apple's standards, include (via Macrumors):

Head on over to Apple Software Update to get the latest -- and hopefully greatest version for your iPhone. Then come back here and let us know how it's working for you, and... er.. whether it breaks anything else...

Searching for a unique case that’ll make heads turn? Looking for a case that offers great protection and adds superb grip for your iPhone 3G? Well then, the Speck Products PixelSkin for iPhone 3G ($24.95) just might be for you. With a waffle-like texture wrapping around the entire case it offers both daring style and a sense of security. How does it perform? Are all those squares really put to use?

Read on for the rest of the review!

Confession: I'm a Canadian. We schedule elections whenever the wind changes, have incredibly short 6-week campaigns with more parties than you can shake a maple leaf at (seriously, I think there's a Leaf Shaking Party as well!), and don't directly vote for a prime-minister anyway, so my understanding of the passion and prejudices that go along with every-4-years Red vs. Blue SuperElections in the US is next to nill. As long as you folks to the south keep using our hottie singers, actors, and comedians for those wonderful "television shows" you beam back across the border, I'm happy.

Taking a break from not buying Yahoo! and single-handidly driving the internet Monkey Boy dance phenomena, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer decided to throw a little advice Apple CEO Steve Jobs' way: Break up the iPhone! (Please!)

Right now, of course, Apple tightly integrates both the iPhone hardware and software, just like they do with the Mac. This gives them unrivaled fit and finish and ensures developers (and consumers) a unified platform, end to end. It also ensures Apple -- who makes their money on hardware, not software -- very good margins and, thus far, very profitable business.

Enter Steve Ballmer's plea, according to Ars Technica: