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Beowulf
15th-July-2009, 11:37 AM
in order to keep me from posting on other "currently active" threads And since some of us are recent converts to the iPhone phenomena

What Applications do you have installed on your iPhone/iPod? And Why?

Non iPhone/iPod users can go start their own thread :wink: :na:

in no order.. other than random !

Birthday -syncs with contacts and facebook and emails me three days in advance of friends birthdays.
Ebay - ebay application.
Facebook - Self explanatory
FLixster Movies - So I know what's showing at the cinemas locally.
Google Apps - To be honest I don't use this one much but should probably use it more.
Last FM
Twitterific - Twitter Client
eReader
Stanza - Both ebook readers.
Need for Speed Underground - very playable racing game.

London Journey Planner (LJP)
National rail enquiries
London Tube

icalc3D - graphing Scientific calculator (a good app but mainly because I goofed when I last jailbroke my device and accidentally deleted the calculator.. and it never came back when I unjailbroke it for 3.0! :blush: )

Skype
Shazam - FLipping brilliant .. when you get a chance to use it! however by time you've head a song, opened up the iPhone, started the app, tagged the song and waited for it to connect to the network. you're usually too late :)

Units - Conversion program
Warfare incorporated - A great game I had on my Windows Mobile device.

Blizzard Authenticator - gives me a unique serial keycode to secure access to my WoW account.
WOW Talent - For keeping track and calculating talent spread for my WoW Character.
FuelGauge - To Help Twirly keep track of her fuel economy in her car.

Binaural Beat - for relaxing and drowning out the sounds of London at rush hour!

Peggle - a simple but fun little game
Trism - like bejewelled but ..erm.. not. with Triangular pieces on a hexagonal grid. It's fun.. trust me :)

Starmap Pro - Had a similar app on my Win Mobile. really good app.

and by far the most expensive app.

LogmeIn Ignition - already had a log me in account now I can access my pc .. remotely.. from my iPhone :) (when I remember to leave the PC on!)

Filthy Monkey
15th-July-2009, 11:48 AM
Had mine for a year now, installed a few apps, didn't use them, upgraded to 3.0, lost my apps, haven't missed them, so haven't installed them again. I bought my iPhone on PAYG, as my contract phone is with Vodafone. I just wanted an iPhone because it was pretty. I use it mostly for music, dance routines downloaded from You Tube, maps and Internet access. I keep meaning to stick some games on it, but I never have time to play them. I thought the Facebook app. was a bit rubbish and the eBay app. was as much use as a chocolate tea pot. I tried the London Tube app., to tell me if there were problems on any of the lines, but generally found myself searching on TFL's website or just turning up at the tube station and hoping for the best. I have an HTC Magic as well, the new Google phone, and have downloaded a few apps. for that, but again, I almost never use them. I'd like to try the Sky app for my iPhone, so I can set my Sky+ box to record when I'm out, but haven't quite got round to figuring out how it works yet...

Beowulf
15th-July-2009, 11:51 AM
can I just say.. I posted that thread from my iPhone.. and the unusual spacing is purely down to me not being able to type on the small screen and no fault of the iPhone itself :blush: :wink:

CJ
15th-July-2009, 12:02 PM
Yesterday, I saw a guy playing a well cool looking game on his touch/iPhone.:waycool: It was like the old balancing games of moving a wee ball inside/through a maze... but the baddie was weird rotating things that took a life when it hit your "ball". For tube journeys, it looked well worth the price of the kit alone!!!!

Am just lookin forward to getting my broken classic replaced...:sick:

Lory
15th-July-2009, 12:20 PM
I've got music on my iPod :)

straycat
15th-July-2009, 12:20 PM
I would be a little embarrassed to post the full list, given just how many silly apps I have on there, but here's some of the hilights...

Apple Remote. Lets me remote-control my laptop to play music while teaching.
eReader. 200+ novels on my iPhone so far
BeatMe. BPM counter. Invaluable.
Shazam. Every bit as good as Beo says, and more. I've used this at a lot of events to get track names, and it'll often work well even when there's a lot of background noise - and it doesn't seem to have any problems with old swing tracks.
Facebook
Flixter
TVGuide
iSSH - great little SSH App.
RDP Remote desktop app - work-releated - usually used to log in to servers & sort out problems.

Games:
Ancient Frog. Wierd and wonderful puzzle-game (a bit like playing Twister with an assortment of frogs)
Myst. A old classic.
Flashback. Another old classic.
Boulder Dash. An even older classic.
Toki Tori. WONDERFUL little puzzle / arcade game.
Sway. Perhaps the most innovative use of the touchscreen controls I've seen? Lots of fun.

Beowulf
15th-July-2009, 12:46 PM
Yesterday, I saw a guy playing a well cool looking game on his touch/iPhone.:waycool: It was like the old balancing games of moving a wee ball inside/through a maze..

there's a number of these games that use the motion sensing capabilities of the iPhone. Two I know of (and have played) are
GloBal.. guide a ball through a maze collecting coloured cubes avoiding bad guys and spikes
and one.. i forget it's name.. but it's Wooden Maze or something like that. It's just a ball bearing in a wooden maze and holes in the bottom you have to get from one end of the maze to t'other without falling down a hole :) surprisingly realistic.

knightengale
15th-July-2009, 01:13 PM
Other ones i have found good to have are :-

BBC Iplayer (more a book mark than an app)
Remote (allow you to control your itunes from your iphone / itouch)
comiczeal (allows you to read comics)
XMBC (control your media center from the iphone / itouch)
VNC (remote PC access)
Air share
Cool iris

GAMES i'd recommend
Blocked
Crazy Machines
Galaxy On Fire
Fieldrunners
iDracula
Labyrinth
Myst
Orions
Sol Free
Zen Bound
Zenonia


Also to the person taht lost all your apps upgrading to OS 3.0 if you have the files on your PC / are using the same itunes account you can redownload / add them back any time

I know this as upgraded to Windows 7 and lsot them all :nice:

ducasi
15th-July-2009, 01:30 PM
Here's a list of things installed on my iPhone – I've got a few other things, but don't have them install anymore/at the moment...

eBuddy – IM client I hope to try out soon
Flashlight – helps me find my bed with the lights out!
Remote – remote control my iTunes on my Mac connected via 'Airtunes' to my Hifi. :)
Sudoku Unlimited – one of three!
Facebook – essential, but also infuriating when it doesn't work properly!
Twitterrific – Twitter client
Enjoy Sudoku – has good tutorials on advanced techniques

BBCReader – BBC News cached to read anywhere – not as good as it should be
ITN News – don't think I actually use this...
TwitterFon – alternative Twitter client I used to use until it started crashing lots
Tumblr – Tumblr client – don't use.
Flixster Movies – tells me what's on where
TWC – The Weather Channel
Last.fm – don't use
Google Earth – good demo...
iSSH – lets me login to work and home computers
Seadragon – Microsoft's image viewer – has their satellite map images on it

WiFinder – scans for WiFi access points – broken under 3.0
Scribble Lite – fun for doodles
Banner Free – Write large across the sky!
iHandy Level – it's a spirit level AND a mobile phone!
Evernote – syncs notes with desktops – don't actually use it.
Theme clock – cool clock program
Babelgum – some video thing?
LocalPicks – finds local restaurants – not very good
DoGood – gives you an idea of something "good" to do every day!
Shazam – only just got it, as only just got my iPhone, so I've yet to use it...
Nimbuzz – another IM client I want to try out...
Skype – never used yet
PCalc – the best calculator app for the iPhone (written by a friend of mine)
Linguo – not especially useful language translation app, but getting better

Jirbo Match – simple matching game
reMovem free – remove groups of same-coloured balls...
Moonlight lite – 3D Mah-jongg patience game
Labyrinth LE – roll the ball around the wooden maze, avoiding the holes
DizzyBee Free – Save the bees!
Sol Free – 4 or 5 patience games
PapiJump – highly addictive "platform" game
Jelly Car – get it for the physics if nothing else
Pac-man lite – 'nuff said.
TapDefense – boring game
Pole Position – epic flashback!
Most Addictive Game – rather addictive
Sudoku Grab – uses camera to scan sudoku games from the newspaper...
Peggle – nice graphics

GPSLite – gives you lots of GPS info
Trails Lite – tracks gps, and other stuff...
Navigon Lite – demo of their sat-nav program.
Cams Ahoy! Free – safety camera warnings
Ad Hoc Helper – helps you email your UDID to develops so you can beta-test their apps.

That's it. Of that lots, I maybe only use 3 or 4 regularly, and as you can see, some I've never used. Most of them are free though, so it's easy to download and keep for later...

Thanks to everyone else for posting their lists, it's given me a few things to have a look at...

Beowulf
15th-July-2009, 02:18 PM
Damn you Sway.. erm.. Stray!

Downloaded Sway lite at lunchtime and spent 20 mins in what little sun there was in the Park in Camden swinging a little frog from one side of the screen to the other :)

I think I'll have to get the full version!

seems everyone is getting on on the iPhone app thing.

Twirly and I are off to the RA Summer Exhibition and I noticed this little app on the RA site.

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition iPhone App (http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/summer-exhibition/summer-exhibition-iphone-app,950,AR.html)

Very cool idea.. but for something I'll use once.. not really worth the money. (I'll buy a brochure when I'm there instead ;p )

Beowulf
15th-July-2009, 02:28 PM
Jelly Car – get it for the physics if nothing else.

Similarly try "OUCH!" a fun little rag-doll game. catapult a rag doll into spikes, drop anvils on them, run them over with cars, launch them with rockets. blow them up, drop them though plate glass windows or run them down ramps on skateboards.. all in the name of pointless fun :)

full version comes with a fun level and ragdoll designer too and it allows you to import face pictures from camera. so if there's someone who's annoying you.. .. .. :devil:

Filthy Monkey
15th-July-2009, 04:13 PM
full version comes with a fun level and ragdoll designer too and it allows you to import face pictures from camera. so if there's someone who's annoying you.. .. .. :devil:


Finally something worth downloading!!! :grin:

Maxine
16th-July-2009, 08:35 AM
Ooh took the wrong turn and somehow ended up in geek's corner (a strange new world)

I am loving :awe:my IPhone more like a toy than a serious piece of equipment. My applications to date are:


· Nike+ IPod – Like most sporting equipment in my life the idea is good but remains unused:blush:
· Shazam – Brilliant takes the place of dialling 2580 much better love the fact it comes back with album covers:clap:
· Urbanspoon – JayJay’s husband assured me this was a brilliant application, find somewhere to eat wherever you are, may put it to the test when I’m in Daventry this weekend.
· Facebook – Bit disappointed that I can’t access the scrabble from it (but with hindsight probably a good thing).
· Moron test – All passed with flying colours:doh:
· Tetris – Very retro but still love it


Still can’t get my own ringtone though, which remains a disappointment for me:what:

knightengale
16th-July-2009, 09:10 AM
Ooh took the wrong turn and somehow ended up in geek's corner (a strange new world)

I am loving :awe:my IPhone more like a toy than a serious piece of equipment. My applications to date are:


· Nike+ IPod – Like most sporting equipment in my life the idea is good but remains unused:blush:

Still can’t get my own ringtone though, which remains a disappointment for me:what:

A good fitness app is ifitness.. Been using it for the last 6 months and it's got alot of stuff in it :nice: Although it might not be worth you getting :lol:

ducasi
16th-July-2009, 10:20 AM
Still can’t get my own ringtone though, which remains a disappointment for me:what:
You can convert your favourite songs to ringtones using iTunes.

