Mac Rumors has some interesting news after reviewing the “Read Me” file accompanying the pre-release version of iTunes 7.7: An application is in the works to allow controlling of iTunes from an iPhone or iPod Touch. The to-be-released remote application will be made available as a free download from the App Store.
If you’re an average Joe, you can’t get the remote application yet (or iTunes 7.7), the 7.7 pre-release as made available to developers only. Expect a public release in upcoming weeks.
The exact verbiage from the “Read Me” file:
Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home — a free download from the App Store.
Is 3G enough to get you to make the move from your current handset to an iPhone? Would you upgrade to a 3G iPhone from the existing Edge handset you already shelled out a few hundred dollars for?
If you’re pondering one of those questions, here’s a test on YouTube which gives an approximation of the experience one could expect on a 3G iPhone. The 3G isn’t an iPhone that snuck out of Cupertino. It’s an Edge-based iPhone which is using a shared HDSPA modem Internet connection by way of WiFi.
March 10, 2008 at 2:50 pm · Filed under Tips, Hardware
Here’s a screen that you weren’t supposed to see on your iPhone. It’s the iPhone’s Field Test Mode which provides the following menu items to be used in test mode:
Network Information
Cell Information
GPRS Information
PDP Information
Call Information
Versions
iPhone Field Test Mode
Select the Keypad (dialer) on your iPhone
Enter the following number:
* 3 0 0 1 # 1 2 3 4 5 # *
Press the “Call” button
That’s it-your phone will present you with the Field Test screen. This was originally posted on the Cellular PCS web site (Apple iPhone Field Test Mode). To be honest, I really have no use for this kind of information… Interesting though.
At this morning’s iPhone SDK announcement, Apple put the end to the question of the iPhone’s viability in the enterprise by announcing Exchange support by way of Microsoft’s ActiveSync technology.
ActiveSync will synchronize contacts and meetings with the iPhone’s native address book and calendar, leading to the inevitable question: when is OS X’s Mail and iCal going to get Exchange support?
The improved iPhone Exchange support will be made available at the time of the next iPhone Software Update.
The iPhone’s Safari browser allows browsing of any web site. Sites designed specifically for the iPhone’s form factor often provide a better experience by eliminating the zooming gestures and focusing on the most important content and functionality the visitor needs. Here’s a few big web properties gone small-screen for the iPhone and iPod touch:
December 29, 2007 at 12:19 pm · Filed under Rumors, Hardware
It’s not MacRumors or AppleInsider with the rumored shots of Apple’s iPhone 1.1.3 firmware upgrade. It’s GearLive, a site not known for iPhone or any other Apple rumors with the purported goods this time. GearLive’s site posted a iPhone 1.1.3 firmware feature gallery article with some convincing images.
New iPhone features seen in rumored 1.1.3 firmware:
Sending SMS messages to multiple recipients
Cell tower triangulation of ones location when using Google Maps
Viewing Hybrid map view when using Google Maps
Pagination on the springboard (main) screen
Drag-and-drop of application icons on the springboard screen
Ability to add web bookmarks to the springboard screen
Yes. You can play (some) PlayStation 1 games on your iPhone. If:
You feel cleverness trumps quality of gameplay (the hack may be elegant, but the gameplay doesn’t appear to be)
Your iPhone has been jailbroken (prematurely “opened” to allow installation of third-party applications)
Legality isn’t of much concern (this should require no explanation)
Still reading? An iPhone application called pxs4iphone brings PlayStation 1 gaming to the iPhone if you’re fine with the caveats above. YouTube videos and postings on the developer’s forum do demonstrate the application being installed and games running. The reality: the majority of games that will run don’t replicate the PlayStation experience—they are running notably slower than the native PS1 games. Even with emulator tweaks (frame skipping, etc.) and iPhone overclocking this early release of psx4iphone trails behind PlayStation performance.
