iPhone 3G S review

As we know from its WWDC unveiling, the iPhone 3g S is basically a 3G with some faster bits, more memory, and a better camera -- but is it worth the price of admission? Head on over to our full review for the answers you seek (and maybe some you don't)!

• BlackBerry Curve 8520 with T-Mobile branding walks in front of a camera
• T-Mobile myTouch 3G spotted in the wild, G1 starting to feel unloved

Unicom confirmed as Chinese iPhone / G1 provider?

It's been a long, arduous road to Shanghai for the iPhone, but its trip may finally be at an end. Sure, there are already thousands of the things in the pockets and purses of trendy Chinese right now, but an official launch there has taken ages. Last summer it was looking like China Mobile had scored the deal with Apple, but word is now that China Unicom may have completed the upset, posting up a page on its site detailing the iPhone's specs and including the phone in its list of supported headsets. The company hasn't officially confirmed the phone's availability or anything else, but word on the streets of Shanghai is that the phone will be launched there on May 17th.
Update: Looks like it has posted specs for the G1 as well, albeit complete with T-Mobile branding. Hmm.

Mysterious DirecTV iPhone app appears, imaginations run wild

You can already control your VUDU queue, home automation system and Netflix account with your iPhone, so really, why not your DirecTV set-top-box? As recent commercials have shown, the satcaster is pretty big on remote scheduling, and while this mysterious DirecTV iPhone app doesn't yet have a public purpose, it doesn't take much thought to conjure up a good guess. Word on the street is that this limited beta hasn't officially opened up for testers yet, but the image above shows otherwise. A staggeringly great Q4, an iPhone app on the horizon -- man, life's good at DirecTV.

Microsoft readies smartphone assault on Apple

Microsoft is gearing up to take on rival Apple in the smartphone market. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Microsoft is getting ready to launch an online marketplace akin to Apple's App Store. Microsoft is also readying a more sophisticated version of its mobile operating system called Windows Mobile 6.5, the Journal reported. Smartphones are sophisticated mobile phones that offer users access to the Web and email, as well as, provides phone calling and all kinds of other messaging options. This category of device is the hottest thing going in the mobile market and is seen as the biggest growth engine for mobile devices over the next few years. Microsoft, which only makes the operating software for these devices, holds third place in terms of worldwide market share, according to research firm IDC. Symbian, which powers Nokia's smartphones, is by far the leader, followed by Research In Motion with its blackberry devices. Even though Apple seems to be the most talked about smartphone on the market these days, it's only in fifth place in terms of overall market share for 2008, IDC said. But Apple is quickly gobbling up market share and has become a serious threat to Microsoft and every other company competing in the smartphone market. With the release of the iPhone 3G last summer, Apple has tripled its market share from 3 percent in 2007 to 9 percent in 2008, according to IDC. Meanwhile, Microsoft only grew from 11 percent market share in 2007 to 12.3 percent in 2008. Microsoft is facing several challenges as it tries to catch Apple's growth rate. For one, the company's business model is based primarily on licensing software to hardware vendors. While this business model worked fine just a couple of years ago, it's difficult to justify now given that device makers can get free software from Symbian, Google Android, and Linux. The second problem that Microsoft faces is that the company has been almost exclusively focused on business customers. Over the past year, smartphone users have gravitated toward more consumer applications. In addition, to their work email, they want multimedia functionality and social networking applications on their phones. "Microsoft is in a really tough spot," said Ryan Reith, an analyst with IDC. "It has to change its value proposition. And a big part of that is refreshing its user interface and making the device more consumer-friendly." Reith believes this is why it's critical for Microsoft to develop an application marketplace that can compete with Apple's App Store. The App Store went live last summer and offers thousands of applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch music player. The store has been very successful with users downloading thousands of free and fee-based applications. Microsoft already has a developer community creating applications for Windows Mobile devices. But the problem is that many of these applications have been geared toward business users. And there is not a single destination that makes it easy for users to discover and download different applications. "Clearly smartphones are not just for business users anymore," Reith said. "Microsoft needs to work with the developer community to get more consumer applications out there." Microsoft's executives have gotten the message that consumer functionality is hot. And Andy Lees, head of Microsoft's mobile business unit, told the Journal that the company is about to put more emphasis on multimedia and other consumer functions like music and photos. Microsoft is expected to unveil its new offerings next week at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona, Spain. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer will be delivering a keynote there on February 16. I will be there next week covering the news from the show, as will my CNET Reviews colleagues, Bonnie Cha and Kent German. But even with these enhancements, Microsoft has a tough road ahead of it. Competition in the smartphone market is increasing. And several competitors, including Android and RIM, are launching their own version of an application store. On the handset and operating system side, new devices are coming to market that could provide stiff competition for Windows Mobile devices. For example, smartphone pioneer Palm is coming out with new mobile software and a device called Pre later this year. And even though critics have been writing the company's obituary for the last year, the new device, which was unveiled last month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has been getting a lot of buzz. But Microsoft thinks it has the right enhancements lined up to take on these competitors, especially Apple. The Journal also reported that Microsoft is talking about a new synchronized data storage service called My Phone. This new service is supposed to make it easier for people to back up their mobile contacts, calendar appointments, photos and text messages, to a Web site. The service is similar to a service that Apple calls MobileMe. The biggest difference will be that Microsoft will offer My Phone for free whereas Apple charges $99 a year for MobileMe. It's too soon to know how Microsoft's new software and application store will stack up against Apple's offering. But one thing is certain, Apple isn't sitting still either. And if Microsoft or any other competitors want to hasten Apple's rise in this market, they'll have to leap frog Apple with something truly revolutionary.