If you're Windows, here's a guide (http://cybernetnews.com/cybernotes-create-free-iphone-ringtones-using-itunes-in-windows/)...

Or if you've seen the light and have a Mac, see this guide (http://theappleblog.com/2008/08/07/free-custom-iphone-ringtones-using-only-itunes/). :)

ducasi
16th-July-2009, 10:26 AM
Did a wee clear up of Apps this morning and downloaded a few more...

TVGuide.co.uk – what you're missing

Around Me – a good "where's the nearest pub/bank/chemist/apple store?" app

Sheepstacker – looks like fun

Trapster – a better speed camera warning app.

Maxine
16th-July-2009, 01:58 PM
A good fitness app is ifitness.. Been using it for the last 6 months and it's got alot of stuff in it :nice: Although it might not be worth you getting :lol:

Can you hang your clothes on it :blush:




You can convert your favourite songs to ringtones using iTunes.

If you're Windows, here's a guide (http://cybernetnews.com/cybernotes-create-free-iphone-ringtones-using-itunes-in-windows/)...

Or if you've seen the light and have a Mac, see this guide (http://theappleblog.com/2008/08/07/free-custom-iphone-ringtones-using-only-itunes/). :)

Ah thanks:flower:, see this is one of the reasons I like the forum everyone is so helpful

By the way I am a windows type of girl, who actually likes Vista:really:


Did a wee clear up of Apps this morning and downloaded a few more...

.


Can you tell me how you take unwanted applications off, can’t see any logical way. Thanks

HelenB
16th-July-2009, 02:15 PM
Can you tell me how you take unwanted applications off, can’t see any logical way. Thanks


Click and hold them till they wiggle :D, then "kiss them goodbye" :flower:

ducasi
16th-July-2009, 02:31 PM
Click and hold them till they wiggle :D, then "kiss them goodbye" :flower:
Or untick them in the list of synced applications in iTunes when you connect.

Beowulf
18th-July-2009, 12:57 PM
YAY !!

World of Warcraft : Official Mobile Armory (http://eu.wowarmory.com/iphone.xml)

price.. FREE

'Avving that !

Beowulf
31st-July-2009, 07:05 PM
if you haven't done so already.. you can download the 3.0.1 update that fixes the bizarre SMS vulnerability.

Beowulf
13th-August-2009, 05:57 PM
seen this and had to laugh !

Lancer iJector Projector for Apple iPhone (http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=185098)

a penny short of £400.. makes it a very expensive addon :eek:

if I was going to spend £400 on some AV equipment.. my first choice probably wouldb't be to think of the iPhone :)

Beowulf
19th-August-2009, 12:20 PM
Not exactly installed on my iPhone but highly recommended. I use two apps on my PC.

DVD Decrypter and Handbrake .. The first to rip DVD's to my Harddrive and the second to recode them to iPhone compatable format.

It's of dubious legallity but I'm only converting DVD's I already own to a format Where I can watch them on the move.

Screen is a bit small but very watchable none the less.

An average length DVD encodes to about 200-250 mb which is sizable given the total space available on the iPhone.. but if you have one of the new iPhone 3GS's then it's not so much of an issue. I have currently about 1.5 gb of movies on my phone, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Equilibrium, The Day the earth stood still and .. erm.. Young Einstein :blush:


(actually am more embarrassed about The Day the earth stood still than Young Einstein!! it's a typical keanu reeves platform for his non-acting skills)

pmjd
19th-August-2009, 01:01 PM
Handy offer in Clinton Cards at the moment, get two £15 itunes cards for £20! Just been and got a couple so I'm off to do some app shopping for my new iphone :waycool:

Feelingpink
19th-August-2009, 05:46 PM
Definitely an iphone fan. Extra apps include

- Daylite touch - iphone version of my database/diary etc
- DLR Times (wonderful if you live near a DLR station)
- Folders (moving & storing docs)
- London Bus
- National Rail (magic - you can watch the progress of your train along with loads of other train timetable stuff)
- Stations (Find nearby stations)
- Tube status (yes, since I travel around London all the time to see clients, there is a definite public transport theme here)
- Sudoku
- Urbanspoon (find nearby restaurants)
- Wikipanion
- GiftTrack
- Shazam
- NYTimes
- MyPaint Free (fingerpainting)
- iTranslate (after not being to converse with Italian chefs last weekend)
- TweetDeck (twitter)
- Gratitude (gratitude diary)

DavidY
19th-August-2009, 06:23 PM
You do realise that you're all turning into cyborgs... (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327220.200-appland-how-smartphones-are-transforming-our-lives.html?full=true)?:eek::what::wink:

Beowulf
20th-August-2009, 01:59 PM
You do realise that you're all turning into cyborgs... (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327220.200-appland-how-smartphones-are-transforming-our-lives.html?full=true)?:eek::what::wink:

hmm... from weighted cube to Borg cube with one small application? cool !!

You say it like it's a bad thing? :confused:

Beowulf
25th-August-2009, 05:11 PM
If / When this gets approved by the Apple store gnomes.. I'll definitely download it.. even if it DOES require a premium Spotify membership !

Spotify for iPhone Demonstration (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNCb1IdmJ_0)

Gadget
28th-August-2009, 08:53 AM
Today's dilbert just reminded me of this thread for some reason :whistle:

www.dilbert.com

Beowulf
28th-August-2009, 09:22 AM
Today's dilbert just reminded me of this thread for some reason :whistle:

www.dilbert.com


I'll have you know my iPirate app is very useful.. "Ye Scurvy Landlubber Yaaaarrrrr!!" :wink:

You know Pirates were actually the forerunners of the modern digital revolution. With all their "Pieces of Eight" they were already 8-bit before the rest of the world caught on ...

I'll get my cloak, my hat and my wooden leg..

straycat
28th-August-2009, 11:24 AM
If / When this gets approved by the Apple store gnomes.. I'll definitely download it.. even if it DOES require a premium Spotify membership !

Spotify for iPhone Demonstration (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNCb1IdmJ_0)

It's been approved (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/27/spotify_on_iphone/), sez The Register :clap:
With luck, it should be available soon.

killingtime
28th-August-2009, 03:18 PM
I've got a bunch of stuff on my iPod, the things I tend to use (outside of stuff that comes with the iPod) are:

Facebook (recently updated so much better than it used to be).
Stanza - eBook reader that can pull a bunch of titles in the EPUB format.
Good Reader - pretty good PDF viewer.
Flickster - Great little app to find out what is on.

Games I tend to find myself playing:

Peggle - I <3 Peggle. Hit pegs with a ball and hope it then hits other pegs and falls into a bucket. It's awesome.
Bookworm - Apparently I just <3 Popcap. It's a little fun word game.
Zombies and Me - silly little game where you try and kill a bunch of zombies while not dying yourself, very pick up and play and my usual choice when I only have a couple of minutes to play.
Civilization Revolution - Civ! on my iPod Touch. This so isn't a pick up and play game.

Gus
28th-October-2009, 11:59 AM
I’ve had my iPhone for about 5 weeks now. The prime reason for purchasing it was as a business toll rather than a plaything, but I confess to appreciating some of the games that I've loaded 

I thought I’d start this thread to share my views/recommend a few apps and ask for recommendations for areas where I’ve not yet found an app to match


To Do List
This one of the key needs for the iPhone, to replace my aging Palm E2. I’ve tried a whole raft of tools and techniques, including good old-fashioned paper lists but none has worked for me. I’ve now settled on Toodledo, which one of my colleagues has been using for year through its web-based application. So far, its doing everything I could expect of it. If it could only actually do the task for me then it would be perfect!

Time Recording
I work across a whole plethora of projects against which I have to record my time on a weekly basis. This has always been a real pain and usually subject to some wild guesswork at the end of the week. After trailing a few apps I’ve settled on Eternity. Its pretty expensive for an app, about £6, but its more than paid back for that in the time its saved. It exports to a CSV file so I can compile my timesheet and its pretty intuitive to use.

Calendar
Still struggling with this. The inbuilt calendar is pretty week. I’ve tried using PI Lite but I’m struggling with it. I miss the simple poser of the Palm application. I need something that will allow me to enter events in quickly, able to categorise them and also pull through birthdays from my contact app. No joy so far. Any recommendations?

Contact List
My other major problem. Starting to appreciate the limitation of the inbuilt contact app. Can’t categorise, can’t pull out the birthdays to my calendar app. As I don’t have Outlook on my main PC (don’t ask, long technical story) this is a real pain. All help gratefully received.

Mind Mapping
I tend to use mind-mapping a lot. At work I suffer with Visio … its ok but not a dedicated application. I was hoping to get something I could use on the fly and then export. I’m trailing SimpleMindX but it is a bit limited and exporting isn’t simple (not really had the time to make it work yet). Any other apps out there of use?

Diary
I’ve given up keeping a physical diary because I just lacked the discipline to update it. Having a diary with me all the time that I can update for work or personal items is a real boon. I’m now using My Diary which I find both simple yet effective .. a bit like me ;-0

OK … that’s the Business apps .. hope to get time to post about the music and games apps in the next week or so. Would really appreciate any recommendations or advice.

robd
28th-October-2009, 01:10 PM
There's a thread already in Geek's corner covering this stuff I think. Search back a few weeks (or search for iPhone) and I am sure you'll find it.

EDIT: and as if by magic the threads are merged :)

azande
29th-October-2009, 10:47 AM
Gus, for mind maps have a look at this: http://www.novamind.com/ibluesky/

knightengale
29th-October-2009, 10:52 AM
Has anyone used the add "Beatmaker"? it looks like fun but not sure if it's good enough to spend £11.99 on a ipod app....

killingtime
30th-October-2009, 04:43 PM
To Do List
This one of the key needs for the iPhone, to replace my aging Palm E2. I’ve tried a whole raft of tools and techniques, including good old-fashioned paper lists but none has worked for me. I’ve now settled on Toodledo, which one of my colleagues has been using for year through its web-based application. So far, its doing everything I could expect of it. If it could only actually do the task for me then it would be perfect!

Calendar
Still struggling with this. The inbuilt calendar is pretty week. I’ve tried using PI Lite but I’m struggling with it. I miss the simple poser of the Palm application. I need something that will allow me to enter events in quickly, able to categorise them and also pull through birthdays from my contact app. No joy so far. Any recommendations?

Contact List
My other major problem. Starting to appreciate the limitation of the inbuilt contact app. Can’t categorise, can’t pull out the birthdays to my calendar app. As I don’t have Outlook on my main PC (don’t ask, long technical story) this is a real pain. All help gratefully received.

I use Google for all this stuff (though I still just use their exchange sync system (http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=138740) to pull all the information through) so I still end up using the in built Contacts and Calendar, though I can access the online versions if I need to. Their task list isn't too bad though I tend to look at it from my PC rather than using my iPod.

