Before the iPhone 4 came out the App Store was chock full of various flashlight apps for iPhone and iPod Touch. Each one claimed to have some unique feature, making it better than all the rest, but in truth, they were all pretty useless. This was mostly down to one thing. They all rely on your device’s screen to provide the illumination. I tried a few of them, as I often go to bed after my wife, I need to find my way around without switching on the main light. So, I tried them, and quite frankly you get as much light from just taking your iPhone off standby, or loading up a web page. Why pay up to a dollar for an app that does nothing different to what your display can already do? Utterly pointless. Plus I could have had better light if I’d just bleached my teeth and smiled widely.

If you can't use this, you shouldn't have a phone...

With the iPhone 4 came the LED flash on the rear, and then the dawn of the first actually useful flashlight app. ‘Flashlight +’ has been on my phone for weeks now, and has saved me on many an occasion. The software links with the LED on your iPh4 and switches it on, or off with the touch of a large, unmissable virtual switch on your Retina display. If that’s not enough for you, then it also has a strobe function with an on-screen fader to increase or decrease speed. It’s also a handy app in the unlikely event of an emergency, or getting lost at night. It’s third function S-O-S, flashes the appropriate Morse code to alert anyone nearby that you are in peril.

The app costs 99 cents and is available on iTunes (link here). It’s compatible with iPhone 4 and the 4th generation iPod Touch. Personally, I think it’s well worth it. The light is bright, and ridiculously easy to use. Give it a go and let me know what you think below.

Proximity sensor victim? Game Center enthusiast? Now’s your chance to check out the fixes and new features firsthand. Just grab that handset and plug it into iTunes to get the latest Apple software update. Again, it’s compatible with the iPhone (3G*, 3GS, and 4) and iPod Touch (2nd, 3rd, and 4th-gen). (Sorry first-generation device owners.)

Of course, as always, if you have a jailbroken device, you’ll want to think twice before snagging this, at least until the iPhone Dev-Team gives the “all clear” sign with a new jailbreak. (And whether that will happen is in question.)

As for the rest of you, if you’re not at all reluctant to grab this, report back and share your impressions of this piece of newness.

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*Sadly, it seems the iPhone 3G isn’t getting any Game Center goodness, though :-(

Does Facebook work with Ping or not? That seems to be the biggest question hitting iTunes users now.

Thanks to this Wall Street Journal article, we know there’s no actual Apple/Facebook partnership (that comes straight from Señor Jobs’ himself). But many users have been reporting some very interesting things, from spotting a Facebook Connect option in Ping to actually using it successfully — meanwhile, others are frustrated looking for it, despite seeing this on Apple’s website (before it was eventually taken down).

From Apple’s website — Before

From Apple’s website — Revised

To make matters even more confusing, there’s a Ping app within Facebook that appears to be non functional, and Apple own’s official Ping tutorial video shows off a Facebook setting 26 seconds in (which is still there, as of Sept 2, 10:32 PM EST. No telling when Apple will yank this, so if you’re curious check it out here).

A screen capture from Apple's own Ping video tutorial

The Ping Facebook app — which doesn't work. As proof, look: It has no friends

All of this lends credence to the notion that Apple planned to include Facebook support, and the fact that vestiges of this intention are still evident suggests that the company really did pull it at the last minute. (According to Jobs, Facebook made “onerous” demands that he wouldn’t submit to.) Whatever the reason, it appears that Facebook Connect is not an intended feature at this point, does not work and has since been yanked from the iTunes software.

Honestly, from an end user perspective, I have a hard time understanding how this Ping network of friending is supposed to work without Facebook. Will it hook into MySpace eventually? Will it reach back in time, and invoke the once-hot, now-not Friendster, for goodness sake? Or will it continue on as its own standalone network (which is the direction iTunes seems to be sticking with)?

It’s tough enough for an individual to keep up with Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Plaxo, and the myriad other networks that are all clamoring for attention (including the many networks spawned by iPhone app communities). Is it possible to be part of yet another social network without driving a user crazy?

For me, the lack of Facebook Connect is a dealbreaker. Of course, that could change if Ping becomes a robust community of users, but for now, I’m far less excited about this than I was yesterday. What about you? Is the lack of Facebook an issue, or no big deal?

Via: SAI Business Insider, CultofMac, Apple

If you’re giving iTunes 10 a whirl, you may have noticed that its new, much-hyped feature — Ping — is pretty reminiscent of Facebook. It’s not quite the same, though, and that’s actually kind of odd. After all, it’s a sharing service, and a partnership with a social networking powerhouse would’ve seemed like a no-brainer.

Turns out, Apple honcho Steve Jobs did chat with the website about the feasibility of using Facebook Connect— and wound up completely turned off by the “onerous terms” it demanded. He’s quoted in an interview with WSJ’s AllThingD as saying such, but wouldn’t go into any specifics. (Whatever the reason, there’s speculation that the social media giant tried to slip them in at the last minute.) And so Ping moved forward, and we iOS users and other iTunes users are playing around with the new software feature — which, as mentioned, kind of.. well, actually really does look a lot like Facebook.

This fact hasn’t eluded the Facebook execs. Although official company statements haven’t indicated this, off the record, they say they’re actually quite frustrated and peeved at Apple for ripping off their look, including that identifiable blue color palette. Then again, it may have been because Apple was planning to hook Ping into Facebook until the deal went south at the last minute.

We may never know what actually happened, but it seems that Facebook has been added to Jobs’ growing list of alienated tech giants, along with Google and Adobe.

Via: AllThingsD

Lady Gaga Ping page, in iTunes and on iPhone

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Lady Gaga's Facebook page from the web

In the wake of Apple announcement regarding Fox and ABC TV show rentals for $0.99, some Amazon users noticed that the online retailer was actually selling some Fox, ABC and BBC programs for purchase today at the same amount.

Amazon’s Video on Demand service streams to Macs, PCs and certain settop boxes, but to download shows, users need to be using a Windows PC. And even then, the vids can’t be natively synced to iOS devices.

iTunes obviously can work on iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads, but rentals are only active for 30 days, but once a video starts, the user only has 48 hours to watch it before expiration.

Is it a case of one-upmanship? Steve Jobs was very smug and satisfied with his ABC and FOX partnerships. Is this enough to send him storming around the campus? I wouldn’t want to be the bearer of this news in the Cupertino offices.

Via: AppleInsider

I’m just going to come right out and say it: I’m torn about today’s event. There was a lot of good stuff unveiled, along with the fruition of some long-awaited features. But there were other things that had me feeling a little… well, ambivalent.

First the good: A refresh for the whole iPod line? That’s exciting. Great to see that Apple threw out the whole “small, incremental changes” ethos and cranked up the fun. (And that itty bitty Nano? I have an iPhone 4 and an iPad at my disposal, and yet somehow, I still want that adorable teeny tiny touchscreen device. If it can eventually run some other limited selection of apps, I might even be in love. Yeah, yeah — the whole mobile industry is going toward massive screens. Whatevs. Call me a sucker for miniatures.)

The Apple TV announcement was very interesting too. Now that they’ve slashed both the footprint of the device as well as the price, maybe it stands half a chance of taking off. And if it does, it could finally do for streaming TV entertainment what the iPhone did for touchscreen smartphones and the iPad did for tablets.

But we could sit here and talk all day about Apple TV or the company’s myriad other products. Mobile iOS devices and software are really what our site is about, so let’s take a closer look at that angle.

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iOS 4.1

We are on the verge of iOS 4.1 landing on our devices, and with it, will come some interesting things. That next major software update will bring some welcome relief for people who have been suffering problems with the proximity sensor, Bluetooth, and iPhone 3G compatibility.

My reaction to that is — AWESOME! My second reaction is, “What took so $#@*& long?!” Did it have to take months to figure out fixes for this? Maybe so. No doubt, Apple made some really ambitious upgrades this year, and when you take that big a leap forward, you’re bound to hit a few obstacles. I’m sure Cupertino wasn’t planning on redirecting resources to appease anntennagate victims or patch PDF vulnerabilities. Still, these fixes seemed to take forever. (And we’ll find out next week how well these were addressed.)

As someone who has been lucky in not having to deal with these mishaps, my attention was focused less on the patches, and more on the new stuff — namely that nifty new high dynamic range feature. The iPhone took some criticism for its 5 MP camera (since these days, many of the advanced smartphones are offering 8 MP or more). Any photographer will tell you that pixel count isn’t a good way to judge a camera, but we consumers seem to transfixed by that number. Maybe that will all go away when we see stunningly clear and vivid images coming from our phones (and now iPod Touches!).

If you’re not familiar with high dynamic range, let me see if I can explain briefly: Have you ever taken a pic focused on a light area? it renders the darks in your photo like sludge, right? Or maybe you focused on the dark part, and now the whites are blown out. Tapping on an area that’s not too dark or too light may make the subject come out great — except your whites and shadows are now washed out. But imagine taking all the best parts of these pics and putting them together in one photo. You’ve got a vibrant light area, detail in the dark part and a mid-colors are crisp. That’s the power of HDR, and it’s coming to our iPhones and iPod Touches natively.

