Apple Releases iPhone OS 3.1 for iPhone & iPod Touch

At yesterday’s “It’s Only Rock and Roll” event not only did we get new iPods, but Apple also made available the new iPhone OS 3.1 for download.  The full list of features is here, however here’s a brief overview of what goodies you’ll find:

• Improved syncing for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and photos
• iTunes U content organization
• Redeem iTunes Gift Cards, codes, and certificates in the App Store
• Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store
• Save video from Mail and MMS into Camera Roll
• Option to “Save as new clip” when trimming a video on iPhone 3GS
• Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on
• Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe
• Use Voice Control on iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets
• Paste phone numbers into the keypad
• Option to use Home button to turn on accessibility features on iPhone 3GS
• Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing)
• Improved Exchange calendar syncing and invitation handling
• Fixes issue that cause some app icons to display incorrectly

As usual, iPhone OS 3.1 is free for iPhone users but will cost iPod Touch owners $4.95 (unless they already have OS 3.0, in which case it’s free for them too).

Source: MacRumors.

iPhone and iPod Touch Jailbreak Explained

If you’re not familiar with the term ‘jailbreak’ as it relates to your iPhone or iPod Touch, then this post is for you. If you’re an old pro at the practice, then you can probably skip this one.

You’ve probably heard the term before: “jailbroken iPhone” or seen people discussing it in other forums. However, if you don’t know what it is but you do own either an iPhone or iPod Touch then you should at least familiarize youself with what it is or does. This post will not show you how to do it, rather my intentions here are to educate people about it and the ins and outs of jailbreaking.

The iPhone and iPod Touch are closed platforms, meaning they are not open for you to do whatever you want with them. When you activated your device, you agreed to abide by Apple’s rules, by only using your device in a manner that is approved by it’s manufacturer. In short, jailbreaking your device is the antithesis of this agreement, breaking it out of Apple’s “jail.”

Apple continues to make news with their App Store as they approve some pretty crazy apps while denying others into the app store. In fact, recently all Google Voice apps were pulled from the app store even after they had been allowed for multiple months. The whole purpose behind the jailbreak movement is to free your device from Apples tight, controlling grip and allow you to do things with it that are not approved or sanctioned by Apple. One classic example of this is installing apps that are not part of the Apple App Store. Another very common practice for jailbreaking is the process of unlocking your iPhone to use it on another carrier. In order to perform the unlock, the device must first be jailbroken.

There are various groups of hackers out there that pride themselves in continuing to defeat Apple’s efforts to thwart the jailbreaking and unlocking communities. After all, Apple has a vested interest in keeping the device closed and operating solely within their guidelines. Some of these interests would include the revenue from apps that would only be distributed on the App Store but also the ability to ensure that apps that you are installed have at least passed Apple’s sniff test for quality. They also want to make sure that the iPhone, which is locked to AT&T here in the U.S. stays on the AT&T network, since they would likely earn more money from the AT&T exclusivity agreement. There are also countless other reasons why Apple would want the devices closed, but I wont get into any further reasons on this post since this is more of an introduction to Jailbreaking.

Jailbreaking is in no way supported by, endorsed by or even sanctioned by Apple. In fact, when you activated your device you agreed to the End User License Agreement and in that agreement, you agreed not to modify the device or software installed on it. You also agreed that in the event that you do decide to modify either that your warranty is null and void at that moment. The reason for this is that Apple doesn’t want to be responsible for you messing up your device through unauthorized modifications. So if your jailbreak or unlock “bricks” your device it’s you who’s responsible, not Apple. You can’t come crying to them for a warranty replacement.

The other significant drawback to jailbreaking your device is software upgrades. Apple releases frequent iPhone and iPod Touch software upgrades. In nearly every software upgrade thus far, Apple has taken steps to close the hole in which the jailbreaking community gains access to the device. So, whenever there’s a new firmware update, you’re device will be set back to Apple’s closed platform and you’ll have to wait until the hackers out there release a new version of the jailbreak. This can be somewhat overcome if you wait to upgrade your device until the new jailbreak is released. However, the cat and mouse game can be tiresome and tedious to follow and keep up with.

