iLounge

According to discussions on Apple’s support site and several reader reports, it appears iPhone Software 1.0.1 includes a few new features, along with the known bug fixes and security patches. There is now a BCC: option in the phone’s Mail Settings to send yourself a copy — this was previously only a CC: option. Passcode Lock timing options have been expanded up to “After 1 Hour,” and it has also been reported that the 1.0.1 update fixes a previously reported battery issue in which the iPhone’s display would not indicate a full charge.

A recent Guardian report claims that the Led Zeppelin collection “Mothership” will be available on iTunes when it hits stores November 12. The tracks, chosen by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, include “Stairway to Heaven,” “Whole Lotta Love,” and “Kashmir.”

Another report claiming O2 will carry the iPhone in the UK has appeared. While refusing to confirm that it has signed a deal with Apple, O2 chief executive Peter Erskine said: “We’re excited about this product and we certainly hope to be marketing it later in the year when it launches.”

New York’s Consumer Protection Board has raised complaints about the iPhone’s battery and Apple’s return policies. “I encourage Apple to redesign the iPhone in order to provide for a replaceable battery,” Mindy Bockstein, chairwoman and executive director of the Board, wrote to Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple, in a letter dated July 17. Bockstein later said, “A high-end cell phone shouldn’t have to have low-end customer service.”

Coolgorilla has announced its iPhone Translator, sponsored by online travel retailer lastminute.com. The web-based application offers text and audio translations of common phrases in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and German. The translator can be accessed by visiting coolgorilla.com/iphone.

Following a MacDailyNews report that AT&T Stores have been hiding and refusing to demonstrate Apple iPhones to potential customers, readers have reported mixed but negative-skewing experiences about their attempts to purchase or even just see iPhones at AT&T stores. Some positive reports have been posted, but MacDailyNews and many of its readers have suggested that AT&T stores and their employees are being less than cooperative with customers interested in testing or purchasing the iPhone.

Some reports claim that the iPhone display units that appeared around the device’s launch have been removed, without explanation. Other reports claim that AT&T employees informed customers that they had to purchase an iPhone to be able to see one. Still others suggest that the commission-based employees are not receiving enough financial incentive to push the device over other models, and that they have instead opted to attack the product.

A report from “DM” states, “I went to my local corporate ATT store in Northern NJ, they did not have any iPhones in stock (probably true). But what a little disconcerting is that they were trashing the iPhone and Apple as putting out a bad product and suggested that I buy the new Blackberry Curve. I just smiled, walked out and across the mall and bought one at the Apple Store.”

A separate report from “Jim Steward” states, “My local AT&T store had them on display at first, then took them out. The display is still there, but no iPhones are attached. I didn’t have any trouble purchasing the iPhone, but they would not even bring it out of the back room until I had paid for it. If I hadn’t been set on buying the iPhone when I walked in or had not already looked at and held one, I would’ve gone to another AT&T store to see if I was treated any better.”

We encourage our readers to share your AT&T store experiences, positive, neutral, or negative, in the comments.

Waterfield Designs has announced three new cases for the iPhone. The iPhone Smart Case is a thin case that features a smooth outer, rubberized textile grips on each side, and a multi-layered padding system with a high-impact rigid insert and scratch-free Ultrasuede lining to protect the iPhone. Available in six colors, it comes in three styles — Slip for slipping into a pocket, Flap for attaching to a strap, and Clip for clipping onto belts — and sells for $35-$39. The iPhone Travel Case is a larger case, designed to carry the iPhone and its accessories together. Features include custom-sized, padded interior compartments, and self-locking zippers. It is available in six colors as well, comes in three sizes, and sells for $35-$39. The iPhone Suede Jacket is a basic Ultrasuede case that fits snugly on the iPhone and could double as a screen cleaner; it sells for $9. “I wanted a hard case with quick access that would slip easily into my pockets, but look simple and un-complicated,” explained owner Gary Waterfield. “For the Smart Case, we developed an intricate construction process to produce the clean, svelte look the case has.” All three cases are available now.

Ultimate Ears has introduced its UE-11 Pro earphones, a new flagship model replacing the UE-10 Pro and featuring a quad armature speaker configuration. The UE-11 Pro features a custom shell with the quad speaker configuration inside, a dual driver subwoofer for more clear low-end performance, a dedicated midrange and separate tweeter, and an electrically and acoustically tuned three-way crossover. Specifications include a frequency response of 10Hz to 16,500 Hz, -26dB of noise isolation, and input sensitivity of 119dB at 1mW.

The Ultimate Ears UE-11 Pro earphones will be available in a variety of colors with individual artwork and will be priced at $1150 when they go on sale August 1. iLounge’s initial impressions can be found here.

Updated: Ultimate Ears notes that it will offer the user’s choice of custom colors and artwork for the UE-11 Pro—typically costing up to $200 above the price of its standard custom earphones—at no additional charge for the first 60 days of the product’s launch, ending September 30, 2007. Customers should expect a three-week lead time for color- and art-customized UE-11 Pros, versus two weeks for standard ones.

Apple tonight released iPhone Software Version 1.0.1, which according to the company is dedicated solely to “bug fixes,” specifically security patches related to iPhone’s Safari browser.

The free download, available through the Check for Updates feature in iTunes 7.3, patches five security issues related to maliciously created web sites, including cross-site scripting, code execution, cross-site requests, masquerading web site URLs, and unexpected application termination. No additional features appear to have been added to the iPhone beyond Safari security fixes. Running the application results in verification of the iPhone’s existing software, then an update of the software to version 1.0.1 (1C25).

Sergio Technology has added its iBuddy, iSpin, and iH-100 iPod accessories to its lineup of products. The iBuddy is a mixer-style accessory that features the ability to mix between two audio sources, charge up to two iPods while mixing, and switch between two set of effects programs. The iSpin offers the same functions as iBuddy, but adds a “Spin” dial in the center of the system, replacing the Flange/Autophase adjuster found on the iBuddy. Both products sport two iPod Docks, as well as two auxiliary inputs, and a line level output. The iH-100 is a media center for iPod, and features an iPod Dock, an FM radio, infrared remote control, a USB port for iPod sync, S-Video out, and a line input for other audio sources. All three products come in black or white; pricing and availability information was not available.

WindSolutions has introduced its CopyTrans Doctor iPod repair tool. The software, which is still in Beta, is able to find errors on the iPod’s disk and fix them, find songs listed in the iPod’s library but not on its disk, and vice versa. In addition, WindSolutions plans on adding the ability to recover accidentally deleted songs from the iPod in the coming days. CopyTrans Doctor v0.95 is available to Windows users as a free download from the company’s website.

Eight Mile Style LLC and Martin Affiliated LLC, music publisher and copyright manager for rap artist Eminem, have filed a lawsuit against Apple in U.S. District Court in Detroit, claiming the company violated copyrights by allowing unauthorized sales of the artist’s works. The lawsuit is a possible sign of things to come as artists fight for a larger share of revenues from digital download sales, reports the Detroit News. “There are a number of unresolved issues,” said Owen Sloane, of Berger Kahn, who has negotiated recording deals for artists such as Elton John, Kenny Rogers and Bonnie Raitt. “You’re going to see more of these suits.” The suit alleges that although Apple pays a portion of the revenues from Eminem downloads to recording label Universal Music Group, Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated have never authorized Universal to allow the downloads. Apple has yet to comment on the suit.

Apple has announced that the iTunes Store has now sold more than three billion songs. The store debuted on April 28, 2003, and sold its one billionth song on February 22, 2006 — the two billionth song was sold prior to Steve Jobs’ keynote address this January. Its catalog currently features over five million songs, 550 television shows, and 500 movies. “We’d like to thank all of our customers who have contributed to this incredible milestone,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. Based on data from market research firm NPD Group, iTunes recently surpassed Amazon and Target to become the third largest music retailer in the US.

Findley Designs has updated its iPod Access utility to version 4.1. The application allows users to transfer music and videos to and from the iPod, features iTunes integration, and is available for Mac OS X and Windows. The new version, free for registered v4.0 users, adds iPhone support, as well as faster iTunes integration and numerous bug fixes, according to application’s website. iPod Access v4.1 is a $9 upgrade for iPod Access v1.x, v2.x and v3.x users, the full version sells for $20.

Just released in the United States, and appearing in certain overseas iTunes Stores as well, Electronic Arts’ new The Sims Pool ($5) offers 9-ball, 8-ball, and trick-shot pool modes, in addition to character customization and currency systems inspired by the company’s The Sims games. The game’s designed to be played with a single thumb on the Click Wheel, and promises realistic physics, graphics and sound effects.

Updated: A First Look at The Sims Pool is now available.

