Apple created a list of the best iPhone games of 2009. The list is part of their iTunes Rewind 2009 where they are highlighting the best content across 2009 in music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, podcasts, and apps.
Phil Shiller, Apple Senior Vice President of Marketing, was asked what his favorite iPhone Apps were, and here’s what he said:
Shazam [Free - iTunes link]: “There’s just something so amazing about being anywhere, and some music starts playing and you just hold up your phone and can find out what it is,” Mr. Schiller said. “You never again have to say ‘That’s a great song! Who is it by?”
CNN News [$1.99 - iTunes link]: “It’s really cool having the news in your pocket.”
Musicbar is a new Tweak from user Gi-Lo that lets you control the music from the StatusBar.
Operation is very simple: install the tweak via Cydia and run it via a tap on the name of your operator. Now we can control the playback directly from the StatusBar.
Apple has launched iTunes Preview, a feature that shows what music is available on iTunes from the convenience of your Web browser. iTunes Preview lets anyone browse through the entire iTunes catalog’s worth of music, info, and user reviews for any region.
You can access iTunes Preview in one of two ways, either through iTunes Charts on Apple’s Website or through any link generated from the iTunes Store’s Copy Link feature. Unfortunately, it’s still not possible to listen to music outside of iTunes.
For now, this feature only works with music. Hopefully someday it will be be extended to movies, TV shows and the AppStore.
Wall of Sound is a very special product. It, in fact, appears to be the largest speaker for the iPhone and iPod. The accessory, manufactured by Brothers of Stockholm, occupies the entire wall. Here are some characteristics of the product:
Dimensions(H x W x D): 950mm x 1250mm x 300mm
Frequency responce: 40Hz - 20,000 kHz
Weight: 102 kg
The Wall of Sound is the perfect device for those who want to listen to music at high volume. The price?! Just $4495.
iPhone application DropBox has just been updated and is now compatible with Firmware 3.0. So a lot more users can install it and enjoy its excellent features.
DropBox is a service that offers 2GB of free web space to store your documents, pictures, videos, music and more. Using the iPhone application you can access this information and view all files. If you have not tried the service, I recommend you to do so.
You can register and download the application for your desktop computer here (Windows, Mac, and Linux). Here is a link to application in AppStore.
DoubleTwist is the iTunes-replacement created by DVD Jon for music syncing to a multitude of devices, including the iPhone. It has built in integration for the Amazon MP3 Store. There are 5 million songs currently available.
Unlike iTunes, doubleTwist with Amazon MP3 support is Mac and US-only right now with a PC version coming soon. Sounds like iTunes needs some competition.
Griffin has produced a new accessory for the iPhone is capable of transmitting the FM signal. It's called iTrip.
This is one of the first cases of iPhone accessories controlled by an app. iTrip is used in conjunction with a free application called iTrip (AppStore link).
Operation is very simple: connect the Dock accessory, run the iTrip app, click on the "SmartScan" to automatically find the best frequency. Now we can play the music on our iPhone and transmit it to the car radio or home stereo without any problems.
The new iTrip is really well done and is compatible with almost all iPod / iPhone. Costs $50.
iFunBox is a Windows application to easily access iPhone file system. It allows you to manage the iPhone and the various folders via a USB connection. With iFunxBox you can transfer files or music to the iPhone or copy pictures and video from it on your PC without using an SSH connection.
The last version is iFunBox V0.9.257.241 and it is compartible with firmware 3.1 and iTunes 9.
Apple released new iPhone 3.1 and iPod Touch 3.1.1 firmwares. Here is a quick changelog:
- Improved syncing for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and photos
- iTunes U content organization
- Redeem iTunes Gift Cards, codes, and certificates in the App Store
- Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store
- Save video from Mail and MMS into Camera Roll
- Option to "Save as new clip" when trimming a video on iPhone 3GS
- Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on
- Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe
- Use Voice Control on iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets
- Paste phone numbers into the keypad
- Option to use Home button to turn on accessibility features on iPhone 3GS
- Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing)
- Improved Exchange calendar syncing and invitation handling
- Fixes issue that cause some app icons to display incorrectly
iPhone OS 3.1 is available and is a free download for iPhone customers. iPod Touch users already running iPhone OS 3.0 can update to 3.1.1 for free. iPod Touch users running earlier firmware versions can upgrade to OS 3.1.1 for $4.95.
Users of jailbreaked and unlocked devices - do not update, wait for utilities updates!!
Playing with the latest beta software for iPhone, one of iH8sn0w employees (firmware 3.1 beta 3 jailbreak utility), found that the expiry date for latest firmware is September 18.
Firmware 3.1 will be probably released 1 or 2 days before the expiration of the beta. This means that Apple might perform a release during the Apple event in September. However this event is dedicated to the music, so we cannot be sure.
The only certain knowledge is that by the middle of next month we will see either 3.1 beta 4 or 3.1 release.
MediaMemo reports on claims from music industry sources that Apple is planning a keynote event for the week of September 7th. Rumors say that some expected topics are Snow Leopard , iTunes 9 and new iPod Touch with camera and microphone.
Apple has traditionally held media-focused keynote event each September to introduce new iTunes features and iPod updates:
2008: "Let's Rock" - iTunes 8 and new iPod touch, nano, and shuffle models.
2007: "The Beat Goes On" - original iPod touch, updates to the iPod line, iTunes 7.4 update, iPhone price drops.
2006: "It's Showtime" - iTunes 7 and iPod updates, Apple TV.
2005: "Here We Go Again" - Motorola ROKR mobile phone with iTunes support, the release of iTunes 5, introduction of the original iPod nano to replace the iPod mini.
CNet published a video that shows how to share purchased iPhone applications and music on multiple devices. Here's a tutorial how to send your friend couple iPhone apps: