Here’s a Sunday night conundrum for you: it’s no longer possible to purchase an iPhone from AT&T’s online store if you live in New York City, and as of right now, the carrier isn’t saying why. Making matters worse, some online customer service reps have apparently gone rogue in providing explanations to curious would-be customers and the occasional inquisitive blogger — the Consumerist was told that NYC wasn’t “ready for the iPhone,” and a few others (including us) were fed a line about credit card fraud causing a ban on online sales. The fraud explanation would actually make sense, considering NYC-area Apple and AT&T stores all have the phone in stock and are happily selling them, but Ma Bell still hasn’t put this story to bed with an official explanation — all we’ve heard so far is the charmingly generic “We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels.” Way to quell a fire with the gasoline of ambiguity, friends. Anyway, if you want an iPhone in New York City right this instant, you should start walking to the 24-hour Fifth Avenue Apple Store, taking the opportunity to assess your priorities and fundamental sense of purpose along the way. The rest of us will continue spending a reasonable percentage of our income on housing.
2009 was the “year of the app,” especially for the iPhone, whose App Store is overflowing with more than 100,000 offerings. While it’s easy to make fun of the more ridiculous apps, some truly stellar wares stood out from that massive pile, and we’re taking the time to honor them.
We recently published Wired readers’ favorite iPhone apps of 2009, as well as Apple’s top picks. Now it’s our turn. The Wired staff has chosen its 20 favorite apps, broken into separate categories: productivity, games, hobbies, and travel and outdoors. These are apps we deemed exceptional either for their innovation, elegant design, usefulness or a combination of all these qualities.
Ready for this? Drum roll, please.
Productivity
BeeJiveIM We’ve been using instant messaging for years, but BeeJiveIM is the most feature-rich, well-designed app we’ve seen that crams this communication method into our pockets. The app supports several IM services (such as Google chat, AIM and Yahoo! Messenger), as well as chat-room functionality and the ability to upload videos and photos. Plus, it’s got push support, so IMs can pop up on your iPhone, just like text messages, the instant you receive them. It’s a fancy app worth the $10 (on sale for $7 until Jan. 1, 2010). Download BeeJiveIM.
Dropbox Who doesn’t like Dropbox? The service allows you to store and share your computer’s files online through a “dropbox” folder, and this new iPhone app allows you to access your Dropbox anywhere you go. On the iPhone, Dropbox really comes in handy for listening to your friends’ shared music or viewing their videos and photos. The Dropbox service is free for 2 GB of storage per month. It costs $10 per month for 50 GB and $20 per month for 100 GB. The iPhone app is free. Download Dropbox.
Instapaper We’re gaga for Instapaper here at Wired. The app is perfect for tech-savvy newshounds constantly on the run — i.e., us. After downloading the app, you add a “Read Later” button to your web browser toolbar. Whenever you see a webpage with contents you want to save to read on your iPhone, you click the Read Later button. Launch Instapaper et voila — it’s there. Very useful not just for saving web articles, but also recipes, map directions, airplane itineraries and so on. The app is $5; there’s also a light version you can get for free. Download Instapaper.
Tweetie 2 We’ve been raving about this app for months, and with good reason: Tweetie 2 is probably the most loved app in the App Store. Its beautiful interface and rich feature set make using Twitter a blast. It’s a must-have for any Twitter user with an iPhone. Tweetie 2 is $3. Download Tweetie 2.
We haven’t heard much about the Gateway EC18T since we saw all those leaked pics back in October, but it looks like things are starting to move: the convertible tablet just hit the FCC database, complete with some more external pictures. From all appearances, it looks like this one’s going to be a family affair, as the machine itself will be sold by Gateway parent company Acer as the Aspire Timeline 1420P, and the FCC docs indicate sister company Packard Bell will have a version as well. Badging aside, inside we’re looking at a 1.2GHz SU2300 Core 2 Duo with GMA 4500MHD graphics, up to 8GB of RAM, a 500GB max drive, an 11.6-inch screen, and an eight-hour battery life — so depending on price, this one could be pretty attractive. We’ll wait to see how long it takes before one version or another escapes the government and hits store shelves.
The TSA hasn’t explained jack. But we found this audio of a pilot explaining the new in-flight security arrangements. Based on that, and what else we know, here’s an unofficial guide to travel in the age of the underwear bomb.
Duh: Get To the Airport Early
No one knows what the hell is going on. Some places are reporting that British Airways became the first airline to impose a one carry on bag only rule, to help make the other thing we heard rumors of—mandatory bag searches and secondary pat downs for every passenger flying internationally into the US—go quicker. No word if they’re talking about the “personal item” that goes along with the already standard “one bag”, but it’s safer to assume so. Otherwise, why would they restate the restriction? BA says they’ll waive the check in fee, so that’s good news. The bad news is that at any time, any other airline can decide to pick up and follow suit, so be prepared to check in a carry on bag (I.E. don’t carry on fragile stuff that you can’t shove all into one bag.)
