Apple iPhone Update 1.1.1 Is Here!

As you all know already, your iPhone update is now available. This is the big one that we knew was coming and has a lot of updates. I don't want to take the time to list all of the new features out here since it is all accessible and in much better form at the Apple iPhone site. I will however, take some time to talk about a few items that are of interest to me about the update.

Most notably, the sound is supposed to be improved. I have not gotten a chance to test this out yet, but this is an issue that has been plaguing the iPhone since the beginning (ok, maybe that was a little too dramatic). Anyway, it is nice to see that Apple was well aware of the issue and has made an effort to make this better. Thank you Apple!

The next big item is the ability to have more keyboard functions and mail in widescreen. I wanted the mail client to show in widescreen mode from the beginning. I am not sure why they did not put this in to start with, but at least we have it now.



The new software has yet to be hacked. This means that you need to make sure that you either do not update the software or just do a full restore first. It looks like it may be a while for the new hacks to come out since the hackers are saying that the iPhone firmware is much harder code to read and break. This is Apple's attempt to thwart third party hacking. So far it is working and it could be a while from the sounds of it. I guess the question is how long can you wait for the updated hacks so that you can update the iPhone?



All in all, I have not gotten a chance to put much of the updates to good use, but this is great. I love all of the features that Apple has decided to update the iPhone with and this only means good things to come. Apple is not going to leave us hanging with this product and they are proving to do this right. I have never been as pleased with a cell phone and the support of it before this one. My T-Mobile MDA looked absolutely dumb compared to the iPhone and Apple's constant support and improvement of it. This is why I love Apple.

Connect a Bluetooth Keyboard to iPhone?

I got a great question today about whether they could connect their bluetooth keyboard to the iPhone. I hate to say it, but the answer is no right now. There could in fact be a hack out there somewhere that allows this to work, but it is hard to find if it is.

Why can't the iPhone connect to a bluetooth keyboard? "I thought that the iPhone was bluetooth enabled," you say. Well it is bluetooth enabled. This only means that it has the hardware to handle bluetooth connections however. For bluetooth connections you also have to have a bluetooth profile that matches this. There are many bluetooth profiles out there that allow you to do just about everything wirelessly through bluetooth, but Apple has elected to use only two. These two allow you to connect the iPhone to a bluetooth headset to talk.

Another post talked about the bluetooth headsets being able to be used with the iPhone, but you had to trick it. I am not sure if that works so great and why would you have to trick it every time to get it to work anyway. The point is Apple does not want us to have the ability or freedom to connect things like this right now. Just like the 3G capabilities, we have to add it to the wish list. However, the difference is that Apple could easily add the bluetooth profile necessary to connect a bluetooth keyboard with a simple software update.

Be on the lookout for a hack or Apple bluetooth stack profile update Bendrix; that is your only hope for now.

iPhone Hacks Are In Jeopardy!

Apple announces its plans to attack iPhone hacks that allow the iPhone to work with other carriers. Apple says that if there is any evidence that the iPhone has been hacked then the warranty will be void.

Apple plans to launch the new software this week that will allow wifi iTunes Store and other features that the iTouch currently has.

What does this mean for you? If you have not hacked your iPhone in any way, then this is all good news and you should welcome the new firmware release. If you have hacked the iPhone to run third party software or unlocked the iPhone to use with another carrier you have to be more careful in how you sync your iPhone now. There will likely be new hacks available soon that will allow you to get all of the Apple updates and then unlock the iPhone again so you have three options:

1. Wait to get the Apple firmware update until someone comes out with the new hacks.
2. Go ahead and get the new firmware, but be very careful when doing so. If you want to get the new firmware then you should first restore the iPhone to its original factory settings by connecting it to iTunes and clicking restore.
3. Get rid of hacks entirely and rely on Apple to give you everything you need.

Obviously the choice is yours and there are more options, but these are the ones that I would be considering if I had hacked my iPhone. Maybe I will hack my iPhone again soon, but for now I just don't have the time to keep up with all of the updates and rehacking stuff.

Good Luck!

Apple iPhone Bluetooth Music

Have you ever wanted to listen to your music wirelessly with bluetooth headphones on your iPhone. Well, now it looks like you can do this. The iPhone was not originally intended to have this function, but you can trick the iPhone into having this function if you work on it. All you have to do is sync the bluetooth headset to the iPhon for calls and then go into voicemail and select the audio options while listening to music. This will trick the iPhone into thinking that you are on a call or listening to a message and then the music will come through the headphones.

This is a neat trick that I learned, but it seems a bit childish all of the things that Apple is making unavailable to the end users. I hope that Apple changes this so that it works natively in the future. If the iPhone is going to cost as much as the most expensive phones out there, then it should have something as simple as stereo bluetooth capabilities. Apple, Apple, Apple...

GPS For The iPhone

Finally companies are making an effort to make GPS available on the iPhone. This is not a great option, but it is a start. The program is called Navizon, and it works without having any GPS receiver. I have not tried this program yet as I have taken the installer program of of my iPhone until the next major update so that they can get everything working good again, but there are already user responses to the program.

The program works by using cellular towers and wi-fi to triangulate the position of the iPhone. This is a great idea in theory, but it sounds like this is not very accurate unless you have lots of wi-fi signal all around you. Also, I don't believe that there is any real attempt to make a navigation system out of this program. The application can only tell you where you are, but it will not be able to give directions based on where you are. This is a disappointment for me, but it may be useful to some.

All in all this is a good step in the right direction and hopefully soon we will see a true GPS system for the iPhone with a GPS receiver and full program.

Apple Continues Updates That Make iPhone Mods Hard

Everyone is trying to modify their iPhone to be exactly how they want it to be. I have done this a couple of times and unlocked it to put my own ringtones on it, but it gets tiring with all of these updates that Apple puts out that seem to destroy everything that you have worked so hard to accomplish.

One day I was jailbreaking my iPhone and got everything that I wanted on it. I was very happy and actually was showing it off to people. Then, I needed to sync the iPhone again and foudn that iTunes had made an update and it would cause my jailbreaking to no longer work. I know this is something that Apple feels is necessary to keep mainly their own apps on the iPhone, but it is aggrevating when we have spent so much on a phone so that it would do everything we wanted it to do.

Does anyone else feel like we have paid for the right to do with the iPhone as we please. I love Apple, but sometimes it seems like they are just like those other big retailers that don't look out for individuals.

Keep the dream alive, make the most of your iPhone even if it takes a little more effort.

Apple iPhone To Have An Update

The September update for the iPhone should be here soon, and it could be the big one that we have been waiting for. The iPod Touch has multiple keyboards which are sure to come to the iPhone, and also look out for iTunes Store through Wi-Fi, so that you can spend more money all of the time. Hopefully the new items that we talked about in earlier posts are going to be in this new update.

For other news, I am planning to have an iPhone Made Easy Blog Contest. I will be giving the winner a bluetooth headset that they can use with their iPhone or other cell phone if you are just trying to save enough money to get the iPhone. Stay tuned for the details on how this contest will work. It will involve coming up with tips and tricks for the iPhone and possibly rated by how many diggs you get.

Free iPhone Ringtones Made Easy

There is a free software program now available that makes use of the trick to adding ringtones to the iPhone for free. MakeiPhoneRingtone is an application that can be used to simply add ringtones to your iPhone without unlocking or jailbreaking the iPhone. I believe that this will make it even easier for people to avoid paying for ringtones which they are likely to already own in their music collection.

I have always thought that it was absurd to pay for ringtones, but the longer the tradition of charging for ringtones goes on the more absurd it becomes. Please, I beg you, do not purchase ringtones unless you simply like to waste your money. There are plenty of free ways to get whatever you want on the iPhone.

Apple Will Offer $100 Apple Store Credit For iPhone Price Drop

This is good news for people that were so fanatic about the iPhone that they got it on the first day and now want their $200 back (like me for instance). Steve Jobs has said that Apple is likely to offer $100 in store credit to appease those that have paid $200 more than the current cost of the iPhone only two months earlier. The official announcement has not been made yet, but lets hope for the best. If Apple does in fact issue this offer to those that camped out for the iPhone then it is a prime example for why I recommend Apple products to everyone I know. If they do not, then well, I still love Apple.

What can I say, they have me hook, line, and sinker.

Goodbye 4GB iPhone Make Way For $400 8GB iPhone

So Apple makes me feel a little ripped off today by introducing the $200 price drop in the iPhone. This means that I have paid $400 to have mine and my wife's for two months. This is hard to swallow, but I love the iPhone so I guess that is what early adoptors get. Anyway, this is good news for everyone holding out for the iPhone to drop in price. I am surprised that they dropped the price soon and so much, but this is how it is. It seems like it will be very difficult to sell the iPod Touch at the $300 when you can get the iPhone for $100 more. The iPod classic seems like a much better fit for those that are looking or more of a simple iPod since it costs less than the iPod Touch and holds tens times as much on it.

Apple knows what they are doing, and they are gearing up for the holiday season. It is still hard to accept that the iPhone has been cut in price so drastically and with no effort to appease the people who have gone out on a limb for Apple. Its ok though, I will get over it by tomorrow.

Third Party Ringtone App for Apple iPhone

Some people may be a little anxious about hacking their $600 iPhone, but still want to be able to change things on their iPhone. This is why Third Party Applications for the Apple iPhone will start to pop up like this one, iToner.

It is a simple concept to be able to add your own ringtones on to your phone and especially such an expensive one, but Apple does not want people to modify their iPhones, at least not yet. That is why people have been forced to hack the iPhone and make it more customized for individual needs. This can cause issues with functionality and warranties. So iToner comes along and allows you to add your own ringtones to the iPhone without hacking it or jailbreaking it. This is a great idea since some people are very unlikely to get up the nerve to hack their iPhone, but I wish that the software did not come at a price. $15, but I guess it is worth it for someone that wants to have the ability to add their own ringtones to the iPhone safely.

Apple iPhone, is 8GB enough?

I have been on the road this weekend and putting full use to my iPhone. I loaded it up before I left, and I have not had a chance to load it up again. The 8GB storage seems to be a good amount as far as the music goes, but I only have two movies on here and that does not seem to be enough for a 5 day weekend. I will hopefully get to load it up again with my laptop, but I think that the iPhone should have come with at least a 20GB drive. That would have kept me going for quite a bit longer, but then again maybe I just need to prioritize what I sync to the phone.

Anyway, that is just some thoughts from the road. I will be back on Tuesday, and I hope to get one more post before then.