• iPhone Carrier Update hints at AT&T MicroCell coming soon
• Rumored BlackBerry 9300 "Gemini" appears, Bold gulps

Microsoft readies smartphone assault on Apple

Microsoft is gearing up to take on rival Apple in the smartphone market. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Microsoft is getting ready to launch an online marketplace akin to Apple's App Store. Microsoft is also readying a more sophisticated version of its mobile operating system called Windows Mobile 6.5, the Journal reported. Smartphones are sophisticated mobile phones that offer users access to the Web and email, as well as, provides phone calling and all kinds of other messaging options. This category of device is the hottest thing going in the mobile market and is seen as the biggest growth engine for mobile devices over the next few years. Microsoft, which only makes the operating software for these devices, holds third place in terms of worldwide market share, according to research firm IDC. Symbian, which powers Nokia's smartphones, is by far the leader, followed by Research In Motion with its blackberry devices. Even though Apple seems to be the most talked about smartphone on the market these days, it's only in fifth place in terms of overall market share for 2008, IDC said. But Apple is quickly gobbling up market share and has become a serious threat to Microsoft and every other company competing in the smartphone market. With the release of the iPhone 3G last summer, Apple has tripled its market share from 3 percent in 2007 to 9 percent in 2008, according to IDC. Meanwhile, Microsoft only grew from 11 percent market share in 2007 to 12.3 percent in 2008. Microsoft is facing several challenges as it tries to catch Apple's growth rate. For one, the company's business model is based primarily on licensing software to hardware vendors. While this business model worked fine just a couple of years ago, it's difficult to justify now given that device makers can get free software from Symbian, Google Android, and Linux. The second problem that Microsoft faces is that the company has been almost exclusively focused on business customers. Over the past year, smartphone users have gravitated toward more consumer applications. In addition, to their work email, they want multimedia functionality and social networking applications on their phones. "Microsoft is in a really tough spot," said Ryan Reith, an analyst with IDC. "It has to change its value proposition. And a big part of that is refreshing its user interface and making the device more consumer-friendly." Reith believes this is why it's critical for Microsoft to develop an application marketplace that can compete with Apple's App Store. The App Store went live last summer and offers thousands of applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch music player. The store has been very successful with users downloading thousands of free and fee-based applications. Microsoft already has a developer community creating applications for Windows Mobile devices. But the problem is that many of these applications have been geared toward business users. And there is not a single destination that makes it easy for users to discover and download different applications. "Clearly smartphones are not just for business users anymore," Reith said. "Microsoft needs to work with the developer community to get more consumer applications out there." Microsoft's executives have gotten the message that consumer functionality is hot. And Andy Lees, head of Microsoft's mobile business unit, told the Journal that the company is about to put more emphasis on multimedia and other consumer functions like music and photos. Microsoft is expected to unveil its new offerings next week at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona, Spain. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer will be delivering a keynote there on February 16. I will be there next week covering the news from the show, as will my CNET Reviews colleagues, Bonnie Cha and Kent German. But even with these enhancements, Microsoft has a tough road ahead of it. Competition in the smartphone market is increasing. And several competitors, including Android and RIM, are launching their own version of an application store. On the handset and operating system side, new devices are coming to market that could provide stiff competition for Windows Mobile devices. For example, smartphone pioneer Palm is coming out with new mobile software and a device called Pre later this year. And even though critics have been writing the company's obituary for the last year, the new device, which was unveiled last month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has been getting a lot of buzz. But Microsoft thinks it has the right enhancements lined up to take on these competitors, especially Apple. The Journal also reported that Microsoft is talking about a new synchronized data storage service called My Phone. This new service is supposed to make it easier for people to back up their mobile contacts, calendar appointments, photos and text messages, to a Web site. The service is similar to a service that Apple calls MobileMe. The biggest difference will be that Microsoft will offer My Phone for free whereas Apple charges $99 a year for MobileMe. It's too soon to know how Microsoft's new software and application store will stack up against Apple's offering. But one thing is certain, Apple isn't sitting still either. And if Microsoft or any other competitors want to hasten Apple's rise in this market, they'll have to leap frog Apple with something truly revolutionary.

• iPhone Carrier Update hints at AT&T MicroCell coming soon
• Rumored BlackBerry 9300 "Gemini" appears, Bold gulps

iPhone Carrier Update hints at AT&T MicroCell coming soon

iPhone users in the US have recently been hit with a "carrier update" when they sync with their machines, and a little digging reveals that the package contains two "AT&T M-Cell" carrier logos -- suggesting that Ma Bell's upcoming MicroCell femtocell is close to launch. Still no word on how much the Cisco-sourced hardware will cost when it does arrive and we're still not super-stoked on the idea of paying a monthly fee to improve AT&T's own service, but if you've been patiently waiting to take matters into your own hands, we'd guess you'll be rewarded soon.

• iphone earrings will get great reception at your next party
• BlackBerry 8230 en route to Telus this month?

New iPhone in June? Somebody seems to think so

Apple has a habit of refreshing its iPod and iPhone-type products on a pretty regular schedule, so a new iphone in June really wouldn't be the surprise of the century, but now we've got word to that effect from the United Arab Emirates. Etisalat is picking up the iPhone 3G over there, along with providing support for existing iPhones sold on the gray market, but the writeup in Business 24/7 makes mention of a brand new iPhone hitting in June, which Etisalat will also get at launch. This could easily be a misunderstanding on the part of the reporter, a misquote, or a combination of signs, portents and omens, but it's certainly an interesting little tidbit. We'd have to think that anyone liable to get this story right would also be aware that a brand new iPhone would be worth more than a passing reference, but we suppose we'll just have to wait and see. Apple Insider also mentions rumblings of an upcoming iPhone having a fairly significant architecture overhaul -- that's mostly conjecture at this point, but might make sense (or room) for an iPhone nano. And you know how we love the iPhone nano.

