The code for the iPhone PDF exploit has gone public. It looks like Apple offered up that patch for the exploit just in time making that a non-issue for those who update.

A cool new helicopter game app for the iPad has surfaced that uses the iPhone as the controller. The game is called Chopper 2 and is in the App Store now for $2.99.

A number of features are to be included within the update. Notable mentions include the cut & paste feature. Others detail the upgrade of operating system to bring the iPhone to be more “people-centric”. The goal here to see the features available through alternate phones and manufacturers (like HTC Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2).

Arm your calendar, set your alarms, cancel all appointments! This will be ‘the’ day for existing iPhone users. More over if there is no need to get my hardware it will be that little more magical. Live blogging will be available with SlashGear live through http://live.slashgear.com from 10am. There may be a few surprises from Apple on this one… No excuses people!

[via SlashGear]

MacRumor member, TUAW posted new screenshots of the firmware, this time it seems to reveal that Apple will allow an over the air Podcast download on the iPod Touch and iPhone. The iPhone seems to be getting a lot more independence with Apple realizing that mobile phones can’t always download podcasts from a computer at any moment.

Apple seeded the iPhone 2.2 beta 2 to developers last week, still with no word as to what people can expect in this version. If what we have seen so far is true it will be more than worth the wait. There is also speculation that this may be the reason Apple rejected the Podcaster application. What we want to know is, what are your opinions?

[Via MacRumors]

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.

The email reads as follows:

“This is a known iPhone bug that is being fixed in the next software update in September.”

In his typical brief form, Jobs is giving us a time to expect this bug fix. Specifically, many users are reporting the iPhone 2.0′s firmware sudden failure to load third-party apps. The apps will often load briefly then crash back to the home screen.

And while it’s good to know a fix is on the way, many users are still not satisfied with the 3G situation. Are these merely temporary fixes until the real thing comes along? I guess we’ll have to wait until September to find out.

[via AppleInsider]

3G performance on the phone running 2.0.2 was by far improved. And though it may not be running at lightning speed, it’s certainly a big improvement, especially when compared to the performance of the phone running 2.0.1.

You can see three side-by-side speed tests below. In each test, the iPhone running on the update completely loads iPhoneBuzz.com before the phone running the old OS even begins or gets close to completing. Tests where the phones were switched to use Wi-Fi loaded pages at about the same rate. Wi-Fi is also still considerably faster than 3G when loading a page.

Sure, this may not be the most scientific of tests, but it certainly seems like a massive improvement, wouldn’t you say?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYR2WOD6WsY[/youtube]

While encountering any sort of problems with a product is frustrating, I have to say I’m impressed with Apple this time around. Unlike with MobileMe where customers were pretty much ignored, they’ve really stepped up to the plate to provide a solution, fast.

Now, whether or not these bug fixes actually work remains to be seen. Looks like I’m off to tinker with my newly updated iPhone for the rest of the day. 

[via Gizmodo]

This firmware update is rumored to have many a performance bug fixed, along with connection fixes. Those 2% of users experiencing iPhone connection issues, will be paying extra close attention to these connection fixes. Let’s hope they do the trick!

And just so you know, AT&T stores will be receiving a big shipment of iPhone 3Gs tomorrow. However, you might have trouble walking in to get a phone (again) as this shipment is more likely than not meant to fill orders that have already been placed.

[via The Boy Genius Report]

The email read:

We are working on some bugs which affect around 2% of the iPhones shipped, and hope to have a software update soon.

Steve

Pretty weird, but Jobs has been known to respond to emails personally on occasion. So what does this 2% figure mean? According to estimated sales figures so far, this could translate to over 60,000 iPhone 3G users. I guess we just have to hope and pray the new software update will put a lid on this problem for good.
 
[via MacRumors]

The week started with news that the App Store had accumulated 60 million downloads, equally $30 million sales. Plus, the first monthly sales reports were released to app developers, giving them insight into just how their software was doing. Later on, we learned that Best Buy is all set to sell the iPhone 3G beginning September 7 and HSBC is even considering a 200K iPhone 3G order.

Moving onto software issues and complaints, there was an initial problem at the beginning of the week following the 2.0.1 firmware update, which may have caused GPS issues to develop. We also learned that a building at the Apple Inc headquarters caught fire. Damage was mostly caused by water and smoke and no injuries were reported. And as many iPhone users have been unable to maintain a 3G connection, analysts now believe the problem lies with the Infineon chipset. However, a September software update should provide a fix for the reception problems, even though Infineon denies their chipsets are to blame.

But it wasn’t all bad news this week. In fact, several applications hit the App Store, to bring greater functionality to the iPhone. For instance, a web-based app of Google Translate was launched that brings you translating power on the go. Plus, an e-book reader called Stanza has opened the door to Kindle-like abilities, though you can only download public domain titles at the moment. A program call Qik makes video streaming possible from your iPhone and Simplify Media makes live streaming of your music library a breeze. Box Office has also returned to the App Store, though now it’s called Now Playing.

We offered several application reviews this week, as well. Crossword Light provided a detailed crossword puzzling experience, while Tilt Snake was a fun diversion, reminiscent of the old arcade game, though it could be improved.

Finally, a few iPhone gadgets and gizmos found their way onto iPhoneBuzz this week, notably the iPhone Dock Projector. It remains to be seen if this portable projector offers up a decent picture, but the idea is brilliant. Plus, the Steve Jobs bobble head iPhone dock is just a one in a million eBay offering that Apple diehards will have to have.

What’s interesting though is Apple removed the push notification service from this release. As you may remember, this service is intended to act as the basis for background process support. This would be especially beneficial developers of messaging services like AIM. Prior to this development, the feature was to be delivered in September, but that seems like it won’t happen now.

It’s unclear the reasons why push notification was removed, but we do know that it is being held for “further development.” Perhaps Apple is being extra cautious now and waiting to release changes and updates until they are certain they will work. They’ve probably had enough of the MobileMe fiasco and don’t want a repeat.

[via MacRumors]

It seems both the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G are affected, though no one knows for sure if the update is truly to blame for the problems, which consist of everything from errors to failure. For some, the GPS continues to search but never finds a location.

Plus, some GPS outages and problems were reported prior to the update, as well. Even so, it seems awfully suspect for one to install the latest update and immediately experience a GPS outage, don’t you think?

[via EngadgetMobile]

“Information for activation cannot be obtained from the iPhone”

Or this: 

“iTunes could not update the carrier settings on your iPhone. An unknown error occurred (OxE80000001).”

If you see the first error message, just disable Airplane mode while on the emergency screen. If you see the second message, click Restore rather than Update in iTunes. 

These are just a few tips for those with odd update issues. Hopefully they work for you. If you know any other install fixes, leave them in the comments. Thanks!

[via iPhone Atlas]