iPhone Buzz Week in Review – Week 35 2008

Posted by: Brenda Stokes  /  Category: iPhone News

News in the world of the iPhone has slowed a bit now that we’ve passed the launch phase, but there’s still plenty of tidbits and info to fill the pages of iPhone Buzz. With that said, let’s take a brief look at what this past week has held in store.

The App Store was in the spotlight once again this week as several new apps were announced. iVerse Comics will be coming to the App Store soon, which allows users to access comic books via individual icons on their iPhone home screens. An LED football game, that is very reminiscent of the old handheld games is on the way, too. BeeJive, which was formerly called JiveTalk, offers a more functional IM experience and is even outfitted with background notification should Apple activate it.

We got our hands on a leaked video that showed Last.fm v2.0 in action and Sharpcast’s SugarSync was revealed to be a MobileMe alternative for those who are fed up with the Apple cloud. Most interesting of all, however, is a possible Steve Jobs email that revealed an official tethering function might be coming to the iPhone soon.

The reception issues that dominated last week’s news carried over into this week when a series of independent surveys revealed iPhone 3G performance varies over regions and the networks themselves are what need fixing, not the phone’s internal antenna. Over the course of these tests, Orange France admitted to capping their 3G speeds, but now promised to raise them. We also got a good look at just why the 3G is so slow. It seems all iPhone users need to update to the latest firmware version–otherwise the users with the old version will continue to bog down the network.

Two new international data plans from AT&T were made available to iPhone users on Wednesday and though its intent was to lower prices, it’s still rather steep. A security flaw was revealed this week as well that made it so even password protected phones could be hacked by a few taps of the home button. But not to worry, Apple has admitted to the flaw and will include a fix in the next update.

If you’re keeping up with the Dev Team, you already known Pwnage Tool 2.0.3 is already out. Plus, a brand new iPhone magazine will be released on September 9th called iPhone Life that gives readers the scoop on the latest news, reviews and more.

Finally, this week we featured a review of the BlueAnt V1 Voice Control Bluetooth Headset, which features voice activation functions. And though the audio wasn’t quite as good as it could be, this headset offers functionality like to other.

iPhone etiquette 101: Keep your Network out of my seat, Verizon

Posted by: Jimmy Greenfield  /  Category: iPhone News

Sunday, August 31, 2008 — 9 a.m. — on my couch Starting Monday, Verizon becomes the second cell service to work in the Chicago Transit Authority’s sweet-smelling trains and tunnels. U.S. Cellular is the other one. What does this mean…

iPhone etiquette 101: Keep your Network out of my seat, Verizon

Posted by: Jimmy Greenfield  /  Category: iPhone News

Sunday, August 31, 2008 — 9 a.m. — on my couch Starting Monday, Verizon becomes the second cell service to work in the Chicago Transit Authority’s sweet-smelling trains and tunnels. U.S. Cellular is the other one. What does this mean…

Official tethering option for iPhone on the way?

Posted by: Brenda Stokes  /  Category: iPhone News

It seems Apple and AT&T are in talks regarding adding a tethering option to the iPhone. One user emailed Apple to complain about the lack of this feature, especially considering it is offered on most other smartphones for $30/month.

Supposedly, Steve Jobs replied and said:

We agree, and are discussing it with ATT.

Steve

Interesting. AT&T actually does offer a tethering option for their other smartphones for, you guessed it, $30 a month. But the iPhone has been excluded from this. For those who don’t know, tethering is a feature that allows a user to connect to the Internet through their cell phone. In effect, turning their phone into an Internet connection for a laptop. As you may remember, Nullriver’s Netshare was pulled from the App Store recently because it offered this very feature.

[via MacRumors]

Enjoy the long weekend/Be safe

Posted by: Jimmy Greenfield  /  Category: iPhone News

Saturday, August 30, 2008 — 1:36 p.m. — on my couch I know it’s not a holiday weekend for everyone reading this, but here in the States, it’s Labor Day weekend and the iPhone news is a little slow. And,…

Enjoy the long weekend/Be safe

Posted by: Jimmy Greenfield  /  Category: iPhone News

Saturday, August 30, 2008 — 1:36 p.m. — on my couch I know it’s not a holiday weekend for everyone reading this, but here in the States, it’s Labor Day weekend and the iPhone news is a little slow. And,…

Last.fm v2.0 Leaked Video

Posted by: Brenda Stokes  /  Category: iPhone News

Video of the Last.fm v2.0 app has been leaked and we’re now getting a sneak peek at what it holds in store. It appears you can listen to music based on tags you type in, whether that be an artist’s name, a style of music or even “Apple ad” as shown in the video included after the jump.

You can also tag music, create playlists, send it to your friends and even find out more about the artists you’re listening to. When listening to an artist, you can also choose from similar music and view touring schedules. You can even add a concert date to your calendar. Pretty cool stuff.

Sections for Top Artists, Top Albums and more are also available. You can also view your friend’s playlists and favorite songs.

[Thanks, Kevin Rose! via Twitter]

iPhone Life magazine launches September 9th

Posted by: Brenda Stokes  /  Category: iPhone News

We talked about the arrival of several iPhone-related magazines in Japan, but one will be hitting newsstands in the US in just a few weeks. On September 9, iPhone Life will be available by subscription or in local stores. The magazine features content that cover all aspects of the iPhone, from news, how-to’s, reviews and more.

Published by Thaddeus Computing, the premier issue features:

The 100-page premier issue includes:

• Full coverage of the new 3G iPhone
• Top software from the iTunes store
• 85 hidden features
• Best FREE software and web apps
• How to Rip DVDs
• Must-have accessories
• Safari surprises
• iPhone profiles of a doctor, rabbi, student, mayor, CEO
• Celebrities who have iPhones

Regular departments include profiles of people who have integrated the iPhone into their life, articles telling users how to get the most out of their iPhone, resources available on the Internet such as free software and support, and more.

From the publisher of Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine, iPhone Life will be available at most major bookstores. A subscription costs $25 for issues up to 2010.

NOW we know why our 3G coverage is so bad

Posted by: Jimmy Greenfield  /  Category: iPhone News

Friday, August 29, 2008 — 11:44 a.m. — on my couch The truth is out there (cue X-Files theme) but Steve Jobs leaves it to us to find it. What does this have to do with 2.0.2? Well, as you…

NOW we know why our 3G coverage is so bad

Posted by: Jimmy Greenfield  /  Category: iPhone News

Friday, August 29, 2008 — 11:44 a.m. — on my couch The truth is out there (cue X-Files theme) but Steve Jobs leaves it to us to find it. What does this have to do with 2.0.2? Well, as you…