I think their contacts system might do the job for you though if you are viewing it using the sync'd version then it doesn't show you the groups on the iPhone, and though it can sync the birthday stuff to Google Calendar, it can't then pull that onto the iPhone's Calendar App, as far as I can see.

I've also found Google Calendar kinda fails on time zones; it tries to be too smart rather than just allowing me to enter the time zone of an event.

DavidY
9th-November-2009, 07:17 PM
If you jail-break your iPhone and don't change your root password, it looks like the answer may be "Rick Astley (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/08/iphone_worm_rickrolls_users/)".:whistle:

ducasi
10th-November-2009, 12:55 PM
If you jail-break your iPhone and don't change your root password, it looks like the answer may be "Rick Astley (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/08/iphone_worm_rickrolls_users/)".:whistle:
That is, if you remove the built-in security Apple provides for the iPhone by "jail-breaking" your phone, then install OpenSSH, and forget to change your root password, then you deserve whatever you get.

StokeBloke
10th-November-2009, 04:44 PM
That is, if you remove the built-in security Apple provides for the iPhone by "jail-breaking" your phone, then install OpenSSH, and forget to change your root password, then you deserve whatever you get.
They deserve it. They deserve to get infected by a worm? A little strong perhaps when you consider that this is a consumer device, in a sector used to having devices locked for purely selfish reasons by the networks. Getting phones unlocked is pretty much a matter of course these days. I know we specifically got Twirlie Bird's N95 unlocked as the reception at Southport is sooooooo dire she wanted to be able to switch in an O2 sim to keep in touch with home.

Perhaps forcing the user to set an alpha-numeric password rather than just setting it to ALPINE by default would have been a more secure out of the box solution. I think you must be right though Ducasi, I'm sure Apple thought "if they get a worm, they'll deserve it". :whistle:

The truth is Apple have been caught with their pants well and truly down and when that happens to a HUGE company it's really funny (especially if you don't own one of their phones). If anyone deserves anything, Apple deserve to lose some points on their share prices - idiots.

clevedonboy
10th-November-2009, 05:01 PM
The truth is Apple have been caught with their pants well and truly down and when that happens to a HUGE company it's really funny (especially if you don't own one of their phones). If anyone deserves anything, Apple deserve to lose some points on their share prices - idiots.

I'm not an Apple fan boy, but I don't think that the author of the worm was pointing at Apple as his target, just the fools who don't appreciate what they are dong when the meddle with things they don't understand. I looked into the consequences of Jailbreaking my iPhone and thought it wasn't worth the hassle. (If I didn't like O2 as a carrier I wouldn't have bought it)

pmjd
10th-November-2009, 05:42 PM
Perhaps forcing the user to set an alpha-numeric password rather than just setting it to ALPINE by default would have been a more secure out of the box solution. I think you must be right though Ducasi, I'm sure Apple thought "if they get a worm, they'll deserve it". :whistle:
OK just want to clear up a few technical understandings.

Once you have unlocked an iphone, you can install other programs that you cannot normally do, such as non-approved apps etc. One commonly suggested program is openSSH, not made by Apple. The openSSH program allows you direct access to internal files on your iphone, with all the possibilities and security problems that could cause. By default Apple blocks SSH access on the iphone to stop anyone doinging exactly what this benign worm did. Any installation guide I have seen for openSSH warns explicitly that you should change your password to avoid others having full SSH access to your iphone.


The truth is Apple have been caught with their pants well and truly down and when that happens to a HUGE company it's really funny (especially if you don't own one of their phones). If anyone deserves anything, Apple deserve to lose some points on their share prices - idiots.
So nothing as such to do with Apple, more with users who have less technical ability than they think. It is somewhat analogous to putting a new security lock on your door and leaving the key in the lock on the outside with a large sign saying "WELCOME"

ducasi
11th-November-2009, 03:48 PM
They deserve it. They deserve to get infected by a worm? A little strong perhaps when you consider that this is a consumer device, in a sector used to having devices locked for purely selfish reasons by the networks.
Other folks have responded to your message, but I should as well make clear that *unlocking* and *jail-breaking* are different things.

O2 will unlock your iPhone if you are out of contract, allowing you to use any network's SIM. You can also buy yourself out of the contract, and they will unlock the phone.

To unlock an iPhone without the permission of the network you have a contract with is almost definitely against the terms of that contract.

Is it selfish of the networks to expect its customers to keep to the terms of the contract they signed when they got their phones? If the iPhone costs around £500, but you've received yours for as little as *free*, it means that the network is at that point £500 out of pocket. Is it selfish for them to want to earn that money back?

As for jail-breaking... Well, various hacks exist to forcibly unlock the iPhone without the network's permission. Unfortunately they require the security system that Apple puts in place to stop worms and viruses to be broken. This is what jail-breaking is.

A jail-broken iPhone allows its owner to install and run software to unlock their phone; software to violate the terms of use of the contract; and software which may damage the phone – by allowing viruses and worms complete access to the phone.

Jail-breaking an iPhone is a bit like making your car go faster by removing all the safety systems in it. Great for performance, but you can't blame the manufacturer when you die a horrible death due to the lack of those safety systems when you wrap the car around a tree.

StokeBloke
11th-November-2009, 10:09 PM
Other folks have responded to your message, but I should as well make clear that *unlocking* and *jail-breaking* are different things.Cool. So I see. I stand corrected. Thank you for the explanations folks.

Perhaps the fact that it needs explaining in such detail highlights some of the pitfalls. We're all used to getting phones unlocked, and if someone said "cool app, where'd you get it?" and the reply was "you can't run it unless your phone has been jail-broken, but I have a mate who did mine and could do yours too". It seems to me (having heard similar conversations about other technologies) perfectly reasonable to think that there are people who have had their phones jail broken who are unaware of the further reaching consequences.