I can also see how Game Center might help bolster Apple’s standing in the mobile gaming community. (I’d be shocked if Jobs’ boasting about the iPod Touch topping Nintendo and Sony didn’t prompt an immediate response from those companies.) As if we weren’t already addicted to our games. Social gaming and remote multiplayer could intrigue hardcore gamers — some of whom have been turning their noses up at the iOS platform.

Ability to upload HD videos and rent TV shows (at just $0.99 a pop) are also some nice finishing touches.

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iOS 4.2

It felt like a treat to get an iOS 4.2 sneak peek, especially for iPad users. Jobs didn’t tip his hat too much about the software, but did open up with a few interesting nuggets.

First, wireless printing from the device? That is tremendous. The tablet offers a great interface for document creation and editing. Printing has been the one crucial feature that’s been missing. There are apps that do this, but it requires some set up, and every new update brings a potential for new bugs. Now, iPad owners will have this natively, and that’s huge. The companion Print Center app also gives them the ability to monitor print jobs. These developments are sure to thrill a lot of iPad users.

iOS 4.2 will also bring AirPlay, and a very cool new feature that will allow iTunes to stream audio and video to iOS devices. It’s not a cloud-based iTunes solution, like a lot of the gossipmongers were predicting, but at least streaming from the desktop has just gotten easier. Airplay is also what will enable iPads to push content wirelessly to the company’s revamped Apple TV (which suddenly makes Jobs’ pet project a little more interesting).

That all sounds great, but here’s the issue: iOS 4.2 won’t be available until November. Maybe it wouldn’t be too big a deal if iPad users had iOS 4.0 or 4.1 to hold them over like iPhones and iPod Touches, but no dice. Tablet users, many of whom got their devices last April, have been waiting for almost half a year to get multitasking, folders, etc. Now they’ll have to wait a few months more? That’s kind of ridiculous.

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iTunes

Yes, CDs are quickly becoming a thing of the past, with digital downloads and streaming becoming more widely available. So it’s no shocker that Apple has ditched the CD emblem of its logo. iTunes will also have a revamped interface, displaying album art inline with song titles. But the real news is a new feature called Ping.

The whole crux of Ping is to bring the social networking aspect into the music experience. You can friend people, follow them, see what music or concerts they’re into, sample their playlists and more. The really interesting part? Ping will also be available on iOS devices. At first blush, I wondered if this would compete with apps like Pandora or Slacker, but there’s a big distinction here: It seems users can sample songs, but not play the whole thing. I’m sure Apple would’ve allowed that, if the music companies were willing. Maybe it will happen — right around the time that pigs fly. For now, users need to be content with sampling excerpts. But at least purchasing is quick and easy from the interface.

And of course, there’s iTunes support for AirPlay. The software has long supported this feature, or at least the old iteration, then called AirTunes. The newly renamed AirPlay allows users to stream video and audio over WiFi. That’s handy. I suppose. Not to downplay the usefulness of this (especially with it coupling up the iPad and Apple TV), but it would’ve been great to enable this over 3G, so users could feasibly have their iTunes catalog everywhere they are. Then again, that would probably incur some pretty scary data usage resulting in jacked up AT&T bills.

As it is, it’s a nice feature, but not quite mind-blowing. I think I’m more focused on how Ping could change the way we source our music.

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iPod Touch

Finally, we come to the big kahuna of today’s event: The new iPod Touch. I am so happy for my brethren, who’ve been awaiting this new version — and, as an iPhone 4 owner, I’m a little peeved about it as well.

It’s a sleeker, skinnier device with a Retina Display, Apple’s A4 processor, 3-axis Gyroscope, front and rear cameras with HD video recording and support for editing, along with FaceTime.

And it’s available in a 64 GB version, which my iPhone is not. I mean really, part of me is wondering why in the world I have an iPhone 4. Seems Cupertino closed much of the gap between the two devices here. If that rumor about 3G data connectivity had panned out (which it didn’t), I’m pretty sure I would’ve been looking to sell my smartphone to pick up this new Touch.

Again, I’m thrilled that Touch users are finally getting some long-desired features, but I can’t help but ask — What gives? Why would Apple design a device that so closely mirrors its other iOS handset? Wouldn’t that just cannibalize its sales? The iPhone 4 has only been on the market for two months, so it’s not like it’s ready to be retired anytime soon.

