iPhone Atlas

Hey, Apple: If a Zune can sync over Wi-Fi, why can't an iPhone? I mean, it's the 21st century. Why do I still have to fish out my sync cable every time I want to copy photos to my PC?

That's a question for another day. In the meantime, there's WiFiPhoto, which, true to its name, wirelessly transfers snapshots from your iPhone to your computer. Any computer: Windows, Mac, Linux, etc., so long as it's connected to a Wi-Fi network.

To my knowledge, the only other app that comes close is Eye-Fi--but that limits you to 25 uploads per month (unless you have an Eye-Fi card) and requires a (rather annoying) desktop utility.

With WiFiPhoto, you just select the photos you want to copy (from your Camera Roll or photo library), then fire up the browser on your PC. Enter the IP address shown in the app and presto: You get a Zip file containing the selected images.

Obviously it would be nice if the app could copy photos straight to a particular folder, but that's the price of a utility-free solution. Here there's nothing to install on your system, just fast and easy photo transfers.

You can see WiFiPhoto in action in the above video. If you like what you see, the app will run you just 99 cents. Definitely worth the money, in my opinion, at least until Apple paves the way for Wi-Fi syncing. Which the Zune has had for a couple years now. Just saying.

Line2 is exactly that: a second line (well, phone number, anyway) for your iPhone.

One iPhone, two phone numbers. That's the idea behind Line2, a new telephony app that effectively adds a second line to your handset.

Despite Apple's curious claims that iPhones aren't for business, Line2 should come as good news indeed to business users. It provides a new local number, a ported existing number, or an 800 number.

Whichever option you choose, the number comes with voicemail, call history, and an independent contacts directory. (The Line2 app provides one-tap switching between your iPhone and Toktumi phone books, a nice touch.)

Using Line2 requires signing up for Toktumi's "virtual office" phone service, which costs $14.95 per month if you sign up for an annual contract or $19.95 if you go month-to-month. Thankfully, there's a 30-day trial available.

Better still, the first 200 iPhone Atlas readers who sign up for an account and use trial code 591321851 will get three months free!

All subscribers will, however, have to pony up 99 cents for the Line2 app. Though it's hard to quibble with such a paltry sum, we can't help feeling that if you're paying for monthly service, the app should be free.

Once you've installed the app and signed up for service (which, impressively, you can do right on your iPhone), calls to your new/ported/800 number come through just like regular calls.

Well, sort of. Your iPhone rings and you see your Toktumi number as the caller ID. When you answer, the automated Toktumi bot tells you who's calling and gives you the option of accepting the call or sending it directly to voice mail.

That's a nifty feature, though it does require you to activate the iPhone's keypad to make your selection, which is a minor hassle.

As for outgoing calls, Line2 provides unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada and low-cost international calls--all routed over the usual cellular airwaves, not Wi-Fi. Toktumi wants to make it clear that Line2 isn't intended as a "cheap calling solution," but rather an option for business professionals seeking a separate number that integrates with their phone.

Of course, you can get ostensibly the same thing from Google Voice, if and when it makes its way to the App Store. (TechCrunch has more about Line2's similarities to Google Voice, if you're interested.)

In the meantime, Line2 definitely works as advertised. If you like the idea of a second phone number for your iPhone, it's worth a look.

(Credit: Apple, Inc.)

A rash of Wi-Fi connectivity and signal strength complaints have cropped up after Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 software update. Some users complain that their iPhones and iPod Touches drop from Wi-Fi unexpectedly; others that they can't connect to the Internet at all. Some users have been able to resolve connectivity problems by resetting their network connections (via Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings), but this simple fix hasn't worked for everyone. In some cases, not even a total system restore fixes the problem.

Apple has finally acknowledged the problem in a technical service bulletin titled "Unable to use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth with iPhone or iPod Touch because there's no address listed for the device." According to Apple, the problem happens during initial iPhone or iPod Touch setup while performing an update or a restore with iTunes. The symptoms are:

• The device shows no Wi-Fi address or Bluetooth address (Tap Settings > General > About and scroll down to Wi-Fi Address or Bluetooth).
• iPhone or iPod Touch appears to be connected to a Wi-Fi network but cannot use Wi-Fi for checking e-mail, surfing the Internet, or other data transactions.
• iPhone or iPod Touch showing Wi-Fi or Bluetooth icon on device as grayed out.
• iPhone not able to pair with Bluetooth device or accessory.
• When you tap Settings > Wi-Fi and then tap next to the network, no values or entries for IP Address, Subnet Mask, Router, or DNS appear.

