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PhoneView gives you an inside look at your iPhone data
Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch
Some time ago, I looked around for a way to access my iPhone to use it as a portable hard drive, almost like a generic USB device, for copying files back and forth between computers. I decided on PhoneView. At the time I didn't even care too much about the other features it offered. As time has passed, I've liked it even better and better.

The application has been polished with each release and now includes a very substantial feature list. In no particular order, here is what the just-released PhoneView 2.3 brings to the table:
1. View pictures on the iPhone. This was a lifesaver to me when iPhoto suddenly refused to import any of the pictures I had taken on my iPhone. It includes a thumbnail of the pictures (and videos) as well the time-stamp. You can even import them directly into iPhoto.
2. Displays Safari's history, bookmarks, and open windows (ever visit a site on your iPhone and then wish you could remember where it was?). It also includes the ability to search the browsing history (URLs and Titles).
3. View/Play/Export Visual Voicemail. Got a message you want to save? You can copy it as an .mp4 (or add it to iTunes, although I can't imagine anyone wanting to do that). The filenames include the date, time, and name (if known).
4. Shows you a list of music, ringtones, videos, podcasts, and audiobooks on your iPhone, and allows you to copy them off the iPhone if you need to (preserving metadata)
5. Use iPhone (or iPod touch) as a portable drive
6. Access the full "Media" folder on non-jailbroken devices (jailbroken devices will have the full file structure displayed)
7. Allows you to view/export SMS and MMS messages (MMS support is new in 2.3)
8. View, Edit, and Create Notes
9. View call log, including whether the call was incoming or outgoing, completed, missed, or cancelled (it also integrates with your address book, so you will see who those calls came from
10. Play/Export/Delete Voice memos
The best part of PhoneView is that it does not require you to jailbreak your iPhone, and it is quickly updated to support each new version of the iPhone OS. I've never found myself unable to access my iPhone through PhoneView.

PhoneView can only be used over USB. I wish they would come up with a way to access the iPhone over Wi-Fi, but my guess is that is not possible because they would have to have an iPhone app to serve the phone's data, and I have a hard time believing that Apple would approve such a thing. Fortunately, I have an iPhone cable around most of the time.

The application costs $19.95, but that includes free upgrades for life. If you ever find yourself wanting more access to your iPhone, PhoneView provides the easiest way to just about every corner of your iPhone.
TUAW PhoneView gives you an inside look at your iPhone data originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: iPhone - Apple - IPod Touch - ITunes - Smartphones
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BW: Apple's Schiller sees opportunity for Mac with Windows 7 launch
Filed under: Hardware, OS
One week from today, Microsoft will try to shake the stink of Vista. BusinessWeek reminds the world that Microsoft is set to launch Windows 7 on October 22nd. I've got the day free, since all of my invitations to Windows 7 launch parties seem to have been lost in the mail.

As the spotlight shifts toward Redmond, WA, Apple Senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller says that Apple sees "a very good opportunity" in the Windows 7 noise, in an interview with Business Week's Peter Burrows.

While no one expects Windows 7 to be as poorly received as Vista, the new operating system will mark the first time in a long while that millions of PC owners will start looking seriously at replacing existing machines, especially with so many PC-people having skipped the purchase cycle when Vista came around.

And there's where Apple gets them. Or tries to, anyway.

Apple is likely to aim new ads at PC users, trying to pull them to the Mac side in the coming days. The ads will probably hit familiar points, such as the susceptibility to malware worn by Windows, and extra programs buyers get with a Mac out of the box, like iMovie and GarageBand.
Continue reading BW: Apple's Schiller sees opportunity for Mac with Windows 7 launch
TUAW BW: Apple's Schiller sees opportunity for Mac with Windows 7 launch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Apple - Microsoft - TUAW - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Operating system
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Gartner and IDC agree: 3rd quarter Mac sales are up
Filed under: Apple Financial
Amidst the ongoing macroeconomic malaise (is it over yet? Can we come out from under the covers?), the PC industry's sales have been suffering as big corporations and cash-strapped consumers postpone those discretionary purchases of shiny new gear. The expectation, based on 2008's results, was that this quarter would be tough sledding.

Results from analysts Gartner and IDC, however, both show an uptick in unit sales across the PC market year-over-year (2.3% higher globally per IDC, 0.5% higher per Gartner). Any pickup in sales comes as a surprise to Gartner, which had predicted a 5.6% decline in unit shipments.

For Apple specifically, the news is also good: both firms predict a boost in unit sales and share percentage for Apple's CPU shipments, with US numbers up from 8.6% to 8.8% share (Gartner) or a blazing 9.4% share (IDC). For the unvarnished results, you can tune in this coming Monday, 10/19 at 2pm PT to hear Apple's quarterly earnings call.

[via BrainstormTech]
TUAW Gartner and IDC agree: 3rd quarter Mac sales are up originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Apple - Gartner - TUAW - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Macintosh
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Wi-Fi Direct to bring secure peer-to-peer networking in 2010
Filed under: Wireless, Odds and ends, Apple
If there's one thing that I've wanted to be able to do for years, it's to set up a direct Wi-Fi connection to another device without having to actually be near a Wi-Fi base station, or going to the trouble of getting an ad-hoc network set up on both devices. This type of peer-to-peer networking is nothing new; back in the Newton MessagePad days we could beam address cards and data between devices through an IrDA connection.

Now the Wi-Fi Alliance has announced that this will be possible next year through the use of Wi-Fi Direct. Wi-Fi Direct will come built into many new devices and can be implemented in existing devices through software updates. Wi-Fi Direct competes directly with Bluetooth, and will provide much faster data transfer speeds (using more power, unfortunately). According to the Wi-Fi Alliance,

"The specification, previously code-named 'Wi-Fi peer-to-peer,' can be implemented in any Wi-Fi device, from mobile phones, cameras, printers, and notebook computers, to human interface devices such as keyboards and headphones. Significantly, devices that have been certified to the new specification will also be able to create connections with hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED legacy devices already in use. Devices will be able to make a one-to-one connection, or a group of several devices can connect simultaneously."

I can imagine that at some point in 2010, we'll be able to sync our iPhones using Wi-Fi Direct, directly send address book information to other iPhone-toting people, and enjoy high-speed multi-player gaming fun. Apple is a sponsor corporation for the Wi-Fi Alliance, so adoption of Wi-Fi Direct on Macs, iPhones, and future Apple equipment will hopefully be swift and widespread.

[via MacRumors]
TUAW Wi-Fi Direct to bring secure peer-to-peer networking in 2010 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Bluetooth - Wireless - Wi-Fi - Wi-Fi Alliance - Apple
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Waze for iPhone has a ways to go
Filed under: iPhone, App Review
Several of our readers suggested that we take a look at Waze, a free navigation app [iTunes link] that depends on other users for reports of traffic tie ups, accidents, and speed traps. It also functions as a turn-by-turn navigator with spoken directions, although it doesn't have text to speech capabilities for naming streets or points of interest.

As a navigator Waze is fine, but it seems to be missing a lot of residential addresses. Waze had a nasty habit of jumping my vehicle icon to a nearby parallel street, and while it was nice to have both 2D and 3D maps, the software seemed to change the zoom factor without me telling it to. This erratic zooming seemed to happen when I went to a menu and then returned to the map.

The maps aren't very attractive. There are both day and night views for the Waze maps, but even when set to 'auto,' the night map comes up no matter what time of day it is. The maps and POI data are all downloaded from the internet, so if you're in a "dead zone" for data, you have no navigation.

As for the social functions of the app, they are a great idea, but in reality you're only going to get information in a densely populated areas. Even then, you may not get much of anything in terms of reported incidents. If you go to the Waze web page and look at the national map for reported incidents, it is pretty lightly populated. Of course, that should get better as more and more people use Waze. A clever aspect of the app is that it keeps track of where you are while you're navigating, and uses your speed to add to its database of road conditions.

I think Waze is promising, and if you don't want to spend money on a turn-by-turn nav app, it's a start. To be really useful some of the bugs need to be fixed, the address data needs to be more complete, and there need to be a heck of a lot more people using Waze so there is more incident reporting.

This app is free and implements some creative ideas. If you're thinking about getting a nav app, but you're on the fence, make the risk-free download of Waze and see if it enhances your driving.

TUAW Waze for iPhone has a ways to go originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: iPhone - TUAW - Apple - Navigation - Speech synthesis
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