• Crackulous released, promises to bust iPhone app protection scheme

Crackulous released, promises to bust iPhone app protection scheme

If Apple's sat back and let the iphone hacking community do its thing in peace (well, relative peace) so far, this little gem just might be what the doctor ordered to stir up the crap. Crackulous -- available now in beta form through Cydia -- claims to be able to strip the protection off most apps downloaded from the App Store, meaning that just a single user needs to take the plunge and buy a target app once to get it busted and into free circulation. You need a jailbroken iPhone to get Crackulous loaded, naturally -- you'll see apple make a Windows Mobile-powered device before you'll see Crackulous in the App Store -- but seeing how PwnageTool is dead simple to use, this puts most users just a couple graphical tools away from foolproof piracy and the golden opportunity to take a few hard-earned bucks out of a programmer's pocket.

• Flash on iPhone not so easy
• The MacBook and Blackberry Storm are a pair

Flash on iPhone not so easy

The work at Adobe Systems toward getting its nearly ubiquitous Flash technology onto the Apple iPhone goes on...and on, and on. Speaking with the Bloomberg news service on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen acknowledged that even after months of striving, a workable version of Flash for the iPhone remains a tough nut to crack.

No Flash for you - not yet, anyway.(Credit: CNET Networks) "It's a hard technical challenge, and that's part of the reason Apple and Adobe are collaborating," Narayen told Bloomberg Television. "The ball is in our court. The onus is on us to deliver." How much exactly are the two companies collaborating? Some reaction to the Bloomberg report has taken Narayen's words to suggest that Apple is pitching in like never before. But we've seen that kind of generality before in regard to Flash for the iPhone, dating back to March 2008, when Adobe first confirmed that it was working to bring Flash apps to the iPhone. And even then, it was apparent that this would not be a simple chore. As Adobe said at the time: "To bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone Web-browsing experience we do need to work with Apple beyond and above what is available through the SDK (the iPhone software development kit) and the current license around it." Two weeks before that, in early March, Apple CEO Steve Jobs had thrown cold water on hopes for a happy Flash-iPhone coexistence. The PC version of Flash, he said, "performs too slow to be useful" on the iPhone, while the Flash Lite version for mobile phones "is not capable of being used with the Web." However far along Adobe actually is with reconfiguring Flash for the iPhone, it will need a definitive thumbs-up from Apple to bring the technology to the public. So perhaps we should be paying more attention to this part of Narayen's statement to Bloomberg: "The onus is on us to deliver." In November, Adobe talked up a new push to broaden the use of Flash on mobile phones. "We are midst of evolving Flash Player 10 for mobile," Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch said at the time. "We're taking the full Flash Player and making that run on the higher end of the mobile market." Conspicuously absent from the presentation was the iPhone. Lynch said in the November presentation that the company was confident enough to move up its goals for making phones Flash-enabled. "We're actually going to get 1 billion Flash-enabled phones by 2009," he said.

Apple crosses the magical 1% mark in global phone market share

Look out, world -- Apple's on the hunt for that number one spot in worldwide mobile market share! Of course, it's got like a bazillion miles to go before it gets there, but achieving that magical 1 percent is always a day worth tearing up about. According to data in a recent ABI Research study, iPhones now make up 1.1 percent of all cellphones, which is a pretty nice bump from the 0.3 percent share the original iphone held in 2007. As expected, Nokia's still making everyone else look bad with 38.6 percent, while Samsung (16.2 percent) notched the silver and Motorola / LG tied for third with 8.3 percent apiece. Number lovers can dive into the links below for more where this came from, and feel free to dispute the facts 'til your heart's content down in comments.

• SOLiCharger Powers iPhones Through Every Means Under the Sun [IPhone]

SOLiCharger Powers iPhones Through Every Means Under the Sun [IPhone]

The SOLiCharger is solar-chargeable lithium ion pack for your iphone that can fill to capacity in four hours of sunlight. Priced at $40 and available now, the SOLiCharger battery pack (left) is compatible with all of your standard iPhone charging options (AC, USB and car), but its big claim to fame is the ability to recharge itself via bundled solar panel (right). The only catch is that the SOLiCharger contains only half the battery capacity of the iPhone, meaning that a theoretical 8 hours of sunlight would be needed to fill the iPhone entirely. But if you're stuck in the desert, your leg trapped under a rock, and just want to browse the NYTimes in your remaining time on earth, it seems like a feasible, decently-priced solution pending your blood loss is not too rapid.

