Apple's Q3 Financial call may or may not have pointed to a new Mac tablet offering but that doesn't really matter. The Mac tablet isn't a rumor any more, Robert. It's right here sitting in my pocket. If the iPhone isn't a Mac tablet, I don't know what is. It runs OS X. It has a full touch interface. OS X + touch == Mac tablet, any way you look at it.
The computing world is changing. We're no longer tied to desktops. We move around, we take our computing with us. Holding a computer in the crook of our arms isn't just a nice idea, it's practical. When you're walking through hospital halls, sitting in on a University lecture, attending business meetings, or specing out a project at a construction site, the tablet computer makes sense. If anything, the iPhone which has been pushed far beyond its original design specs, has proven that people want truly mobile computing. No keyboard, no standard screen -- true portability.
And it's not just about people who spend their lives away from their desks. Drawing directly on a screen beats the heck out of drawing on a Wacom tablet. Tablet computing brings the artist directly to the canvas. And it doesn't stop at drawing. How do traditional laptops and computer screens integrate meaningfully in any way into creating music. Sure, we're used to the standard tools but isn't a piano keyboard or a guitar a more natural interface into music? Let musicians jot notes into a portable tablet rather than figuring out how to keep moving between instrument and computer keyboard.
Cell phones and tablet computers are all about freeing ourselves. Sure you can bring a laptop on a camping trip or into the grocery store -- but an iPhone or a small tablet mac work much better on the go. So, say "Yes" to tablets. In fact, say "Heck Yes". Because we don't have to wait for Apple to deliver one any more. iPhone and App Store already have.
Unclutterer is one of my favorite blogs. They offer practical advice and tips on keeping your work, home and life tidy and clutter-free.
This week, they've posted an article on using the iPhone for increased productivity and clutter reduction. There are several great tips, including my favorite -- photograph the bar codes of your membership cards (gym, Staples, etc.) and store them in an appropriately named album. Most scanners should have no trouble reading the bar codes (test this before ditching your cards, of course).
They also mention apps like Jott and Evernote. It's definitely worth a read. Check it out. Update: Their website seems to be having a bit of trouble this morning, folks. We're sure they're working on it. Sorry for the inconvenience.
FileMagnet (mentioned briefly by Dave in his iPhone apps I actually use post yesterday) is a low-cost wireless file transfer tool for iPhone and iPod Touch. It requires you to install a companion desktop application, also called FileMagnet, which acts as the conduit for file transfer.
Usage is simple enough: drag files you wish to copy into the desktop app's window. Then open FileMagnet on the iPhone, and as long as the two machines are on the same WiFi network, they will find each other over Bonjour, and wirelessly connect. Then your files are smoothly and wirelessly transferred over. Transfer will also happen every time you sync the device, if the desktop app happens to be running.
FileMagnet is a handy place for reference materials, such as Word docs, spreadsheets, PDFs and images, that you're likely to need to carry at all times. It handles entire folders full of files, too.
There are a few problems right now, all of which are addressed on the official FileMagnet FAQ, mostly with a promise that they'll be fixed soon:
FileMagnet cannot display iWork files (yet)
The desktop app requires Leopard (but a Tiger version is on the way)
You can't email files, or indeed do anything with them except view them (an email feature is coming)
Like a lot of iPhone and iPod touch apps, it's in its early days. Some features are lacking, or not as perfectly functional as you might like. But the developers are aware of the limitations and working on fixes and new features, and personally I think it's a decent value application with bright prospects for future development. I'll be watching out for updates with interest.
FileMagnet is $4.99, and available through the App Store.
Some have said that the iPhone 2.0 software is buggy. We say, "Bugs? What bugs?"
Today, reader Alfred has identified one that you can try for yourself. Open up Notes and attempt to type "Flickr." You'll find that you can't. The 2.0 software replaces "Flickr" with "flicke" or "flickt".
Here's the weird part: you can't even select the "r" button. Sliding a finger from "e" to "t" skips "r" entirely.