We should also remember that jailbreaking and upgrading are not bullet proof. Shortly after the release of the original iPhone in 2007 the jailbreaking and unlocking community were having a field day with the iPhone. Unlocked iPhones were being sold on eBay at significantly higher prices to markets around the world that did not yet have the device. In Octover of 2007 Apple released a firmware update and with it, a stern warning to unlockers that their precious iPhones would become inoperable if the update was applied to an unlocked device. As you can well imagine, many people’s iPhone’s were turned into “i-bricks” by the update. Apple later relented and released another update that reversed the bricking and restored the phone to a locked status, but this is clear evidence that playing in the jailbreak world can be risky.

The pros of jailbreaking are pretty enticing. One of the Google Voice apps that was recently pulled from Apple’s App Store showed up on Cydia (the app installer used to install apps on jailbroken iPhones and iPods) today, just a day after Apple pulled it from their App Store it showed up on the “underground” app store. Also via Cydia can you get true, run in the background applications - a feature that Apple has thus far refused to open to “legit” developers. Jailbreak developers are not bound by Apple’s terms, hence you can find some pretty decent apps in the “grey” market.

A word of caution. If you are contemplating jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod Touch then we would caution you in doing so. While the jailbreaking community has tried to make the process easy and seamless it is not without it’s risks and problems. If you are not technically savvy then we’d recommend you just stay away altogether. However, if the warnings of jailbreaking don’t have you scared away then Google is your friend in finding more information.

Note: Here at AppChatter.com we do not support nor endorse the practice of Jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod Touch (none of our devices are or have been jailbroken) and issue this warning: Jailbreak at your own risk! If you render your device inoperable it is your responsibility and nobody else’s.

A Tour of the iPhone 3GS Camera, Sample Pics [Part 1]

Part 1 of 2, Still Picture Mode:

In 2007, while other phone manufacturers were producing cell phones with 5MP cameras or higher, Apple chose to launch the original iPhone with a week 2MP, fixed lens camera. Then in 2008, with the introduction of the iPhone 3G, Apple chose to leave the camera untouched essentially continuing with the same lousy camera they introduced with the first iteration iPhone while disappointing many iPhone users (myself included). With the release of the iPhone 3GS one of the biggest improvements that previous iPhone users will see is the new 3.2MP camera.

iPhone	iPhone 3GS
Taken at the Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City, looking northward toward the Apple Store.

Finally, with Apple’s third installment of the iPhone they have chosen to improve the onboard camera, and improve they did.  Granted, the megapixel count didn’t increase much (it’s now 3.2MP vs. 2MP), but they introduced a few key features that makes this camera shine: autofocus, spot focus, spot metering and more.  Images from the new iPhone 3GS are considerably sharper, have noticeably more detail and are easily worthy of printing by your favorite photo printer (I wouldn’t say that for the first two iPhones) so long as you stay in the smaller sizes (3×5 or 4×6).

If you’ve read many of my posts before then you will know by now that I’m kind of a photography buff, so this post was not only necessary for me to write, it was also a lot of fun to produce.  Over the past couple of weeks I’ve taken my new iPhone out on a few photo outings.  I’ve tried to lug around my old iPhone too, for comparison sake, and you’ll see below that the results are pleasing and in many cases startling.

Let’s take a look at the technical specs of the cameras offered in the iPhone:

	iPhone	iPhone 3G	iPhone 3GS
Autofocus	No	No	Yes
Spot Focus (touch screen)	No	No	Yes
Spot Metering (touch screen)	No	No	Yes
Image/Video Geo Tagging	No/n/a	Yes/n/a	Yes/Yes
Image Size	1600 X 1200	1600 X 1200	2048 X 1536
Pixel Count (MP)	1,920,000 (1.9)	1,920,000 (1.9)	3,145,728 (3.1)
Video	No	No	Yes, VGA (640×480) 30fps with Audio
Flash	No	No	No

Camera Controls, Spot Focus, Spot Metering
One thing to notice immediately is that with iPhone OS 3.0 the interface has changed somewhat. Now you see a small thumbnail of your previously taken picture in the bottom corner. On an iPhone 3GS, you also see a slider button to toggle between video and still mode (video functions to be covered in a later post). However, what’s more is that you now get the focus square in the middle of the screen when the camera is focusing and adjusting aperture.