• iPod / iPhone CES pavilion sells out in record time, quadruples to include Mac products -- goodbye, Macworld?

iPod / iPhone CES pavilion sells out in record time, quadruples to include Mac products -- goodbye, Macworld?

Damn, it hasn't even been a month since Apple's final Macworld Expo appearance, and it already looks like the show's in trouble -- the CEA just announced that its iPod / iPhone-centric iLounge Pavilion sold out just a week after being announced, and that it's quadrupling in size to include Mac-specific products and retailers as well. That means there's going to be 18,000 square feet of CES solely dedicated to the Apple ecosystem, and without the draw of an Apple product announcement to bring the press to Macworld, it's going to be pretty tough for it to attract the top-tier companies and product launches it needs to survive in the face of the CES juggernaut. We'll see how this plays out -- we've got a feeling next year's Macworld is going to be dramatically different.
P.S.- Regardless of what happens, we still think it's really unlikely that Apple itself comes to CES -- why would it ever want to share the spotlight?
2010 INTERNATIONAL CES iLOUNGE PAVILION SELLS OUT IN RECORD TIME; SPACE QUADRUPLED TO ACCOMMODATE CUSTOMER DEMAND
2010 CES iLounge Pavilion to Feature Largest Display of iPod, iPhone and Mac Technologies in Show History
Arlington, Va., January 29, 2009 – The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® today announced that the iLounge® Pavilion, a unified iPod®, Phone® and Mac® exhibition area at the 2010 International CES®, has quadrupled in size since its official launch last week. The iLounge Pavilion, co-sponsored by CEA and iLounge.com, will feature manufacturers and retailers of iPod and iPhone accessories, related products and services, and based on requests from vendors, will now grow to include leading Mac developers and retailers as well. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2010 International CES, the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology, is scheduled for January 7-10, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"We have received an incredible response from companies interested in exhibiting in the iLounge Pavilion at the 2010 International CES," said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, events and conferences, CEA. "In fact, the original space allocated for the pavilion sold out in less than one week – a CES show record - and we've quadrupled the space to accommodate the overwhelming demand. This exciting new CES Pavilion brings momentum to the consumer technology industry and reinforces the International CES as the global hub for the latest innovative technologies."
"Leading Apple developers and retailers are excited to have such an outstanding stage at the 2010 International CES," said Jeremy Horwitz, editor-in-chief, iLounge. "Whether they're showing off iPod accessories, iPhone applications, or the latest and coolest new Mac products, they know that they'll find the world's largest audience at this great new pavilion."
The iLounge Pavilion, originally floored with 4,000 net square feet of exhibit space which sold out in the first week following the launch, has increased to 18,000 net square feet. Exhibiting companies in the 2010 CES iLounge Pavilion, which will be housed in the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 2, include Griffin Technology, Mobis Technology, Pro Clip USA, Scosche, Incase Designs, Incipio Technologies, iSkin and GelaSkins.
About CEA:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $172 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,200 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - Where Entertainment, Technology and Business Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA's industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org.

• Telus launches BlackBerry Curve 8350i

OnPar's touchscreen GPS rangefinder could almost be a phone

If uPlay's uPro was the "iPhone of golf GPS technology," what then would you call this? Savant GPS has just come clean with what's likely to be the most sophisticated GPS rangefinder to date. The simply-titled OnPar measures in at 4.17- x 2.8- x 0.63-inches and features full touchscreen (3.5-inch) operation. It's also claiming to be the planet's first "GPS rangefinder with a dynamic hole layout display and GPS positioning that provides instant distances to anywhere and remaining distance to the green, personalized club averages, and simple score and shot tracking." The unit is designed to hold up to 300 golf courses with no membership fees or course map fees, and it'll be available for the taking (er, purchasing, we should say) early next month for an undisclosed price.