Here's the obvious, inelegant workaround: delete the "e" or "t" and type again. For more odd (and useful) iPhone tips, check out our iPhone 101 series.
It seems like only yesterday that I was posting about the soon to be released WordPress app for the iPhone. Ah, right, it was only yesterday. A lot can happen when I'm sleeping, it would appear, because sometime last night the WordPress app went live on the App Store.
This free app, which works with WordPress.com blogs as well as any self hosted sites running version 2.5.1 or higher, let's you post to your blog easily. As you can see in our gallery, the application is straightforward and pretty easy to use.
At the moment this app is all about posting to your WordPress blog, not managing it. You won't be able to access comments from this app, nor can you add users, activate plugins, or anything along those lines.
That being said, this is a must have app for all you iPhone toting WordPress bloggers out there.
When the App Store went live on the 10th, I went a little nuts and downloaded a bunch of apps. Some I fell in love with. Some I launched once. Others lingered a for a few days while I decided their fate.
Now it's nearly two weeks later, and I've identified the keepers. Here I'll list each one as well as why and how I use them. As a bonus, I'll identify the three that have made the cut to my main screen -- what I'm calling my "front page apps." Read the list after the jump.
I'm the first to admit that I am no financial whiz. I know very little about stocks, bonds, and money in general (I'm a blogger after all), however, I do know a thing or two about iPhone apps. Imagine my surprise that one of my favorite iPhone apps is the Bloomberg app (shocking, I know!).
Bloomberg, in case you aren't aware, is one of the leading sources of financial news. The company's reputation was built upon the Bloomberg Terminal, which is leased to traders, libraries, and the like for a high monthly fee. The thinking is that by having a wealth of knowledge about the market at your fingertips the terminal will pay for itself.
The Bloomberg app, in stark contrast, is free but does still offer you a deep look into your stocks. You can keep track of your portfolio, see news related to the companies you invest in, and get lots of performance data at a glance.
Take a look at our gallery to see what this app has to offer (keep in mind that I took these screenshots last week, so the stock info is out of date).
Just a little while ago I wrote about Typepad's native iPhone app, which I quite liked. Many folks thought it looked neat, but they were either running their own WordPress blogs, or using Wordpress.com's hosted service neither of which are compatible with the Typepad app (for obvious reasons). Luckily for them, the good folks at WordPress have posted some information about the forthcoming WordPress iPhone application.
The app is ready, and pending addition to the App Store. It will work with both self hosted WordPress installs and blogs hosted on WordPress.com. You can do all the things you would expect: upload pictures, write blog posts, and edit existing posts.
The app should be available soon on the App Store for free. Once it is available I'll be taking it for a spin and posting my thoughts. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Two intrepidusers have found a simple way to mod their old iPhone docks to work with iPhone 3G: a rotary tool.
All it takes, apparently, is grinding away about a millimeter of the plastic where the back of the iPhone 3G rests against the dock. A rotary tool with a tapered grinding bit appears to work the best, as it avoids touching the dock connector.
It might not have exactly the fit and finish of a new dock, but hey, the price is right if you already have the tools.
The iPhone's home screen works just fine with 16 application icons on the main screen and four more on the dock at the bottom. It still works well with another screenful of 16 more apps on the adjacent screen.
But, says Chris Devers, as you start adding more apps, the home screen UI doesn't scale well to cope with them. Flicking across five screens of apps to find the one you want is time-consuming. And moving an app from screen five to screen three is chaotic, unless you've left "gaps" on each screen as you went along - in which case you'd have six to juggle, not five. And even then, it's still chaotic.
OK, so not everyone is going to be collecting that many third party apps. But for people who do, says Chris, there needs to be a better solution than this. He's posted a set on Flickr to illustrate his point.
What might work? A Quicksilver- or Spotlight-style app, where you type some characters from the name of the app you want and it gets launched? Or a gesture launcher, where you "draw" what you're looking for?
