I got my iPhone 4 this week, and many of you did too. It is still an object of curiosity; I traveled to Miami this week and was stopped by many people who saw me using the iPhone 4 — both friends and strangers — to ask about it. But I saw that I was not alone, with many other people using iPhone 4's, and all of them had a story about what they went though to get it (difficulty in pre-ordering, waiting in line to get it, etc.). Apple announced this past weekend that they sold almost 2 million iPhone 4's and I suspect that they are well over 3 million by now. Here is the iPhone news of the week that caught my attention:
- Earlier this week, I talked about the funny and well-designed Scoopertino website. What I didn't realize at the time is who is behind that site; check out my update to that post and you may be as surprised as I was.
- West recently updated the Black's Law Dictionary app (which I reviewed last year) to work better with iOS 4 and the iPhone 4. West also says that it is working on an update to the Black's Law Dictionary app, due this Fall, which will include the content of the 9th edition of Black's Law Dictionary (the current print edition which was released in 2009); the current version of the app contains the contents of the 8th edition of Black's Law Dictionary (released in 2004). Click here for Black's Law Dictionary ($49.99):
- Clayton Morris of Fox News was trying out the camera on his new iPhone 4 when he realized that he was taking pictures of a thief leaving the scene of a crime so he called the police and followed the criminal, and justice was served.
- Michael Johnston of the We Have Communicators podcast lost his iPhone when it slipped out of his pocket while he was on a ride at Six Flags. Using the Find My iPhone feature, he tracked the iPhone's location, learned that an employee had stolen it and sold it to someone, and with the help of the police was able to recover his phone, and once again justice was served. Get the full story on this week's edition of the podcast.
- Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas was the victim of a theft when someone broke into his house and stole lots of items, including his iPad. According to KTLA news, Will.i.am used Find My iPhone to tell the police where his stash was located, and even more justice was served.
- James Galbraith of Macworld tests battery life on the iPhone 4. In short: it is better.
- I am a big fan of LogMeIn Ignition, an app that allows you to control a computer from your iPhone. It is a great way to access your home computer when you are away, connect to a relative's computer to troubleshoot, etc. The app was updated for iOS 4 not too long ago, and a second update this week brings fast app switching support so that you can leave the app and come back within a few minutes and stay connected to the computer that you are controlling. So now you can answer the phone, check an e-mail, or look something up in Safari without having to reconnect to the computer. It's a great update to an already great app. Click here for LogMeIn Ignition ($29.99):
- For $9.99 a month, you can get Hulu Plus on your iPhone, allowing you to view a ton of new and old television shows. Ben Drawbaugh of Engadget has a review. You can download the app for free to check out some sample content and decide if you want to pay for the service. Click here for Hulu Plus (free):
- How many apps can you put on an iPhone running iOS 4? David Pogue of the New York Time investigates.
- Bob Tedeschi of the New York Times discusses using iPhone apps to find restaurants.
- Fastcase is one of my favorite iPhone apps and a must for any lawyer using an iPhone. The American Association of Law Libraries just named the app the New Product of the Year. (Link via Robert Ambrogi.) Click here for Fastcase (free):
- Lawyer Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge reviews the iMovie app for the iPhone 4. Click here for iMovie ($4.99):
- Jim Dalrymple of The Loop reports that AT&T has upgraded its network in New York City. About 4% of iPhone J.D. readers are in New York City, and if you are one of them, I'd love to hear whether you are seeing a difference.
- Jeff Gamet of The Mac Observer explains how to put a phone call on hold using an iPhone 4.
- What should you know about the iPhone 4's improved camera? Ted Landau of the Mac Observer wants you to know about ten things.
- If you are a current iPhone owner and upgrade to iPhone 4, will your existing iPhone accessories work? Dan Frakes of Macworld tackles that question.
- And finally, what would it looks like to attach your iPhone 4 to a balloon and set it free? Apparently, something like this:
