Rough estimate: 75 percent of NY iPhone line wants 16GB phone

In an informal poll of random people waiting in line for the iPhone 3G outside the Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York, it looks like roughly 75 percent of these uber-early adopters plan to purchase the higher-end 16GB iPhone.

Most of the other 25 percent aim to get the lower-end 8GB model, though a few people said they still hadn't made up their minds, while one said he planned to buy one of each. But since these are the most hardcore of hardcore iPhone fans, it's likely that this 3-to-1 breakdown won't have any bearing on mainstream sales.

Another thing: People seemed to be pretty clueless when they were asked whether they knew if they would have to pay an additional US$200 for the phone. Some existing AT&T customers aren't eligible for the subsidy on the phone and will have to pay up, but almost everyone in line seemed to be unaware of this distinction.

I attempted to talk to a few orange-T-shirt-clad Apple Store employees, who were happily chatting it up with people waiting in line, but the employees quickly reverted to the company's standard "clam up around the press" protocol and suggested I track down company publicists before I could learn exactly how many Apple reps were there on hand at the store.

Meanwhile, a kid near the front of the line was repeatedly yelling "INVISIBLE SHIELD!" Please, somebody get him an iPhone and get him home.

Via CNET Crave

Apple iPhone v2.0 software on Saturday: Still M.I.A.

We already know that on Friday, there were severe activation problems with the iPhone 3G. This isn't exactly a surprise, perhaps, after the new in-store activation procedures and AT&T's dismal performance last year.

What is surprising is that approximately 36 hours after Apple said the new system software would be available for existing customers to access, it still isn't. At least not for everyone.

I have the first-generation iPhone I bought a year ago--and as of midday Saturday, the new v2.0 firmware was unavailable for download. iTunes tells me, incorrectly, that "this version of the iPhone software (1.1.4) is the current version". See the above screenshot.

This is in addition to what my CNET News colleague Erica Ogg reported on Friday: Some existing iPhones have been bricked by software update glitches. At least that didn't happen to me.
Read more »

Hands-on: iTunes Remote App

We've had a few minutes to play with the Remote App (download) for the iPhone. The [not surprising] verdict? It's an easy must-have for any iPhone or iPod touch owner who enjoys listening to music at home.

Once you've upgraded your iPhone (or Touch) to version 2.0, just go to the App Store and search on "remote." (Amazingly, that--not "iRemote"--is the program's official name.) You can download it straight to the phone over a Wi-Fi connection (tap the word "free" on the upper right corner), and it auto-installs, adding a new icon to your home screen.

Setup is dead simple. Start by making sure that your iPhone is on the same local Wi-Fi network as the Apple TV or PC/Mac you want to control; also, be sure you're running the latest version 7.7 of iTunes for Windows and Mac on the computer in question. Otherwise, pairing the iPhone is almost identical to that of pairing an Apple TV--the initial settings screen on the Remote software will ask you to choose a library, and give you a four-digit code. Pop the code into iTunes (the phone should appear listed under "devices" in the left-hand nav), and you're good to go. Pairing the iPhone with the Apple TV is basically the same--just go to the "Remotes" option under the general settings menu, and key in the code there.

And that's it--once they're paired, you have near total control over your iTunes software or your Apple TV. And it's not just music. Yes, you'll get the normal iTunes access to your library, by song, genre, artists, albums, and playlists, but you also get control over music videos, TV shows, movies, and podcasts. Transport controls for video--play/pause, fast-forward, and rewind--were impressively responsive, with nary a delay. On the iPhone screen, you'll get the album art/title screen after a few seconds as well.
Read more »

iPhone remote control app goes live

As expected, iPhone and iPod touch owners can now use their devices as remote controls for their iTunes libraries and Apple TV boxes.

The feature is now available as a download in the new iPhone applications store, which went live on Thursday morning. With the free, 1-megabyte application installed, an iPod touch or iPhone can use a Wi-Fi connection to control and search through an iTunes library remotely, flip around on an Apple TV, and control AirTunes speakers.

Most new Apple products already come with remote-control devices that perform the same functions, but using the iPhone download conveniently renders them vestigial--if you have an iPhone, that is.

Via CNET Crave

Is Google's iPhone app all that?

With so much fairy dust in the air over Apple's day-early release of the App Store and iTunes 7.7 (for Windows and Mac), it's easy to get caught up in the excitement. And we are excited. Being the intrepid reviewers we are, we're taking the unofficial iPhone 2.0 firmware for a ride to test out some of these apps. Be forewarned that the firmware has not yet been Apple-approved for wide release and cannot be vouched for.

More than 500 applications are already clustered in the App Store, many of them tiny apps and widgets that have been custom-built to run natively on the upgraded iPhone firmware. Most of these early entrants are nearly identical to the iPhone-optimized versions previously released by publishers to work with the iPhone Classic.

Google's app is a prime example. It opens with a blinking search bar and with the keypad already engaged. Like the optimized Web app version, suggested matches are displayed as the search begins; this time they are listed below the search field. Below the search space is a shortcut bar for seeing the array of Google apps, including Gmail, Maps, Docs, and Reader. These icons are themselves quick links for launching the Web-optimized versions of Gmail and clan.

The app does save a fraction of time in bypassing Safari's initial loading of the iPhone-optimized page and works without a hitch.

Via CNET Crave

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