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For the last week or so I’ve been beta testing a well known iPhone application. Beta testing involves using the 100 iPhone “Ad Hoc” distribution method first outlined at WWDC 2008. I was planning on writing up the process, and my experiences being involved in it (all straightforward, all great — all definitely far more work for developers than testers) when, thankfully for all involved, one of the foremost iPhone devs, Craig Hockenberry of Twitteriffic fame, went and did it the way it should be done.

Interested in Ad Hoc distribution and how iPhone beta testing works? Get you to reading over at his site, Furbo.org.

Meanwhile, Erica Sadun over at TUAW presents a very well though out essay on how Apple could (and should?) improve the App review process with more objectivity, consistency, and transparency.

In [redacted] NDA land, John Gruber over at Daring Fireball offers an interesting theory, via a reader: what if it’s all about patent protection? Seems Apple might start the clock ticking when the NDA is lifted, and the technology gets published, and their lawyers may not have all the dots and crosses in place yet.

Finally, is it time to put BoxOffice on a milk carton yet?

So it seems Apple isn’t the only one who can maintain break-neck code drop schedules. The iPhoneDev Team is back already with the latest version of their pineapple-iconed Pwange tool for jailbreaking iPhone 3G and iPod Touch, and jailbreaking and unlocking the original iPhone 2G.

Version 2.0.2 for use with 2.0.1 may be a little confusing for some, so maybe a better numbering system can be worked out there, but this update also includes the beta Installer.app 4, as well as Cydia.

Want it? rev up your Pwnage’s sparkle-powered Software Update (what a world we live in…) or head on over to the iPhoneDev Team site.

And, as always, whenever performing ninja-like acts on your hardware, proceed with caution.

(Via TUAW)

Another week, another iPhone 2.1 beta. Yup, Apple is maintaining a breakneck pace on the next firmware point release, updating it more regularly that blogger David G. from MobileMe! (Still waiting on “laster [last?] week” there Dave!) More typically Apple, of course, is the lack of details to the release, with TUAW reporting:

“iPhone OS 2.1 beta 3 is now available and is to be used for testing only. View the Pre-Installation Advisory for iPhone OS 2.1 beta 3, Readme, and Release Notes before installing the new versions of the iPhone OS and SDK. As a reminder, pre-release software is Confidential Information and is subject to the terms outlined in your Registered iPhone Developer Terms and Conditions with Apple.”

Again, there were 8 betas released for 2.0 between March and July. If Apple keeps this up, could we be looking at a September release for 2.1? Something times with the anticipated September special event for new iPod Touches and general holiday announcements? (Which last year included the Wi-Fi Music Store and the infamous $200 iphone price drop…)

You see that picture? That’s the $999.99 app that we’ve already warned you about. So please, if you’re interested in that red ruby of a status symbol, simply save that image to your iPhone and use it as a wallpaper or something. Don’t go buying this completely featureless program for $999.99 !! But sadly, it’s too late for 8 people who have already purchased the app. According to the developer there is even more waiting for it to come back to the app store.

“I am sure a lot more people would like to buy it — but currently can’t do so,” Heinrich said. “The App is a work of Art and included a ’secret mantra’ — that’s all.”

How on Earth does this happen? Maybe because it’s the start of the Olympics on 8/8/08 that 8 people decided to bandy up and go in together. Or maybe they’re all filthy rich people who would rather spend money on a digital ruby than a real one. Who knows. Hopefully this won’t spurn a bunch of copycat apps and turn the App Store into a complete dump.

Actually, I have a request for any sane and capable developer. Make the same exact program. Call it “I Am Richer’ and give it away for free. How’s that for ya?

ReadVia

Jonathan Zdziarski has found what he believes to be a “call home” URL that the blogsphere has been reporting could/will be used to tell iPhone’s (and related Mobile OS X devices) to revoke the certificate of an application, blacklisting — effectively killing — it even if it has already been bought and paid for by the end user.

Huhbuwhathe#$%? Zdziarkski explains what he found during a forensic analysis of an iPhone 3G, specifically CoreLocation.

Read about that, the replies, and the whole sordid after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

MacBox, the developer of PhoneSaber, has given word that they’ve had to pull the app from iTunes after a request from THQ wireless. The chat: friendly. The news: THQ has the rights to Star Wars IP on mobiles. The result: MacBox had to pull the app.

That’s the bad news. Here’s the awesome news. THQ is going to work with MacBox to make PhoneSaber not only official, but better with actual ‘canon’ sound effects. MacBox is hoping the app will remain free, perhaps in a promotional capacity for the actual THQ game, The Force Unleashed.

via MacRumors, Thanks to Bad Ash for the tip!

20 countries launched the iPhone 3G back on July 11 (okay, zut, France straggled a bit), and Apple hopes to launch some 21 more just 6 short weeks later — only minus some iTunes authentication failures and supply shortages, no doubt.

From iLounge, we learn who’s next:

Romania, India, the Philippines, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, four additional countries will see launches. Latvia and Lithuania will see the device launched on TeliaSonera’s LMT and Omnitel services, respectively, while T-Mobile and Orange will launch the iPhone in Slovakia, and SingTel will begin offering the device in Singapore.

This will bring the grand total to some 43, with almost 30 more still slated by close of year, 2008. Looks like Apple may need those 40 million units after all, doesn’t it?

C’mon. A day without a MobileMe post is like a day without rain. Or something. So after yesterday’s John Gruber vs. Om Malik showdown, former Apple insider Chuq Von Rospach has strapped on the gloves and joined the fray — in impressive fashion.

Says Chuq, after joking that Jobs is likely walking the MobileMe halls with a flame thrower round about now:

Gruber nails this (see below). MobileMe is a tiny thing compared to iTunes. Apple gets it, and executes it amazingly well. That this release was botched isn’t about Apple not having a clue, but about the MobileMe people either blowing it (I can think of any number of scenarios — scaling it hard). The ultimate failure seemed to be more capacity planning mistakes than anything else, if I’m guessing right. but the ultimate failure was not being willing to tell Steve “we aren’t ready” and taking that heat. They thought they could release and make it work, and guessed very wrong (or thought they were in good shape, which is worse).

The entire post is a fascinating read — chock full of insights, especially about new Apple VP of Internet Services (iTunes + MobileMe + App Store) Eddy Cue, whom comes off looking like a boss just a little to the right of Darkseid…

Our beloved series of tubes has been going crazy over the “I Am Rich” application from the App store. It’s a $999 application that does nothing but prove you’ve got $999 to blow on an application which displays a red diamond. It’s a little funny, as Kottke points out, as a commentary on the iPhone as status symbol.

The question, though, is whether or not Apple should have let it up in the first place and whether they (or the original developer) should have taken it down. Kottke notes that Apple really shouldn’t be in the business of pulling apps based on bad taste and we’re inclined to agree. Both in our podcast and here and there throughout the aftermath of the 2.0 software announcement, we expressed concern that Apple’s total control of what goes up on the App store has the potential to be abused.

On the other side of things, however, is the concern that Apps — especially useless, thousand-dollar apps — are a little too easy to purchase. Gizmodo reports that there was a review up on the app (pictured at right) that detailed one user’s sorry tale of accidental purchase.

We’re going ot go ahead and express two opinions here. One: buyer beware. We don’t want any added complication in purchasing apps (though we could compromise and say any app over $50 would require another approval step). We’ll also add that, like the consumerist always tells us, we recommend that you attach a credit card to your iTunes account instead of a debit card that’s attached directly to your checking. That way if something goes wrong, it’s not your money that’s missing while you work fixing your purchasing snafu.

The second opinion we’ll express a little more provisionally. Given that we’d rather have Apple include crappy apps than have them censor, it’s not going to be too long before it starts to feel like the iTunes Store is going to need better ways to discover and evaluate apps. We don’t know if trial software is in the cards, so in the meantime keep an eye on our review section and our iPhone Software forum — both are good resources to get other users’ opinions before you buy.

Calvin and Hobbes ties with Bloom County as my all-time favorite strip cartoon. Two Xmas’ ago, my friends bought me the fancy collected edition and I spent a week pouring over it. Killer imagination. Killer.

And while notorious recluse and rights reserver Bill Watterson would probably unleash all kinds of fury at the Apple-based, real-world intruding, Silicon Valley send-up, Calvin and Jobs, for those who follow the tech industry, it’s unique combination of nostalgia and “inside baseball” humor is compelling.

(Via Gizmodo)