iLounge

Apple has quietly changed the App Store’s review policy, now requiring users to have actually downloaded or purchased an application before they are allowed to review it. This improvement has been long-requested by developers, who at times saw the ratings on their apps drop due to negative reviews from users who had never even used the application. Now, if a user attempts to review an application that they haven’t used, they are greeted by an alert explaining, “In order to write a Customer Review for this item you must have purchased or downloaded it.” [via TUAW]

A lawsuit filed last July against Apple over the limited lifespan of iPhone batteries has been dismissed. Bloomberg reports that U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly in Chicago granted Apple’s request that the suit be dismissed based on the evidence and the law without a trial — a procedure known as a summary judgment. Though Apple only disclosed the original iPhone’s battery limitations to consumers immediately before the product shipped, “Apple disclosed on the outside of the iPhone package that the” battery has “‘limited recharge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced by Apple service provider,’” Kennelly wrote, quoting the iPhone’s packaging. “Under the circumstances, no reasonable jury could find that deception occurred.” AT&T remains a defendant in the case

The National Federation of the Blind and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley today announced a cooperative agreement with Apple to make its iTunes software, iTunes Store, and iTunes U more accessible to the blind. Under the agreement, Apple will make iTunes U fully accessible by the end of 2008, and will ensure full accessibility of iTunes and the rest of the iTunes Store by June 30, 2009. In addition, Apple has agreed to contribute $250,000 to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind to assist the agency in providing adaptive technology to blind residents of Massachusetts. This announcement follows Apple recent releases of iTunes 8 and the fourth-generation iPod nano, both of which feature significant accessibility improvements, and hints that legal action by the State of Massachusetts contributed to Apple’s enhancements to these products.

Marware has introduced its C.E.O. Flip Vue for the second-generation iPod touch. The C.E.O. Flip Vue is a flip-top, form-fitting case made featuring a Nappa leather exterior, microfiber interior, perforated design accents with contrast stitching, elastic sides for a better fit, and full-time access to the headphone jack, dock connector, and volume buttons. It ships with a Multidapt low-profile belt clip, screen protector, and cleaning cloth, and is now available for pre-order for $30.

Canadian electronics retailer Future Shop has announced that it will begin selling the iPhone 3G at select locations across the country on October 1. Previously, the iPhone 3G was only available at Rogers Wireless or Fido stores. Future Shop locations to carry the handset include the Broadway and Robson, Coquitlam Centre, and West Vancouver stores in the Vancouver area, Shawnessy and Northland locations near Calgary, the Edmonton West store, Downtown Toronto, Yonge and Eglinton, Eglinton and Laird, Vaughan, and Heartland locations in the Toronto area, the Ottawa South store, and both the Centreville and Marche Central stores near Montreal.

iPodweek, iLounge’s weekly newsletter recapping the last seven days in iPod, iPhone, iTunes and Apple TV news, articles, reviews, and more, will be sent out later today. In addition to rounding up the week’s top stories, iPodweek also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. If you haven’t yet signed up to receive iPodweek, there’s still time to register and receive this week’s edition — just use the simple form below to submit your email address.

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Russian carriers Vimpelcom, MegaFon, and MTS will begin selling the iPhone 3G in Russia on October 3. Available without a contract, the 8GB iPhone 3G will sell for 22,999 rubles (roughly $919), while the 16GB version will sell for 26,999 rubles (~$1,079). In addition to the carriers, electronics retailers Tekhnosila, Eldorado, and M.Video will also be selling the device, according to a Reuters report. “All retailers will begin sales of iPhone in Russia at the same time, during the night between October 2 and October 3. Our company will be also selling them,” said Nadezhda Senyuk, a PR director with Tekhnosila. Rival chain Eldorado estimated that sales of the iPhone in Russia will reach 150,000 before the end of 2008.

Griffin Technology has introduced its new Simplifi combination iPod dock, card reader, and USB hub. Made from anodized aluminum, Simplifi serves as an iPod- and iPhone-compatible dock, a 2-port powered USB hub with included AC adapter, and a card reader featuring compatibility with Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, SD, SDHC, xD, and Compact Flash storage. In addition, Simplifi also includes a USB mini cable for syncing an attached iPod or iPhone with a computer. Griffin Technology’s Simplifi is available now and sells for $70.

Apple has unexpectedly begun selling unlocked iPhone 3G units in Hong Kong, amidst reports that mainland China may end up receiving a functionally handicapped model. Apple’s online store for Hong Kong is now offering both the 8GB and 16GB models of the handset unlocked, priced at HK$ 5,400 (~$695) and HK$ 6,200 (~$798), respectively. A description on the product page reads: “iPhone 3G purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation.” It is believed that this is the first instance of Apple offering the iPhone 3G directly from its online store.

Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post is reporting that Hon Hai, the manufacturer of the iPhone, is waiting for verification from mainland China to ship versions of the iPhone 3G that lack both W-CDMA (3G) connectivity and Wi-Fi. According to the report, China Mobile (long reported to be Apple’s carrier of choice for the Chinese market) is expected to build out its 3G network using the TD-SCDMA format, which is incompatible with current iPhone 3G models. The report goes on to state that iPhone units offered by China Mobile would have the W-CDMA stripped out so they could not be unlocked and used on competitor China Telecom, which is expected to use W-CDMA technology for its 3G services.

Turkcell has announced that it will begin sales of the iPhone 3G in Turkey tomorrow, September 26. The handset will be priced on a tiered scale, from 0-279 YTL (roughly $0-$227) for the 8GB model or 195-479 YTL (~$158-$389) for the 16GB model with a choice of one three packages, each of which include unlimited data, and range in price from 75 YTL (~$61) to 145 YTL (~$118). Alternately, the 8GB iPhone 3G will also be available without a contract for €129 (~$190) a month, for five months. 

Vaja has introduced its ivolution Stripes for iPhone 3G, its latest case for Apple’s second-generation handset. ivolution Stripes features a flip-down, reinforced leather design with three vertical stripes running down the front of the case, open access to the headphone jack, sleep/wake button, and camera, and flip-down access to the screen, home button, dock connector, speaker, and microphone. Vaja’s ivolution Stripes for iPhone 3G is available in a wide variety of user-customized colors, and sells for $110 and up.

ZappTek has released iPDA 4.2, the latest update to its iPod companion software for Mac. iPDA can transfer Word, PDF, Apple Pages, RTF or text documents to the iPod for portable viewing, and can also download RSS feeds, weather forecasts, driving directions and news headlines directly to the iPod. In addition, it supports the transfer of information from Entourage, Stickies, Mail, Address Book and iCal to the iPod. iPDA 4.2 adds full support for the fourth-generation iPod nano, including Contact groups. iPDA 4.2 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later, and sells for $20.

Equinux has released CoverScout 2.3.9, the latest version of its Mac application that helps users find and apply album covers to an iTunes music library. Version 2.3.9 adds support for iTunes 8, and sells for $30.

Open Door Networks has announced three new applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, along with an update to its iEnvision app. Art Envi Deluxe improves on the company’s popular Art Envi app with new features and access to additional artists and works. The app features “shows” by almost 100 new artists, with artists now organized both alphabetically and by period. It sells for $3. London Envi and Paris Envi, which sell for $2 each, utilize content from the “Michael Brein’s Travel Guides to Sightseeing by Public Transportation” series to offer simple sightseeing travel information, and iEnvision 1.1 adds the ability to save any image, automatically create a new show on any topic, and significant speed improvements. It is priced at $10; all four apps are now available on the App Store.

Following its recent release of two classic games, Atari president Phil Harrison has spoken out with praise for Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch, and App Store. “It’s very exciting to be bringing these influential and timeless games in their redesigned form to the iPhone and iPod touch, devices which are leading the global charge in innovative handheld technology and changing the way we consume and interact with media,” Harrison said. “This is the first step in bringing Atari’s wonderful heritage of games right up to date for the iPhone generation.”

Marware has introduced its new Sport Grip Deluxe for the fourth-generation iPod nano and Sport Grip Extreme for the second-generation iPod touch. The Sport Grip Deluxe for iPod nano 4G is a dual-colored silicone case featuring anti-microbial additives, a wave-shaped design of colored circles on the back, holes for attaching the included lanyard and carabiner, a built-in dock connector cover, open access to all other ports and controls, and an included screen protector and cleaning cloth. It is available for pre-order in black/red, white/gray, green/green, and pink/white, and will sell for $25. The Sport Grip Extreme for iPod touch 2G is also a dual-colored anti-microbial silicone case featuring a built-in dock connector cover, a second-color design on the back, open access to all other ports and controls, and an included screen protector and cleaning cloth. It too is available for pre-order in black/red, white/gray, and pink/white and sells for $25.

With more than 3,000 votes from iLounge readers, our latest poll — “Is Apple hurting iPhone + iPod users with its App Store banning decisions?” — has ended. Readers were given two yes and two no response choices, or could alternately state that they don’t use the App Store.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, 61% of readers said that Apple is hurting iPhone and iPod users with its banning decisions, with 36% saying it should allow any non-harmful application to be distributed, while another 25% would expand that to allow distribution of any non-harmful or non-offensive app. Only 22% said they thought Apple was running the store just fine, while 9% said that Apple should take an even more active role in filtering content. Finally, 8% of readers declined an opinion because they didn’t use the App Store. Thanks for your responses!

Our new poll focuses on a major issue from the last week: the economy. We’d like to know whether recent economic conditions have led you to change your holiday shopping plans. Are you now planning to spend way less, or just slightly less than you did last year? Or are you planning on spending the same amount, or perhaps even more? Or is the economy not an issue where you live? This week’s poll, “Have recent economic conditions made you change your holiday shopping plans?” lets you answer that question. As always, the iLounge Poll is on the left hand column of the main iLounge.com home page. Cast your vote today!

Atari has released newly-remade versions of its classic games Missile Command and Super Breakout on the App Store. The games, which sell for $5 each, include updated graphics and two player support, along with other improvements. Both are available now from the App Store.

illumineX has introduced iBlogger, its new mobile blogging application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app offers automatic configuration for easy addition of accounts from popular blogging software platforms such as WordPress, MovableType, ExpressionEngine, TypePad, and Blogger, and feature support for adding pictures, location links, tags, and secure https connections (if the blog software supports it). It is available now from the App Store, and sells for $10.

Case-mate has launched its Clear Armor protective film for the fourth-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod touch. Made from high-quality 3M Scotchgard Protection Film, Clear Armor completely covers the front and back of the iPod, and is engineered to prevent damage upon removal. Case-mate’s Clear Armor for the iPod nano 4G and iPod touch 2G is available now and sells for $15 and $20, respectively.

Following their prior remix initiative for “Nude,” Radiohead has launched another set of instrument stems for their song “Reckoner,” giving fans access to the backing vocals, bass, drums, guitars, lead vocal, and piano tracks from which they can make their own remixes. Unlike the prior release, which charged for each individual instrument track, users can purchase all six stems for $1, and fans who purchase the set before October 7 will receive an access code to download a free GarageBand project file for use when remixing; however, users need not use GarageBand to create their remixes, as the stems sold on the iTunes Store are DRM-free iTunes Plus tracks, and are compatible with a number of software programs. Users may then upload their remixes to radioheadremix.com, where the public can listen to and vote for their favorite versions. The Reckoner (Instrument Stems) EP is available now from the iTunes Store.

TeliaSonera has announced that it will be launching the iPhone 3G in Latvia and Lithuania through its subsidiaries LMT and Omnitel on September 26. “This represents another strategic step for us in the development of the mobile broadband market and further strengthens our position in the Nordic and Baltic region,” said Kenneth Karlberg, president, Business Area Mobility Service, TeliaSonera. “Following the successful launch of iPhone 3G in the Nordic countries and in Estonia, we are happy to offer iPhone 3G to our customers in Latvia and Lithuania.” TeilaSonera currently offers the iPhone 3G in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

Continuing a battle over overly strict confidentiality provisions that started immediately after the release of the first iPhone OS applications, Apple attempted this week to silence developers whose applications were rejected, and consequently incurred the wrath of leading members of the iPhone development community. Almerica, the developer of the recently rejected Podcaster iPhone app, yesterday posted and later removed a blog entry entitled “Apple shuts down Podcaster, Again!” In the entry, Almerica said that Apple had removed its ability to distribute the application using Ad Hoc methods, its only option once Apple had rejected the app for distribution through the App Store. Later in the day, a report noted that Apple has added a non-disclosure statement to all App Store rejection letters, preventing developers from talking about their rejections, an apparent attempt to stop developers from generating post-rejection buzz that could lead to successful widespread Ad Hoc distribution.

Following these disclosures, other developers have angrily called out Apple for what they describe as increasingly contemptuous behavior. Brent Simmons, developer of the RSS reader NetNewsWire for Mac OS X and iPhone, wrote on his blog, “When I read that Apple’s solution to the problem of the negative press around apps being rejected from the App Store was to add an NDA warning, I thought it was satire. It couldn’t be true. But it appears to be true. If so, then someone is making a mistake. This behavior is definitely beneath the company that makes the software and hardware I adore and love developing for.”

