iPhone OS 2.0.2 fails to fix 3G reception issues, apps problems

Apple has released iPhone OS 2.0.2 with its obligatory, but unhelpful, release notes indicating only "bug fixes."

Unfortunately, a resolution to widespread, frustrating 3G reception issues is not among those fixes. In fact, some users have reported that the update manifests poorer 3G reception than 2.0.1, with devices now giving a "No Service" message in previously 3G-accessible locations.

"I use to get one to three bars of 3G service in my house and now I can't make a call," wrote an Apple poster. "I have to switch off the 3G to get any bars. Things are going the wrong way!"

Even worse, many users are experiencing incompatibility with previously operational third-party applications. "Yes, I have about 15 apps loaded and now only eight to ten work with the new 2.0.2 software," said a user. Some are reporting even worse predicaments. "All my downloaded applications crash within 5 seconds of being opened," said another person. "Restarting the phone and reapplying update has done nothing to fix it."
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iPhone OS 2.0.1 released: what's fixed, problems applying

Apple has released iPhone OS 2.0.1 for the first-generation iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod touch. The new release resolves several performance-related issues and bugs found in OS 2.0, though you wouldn't know it from Apple's paltry release notes, which state only that the update includes "bug fixes".

Among the improvements we've noted so far:

• Better keyboard responsiveness
• Less lag in the Contacts application
• Faster backups

You can obtain OS 2.0.1 by connecting your iPhone to a host computer, launching iTunes, and clicking the Update button in the device pane. Alternatively, you can manually download the update via these links for the first-generation iPhone and the iPhone 3G. The iPod touch update must be download via the iTunes Update button because it is a protected asset.

If you used one of the aforementioned manual downloads, hold the option key under Mac OS X or the Shift key under Windows while clicking the Restore button in Windows, then select the downloaded file.

Problems applying the update If you received an error -19 or a different message that prevents the update from taking place, try turning off automatic syncing, then quit iTunes and disconnect your phone. Launch iTunes again, wait for it to find your phone, and try the update again. Failing that, try the tips in this Knowledge Base article.

Via CNET Crave

iPhone app hands-on: Super Monkey Ball (with screenshots)

We've been playing Super Monkey Ball for a few minutes--OK, hours--now, and it's every bit as fun as promised. If you're not familiar with this title, which has been made uber-popular on other gaming platforms, the gameplay is thus: You are one of four monkey characters who happens to reside in a clear sphere. Your goal is to roll around a series of precariously strung platforms into the goal portal. On the iPhone, control is accelerometer-based--simply tilting the device back and forth controls your momentum. Our initial observations:

• The controls take some serious getting used to, even if you're used to the motion-sensitive Nintendo Wii version of this game. It's very easy to get rolling too fast; we haven't yet mastered exact maneuvers.
• You can hold your finger on the screen to rapidly start a level during the "fly-in" intro.
• Tap the timer to pause the game
• If your iPhone is resting on a flat surface when the level starts, the accelerometer will be at full-forward throttle, and you'll likely fall off the edge.
• There are five worlds and 110 stages.
• Like other versions of the game, you must unlock the more difficult setting by completing various stages.

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Unlock/jailbreak for iPhone OS 2.0 imminent (screenshot)

The release of a tool capable of unlocking first-generation iPhones for use on unofficial carriers as well as allowing full read/write access to the filesystem--thereby enabling installation of unofficial, "jailbreak" applications--is imminent.

The iPhone Dev team has posted a screenshot, seen below, of an iPhone running OS 2.0 with both the App Store (Apple's third-party application solution) and Installer.app (the unofficial third-party application solution) running side-by-side. The iPhone is also unlocked, per the MTS carrier logo--MTS is an unsupported wireless carrier.

Another screenshot shows the tool BootNeuter loaded under iPhone OS 2.0. This utility allows users to fully unlock the iPhone for use on unauthorized carriers.

Via CNET Crave

iPhone 3G video reveals App Store operation

Apple has posted a new guided tour of the iPhone 3G that primarily rehashes previously announced features, but also fully demonstrates purchasing and downloading of applications from the App Store--a mechanism not seen in action heretofore.

The video shows an application being purchased via a "Buy Now" button in a fashion similar to the Wi-Fi music store. Once the application is purchased, the user is immediately returned to the home screen and an application icon with a progress bar appears. The user can (presumably) perform other actions while the application is being downloaded.

Via CNET Crave

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