weekinreview

iPhone OS 3.0 official debut

iphoneos3clockThe final build of iPhone OS 3.0 made it’s official debut on June 17th at 10 AM PT.  Even before the debut, there was an issue with re-downloading apps for free from the device itself, but thankfully Apple said it was just a “bug.” That wasn’t the only bug to plague the release of the OS, as the Stocks and Weather apps stopped working for a brief period of time and the iPhone 3G S is the only device that is allowed to display a battery percentage meter for some odd reason.  To add insult to injury, Apple removed our “More” tab without notice.  Of course the iPhone OS 3.0 launch wasn’t all bad, because it introduced all kinds of new features to play with which we conveniently put together in a single post.  We also discovered a nifty trick where you can have more than the 180 allowed apps on your device.  All in all, we are glad iPhone OS 3.0 is now in our hands.

The “S” stands for speed

iphone3gsvsipodtouchiPhone 3G S launch week was a roller coaster of emotions.  Some of us received tracking information stating that our new devices would be arriving earlier than expected, only to have that dream get crushed, but that’s alright, because we were willing to wait in line.  Some folks decided that it was better to have their new iPhone 3G S in pieces so they could analyze its internal parts, but we left ours whole and pitted it against a second generation iPod touch in a battle of speed.  The iPhone 3G S won, of course, because the “S” stands for speed after all.

Apple’s pushing it

taptaprevenge_pushWith the debut of iPhone OS 3.0 came the debut of Apple’s long-awaited push notifications.  To assist you in finding every available push-capable app in the App Store, we created an “Apps That Push You” AppList that is updated constantly, and we even highlighted the first batch of push-capable apps in a single post.  The release of push notifications didn’t go as smoothly as some may have hoped, however.  Our own Ian Hamilton is still trying to figure out why the first batch of push-capable chat apps haven’t been released.  No matter what happens, push notifications are here to stay, so get pushing.

AT&T speaks out

att_logoAT&T isn’t exactly the most well-liked company in the world, but they are trying to change their image by being more clear and outspoken.  Earlier in the week they confirmed that using MMS wouldn’t cost any extra dough for those of you who already pay for an SMS plan.  They also stated that the rumors circulating the web about a $55 tethering plan were simply untrue.  They didn’t, however, tell us how much it would cost or when it would be available.  In an attempt to try to make even more people happy, AT&T changed their stance on early iPhone 3G S upgrades.  Those of you who spend a lot on your phone plans are now eligible to get the early upgrade price even earlier.

App news

adaptunesOur favorite casual game, Flight Control, has officially been downloaded 1 million times.  Congratulations Firemint!  Sirius XM finally released their highly anticipated iPhone app, but they surprisingly left out Howard Stern.  Imangi Studios released Harbor Master, which is like Flight Control just with boats.  TweetDeck launched their first iPhone app that allows users to sync with the desktop version of the software.  DataViz finally released Documents To Go for all of you business professionals out there. Alpha Acid decided to take advantage of the new APIs in iPhone OS 3.0 with Adaptunes, and so did Big Stone Phone with an update to Twittelator Pro.  It’s an exciting time for developers thanks to 3.0.

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