(Lightning Reviews are back! This time courtesy of — Badmofo63 who gives us a look at Pageonce (FREE at the iTunes Store). Want your Lightning Review elevated to our front page — with a tasty 25% TiPb Store discount prize to top it off? Get the details, choose and App, and make with the reviewing! And if you’re looking for a good example for what kind of reviews we like, this is a great one!)

Take it away, Badmofo63:

Like many of us, I conduct much of my business online whenever possible. The beauty of the iPhone is that is can facilitate so much of that business with the embedded apps and its exceptional Safari browser. But let’s face it, on my original 2G iPhone, it’s excruciatingly slow to check bank balances, check bills, check on friends, and whatnot. Even on Wi-Fi (or 3G for you lucky stiffs) that’s a lot of page browsing.

Enter Pageonce. This app is a lifesaver for me. With one click, I can see the status of nearly all my online accounts. There are a large number of companies supported and nearly all the popular ones, like MySpace, eBay, most banks & financial institutions, etc. There is a tremendous amount of information displayed such as transactions and amounts, friend updates, phone usage and billing data, etc. The app was very stable on my 4GB 2.0.1 iPhone (stop making fun of me!!).

I found about 90% of my online accounts. The updates feature shows changes to the previous day, which is very helpful in watching credit cards and bank balances. However, you can only VIEW the data from your accounts; you cannot manipulate or change it.

Setting up the application is easy, although the majority of it has to be done on the Pageonce website, not in the app. The data is kept safe using military level security including 256-bit data encryption, including the data transferred between the Pageonce server and your iPhone.

What’s good: its one stop for many shops and you can quickly see recent changes that occur from day to day. The security of your information is enhanced by not having to login multiple times and the encryption protection of the data itself. Should you lose your phone, you can block access from mobile devices.

What could be improved: While I found 90% of my information to be available, I want 100%. I expect that this will occur over time and Pageonce does have a means to suggest additions and notify you when it is available. Also, since you can’t make changes to the accounts, if you do need to go to the provider website, a link would be helpful for single click access to it.

All in all… terrific app. I love it and use it frequently. The cost was FREE!!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Lightning Review: Pageonce - A Personal Assistant

Avast ye scurvy dogs, raise the gangplanks and prepare to be boarded! International Talk Like a Pirate Day be here again!

Sure and we’ll have ye know that if yer iPhone’s timbers be shivering, get ye to the App Store for a stiff draught of Pocket Pirate (Free!)

And on behalf of Dead-Eye Dieter, Cannonball Casey, Blimey Brian, Salty Chad, Jolly Jeremy, and myself, JARRene, may yer iPhone never drain dry, yer data never flow still, and a Pirate Life fer one and all!

Yo ho ho!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

JAR! Today Be Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Okay, so it’s not PC, it’s John Hodgman, the actor who plays (brilliantly) PC in the highly successful “Get a Mac” ads from Apple. But as Engadget shows, it’s definitely an iPhone he’s using.

Of course, that should come as no surprise, given Microsoft’s market share, most iPhone users are Windows-based on the PC side. Makes sense then, that their commercial avatar loves him some mobile OS X as well!

The conspiracy minded among us, however, might just find it odd that this spy pick comes our way just in time for Microsoft’s latest ill-conceived step down their 0 million advertising sink hole. Word to Redmond: I’m a PC too. Now stop embarrassing me with this “me too” nonsense, get some therapy for the Apple and Google envy (seriously, you’re like 10x their size, it’s time to act like it), and stick to making great products. The rest will really take care of itself…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

“I’m a PC… And I Use an iPhone!”

Ok all of you Windows peeps, this is what you have been waiting for. And no, sorry, still no unlocking for the 3G yet, but you can jailbreak the 2.1 firmware with the freshly released Windows Quickpwn 2.1!