iPhone 3GS Camera Interface

Note the still/video toggle and also the small square in the image which is where I touched on the screen for spot focus/metering

Touch anywhere on the screen and that is the spot that the camera will focus and take it’s metering from. This is a very cool function, one that we will likely see in high-end dSLR cameras in the future (mark my words!) and you saw it here first!! (well, on your iPhone 3GS first). Why is this function so important and cool? Well, with any typical camera these days, in order to “spot” focus or “spot” meter you must point the center of the camera at the point that you want to focus/meter, half press the shutter button, re-frame your subject then follow through on the shutter release. Well, not with the iPhone 3GS. Simply frame you subject, touch the screen where you want focus to be, and touch the shutter release button. Wrong exposure? No problem, just touch somewhere else and allow the phone to re-focus and re-meter that spot then retake the pic. Here’s a couple of samples to demonstrate this feature:

iPhone 3GS Spot Focus/Metering Demo
Focus/Metering on Tree Note the detail in the tree.	Focus/Metering on Flower Note the detail in the flower.
Focus/Metering on Desk	Focus/Metering on Window

Macro
If you are a macro photographer then you will appreciate the new minimum focus distance of the new iPhone 3GS’ camera. Macro shots, albeit not as sharp as even a P&S camera, are now possible.

iPhone	iPhone 3GS
Comparison Macro between iPhone and iPhone 3GS.

Conclusion
The new camera offered in the iPhone 3GS is a significant step up from the previous two offerings. Now, having said that, I wouldn’t call the camera superior to all phone-mounted cameras, but it is a refreshing improvement. If you’re a hardcore photographer then by all means, don’t consider this camera for much of anything. However, if you’re a photo buff and like to experiment and would find value in these new features, then this will be a nice improvement to your phone.

Pros

• Significantly better than previous iPhone cameras.
• Spot Focus and Metering are welcome additions, and make using the camera function much more enjoyable.
• Auto focus is finally here.
• Video (See follow on post that will discuss this in greater detail).
• Much improved detail in images (due mainly to auto focus)
• 150% more megapixels than previous iPhone cameras, although 3.2MP is nothing to scream about.
• Much improved low-light capabilities, albeit far from what I’d like to see.

Cons

• Still lags behind the competition in camera resolution.
• No flash.
• Still not a point and shoot replacement (yes, I know it’s a phone first - it’s all about device convergence).
• Ity, bity, tiny lens. Until this is bigger, not much here will change.
• Still no physical camera buttons for shutter release or even to switch to camera mode.  You must use the touch interface.
• No self-timer.

Samples

iPhone	iPhone 3GS

Post your feedback in the comments, I’d love to hear what you think. Also, if you liked this post, there are many similar others so take a poke around.

Note: All images in this post are © Copyright 2009 by Rob Lyons and AppChatter.com.

How To: Easily Remove (some) Apple App Icons

I see and hear complaints all the time of people wanting to remove pre-installed applications from Apple off of their iPhone or iPod Touch.  Everybody knows by now that to remove an app installed from the App Store simply touch and hold the app icon until all the icons jiggle.  Once the icons start to jiggle the non-Apple apps will have a black “X” badge in the corner of them.  Touch there to remove that app from your device.  But what if you want an Apple app removed?  There is no black “X” badge that appears for Apple apps, so that doesn’t work.

With the introduction of iPhone OS 3.0 Apple added Parental Controls called “Restrictions.”  Using the Restrictions function you can block access to all sorts of content on the device - including a few applications.  While not a surefire way to remove all of the Apple icons from the springboard, you can use Restrictions to block access (ie: remove) to a few of the Apple installed applications such as Safari, YouTube, Camera, iTunes and App Store.  You’re still stuck with the other Apple apps such as Notes, Calendar, Weather, Stocks, Mail, etc.  But for these few applications turning them off and hiding their icons is easy.

To use Restrictions to hide the icons of these apps you must first enable it in the Settings app. Navigate to Settings, select Restrictions,  enable Restrictions, and enter a passcode.  Now you can easily turn off the apps that you don’t want showing up anymore.  That’s it! You’re done!  If you need help on how to enable Restrictions via step by step then see our earlier post: Tour of Parental Controls.

