Unofficial iPhone Blog

Stability, performance have improved thanks to updates

When the App Store opened its virtual doors in July, Tetris was one of EA Mobile’s first iPhone-geared efforts—and it showed. My review of Tetris suggested that iPhone users should probably take a pass on the iPhone version of the classic puzzle game.

In the ensuing three months, we’ve seen some updates to both the game itself as well as the iPhone software. And now that I’ve had the chance to try Tetris again under these newly optimal circumstances, I’m happy to report a very different experience with the game.

First off, the game will cost you less if you held off on buying it. Tetris now sells for $8, down $2 from the $10 price tag of the game I reviewed in July. At $8, it’s still no bargain, but EA has adjusted the price to reflect the going rate for other “premium” games from major publishers at the App Store. I’d still like to see the price drop a bit—perhaps to $5, which is what Tetris for color-screen iPods costs.

The App Store lists the current version number as 1.0.86, meaning EA Mobile hasn’t messed with Tetris too much. By their own admission however, the company has improved game stability and sound quality, among other things.

That claim was definitely borne out by my tests. I originally said that Tetris was “one of my most trouble-prone iPhone gaming experiences.” I admit (and said at the time) that Apple’s iPhone 2.0 software update was plagued with similar problems, but Tetris was more prone to exhibiting those problems than other apps I downloaded, and it looks like I was right: EA Mobile updated the app to fix that problem. Sound cut out on me when I originally looked at the game, but that doesn’t appear to be an issue anymore: sound effects and music were just fine in this release.

EA Mobile’s Web site for support remains a bit of a mess. You have to register to ask a question, unless one of the canned FAQss posted to the site. But I’m happy to see the company update it site to take the iPhone into account—it wasn’t that way when I first checked back in July.

Tetris is compatible with any iPhone or iPod touch running the iPhone 2.x software update.

Now that Apple has relaxed some of the more noxious portions of the iPhone SDK non-disclosure agreement as we previously reported, developers, publishers, journalists, and websites are running to catch up and let information about released versions of the iPhone SDK. One website called Apps Amuck is ringing the bell hard with “31 Days of iPhone Apps. ”

Apps Amuck is distributing free iPhone SDK App source code. Each of the 31 days will showcase an executable and source code for each App. The Apps are not exactly best in class and ready for the App Store, but they offer a free resource that demonstrates various aspects of SDK coding that might otherwise be unheard of. Beginning iPhone SDK developers will find the site and its resources very valuable.

The curious out there can download these Apps, compile them and run them in the Simulator. Digging around the source code and examining it closely will reveal the classes used in the code and how to apply these classes in your own Apps.

Early reviews find a lot to like and a lot to criticize in the first Android handset. But its real strength may be in driving the industry forward.

Ahead of the hotly anticipated T-Mobile G1 smartphone’s arrival in stores next week, early reviews show not everyone is convinced that the Android-powered handset is ready to take on the Apple iPhone or muscle onto the turf of Windows Mobile or the BlackBerry.

Yet among reviewers and industry watchers, there’s still little doubt that the G1 offers big potential for driving smartphone innovation.

One of the earliest reviews of the HTC-manufactured device, which was first introduced by Google and T-Mobile last month, came from the Wall Street Journal’s Walter Mossberg, who called it a “worthy competitor” to the iPhone in his column this week. But Mossberg also saw several areas in need of improvement in its software and its hardware.

The New York Times’s David Pogue described the handset’s Android platform as “polished enough to give Windows Mobile an inferiority complex the size of Australia.” Yet Pogue’s scorecard similarly illustrated that the G1 isn’t perfect. He gave it an A-minus for software, a B-minus for phone capabilities and a B-minus for network capabilities.

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Microsoft is not wasting any time in its battle against Adobe when it comes to the company’s Flash technology competitor, Silverlight.

Microsoft is reportedly very interested in pushing Silverlight on Apple’s devices. But it’s well known that Apple ultimately controls what software runs on the iPhone - so good luck Microsoft. However, the story is quite different when it comes to the G1.

Google’s Android mobile operating system is open source and with the forthcoming Android Market, Google’s implementation of Apple’s App Store, things are going to be easier for Microsoft to release Silverlight for Android. The fundamental difference between Android Market and Apple’s App Store is that Google’s mobile apps store is open to all, making it easier for companies to release their software on the Android platform (just three steps: register, upload, describe).

Microsoft’s Silverlight has been in use on the Web by companies such as NBC to stream video from this summer’s Olympic games and is Adobe Flash’s main contender in the multimedia rich browser plug-ins. Microsoft launched version 2 of the Silverlight browser plugin earlier this week.