Frankly, there’s a lot to mull over from today’s event, and even more details may come to light in the days and weeks to come. But for now, I’m sort of scratching my head and wondering what Apple is up to.

Any guesses?

Did you miss the Apple media event announcing its new iPod lineup, Apple TV announcement and iOS news? No worries! We summed it up for you here below. Starting with iOS…

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iOS 4.1:

• Bug fixes for Proximity, Bluetooth, iPhone 3G compatibility
• TV show rentals
• HD uploads over WiFi
• HDR (high dynamic range) photography: This is very cool. No more blown out parts of an otherwise great photo. And no dismally dark areas either. iOS 4.1 means the camera will natively snap three pics, and use the best highs, lows and mids and put them together.
• Game Center (finally). Challenge friends or be challenged to play a variety of games in one-on-one or multiplayer mode. Track scores or, if you have no contacts, find someone to play. Basically, it’s social gaming.
• Available next week

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Teaser about iOS 4.2!

• It’s all about the iPad: Many of the things that iPad owners have been waiting for will be included in this update.
• Tablet users will get it in November
• It will be a free update
• Wireless printing will be a new native feature
• Print Center app, for monitoring print jobs
• iPad will also get Airplay support (more on this below)

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iTunes 10

• New logo (minus the CD graphic)
• Album art is viewable in line with song titles in the user interface
• New feature called Ping, for social networking music and discovery. (Allows users to share info with pals, see recent activity, or follow people and their musical tastes.)
• Ping also available on iPhones and iPod Touches
• AirTunes has gotten redubbed as AirPlay. Users will be able to stream video and audio over WiFi.
• Available now

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The iPod Shuffle

• Tiny little shuffle, but this time with buttons
• Offers playlists (and can speak the playlists) also allows for multiple playlists, as well as genius playlists
• Voiceover
• 15-hour battery life
• Comes in 5 colors
• Price: $49
• Available next week, pre-orders open today

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The iPod Nano

• Took off the click wheel
• Gave it a teeny little multitouch display!
• New version is 46% smaller and 42% lighter than previous version
• Features a clip (like the shuffle)
• Hardware volume buttons
• Nike+ app
• 24 hours of battery life
• Rotatable screen
• Photo viewer
• Works in 29 different languages
• Comes in 6 colors
• Price: $149 for 8GB, $179 for 16GB
• Available next week, pre-orders open today

The iPod Touch

• Thinner
• Retina Display (with four times the pixels, at 326 ppi, 24 bit color, LED backlit)
• Apple A4 chip
• Front and rear cameras (with HD video recording)
• FaceTime (with other iPod Touch users AND iPhone owners)
• 3-axis Gyroscope
• iOS 4.1 (with Game Center)
• 40 hours of music playback
• Users can trim HD vids and use iMovie.
• Price: $229 for 8 GB, $299 for 32 GB, and $399 for 64 GB
• Available next week, pre-orders open today

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Apple TV:

• 25% smaller than the previous version (and now cast in matte black)
• Price drop from $229 to $99
• HDMI, USB, optical audio and Ethernet ports, plus Wifi 802.11n
• Focused on playing streaming content, so no onboard storage. Supports: Netflix, YouTube, Flicker, MobileMe, and accepts streams from computer or iPad (via AirPlay)
• To rent: Movies ($4.99 on DVD launch day) and ABC/Fox TV shows ($0.99), other studios to hopefully follow. Displaying reviews is another very cool feature.
• Availability in 4 weeks, with pre-orders opening today

Are you happy with what you saw today? Was there anything you had your heart set on that wasn’t announced? Let us know in the comments!

Some of you may remember the classic arcade game from the 80s, and maybe even spent Saturday afternoons throwing quarters in to a machine, playing level after level of extra-terrestrial bug killing action. Now, you can re-live your miss-spent youth by downloading R-type for your iDevice. It’s $1.99 in the App Store (link to preview page) and promises to be “100% TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL ARCADE CLASSIC!” Personally, I’m a child of the 90s and ‘R-type’ brings the ‘Type-R’ sub-brand of Honda to mind, often seen on super-charged japanese sports cars. However, to those who remember the gaming culture of the 1980s, and remember seeing E.T when it first was released in the theaters, you may want to spend a couple of bucks and download this app.