Knowing Apple's paranoid distrust of their customers (which is quite ironic given the current legal case pending by Nokia concerning Apple's alleged theft of their technology that Apple have used in the iPhone), an example of which is Apple's Draconian policy with regard music from iTunes, which means you cannot use the files that you own on other systems without weird work-arounds. This sort of sets a strange precedent and people are used to having to work around Apple distrust.

Let's face it the way Apple have crippled the iPhone's BlueTooth capabilities isn't really a great advert for cutting edge technology is it? People tend to assume these days that if you have a ring tone or a picture and you want to BlueTooth it to a friend, any modern phone will have that capability. Not with your brand new iPhone. Having that disappointment sprung on you on the first day of ownership, it's hardly surprising if people think that the device needs work-arounds installed to function as well as their mates.

Now, you and I know that the iPhone isn't the be all and end all of mobile technology, but that is not the way the little gadget is marketed is it? Look at the deceptive way Apple marketed the original iPhone on the TV. With webpages wizzing about, suggesting that you could use it as a cool browser - shame the iPhone shown on the TV was running on a wi-fi connection (oh did they have teeeeeny little letters at the bottom of the screen to that effect - I cannot honestly recall). We all know how dire the original iPhone (2G) was as a browser using GSM for data transfer. So when the 3G version comes out and Apple say "hey it's usable now" more people are duped into buying Apple's self-crippled technology; I can see why they'd want to unlock it, jail-break it, whatever else it needs to make it function as well as you expected it to.


To unlock an iPhone without the permission of the network you have a contract with is almost definitely against the terms of that contract. OK Mum:lol:


Is it selfish of the networks to expect its customers to keep to the terms of the contract they signed when they got their phones? If the iPhone costs around £500, but you've received yours for as little as *free*, it means that the network is at that point £500 out of pocket. Is it selfish for them to want to earn that money back?I guess you could see it that way... is it selfish for a person who buys a phone to want it to work in an emergency when they are away from home? If the network coverage is so poor that calls cannot be made, is it selfish to unlock the phone to use a pay-as-you-go SIM while in that location? Personally, I don't think it is. After all, it's a phone, and a shoddy network makes it not fit for purpose.

Finally; I still think your 'Apple fan boy' attitude regarding worm infection of any type being 'deserved' sucks. But people seldom see eye-to-eye on everything :flower:

Caveat: I do not own an iPhone - a situation I do not see changing as long as Apple remain as uptight, paranoid, distrustful and deceptive as they currently are.

straycat
12th-November-2009, 01:42 PM
It seems to me (having heard similar conversations about other technologies) perfectly reasonable to think that there are people who have had their phones jail broken who are unaware of the further reaching consequences.

It's not hard to jailbreak a phone, but you do need some technical savvy, and any reading up on the process will hilight some of the pitfalls. Certainly the methods that I've looked into have all very clearly exaggerated the dangers. And anyone going the 'my mate....' route with an expensive piece of electronics is asking for trouble.


an example of which is Apple's Draconian policy with regard music from iTunes, which means you cannot use the files that you own on other systems without weird work-arounds. This sort of sets a strange precedent and people are used to having to work around Apple distrust.
I'm not sure what you mean here. Most of the tracks I've downloaded via iTunes, I can easily use on any MP3 player or system that I like (the most I'd have to do is get iTunes to convert them to MP3 - a feature that's built in)
The only ones where this does not apply are the DRM tracks - and it's worth noting that Apple did not want to go the DRM route, but that it was the only way they could secure deals with the record labels. Since the restrictions came off, most iTunes Store tracks have become available as non-DRM.


Now, you and I know that the iPhone isn't the be all and end all of mobile technology, but that is not the way the little gadget is marketed is it?
So they should have marketed it as 'quite good?' Of course they're going to market it as the be all and end all. That's what advertising is about! I agree that's not necessarily a good thing, but it's a problem with advertising in general, not just with Apple. I mean - MS aren't advertising Windows 7 as 'fixes many of the problems that we put into Windows Vista, and adds a couple of features', now are they?


I can see why they'd want to unlock it, jail-break it, whatever else it needs to make it function as well as you expected it to.

Mine functions every bit as well as I expected it to. The only reason why I might consider jailbreaking it is to get tethering working without paying BT's appalling prices :rolleyes: - not that I can't see why people might want to do it. But most iPhone users really don't see a need. Like any other phone, iPhone is far from perfect, but it's plenty good enough for what we want.



Finally; I still think your 'Apple fan boy' attitude regarding worm infection of any type being 'deserved' sucks. But people seldom see eye-to-eye on everything :flower:
It's not simply an Apple Fan Boy attitude. I'd say it's a techie's attitude. If I'm going to go monkeying around under the hood of a piece of technology, I need to know what I'm doing, or I risk breaking it - and if I do break it, that's no-one's fault but mine.



Caveat: I do not own an iPhone - a situation I do not see changing as long as Apple remain as uptight, paranoid, distrustful and deceptive as they currently are.
I'd say that Apple are far from the worst in this regard (and certainly no worse than most of their competition), so I tend to go by one simple criteria: they make phones and computers et al that I consider to be a joy to use. So long as they keep doing this, I'll keep using their products.

On which note, it's time to go pick up my new Magic Mouse :D

pmjd
12th-November-2009, 03:32 PM
To unlock an iPhone without the permission of the network you have a contract with is almost definitely against the terms of that contract.

