The application offers fans the chance of viewing in-depth contestant bios, pictures, news and exclusive video from behind-the-scenes of the on-air show. Giving fans the chance to really get to know the contestants, between now and the Finale, 78 videos will be released on a weekly basis.

Additional features of the app include being able to view daily news on the contestants. Test your powers of picking the winner through “My Rankings”. Throughout the last weeks of the competition, users can track their favorite contestants’ progress. Always just one click away from the American Idol iTunes page where they can download music from recent performances.

[via SlashPhone]

For the iPhone, the main modifications are improved notifications and synchronization. Reliability of new email notifications and syncing of contacts and calendar with MobileMe have both been improved. The email distributed to MobileMe members states “to get the best MobileMe experience on your iPhone or iPod touch, you should be running iPhone Software 2.2 or later”.

Most importantly for the update, the iPhone or iPod Touch must have firmware 2.2 or later. With the changes, any updates that you make to contacts or calendars on your Mac in iCal or Addressbook. On your PC using Microsoft Outlook both are automatically and rather quickly pushed to the cloud. Conversely, any updates made to MobileMe data at me.com, or on an iPhone or iPod Touch is pushed back your Mac or PC. Finally, all your contacts and calendars will update across your devices much faster than previously.

[via CNET]

AT&T has decided to expand their range of Wi-Fi hotspots by purchasing Wayport for $275 million dollars. Wayport has many Wi-Fi hotspots in locations such as, Starbucks, Barnes  and Noble bookstores and many major airports. Oakly and Surfline have teamed up to create an all-in-one surfing application for the iPhone. Surf Report gives you real time information on surf conditions, weather, safety notices and reports. You may view weather conditions up to three days in advance.

Good news is being reported, rumors state that the new iPhone firmware 2.2 is going to be released on November 21st. We have all been backing up our iPhones as we eagerly await this update. Business iPhone users who use Calliflower for PC  will find the Calliflower interactive conference calling very useful. Now you can use the same services on your iPhone without the need to download a client to your PC. This application will be available for free on January 1st, after which you will be able to purchase it for $9.99.

HangTimer by DropZone is a great application for skiers of all kinds. HangTimer utilizes both the built in accelerometer and technology used by NASA to provide you with run statistics. This application will also give you snow conditions and directions to your local resort. More details have surfaced in regards to the new iPhone tethering plans by AT&T. These plans will cost $30 a month with a 5GB data cap.

iSoft has finally created a landscape virtual keyboard for SMS on the iPhone. The big drawback is that you have to use it as an application, there is no integration in the SMS application at all. Another drawback is that you must have a jailbroken iPhone in order to buy this application. Overall this application shows that it can kind of be done. But who in their right mind would give into the circumstances for such a bad feature.

We found out this week that Microsoft’s web-based Office Suite will work with the iPhone’s mobile Safari web browser. This web-based version will include full versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. There may be a sneak peak by the end of 2008 but we wouldn’t count on it. Google has set out to deliver the first voice search feature to the iPhone. This application will be free (no surprises there). With this application users will virtually be able to ask their iPhone any question like, “Where is the nearest Starbucks?” or “How old is the oldest man in the world?” Google will not comment on just how often this application works correctly, but they do say that they believe users will be able to get a lot of use out of it.

Developers have located these secret features, which are like little nuggets of iPhone treasure. Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating, but it’s still pretty cool. One thing uncovered are Emoji, a form of Japanese icon. With 461 characters included on the iPhone 3G now, it is likely this was to please the Japanese market. The icons can be used mid-sentence or as an emoticon of sorts.

Another feature is Street View support in Google Maps. This is a must-have if the phone is to stay on level with the upcoming T-Mobile G1, the first Android phone. One last feature unearthed is the ability to turn off auto-correction while typing. So, if you always found the predicative text feature always guessed what you wanted to say wrong, you can turn it off for good.

[via Electricpig]

 
Let me make a word of note, however. It is only web-apps that have been coded to go fullscreen that will work without Safari. The idea is to make the web apps feel more like native iPhone applications.

If you want to see your apps in fullscreen, try out the following step-by-step guide from IntoMobile:

• Fire up your iPhone’s Safari browser
• Navigate to “http://webapp.net.free.fr/Demo/Index.html”
• Save the webpage/web-app to your homescreen
• Hit the “+” button along the bottom navigation bar
• Select “Save to Homescreen”
• Go back to your homescreen and fire up the newly saved web-app
• Enjoy using the web-app in full-screen mode with 100% less Safari – Notice the absence of any browser navigation controls (URL field, bookmark button,etc.)

[via IntoMobile]

Big fixes galore in the latest iTunes 8.0.1 update. In fact, it features quite a few changes that are specific this time around. After all, people do like to know why they are downloading updates!

