Everything goes kaplooey

Even the lauded AppTap installer for third party applications on the iPhone has reportedly been disabled. When the price drop was announced Rob at Today in iPhone went on a rant of gargantuan proportions... given his love for AppTap, I'm thinking he's going to need some lozenges for the next post-show recovery unless the AppTap folks can counter this update.

This, by the way, is the game that will play out for a while... Apple will disable, outsiders will re-hack. Then, Apple will disable... etc., etc.

Have a great weekend!

iPhone unlockers now proud owners of bricks

Don't say Apple didn't warn ya. On Monday, they said the new iPhone update would disable unlocked iPhones, and lo and behold, iPhone Update 1.1.1 did just that. Looks like some methods to install third party apps suffered the same fate... I'm sure the Internets will be abuzz tomorrow with the full details. Meanwhile, the update apparently fixed some bugs for the rest of the iPhone owners that paid attention to Apple's threats.

Also, the update included the brand new WiFi iTunes Music Store... and, after all has been said, podcasts aren't included. Something tells me some enterprising hacker is working on an app to make this all happen. I hear rumors of betas flying about...

UPDATE: Ouch. Looks like some people who tried to un-unlock their phones for the update still bricked em. Again... ouch.

Happy 9th fron Nineball

Google turned nine this week... a very special birthday (if you're oddly semi-obsessed with the number like some of us).

I guess wireless devices *don't* cause crashes!

Having been nearly beaten up by several flight attendants for the audacity to work a cell phone in airplane mode, this brings a smile... Alaska Airlines is testing wifi on selected flights. If you're like me and you applauded the testy interchange between Toby and his flight attendant on the first episode of The West Wing, then this is sweet news. Frankly, if the relative safety in flight depends on (a) our seats and trays being in the full and upright position, and (b) that nothing electronic (except, I guess the plane) is running during takeoff and landings, then I may have to reconsider Amtrak.

But, now this.... not only can we open our laptops, but we can turn on the wifi. Welcome to the 21st Century! Woohoo!

Podshow TV on TiVo

Check it out... this is good news for additional exposure, even if it's only a limited subset of video podcasts. A lot of providers are clamoring for content, and podcasts seem to be a good source...

New York Times liberated

The New York Times has ended its pay-to-view experiment, Times Select, after two years. Now, all of its online content is free to read, but it looks like there will be plenty of advertising. WebbAlert reports that The Wall Street Journal may be following suit after Rupert Murdoch completes his acquisition of the venerable paper. Methinks someone at the Times crunched the numbers and realized they'd get much higher revenue from advertising rather than subscriptions...

How times have changed

I was in Oklahoma this weekend for a 95th birthday party (note... not my own), and got a real close look at the iPod of 100 years ago. The Edison Disc Phonograph. As far back as the late 1800s, this little gizmo dominated the music scene... well, it kind of created the recorded music scene, quite frankly. Now, I'm not sure if it's ironic that I took pictures of it with my iPhone, a sibling in the current line of recorded music dominance, but it's at least interesting to note the juxtaposition.











Who knows what's next?

Happy 100th to Hip Tranquil Chick

A big congratulations to Kimberly Wilson and Hip Tranquil Chick on its 100th episode!

HTC is an early client of Nineball Media, so we're super proud of this big accomplishment! What's amazing to me is how she has consistently put together quality content every week for two years. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, there's plenty of back episodes at hiptranquilchick.com.

iPhone credit

All of you early adopters, the time to get your $100 credit is here... check out the fancy schmancy
way of getting it here. Worst part? I gotta burn one of my 200 text messages this month to get it. I s'pose I'll recover when I get that hundred bucks...

Turns out it's a free SMS after all... thanks Steve!

Have a good weekend!

Podcasts via WiFi iTunes Store?

I mentioned in a previous post that I hadn't seen anything to indicate that podcasts will be available over the WiFi iTunes store... it wasn't demonstrated at the Apple event announcing it, and the webpage makes no mention. However, at least a couple of people are suggesting that podcasts will be available on the store... Natali del Conte from Textra stated pretty emphatically on GeekBrief that podcasts are on Apple's new WiFi iTunes Store. Here's hoping she knows something we don't know!

UPDATE... Natali got back via comment here on the blog and said she's wprking to confirm it through her press contact at Apple. On This Week in iPhone with Cali, it sounds like Jobs might have mentioned podcasts, but nobody's too sure. Mistake or not, it's a surefire bet that podcasters would embrace the hell out of inclusion in the wifi store.

Gates bids adieu

Some may accuse me of having a distinct pro-Apple bias... but I know when to give credit. Bill Gates defined mass appeal with Microsoft, and he has forever left his mark on the world of technology. Last week, he gave his final address before the Microsoft employees at Safeco Field in Seattle. Gates leaves Microsoft next year to focus exclusively on the Gates Foundation, an incredible philanthropic organization that has done and will continue to do amazing things in the areas of information technology and world health. Sounds like his address wasn't earth-shattering, but I think he may already be looking ahead to his next phase in life. Cheers to that!

One million iPhones later

The jury's still out on Apple's price drop and subsequent mea culpa to early purchasers, but one thing is for sure... the iPhone's doing well. Seventy-four days from the drop, and there are a million people walking around with one in their pocket. Not bad...

Alright, back to the grind. A week off and I not only have a fair amount of production work to catch up on, but I think I have a kajillion hours (more than a bajillion, less than a googol) of podcasts queued up!

I go away for one week and look what happens

A quick hit from Costa Rica... Just heard about the new iPods and the
(gulp!) massive price drop on the iPhone. Kudos to Apple for pushing a
rebate to us early adopters though.

From a podcasting perspective, I'm most intrigued by iTunes wifi
music store... I've ranted about the possibility of wireless downloads
of podcasts for months, and this brings us a step closer. From what I
can tell, however, the wifi store does not include podcasts... Maybe a
future add, perhaps? Regardless, I think these new products and
services are good additions to the tech marketplace. And, since I
apparently have a $100 rebate available from my iPhone purchase, I
suspect apple will get more of my money. It's an illness, really.

Back in the States tomorrow... Regular blogging resumes Monday. I
missed you too.