• T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900 review

New iPhone software improves Safari stability

The latest iPhone firmware update should be available Tuesday in iTunes.(Credit: Tom Krazit/CNET News) Apple has released a minor iPhone firmware update that is supposed to help improve the stability of its Safari browser. The update should be popping up Tuesday if you connect your iPhone to iTunes. Update 2.2.1 is the first tweak released since Apple added Google's Street View to the iPhone's software back in November with the 2.2 release. Despite the brief list of new features and fixes, this update is just as big as that release, weighing in at 246.4MB. As a result, it's taking awhile to download and install. I'll let you know if I encounter any problems, and likewise, please let us know if you experience any issues downloading and installing the update. Update 11:15am - iPod touch owners had an additional fix as part of the update. Apple fixed an issue with Apple Lossless files that tended to skip during playback, according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

• Samsung Memoir emerges in T-Mobile documentation

Six must-have iPhone freebies

Stream unlimited music to your iPhone or iPod Touch with the free Slacker Radio app.(Credit: Slacker)How do I love thee, iPhone (and iPod Touch)? Let me count the ways. Hmmm. Well, space doesn't permit me to list all 12,503, so I'll settle for six. As in, six free apps you absolutely positively gotta get. (Note: As with my previous batch of iPhone freebies, all links go straight to iTunes.)

• Mancala FS5 I love the Mancala board game, and this iPhone edition is even better. It teaches beginners the basics, automatically moves your beads, and supports Internet multiplayer! (You can even play against your AIM buddies.) Consider splurging on the $1.99 full version to enjoy ad-free play.
  
• NPR Mobile Though not an official NPR app, it lets you browse broadcasts by topic, series, and even commentator, then stream to your heart's content. It can also do a location search, great for when you're traveling and want to tune the car radio to the nearest NPR station.
  
• Slacker Radio Best. Streaming music app. Ever. I know some folks prefer Pandora, but I've always loved the Web-based Slacker and its robust custom-station building. The new iPhone app (pictured) is just plain fantastic. Read my full review here.
  
• Sportacular At the risk of ruining my geek cred, I do follow (and even play) some sports. Sportacular gives you scores, standings, schedules, stats, and more. It also lets you designate favorite teams so you can track them more easily.
  
• Stanza Remember the nine free e-books I wrote about awhile back? Turns out you can download them directly from Stanza, arguably the iPhone's best e-book reader. The latest version can also tap your eReader and Fictionwise libraries. Right now I'm devouring Charles Huston's exceptional crime-novel Caught Stealing.
  
• Topple Part Tetris, part Jenga, Topple challenges you to stack amusingly animated blocks as high as you can before the tower topples over. Great fun for kids and grown-ups alike. Again, here's my review.

Okay, you've got my picks. Now tell me what freebies are rocking your iPhone/iPod Touch boat these days. Try to stick with new stuff--everybody knows about Shazam by now. (And speaking of older freebies, here's an earlier batch of killer apps.)

• T-Mobile schedules the G1's European tour

App Store hits 500 million downloads: thanks, iFart

Wowsers, that little App store side project apple has going on sure doesn't seem to be settling down. After launching in July of '08 and hitting 100 million downloads in September, the App Store has just crossed the 500 million download mark -- a mere six months after opening. Compare that to the iTunes Music Store, which took two whole years to cross the 500 million mark, though to be fair we have little idea of the paid to free ratio of app downloads. There are over 15,000 apps in the App Store currently, and sure, 14,500 of them are crap, with the rest being tip calculators, but we gotta hand it to apple for pretty much unprecedented success in the mobile download space -- now let us download SNES emulators!

• Easy Writer makes email on an iPhone slightly less painful
• Yes, the iPhone went on sale at Walmart today

New browsing apps available for the iPhone

We're guessing that they won't surpass iBeer in popularity any time soon, but this is big news for the app Store: Apple has quietly started allowing Web browser applications in.