More on Windows QuickPwn 2.1:

Supports 2.1 firmware with the unlocking and jailbreaking of iPhone 1st generation (2G) device. Supports the jailbreaking of iPod Touch 1st generation device and iPhone 3G. Does not support the unlocking of iPhone 3G or jailbreaking of second generation (n72ap based) iPod Touch.

So what are you waiting for Windows jailbreakers?! Head on over and grab Windows Quickpwn 2.1!

As always, TiPb takes no responsibility for any wrong doings to your devices, you dig? Please know what you are doing and have fun!

(Thanks Tommy for sending this in!)

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Dev Team Delivers a “Pwnapple” to Windows Users

We have YAPPA! (Yet Another Apple Patent Application!) This one, brought to us by Apple Insider, outlines Global Preferences Dialogs and Improved Notification of Missed Communications, or what is essentially a Today Screen for the iPhone:

“In response to detecting an interaction by a user with the device, the plurality of icons display notification information for the plurality of communication modalities,” the filing explains. “In response to detecting an unlock interaction by the user with the device, the device is unlocked, and a communication in the plurality of communications is presented that was received while the device was in the locked state, or information about the communication is presented.”

Of course, Windows Mobile has had this for years, and it’s pretty much the only thing I really still miss about that platform (don’t tell Dieter!). Likewise, iPhone Jailbreakers, have been enjoying this for a while now via Intelliscreen.

For the rest of us, all this same information, has been kept each piece in its own separate little world divided by countless taps and swipes. So the idea of an information rich, at-a-glance summation of my most recent communications and upcoming activities? Now please.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Patents “Today Screen” for iPhone

About a month ago Dieter reported about a fairly large security flaw in firmware 2.0.2 that gave access to Safari, Email, and a frightening amount of personal data. Apple patched it in 2.1. Or did they?

This could be a flaw, or feature, but it turns out you still have the ability to make a phone call, to any number, while the iPhone is locked with a passcode. Wasn’t the “emergency” call feature meant to call “emergency” numbers such as 911 only?

Apple can you please put this on your “need to fix” list? Thank you!

(Via Macrumors, as discussed way back in 2.0.2 on the forums of iLounge.com)

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Emergency Call Security Flaw Persists in iPhone 2.1

Adding to MobileMe issues, casing cracks, and 2.0 problems (Apple sure has a lot on their plate), it looks like the ultracompact and ultra-cute USB power adapter is being recalled.

The reason for the recall? Apple is saying that the metal prongs may break off and remain embedded in the power outlet which creates a risk of electrical shock. Apple strongly states that users should stop using these adapters until they are exchanged for the new version. The exchange program starts October 10th so Apple suggests charging via USB on your computer until then.

It hurts to say but it looks like us early adopters for the iPhone 3G got bit hard. Previous Apple products had all these little nuggets that made Apple a breath of fresh air in a stale PC-world. But with the iPhone 3G it seemed like all the adorable qualities that made Apple, Apple, got lost and got worse. Luckily it looks like Apple is tidying the ship on all of these issues.

Click the Read Link to see the full details directly from Apple.

Read

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Recalls Ultracompact USB Power Adapter

Atari’s legal team is getting quite a workout lately, just yesterday they demanded that 4 more App Store games be removed with more likely to come. It was not long ago that TiPb reported that two other notables were forcefully removed, Tris and PhoneSaber.

The 4 apps kicking the bucket this time around due to “infringements against the pong and breakout copyrights” are as follows (iTunes links): BreakClassic, BreakTouch 3D, Super Pong 2, and 3D Vector Pong.

As of today, all 4 of these apps are still available via the App Store. So get them while you can!

(Via TouchArcade.com)

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

4 More Apps Bite the Dust

Seems it wasn’t a hair that broke the blogerati’s back, it was an App. Or more precisely, it was Apple’s denial of the Podcaster App that let loose the floodgates of negative internet reaction. Or even more precisely, it is the continued lack of certainty among developers as to what can and will be denied by Apple, leading many to reconsider the return on investment of hours upon hours of coding with 11th hour rejection hanging perpetually over their heads, like a virtual Sword of Damocles.

