Freeverse has released Eye Glasses, $2.99 a very useful app for the iPhone that is ideal for trying to read that small print that seems to get smaller each year! Farsighted individuals can rejoice. No more searching your drawer for your reading glasses, bifocals, or magnifying glass.

Eye Glasses uses the iPhone 3GS autofocusing camera to clearly display text or imagery. To use Eye Glasses, choose between 2x, 4x, 6x or 8x magnification and hold the iPhone camera about five inches away from the item you want to see magnified!

Probably one of the most simple and useful apps I have bought for the iPhone. Now reading those tiny serial numbers, license keys and cooking instructions just got easier.

Note: While Eye Glasses will run on any iPhone, we highly recommend the auto-focus camera on the iPhone 3GS for the best experience.

Dropbox has just dropped a native app for the iPhone and it is free.

For those of you unfamililar with Dropbox, it is one of the the best solutions for syncing and sharing files between computers and and now iPhones. This is one of my favorites. I like it much better than Mobile Me. Simplicity, is why. A quick install of dropbox and you will now have a folder on your computer. Whatever you put in that folder is synced. Simple, isn’t it? You can easily share folders or files with others. You get 2GB of storage space for free, and can pay a monthly fee if you need more.

Users of Drpbox have access to all their stuff via any browser or their iPhones. The new Dropbox iPhone app adds some cool new features; you can take a photo or video clip and upload them directly to your Dropbox account. Put them in the Shared folder and they’re instantly available to people you’ve granted Sharing privileges to. I like the way the photos are renamed with a time and date stamp, and not just left with the “Photo.jpg” filenames created by the iPhone’s camera app.

Get a Dropbox account now.

Elgato has just released an EyeTV app for the iPhone, $4.99 [iTunes link] as an extension to EyeTV desktop software. iPhone users can now watch both live (WiFi Only) and recorded TV. While connected to your home WiFi network, the new iPhone app can uses Bonjour to discover local Macs running EyeTV.

EyeTV for iPhone allows to remotely change channels, browsing program guides, or scheduling recording functions. Requires iPhone 3.0 firmware as well as a Mac with EyeTV 3.2 and a TV tuner. UPnP- and NAT-PMP-compatible routers are supported; Macs must have a Core 2 Duo processor in order to serve live TV.

Take a look at one of the first previews of the Google ChromeOS.

AT&T: New carrier settings for the iPhone 3G and 3GS will be available “late morning” Pacific Time (which would be early afternoon Eastern) on Friday, September 25, which will finally enable MMS support. iPhone owners will have to sync up to iTunes to install those settings. Any bets on how well MMS will work on the first day?

USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the industry group that oversees the Universal Serial Bus standard, has spanked Palm for their alleged use of Apple’s Vendor Identification Number (VID), which it says violates the USB-IF policy.

Palm was the company that complained to the USB-IF claiming Apple is “hampering competition” by repeatedly disabling the Palm Pre’s ability to sync with iTunes. It amazes me that Palm thought they would win with this strategy. Well it does not look good for Palm.

iTunes 9.0.1 has arrived in Software Update bringing some much needed bug fixes and tweaks. The update’s fixes include:

• Resolves issues browsing the iTunes Store.
• Addresses a performance issue where iTunes may become unresponsive.
• Fixes a problem where iTunes may unexpectedly quit.
• Fixes a problem syncing Podcasts in playlists to iPod or iPhone.
• Fixes a problem sorting albums with multiple discs.
• Addresses an issue with the Zoom button not switching to Mini Player.
• Improves application syncing for iPod touch and iPhone.
• Genius is now automatically updated to show Genius Mixes.

iTunes 9.0.1 update restores ‘maximize’ button behavior. Hooray!

The update is close to 90 MB, and like the previous iTunes 9 build it requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 and up, or Windows XP + newer. Note that the Mac version requires Safari 4 as well as QuickTime 7.6.

Google has released a copy of the letter they sent to the FCC in regard to the Google Voice fiasco with previously unpublished information. In the prior version of the letter some information was redacted. The new information shows that Apple’s and Google’s answer to the FCC differs greatly – someone is lying.

Here’s the skinny:
Apple: “Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it.”

Google: “Apple representatives informed Google that the Google Voice application was rejected because Apple believed the application duplicated the core dialer functionality of the iPhone”

However, Apple is standing firm, and even today told the press that they haven’t rejected the Google Voice application, despite what Google says. What else can Apple do? Tell the FCC and all iPhone users, that they don’t like competition and are protecting their partner AT&T against Google’s phone innovations? Sure would have been better if Apple took the high road here.