Oh! More confirmation just this second from Kotaku‘s chief, Brian Crecente who is flying back from Australia right this moment with some very whiny kids (not his) a few rows away:
We had a second screening at the gate. Hands on thorough check of every bag. Also asked me to open my laptops, but not to turn it on. Then did a metal detector sweep of everyone and very quick pat down. Male security guards for men, women for women.
His captain said that there would be some security procedures they’d have to follow that “won’t hurt” but are “slightly unusual.”
Will They Search Your Underwear or Crotch For Air Safety?
No word on crotch pat downs, yet. UPDATE: It appears that the pat downs focus on the “torso” and “upper legs”. Upper legs not quite the crotch. I’m torn. I’m happy to retain my security screening virginity, but Hhow will they find the rest of the underwear bombs without going all the way?
Be Ready For Anything, Especially Surprises
We have heard that only international flights entering the US are going to be going through these pains. But we’ve seen other data to the contrary, and again, we don’t have official word about which flights will enforce these rules, except that we should expect randomness, especially in domestic flights (emphasis added):
“Passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere. Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in.”
However, readers are coming in with evidence that even domestic flights are being restricted somehow.
And from a Gynranger, who flew domestically:
I few yesterday, just a domestic flight, from New York, NY to Savanna, GA. We were allowed to use electronics but during take off until cruising alt and about 30 minutes before landing they made us shut everything off, including iPods or computers and other devices even those that didnt broadcast.
Again, be ready for hell.
The Important Stuff: Gadgets
It sounds, as if we’ll be ok between take off and landing, with gadgets. British Airways is letting people bring electronics on the plane. Some flights are letting people use gadgets up until the last hour, some the last thirty minutes. But as said in this Jetblue audio recording, there will be no in flight entertainment system; “no movies, no tv, no xm radio, the system is required by federal government to be shut down.” But it sounds like most flights are allowing gadgets, and all the variation in restriction is happening at landing.
Where You Are is a Secret. Like the Apple Tablet. So Not Really a Secret.
The government, according to some of our readers, have requested the in flight maps be turned off, too, to, I presume, eliminate the risk of geo precise bombings near the end of the flight? Then again, the flight attendants warning you to not get up the last hour of flight and landing gear dropping are sure signs of landing, so WTF.
It’s Always Gonna Be Sweater-Weather
You’re not allowed to have anything genuinely useful on your lap in the final hour of flight—the sterile period—and that rule includes blankets and the like. This makes attempting to snooze through the remaining portion of the trip chilly and awkward, particularly since pillows are banned as well, so it might be wise to at least dress warm enough to maintain some semblance of comfort.
Bring a Book or Prepare to Die of Boredom
Bring a book. Not a Kindle, not a Nook, not any other sort of ebook reader, but a plain ol’ low-tech book. Because apparently books are pretty much the only thing you can have in your hands during the final hour of your flight (“the government says ok”) and how the hell else will you keep from falling into a cold and uncomfortable slumber?
Here, more inconsistency appears, with some readers saying no books on landing either.
From Arturo:
We flew from Eugene, OR to San Francisco today: they would not even let us read paperback books that we had brought with us. According to them, the new TSA directive is that in the last hour of flight, we are not allowed to leave our seats, nor use or have anything from our carry-on luggage or personal items.
But it is unclear if the books were being restricted because the flyers didn’t already have them in hand, or if they were in bags. Again: Confusing!
Update: Arturo wrote in to explain that he already had the book in hand at the time of the announcement:
I already had the book in my hands when they made the announcement. I never accessed my carry-on. They made us put our reading material away anyhow. This included magazines and anything else that we brought on board. Strangely enough, they didn’t seem to mind passengers accessing their wallets when beverage service came through the cabin.
Even more confusing!
Tinkle Before the “Sterile Period” Starts
As if having to abandon your personal items during the last hour of the flight isn’t enough, you’re not allowed to get up to use the restroom during that time. The captain in the audio recording referred to the Since I doubt that your flight attendants would appreciate seeing you break out a bedpan, just plain head to the lavatory before the seat belt sign hits and a line forms.
Then again, some readers are reporting that on their flights, they saw plenty of standing up and walking around going on after the mandatory buckle up:
I must have seen 30 people still doing whatever 20 minutes in and half a dozen people just get up anyways for the final 40 minutes to use the bathroom, go to their bags, whatever, and that was just where I was sitting.
Again: Madness!
More News Soon, Says Pilot
We’ve been keeping an eye on what’s happening in the news regarding flight security measures and gadget-centric regulations, but based on the pilot’s announcement, it sounds like some “more news” will hit the wires “tomorrow”. No idea if this recording happened yesterday or today, but we’ll find out come Monday. I mean, the TSA has to say something, right? I mean, other than “Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit” with their actions.
What Now?
That’s what we’ve learned from that almost chilling recording. Of course, whether any of that will actually improve actual security is questionable. One thing is certain: All these procedures have raised my personal terror status to the sunset hue of orange-red. [Thanks,Jake Lodwick]
Special Addendum: If I am a Head of State or Roll Deep With Heads of State, Do I Have To Put Up With This Shit?
Diesel’s streetwear sub-brand 55DSL’s Japanese side has done an interesting collaboration with Coca-Cola that evolved from a simple bottle design contest. We first found these a couple of months ago while scouring Harajuku with a client (conveniently an FMCG client), and the bottles immediately grabbed our attention as we walked by.