A Tour of Parental Controls on iPhone OS 3.0

Apple’s recent release of the iPhone OS 3.0 has brought a lot of new functionality to the iPhone and iPod Touch. We now have the long awaited push notifications, the ability to search our devices (spotlight), as well as copy and paste.  However, it has also brought a whole new level of worry for parents.

This new OS allows a higher degree of parental controls and lock outs, which is good.  However, with the new parental controls in place, Apple decided they could start releasing more explicit apps in the iTunes App Store.  There is a new rating of 17+, which opens the door now for apps containing full nudity and porn to be submitted for sale on iTunes.  In fact, one such app was released Wednesday.  It was later pulled from the App Store, but not because Apple didn’t approve.  Rather, it was pulled because the developer’s servers were at capacity. [Update: Apple did indeed remove the application in question after they realized the developer had remotely changed the content to include nude photos.]  It seems the introduction of these types of apps is imminent.

So, we decided it was high time we got information out there on how parents can keep their kids, and themselves, safe.  Enabling parental controls, called “Restrictions,” on an iPhone or iPod Touch is very easy.

1. Open the Settings app

2. Tap on General

3. Scroll down the page and tap on Restrictions

4. You will then be asked to setup a four number passcode. Remember what you enter here, as you will need to re-enter the passcode to make changes to parental controls in the future.

5. At the top is a button to enable restrictions.  Touch there.  Now there is a section for apps that you can choose to allow or block.  These apps include: Safari (an internet browser), You Tube, iTunes, Installing Apps, and Location.  The bottom section of the screen allows you to block or limit the content that can be viewed on the device.  You can allow or block In-App Purchases, block explicit Music & Podcasts, and choose the acceptable rating for Movies, TV Shows, and Apps.

Any content on the iPod or iPhone that does not meet the restrictions you place on the device should simply disappear once you have set the restrictions.  After you have adjusted the settings, exit the app.  The restrictions will not be accessible again without the passcode you put in place.

One further word of caution.  Placing restrictions on an iPhone or iPod does not guarantee that your child will never run across anything that you don’t want them to see or hear.  I have run across some apps that I found offensive that only had a rating of 4+.  I would never allow my 5 year old to play with them.  They are inappropriate for that age group.  Furthermore, you should not consider the new parental controls as an end-all to keeping your kid’s away from this content. Most know that they could just launch Safari and browse any of the millions of porn sites already on the web. There is no substitute for staying involved in our kids lives and being aware of what things they are viewing and listening to.  That having been said, the parental controls that are there help block most of the content you’d like to keep from your kids and make these devices a little safer for all.

For more information, or to watch a step by step tutorial, check out our video on parental controls coming soon to YouTube.

A Tour of Voice Control on the new iPhone 3GS, with Video

One of the great new features of the new iPhone 3GS is Voice Conrol.  This new feature allows you to call contacts, dial phone numbers, play music and more.  While voice control for a phone is not new, it is new for the iPhone and it is only available on the new iPhone 3GS. I did a quick video tour of Voice Control this evening, just jump to the end to skip the written stuff…

Voice Control is launched by holding down the home button while on any screen, even if the phone is locked.  Once it launches, you hear a couple of beeps which indicate that it is ready for your voice command.  There are a number of things that you can say, such as “play songs by … ” or “next song” or “shuffle.”  You can also ask what song is playing or what artist and a few other iPod commands.  For dialing phone numbers simplay say: “call <contact>” or “dial <phone number>.”

Here’s a list of commands:

Command	What to say
Get basic help	Say “help”
Call someone in contacts	Say “call” or “dial” then the name in the contacts list. If the person has more than one number you can elaborate and say “mobile” or “home.”
Dial a phone number	Say “call” or “dial” and then the phone number.”
Make a correction	Say “wrong”, “not that one”, “no”, “nope.”
Control Music Playback	Say “play songs by ,” or “play artist “, “play album “, “play playlist .”
iPod Control	Say “pause,” or “next song,” or “pause music,” or “previous song,” or “shuffle.”
More information	Say “what song is this,” or “what’s playing,” or “who sings this song,” or “who is this song by.”
Genius	Say “genius,” or “more songs like this,” or “play more songs like this one.”
Cancel	Say “cancel.”