With the hype surrounding Apple’s iPhone 3G launch in Canada, not to mention Research in Motion’s BlackBerry and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile, one might think there’s hardly room for yet another contender in the highly competitive smart-phone space.

Google would beg to differ.

The web-search giant’s much-hyped Android mobile phone platform is about to roll out in the U.S. on Oct. 22, beginning with the HTC T-Mobile G1 handset ($179 U.S., with two-year contract). Now before you ditch your existing phone, bear in mind the G1 will only launch in the U.S. initially (as was the case with the iPhone), but phone manufacturer HTC says Canadians can expect an Android-powered handset “sometime in ‘09.”

Here’s why it might be worth the wait.

The G1 has a large touch screen that resembles an iPhone, but it also sports a BlackBerry-like trackball and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Unlike other platforms, though, Android has an open operating system: Google is giving away the software to developers.

Google wanted Android to be innovative. “There was no good reason why it shouldn’t do things your PC can do,” Erick Tseng, product manager for Android at Google Inc., told The Gazette. “This isn’t just about Google, but rather the amazing third-party applications created by developers with unfettered access to the phone’s hardware, software and network.

“By bringing many world-class applications to your handset, we’re empowering consumers with choice, and this is the kind of revolution we’re hoping for with Android,” Tseng says.

The G1 includes a built-in compass, an industry first, which will allow a savvy software company to create a “mash-up,” suggests Tseng, by fusing this technology with the integrated Google Maps program for better driving directions, satellite imagery and navigation to local businesses.

Other installed applications at launch include: ShopSavvy for comparison-shopping; Amazon MP3 Store for downloading music over Wi-Fi; Ecorio to track your daily travels and see your carbon footprint; and BreadCrumbz to create and share a step-by-step visual map using photos.

The more open playing field will encourage innovation and competition, says Carmi Levy of AR Communications, a Toronto technology marketing communications firm.

RIM’s BlackBerry, Apple’s iPhone and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile are mainly closed environments. “If you’ve wanted to introduce a new phone, new software or new services to the wireless market, it’s been an expensive, complex process,” says Levy, a senior vice-president of strategic consulting. “You either play by the rules imposed by the telecommunications carriers and handheld vendors, or you don’t play at all.”

Android drops a lot of that overhead and eliminates many of the costs of working with closed platforms. “It’s the same kind of thinking that’s driven development of the Linux operating system,” Levy says. “Only this time, it’s being backed by the world’s most successful technology company.”

The G1 is built to be intuitive and fast. “Without a really great user experience, you don’t have anything, so along with incredible speed, we also believe interacting with your device should be simple” Tseng says.

Most phones chirp or vibrate when a message comes in and then you need to look at your phone to figure out what happened: “Was it a voice mail? Email? Text message? Calendar reminder?

“With the G1,” Tseng says, “I can use my fingertip to pull down the status bar and immediately see and access a list of what happened.”

Finally, accessing Google’s dozens of applications that live in cyberspace - a.k.a. “cloud computing” - will also be part of Android. Cloud computing is appealing to anyone afraid of losing the handset (and potentially exposing sensitive info). An online-only model means you can log on from virtually any PC (or smart phone) to access your digital life.

“Along with the HTML browser that looks like a PC browser, and the fact users can quickly access an array of Google apps, such as Gmail, Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Google Maps, an advantage is the information is automatically synced with that cloud,” Tseng says.

You can meet a new person at a meeting, add him or her to your contacts on the Android phone, and it will wirelessly sync with your online accounts, showing up on your home or office PC, too. “If you lose a non-Android phone, the experience could be disastrous - now you simply get another device, log in and sync it and you’ll have everything back” says Tseng.

You may have heard about a little phone that was announced earlier this week and how it could have the potential to revolutionize the mobile phone market. What was it called again? Ah yes, the T-Mobile G1 with Google. The hardware itself isn’t particularly revolutionary, but the operating system found within could represent all sorts of possibilities. Google Android is open-source and it comes with the backing of the world’s largest search engine, not to mention the ease with which it should integrate with the rest of the Google portfolio.

Much like what the App Store is able to provide to the Apple iPhone, the Android Market can serve as an excellent place to expand upon the functionality of any Google Android phone. Yes, it’s just the HTC Dream G1 for now, but Sprint is getting an Android phone later this year and several other smartphones powered by Google Android are sure to follow. The development community is sure to gobble this up.