If your iPhone or iPod Touch exhibits any of these symptoms, consult the technical service bulletin and follow the four steps therein. If none of the steps resolve your Wi-Fi or Bluetooth problems, your iPhone or iPod Touch may need to be repaired.

We recommend that before you take your iPhone in for service you read these troubleshooting tips we laid out, and these. Apple also hosts some good troubleshooting articles about Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (here and here).

Have you experienced this problem with your iPhone or iPod Touch after updating to iPhone OS 3.0? Let us know in the comments.

Apple may have blinked first in the ongoing battle with the Chinese government to allow the company to sell a Wi-Fi-enabled iPhone in that country.

(Credit: Apple)

The back-and-forth battle between Apple and China's Ministry of Industry and Information may be coming to a close. According to a BusinessWeek report, Apple has applied for a Network Access License that would allow the company to begin selling the iPhone without Wi-Fi.

In typical fashion, Apple has reportedly been hard-nosed in negotiations with the Chinese government over the iPhone. However, the government has been just as hard-nosed, refusing to allow Apple to sell the Wi-Fi-enabled phone in China.

AppleInsider guesstimates that the approval process for the iPhone would take four to six months, making a potential launch date no later than January 2010.

Of course, the iPhone is being used in many countries where it is not officially sold, China being one of them. The ability to unlock the phones and use them on any compatible network has made the iPhone popular worldwide.

Bringing a Chinese company, speculated to be China Unicom, on board as an official carrier would enable Apple to open the iPhone to a huge market of potential growth. It's unclear what the lack of Wi-Fi will do for the popularity of the smartphone, but it's obviously a concession that Apple felt was worth making.

(Credit: AT&T)

AT&T today announced it will support auto-authentication for iPhone OS 3.0 users connecting to AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots. Auto-authentication allows iPhone users to seamlessly switch from AT&T's 3G network to an AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot without being prompted.

The new process eliminates the previous two-step authentication, making it easier and faster for iPhone customers to connect to AT&T Wi-Fi. Autoconnect is established once a customer connects their iPhone to an AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot the first time.

This new auto-authentication process is available now to all existing iPhone and iPhone 3G customers using iPhone OS 3.0. Support for the iPhone 3G S will be available immediately after its launch on Friday. (Find more information about AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots at www.attwifi.com.) If you're not yet using iPhone OS 3.0, you may continue to access AT&T Wi-Fi using the current authentication method.

Find a list of AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots here.

It's bad enough that Sling Media charges $29.99 for its SlingPlayer Mobile app (which you can see demonstrated in the video at right), but limiting it to Wi-Fi connections? That's downright criminal.

Fortunately, the gadget gurus over at Gizmodo have documented a way to stream SlingPlayer video across 3G connections, thereby overcoming one of the app's major annoyances. (Now if they could just talk Sling Media into a reasonable price tag. Like, say, $5.99.)

As you might expect, there's a catch: You have to jailbreak your iPhone. It's not hard to do, particularly if you follow Gizmodo's iPhone jailbreaking guide, but it's definitely a do-at-your-own-risk procedure. (Fortunately, you can undo it if the need ever arises, like for support or warranty service from Apple.)

Once you've completed that step, all that's left is to install an app called Tricker Three3G. After that, SlingPlayer will always think it's running on Wi-Fi, even when it's running on 3G. (Bonus: Tricker pulls the same trick on Skype and Fring--great if you're looking for a way around their own connectivity restrictions.)

I haven't put this to the test myself, as I'm slightly chicken when it comes to jailbreaking my iPhone. Plus, I don't own a SlingPlayer. But based on anecdotal tests I've read elsewhere, it works as advertised.

What do you think? Does this improve SlingPlayer Mobile's functionality enough to justify the $30 price tag? Are you willing to jailbreak your phone just for this app? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Truphone 3.0 gives Skype a run for the free-call money.

A new version of popular voice over IP app Truphone just hit the App Store, offering better call quality, single-screen instant messaging, and various interface improvements.

In case you're unfamiliar with it, Truphone leverages Wi-Fi networks to provide free voice calls--worldwide--to other Truphone users and to your Google Talk and Skype contacts. In other words, if you're in range of a hotspot, you can gab all you want without spending a penny.

Truphone also lets you call landlines and cell phones at low rates--great if you routinely burn through your allotted AT&T minutes and don't want to rack up massive overages, or if you're looking to make international calls on the cheap.

Calls to India, for example, cost about 10 cents per minute--less if you sign up for one of Truphone's monthly plans (which can quickly pay for themselves if you make a lot of calls).

In addition to "radically improved" call quality (which is hard to gauge given how many variables come into play for a VoIP call), Truphone 3.0 lets you manage all your instant messaging from one screen. The app supports all the major services: AIM, GTalk, MSN, Skype, and Yahoo. You can also access your Twitter account, though that happens on a different screen.