The voice command list is rather short, but it’s not bad for a first iteration. We were hoping to see the ability to launch applications (like the new voice memo’s app?) but that function is noticeably missing. We can only assume that a future software update will enhance this feature further and we look forward to those enhancements. Also, I tried to use the voice function using a Plantronics bluetooth headset but no-go. You must hold down the home button (or Apple pause button on included headset) to launch. It will also not use the mic on your bluetooth device, so keep the phone close … or use the included headset.

The good: very accurate, even understands my 5yo when he speaks at it (which he loves to do). Easy to launch (home button for 3 seconds or headphone pause button for 3 seconds).

The not-so-good: A rather short list of commands. Does not work with many bluetooth devices.

iPhone 3GS vs. iPhone Speed Tests Video

We’re mostly an iPhone applications blog but since we’ve had our hands on a new iPhone 3GS we can’t stop posting about it. So today I took a few minutes to see if the “S” for “Speed” in “3GS” really meant it. Results: we’re impressed.

We pit the original iPhone against the 3GS in a number of application launches as well as web pages loads/renderings (both on WiFi for fairness). While we realize that most of you out there have the 3G you should know that the original iPhone and the 3G share the same processor, graphics chips, and RAM (as well as many other things). So this test isn’t completely invalid for all you 3G owners out there. In fact, there are several similar tests that pit the two 3G phones against each other and it’s clear, the “S” really does mean “Speed.”

So if you’re like me and have been hanging onto your antiquated iPhone 2G (err, first gen), waiting for a good reason to upgrade, that day may have actually come. Check the video and see for yourself:

iPhone 3GS Unboxing Video and Major Photo Gallery

Since I live in a semi-rural area I wasn’t expecting our iPhone shipment until later today.  So when the doorbell rang at 8:30am this morning you could imaging my surprise (and delight!) that our new phone had come earlier than we were expecting.  So, without any further delay, here’s our first ever unboxing pictures and video here at AppChatter.com.

When UPS came I asked if he had something from Apple.  He said this was all he had.  I was expecting a bigger box like the ones seen in the AT&T video.  Nope.  Here’s our iPhone 3GS Unboxing and Mega Photo Gallery.  Video is after the jump…

Note: iPhone is a 32GB model, black (obviously).

A Tour of Push Notifications Using Textfree Unlimited

The day has finally come that push notifications are available for iPhone and iPod Touch with the new firmware 3.0 update.  This capability is one that many iPhone/iPod Touch users have been anticipating for some time now.  It will enhance the usefulness and function of many apps.  One app in particular caught my interest.  So, I took a look at exactly how Textfree Unlimited will work with this new function.

The addition of push notifications to Textfree Unlimited allows you to receive a notification when you receive a text using the app.  When you open up your Textfree app, it will ask you if you want to allow push notifications (the most recent update is required).  If you tap “OK,” they should be enabled. Now, when someone texts you to your textfree.us account you will receive a notification.  This is regardless if the app is running or not or if your device is locked or not.  It works much like getting a text message on an iPhone.

The notifications come in three different ways, the alerts or pop-up windows, sounds, and badges seen as a number in the upper corner of the app icon on your screen.  In the Settings app on your device you can choose to turn any one of these on or off at any time.

I tested this app sending and receiving texts first with my iPod Touch on when the app was closed.  Next, I tried locking my iPod.  The push notifications still came through (very cool). [Update: Push notifications on an iPod Touch will only work when the iPod is locked if it is connected to a power source (either your PC or charger), it will not work otherwise.  Thanks to Brick for the comment.] With the new addition of push notifications, the need to pay for the ability to text is near zero.  The only limit now is the range of your Wi-Fi network.

Testing push notifications on an iPhone was near identical to the iPod Touch tests but with two exceptions: no need to be connected via WiFi (obviously) AND push notifications work whether the iPhone is locked or not.

If you’re looking for an alternative to text messaging that AT&T’s plans, or you have an iPod Touch, the introduction of push notifications makes Textfree a whoooole lot better.

Textfree Unlimited is $5.99 in the iTunes App Store.

