Recent Articles

(Today's Lightning Review comes from BaLLi5t1c, a full review of the awesome Pandora Radio app (available on iTunes for free!). BaLLi5t1c gets a 25% off coupon to the iPhone Blog Accessory store. Want one yourself? Post a review in our forums -- full details here)

This is my first time writing a review for an iPhone app, partly because I just received my 16GB Black this past Friday and partly because I’ve been basking in the glory that is the App Store, and I couldn’t think of a more deserving app than Pandora Radio to review.

For those of you who have never heard of Pandora Radio, I’m sure you’re wondering what it is exactly and why I would make such a bold statement in my title. Allow me to enlighten you.

To put it lightly, Pandora Radio is a heaven-sent program/application that will allow you to stream music that you’ve never heard of but probably should have, music that you listened to many moons ago but somehow let slip into obscurity with those passing moons, music that is probably still in your current rotation in iTunes, and anything in between. Not too shabby, eh?

You might ask, “BaLLi5t1c, how does it do all of that without me hand-picking all of the artists and songs that I want to hear?”

During Apple's Q3 Conference Call on Monday, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook reported that, like the iTunes Store, App Store is not meant to generate revenue but to drive iPhone and iPod Touch sales. They've added 400 Apps to the 500 available at launch, bringing the total (at call time) to 900, though the percentage of FREE (as in beer, not speech) Apps has fallen from 25% (~125 at launch) to 20% (~180 now). Under $10 Apps remained constant at 90%. Seems like that's the current magic ceiling for many developers. And with over 25 million downloads and counting, they may be right.

What else is going on in App Land? Read on to find out!

UPDATE: Ask and you shall receive-ish. Apple has posted a Knowledge Base article detailing (part of?) the problem (via Macrumors):

Symptoms Updated: July 22, 2008, 4 p.m. PDT. On Friday, July 18, 2008 (2008-07-18) we experienced a serious issue with one of our MobileMe mail servers. This issue is currently affecting approximately 1% of MobileMe members. Affected members are unable to send or receive email at www.me.com or access email using any email client software such as Mail on a Mac or Microsoft Outlook on a PC. Products Affected MobileMe Mail Resolution We understand this is a serious issue and apologize for this service interruption. We are working hard to restore your service.

Original post after the break...

Can't keep a good iTablet rumor down, can you?

While Windows-based tablets have never successfully penetrated the mainstream market, a vocal contingent have long been clamoring for an Apple Tablet (iTablet, MacBook Touch, Safari Pad, etc.). Modbook rolls their own and Alex Lindsay of PixelCorps/MacBreak Weekly fame contemplated making one himself. Heck, even TechCrunch wants a FrankenLinFox pad!

If you own an iPhone and haven't browsed the App Store, you don't know what you're missing!  Then again, if you are reading this 2nd App Avalanche, you can get a taste of what's waiting for you in the App Store and maybe, just maybe, you'll not waste another second and start downloading some great apps for your iPhone!

With your iPhone in hand, let's get buried in some apps right now with App Avalanche 2!

For those of you waiting for another blog editor other than TypePad, WordPress users rejoice! WordPress for iPhone is now available from the iTunes store for free! Word came this morning from TUAW that the native app would be available today. You can read more about the application here. 

This app allows you to manage several blogs, create and edit posts and even upload photos to your blog directly from your iPhone. This is a strong competitor to TypePad's offering, especially since WordPress is free, though they do appear very similar. The one function WordPress for iPhone does this is unique is the ability to preview a post. Check out the gallery below!

Sadly, it's not all wine and roses blog posts and galleries here at TiPb, something about our server isn't sitting right with the app, it crashes on configure. Ah, full size computers: we wish we could quit you.

Another day, another potential problem with MobileMe? Fair enough, some Windows users were made a little hyper-sensitive a while back when Apple included Safari as a pre-selected update alongside Windows iTunes 7.6. An uproar arose, and Apple responded by shifting Safari slightly downward and into its own section.

Now comes word that iTunes 7.7 installed a MobileMe section into Windows Control Panel (similar to the Quicktime section) -- whether you use MobileMe or not.

Sure, we're hard on the BlackBerry here at TiPb, what with its aging operating system (it still has legs, sure, but one suspects they're coming up on the limits of the OS's capabilities), its tic-tac keyboard (although, honestly, I still prefer physical keyboard myself), and its sad little browser. One thing we haven't touched on yet, though, is how RIM (like every other Smartphone company out there) has utterly missed the boat when it comes to 3rd party application developers. You probably know where this is going, but Apple's App Store may just be the biggest deal of all the big deals that have come out in the past two weeks. Lest you think we're totally biased, let us point you to this excellent essay by a (former?) BlackBerry developer: "Galileo and Apples."

The Seidio Slim Rubberized Hard Case for iPhone is available here at the Phone different Store for $29.95.  With so many choices to protect and stylize your iPhone, how does this case measure up?  Read on for the full review!

Depending on your carrier, their terms of service (TOS), and your willingness to break said terms and face possible consequences including death-by-over-billing, you can now tether you newly pwned/jailbroken iPhone 3G to your laptop to share the mobile 3G internet connection anywhere and everywhere you go (your coverage area, of course, may vary).

The process is a little involved, according to Macrumors (via Cre.ations.net):