Truphone now lets you see the rates for a call before placing it, view call history, and top up your account from within the app--all nice perks.

Still, truth be told, there's nothing too earth-shattering about Truphone 3.0--it feels more like a 2.5 release. And I had lots of trouble staying connected to my various IM accounts, and frequently received errors when trying to send messages.

Even so, Truphone trumps Skype for iPhone with its multiplatform calling and chat support. The app itself is free, and you get a $5 credit when you create a Truphone account--more than enough to test the VoIP waters.

The iPhone famously solves many of life's little problems--you can't decide where to eat, you've got nothing to read, you need to update your Facebook status right now--but who's going to solve the iPhone's problems?

For instance, maybe it's low on storage. Or it's having trouble connecting to a Starbucks hot spot. Here's a list of five common iPhone ailments and the apps that aim to cure them.

Why let music consume precious iPhone storage when Simplify Media can stream your entire library from home?

• You're running out of storage. Apple may have a 32GB iPhone waiting in the wings, but how does that help you and your storage-strapped model now? Here's one radical idea: delete all your music. Then install Simplify Media, a $3.99 app that streams your entire music library from your Windows, Mac, or Linux PC. I've been test-driving the app for a few days and it works like a charm. Just think of how much space you'll free up for apps, videos, photos, and the like.
• You're texting your way to the poorhouse. Tired of dropping an extra $20 per month for unlimited texting? How about a one-time fee of $5.99 instead? That's the price of Textfree Unlimited, which, true to its name, lets you send and receive an unlimited number of text messages. It's not perfect--you need to enable "push" mail if you want new-message notifications--but it'll definitely save you money.
• There's no way to check your SMS count. Prefer to stick with old-school texting? It would be nice if you could see how many messages you have left for the month. Pageonce just took the wraps off Cell Minute Tracker, a 99-cent app that shows not only your SMS usage, but also your AT&T account balance, rollover minutes, and more. (You can even pay your bill.) Check out Jessica Dolcourt's full review.
• There's no to-do list. Third-party apps to the rescue! Chapura's KeyTasks provides robust task management, and it syncs with Outlook. (But $9.99? Ouch!) Appigo's Todo offers iCal syncing for Mac users for an equally ouchy $9.99. If you'd rather sync your tasks to the Web, try Remember The Milk. The app's free, but you need a $25/year pro account.
• Connecting to Starbucks' Wi-Fi is a hassle. Oh, the hoops you must jump to tap a Starbucks Wi-Fi network. For a mere 99 cents, Easy Wi-Fi lives up to its name, making AT&T hot-spot connections a one-tap affair. No monkeying around with text messages and all that: you'll be online faster than you'll be sipping your latte.

iPhone Atlas has already covered a number of complaints from iPhone users about iPhone OS 2.2.1.

Frequently, faulty Wi-Fi connections were the source of these complaints. Recently, that problem has resurfaced, and one user is linking the Wi-Fi problems to heat generated by the iPhone and its battery.

A discussion in the Apple forum describes a problem in which some iPhones are randomly dropping Wi-Fi signals, then failing to reconnect to any network for a period of time.

Many people think that the problem is caused by the iPhone overheating, and some go so far as to place their iPhone into a refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. (We don't suggest that you do the same; refrigerating your iPhone could cause water damage and void your warranty.) We recommend letting the iPhone cool at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, or until cool to the touch.

Apple Discussions user ScottieWil goes a step further and actually opened his iPhone to apply a nitrogen stick directly to the relevant chip. His Wi-Fi immediately returned to working order. ScottieWil researched the problem further and said in one of his posts:

I have now found the common factor in my Wi-Fi working and not working...its charge level of the battery. If the cell is under 50 percent, Wi-Fi just works...if it's above, it has problems. If the charge level is 90 percent or more, and I try to use Wi-Fi, the phone can reboot with(out) warning.

This, as I said before, may be the cell not being able to provide the current demand of the phone.

He also suggested that the iPhone's battery is very sensitive to temperature, which explains why Wi-Fi would work temporarily when the phone was cool, but not later, after the phone heated up.

Due to the varied nature of Wi-Fi problems reported, we suggest that you follow some of the troubleshooting tips we wrote about previously here and here before contacting AppleCare.

If the tips above fail to resolve the problem, some people on the same discussion thread are reporting that AppleCare is replacing iPhones experiencing this heating problem. However, Apple is doing so only after the iPhone is examined at a local Apple store.

If you or someone you know has experienced this problem, let us know in the comments.