The design contest started with a call out for designers to make their own contour bottle for Coca-Cola, and the finalists were boiled down to fifteen choices. From there, a winning design was chosen and made into t-shirts and skate decks for sale.
We actually thought that the bottles were cool enough on their own, but, alas, they weren’t for sale.
Not sure if the display is still up, but the bottles were all on display for a while, as well as the winning design’s goods.
The LG Expo isn’t the only projector phone in the US any more. Tiny manufacturer Logic Wireless has a new version 1.5 of their Bolt projector phone – and they’re selling it through Skymall, of all places.
The Logic Bolt 1.5 (called merely “Projector Phone” on the Skymall Web page) is a Symbian-powered smartphone with two SIM card slots, a feature that is common in some foreign countries but very rare in the US.
According to a spec sheet sent to us by Logic Wireless, the phone has a 2.6-inch, 240×400 TFT LCD resistive touch screen; dual cameras (three megapixel on the back and one on the front), “Live TV & FM Radio,” and a built-in LCOS projector that can project images 64″ wide. The phone is supposedly only .66 inches thick.
So what’s the catch? No 3G. That may be one reason Logic’s COO Miran Maric told us they’re focusing on overseas sales right now, targeting carriers in countries where 3G isn’t a big deal yet.
AT&T today stopped selling iPhones online to New York metro-area customers through their att.com Web site because of “increased fraudulent activity in that area when ordering the iphone,” an online customer support representative named Timothy told me this evening in an online chat.
Now, that’s not what online customer support rep Daphne told the blog The Consumerist, but it’s what Timothy told me. According to a Consumerist post, Daphne told their writer “New York is not ready for the iPhone” because the city doesn’t “have enough towers.”
Although AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega has previously admitted that the company needs to “do better” with their network in New York City, I suspect Daphne’s career with AT&T may be short lived from here on out.
Timothy told us that iPhones are still available at AT&T stores in the New York metro area. Apple’s Web site had no problem selling me an iPhone for use in New York City online, so if you want to buy online, try apple.com.
Peek devices are usually quite resolute in their single-purpose ways, but it looks like things are starting to change — the company is beta testing Facebook integration called PeekSocial. Once you install the app on your Facebook account, you’ll be able to update your status easily, and you’ll also receive periodic emails that pull content from your newsfeed. Yeah, it’s a little hacky — how about enabling support for a real Facebook app, Peek?
This article was written on February 11, 2008 by CyberNet.
Microsoft Monday
Many of you have an extensive library of songs on your computer that you’ve downloaded over time. If you’re like me, having all of the album information like the name of the song, the year it came out, and the artist is important. Today we’re going to be talking about how to edit MP3 details in Windows Vista so that your library of songs stay up-to-date and accurate.
Edit MP3 Details in Details Pane
One way that you can edit MP3 details in Windows Vista is in the Details Pane. This is the box that you see at the bottom of Windows Explorer when you’re viewing a song. Below is a screenshot of the details pane that I see when I click on the song “Have a Nice Day” by Bon Jovi:
Most of the text that you see in the Details Pane can be changed. Below is a close-up of the pane so that you get an idea of what all can be changed:
Artist – Type in the name of the artist
Album – Which album is the song from? Enter it here
Genre – This is where you specify the music genre
Ratings – Rate a song between 0-5 stars
Year – This is where you can enter the year that it was released
Title – Enter the title of the song
Notice in the image below how you can resize the pane to see more details which is a really nice feature. If you shrink it down to the smallest size possible, all you’ll see is a very small picture of the album art, the title of the song, and the artist. By expanding the pane to show more details, you’ll be able to view more information.
If you decide that you don’t want to view details, you can right click and select “Hide Details Pane.” If you hide the pane and decide you want it back, just click Organize > Layout > Details Pane.
Remove Properties
The details pane may include more information than you really want displayed. Luckily you can remove properties from displaying by right clicking in the pane and selecting “Remove Properties.” A Box will pop up where you can select which properties you’d like removed as shown below:
Edit MP3 Details in Properties Menu
Another way to edit MP3 details in Windows Vista is to right-click on a song and select “properties.” There are a ton of different details that you can change in the properties menu which you can’t change in the details pane. Here’s just a sampling of what you can view and/or change in the properties window:
Select which music player the song should open with by default
View/enter the publisher, when it was copyrighted, the URL for the author
View and then copy or restore any previous versions that may be available
Open advanced attributes and choose settings you would like for the particular folder (you can also compress or encrypt attributes as well)
View Security details
Note: In both the details pane and the properties menu, you can bulk edit by selecting multiple songs at the same time.
Below is a screenshot which shows what the properties menu looks like:
Editing MP3 details in Windows Vista is very simple to do, especially with two different ways to go about doing it. For those of you who like to keep all of the track information correct and available for the songs that you have on your computer, you’ll appreciate using both the details pane and the properties menu (which you can find by right clicking on a song) in Vista.
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Happy holidays, gear heads! In case you missed them, here are some helpful guides to get you and your new gift gadgets off to the right start.