Is it selfish of the networks to expect its customers to keep to the terms of the contract they signed when they got their phones? If the iPhone costs around £500, but you've received yours for as little as *free*, it means that the network is at that point £500 out of pocket. Is it selfish for them to want to earn that money back?
Actually unlocking a phone is not against the terms of most contracts, most networks don't give a stuff unless you're trying to end your contract early. In which case they'll ask you to pay out for the phone or return it.

Networks do pay a heavy subsidy for phones and exclusives, so as much of a pain as it is it's understandable why they do it


Knowing Apple's paranoid distrust of their customers (which is quite ironic given the current legal case pending by Nokia concerning Apple's alleged theft of their technology that Apple have used in the iPhone), an example of which is Apple's Draconian policy with regard music from iTunes.
The blame lies squarely with the record companies on that one, they demanded protection for their precious music. All music on itunes is now free of DRM restrictions. The only exceptions I've come across are audiobooks from Audible and videos. Audible is an odd anomaly but seeing as they offer their own service, why not sell a crippled product on itunes and offer a better product on your own website and avoid having to pay Apple a cut of the profits?

If you want to see some truly draconian music practices try Microsoft, where they have cut off any customers from the last few years who bought DRM stuff from them, all your tracks are now useless files that won't play. Also by default had windows media player encrypt any CDs you copied to your computer so that only you could listen to them and no sharing was allowed.


Let's face it the way Apple have crippled the iPhone's BlueTooth capabilities isn't really a great advert for cutting edge technology is it?
It's annoying but hopefully will be gone one of these days and sadly no work around exists yet as the profiles you need are simply not there on the iPhone


We all know how dire the original iPhone (2G) was as a browser using GSM for data transfer. So when the 3G version comes out and Apple say "hey it's usable now" more people are duped into buying Apple's self-crippled technology; I can see why they'd want to unlock it, jail-break it, whatever else it needs to make it function as well as you expected it to.
The 2G model was more to do with the American market, where GSM is a niche market compared to the other standard CDMA, and 3G is only getting off the ground. Simply, 3G was not supported well enough but EDGE, inbetween GPRS and 3G for speed of downloading, was more widely supported by AT&T. In fact they upgraded their network to full EDGE compatibility for the iPhone. The American market was the main one for Apple, so they released the 2G iPhone.

Apple's official reason for not having 3G from the start was power drain of the 3G chips available at the time. Fair enough I think.

ducasi
12th-November-2009, 03:52 PM
It's not simply an Apple Fan Boy attitude. I'd say it's a techie's attitude. If I'm going to go monkeying around under the hood of a piece of technology, I need to know what I'm doing, or I risk breaking it - and if I do break it, that's no-one's fault but mine.
:yeah:

totalfreak
22nd-November-2009, 11:41 PM
my friend has all the applications under the sun in his app, but he doesn't pay for them so ;)

I think I'm going to do the same when I got my iphone 3gs

Martin
23rd-November-2009, 08:36 AM
Anyone know about using your own ringtones on an Iphone?

I have an Iphone 3gs and would like to use the edited ringtones I used to use on my last phone. I have them stored on the computer as mp3 files.

I am a bit concerned about Itunes and linking to the internet, I do not want info about what music I have going anywhere and I do not want messages to buy music etc.

Can I used my own ringtones?
Do I have to load itunes on the computer and on my phone to do this?

Will big brother be watching me?

Lee Bartholomew
23rd-November-2009, 11:43 AM
I got myself a KA08+ at the weekend.

It's credit card size, has something very (a bit too) similar to Ipod on it, Full Java app ability, slide and pinch screen, GPS, blue tooth etc etc. Infact it is an Iphone clone from China (also call the syphone)

It's pretty much everything an iPhone is except,

It installs any Java App (loads of free sharware ones out there)
It has a decent camera and can record Video
You can watch TV on it
It can take and handle 2 sim cards at a time
Takes SD card as a mem upgrade
Less Bulky (credit card Size)
Has useable bluetooth
Battery can be changed and replaced easily


It's made a few people I know with Iphones jealous :waycool:

And heres the really impresive bit, they are selling them unlocked, new from just £35 !!!!!!!

http://www.bigboxstore.com/new-ka08-dual-sim-quad-band-dual-camera-unlocked-atandt-mobile-cell-phone.html

pmjd
23rd-November-2009, 07:56 PM
I have an Iphone 3gs and would like to use the edited ringtones I used to use on my last phone. I have them stored on the computer as mp3 files.
It's easy, if a little bit of a faff. First you need to convert the MP3 to AAC. You can do this in itunes by going to Preferences > General > Import Settings. Change the import option to AAC. Click OKs etc. Assuming the MP3 is in itunes, right click on it and select Convert to AAC
.

Find the converted file and change the file extention from .m4a to .m4r. Import this to itunes and it should now appear under a new section in itunes called Ringtones.


I am a bit concerned about Itunes and linking to the internet, I do not want info about what music I have going anywhere and I do not want messages to buy music etc.

Will big brother be watching me?
Afraid you'll need itunes, unless you fancy jailbreaking your iphone and using SSH etc. Even more faff that the first method!

Now Martin it's ok, you're amongst friends and can admit to owning the Rolf Harris albums:wink:. As far as I know itunes only sends info about the music genres on your computer to Apple if you uses the Genius feature to generate playlists based on your current music.

Martin
23rd-November-2009, 11:07 PM
It's easy, if a little bit of a faff. First you need to convert the MP3 to AAC. You can do this in itunes by going to Preferences > General > Import Settings. Change the import option to AAC. Click OKs etc. Assuming the MP3 is in itunes, right click on it and select Convert to AAC
.

Find the converted file and change the file extention from .m4a to .m4r. Import this to itunes and it should now appear under a new section in itunes called Ringtones.

