In reference to last week’s news that Amazon pulled copies unlicensed copies of 1984 and Animal Farm off users’ Kindles and iPhone Kindle apps, Jeff Bezos proves that sometimes the buck still stops at the top:

This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our “solution” to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we’ve received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.

With deep apology to our customers,

Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com

Nice.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Apologizes to Kindle (and iPhone Kindle App) Users

• Our podcast feed
• Download Directly
• Subscribe via iTunes

Join Dieter and Rene for Apple’s Q3 iPhone results, and Chris, James, and Rene for App Store redux, more third gen iPod touch, and iTablet rumors. Listen in!

Sponsored by the iPhone blog Store

Thanks to the TiPb iPhone accessory store for sponsoring the podcast. Check out the Jabra BT2080 Bluetooth Headset for iPhone, now in stock!

News

• Apple Q3 2009 Conference Call – 5.2 Million iPhones Sold
• iPhone and iPod touch: Now with 45 Million Unit Install Base
• Apple: We Knew Traditional iPod Sales Would Decline, That’s Why We Developed iPhone
• Dear Apple: How About that Premium App Store?
• iPhone — 20% Profit Share of Mobile Industry?
• AIM Push Problems – Hacktivated iPhones to Blame?
• Third Generation iPod touch to get Camera… and Microphone?
• No Promo Codes for Apps Rated 17+ — Including Browsers?!
• Developer: Serious Doubts About App Store, Does Apple Care?
• Rumor: Subsidized Apple iTablet Coming to Verizon this Year?
• UPDATED: Amazon Remote Wipes Kindle Copies of 1984, Animal Farm — Redefines Irony
• Microsoft Store to Compete With Apple Store — By Not Selling Anything

Forums

Help and How-To

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Presents iPhone Live! #20 — 5.2 Million Sold!

UPDATE: Engadget heard from Drew Herdener, Amazon.com’s Director of Communications:

These books were added to our catalog using our self-service platform by a third-party who did not have the rights to the books. When we were notified of this by the rights holder, we removed the illegal copies from our systems and from customers’ devices, and refunded customers. We are changing our systems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers’ devices in these circumstances.

Good on them for coming clean and changing the policy going forward. Though it would have been nice to have the candor and insight up-front.

ORIGINAL: According to Engadget, Amazon has remotely wiped copies of George Orwell’s classics, 1984 and Animal Farm from Kindles, refunding the purchase price of affected users.

We’re not yet certain, but users of the iPhone Kindle app are probably similarly effected.

It remains unlikely that Amazon broke into any houses, repossessed any copies of same, and left change on the bureau.

By contrast, when Apple removed NetShare from the App Store, already purchased copies remained — and remain to this day — on the devices of whomever purchased them.

Takes a lot of wrong to make App Store policy seem right these days, so way to go, Amazon. You’ve either redefined ownership in the DRM age, or broken faith with any customers thinking of owning any more Kindle content…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

UPDATED: Amazon Remote Wipes Kindle Copies of 1984, Animal Farm — Redefines Irony

Amazon has gone and updated their iPhone Kindle App [iTunes link] to version 1.1 and added in some nifty new features to boot:

• Read in portrait or landscape mode.
• Select alternate background and text colors to improve reading comfort in low light conditions.
• Tap on either side of the screen or flick to turn pages.
• Pinch to zoom images in books.

Still free but also still requiring purchases through Amazon’s web-based Kindle Store, it’s never the less a good point release and overall improvement. And our resident Chadman was kind enough to provide some screenshots, so check out the gallery after the break!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Quick App: Kindle 1.1 for iPhone

Back in March, Apple’s App Store was blessed with the free Amazon Kindle iPhone application. One of the biggest gripes that we had with it was the inability to purchase new books right from the app itself. While we still did not get that ability, Amazon has done the next best thing: last night they flipped the switch on an iPhone optimized Kindle store.

This freshly optimized store is nice to have but what, if anything, will change when iPhone OS 3.0 is released? If you remember, 3.0 has the ability to make in-app purchases. Will Amazon finally allow in-app purchases and give Apple a 30% cut off the top, or will Amazon stick with the current arrangement to avoid paying Apple for every book that is sold?

So what do you, our readers, think about this one? Either way, it should be interesting!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Optimized Kindle Store Now Live

So. Funny. Maybe the Audio Book industry was right to be worried, but for the wrong reason. With the iPhone rumored to be getting voice control in 3.0, how long will it be before we get to see our signature device turn up as Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction… or doing it’s own into at Macworld 2007! The comedy potential is limitless, we tell you, limitless.

Once you’ve had your fill with Pod Vader, be sure to check out the Wrath of Kindle and iBlade Runner.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Thursday Fun Video Part Deux: iPod Theater Edition

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: G-Map US East

I have been using G-Map US East for the iPhone now for a couple of months. Why wait for FULL GPS Navigation with Turn-by-Turn with Software 3.0 when you can have it now. All that is lacking is the audible cue to turn, but it has excellent visual cues. Easy to use and fast calculations make this one a winner! The developer says they will add Audible Turn-by-Turn with Software 3.0. Did I mention that Internet access is not required? That’s right, all of the maps are on your hard drive with no subscription! [$24.99 - iTunes link]

James’ Pick: Lose It!