Textfree Unlimited is not the only app to take advantage of this new capability, though.  Other apps that make use of push notifications include AreMySitesUp (Free), Tap Tap Revenge (Free), Star Defense ($5.99), Pollen (Push) (Free), Weather Alert ($0.99), AP Mobile (Free), Leaf Trombone ($0.99), E*Trade Mobile Pro (Free), and Hey Where Are You (Free).  Many more apps are coming that will support this functionality, keep checking back for more updates.

For more OS 3.0 information check out: iPhone OS 3.0 is here. Where to Start and Changes to check out

iPhone OS 3.0 is here. Where to Start and Changes to check out

Apple released iPhone OS 3.0 for iPhone today, creating lost work productivity accross the globe as untold numbers of fanbois eagerly update their iPhones and iPod Touches.  The update brings many new enhancements to all generations of iPhones and iPod Touches and we’ll start breaking these down over the next day.  However, there’s been no shortage of information about OS 3.0 since it was seeded to app developers some months ago.

So where do you start, you ask?  Well, here’s just a few of the much desired enhancements that iPhone OS 3.0 brings and how to use them:

1. Spotlight searches.  Similarly to Spotlight on you Mac computer the new iPhone OS features search across all of the apps on your iPhone.  What’s also very nice is that it’s FAST, just like what you’re used to with Spotlight on your main computer.  To try it out, unlock your device.  Press the home button to make sure you’re at the home screen, now you will notice that there is another “dot” (ok, spotlight) left of the left-most screen indicator.  This is the Spotlight screen.  Just swipe right (move the screen left) and voila! Start your searches.  Touching a result will launch that application and open what you selected.  Very nice.

2. Voice Memos.  iPhone OS 3.0 introduces and new application: Voice Memos.  Apple’s impementation of Voice Memos is clean and concise and works great.  After launching the app you have a record button and VU meter.  Press record -> speak -> press stop and you’re done.  Listenning to voice memos is easy, just select the menu button on the right and you’ll get a listing of all of your voice memos. Touch one to listen to it.

3. Landscape Keyboards.  Finally!  All of the Apple applications now support landscape keyboards for easier typing.  This includes Notes, Mail App, and Messages App.  This has been one of those frustrating omissions for the past two years and we are happy to see it finally arrive. To try it out, just launch any of these apps and tilt your device into landscape mode (that was probably obvious, but ah-well!).

4. Notes Syncing. Yep, no more worries about losing those notes, you can now sync them with Mail.app using iTunes on your desktop.  Nice.

5. Cut, Copy & Paste.  Yes, I’m sure you were as giddy as a little school girl knowing that today would bring Cut, Copy and Paste to your beloved device.  So now that you have it, try it out!  Copy/Paste is easy to use and works across all applications.  Just touch in the text area, get the magnify and then lift your finger (or double-tap the text area).  The cut/copy markers and buttons will appear.  Drag the two ends to include the text you want then touch one of the actions.  Now head on over to another application, repeat above steps but now touch paste.  Done. Easy. Beautiful. Sigh.

6. Push Notifications. Ah, the famous push notifications have arrived.  If you don’t know what these are then let me explain quickly: push notifications is Apples answer to background running applications.  Since Apple does not permit apps to run in the background (ie: chat apps that would check for chats) they have come up with this system to appease developers.  How it works is that if you have an app installed that uses push notification, the app developer can “push” content or messages to your device and you will be notified, regardless if the app is open or not.  Eg: AP news app can push you breaking news headlines.

7. YouTube enahancements.  Even YouTube saw some enhancement love today.  The new YouTube app allows you to sign in to your YouTube account where you can view our uploaded videos, subscriptions, favorites, history, playlists, most recent, and top rated vids.

8. iTunes and App Store.  iTunes and App Store now have more purchasing options, such as movies, TV shows and the capability to redeem codes via your device.

9. Others.  A few other enhancements worth mentioning are: Stereo Bluetooth, Internet Tethering (not yet for AT&T), MMS messaging (note yet for AT&T), shake to shuffle and oh so much more.

Since the new OS includes over 100 enhancements and changes we can’t possibly list them all, but as you find more of them - share the knowledge and please let us know in the comments.

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