iPhone AppStore currently requires WiFi

Although Apple CEO Steve Jobs said, during his SDK introduction presentation, that the iPhone App Store would work over both WiFi and cellular networks, a new screenshot of the store (running on iPhone OS 1.2, currently in beta and unreleased to the public) from Boy Genius Report apparently reveals that a WiFi connection is, at least for now, required.

The BGR gallery includes some other great shots of iPhone OS 1.2, including Exchange setup, other pictures of the App Store and more.

An iPhone App Wish List

The Web-based applications to which the iPhone has been limited have weaknesses, including that they are usually slower than programs installed directly on the device, and they can only be accessed when users are online. The new development tools are the same used by Apple's engineers and will let programmers create software that iPhone owners can install directly on their devices.

Apple Releases Speedier Safari

"The iPhone and iPod have had kind of a halo effect on Apple's core computer sales," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst with Sterling Market Intelligence. "The Safari browser is kind of a why-not effort to reach people and bring them into a little look-and-feel Apple experience on Windows and familiarize them with what it's like to be on an Apple machine."

iPhone Battery Life information

iBooter: Interactive iPhone Diagnostics

iPhone hacker Niacin has just released iBooter, his new iPhone diagnostics tool. It serves as an interactive console for iBoot, the Apple bootloader, runs on Mac/Windows/Linux independently of iTunes. Using iBooter, you can do fun things like set environmental variables, write a custom image to the display (ie. change the image that shows up when you dock the iPhone), run USB commands, and diagnose booting errors.

iPhuc has offered similar functionality, but was dependent on iTunes and was only capable of sending commands to iBoot. With iBooter, you can both send commands and receive replies, allowing you to diagnose errors and the like.

FitReach: Training and Diet Planner

Using FitReach you can login to your account on your iPhone and view your gym training for the day, diet and manage your weight goals all from the iPhone interface. It is easy to use, and free to create an account.

- View your diet for the day
- Line graph display showing your weight loss, bodyfat and lean mass changes since you created your account.
- Display meals for the day, and allows you to view which meals you have had.
- View the training you have planned for the day.
- Weigh In - enter your latest weight stats directly from the web app.

Google APIs now compatible with iPhone SDK

Google’s new GData Objective –C Client Library adds support for the Google Contacts Data API and YouTube API. So essentially, any applications written in Objective-C (including those created for the iPhone) will be able to take advantage of features such as uploading video to YouTube account or directly editing their Google account contacts.

According to Google blog post, GData Objective-C Client library is 100% compatible with the iPhone SDK.

“Perhaps you want your iPhone software to send photos to a Picasa Web Albums account, or keep a journal of phone calls automatically in Blogger. Maybe your iPhone application accesses a database of information from a Google Spreadsheet or from Google Base. With the Google Data APIs Objective-C Client Library, creating software for these tasks is straightforward.”

“If you are writing iPhone software, just drag the “GData Sources” group folder from the GData project file into your iPhone project, and use the GData APIs as you would when writing a Mac application.”

Device allows you to watch TV on your iPhone

I ask you this: why can’t I watch TV on my iPhone? Seems like it can do everything else. Packet Video’s matchbox-sized Mobile Broadcast Receiver, demoed earlier this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, aims to fill that niche. The device basically acts as a go-between for television and your iPhone (or other Wi-Fi compatible device) by receiving a digital broadcast signal, decoding it, and sending it to your device over Wi-Fi. The MBR is even smart enough to detect what kind of device you’re using and send video in an appropriate format, using QuickTime for the iPhone for example.

On the downside, Packet Video’s products don’t usually get marketed directly to consumers, but rather to mobile operators. The device is compatible with a number of wireless signals, like DVB-H, MediaFlo, and Wi-Max. No word on whether it works with ATSC, the digital TV format that’ll primarily be used in the US.

iPhone users search on Google. A lot.

At this past week’s Mobile World Congress, Google’s Vic Gundotra, head of mobile operations, told the Financial Times that search traffic from iPhones was blowing away the competition—to the tune of 50 times the amount of searches coming from other mobile devices. In fact, the numbers were so out of whack that they suspected they’d made an error in interpreting the data.

No such luck: turns out that iPhone users really are Googleoholics. But that’s not really a surprise, is it? Safari’s built-in search field defaults to Google (you can switch it to Yahoo in Settings -> Safari -> Search Engine), and with the iPhone’s keyboard and lack of copy/paste, a lot of times it’s easier to type a search string in than a URL. Oh, and of course, there’s the device’s massive popularity. That probably doesn’t exactly hurt them either.