According to MacRumors, a small bunch of browser apps were recently let into the App Store. They include the free Edge Browser, the historyless Incognito ($1.99), the tabbed WebMate ($0.99), and something called Shaking Web ($1.99) that attempts to make Web sites easier to read. Previously, Apple had not approved third-party browsers for the App Store; its own Safari browser is preinstalled on the iPhone. Other browsers weren't allowed, citing "duplicating functionality." The browser apps currently in the App store all have some kind of quirk that sets them apart from standard browsers, ranging from a slant in design (Edge) to one in privacy (Incognito). They're all built using Safari as a base too. So it's not yet clear whether Apple will open the gates to iphone versions of completely separate third-party browsers, such as Firefox or Opera.

• Piracy prompts iPhone developer to put ads in game
• Eye-Fi functionality comes to iphone via new application

Piracy prompts iPhone developer to put ads in game

When James Bossert saw he that his Whack 'em All iPhone game had 400 new users in one day last week he initially got excited. But that sentiment quickly changed when he saw that only 12 people had paid 99 cents for the game on Apple's iPhone App Store. Bossert e-mailed the person who claimed to have cracked and distributed it and posted the response on his blog. "As many iPhone and iPod touch owners have discovered, Apple's iTunes App Store has many flaws which render it useless to the common user," the pirate, whose alias is "most_uniQue," wrote. "Apple has chosen to allow a multitude of ridiculous, worthless, poorly-represented applications through its 'strict' screening process, nearly all written by mediocre programmers with a dream of getting rich quick. Many of these programmers game the reviews system, misrepresent their application in the description, and generally try to swindle the honest buyer." The pirate then suggested that apple offer trial versions of the apps and that Bossert offer an ad-supported version of his game. "Most_uniQue" said he used Crackulous, "one-tap" cracking software developed by Hackulous, to crack the app. After cracking 35 apps, he is retiring, he told Bossert in their surprisingly friendly e-mail exchange. These pirated apps run only on iPhones that have been jailbroken, or opened up to third-party applications without Apple's authorization. According to Bossert, this is not an isolated incident. "Many developers are upset that the (Apple) digital rights management is broken and nobody has gotten a response from Apple, that I know of," Bossert, co-founder of Fairlady Media, told CNET News on Tuesday. "The pirates are so far ahead of apple now that ... games are cracked the day or the day after they are released." An apple spokesperson said the company had no comment. Bossert said he plans to release a free, ad-supported version of Whack 'em All within a few weeks as a result of the piracy. "I'll leave the 99 cent version out there and see what happens," he added. Pirating of iPhone apps appears to have been going on since at least last July with the pirating of the Super Monkey Ball from SEGA.

• What is the deal with the iPhone nano?
• Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXVI: iPhone Air jockeys for "best ripoff ever" award

Refreshingly, iPhone apes HTC with AniWeather app

All kidding aside, buying an iPhone and saying "gee, I wish this worked a little more like my Touch Diamond" really isn't a totally ridiculous thing to say. The topmost layer of TouchFLO 3D's one of the most refined UIs you can find on any mobile platform, and while we don't really see Apple ganking UI elements from it directly, independent devs are more than happy to do as they please. On that note, check out AniWeather -- now available in the App Store -- which looks suspiciously (nay, delightfully) like TouchFLO's weather widget and features totally wild animations that'll make even the most brutal weather conditions entertaining. What's next, a port of WinMo 6.1's 'Getting Started' app? Faceted replacement covers? Apple contracts with One & Co?

Monsoon brings HAVA Player for Apple's iPhone

Early last year, Monsoon Multimedia announced that the HAVA Mobile Player would be coming to S60 handsets; here at CES, we've learned that the same software is headed to Apple's iPhone. For those unaware, HAVA Player for iPhone allows HAVA customers to view and control their home television and services, including satellite and TiVo, from anywhere in the world. An on-screen remote enables users to change channels, browse the EPG and pause / view recorded shows from most any cable / satellite DVR in real time. Furthermore, iPhone users can also export their HAVA DVR recordings to iTunes (pictured after the break) to watch later, but those looking to take advantage will have to wait until sometime next quarter. Ah well, at least it'll be free. Full release is after the break.