That didn’t take long. The not-yet-release iPhone OS 4.3 has just been jailbroken meaning that when it rolls out on March 11 you’ll be able to instantly unlock the new iOS 4.3 to load applications from outside the Apple iTunes ecosystem.
iPhone OS 4.3 Unlocked

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A persistent iTunes bug presents itself every time I’ve tried updating ALL of my applications through iTunes. Whenever there’s an update available I click on the “update all” and promptly (and consistently) receive “The information on this page is outdated” followed by a big red error message “We could not complete your iTunes Store request. An unknown error occurred (5002)”.

Apparently this error really is unknown since various people report that it’s been around since at least iTunes 9.2. The latest iTunes 10 does NOT fix it (and if you think it does just test the upgrade for a couple days because numerous people report that it promptly returns).

The solution? I’ve read a bunch of stuff online about uninstalling iTunes (works for a short while but the problem re-appears) and clicking your email address in the upper right of iTunes and logging in (works but a pain to keep doing every time you sync all updates). The only thing that I’ve found to get around this consistently is to click through the error the first time then continue and select update all again. The error vanishes and your applications will all download.

Apple Support

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It’s been possible for a while to stream Sirius radio over the iPhone using the Sirius Radio application. The problem with the Sirius program is that it blocks  some of the more popular channels – including Howard Stern on Howard 100 and Howard 101.

Other applications for iPhone/Touch such as Pocket Tunes ($6.99)  allow for streaming of these restricted channels – but the login process has been kludgy with frequent requests to enter passwords and delays while audio buffers.

A new FREE application called MusicDock in the iTunes store connects via WiFi or 3G to Sirius and allows you to stream over 120 channels – including Howard Stern.

Did I mention this application is free? And it supports high quality audio?

An online subscription from Sirius is  required to initially login and listen to the Sirius audio streams.  What’s nice about MusicDock is  you won’t be prompted to continuously enter a Sirius login and password. Once your login information has been entered it’s stored so in the future you can quickly start up Howard without any pesky buffering or connection issues.

Grab this download!

Features:

• Automated login (no re-entry of passwords)
• Save favorite channels
• See what’s playing on the channel list – with album artwork
• Background listening in iOS4

MusicDock (iTunes link)

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If you’re an avid New York City Broadway Show fan then you’ll want to pick up a copy of At The Booth. This (unofficial)  iPhone application posts periodic updates about the TKTS booths’ selections –  located in Times Square, Downtown Brooklyn and the South Street Seaport.

What’s a TKTS booth?

TKTS Discount Booths offer same or next day tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and plays at up to 50% off. All locations sell tickets at 50%, 40%, 30% and 20% off full-price (plus a $4.00 per ticket service charge, which helps support other TDF services and programs).

The catch? Availability and ticket inventory change throughout the day and at the discretion of individual productions. Until now this meant the only way you could determine what shows were available was to visit the booth.  Every time we’re in New York we make sure to visit the TKTS booth to see what shows are available. Unfortunately that’s not always convenient if you’re all the way across town in the city. With At The Booth for iPhone you can remotely view an approximation of what’s going to be available at the booth (the information is not real time so it could change by the time you get to the TKTS booth)

This application (which is not sponsored by TKTS – who states they have their own official application slated for September 2010)  lists Broadway Shows generally available as well as giving a great rundown of show synopsis , their performance times and directions (maps) to the theater. New visitors to New York will definitely want to grab a copy of At The Booth since it easily replaces the need to carry a map and show guide when visiting the city.

At The Booth (iTunes link)

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Third party sellers are offering refurbished iPhones through Amazon for pricing which seems a little steep. Actually – I think you probably can do a lot better price-wise if you look around eBay where 16 GB Used iPhone 3GS appear to be going for about $100 to $150 cheaper depending upon seller. Buying through Amazon (they are not the seller – merely hosting a third party) will score you free shipping though. The devices are refurbished which means all those trade-ins that people made on their iPhone 4 have finally found a home. I don’t pretend to know if this is the first time the iPhone has been sold as a refurb through Amazon – only that I just noticed it’s one of the top sellers in the unlocked category.

iPhone 3GS via Amazon

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Happy that Apple admitted they have an antenna issue which causes signal loss on their iPhone 4? Good – now watch for the next flaw to gain prominence – the iPhone 4 proximity sensor.

