iPhone 3.0 Software Roundup

Well, that's that. We now know what to expect from the next generation of iPhone software. Let's get up to speed quickly:

Landscape keyboard? Yes. Copy/paste? Yes. MMS? Yes, unless you have the first phone. A2DP? Yes, unless you have the first phone. Tethering? Yes, but it's in the carrier's hands now. Expanded bluetooth support? Yes, but again, no A2dp for the first gen phone, and in the Q&A, they oddly mentioned they didn't have anything to announce about the ability to use bluetooth keyboards with the phone. Umm.. Flash? No. Video? No.

So with that, Apple addressed most of the pressing concerns. It's unfortunate to see the first-gen iPhones left out of the MMS and A2DP game. For now, we'll take Apple's word that these weren't implementable on the first phone. I stress, for now.

A lot of time was spent having developers show off what they can do with the new APIs for the 3.0 software. Most of the time seemed to focus on new ways to separate you from your money via new in-game purchases like extra weapons, levels, etc. That part really wasn't exciting for consumers, but I'm sure it'll rally the app troops looking for a way to turn bigger profits on a $5 game.

It's just a shame we have to wait until June for the official release of the software. What did you think? Good event, or did Apple leave out things from your wish list?

TDL Live This Week (3/16/09)

Surely you didn't watch '24' last night (which I hear is good this year) rather than tuning in for TDL Live!? Well, your secret's safe with us. Below is all of this week's fine show including my Kevin Rose rant, and Adam's Talladega Nights impression. And there's some Apple news stuck in there as well:

iPhone 3.0 software proves why competition is good

I don't have any insider info on what will be in tomorrow's iPhone 3.0 preview, and unlike some unnamed Apple prognosticators out there, I don't believe in stating features that we don't know will be in future releases as fact. There are plenty of other sites to do that.

What I do know though, is Apple doesn't take competition lightly, and the Palm Pre has been on their radar from day one. As a result, tomorrow's preview will most likely bring us features that Apple was either reluctant, or outright against releasing for the phone, and we have Palm to thank.

Sure people have been talking about the lack of cut and paste for quite some time, and that would've been addressed at some point. And I would think there would be some MMS solution, even if its only for those receiving messages. The real question focus on wildcards like background processing, running multiple apps, etc. Developers have told me they expect a system for "trusted" apps to run in the background before the end of the year. Is it possible we'll see that tomorrow as Apple stays one step ahead of, or in this case, matches Palm Pre features?

I have no intention of purchasing a Pre. I'm quite happy with my iPhone. But unlike the Zune, which hasn't really pushed the iPod at all, the Pre might be one of those products like Apple's own Newton, that influences people well beyond those who purchase it. So thanks, Palm for showing why competition is good, and for most likely pushing Apple to make a better iPhone 3.0 update than would've been likely without you.

Free iPhone apps - your days are numbered

Here's a screen shot of my iPhone, page 3 of 4.  This screen has 15 apps on it.  No, my math isn't fuzzy . . . one of those icons is a shortcut to thedigitallifestyle.tv of course.

There have been many posts out there that talk about the mass downloading of Apps and then the lack of usage there after.  I took a look at my iPhone to see if I fell into this bucket and here's what I found.

As previously mentioned I have 15 Apps on this screen.  Of those 15 Apps I actively use 4 (from top to bottom):  Facebook, PhoneFlix, BK Run Lite [this is a good app for bathroom time (too much?) and Twitterrific.

Every other app on this screen I've used at one point but can't say I'm part of their active user base.  Why then can I not bring myself to get rid of these apps??  After all, I 'never' use them.  They're taking up space on my iPhone and cause me to flip through screens to get to the apps I really use (perhaps this is a personal problem . . . it's never occured to me to move apps to the front I use and apps to be back I don't . . . add it to the to-do list.).

Now here's the question we should all be asking . . . WHY DOES THIS MATTER.  For paid applications it doesn't, they're getting their revenue up front when you buy the app.  As long as people keep buying the app they're in good shape.  As long as the iPhone user base keeps buying iPhones, they're in good shape.

Where this does matter is for free app makers.  Most free apps these days have advertising on them to generate revenue.  They of course want you to download their free app so they can show impressive dowload numbers to would be advertisers, but they also need to show clickthrough and impressions so these advertisers continue to lineup and dish out for prime placement.  If apps aren't being used after their initial download (I'll let you do a simple search to see all the posts reporting this) then the ads aren't being seen and advertisers are pissing their money away.

What then is the solution?  Are we going to eventually have an app store of primarily pay applications?  I think eventually, yes.  The store is saturated with apps all doing the same thing.  I think users will begin to dictate which apps are best and run the others out of the store.  Do we really need 6 apps (likely an understatement) that all give me remote access to my NetFlix?  No.  I suggest you all start using the apps you feel strongly about . . . if you don't they might not be there any more.

Let us know your favorite apps in the comments section.

Quick tip: How to Use Wifi on the iPhone While In Airplane Mode

You might not need this one right now, but tuck it away for a future sunny day when you're on a cross-country flight with wifi service. You can use wifi on the iPhone while remaining in airplane mode.

As you may have noticed, switching to airplane mode turns off both the phone network functionality and wifi capability of the iPhone. There's a quick and easy way to get wifi service back. Simply go to the the settings panel and slide the wifi switch to back to on. The device will stay in airplane mode, and the little airplane will remain in the corner of the screen, but you'll have wifi. It's fairly straight-forward, but if you're a visual learner, there's a short video below.

Beyond future flights, this might also allow you to use the iPhone with some devices (speakers, docks, etc.) that require airplane mode, while still being able to send and receive data.