Tag: iPhone

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Apple Announces SDK for iPhone and iPod touch

Apple announces that iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) will be made available sometimes in February 2008. It is not clear if the SDK will be Mac OS X only or will be available for Windows OS also.

From Apple Hot News:

Third Party Applications on the iPhone
Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. …….

It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. …….

……. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone’s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs.

We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones.

Steve

P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch. [Oct 17, 2007]

Back in July 2002, on TWiT 103 Leo Laporte mentioned a rumor he heard about the iPhone SDK. According to Laporte, he heard that Apple already had a “mature” iPhone SDK on Mac OS X, and Apple was still working on the SDK on Windows OS. It was immediately called “bogus”. Apparently Laporte received this info on his “The Tech Guy Radio Show” chat room from an anonymous person. Unfortunately, Laporte no longer posts any of the chat transcript to quote the info verbatim. In effect, the anonymous person told Laporte that Apple had a working iPhone SDK on Mac OS X and might be working on the Windows OS version. Despite of all conflicting news, the information is somewhat accurate.

The iPhone and iPod touch OS is based on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Most likely that the SDK will require Leopard, and there will be no Windows OS version. This means if you want to develop apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, you need to use Mac OS X Leopard.

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Amazon MP3 BETA Offers DRM-Free Music

Amazon has taken its new music service to public beta.

Introducing Amazon MP3, a la carte DRM-free MP3 digital music downloads.

Amazon MP3 BETA

Most DRM-free MP3 tracks are priced ¢89, and most albums are priced from $5.99 to $9.99. Tracks are encoded in 256kbps MP3. Amazon recommends installing Amazon MP3 Downloader, that will automatically add any purchased song to iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Amazon MP3 Downloader

Unlike Amazon Unbox, Amazon MP3 service is compatible with Mac and Windows (haven’t tried it on Linux).

At first, it seems that Amazon MP3 is a worthy competitor to Apple iTunes Store. Looking ahead and beyond, this is a victory over the dreaded DRM. It is interesting how Universal Music Group purposely excludes Apple iTunes Store from its DRM-free offerings. Eventually, it won’t matter anymore, because DRM-free MP3s will work in any music players. Be it an iPod, Creative Zen, SanDisk Sansa, or even Zune.

I can play the MP3 I purchased from Amazon MP3 on my iPhone.

Support DRM-free music service!

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Apple’s “Mum Is No Longer The Word” Special Event

Thanks to my insomniac life, I’m up hitting the refresh buttons on Apple’s “Mum Is No Longer The Word” special event coverage.

  • Apple UK Store is closed for product updates!
  • 8GB iPhone, O2 as carrier in The UK, £269 (including VAT)
  • Will arrive in the UK on November 9th, 2007
  • GPRS and EDGE, no 3G – US Customers rejoices!
  • Visual Voicemail and Unlimited data with £35, 45, 55 plans
  • From Endgadget:
    10:16 – Steve gets back on stage for Q&A. We ask: Why not 3G networks?Steve: “The 3G chipsets are real power hogs. Handset battery life cuts power to 2-3 hours.” Yeah yeah, we’ve heard it before. “Our phone has a talk time of 8 hours and that’s really important when you want to use your phone for internet and music. 3G needs to get back up to 5+ hours, something we think well see later next year”
  • Free HotSpots provided by Cloud in The UK
  • From Slashgear:
    “The contract for the phone will be 18 months, and unlimited data usage actually means 1400 web pages per day.”
  • …
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Apple Releases iTunes 7.4.2

UPDATE:
Yep, the ringtones added using the .m4r method are moved out of the ringtones folder to the music library. Still looking for a workarounds.

Hot off the grills, iTunes 7.4.2 is out.
We’ll see if this Update closes the ringtone loophole.

iTuners Icon

Apple posts iTunes 7.4.1 for both Mac and Windows.

iTunes 7.4 for Mac (38.3MB) | for Windows (49.1MB)

About iTunes 7.4.2
With iTunes 7.4, sync your favorite music and more with the new iPod nano (third generation), iPod classic, and iPod touch, plus create custom ringtones exclusively for iPhone with many of your favorite songs purchased from the iTunes Store. You can now also play purchased videos with closed captioning (when available), easily rate your favorite albums from one to five stars, and watch videos at a larger size inside the iTunes window.

What’s New in this Version
iTunes 7.4.2 addresses an issue with creating ringtones using iTunes Plus song purchases and includes bug fixes to improve stability and performance.

iTunes 7.4.1 was released on September 7th.

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Apple Posts Info for The $100 iPhone Credit

http://www.apple.com/iphone/storecredit/

iPhone $100 Store Credit

Requests for the $100 credit must be submitted by November 30, 2007.
You must activate your iPhone with AT&T prior to submitting your claim. Once you activate, return to this page after 24 hours to request your credit

As promised, Apple posts the information on the $100 credit for iPhone purchased before August 22nd, 2007.

$100 Apple Store Credit for Early iPhone Owners

If you bought your iPhone before August 22, you may be eligible for an instant $100 electronic credit toward the purchase of products at the Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. See the terms and conditions below for more details.

To receive your credit, follow these three easy steps.

Step 1: Identify your iPhone

To confirm eligibility, simply enter your phone number and iPhone serial number in the fields provided.

Step 2: Enter your access code

You will receive an SMS text message on your iPhone containing the access code to redeem your $100 credit. Enter your phone number and your access code in the fields provided to generate an electronic store credit.

Step 3: Get your $100 Apple Store credit

You will receive a $100 electronic store credit to purchase products at the Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store.

Apple iPhone $100 Credit Access Code

Related:

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter/