The iPhone Blog Week in Review August 15, 2008

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let's get started!

Here we go!

iPhone 2.1 Beta 3

Apple gives its developers a friendly reminder that these beta releases are "confidential" and to not let anything leak per their NDA.

Ahh, who cares, this firmware update is very exciting! The biggest news in this for me is the enhanced GPS functionality. We are getting THIS CLOSE to a real GPS option on the iPhone. The GPS is currently very quirky, and I was hoping that the 2.0.1 firmware update addressed this issue, but alas, I still have spotty My Location and GPS connections. 

Show me the Money!

Can a newcomer to the market (ahem, Apple, Inc.) really create a billion-dollar market place? Steve Jobs sure thinks so. Currently the App Store has revenue of about a million dollars a day... that is darn close to a half-billion. With the robustness of the iPhone OS, I can really foresee Apple leading the market in this endeavor. 

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Motorola T505 Handsfree Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone

Tired of using a bluetooth headset while driving? Perhaps paranoid of getting a ticket while driving with your headphones in your ear while you are talking on the phone? If so, then the T505 might be the solution for you! Casey Chan thinks this device rocks. Based on his review, I think I agree. What do you guys think?

Lotus Notes for the iPhone

Ah, I am still waiting for concrete news on GroupWise for the iPhone... but I digress...

This looks like a very viable solution for organizations not using Exchange or a BES. The web interface looks really good and over Wi-Fi or 3G should load very quickly. I think this is a perfect solution without having to "write" any software for the iPhone. Just build an excellent web interface. Novell, are you reading this?

Cut and Paste Concept

I know that Apple says that cut and paste is not a priority, but clearly some of us think so. This example of tapping and holding seems to work well without losing valuable screen realestate. There is another app that does a different spin on copy and paste. What methods do you prefer?

Best Buy to Sell iPhones?

I don't know if I like this idea. My experience of dealing with Best Buy retail representatives is spotty at best. Is Apple trusting Best Buy to deliver the same superior customer retail experience that people get at an Apple Store? Or, is Apple simply looking to sell more iPhones? Which is the priority? I mean, without selling them in Best Buy, Apple has a hard enough keeping 'em in stock...

Enigmo

Portable gaming on the iPhone is actually quite good. If you are looking for something different, check out the Enigmo review. 3D puzzle games rock!

Stream iTunes, to your iPhone?

That is right! There is a new app out there called Simplify. I think this is a great idea for folks who have more music that what will fit on their 8 and 16GB iPhones... did you get your free copy, I did :-)