With the “free-for-all” format of the Android Market, we could be in store for a huge range of applications. It’s hard to even begin to fathom what applications people will invent for the smartphone operating system, but I’m willing to stick my neck out and request a few possible projects for anyone looking to create something I’d want to download and/or purchase.

NetShare for Android

Many people would argue that the best application ever released through the iPhone App Store had to be NetShare. Too bad the guys in Cupertino decided that its functionality was a bit fat no-no, so they had to pull it from the store. Seeing how the Android Marketplace doesn’t have this kind of moderation and approval process, a similar application for the T-Mobile G1 would be an instant hit.

For those of you who have been living under a rock (and didn’t have access to an iPhone while under said rock), NetShare effectively took the 3G connection of the iPhone 3G and transformed the handset into a roaming Wi-Fi hotspot. In effect, if you had any notebooks in the area, they could gain “free” Internet access. The iPhone became a modem and a router without any physical tethering. Wouldn’t it be awesome if they could do the same with the HTC Dream G1? I’d say so.

NES Emulator

Gaming is important. I like playing video games, whether it be waggling a remote in front of the Nintendo Wii or wailing on a set of drums in Rock Band. We probably shouldn’t expect a Google Android phone to run any DS or PSP games, but the retro-minded among us will certainly appreciate the nostalgic value of an NES or SNES emulator.

Legal issues aside, wouldn’t it absolutely amazing if you could tote around a perfectly portable version of Double Dragon, Contra, Dr. Mario, and Rygar? It’s probably not a good idea to try to port Duck Hunt and Gyromite, but an NES emulator would be awesome. With the slide-out QWERTY keyboard, you could effectively map the directional pad to the WSAD format, sending the A and B buttons to J and K or something. This is potentially better than the iPhone where the on-screen controls obscure your view.

Proper Integration with Google Docs

The T-Mobile G1 is going to come with some great integration with Gmail, so it’s perfectly understandable that we’d be able to get our hands on better integration with all sorts of Google services. I fully expect the Chrome Lite web browser to have Google as its default search engine, for example.

While not everyone has jumped on the bandwagon yet, wouldn’t it be great if there was an application that offered direct and user-friendly access to Google Documents? After all, Android is supposed to have proper cut-and-paste and everything. This would come in very handy for business users too, because any changes made would be seen instantly by others who have access to the same online docs.

Twitter Client

Somehow, I’ve become a bit of a Twitter freak these past few months and it’s been a great way for me to interact with other like-minded individuals. Working from home, Twitter can offer a similar environment as the water cooler in the office, except I happen to be hanging out with hundreds of other “co-workers” rather than just two or three.

The iPhone has Twitter apps. BlackBerry guys have Twitter too. It only makes sense that a similarly powerful Twitter client be developed for Android. Continuing on the communication front, you can probably expect apps for things like Windows Live Messenger, AIM, GTalk, and so on… assuming that they are all possible.

Video Recording and Playback

It’s sad, really, that both of these functions are not natively available on the T-Mobile G1. Google says that the community will pick up the pieces on this front and I fully expect the community of developers to do so. Give that 3MP camera the ability to record VGA videos at a decent framerate and then let us actually view those videos on the glorious touchscreen display. It would also be great if the Chrome Lite web browser could natively play YouTube videos, rather than having to go through a separate Java and Flash-friendly application.

If you’re an Apple iPhone user and security’s not on your mind, you’re at risk; at risk of having a Web mail account hacked; at risk of having your online identity stolen; and at risk of losing valuable personal information, such as wireless service account data, that could result in financial losses, among other disasters.

When it comes to mobile devices, security tops the list of IT security managers’ concerns. And rightly so: According to a Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) survey of 2,024 information security professionals earlier this year, more than half of respondents say risks related to mobile devices and remote workers are up significantly compared to 2007.

Even if you use your Apple iPhone strictly for play, it pays to ensure that you’re checking your e-mail, surfing the Web via Wi-Fi and accessing various content and services in the safest possible ways. You can follow these six tips in a matter of minutes, and potentially save yourself weeks of damage control.

iPhone Security Tip 1: Enable Auto-Lock

One of the most basic iPhone security functions is the Auto-Lock feature, which locks the device’s touch screen after not being used for a preset time period. Users can choose to set their iPhones to lock after not being used for one, two, three, four or five minutes. Auto-Lock can also be disabled altogether.

Auto-Lock is turned on by default, but you can change the settings by first clicking the main iPhone Settings icon, tapping the General tab and then hitting Auto-Lock. Then select the desired time period by tapping the on-screen value. Finally, exit the Auto-Lock and Settings screens by tapping the box in the display’s top left corner.