Trying to make the argument that we have not rejected the official Google Voice app – we just have not accepted it yet, while REMOVING three third party Google Voice apps that were in the App Store for months is quite weak!

TechCrunch claims that Google may release proof in the form of a screen shot of Apple’s formal rejection!

Apple has discontinued the 40 GB Apple TV and is now offering the 160 GB model only. The 160 GB Apple TV is now available for just $229, down $100.

Question still remains. When will the Apple TV become more than Steve Jobs’ hobby?

Continue reading iTunes 9 Adds Home Sharing and iPhone App Management…

Glad to see Steve Jobs on stage today in San Francisco. Apple has announced iPhone 3.1 update, iTunes 9, updated iPod nano with slightly larger screen that sport video camera and FM radio, updated iPod shuffle and new iPod touch pricing. Looks like Apple is ready for the holiday season.

Get The Beatles Remastered collection at Amazon now.

OK, the facts, or should I say factoids are in. The Beatles catalog may come to iTunes tomorrow, maybe? Bottom line is Yoko said yes, EMI said no, everyone else says maybe. I just wanted to have an excuse to post the Beatles Rockband video, which I love. Since I probably own most every track the Beatles and the fab four independently recorded, it really does not matter much to me.

AT&T is plagued with problems including high prices, poor connectivity, missing functionality, and slow speeds. Especially, for iPhone owners. The same customers that helped AT&T make billions in profits. Apple does its own advertising and support saving the carrier large barrels of cash. AT&T has been free to FOCUS on one thing, their network. BUT, have they? Seth the ‘blogger guy’ claims so.

Let’s take a look. In two years of having the iPhone AT&T still suffers from dropped calls. In my New Jersey/New York area I have noticed this has not only not improved, it has actually gotten worse. No MMS. Finally MMS is coming on September 25, LATE! Most cheap cell phones available, on AT&T have had MMS for years! There is no tethering for the iPhone with no announcement of a plan in sight. Yet if I bought a Blackberry on AT&T, I would have the choice of a tethering plan!

Continue reading AT&T’s ‘Blogger Guy’ Explains Why They Suck!…

Skype for iPhone Version 1.2 was just released with the following new features and improvements:

• Set up call forwarding from your iPhone – forward Skype calls to a phone number when you’re not signed in.
• Improved performance and better audio quality on Skype-to-Skype calls.
• Even easier to send text messages (SMS) – Send SMS from the Call tab.
• Calls are connected much faster.
• Status of your contacts is updated more often.
• You can now decide whether you want to stay online/offline when the iPhone is locked. We’ve added this into settings.
• Contact groups are now supported, making it easier to see who is online and separate your saved phone numbers.
• You can now edit the name of your saved phone numbers.
• Added support for skype: URL schemes in Safari.
• When creating a new account the country in your Skype profile is taken from the language used on your iPhone.
• Group chat profile pictures are now shown.
• You can now remove your profile picture.
• Added a ‘Help’ link to ‘Forgot your password’.
• Improved support for proxy configurations.

Makes this a much strong application than before.

AT&T said that iPhone owners will FINALLY get multimedia messaging or MMS on September 25th, missing summer by few days. A notice on the AT&T website, says that a software update enabling MMS will be pushed to iPhones (3G and 3GS models) with no additional charge (beyond existing messaging fees) for MMS service.

Apple promised both iPhone MMS service and tethering (which lets you use your phone as a modem for a PC on a 3G network) back in January for “late” summer. Most carriers around the world have implemented MMS and many also offering tethering, but AT&T even missed summer.

And as it now looks iPhone users will have to wait longer for tethering. An AT&T spokesman says there is no date yet for the feature, which is available now—at an additional monthly fee—for other devices such as BlackBerrys.

I loved this vide. Thanks Glenn for sending it to me! I think if AT&T does not get MMS going next week the torches and pitchforks will be coming their way.

Continue reading OS X 10.6 Tip #3: Quickly Get MobileMe Sync Info…

Looks like the forthcoming Blackberry Storm 2 will be a nice improvement over the first generation. Adding WiFi alone is worth the upgrade. Funny how many Crackberry addicts claimed it wasn’t needed. Some even claimed it couldn’t be added to a CDMA phone. Maybe now I could consider upgrading my Blackberry Curve when this arrives.

***UPDATE***
Seems this video preview has been taken down. No doubt we’ll find some more pop up in the near future, stay tuned.

Continue reading OS X 10.6 Tip #2: Minimize Windows by Double Clicking Title Bar…