Now that it’s time for swimsuit season, I need to lose my winter layer that has accumulated over the past few months. Lose It! is a free application that allows you to set your weight loss goals with flexibility. The app counts your calorie intake (with a pretty robust food database), tracks your exercise and progress towards your goal. [Free - iTunes link]

Jeremy’s Pick: UFC Undisputed 2009

[Ed: Since we couldn't pull Jeremy off his Xbox 360 in time to get a pick in, we tapped out and made his new affliction a rare exceptional pick ] 10 second knockout. On advanced difficultly I might add… I’m gonna be a beast in this game. [Free-ish Demo - official web site]

Leanna’s Pick: F-MyLife

This little app lets you see the stories posted on http://www.fmylife.com/. There was a recent update to F-MyLife that has made the user experience even more enjoyable. This is a great time-filler app when you’ve got a few minutes to kill, or if you’ve just had an FML experience, make a post directly from F-MyLife. [ Free - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick: Geodefense

Current favorite for this week is GeoDefence. I was a bit hesitant in getting it as I had fieldrunners, however, this game is just as cool. It has more upgrades and towers also the main thing is that the path is created for you and you have to set up the towers along the path. [$3.99 - iTunes Link]

Rene’s Pick: 1Password

1Password is an app I use so often I’ve almost forgotten it doesn’t come standard on OS X — Mac or iPhone. Until I re-install or restore, then I try to login to a secure website and — Boom! — where’s my 1Password? I can’t think of higher praise than that. It allows you to store gnarly, pseudo-random logins for websites, providing security, yet use them with the minimum of hassle possible, providing convenience to boot. And it syncs between multiple Macs and the iPhone. Swoon [Free - iTunes link]

Special Guest Pick from Editor-in-Chief Dieter Bohn: Kindle

What’s great about it: used to be that if you needed information instantly, you hit up Google to see what the internet says. That’s great and I use it every day (heck, every hour), but while that’s great for breadth of information, it’s not always great for depth. Now that I have the Kindle app on my iPhone, I can ‘queue up’ deeper research quickly and easily. [FREE - iTunes link]

Your Pick?

Yeah, you’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick of the week? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Picks of the Week: G-Map, Lose It!, F-MyLife, GeoDefense, 1Password, Kindle

Our best frenemy forever, CrackBerry.com’s Kevin sent us word that Canadians currently excluded from all the Amazon Kindle E-Book app goodness may just have an alternative. Seems Chapters/Indigo (think Barnes and Nobles with maple syrup, eh?) is getting into the game, and onto the devices, with a new service called Shortcovers.

While Kevin was sickened by the prominence of the iPhone in the above video, we thought it was fantastic. (And if the fugly look of the BlackBerry app compared to the hot sexay of the iPhone version is any indication of how this whole BlackBerry App World vs. iPhone App Store sitch will work out for RIM…)

Any of our readers to the north going to check it out?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Shortcovers a Kindle/E-Book Competitor for Canadians?

• Our podcast feed
• Download Directly
• Subscribe via iTunes

Last night’s iPhone Live! was pretty darn good — so good, in fact, that it created a cross-border, pan-dimensional bug that kept us from recording the first 20 minutes properly. We recapped it a bit, but those who it hit it up live got a special treat. Rest assured, though, we have more than enough to talk about with the new Kindle iPhone App, what it means for Apple, Amazon, and when it might go international – so if you missed iPhone Live!, go ahead and check out this here podcast.

Background Reading

• Review: Belkin TuneCast Auto with ClearScan for iPhone 3G
• Amazon Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch Now in the iTunes App Store
• Could an Apple iTablet be a Kindle e-Book and e-Comic Killer?
• Speculation Alert: Does This Mean March 24 Will be iPhone 3.0 Beta? iTablet? What?!

• Attack of the iClones: It’s a Small BlackBerry App World After All!

• Bonus Dieter Recommended Reading: The once and future e-book: on reading in the digital age by John Siracusa, Ars Technica

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat, or sent in questions!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Presents: iPhone Live! Podcast # 8! — Kindled!

Jennifer, from our sibling site PreCentral.net is a recent Kindle 2 adopter and so eager is she to get her geek on the Pre and it’s potential Kindle App, she decided to take the iPhone version for a test drive. What were her thoughts? Looks great! More:

I was just starting Chapter 11 in my eBook “Terminal Freeze” on the Kindle, but when the iPhone version of the book opened, it was on a different page. I noticed that I had the wireless on my Kindle 2 turned off, so I turned it on. As soon as I did that and rebooted my iPhone, a message popped up asking if I wanted to sync to the furthest page read, and of course I clicked “Yes”. And sure enough, the page went to the beginning of Chapter 11. So it looks like the Whispersync works pretty good.

Head on over to read the rest of her hands on, and maybe encourage her to keep that iPhone groove going…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Amazon Kindle App for iPhone Hands On