I recently wrote a post about Ilium Software, developer of longtime mobile apps eWallet and ListPro, and Apple's delays in getting their applications into the App Store.
I don't take any credit (it was pure coincidence), but about 8 hours after my post eWallet showed up in the App Store. I purchased it immediately, since I used the Windows Mobile and Palm OS versions for years and have been hoping for an iPhone version.
In short, eWallet is both attractive and functional. It stores your passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information securely with 256-bit AES encryption, and it does it with iPhone style. At $9.99, eWallet for iPhone is priced at half of the price of its $19.95 siblings for Palm OS and Windows Mobile.
Read after the break for the rest of my review of Ilium Software's eWallet for iPhone (link opens iTunes Store), and check the gallery below for screenshots of eWallet in action.
This weekend, the iPhone Dev Team delivered an iPhone 2.0 jailbreak. Today, TUAW invites you to chat about the jailbreak, about the new Cydia installer, and about the future of iPhone jailbreak development and use. Follow the jump to join in our discussion.
Mocha VNC Lite allows your iPhone or iPod touch to connect to your Mac or PC via VNC. For those of you who don't know, VNC is a protocol that allows you to screenshare/control other computers via a VNC client (which is what Mocha VNC Lite is). It is amazing to see this working right on my iPhone. I remember back when I used a Palm device to do this sort of thing and it was very kludgy, but this seems to work rather smoothly.
When you are connected to the computer via VNC, you are able to control pretty much everything on the screen, with the exception of special keys (i.e. command, option, F keys, etc.). You can, however, "pinch" the iPhone's screen to zoom in or out the viewing area.
Now for the gripes. Mocha VNC Lite uses left-clicks on the screen (which can be quite annoying after a few minutes use). You are also unable to change the refresh rate (however, if you click the "+" button, you're given a "refresh option.")
Mocha VNC also offers a paid version which gives you more useful features like extra PC keys, cursor keys, text macros, and a right mouse key. However, the lite version will give most users everything they need for casual VNC management.
You can download Mocha VNC Lite from the App Store for free. At the time of this writing the paid version has not yet been placed on the App Store. Feel free to look at our gallery of screenshots before you download.
Missing iCards? Well, SodaSnap hopes to fill the missing hole with their postcards for the iPhone. "SodaSnap Instant Postcards" is a a free application that does just that: creates postcards on-the-go.
Just shoot a picture with your iPhone and SodaSnap lets you send it off as an e-mail postcard. You can choose a picture that is saved in your "Photos" library which allow folks with an iPod touch in on the fun.
The best part of this iPhone application is that it just works, all without creating a pesky account with some company you've never heard of. That being said, your message is clearly passed through SodaSnap's servers, so you might want to be careful of what you write (such as personal information, etc.). SodaSnap provides great access to the address book for picking recipients. Overall, this is a fun application and the results are pretty good for a free application.
SodaSnap Instant Postcards is a free download from the iTunes App Store. Get a detailed look at SodaSnap before downloading by looking at our gallery of screenshots.
Apple's Q3 Financial call may or may not have pointed to a new Mac tablet offering but that doesn't really matter. The Mac tablet isn't a rumor any more, Robert. It's right here sitting in my pocket. If the iPhone isn't a Mac tablet, I don't know what is. It runs OS X. It has a full touch interface. OS X + touch == Mac tablet, any way you look at it. 
FileMagnet
Some have said that the iPhone 2.0 software is buggy. We say, "Bugs? What bugs?"
It seems like only yesterday that I was 
When the
I'm the first to admit that I am no financial whiz. I know very little about stocks, bonds, and money in general (I'm a blogger after all), however, I do know a thing or two about iPhone apps. Imagine my surprise that one of my favorite iPhone apps is the 
Just a little while ago I 
Two 
The iPhone's home screen works just fine with 16 application icons on the main screen and four more on the dock at the bottom. It still works well with another screenful of 16 more apps on the adjacent screen. 
I recently 
Missing 