Thanks for that. It maybe that I went one step too far into geekyness, and needed a simple phone that will take mp3 files, copy and paste and use as ring tone.

But I will try what you say.

If it does not work, I think it may be time to buy another one that can deal with copy and paste of mp3 files. :blush:

So you bring out this fab phone... then make it hard for the user to do simple things!!! Thanks Mac... :banghead:




Afraid you'll need itunes, unless you fancy jailbreaking your iphone and using SSH etc. Even more faff that the first method!


Ahhh, I am not even going to try that.. why is a phone so hard to use?




Now Martin it's ok, you're amongst friends and can admit to owning the Rolf Harris albums:wink:. As far as I know itunes only sends info about the music genres on your computer to Apple if you uses the Genius feature to generate playlists based on your current music.

Two little boys had two little toys, each had a wooden horse,,, come on, join in, you know the words...


What I liked about the Iphone is the message thing, where you get a screen of the history of messages and a keyboard to type on.

Maybe I could switch to another one who has the same feature and will take my mp3's and can be ringtones with no faff?

Martin
24th-November-2009, 12:15 AM
I like the message feature (history of individuals messages on screen) and I like the world clock.

I like the keyboard, and if you turn the phone around it comes landscape.

I like that the loudspeaker option comes up straight away when phoning.

I would like easy to import and export pictures (not just easy to export), and a better camera, with a flash.
Compared to my last phone, the camera in the 3gs is *****.

I would like easy to import mp3 files for ringtones.

I do not need games.

I might have the wrong phone. (3gs)

I do not want flip or slide, as moving parts tend to go wrong.

Any suggestions on what phone I should get?

Lee Bartholomew
24th-November-2009, 01:06 AM
Any suggestions on what phone I should get?

See my link a few posts up ;-)

Martin
24th-November-2009, 01:38 AM
See my link a few posts up ;-)


I like the size of the iphone, a credit card size does not help my fat fingers on the keyboard.

:blush:

pmjd
24th-November-2009, 03:36 AM
Thanks for that. It maybe that I went one step too far into geekyness, and needed a simple phone that will take mp3 files, copy and paste and use as ring tone.
There are a ton of programs out there that do it all for you but if you're only doing a few it doesn't seem worth it. I've used the same method to convert old .mp3 ringtones for my iphone 3GS.



If it does not work, I think it may be time to buy another one that can deal with copy and paste of mp3 files. :blush:

So you bring out this fab phone... then make it hard for the user to do simple things!!! Thanks Mac... :banghead:?
Here's the ideal place (http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html) to tell them your frustrations.

Lee Bartholomew
24th-November-2009, 10:11 AM
I like the size of the iphone, a credit card size does not help my fat fingers on the keyboard.

:blush:

Ithought that would be a problem too but the keyboard is alright on it and no worse than any other touch screen phone I have used. The handwritting recognition on it is the best I have ever seen on any phone too. I mainly use that.

Martin
24th-November-2009, 06:31 PM
Thanks guys :cheers:

BobbyA
1st-December-2009, 04:22 PM
Starting with the Uncommon ones:

- Words with Friends Free
It's like scrabble but you can play over 3G with anyone else with the app. Dictionary isn't the best but it's better than nothing. (almond81 if anyone wants to challenge :P)

- Boxed In 1 & 2
Great puzzle game

- Shazam Encore

- Who has the Biggest Brain (like the facebook game)

- Spot the Difference

- Real Racing

- Flight Contrl

- Harbormaster

- Field runners

- Facebook

- SimplyTweet with Push

- Orange Wednesday (Not on orange tho lol) , good for film lookups. Altho I still tend to use a google bookmarked page on my homescreen for that.

- Latitude - not really an App as such, a Web app with a link on my front page.

- The Train Line - Free train time lookup app. Still can't believe the nationalrail one is £5.

- Beejive IM - altho i don't use Instant messaging as much as I used to.

- Electric box - Puzzle Game

- Smart Dial - Probably the best app for me in terms of dialling someone. What a pain in the arse trying to dial someone any other way. Big numbers buttons and using predictive text style name lookups. Altho saying that I don't make that many calls.


There are a whole bunch more but I don't really use them anymore.

killingtime
2nd-December-2009, 11:54 PM
I recently picked up SketchBook (there is a free, slightly limited version called StetchBook Express) which is a little sketch program that I've found really good fun (though I'm still a terrible artist); enough that I bought the full version.

I guess if I was to moan about one thing, it's that produces raster images, rather than vector images which seem to be more fitting for a line based drawing program.

knightengale
9th-December-2009, 05:06 PM
I recently picked up SketchBook (there is a free, slightly limited version called StetchBook Express) which is a little sketch program that I've found really good fun (though I'm still a terrible artist); enough that I bought the full version.

I guess if I was to moan about one thing, it's that produces raster images, rather than vector images which seem to be more fitting for a line based drawing program.

Yeah i have that program too, it's rather good fun. Although i don't know if i'll ever be able to get pictures as good as the ones they show on it :blush:

The xmas sales are rather good on iphone / ipod touch games at the moment. :nice:

One random question is there a limit to the number of applications you can install on your iphone / ipod touch before it starts to slow down ? Or you can fill all the screens and still have no performance hit?:nice:

killingtime
9th-December-2009, 07:12 PM
One random question is there a limit to the number of applications you can install on your iphone / ipod touch before it starts to slow down ? Or you can fill all the screens and still have no performance hit?:nice:

The iPhone/Touch doesn't have multithreading on apps so they aren't running concurrently. So you shouldn't see any slowdown. Saying that I do think the thing suffers from memory leaks so you find that running a lot of apps, one after the other, will slow it down a little until you turn it off and on again.