Crashing problems aside, I am loving the App Store. I have no problem spending money on an app, but there are definitely a surprising number of quality freebies out there. With that in mind, I am kind of curious to know how much money iPhone owners have been willing to drop on apps given all of the free choices.

I have not purchased an app.  36.8% (2285 votes)

$1-10  17.8% (1104 votes)

$11-20  13.2% (816 votes)

$21-30  9.3% (579 votes)

$31-40  5.6% (346 votes)

$41-50  4.1% (253 votes)

$51-60  3.0% (186 votes)

$61-70  1.7% (106 votes)

$71-80  1.2% (72 votes)

$81-90  0.7% (45 votes)

$91-100  1.3% (80 votes)

$101-120  1.3% (79 votes)

$121-140  0.5% (33 votes)

$141-160  0.4% (24 votes)

$161-180  0.2% (14 votes)

$181-200  0.2% (15 votes)

More than $200  2.7% (165 votes)

We've seen the BlackBerry Bold and iPhone head-to-head before, as well as the Bold's greatly improved browsing powers over past BlackBerrys, but not side-by-side in a web browser race. It actually gets pretty ugly, uglier than we thought it would. Update: So it looks like in Mobile Computing's test the Bold might not've been on Wi-Fi—we've emailed them to see what's up, but in the meantime, take the results with a grain of salt.

With both running on Wi-Fi and a cleared cache, in a test using Slashdot, the iPhone is actually able to open an entirely new page before the Bold finishes with the first one. The Bold renders everything correctly, it just takes a looooong time to do it. The Bold's got some fairly heavy duty hardware though, so an update from RIM should be able to give the browser a much-needed jolt. [Mobile Computing Mag via jkOntheRun]

credit - http://gizmodo.com/5039886/video-blackberry-bold-vs-iphone-web-browser-showdown-it-gets-ugly

iPhone 2.0.2 Update Is Here, Fixes Bugs In iPhone 3G

The iPhone 2.0.2 update is here and is supposed to fix a bunch of bugs that users have been seeing since iPhone 2.0 hit. Like Boy Genius said before, it's going to be targeting iPhone 3G users, but the changelog of "bug fixes" is vague enough to imply that everyone will see some benefit. Grab it now from iTunes (unless of course you want to be careful and not update to new firmwares right away).

credit  - http://gizmodo.com/5038561/iphone-202-update-is-here-fixes-bugs-in-iphone-3g

International iPhone Carriers Start the Apple Pile-On Over Sub-Par 3G

After news of possible 3G driver/chipset shortcomings, many international iPhone carriers are bringing out the innocent, puppy-dog-eyed shoulder shrug regarding customer gripes with the iPhone's 3G performance. Both T-Mobile Netherlands and Vodafone Australia are the latest to go public with their passive-aggressiveness, much to Apple's delight.

Posting on its official blog [translated] , T-Mobile Netherlands says "the 3G coverage of T-Mobile is as good as the competition, there can therefore not lie. We suspect that it is a hardware / software specific issue of the iPhone itself." CNET sees that "can not lie" bit as web babel-talk for a Dutch expression meaning "so that should not be the issue."

And in a Sydney Morning Herald story, Vodafone Australia also blamed Apple hardware for sucky 3G, saying “We are aware of the issues on the iPhone 3G and we’re working with Apple to provide a solution." Another anonymous source mentions the carriers had no time for device testing prior to launch, since they received handsets just one day before they were to go onsale.

It makes sense. International customers have been enjoying 3G for a lot longer than AT&T folks here in the U.S., so they're more likely to gripe if things don't meet standards set by other phones in the last few years. [CNET, T-Mobile Netherlands [translated], Sydney Morning Herald via iLounge]

credit - http://gizmodo.com/5036514/international-iphone-carriers-start-the-apple-pile+on-over-sub+par-3g

Apple Now Telling Developers How Many People Download Their App

We reported in our massive feature on the SDK and App Store's shortcomings that Apple didn't even tell devs how many times their app is downloaded. I guess they realized devs might wanna know, 'cause now they're offering daily download statistics to registered devs. One

credit - http://gizmodo.com/5031649/apple-now-telling-developers-how-many-people-download-their-app

10 Things We Want to See in the iPhone 2.1 Update

The iPhone 2.0 software is pretty good. We like the App Store a lot; it adds a boatload of new functionality to the iPhone. But it's certainly not perfect. Having used it for a few weeks, we've discovered a number of little quirks that we really hope are addressed in the upcoming update. From bugs to missing features, here are ten things that would make the iPhone a much more attractive device.

1. Make it Less Crashy
The iPhone with 2.0 software feels a little… buggy. It'll randomly crash or slow down to the point of unusability until you restart every few days with normal use. That's not right; this is a cellphone. It shouldn't feel like an unstable computer.

2. Fix the Keyboard Lag
A good chunk of the time, typing on the iPhone keyboard is made even more difficult due to the lag involved. Typing quickly means the letters pop up four keystrokes after you hit them. Make the keyboard move as fast as the user can type.