According to Read Write Web, Podcaster will be turning to Ad Hoc to distribute their App for nowwhile everyone from Daring Fireball to Roughly Drafted cover (and in some cases, recover from) the various comments and implications flinging back and forth across the blogsphere, the New York Times has decided to escalate the attention level:

I can’t see how distributing the program will hurt Apple. If anything it will make the iPhone a tad more valuable. On the other hand, treating developers capriciously is most certainly going to discourage them from spending nights and weekends working on new and useful applications that may give more people reasons to buy an iPhone.

Sure, the App Store is growing twice as fast as iTunes Music (though starting from zero is an easy way to generate an opening curve), and may well hit a billion units moved by 2009, but with Android’s open marketplace on the horizon, and Microsoft me-too’ing their way in with Skymarket, there could be alternatives. If Apple doesn’t take a page from their MobileMe fiasco playbook and rapidly standardize and clarify the rules of the game, they could lose their early lead. And that could cost them the Mobile Internet Platform dominance they so currently crave.

Don’t get us wrong. It’s Apple’s platform and they, like a Nintendo with the Wii, have the absolute right to approve or deny anything developed for their platform. But developers have the same right to stop developing for a platform they don’t think serves their best interests. And consumers have the same right to stop buying it for the same reason. As with the Blacklist push-back, that will be the ultimate officiator of this debate.

And a terse one-line email from Steve may not fix things if Apple waits too long…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

PodcasterGate: The Great App Rejection Debate

Seems it wasn’t a hair that broke the blogerati’s back, it was an App. Or more precisely, it was Apple’s denial of the Podcaster App that let loose the floodgates of negative internet reaction. Or even more precisely, it is the continued lack of certainty among developers as to what can and will be denied by Apple, leading many to reconsider the return on investment of hours upon hours of coding with 11th hour rejection hanging perpetually over their heads, like a virtual Sword of Damocles.

According to Read Write Web, Podcaster will be turning to Ad Hoc to distribute their App for nowwhile everyone from Daring Fireball to Roughly Drafted cover (and in some cases, recover from) the various comments and implications flinging back and forth across the blogsphere, the New York Times has decided to escalate the attention level:

I can’t see how distributing the program will hurt Apple. If anything it will make the iPhone a tad more valuable. On the other hand, treating developers capriciously is most certainly going to discourage them from spending nights and weekends working on new and useful applications that may give more people reasons to buy an iPhone.

Sure, the App Store is growing twice as fast as iTunes Music (though starting from zero is an easy way to generate an opening curve), and may well hit a billion units moved by 2009, but with Android’s open marketplace on the horizon, and Microsoft me-too’ing their way in with Skymarket, there could be alternatives. If Apple doesn’t take a page from their MobileMe fiasco playbook and rapidly standardize and clarify the rules of the game, they could lose their early lead. And that could cost them the Mobile Internet Platform dominance they so currently crave.

Don’t get us wrong. It’s Apple’s platform and they, like a Nintendo with the Wii, have the absolute right to approve or deny anything developed for their platform. But developers have the same right to stop developing for a platform they don’t think serves their best interests. And consumers have the same right to stop buying it for the same reason. As with the Blacklist push-back, that will be the ultimate officiator of this debate.

And a terse one-line email from Steve may not fix things if Apple waits too long…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

PodcasterGate: The Great App Rejection Debate

Seems it wasn’t a hair that broke the blogerati’s back, it was an App. Or more precisely, it was Apple’s denial of the Podcaster App that let loose the floodgates of negative internet reaction. Or even more precisely, it is the continued lack of certainty among developers as to what can and will be denied by Apple, leading many to reconsider the return on investment of hours upon hours of coding with 11th hour rejection hanging perpetually over their heads, like a virtual Sword of Damocles.

