Newton’s Lore

After typing various secure passwords into an iPod Touch (each change between numbers and letters requiring a switch of the virtual keyboard), I’d become convinced that people are likely to dumb down passwords they have to type into their iPhone. Want to buy an App? Password.
The phenomenon was noted over at 43 folders as well they also point out that the AppleTV conveniently highlights the characters on screen as you type them into iPhone Remote. Whilst this probably isn’t a problem in your living room it’s likely to pose a problem at trade show setups I’d guess.
Or perhaps use the accelerometers to unlock the iPhone keychain when you do the right interpretive dance?
Now if only they’d automatically reconnect to the VPN…

If you’re on your vacation and find yourself needing to VNC into a machine at work (you probably weren’t really on vacation, were you?) you could check out VNsea, an open source VNC client for iPhone and iPod Touch.

If you were frustrated at getting your iPhone/iPod Touch/MobileMe activated over the weekend you weren’t the only one (although I’m sure you could have found something better to do!). Someone took the time to come up with an “I’m an iPhone” video, and JoyOfTech also had a take on the BlackBerry schadenfreude, short lived though it was. Or check out “How to get broke by buying an iPhone”
Meanwhile, Australians weren’t left out of the picture with a certain phone company’s activation system going offline before the launch. Which was probably better than Optus (i)phone users in Queensland being unable to dial emergency 000.

Some friends of mine have written an article for Media Culture called iTunes Is Pretty (Useless) When You’re Blind: Digital Design Is Triggering Disability When It Could Be a Solution.
Check it out!

Although I’m somewhat suspicious that the claim that pod in iPod stands for “Portable on Demand”, seems more like a backronym coined by those wanting to use it to attempt to avoid being sued by Apple’s Lawyers.

Meanwhile some folks find podcasting less than inclusionary (sadly for a lecture series on Disability Inclusion!)

Personally I think the iPhone will suck from the ‘You have to look at it to use it’ point of view. Buttons at least make phones easier to use without looking at them. Perhaps some accelerometer based gesture user interface (although difficult to use in your pocket without looking somewhat suspicious Roll on the haptic iPhone.

If you want to trade in your mobile number (and no doubt some privacy) for a chance to win a 24 carat gold plated iPhone you can do so here.

Apple has released a third iPhone SDK. Probably because the previous one had just expired after only some 11 days.

Unwired View takes a look at an Apple patent for a multitouch enabled double sided flip feature on an (i)phone.

Check out the Lego-touch application for building Lego on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

at&t (otherwise known as “the death star”) have a page with helpful iPhone travel tips including how to turn off Data Roaming (Settings -> General -> Network -> Data Roaming)

After announcing that iTunes has sold 4 billion songs (20 million on Christmas Day), 125 million TV shows, and 7 million movies, Steve Jobs today announced the availability of iTunes Movie Rentals (for US users only!) with content from Sony, Universal, Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, Lionsgate, Newline, Fox, Warner Bros, Disney and Paramount.This will include over 1000 movies available 30 days after DVD release. Watch on Mac, PC, iPod or iPhone within 30s start time (assuming you’ve got decent broadband), and movies available for watching within 30 days but must be watched within 24 hours of starting to watch. US$2.99 for library titles and US$3.99 for new releases