Apple said during today’s press love-fest that the proximity sensor would be fixed with a software update. For the record the flaw with the sensor (which is supposed to sense when you hold the phone to your face and deactivate the pressure sensitive keypad) is pretty evident as shown by these messages. I’m sure Apple’s going to be right on this with a software update.  Just like they fixed the flawed signal antenna with a software update.

My iPhone 4 — which I just received 7/13/2010 — exhibits a proximity sensor problem. Holding the phone between my neck and ear randomly causes a disconnect — presumably from my ear pressing the “hang up key”.

I know. I know. Don’t cradle the phone that way.

I know. I know. Don’t like it – return it.

Is there any other tech company  that can command dozens of press to hop on overnight flights to sit in an auditorium to listen to an announcement about the distribution of free cell phone cases?

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBypHTKPqq8[/youtube]Apple has scheduled an emergency press event for this Friday July 16 at 10am PT at their headquarters in California. There’s very little that’s been said about the agenda but given the amount of negative attention the iPhone 4 has received it’s likely they’ll be making an announcement about the phone which has been slammed for a radio antenna that Consumer Reports says impairs performance when touched in the lower left portion of the phone.

Last night we took the kids out to eat. While in line at the restaurant as soon as someone saw our iPhone 4s they asked if those were the phones where the signal cut out when the iPhone 4 was held a certain way (gripped in the lower left corner). As a matter of fact that’s all anyone has asked me when they’ve seen my phone. Nobody asks if I like it better or whether it’s faster. The questions are all about the antenna. Even from my 10 year olds who show me exactly where to hold the phone to drop the signal (which doesn’t happen as readily as press reports might lead you to believe).

I think it’s  likely  Apple will revise the hardware rather than suffer through a product cycle where  prospective customers ask  whether the phone will drop a signal. Even though Apple is revising their iOS 4 (phone operating system) to better handle signal issues there’s way too much doubt about the phone for a simple software patch to overcome.

Think about it. Can you imagine a situation where Apple would continue to sell the iPhone 4 and every customer would be handed a phone — and a plastic bumper case which was required so the phone could hold a signal.

Apple’s biggest problem is that they issued an ill-advised public statement implying that the issue was all a software problem. Which Consumer Reports promptly shot down with their own tests indicating that Apple’s iPhone 4 had issues  a software patch was unlikely to correct.

I’m expecting a new model revision  – possibly with coated side rails and a better proximity sensor (another area people are reporting issues with). It’s anyone’s guess how they’ll handle compensating those who’ve already bought the phone but my guess is they’ll offer some type of gift card to Apple for which those so inclined could buy a case (which is reported to solve the signal issue).

I think it unlikely Apple will hold a press conference simply to announce free cases. Providing cases would continue to give competitors ammunition to go after the iPhone 4. That’s why I think you’ll see a new model revision and the press event will kick off that announcement and go over the details.

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Looks as if 1pm EST is just about the magic hour for Apple iPhone upgrades. About 30 minutes ago (at 1pm EST) the new iPhone OS – -iOS 4 – became available for download. This will work on all but the first generation iPhone and the iPad (which will get it’s own update later in the year).

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Through January 24, 2010 you may download and use the NBA League Pass for free on either your Android or iPhone. The application allows for streaming live game video either through 3G or Wi-Fi connections. You can listen to one game while checking scores on another. Full replays of past games are also available. The NBA League Pass Lite trial version is free through 1/24/2010 when the normal $19.99 fee will apply if you wish to continue.

NBA League Pass Free Trial

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This creepy infomercial demonstration of Square credit card processing by Kevin Rose (Warning: Disclosure that he is an investor in this doesn’t come until the very end)  looks pretty interesting. I’m not sure what the fee is to process a card (The site claims there’s no monthly fee or contract so I have to imagine the per charge cost is rather high) or how quickly you can access funds. This seems to be one step higher in convenience than Paypal (which also offers credit card processing though it only occurs via the web and with a $30 per month fee).

I’ll reserve judgment until I see what process is in place to combat fraud (think of how easily this could be used by an unethical waiter or waitress one night to quickly capture a restaurant goers charge card twice  for example) .

Square via Kevin Rose

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