This latest update improves syncing, App Store updates, VoiceOver accessibility, syncing Genius playlists to an iPod and it fixes an issue many people were experiencing when downloading items and having HD TV episodes deleted! Good to hear Apple is listening to all of our feedback.

[via The iPhone Blog]

We did have hope there for awhile because push notification was included–or at least the framework for it–in a beta but was then removed. Speculation seems to point to the reason for this being that Apple wanted to focus on fixing the numerous problems already facing the iPhone such as 3G complications, MobileMe syncing problems, etc.

So for now, push notification is nowhere in sight. But who knows. Since unreleased iPhone software is still under wraps by the NDA, it could spring out at us as if from nowhere. Maybe. Hopefully?  

[via Macworld]

For starters, Spore Origins came out for the iPhone and it offers two modes of gameplay that fully utilize the iPhone’s unique functions. Plus, we learned that PhoneSaber would be returning to the App Store as Lightsaber Unleashed to more fully integrate with the release of the upcoming Lucas Arts game, The Force Unleashed.

Apple’s Let’s Rock event was on Tuesday and SlashGear was there with live blogging. iTunes 8.0 was released as were the new iPod nano and a revised iPod touch. iPhone firmware 2.1 was also announced and it made its debut on Friday promising improved battery life and several bug fixes. Steve Jobs even talked to CNBC.com following the keynote to give a little insider info on the latest iPod line.

We also learned this week that a hacker would be having a live webcast to show how easily the iPhone could be cracked. What we found out was that the iPhone actually takes screenshots of all you do in order to perform transitions. However, these screenshots are not overwritten, meaning they could be accessed by a hacker.

Not too much gear talk this week, but we did get a look at the iBikeConsole, which lets you control your iPod and keep both hands on the handle bars at the same time.

For starters, iTunes 8.0 was announced and is now available for download. The update is quite significant, adding HD TV shows to their line up for $2.99 each and putting NBC back on board, so your favorite shows like 30 Rock and Heroes can be downloaded once again. 

But most importantly, iTunes received a new feature called Genius, which intelligently creates playlists for you. Remember Pandora Radio? Yeah, it’s sort of like that, but only built right into your iTunes and utilizing your own music. So, when you play a song, a sidebar shows you what goes together with your current selection. And when you buy a song from the iTunes Store, Genius suggests other songs you may like. 

We also found out that all the iPod nano speculation was, indeed, true. In fact, every little detail we heard was confirmed! The nano has gone back to what everyone liked about the second gen nano, that is, the slim form factor. With an aluminum casing and curved glass, this iPod is certainly nice to look at. And it really is thin. An accelerometer is also built in, letting you view cover art in coverflow and watch videos in landscape mode.

It’s available in a variety of colors. So many, Steve calls them “nano-chromatic.” Your options include black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, violet, and red. The 8GB is $149 and the 16GB is $199, though you’ll have to wait until next week to buy the latter.

Lastly, the iPod touch got a makeover as well, though it was much less comprehensive. This touch will have a contoured stainless steel body and will be much thinner than the last model. Genius is included as is Nike+. No external dongle is required, either. The receiver is built into the iPod. There was no change in capacity for these devices this time around but they will sell the 8GB for $229, the 16GB for $299 and the $32GB for $399.

[via SlashGear]

This firmware was called a “big update” because it addresses several of the issues users have been experiencing. Big fixes being the primary focus, Jobs noted the major areas addressed including battery life, app crashes, back up lag and dropped calls.

But that was it, really. This was truly a music event and Apple stayed on target with their message. Prior to the event, rock music was blasting. But the show ended with a performance by Jack Johnson. Nothing against Jack Johnson, but “rock?” Really?

Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events including the details on the iPod nano and iPod touch updates.

[via SlashGear]

We’ll most likely see iTunes 8.0 released on September 9th, which is expected to have a few new cool features like “Genius,” which recommends music to you, HD-quality TV episodes for purchase and grid view.

We may also see the release of iPhone 2.1 firmware, which could bring significant changes to the iPhone and perhaps put to rest a few of the issues it has currently been having. Background push notification is expected to be added along with directional GPS. Developer seeds may not have gotten all that Apple is planning, either, so a few surprises could be in store.

[via iPodNN]

Included in the update is an update Installer.app beta (b6) and a new .de localization for those in Germany. A word of note: don’t decompress the file using “the unarchiver” as it breaks permissions within PwnageTool. The standard OS X Archive Utility will do.

The ’150 beta update for the Windows QuickPwn was also released yesterday, which has a revised GUI and tighter integration. QuickPwn for Mac is under testing right now, and should be released to beta soon.

[via blog.iphone-dev.org]