3. Fix Safari Orientation Switch Lag
Sometimes, Safari takes its sweet, sweet time switching from portrait to landscape when you turn the phone. This should feel almost instantaneous, not something you have to wait for.

4. Make Backing Up Faster
For some, "backing up" whenever you plug in your iPhone can take upwards of 30 minutes. What is it doing, exactly? The iPhone sync should be near-instantaneous when you plug it in if you aren't moving large files back and forth on purpose.

5. Make it More Efficient
The 3G mode is a battery hog. You can turn off 3G completely, but if there was an option to only use 3G for certain programs, such as Safari and Maps, it would go a long way towards making this a phone you aren't afraid to unplug in the morning when you aren't planning on getting home until very late that night.

6. Video Recording
This could easily be implemented, as we've seen from apps available for jailbroken phones. What's the holdup?

7. Wi-Fi Syncing
We'd love to have our iPhone sync automatically when it hits our home Wi-Fi network, from app data to photos to music to contacts.

8. Leave App Icons in Place After an Update
When apps update, their icon gets picked up and moved to the very bottom of your last screen. Why? When you updated four apps at once it then makes you awkwardly move them all back to where they were. Just leave them in place.

9. Make Moving Icons from Page to Page Easier
Moving an icon from one page to another takes multiple tries and, unlike most things on the iPhone, feels awkward and user unfriendly. Make this less of a pain.

10. Copy & Paste
Duh.

credit - gizmondo.com

While some of us at Giz actually have better reception with the iPhone 3G than before, that's not the story raging in Apple's support forums, where few or no bars is the order of the day—and not just in the US, but worldwide, apparently. For AT&T's part, they're redeploying a bunch of 850MHz spectrum (which penetrates indoors better) for 3G service through the end of the year, so it should get a little better, at least. In the meantime, how's your reception? [Apple]

credit - gizmondo.com

Golden Shellback Hands-on: Phones Can Make Calls While Underwater

I just got to play with a phone that had been waterproofed using the Golden Shellback technology, and it was pretty amazing, not to mention legit. In the video above, Golden Shellback inventor Sid Martin took a Golden Shellbacked BB Pearl, started a call, dropped it in a glass of ice water, and it all worked without a hitch.

The amazing thing about Golden Shellback is how normal the modified phone looked and felt. There was no trace of residue, or added bulk because of the waterproofing process. The only way to tell it's been Shellbacked is to drop it in water.

Martin elaborated on the Shellbacking process a little more, explaining that a liquid is heated up into a gas, and is applied to the gadget in a vacuum. The gas reforms and bonds on the gadget surfaces as a deposit. But that's as far as Martin would explain, because of patents that hadn't been finalized.

That said, the process still has a couple of kinks. Temperature still seems to be a factor as the scroll ball on the BB Pearl wonked out upon removal from ice water. But Martin emphasized that despite the water submersion demos, Golden Shellback is meant more as a splashproofing solution, rather than an all-out waterproofer. Aside from the scroll ball, everything else worked fine.

Martin also spoke on a few of the reader concerns, such as how they work around connections like the headphone jacks and the apparent "bubbling" seen on the screen of the iPod touch demo. When a gadget is Shellbacked, ports and connectors are masked, and therefore aren't protected by Golden Shellback. Martin says its not crucial to waterproof those areas, since the focus is more on splashproofing, and that the gadget should still work underwater anyways.

As far as the iPod touch demo where the screen looked like it had a covering on it, Martin didn't have a definite answer. His only theories were that the iPod touch was an early test unit, and finger oils left from touching could have played a role.

Looking into the future, Golden Shellback has big plans. Outside of consumer electronics, they're talking with researchers in medical fields who are looking to waterproof things such as cochlear implants. In terms of availability, they'd like to have the service available to consumers in less than six months, but it all depends on finding the right distribution model. They've been in talks with retailers, and are also interested in working directly with handset manufacturers.

Eric Dawicki, present of Golden Shellback's parent company, Northeast Maritime Communications, also expressed interest in creating their own rugged cellphone that would utilize Golden Shellback technology. I think Golden Shellback is something to keep your eyes on in the coming months. [Golden Shellback]

credit - http://gizmodo.com/5028927/golden-shellback-hands+on-phones-can-make-calls-while-underwater

With the launch of iPhone 3G, many have been waiting and hoping for a method that would allow tethering of the iPhone to a mobile computer like, say, a MacBook. Well, lucky for your mobile warriors, that time has finally come - it’s just takes a bit of work to get it functioning. Do remember, though, that AT&T isn’t offering any sort of tethering plan with the iPhone, so if you get caught, you may be forced to pay a bunch of money out of pocket. Or your service could be shut off. Still, if that isn’t something that matters to you, then click on through for the instructions, provided by my pal Nate True. He took a bunch of different pieces of software and solutions, and mixed them together into a powerful concoction that allows you to use your iPhone 3G as a modem by way of 3Proxy, Terminal, and WiFi. Now all we need are batteries for the iPhone 3G that don’t die in a matter of seconds.