Will psx4iphone improve? Undoubtedly. Even without major rewrites of psx4iphone, hardware improvements alone would eventually make it plausible. For the mainstream, however, the future of gaming on the iPhone and iPod Touch will take a different form (in fact, require it).
Apple may be looking to close the iPhone/Exchange/ActiveSync loop itself depending upon how you read into this recent Cupertino job posting (emphasis mine):
Job Description
Requisition Number
3161520
Job title
iPhone Windows Outlook/Exchange QA Eng
Location
Santa Clara Valley
Country
United States
City
Cupertino
State/Province
California
Job type
Full Time
Job description
The iPhone Quality team is looking for a motivated, highly-technical Exchange test/sync engineer with excellent problem solving and communication skills. You will join a dynamic team responsible for qualifying the latest iPhone products. Your focus will be testing Exchange and Outlook functionality with Apple’s innovative new phone. The successful candidate will complete both documented and adhoc testing to ensure high quality releases.Required Experience:
* BS in Computer Science or equivalent experience
* Firm knowledge of Exchange 2003/2007 including configuration and troubleshooting
* Ability to investigate and debug difficult problems on Windows
* Creative thinker and problem solver
* A passion for user-focused design & high quality technology
* Comfortable and adaptable in a fast-paced and informal environment
* Thorough knowledge of the Windows operating systemsPreferred Experience:
* Thorough knowledge of Mac OS X operating systems
* Experience with Mail, Calendaring, networking engineering, or QA
* Experience with automation, scripting, PHP, SQL, or Perl
* Strong commitment to technical quality assurance as a key part of the development cycle
Apple’s iPhone strategy might be run by someone with a personality disorder. First, a massive price drop just a few months after hitting stores. Now, after offering a lame markup language as a ‘development platform’, and then bricking unlocked and otherwise modded iPhones (via a software update), today Apple announced that the iPhone will go open allowing third parties to create applications for the device. The iPod Touch is along for the ride, too.
Quoted from Apple’s Hot News section:
Third Party Applications on the iPhone
Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.
It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones—this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.
Some companies are already taking action. Nokia, for example, is not allowing any applications to be loaded onto some of their newest phones unless they have a digital signature that can be traced back to a known developer. While this makes such a phone less than “totally open,” we believe it is a step in the right direction. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone’s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs.
We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones.
Steve
P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch. [Oct 17, 2007]
Now that we’ve overcome that hurdle, Apple: bring ActiveSync to the iPhone!
ActiveSync for iPhone? No word yet. iPXSync? It sounds great. Is ANYONE out there participating in this beta? As tedious days of accessing my work email via Outlook Web Access via my iPhone’s Safari web browser took their toll, I went in search of other iPhone Exchange access solutions.
Surprisingly, I found one: The company is called Visto, and their web site’s landing page describes their product in broad strokes: Visto Mobile will allow users to send and receive emails, appointments and tasks, as well as view attachments, from their cellphone for Microsoft Outlook or IBM Lotus Notes users. Curiously, they aren’t mentioning ‘Exchange’ or the word ’server’, but instead stating that Visto Mobile provides “mobile access to Microsoft Outlook.”
The Visto web site has a pre-registration form on its homepage which indicates a Q3 2007 free trial. The mention of the iPhone is no where to be found except on a page buried on the site. The page has an iPhone specific free trial sign-up form.
The original mention of Visto is an Everything iPhone forum post. Again, its unclear if this is a true sync solution. Fingers crossed for the real deal: ActiveSync for iPhone.
Mac Rumors has some interesting news after reviewing the “Read Me” file accompanying the pre-release version of iTunes 7.7: An application is in the works to allow controlling of iTunes from an iPhone or iPod Touch. The to-be-released remote application will be made available as a free download from the App Store.
The iPhone’s Safari browser allows browsing of any web site. Sites designed specifically for the iPhone’s form factor often provide a better experience by eliminating the zooming gestures and focusing on the most important content and functionality the visitor needs. Here’s a few big web properties gone small-screen for the iPhone and iPod touch:
