news

Ingeniously simple method for storing iPhone Web apps locally

W. Clawpaws, who maintains the Life with Lunchhooks blog has discovered an amazingly simple and simply amazing method that allows Web apps to be stored locally on the iPhone, presenting the first viable solution to a major point of contention for developers. Essentially, the method stores an entire set of HTML and JavaScript in a bookmark by utilizing the data: URL. All page content is thus stored in bookmark data, and can be accessed when no network connection exists -- even if the iPhone is in Airplane mode.

Click on the following link using an iPhone: Tip Calculator

Then press … Read more

iPhone dialing security "flaws": Tom Ferris, other experts weigh in

Yesterday SPI Labs, a division of SPI Dynamics, which sells a tool for web application security assessment among others, published a piece outlining security concerns for the iPhone's ability to dial numbers directly from Web pages using the tel: property (used by a number of sites, including some iPhone-optimized Web apps like goMovies). SPI says this leaves the iPhone open to various "attacks" including:

Redirecting phone calls placed by the user to different phone numbers of the attacker's choosing Tracking phone calls placed by the user Manipulating the phone to place a call without the user … Read more

JVC HD camcorder leaked, not enough fingers to plug holes

Akihabara News made a big oopsie and posted a story about JVC's forthcoming Everio GZ-HD3. Though the page was quickly pulled, camcorderinfo.com managed to snatch the photo and a few details. A JVC spokesman admitted to me that Akihabara News had signed a nondisclosure agreement for information about the product, which provided a tacit admission that the product really exists and isn't just a rumor.

According to camcorderinfo.com, the HD3 will record HD video at only 1,440x1,080 in JVC's standard MPEG-2 TS format; the GZ-HD7 offers 1,920x1,080 "FHD" video, … Read more

New, iPhone-optimized version of Talkety (Web-based VOIP) on the way

We previously reported on Talkety, a Web-based VOIP service that works to some extent on the iPhone. In a nutshell, the service works as you'd expect: some slight delay, but overall decent voice quality.

We've now received word that a new version of Talkety is on the way, with significantly enhanced iPhone support. A project manager told us:

"We are at the moment developing a special version of Talkety for the iPhone, which will for example store your iPhone telephone number, so you do not have to choose it before dialing, it will allow synching of your … Read more

Michael Rosenblum launches new initiative for citizen journalism

If you visit ctzn.tv, you won't find anything beyond the company logo. But according to an e-mail I received from Ken Krushel, the president of CitizeNews, ctzn.tv will soon become a portal aggregating "the very best work of the very best video journalists in the world" while providing compensation for its content creators and developing itself as an agency for content distribution networks yet to be announced. Ctzn.tv expects to launch in August.

Prior to starting CitizeNews, Ken Krushel developed Proteus and worked as an executive for NBC. Alongside Krushel, controversial video visionary Michael Rosenblum will work to bring ctzn.tv to life. Rosenblum is best known for coining the term VJ (video journalist) and teaching the principles he developed to television stations large and small. His approach has completely changed the way local San Francisco station KRON gathers news, and these techniques have been adopted most recently by the Travel Channel.… Read more

Wi-Fi hotspot finder for the iPhone debuts

EDGE access on the iPhone is for the birds, at least when it can be avoided. To help you find more Wi-Fi access points, JiWire has introduced an iPhone-optimized version of its hotspot location service. By visiting JiWire.com on an iPhone, you will be presented with a location (city, state or ZIP) search prompt. Wi-Fi location details are linked to the iPhone's built-in maps and phone dialer.

A posting on the JiWire site reads:

"Search results are presented in a compact and fast-loading format optimized for the iPhone's screen. Clicking "Previous" and "Next&… Read more

iPhone accessory compatibility index updated

We've updated our iPhone compatibility index with several new accessories, and have also begun categorizing the listings: speaker sets, bluetooth headsets, car kits, charging docks, etc.

Lay offs at the Mercury News

With Bush's pardon commutation of Scooter Libby's 30 month prison sentence dominating the news this morning, the San Jose Mercury News published an article announcing 31 lay offs from their newsroom. This news, along with 15 recent volunteer resignations brings The Mercury's fleet of reporters down to 200 which according to the article is about half of what it was in 2000. Of course, this news shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as newspapers across the country have been feeling the heat for some time and many have resorted to lay offs in an effort to balance their declining budgets.

So why is it that print newspapers are faltering in recent years? Is it because of the rise of online journalists and bloggers or is it because American's have grown hypersensitive about paper waste and have decided it is no longer responsible to read a daily newspaper? Has Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth had that much of an impact? Somehow I doubt it.

… Read more

iPhone battery replacement program details announced: $86

Like the iPod, the iPhone's battery is not user-replaceable, and must officially be replaced through Apple's own iPhone battery replacement program (though third-party battery replacement programs, like those for the iPod, are sure to appear soon).

The program will cost a total of $86 (a service fee of $79, plus $6.95 shipping). That's $20 more than the iPod's battery replacement program.

Like the iPod battery replacement program, iPhone data will not be preserved in the process. Apple says:

"No, the repair process will clear all data from your iPhone.  It is important … Read more