Though Auto-Lock is not exactly a security function on its own, when combined with the Passcode safeguard described below, it’s an essential iPhone security feature.

iPhone Security Tip 2: Enable Passcode Lock

The iPhone Auto-Lock disables the device’s screen after a preset time period of non-use, but the Passcode Lock feature takes that a step further. Whenever the device’s display locks, whether due to Auto-Lock or because you’ve hit the iPhone Sleep button–found on the top right of the device–Passcode Lock requires a four-digit code to be entered before the device can be employed again.

To turn on Passcode Lock, simply click the main iPhone Settings icon again, hit General and then tap Passcode Lock. On the Passcode Lock menu screen, enable the function by tapping Turn Passcode On. You’ll then be prompted to enter in a new passcode. Good passwords are completely random and should not be chosen based on birthdays or other dates or numbers that could be uncovered by would-be hackers.

You can also specify when a passcode is required. To do so, tap Require Passcode and then choose whether or not you want to be prompted for a code immediately upon using the device, after one minute, five minutes, 15 minutes, one hour or four hours. Setting the passcode prompt to Immediately is the most secure, as users won’t be able to access the iPhone at all without entering the appropriate passcode.

The Passcode Lock screen also has options to Show SMS Preview and Erase Data. When enabled, the SMS preview function allows the first sentence of new text messages to appear on-screen even when a passcode has not been entered. If you’d like the highest level of iPhone security–or just some more privacy–you probably want to disable Show SMS Preview.

The Erase Data function lets you completely wipe your iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts. After six failed attempts, the iPhone locks out users for a minute before another passcode can be entered. And the device increases the lock-out time following each additional failed attempt–one minute, five minutes, 15 minutes, etc.–so an attempted passcode bypass could take miscreants hours.

iPhone Security Tip 3: Use Wi-Fi Safely on the iPhone

One of the iPhone’s most valuable features is its Wi-Fi support, which lets you connect to high-speed wireless networks for faster Web browsing and better data coverage in spots where cellular coverage is less than stellar. However, employing Wi-Fi networks without taking the proper security precautions can leave your device–and everything on it–open to crafty hackers.

First things first, you want to make sure your own personal Wi-Fi networks is secured using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) or another wireless security protocol. (Refer to the product literature that accompanied your wireless router for more on how to enable Wi-Fi security.) When you connect your iPhone to that network for the first time, you’ll be prompted for the network’s password–assuming you’re using some sort of Wi-Fi security. You should also modify the name of your personal Wi-Fi network to something custom, to help reduce the chance of coming across another network with the same name.

To ensure that you don’t unknowingly connect to Wi-Fi networks while on the go, you should enable the iPhone’s Ask to Join Networks function. You can turn this feature on by once again tapping the main iPhone Settings tab and then choosing Wi-Fi. On the main Wi-Fi settings screen, turn the Ask to Join Networks function on by simply tapping the on/off button next to the option. After the feature is enabled, you’ll never connect to an open Wi-Fi network without first being asked to confirm the connection. (The device will still automatically connect to recognized networks, or networks to which you’ve connected in the past.)

It’s also a good idea to disable Wi-Fi whenever it’s not in use. This reduces the chance of accidentally connecting to an unsecured or suspect network and saves iPhone battery life. To turn Wi-Fi off, just hit the iPhone Settings icon, tap Wi-Fi and then click the on/off button on the Wi-Fi screen.

iPhone Security Tip 4: Securely Access Corporate, Web Mail

If you’re a corporate iPhone user, the most secure way for you to access your e-mail, at least your business mail, is most likely through a Microsoft Exchange Server–assuming your organization uses Exchange. Lotus Notes users can also securely receive their corporate mail via iPhone thanks to the recent introduction of Lotus iNotes ultralite. (For more on how to receive Outlook and Notes mail on the iPhone, consult your IT administrator.)

For non-business iPhone users, receiving Web mail, like Gmail, AOL and Yahoo Mail, is a breeze; however, the process is not always secure–especially if you’re not aware of how to ensure that secure sockets layer (SSL) protection is enabled, where available. SSL encrypts mail that’s sent and received via iPhone. If you’re unable to connect to your Web mail using the iPhone and SSL, consider using another mail account that does support the safeguard–I’ve setup a number of Gmail accounts using SSL on the iPhone. Or, if you choose to access mail without SSL, be aware that your messages are not secured–think post card vs. sealed letter.