Checking early reviews, it’s tickling that nostalgic part of many people’s brains well, with an average user rating of 4.5/5 stars. With three different user modes it’ll suit most peoples’ needs. Whether you’re chubby-thumbed or have tiny fingers, there should be at least one mode of play that will fit your hand. The only thing that bothers me a little about this type of game is that it’s recycling old software, designed for old technology. Surely if you wanted to truly re-live those retro days and play old computer games, you’d buy an old console off eBay, and play the real thing, not waste the iPhone’s Retina display playing games with graphics designed for old tube screens.

So, guys, down to you. Have you downloaded it? If so, is it as good as they say it is? Let us know in the comments below.

A couple of months ago, the news of hacked iTunes accounts made the webs. The situation turned some suspecting iPhone users into victims, as their accounts made unauthorized app purchases from a specific developer. Well-publicized at the time, the culprit was uncovered and it seemed the matter of iTunes hacking had fallen off most people’s radars — until recently.

This week more iTunes fraud was revealed, as several customers with PayPal-linked accounts were hit with charges ranging from $300 to $4700 and beyond for applications, songs and vids. One user launched an inquiry to PayPal, and was informed that this was just one of many recent incidences.

The big question here is, how did this happen again? Is Apple or PayPal somehow at fault? Well, not necessarily. Some experts believe this wasn’t because of a vulnerability in iTunes or PayPal themselves, but rather it was due to user action, with the potential cause being phishing scams. Often times, that involves a fake email or website (that looks like it’s branded by a reputable company) to con victims into giving account info or login details.

To its credit, Paypal has said that it will reimburse anyone whose PayPal-linked iTunes account was compromised. On Apple’s part, the company has implemented some new security measures, but also urges affected users to safeguard themselves.

…if your credit card or iTunes password is stolen and used on iTunes we recommend that you contact your financial institution and inquire about canceling the card and/or issuing a chargeback for any unauthorized transactions… We also recommend that you change your iTunes account password immediately.

Even if you haven’t been affected, you may want to reexamine your iTunes details, particularly if you have a bank account linked directly there (like, say, with a debit card). While this situation hit PayPal users specifically, at least the company is reimbursing its customers. And in general, credit card companies also guard against fraudulent transactions. Bank policies, however, can differ.

Finally, be extra vigilant about suspicious emails or links, or any official-seeming communications that ask you for logins or passwords. A reputable company would never ask you for that. (You can sometimes spot phishing scams by the URL of the site it linked to. Sometimes it’s obvious that you’ve been directed to a different website address, or a bunch of numbers may come up like an IP address. But it’s best not to even go there. Whenever I get emails from “PayPal,” my bank, “iTunes” or another company, I never click the included links. If there’s an urgent notice or message for me, I access it by launching my browser separately and going to the official site manually.)

Consider this a public service announcement. If we iOS users are so legion that we’re too irresistible to pass up as targets, then Apple’s security efforts may need even more beefing up. (Hey Cupertino! Want to redirect some security resources from the jailbreaking department over to iTunes transactions?? Just a thought…)

Have you fallen victim to iTunes fraud? Share your story below.

Via: BBC

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UPDATE: We hear you loud and clear. This issue appears to be affecting our own community, many members of which can’t trace the debacle back to a phishing scheme. If the experts are wrong, and this has nothing to do with those cons, then what bit of hackery caused this mess?

Was it iTunes itself? Could Apple have left a massive hole open in its account management? I honestly don’t know, but I wonder why this seems to be localized to PayPal-linked accounts. (If you’re directly linked via credit card or debit card, and still suffered this problem, please let us know.)

For now, even I changed my account link to a credit card (for the reasons stated above), while urging my husband to do the same. I strongly encourage you guys to change your info as well or possibly stick to gift cards only (as reader pnolte wisely reminded us, below) — at least until more light is shed on this situation.

As soon as we know more, we’ll be sure to report on it.

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The guys over at iLounge have discovered this rather disturbing piece of news. Apparently if you access movie rentals via iTunes on the iPhone 4 they can’t be transferred to iTunes on your Mac or PC. The odd thing is that if you rent a movie from an iPhone 3G or 3GS it works fine. The only confirmation of this by Apple is in a small paragraph in the iPhone 4 user guide:

“On iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, you can transfer rented movies between iPhone and your computer. On iPhone 4, you can transfer rented movies between iPhone and your computer only if they were rented in iTunes on your computer. Movies rented on iPhone 4 cannot be transferred to a computer.”

Personally I don’t think this makes any sense. Despite the fact the iPhone 4 sports a high quality Retina display, it’s still no match for a HD monitor. So why does Cupertino think this is a viable restriction? What do you guys think? Comment below.

Via: iLounge