Skyhook makes finding yourself even easier

Those of you looking for more accurate positioning from your iPhone’s Wi-Fi location functions will be happy to know that the process just got even easier. When we first explained how to add your access point to Skyhook Wireless’s database, it required you to assemble a bunch of information and email it off to the company.

I wonder if perhaps they got a little tired of fielding all those emails, because they’ve streamlined the ordeal by putting up a web page where you can enter the details. Just pop in your address and it’ll give you the Latitude and Longitude with the built-in Google Maps interface. Add your access point’s MAC address and your email, and you’re good to go.

Sure, it’s not GPS, but it’s the next best thing. And think of all the time it saves you.

Water turns 8GB iPhone into 16GB iPhone

I made a fascinating discovery today, one which will undoubtedly land me an interview spot on CNN and a stint on all the major morning talk shows: drop your 8GB iPhone into a glass of water — entirely submerged — and watch it be magically replaced by a brand-new 16GB model.

All you need is a water-damaged iPhone, some serious frustration, and a wad of cash when you walk into the Apple Store. My notorious ADD-inspired (perhaps subconsciously-percipitated) clumsiness somehow resulted in me dropping my precious iPhone — the same one I stomped on and beat to death with the magnificent OtterBox Armor — into a full glass of ice water. All the phone could do after that was turn on and off…and on and off, and on and off…by itself…non-stop. It was almost as if the top on/off button was continually triggering its functions — even when the button wasn’t actually pressed.

I went to the iPod Bar at the store, and they told me I could get a replacement for about $250. All of a sudden, my mind was seized by vent-expelled polycarbonate-scented pheromones designed to relax the mind and make customers easily influenced by the nuclear-powered Reality Distortion Field generator built into every Apple Store. Within minutes, I was handing my credit card to the cashier, robotically paying for a new 16GB iPhone.

Apparently they’ve upgraded those RDF machines since the last time I was there. Damn.

Of course, when I mentioned to the Genius that I had dropped it in water, his first response was: “…the toilet, right?” No, no. A glass of water. Apparently toilet droppings are quite common (snicker). A friend of mine had a similar issue: Two days after purchasing his iPhone he dropped it right into the toilet — not gonna ask — and killed it. He hook it to the Apple Store, confessed truthfully to the mishap, and blammo: they gave him a new one on the spot.

As with all Apple products, support experiences vary — and when you’re getting support at the store, it all depends on the Genius who’s helping you. They have crazy discretion. Sound off in the comments: have you dropped your iPhone into a cup, a puddle, or toilet? How’d you deal with it?

Review: Marware Sport Grip for iPhone

Marware’s $15 Sport Grip for iPhone is a silicone skin case for the iPhone that’s available in blue, pink, clear, and black. The Sport Grip provides simple protection for the iPhone while leaving all of its controls easily accessible.

As with most silicone skins, the Sport Grip has a large opening at the front for accessing the iPhone’s touchscreen; you also use this opening to insert and remove the iPhone from the case. The front of the case also includes small holes for the iPhone’s earpiece and proximity sensor as well as an indentation over the Home button that makes it easy to locate by touch. The back of the case has a small opening for the iPhone’s camera lens, and holes in the edges of the case let you get at the iPhone’s headphone jack, Ring/Silent switch, microphone, speaker, and dock-connector port. Rather than leaving openings for the volume buttons and Sleep/Wake switch, Marware has chosen to instead provide small nubs of silicone over those buttons to let you operate them through the case. The company also includes a thin, adhesive screen protector along with the necessary tools for applying the film to the iPhone.

The ridged sides of the case make it easy to grip and the slightly tacky-feeling silicone means that the phone won’t slide off a table or other smooth surface, though that texture also means that it’s more troublesome getting the phone in and out of a pocket. The silicone on the back of the case is somewhat thicker, giving the Sport Grip a solid, comfortable feeling in your hand.

I found the opening for Ring/Silent switch to be a little on the small side for convenient use, yet I still accidentally triggering the switch on more than occasion when putting the phone into my pocket. The silicone material gathers a decent amount of dust and lint, some of which can become trapped between the case and the phone, but this is a problem we’ve encountered with several cases.

Overall, the Marware Sport Grip is a respectable entry among silicone iPhone cases, and it’s a fair sight cheaper than many of the others we’ve tested.