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iPhone Buzz Week in Review – Week 34 2008

Brenda Stokes — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:38:33 +0000

We started the week here at iPhone Buzz discussing all things having to do with the reception issues the iPhone 3G has been experiencing. Steve Jobs admitted that about 2% of iPhone 3G users have experienced the connection issues. An angry customer even sued Apple over the reception issues.

Shortly thereafter, the iPhone 2.0.2 update was released with hopes to provide numerous bug fixes and clear up some of those reception problems. We also posted a side-by-side comparison video of the iPhone 2.0.1 and 2.0.2 software, of which it would seem the update really produced a speed boost. Jobs also admitted to the numerous third-party app crashes users are experiencing and promised a fix for those as well.

On the business side of things, Apple seems to be geared up to produce 40 million iPhones next year. Plus, the iPhone is set to release in Turkey from Turkcell and in Russia in October. It was also determined that if you have a jailbroken iPhone, you can “kill” the kill switch fairly easily.

We had several fun things of note this week as well, including two reviews of free apps like PapiJump and Tris. We got a look at the Nike+ app, however it seems the screenshots may have been fakes.

A video demo showed up online of Real Racing, which is a networked multiplayer game for the iPhone. An app that simulates a hologram is also supposedly in the works. You can get your hands on a Mobile Phone Telescope for your iPhone as well, though it seems to be intended for paparazzi looking to get off a couple of quick photos.

Killswitch can be disabled on jailbroken iPhones

Brenda Stokes — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:18:18 +0000

You’ve all heard about the iPhone killswitch by now. You also must know that Steve Jobs admitted to its existence and remarked that it would be negligent of Apple to not insert a safety measure to pull malicious apps from phones. And though this seems logical enough, some people are worried that this is Apple taking their power too far. You might even call it Big Brother–esque.

If you’re worried about “the man” telling you what apps you can and cannot have on your iPhone, and your phone is jailbroken, you should be able to kill the killswitch, as it were. Funnily enough, the procedure is pretty simple.

All you have to do is point your phone to Cydia, download BossPrefs, and switch off the killswitch. Simple as pie and now you’re totally back in control of your iPhone.

[via The iPhone Blog]

iPhone’s Kill Switch will ‘kill you,’ says Colbert

Brenda Stokes — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 07:07:58 +0000

We talked about the iPhone’s kill switch last week. Steve Jobs even confirmed its existence, saying Apple would only blacklist apps unless they absolutely had to. But it seems we’ve had it all wrong. Luckily, Stephen Colbert can set us straight.

Apparently, the iPhone 3G’s kill switch isn’t meant to kill apps at all–it’s meant to kill you! Colbert has even gone so far as to suggest getting a Zune instead. Well, sort of.

Watch the video. Forget the analysts. I’m going to Colbert for my iPhone news from now on.

[via Engadget Mobile]

60 Million Downloads, $30 Million in Sales on App Store

Brenda Stokes — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:28:15 +0000

According to a Wall Street Journal interview with Steve Jobs, it looks like the App Store is doing even better than we all thought. During its first month, over 60 million downloads have occurred from the App Store. And while most of these downloads were of free programs, over $1 million worth of apps were sold a day, making for about $30 million in sales in just the first month.

The most popular app so far seems to be Sega’s Super Monkey Ball, which pulled in over $2 million in revenue in just 20 days. That translates to about 300,000 downloads.

But what was perhaps most interesting was Jobs’ confirmation of the iPhone app blacklist that can remotely “turn off” applications. And while he hopes they “never have to pull that lever” he notes it would be “irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull.”

[via MacRumors]

iPhone Buzz Week in Review – Week 32 2008

Brenda Stokes — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:05:19 +0000

A lot of iPhone news this week, folks, so let’s jump right in. First up, the App Store was repeatedly in focus as various apps were pulled. Box Office, the app that let you check movies times from your iPhone was pulled, then the ridiculous I Am Rich app was yanked. The beloved PhoneSaber was also pulled, but only in order to developer an official version. Lastly, Slasher was removed. It was also determined that Apple may be able to pull malicious apps not just from the App Store, but also from individual iPhones. However, this “blacklist” was later determined to only block the iPhone’s Core Location.

MagicPad came to the App Store as well, giving us a look at what copy and paste could be like if it were native to the iPhone. And if you’re an app developer, you got some seriously good news this week when it was revealed just how profitable app sales can be.

The iPhone 2.0.1 Firmware update hit iPhones this week as well, and as shown in our side-by-side comparison, gave the phone a considerable speed boost. During the week, Installer 4 was leaked in beta form, but it got an official beta release alongside PwnageTool 2.0.2.

More countries are getting the iPhone 3G on August 22, plus, we learned that it may be possible to stream your iTunes library over Wi-Fi onto your iPhone in the future, due to a new patent Apple has filed. We also took a look at several apps in the App Store to give you an idea of what’s available, including Dice Bag, Frogger, Cubes Lite, Sudoku Unlimited and Dizzy Bee.

Finally, you can’t have an iPhone without something stylish to keep it in. The Dapper iPhone Pouch is a unisex slip case that gives off a masculine vibe. JAVOedge’s embossed leather back cover protects the back of your iPhone with textured, feminine designs and ColorWare can customize your iPhone’s back, border and buttons to a color coating of your choice. And that’s all for this week’s news!

Blacklist URL Only Blocks Core Location

Brenda Stokes — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:38:11 +0000

A few days ago, I wrote about the blacklist URL that someone discovered buried deep within the iPhone that could potentially work to shut down malicious apps on your iPhone, even after you’ve purchased them. But now it looks like this URL “only blocks malicious apps from accessing the iPhone’s Core Location functions,” according to MacRumors.

It seems the fragment “clbl” in this URL stands for “Core Location Blacklist” and that it prevents any apps that are on the list from being allowed into the Core Location, which allows applications to sense the iPhone user’s location by means of GPS and Wi-Fi.

But that’s not to say Apple can’t disable apps remotely, this URL just isn’t the way they go about doing it.

[via MacRumors]

Apple Can Blacklist, Deactivate Malicious Apps

Brenda Stokes — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:12:40 +0000

With the removal of several apps from the App Store in the past few days, many are wondering if Apple is truly checking out these apps before authorizing them. But even more importantly, do they have a system in place to protect iPhone users from malicious apps? It looks like the answer is yes.

It seems there is a URL the iPhone refers to every once in awhile to check and see if any apps have been “blacklisted”:

https://iphone-services.apple.com/clbl/unauthorizedApps

This will not just remove malicious apps from the App Store. It will also disable apps you’ve bought and downloaded already. This seems to be a last resort sort of function that will be reserved for only the most dire cases.

[via MacRumors]