To ensure that you’re using SSL when retrieving Web mail, click the main iPhone Settings tab, choose Mail, Contacts and Calendar and then select one of your active mail accounts. While on the mail account screen, click Advanced, scroll down to the Use SSL option and ensure that it’s set to On.

iPhone users can also access Web mail via their mail provider’s portals, but it pays to be security smart when using this process as well. For instance, iPhone users should ensure that the URL for the mail provider’s site begins with HTTPS://WWW instead of just HTTP://WWW, which signifies that the connection is secured using SSL. A tiny lock also appears just to the right of URLs when iPhone users navigate to pages that use SSL for secure connections. In other words, be wary of logging into any Web site to check mail via iPhone that doesn’t have HTTPS in its URL and a lock to the right of the Web address in your Safari browser.

iPhone Security Tip 5: Browse the Web via Safari

Just like surfing the Web via laptop or desktop computers, navigating the Internet via iPhone is rife with security risks. Proactively optimizing your iPhone browser security settings could potentially mean the difference between a fully-functioning device and an infected gadget rendered useless by malware.

The iPhone Safari browser security settings are basic–and most are turned on by default–but it doesn’t hurt to ensure that your iPhone Safari security settings are in order.

First off, you’ll want to ensure that pop-ups are blocked. Clicking on a malicious pop-up could expose your device to malware and lead to an infection. As mentioned above, pop-ups are blocked by default, but you can check and modify your settings by first clicking the main iPhone Settings icon and then scrolling down and tapping Safari. On the Safari settings screen, ensure that the Block Pop-ups button is switched to On.

You’ll also want to check on your Safari cookies settings. Cookies are pieces of text that are distributed back and forth between Web servers and Internet clients, typically browsers, and they’re used mainly for authenticating users. However, cookies can be a security/privacy risk, as information about users’ devices, operating systems, browsers and, in some cases, browsing habits can be stored within cookies and could, therefore, be accessed by third-parties.

The iPhone Safari Accept Cookies function is set to From Visited by default–meaning the browser will accept cookies from sites that you navigate to–but the most security conscious iPhone owners may want to disable cookies completely. Cookies can be disabled by in the Safari settings menu by tapping the Accept Cookies tab and then selecting Never.

iPhone users can also clear their current crop of cookies by clicking the Clear Cookies button at the bottom of the Safari settings menu and then selecting Clear Cookies again on the following screen.

iPhone Security Tip 6: Set Device Usage Restrictions

Though the iPhone has made some significant gains in recent days toward become a suitable business smartphone, its target user is still the consumer. And consumers come in all shapes, sizes…and ages.

IT administrators and parents with little iPhone users have the ability to set iPhone restrictions to, say, block explicit content from being shown on the iPhone’s music or video player. And they can block access to YouTube and stop third-party applications from being installed.

Restrictions options can be located via the main iPhone Settings menu, within the General tab. Once you’ve clicked on Restrictions on that tab, you’ll see a set of potential options beneath the words Enable Restrictions . Tap Enable Restrictions , enter in a four-digit code and then select the specific constraints you wish to impose by hitting the On/Off button next to each option.

Selecting the iPod Explicit option, blocks the user’s ability to sync any iTunes content that’s branded “explicit” by Apple. If you disable Safari, block YouTube and iTunes, or say no to installing apps or using the gadget’s camera, the phone user will not be able to access any of these functions until a passcode is reentered and the restrictions lifted.

For all of the great features found on Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, one of the big annoyances is that when you are writing an e-mail you can’t turn the phone horizontally to make the keyboard bigger (landscape mode). Although Apple may fix this problem in a future software update, if you can’t wait, you can download TouchType, a 99-cent program that lets you write e-mails in landscape mode.

1. Access the App Store on your iPhone or iPod touch or through iTunes when your device is connected to your computer.

2. Search for “TouchType,” select it and purchase and install the app.

3. When you want to compose a new e-mail message in landscape mode, tap to launch the app and turn your phone sideways. Type your message in the blank space and when you are finished, tap the send button in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

4. A new e-mail message opens up in your default e-mail account (you can change which account is the default one in the Settings menu) with the text you just entered pasted in the body of the e-mail. Address the message, fill out the subject line and send it as you normally would.

5. To reply to a message using TouchType’s landscape keyboard, open the message in the Mail program, tap to reply to the message and then press the home button. Launch TouchType, type your reply in the blank message that appears and click to send it. The text you just typed is then pasted into your reply message and you can just tap “Send” to dispatch your response. If you have multiple e-mail accounts and you are not replying to a message sent to your default account, you’ll have to tap the “From” line and select the correct e-mail address to send the reply from.

Some of them are cool, some generic and some real smart. Watch them and have fun

Dan Morrill builds a simple application on the Android platform.