Developer Wil Shipley, who writes the software for Delicious Monster, said on his blog, “I have to be clear: it simply will not stand for Apple to prevent applications on the iPhone from competing with Apple’s own applications. Besides chasing away all decent developers, besides hurting their customers by stifling competition and innovation, besides it simply being evil, it will, shortly, be illegal. This kind of behavior is illegal when you hit a certain point in market saturation for your product; Microsoft was slapped for it constantly in the late ‘80s. If the iPhone is the success Apple thinks it will be, they will find themselves the target of a huge class-action lawsuit.”

While it remains unclear as to whether the outcry from developers and users will have any effect on Apple, it’s obvious that developers are becoming increasingly wary of the company’s legal and business practices. Expect further updates as this story continues to develop.

Griffin Technology has released an updated version of its iTrip Auto FM Transmitter. The new iTrip Auto employs a one-cable design combining a FM transmitter and auto charger, featuring an in-line control box with a backlit LCD screen, SmartScan automatic FM frequency-finder button, four presets, and tuning buttons, and a charging stem with power switch and a three-color charging indicator. Griffin’s new iTrip Auto is available now and sells for $60. For more information on the new Griffin iTrip Auto, see our First Look article.

This week’s featured photo is from our iPhones Around the World gallery, and shows an iPhone 3G at the Octagon in Dunedin, New Zealand. To share your photos and to be considered for our Photo of the Week, you simply need to submit your own photo to one of our galleries. So get out there, take some pictures with your iPod or iPhone, and maybe your submission will be our next Photo of the Week!

Following the iPhone 3G’s discontinuation of the original iPhone’s iTunes-based service signup and activation, Apple has launched a new online tool that lets customers planning to purchase an iPhone 3G review their eligibility and pricing, select an AT&T rate plan, and inform their local Apple Store of when they would like to come in to purchase the device. As all of these steps were previously handled for iPhone 3G customers while in-store or through an in-line, on-site screening process, the tool is likely designed to help reduce the amount of time it takes customers to purchase and activate their phones. It will also likely help avoid confusion when/if there is an AT&T-related issue, giving the user a chance to sort whatever issues may arise with AT&T prior to coming in to the store.

The service appears to be available only for U.S.-based customers at this time.

Yet another lawsuit has been filed against Apple and AT&T over the iPhone 3G, alleging “deceptive, improper or unlawful conduct in [Apple and AT&T’s] design, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and sale” of the iPhone 3G. The Class Action complaint, filed in New York Eastern District Court by Jai Sen, cites numerous issues relating to Apple’s latest handset, including hairline cracks in the housing, 3G power demands and AT&T’s struggle to respond to the resulting demands on its infrastructure, and misleading advertising. This suit is at least the fourth such complaint filed against Apple and/or AT&T over problems with the iPhone 3G; the suit is seeking restitution, damages, and disclosures and/or disclaimers to be added to packaging and advertisements for the iPhone 3G.

iLounge is pleased to announce its iProvocateur and iPod As Art contests, which will be featured in our 2009 iPod + iPhone Buyers’ Guide when it is released on October 31. In our biggest photo contest ever, iProvocateur, we’re looking for photographs of the iPod or iPhone in a provocative setting. Entries may use a person, people, and/or eye-catching background in the image with the device, and the most stunning or otherwise visually interesting entry will win a grand prize of ten iPods — nine 8GB fourth-generation iPod nanos (one of each color) and a 16GB second-generation iPod touch. Second place will receive two 16GB second-generation iPod touches, with the third place entry receiving three 8GB fourth-generation iPod nanos.

In iPod As Art, our second contest, we’re providing entrants with a broad creative canvas: portray the iPod As Art. Entrants may draw, render, or photograph an image with the iPod as a iconic central element, photograph iPods together, or show how the iPod interacts with the worlds of design, art, or technology. The grand prize winner will receive a JVC 42” LCD HDTV with TeleDock iPod Docking Station, courtesy of JVC. Second place will win a 160GB Apple TV and a 32GB second-generation iPod touch, while third place will receive a 40GB Apple TV and an 8GB second-generation iPod touch, courtesy of iLounge. Both contests are open now and end on October 24, 2008 at 11:59PM Pacific Time, so get started on your entry, and good luck!

A number of iPhone users are experiencing problems with email fetching following the installation of iPhone Software 2.1. According to a lengthy thread on Apple’s discussion boards, some users find that Mail will only check their email manually, regardless of whether the account is set up to automatically receive mail via push or fetch, and regardless of whether they are using an original iPhone or iPhone 3G. At least one user in the thread claims to have received a phone call from a product specialist confirming that Apple is aware of the problem and is handling it as a “major” issue, although it remains unclear when affected users may expect a fix.