Announcements

Sling has announced its SlingPlayer for the iPhone has entered a 1.0 release and has been submitted to the App Store for approval.

The mobile player for the iPhone has been long rumored since the device’s launch but now, we only have to wait until Apple approves the App. The system allows you to stream you content to any device in the world from the company’s Sling Box media player. The iPhone App would accomplish the same thing allowing you to listen to music and watch videos stored on your Sling Box and in addition, let you control your DVR to record and schedule shows when you’re away from home.

Via: TUAW

Boxee, the long time companion to many media centers, has pushed out an Application for the iPhone that allows users to control their Boxee setup from their device.

The App gives users enhanced control from their iPhone allowing them to type searches, use gestures or use on screen buttons to use basic media playback controls. A quick summarization of the features in the remote App:

1. The boxee remote app has two modes: Gesture and Buttons.
2. In the Gesture mode you need to hold down your thumb and move it around in order to navigate.
3. Clicking on the boxee logo acts as Select/Play/Pause.
4. Dragging the boxee logo to the edges of the screen will act as a continuous up/down/left/right.
5. Clicking in an input field will open up the iPhone Qwerty keyboard and will enable you to easily enter text.
6. The app works over WiFi, so make sure the WiFi on your iPhone is turned on.

Via iPhones Talk

In a move that I think is in preperation for a future device, AT&T will be offering contract-free iPhone 3Gs beginning March 26th.

Boy Genius Report is claiming to have been given slides from an internal AT&T training presentation that include information stating that they will be offering contract-free iPhone 3Gs to existing customers starting on March 26th.

Prices are not discounted and will be starting at $599 for the 8GB and $699 for the 16GB model.

There were quite a few updates for iPhone 3.0 which is amazing. I didn’t expect such a significant update because after all, this is Apple. So, let’s see what is coming to our iPhones “this summer:”

+Peer-to-peer connectivity over Bluetooth for gaming and other uses
+Paid apps will have the potential to be subscription fee-based, and can include optional paid content that can be bought from right inside the app. An in-store if you will
+Developers can now build apps for turn-by-turn
+Developers can connect with hardware accessories over in their apps now, such as a blood pressure monitor and the other demoes that they talked about. Its neat
+Push functionality at last!!
+Developers can add streaming video and audio to their apps via push
+Cut, copy and paste. At last! Implementation of this is brilliant.
+MMS, at last!
+A2DP stereo Bluetooth, which some people really wanted as well
+Spotlight has been added to a new home screen page to the left of existing pages, allowing for universal search on the phone.
+A new app called Voice Memos which lets you record notes and reminders.
+Landscape keyboard… more...

There has been a toss up of whether or not Sirius will start streaming its content to the iPhone. Be assured, it is coming.

It is official, Sirius XM will be streaming its satellite radio content sometime this spring according to CNBC.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for (Sirius) with iPhone,” said Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce. “Unlike buying a new car, it’s not an expensive proposition, but it’s a tough time for consumers to be trying new products.”

I agree David Joyce.

Not much else is detailed, but for those who love Sirius XM, be comforted by the fact that it is coming to an iPhone near you.

What would you like to see for the future iPhone update? Copy/Paste; Sure. MMS messaging; Of course. Push Notification; Definitely!

Out of those most wanted features, I have been truly waiting for push notification. Of course the others are much needed but for some reason I am really looking forward to push.

According to Appleinsider, one of the features has the possibility of showing up with Apple’s recently announced event planned for March 17th.

Earlier today, Apple issued a press event announcement that promises to offer a “sneak peek” at iPhone OS 3.0. It’ll go down at 10am Pacific on March 17th in Apple’s Town Hall building in Cupertino.

By sneak peak, I assume we won’t have any goodies to put on our iPhone on that date, but at least we can see where Apple is going with the next software release.

My question is, who will host this event?

You may have heard a new iPod Shuffle landed today with some comical improvements but the (slightly) more important thing is the inevitable release of iTunes 8.1 which is required for the new Shuffle. Everyone else, you get to enjoy everything of a typical point upgrade plus what Apple has deemed worthy to put in the release notes.

  * Speed improvements: iTunes gets a speed boost. Now when it comes to loading large libraries, browsing the iTunes Store, and syncing your devices,  iTunes responds faster than before.
  * Genius sidebar for movies and TV shows: In addition to music, the Genius sidebar now introduces you to movies and TV shows you might also enjoy.
  * Import as iTunes Plus: Automatically import music from your CDs as higher quality, 256-Kbps iTunes Plus files.

Via: The iPhone Blog

Don’t have a Kindle, but have an iPhone? Not a problem! Grab the app the Amazon promised with they launch of the Kindle 2.

“Kindle for iPhone allows Apple iPhone and iPod touch owners to read Kindle books using a simple, easy-to-use interface. You can shop for hundreds of thousands of books at http://www.amazon.com/kindlestore, and wirelessly transfer the books to your iPhone or iPod touch. Enjoy Amazon’s low prices on Kindle books, including New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases for $9.99, unless marked otherwise.”

The app is pretty nice. I don’t have a Kindle, and I wasn’t going to get one, so this is great for me. Some features include the ability to switch back and forth between your Kindle device and the app and keep track of where you are between the devices; called Whispersync. In addition, you are able to read first chapters of any book for free before you buy and if you have already purchased books, you can re-download them (free) because they are automatically backed up to Amazon.

In a surprise, MacRumors has announced Apple has begun approving third party web browsers for the iPhone in the last 24 hours.

For those of you hoping to see Firefox or Opera or IE 6 (lmao, just kiddin) on the iPhone, you might get your wish.

This is yet another mellowing of Apple in its strictness about iPhone apps, but if you look, it had already allowed some form of third party browsers in the App Store. NetNewsWire for instance has a web browser built-in (which is freakin’ wonderful coz you can read a full article without leaving the app).

Of the browsers released so far, one that caught my eye is WebMate:Tabbed Browser ($0.99) -  which is described as simplifying “browsing by queuing up all the links you click on, then allowing you to view them one by one when you’re ready.” That is a feature I would really appreciate when reading news sites.

Hopefully, it won’t be long before we see what Mozilla can do with the iPhone.

Don’t have an iPhone yet? Know someone who wants one? Want an extra iPhone?

AT&T is once again offering refurbished iPhone 3Gs for sale on their website, each roughly $50 off their retail price. So you are looking at $150 and $250 (16GB), respectively.

If I am not mistaken, they have both the black and white 16GB models for sale as well as the 8GB one for sale. To make sure you get one, visit here