According to Read Write Web, Podcaster will be turning to Ad Hoc to distribute their App for nowwhile everyone from Daring Fireball to Roughly Drafted cover (and in some cases, recover from) the various comments and implications flinging back and forth across the blogsphere, the New York Times has decided to escalate the attention level:

I can’t see how distributing the program will hurt Apple. If anything it will make the iPhone a tad more valuable. On the other hand, treating developers capriciously is most certainly going to discourage them from spending nights and weekends working on new and useful applications that may give more people reasons to buy an iPhone.

Sure, the App Store is growing twice as fast as iTunes Music (though starting from zero is an easy way to generate an opening curve), and may well hit a billion units moved by 2009, but with Android’s open marketplace on the horizon, and Microsoft me-too’ing their way in with Skymarket, there could be alternatives. If Apple doesn’t take a page from their MobileMe fiasco playbook and rapidly standardize and clarify the rules of the game, they could lose their early lead. And that could cost them the Mobile Internet Platform dominance they so currently crave.

Don’t get us wrong. It’s Apple’s platform and they, like a Nintendo with the Wii, have the absolute right to approve or deny anything developed for their platform. But developers have the same right to stop developing for a platform they don’t think serves their best interests. And consumers have the same right to stop buying it for the same reason. As with the Blacklist push-back, that will be the ultimate officiator of this debate.

And a terse one-line email from Steve may not fix things if Apple waits too long…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

PodcasterGate: The Great App Rejection Debate

The iPhone shook up a very complacent smartphone world, but if we think it exists in a vacuum, if we think the other big players won’t respond (no matter how embarrassingly long it might take them), and if we don’t hope that they do — hardcore style — to prevent Apple from one day getting just as complacent, then we’re not doing our jobs as bloggers or consumers.

With that, splinter-like, in mind, witness RIM launching the Blackberry Thunder, their first touch screen device. If you ever wondered how brilliantly Apple handled the release of the iPhone, from Steve pulling it from his pocket to the first videos and commercials, wonder no more. RIM’s shows us by way of terrible — near Microsoft’ian — example, how badly that could have gone… (Though Mike Lanman certainly makes a convincing Doby to Lazaridis’ Gollum…). Couldn’t have hired them Virgin folks again?

We’re still not sure about the whole-screen’s-a-button approach. And the newly launched GDGT podcast is right on when they say RIM needs new software and they need it now (and tell a very funny story about how RIM’s co-CEO really doesn’t get that… scary…)

Head on over to Crackberry.com to watch the full video.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Attack of the iClones: RIM Storm Rising Edition

Apple’s iPhone 3G wins “Gadget of the Year” according to readers of Stuff Magazine. Ok, are you really that shocked??? Not me. (Of course there were only 2% of all iPhone 3G owners having some issues… right?) The UK’s Stuff Magazine deemed the iPhone 3G as being a:

faster, cleverer version of an already remarkable phone

The devices that competed against the iPhone 3G were as follows: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console, Nintendo’s Wii Fit, and B&W’s Zeppelin iPod speakers. All of the products up for this honor were judged in categories including performance, design and value, as well as “cool factor”.

Congratulations to the iPhone 3g!

[Via MacNN]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3G Takes Home “Gadget of the Year” Award

Apple’s iPhone 3G wins “Gadget of the Year” according to readers of Stuff Magazine. Ok, are you really that shocked??? Not me. (Of course there were only 2% of all iPhone 3G owners having some issues… right?) The UK’s Stuff Magazine deemed the iPhone 3G as being a:

faster, cleverer version of an already remarkable phone

The devices that competed against the iPhone 3G were as follows: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console, Nintendo’s Wii Fit, and B&W’s Zeppelin iPod speakers. All of the products up for this honor were judged in categories including performance, design and value, as well as “cool factor”.

Congratulations to the iPhone 3g!

[Via MacNN]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3G Takes Home “Gadget of the Year” Award

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