Recently in iPhone Category

The Obama campaign launched its free iPhone app Obama '08.   They call it "your official, comprehensive connection to the heart of Barack Obama and Joe Biden's campaign, giving you the tools you need to make an impact and stay in the know." It gives users the ability to

Apple has issued a recall for the power adapters supplied with the iPhone 3G which are faulty and warns that user should using them now and the adapters should be exchanged immediately.

Apple has determined that under certain conditions the new ultracompact Apple USB power adapter's metal prongs can break off and remain in a power outlet, creating a risk of electric shock. 

They received reports of detached blades involving a very small percentage of the adapters sold, but no injuries have been reported.

In the meantime, iPhone 3G owners should charge their iPhone 3G by connecting it to their computer with the USB cable that came with their iPhone or by using a standard-sized Apple USB Power Adapter (with fold up prongs) or with a third party adapter designed to work with the iPhone, such as a car charger. 

If you have an ultracompact adapter with a green dot on the bottom, you already have a new, redesigned adapter and do not need to participate in this exchange program.

Replacement adapters will be available starting Friday, October 10, 2008.

The Apple iPhone software update is now available. The iPhone 2.1 software update contains many bug fixes and improvements. To get it, connect your iPhone to your computer using iTunes 8 and click Check for Update.

Update includes:

Apple announced that iPhone and iPod touch users have downloaded more than 100 million applications from its groundbreaking new App Store since its launch on July 11, 2008. More than 3,000 applications are currently available on the App Store, with over 90 percent priced at less than $10 and more than 600 offered for free. Applications can take advantage of iPhone's large display, innovative Multi-Touch user interface, fast hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, built-in accelerometer and location-based technology to create mobile applications unlike any seen before.

GolfFlyOver puts aerial views of over 12,000 golf courses along with pinpoint yardage information on the iPhone. GolfFlyOver ombines the iPhone's built-in location-based services with satellite aerial imagery from Google Maps to locate nearby courses, provide yardages to the green and enable detailed course and hole layout information.

With satellite imagery from Google Maps, GolfFlyOver gives users the ability to "Fly Over" any of the more than 12,000 golf courses in its current collection. A bird's eye view of the course or current hole allows golfers to view the layout of the terrain and visualize hazards such as water and bunkers. Knowing the lay of the land enables the user to make better club selections and more informed shot decisions - both lead to better scores and a more enjoyable golf experience.

Audi of America today announced the release "Audi A4 Challenge,"  a driving game that utilizes the iPhone's accelerometer (motion sensor) to steer a digital version of Audi's entirely new 2009 A4 through a series of progressively challenging courses. They are also offering a special iPhone designed website.

Players maneuver the course and race against the clock to beat their own personal best time. The application is now available free of charge on Apple's iPhone Application Store.

Located in Denver, Factory Design Labs, Audi's interactive agency of record designed the game in just two weeks.

Starting later this year, millions of iPhone/iPod Touch owners will be able to download digital comics from established industry professionals and studios, as well as new and rising comic book stars through iVerse Media.

iVerse Media has developed an iPhone Application that displays comics that have been specifically formatted for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Comics adapted using the iVerse Media software will be available in the iTunes App Store for as little as $.99. Some titles will be released free of charge.

“Creators and Studios will be able to set the final prices on their titles, but we’re expecting most standard length titles to be around $.99, and we’re encouraging creators to give away the first issues of their titles to allow new readers who may not be familiar.

AT&T has expanded international data offerings to help keep iPhone customers connected around the world. AT&T offers two new iPhones data planswhich offer 100 megabytes (MB) or 200 MB a month, can potentially save customers hundreds of dollars compared to pay-per-use international data roaming charges.

For discounted international data usage in 67 countries, the 100 MB iPhone plan is available for an additional $119.99 a month, while the 200 MB plan costs an additional $199.99 a month2 These new plans are in addition to existing plans for smartphones, including iPhone, which offer 20 MB and 50 MB in the same countries. There are no long-term commitments required, so customers can add or remove these plans to their existing packages on an as-needed basis.

