MobileChat is an instant message client for the iPhone which supports AIM, ICQ, .MAC, MobileME, Windows live/ MSN, Yahoo, GTalk and Jabber. By using a server side connection all of your IM connections can remain active regardless of your iPhone’s connectivity. Drop out of coverage and the server takes over and keeps your connection alive. When you log back into the application all your messages (including those sent when offline) are waiting. Each of your IM accounts can be online simultaneously (up to 10 accounts). When Apple enables their Push notifications the MobileChat service will automatically support that feature. Cost is $2.99 and the program is available now in App Store via the link below.

MobileChat via App Store

The creepy and odd programs just keep rolling out of the Apple App Store. This latest one promises (for a .99 download fee) to keep a fireplace log burning on your iPhone. Introduce this quirkiness at your own risk. The first time your significant other wiill probably find it cute. More than once - and you’re going to hear “you love that iPhone more than me” - as you’re waiting outside Divorce Court.

Campfire for iPhone

Chris Gavula and I have been beating this issue up over the 2 weeks since the release of the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 2.0 firmware. Both of us are Windows Mobile veterans of many years, and have bumped into problems like those that iPhone 3G users have been experiencing, before.

This morning, both of us are goggling it up, trying to get the skinny on who manufactured the iPhone 3G. What we’ve found is that MANY different companies made all of the different components.  However, like the original iPhone, FoxConn (Han Hai), out of Taipei is the assembler.  What neither of us have been able to nail down, though, is who made the 3G radio, and who wrote the radio ROM.

Continue Reading

One of the things I’m hoping Apple will add to the App Store is the ability to obtain demo copies of programs before you purchase them. As more applications are released, I find myself unwilling to commit even a relatively small amount of money to a program that may not permanently stay on my iPhone. In the majority of instances I cannot determined whether a program will be useful just by reading an iTunes description. Instead what I’d really like is a way to test the program before having to buy it through the App Store. Turns out that web site iSmashPhone has come up with a rather clever way to do this. It requires knowing someone who already owns the program you want to test. And since this all happens via iTunes without any hacking on your part - it seems to be a legitimate (if time consuming way) to test programs before buying them.

Continue Reading

Everyone and their brother, me included, has been wondering if turn-by-turn GPS navigation is coming to the iPhone. What NO ONE has said (out loud, at least) is the word, “TeleNav.”  Kinda makes you wonder why…

Continue Reading

The ability to receive your email in real time on a mobile device is referred to as Push Email. The Blackberry devices rode to fame based on an ability to instantly alert you to incoming emails. The iPhone 2.0 now allows for push email - but it has to be from Yahoo, MS Exchange or your address@me.com (MobileMe) email account. Unfortunately I’m a Google Apps for Domains user. All of my email comes in via Gmail. Which until now was not capable of being pushed to an iPhone (strangely enough it WILL push to a Blackberry). Here’s a neat trick for simulating push email on your iPhone. Forward all your email out of Gmail to your address@me.com email (where it is pushed to your iPhone). Then on your iPhone — set your SMTP server (which handles outgoing email) to smtp.gmail.com. Presto! Instant push Gmail. All of your outgoing email retains your email address and appears to come from you! Read more about the details of setting this up at the link below. Update: I used this method for about three days and I’ve since switched back to IMAP because I was going crazy trying to move email to the trash in my GMAIL account. Using the push method here does not automatically delete messages on your GMAIL account while the native GMAIL IMAP support syncs folders.

David Berube’s Blog - HOW TO: Get Push Gmail on Your iPhone 2.0 With MobileMe

OK… before the RUSH and nasty lines start forming over the weekend for all of you early adopters, let’s take a look at AT&T’s TOTAL 3G coverage in the US… The blue areas below, show just where all of their 3G networks are up and running.

• Blue = 3G
• Dark Orange = EDGE
• Light Oranage = GPRS
• Banded, Light Orange = Partner GPRS

Continue Reading

Website TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) reveals two screen shots of iPhone pre-release software v2 that show expanded iPhone push email is coming even for those not on a corporate email system (at least for those iPhone users with .mac email accounts). We’ve known that the iPhone will support MS Exchange for push email. Until now it’s been unclear whether other email providers such as .Mac, Gmail and Hotmail (Yahoo already supports push) may also hitch a ride on the “Apple Push Wagon”. This all plays into my thoughts outlined here - Blackberry Meltdown Coming Soon - Five Reasons RIM Popularity Will Peak This Year. The article notes that contacts and calendars are not presently pushed, though I have no doubt that will change - probably in time for the v2.0 iPhone software release.

Via: TUAW - .Mac push e-mail coming to iPhone 2.0?