Brookstone has introduced its BoomBucket Music System for iPod, a weather resistant, bucket-shaped portable speaker system. The BoomBucket features a locking clear cover for the iPod Dock compartment, the ability to charge the iPod while docked, a rechargeable battery, two full-range powered speakers, and an included remote control. The Brookstone BoomBucket Music System for iPod is available now and sells for $150.

A patch has been released that enables the Apple TV to boot from its internal drive, but use an external USB drive as primary storage. The hack requires a ssh-enabled Apple TV, an Intel-based Mac or Unix system, an installed version of Mac OS X 10.4 for Intel, an original, unmodified copy of the “mach_kernel.prelink” file from the Apple TV, and an external USB drive formatted using “Journaled HFS+.”

A system preference file found in the iPhone’s firmware lists several applications, including unit converter, translation, world clock, and radio, that aren’t currently on the handset. It is unknown whether these listings are placeholders for future iPhone applications.

Erica Sadun from TUAW has written a brief tutorial explaining how to create iPhone ringtones from iTunes Store preview clips. The procedure requires access to the iPhone’s file system.

USA Today has listed Apple CEO Steve Jobs at number three on its list of the Top 25 Most influential business leaders of the last 25 years. Ahead of Jobs on the list are Microsoft’s Bill Gates and former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.

Grantwood Technology has released its redesigned Shoe Pouch for Nike+iPod in eight colors. The Shoe Pouch enables runners to use the sensor from the Nike+iPod Sport Kit with regular athletic shoes. The new design of the pouch, available in black, red, hot pink, neon green, teal blue, navy blue, purple, and gray, features reinforced loops, high-quality neoprene and stitching, and a Velcro strip covering the slit where the sensor is inserted. “We have sold over 25,000 black Shoe Pouches to date, and we are pleased to build on our success by announcing that our latest design now comes in a total of eight colors,” said Michael Banks, MD, co-founder and CEO of Grantwood Technology, LLC. The Shoe Pouch is available now for $8.

PopCap Games has launched a custom version of its puzzle game Bejeweled for the Safari browser on the iPhone. This customized version of the game, which can be played for free by visiting the company’s website, has been optimized to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique display and input controls. “We’re excited to be providing the most popular puzzle game of the 21st century to users of the most advanced mobile device yet created,” said Andrew Stein, Director of Mobile Platforms for PopCap. “We wanted to give the hundreds of thousands of iPhone users a fun, fast gaming fix—and at no cost, no less.”

New York Times columnist David Pogue and John Gruber of Daring Fireball are reporting that iPhone customers’ AT&T bills contain overly lengthy explanations of data usage. Writes Pogue, “I get six pages of listings of data tidbits that the iPhone has downloaded in the form of email and Web pages–kilobyte by kilobyte! Every graphic on every Web page, every message sent or received–it’s all carefully listed by date and time.” Gruber confirms the excess, stating that his own data listing “weighs in at 45 pages.” It is important to note that while lengthy, the listings provide no specifics of browser activity. For environmentally conscious iPhone owners who would like to enroll in paperless billing and avoid receiving pages of data transfer listings, you can sign up for the free service at att.com/mywireless.

The newest edition of iPodweek, our weekly newsletter covering all things iLounge, will be sent out later today. iPodweek is a weekly summary of the best iPod news, reviews, and feature articles we’ve published, and it also features giveaways and iPod accessory discount offers from various companies. This week, Fommy.com is giving away one Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth Headset to a lucky iPodweek subscriber. There’s still plenty of time to sign up if you haven’t already — just use the simple form below to submit your email address.

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Parliant has introduced PhoneValet Anywhere for iPhone, an iPhone-specific web application that ties in to the company’s PhoneValet Message Center software to offer call history, voice messages, and recordings from your home and office phone lines on the iPhone. PhoneValet Anywhere for iPhone is a $60 server upgrade for existing PhoneValet Message Center 5.x customers. PhoneValet Message Center 5 requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher, and sells for $170. [via MacMinute]

A notable amount of iPhone owners have reported problems with the device’s included AC adapter. Jason O’Grady for ZDNet has posted a similar report, with not only his colleague’s but also his and his wife’s adapters failing. According to reports, the adapters suddenly fail to charge the iPhone, yet the same USB cable that fails when used with the iPhone AC adapter continues to charge the iPhone when connected to a computer or an iPod AC adapter. Several owners have reported success in returning the misbehaving adapters to Apple for replacement units.