Apple

In the early days of the App Store for the iPhone and iPhone 3G, there are some definite gems, like Pandora, NYTimes, and MLB.com At Bat. And the selection of games is outstanding, especially those that take advantage of both touch and motion control like Crash Bandicoot.

On the other hand, there are also plenty of relatively useless programs. So far there are three applications that make it look like you’re drinking straight from the iPhone: iBeer, iMilk, and iPint. What would we like to see? Let’s count down the top 10–and don’t forget to let us know what’s on your wish list.

10. LoJack for iPhone
One of the benefits of the iPhone 2.0 software is that enterprises can remotely wipe a device if it’s lost or stolen. So what about those of us who don’t have an IT department that’s got our back? Enter Absolute Software, whose LoJack for Laptops is easily the most popular service for tracking and recovering mobile PCs. With this app, which wouldn’t have an associated icon (we wouldn’t want to tip off the thief), you would be able to remotely delete sensitive information and help the authorities get your precious device back by leveraging the iPhone’s integrated GPS. It costs $39 a year for laptops, so $29 a year for the iPhone sounds about right.

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It seems like our iPhone 3G review unit was handed to us on a silver “activated” plate. The Web is swarming with complaints from understandably annoyed new- and old-iPhone owners. First-gen iPhone owners cannot upgrade their 2.0 software because Apple’s servers are flooded with download requests; they continually get the same “network connection timeout” notice. Some are now stuck with “brick phones,” which means the phone is stuck in an emergency call state and just doesn’t function. Second-gen iPhone 3G owners are having an impossible time activating their phones through iTunes.

There are many different scenarios; if you want more information, I suggest checking out the Apple iPhone Discussions page.

We don’t have any answers since Apple is pretty much unresponsive today. One of our readers was told that “there are delays today because of unanticipated demand.” Unanticipated? Seriously? People around the world have been counting down the days until the July 11 launch.

I have been trying to update my iPod touch with the 2.0 software since I got into the office 8 hours ago. It’s been back and forth. First, iTunes will tell me I have the latest 1.4 software, which is clearly not the latest. Then it will tell me that there is an available update to the 2.0 software, but when I try and upgrade and purchase the $9.99 software it gives me a network has times out message. Anyone have any luck getting the touch to run 2.0 software? I need my Ms. PacMan fix.

Our iPhone 3G arrived just an hour ago and we can tell you it doesn’t need to train for an Olympic Web browsing dash. We have seen all the unboxings and the early reviews so we thought it was best to put the iPhone 3G and its EDGE predecessor up against each other in a series of Web browsing tests because, of course, the defining characteristic of the new iPhone is its data speeds.

We started out or tests by having both phones visit NYTimes.com. The iPhone 3G KOed the first generation by 28 seconds. But we suggest you watch the video below because you have to see it to really understand the difference in loading speeds. The NY Times and all the images were completely done loading by the time the EDGE phone caught up; in that time you could have already decided what article you wanted to read on the main page and navigated to it.

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Matt Miller at ZDNet beat me to the punch about the lack of free trials in the iPhone App Store, but boy have I been thinking that all day. I spent the last 8 hours downloading applications to determine which ones we here at LAPTOP Magazine liked the best. I downloaded tons of stuff, including applications like the MLB At Bat, which costs $4.99, and Moo-Cow-Music’s Band for a hefty $9.99. Granted, I don’t pay out of my own pocket for software, but I racked up a bill of about $75 today in iPhone applications.

Sure, there are loads of free applications—and it turns out some of the best applications are the free ones—such as Facebook and Pandora. But other apps, such as games, can cost anywhere between $2.99 and $20. (LionClock Lite, which God knows what that is, costs $29.99.) Why download a $10 application that you may not even like? This is the reason software companies offer full, or even limited, versions of its software for 15- to 30-day trials. (Plus, it’s a great way to reel in the addicts; after 30 days of playing Bejeweled, you try to live without it.)

So why has Apple decided against free trials? Probably because they want you to pay for a non-refundable game or application. On the other hand, this will probably mean the end user will want to read more reviews of mobile applications, so in the end that keeps the money coming to me, and then I can buy all the iPhone Apps I want.

We don’t have the iPhone 3G yet (we are counting down the hours until Apple hands one off to us tomorrow), but we do have access to the Apple App Store via our first-generation iPhone. We spent the day testing some of the hundreds available applications from the new App Store—ones that start at free and go all the way up to $15 apiece. So which are our favorites?

We chose 10 that we found worth the download. Check it out and then let us know which ones you like or think is missing from the list.

Super Monkey Ball ($9.99)
Ever since seeing this application demoed at WWDC, we knew it was going to be a hit. The fun starts with choosing one of the four monkeys: AiAi, MeeMee, Baby, and Gongon. Each monkey is trapped in a transparent ball and you can tilt the device to roll your monkey through the different stages. Our monkey was very responsive and we didn’t have to overextend ourselves when tilting the screen to get the little guy moving. Watching people play this game in public is going to be a hoot! Read the rest of this entry »

iPhone 3G: It’s here, it’s upgraded, and Apple has addressed nearly all the complaints and objections raised by business users about its do-it-all device over the last year. But while many ogle the iPhone’s faster data speeds and GPS features, it’s the 2.0 software that has some execs slobbering: The iPhone can now deliver push e-mail, calendar, and contacts from a Microsoft Exchange server at the office. All you have to do is get your IT department to open the door for you.

It’s a small-sounding advance, but it means everything to Apple. If the company hopes to meet its oft-published target of ten million iPhones sold by the end of the year, a heaping pile of orders are going to have to come from enterprise customers. The problem is that those customers are currently clutching their BlackBerrys with death grips.

Push support isn’t the only enterprise-friendly advance for iPhone 2.0 software. Other features include WPA2 support, device configuration options, identities, certificates, and remote- wiping capability. RIM’s recent problems with service outages might also lead BlackBerry users to eye greener pastures.

So should RIM be worried?

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With WWDC and iPhone 3G news still making headlines worldwide, it is hard not to think about where old Apple started off. Back in 1976, it wasn’t just Steve Jobs taking center stage. It was him and Steve Wozniak together that gave birth to the first Apple product - the Apple I.

It wasn’t too long ago when Woz sat down with me and poured out his heart about where mobile technology and Apple stand today. Knowing he was a huge fan of the first-gen iPhone, I reached out to him to find out what he thought of the unveiling of the new 3G device on Monday.

Updated: In an e-mail and phone conversation, I spoke with Woz about the new iPhone, Apple’s business direction, and his thoughts about the Eee PC and other mini-notebooks.  Check out the full interview.

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Whoa. We were wondering what would happen when the performance freaks at Voodoo teamed up with HP, and the first notebook to come out of this acquisition is a surprise. No, it’s not a gaming rig. It’s one of the sleekest and most innovative ultraporables we’ve seen. The Envy 133 (starting at $2,099) rocks an instant-on mode that lets you surf the Web and make Skype calls without booting into Windows (called Voodoo IOS) and a slick power brick that doubles as a wireless access point. Intrigued yet?

Voodoo was kind enough to let us steal a pre-production sample for a little hands-on time, and although the Envy 133 was not benchmarkable, we wanted to walk you through everything that makes this dream machine stand out. Stay tuned for a full review.

Updated: Don’t miss our unboxing of the Voodoo Envy 133 here and hands-on with the Voodoo IOS, Instant-On OS here.

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Aimed at high-rolling road warriors, the HP EliteBook 6930p is the first in a new series within the Compaq business line. It offers the latest Intel and AMD processors, and a host of durability features, including spill-resistant keyboards, shock-mounted hard drives, and ruggedization in accordance with MIL-STD 810F military specifications. We think the minimalist steely finish looks appropriately rugged, but also worthy of a high-end road warrior’s machine.

The display can purportedly withstand eighty times more force than previous Compaqs, and HP’s DuraFinish makes the display and palm rest six times more scratch resistant than its predecessors. It also offers Qualcomm’s Gobi technology, which allows users to seamlessly switch between Wi-Fi and mobile broadband. It even has a slot for reading business cards.

The EliteBook starts at $1,179.

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I just finished my quick 15 minutes with the iPhone 3G. Here are some first impressions.

Smoother Look and Feel
Though I didn’t have a gen one iPhone to compare it to, the iPhone 3G felt lighter and softer in my hand. I was immediately attracted to the white 16GB (apparently because it is more feminine). The white back is glossy and smooth and has a rounded back to it. The front of the phone looks like the original with black edges surrounding the screen. It is confirmed: the headphone jack on the 3G phone is 3.5 mm.

Speedy Browsing
After checking out the new hardware, it was time to put the 3G to the test. It took about two seconds to transition from Wi-Fi to the 3G network. I tested out the speeds on three sites: It took the phone 4 seconds to load www.laptopmag.com, 2 seconds to load cnn.com; 3 seconds to load www.nytimes.com. Pretty damn speedy.

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