With access to full HTML e-mail, visual voice mail, enhanced web browsing and other feature-rich applications that can use a significant amount of data, iPhone users may need more than they think while traveling abroad.

Wired.com surveyed iPhone users all over the world.  The results suggest that widespread data speed problems have more to do with carriers' networks than with Apple's handsets. They found "in general the data overall shows that 3G is performing faster than EDGE (which is expected)."

In some major metropolitan areas that are supposedly 3G-rich, 3G performance can be very slow. For example in San Francisco, 10 out of 30 participants reported very slow 3G speeds, ust barely surpassing EDGE. Participants in Australia reported the slowest average 3G download speeds of about 759 Kbps while iPhoners in Germany and the Netherlands reported the fastest average 3G download speeds of about 2,000 Kbps.

The article shows a map of speeds statistics on carriers and different countries.

AirMe, a free, mobile photo sharing application that premiered last month alongside the opening of Apple's App Store, now enables all iPhone users to automagically and instantly send their photos live to Facebook.

All photos are auto-tagged with location, time, weather and any user customized information. AirMe also now provides an easy auto-post to Twitter, with optional location tagging.

"With this new release, iPhone users can now choose to have their photos instantly captured, tagged and sent to their Facebook page, where all their friends can see what is happening at that very moment," said Mark Haverkate, AirMe CEO. "AirMe is all about making mobile photography fun, easy and live. What better way than with Facebook?"

Apple has updated the iPhone software to Version 2.0.2 for bug fixes a version can be downloaded directly from Apple's servers or through iTunes.

Businesses can buy
3G iPhones online now,
With Premier Program.

Google Translate for iPhone has been optimized for speed, supports all of the existing Google Translate language pairs, and uses a client-side data-store on your iPhone to hang on to your past translations so you always have them at hand, even if you can't use the local data network.

If you are with an Olympian who doesn't understand you, you can hold up your iPhone to let him/her read a translation You can get between 200 and 400 translations in 1MB of data download.

To try Google Translate for iPhone, point your iPhone or iPod Touch web browser to www.google.com and choose the "more" tab. Or you can go directly to translate.google.com in your browser.

The Goolge mobile blog suggests "If you are traveling this summer (perhaps on your way to Beijing?) we hope you find this useful."

Global IP Solutions announced today that GIPS is enabling voice over IP (VoIP) for Apple Inc.'s iPhone. Using GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile, iPhone application developers can quickly integrate quality, real-time VoIP applications, which should make it easier for consumers to enjoy their favorite iPhone games, applications and social networking experiences.

GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile provides the capabilities that turn voice into IP packets so they can be transmitted via Wi-Fi, making it easier for applications developers to come to market quickly with integrated VoIP applications.

GIPS VoiceEngines have been downloaded more than any other voice engine worldwide, enabling consumers and businesses to enjoy high-quality IP-based communications, even under adverse network conditions. For more information visit www.gipscorp.com/ve

According the Wall Street journal iPhone App store generated more than 60 Million downloaded in the first month. Steve Jobs said that there was an average of $1 million a day at the site for a total of $30 million for the month for Apple App store.  If sales stay at that rate, Apple will generate about $360 million a year in new revenue from the App Store.

Eight iPhone owners have joined the idle rich, buying a "worthless" program that cost $999, according to the LA Times.

All the program does is show a red icon red icon with the words "I Am Rich." After activation the icon shows a glowing clear stone with red light (we're not sure whether it is a diamond or cubic zirconium.)

One description of "I Am Rich"  says, "The red icon on your iPhone or iPod touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were able to afford this."

The program has been removed from the Apple Store apparently someone bought it by mistake!   Armin Heinrich(whose name actually sounds like I am rich, when you say it fast,) the program's developer, has not received payment for the purchase who wrote in an email, "The App is a work of Art and included a 'secret mantra' -- that's all."

If there really is an Armin Heinrich, he's having a good laugh....