iPhone Approll

Today I had one of those what-the-heck software moments that occurs when a program breaks where it's least expected. A premier feature in the iPhone application I was tinkering with had vanished after a version update.

1Password for iPhone, first reviewed by my colleague Josh Lowensohn, is better known by its Mac counterpart, which encrypts log-ons and passwords on the Mac and automatically fills them in on Web pages. Windows users can think of it as the rough equivalent to RoboForm.

Since a smooth move like that requires multiple programs to run concurrently--something presently prohibited for iPhone applications--1Password for iPhone sports a work-around. Rather than leave the application to sign on to a page from Safari, 1Password launches an in-application Web browser from a log-in detail page. Clicking the icon of a keyhole and then clicking the site name will auto-fill the log-in information, therefore getting by that pesky lack of program multitasking still plaguing the iPhone.

Those last two steps are superfluous in my opinion, but what's worse is that the procedure failed. Over and over again. Could the publisher have pulled the feature? Not likely as long as the Web site is still boasting native iPhone support for autofill. So what happened?

The new log-on reminder option is a must until 1Password's iPhone autofill feature is restored.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

It turns out that Dave Teare, co-founder of Agile Web Solutions, 1Password's publisher, had some trouble with the latest release and discovered the mistake after already submitting buggy version 1.3 to the iTunes App Store for approval. Now 1Password for iPhone is stripped of the gem in its password-protecting crown and will remain so until Apple busts version 1.3.2 free from iTunes purgatory, a process that will take anywhere from three days to a week.

Ahem. That's what happens when you let someone else rule the release of your software. Apple's tight control over the contents of the App Store is ordinarily an understandable check against malicious software and bogus software, but in this case, it curbs the publisher's ability to push emergency fixes. This shift in the power dynamic will either: demand greater quality on the publishers' end; feed a few tech scandals when buggy software slips by; create some truly naggy and disgruntled developers and marketers; or all of the above.

I have to wonder if the iTunes team has considered priority accounts like Google AdWords or emergency-attention surcharges like UPS and FedEx. Probably. As long as iPhones are hot and the applications are hotter, future iPhone application flubs by furrowed-brow publishers could become a lucrative opportunity to sell premium customer service.

At any rate, those of you who have already updated your 1Password iPhone application to version 1.3 can still enjoy other fixes, like the newly-instituted capability to delete entries and hide passwords in editing view; a panel that displays your log-on info to manually enter it in the browser window; and a security setting to swallow up the 1Password browser's cookies.

Last.fm's music-centered social network is one of our favorite ways to discover, share, and stream music online. Currently in version 1.01, the Last.fm application for the iPhone and iPod Touch allows many of the best features of Last.fm to break away from your computer and go on the road with you. The Last.fm app isn't perfect, however, and people looking for a straightforward Internet radio application would do better with offerings from Pandora and AOL.

The Last.fm app's main menu offers many ways to hear streaming music...maybe too many.

When launching the Last.fm iPhone app for the first time, you'll be prompted to enter your existing Last.fm account username and password, or you'll be offered the option to create a new account. If you're new to Last.fm, we recommend you get started with the service using your home computer, since many features depend on an ongoing analysis of your computer's music collection (also known as scrobbling).

Once you're logged in, the Last.fm app offers eight ways to stream music over EDGE, 3G, or Wi-Fi. You can listen to songs Last.fm has already scrobbled from your computer's music collection, treat yourself to recommended songs, do a cold search for new music, or hear what your friends have been listening to. The music playback screen is similar to Apple's own iPod screen, displaying large cover art, volume, pause, and skip controls, as well as an iTunes purchase link and Last.fm's own song rating buttons, which help to steer the quality of song recommendations. On the very bottom edge of the screen you'll find tabs for the currently playing track, artist biography, similar artists, events (such as related concerts), and a More tab that includes the track's tag information and Top Listeners.

With all its features, tabs, and buttons, the Last.fm app is one of the most in-depth and dynamic streaming music applications available for the iPhone. Unfortunately, despite its ambitious list of features, the program is bogged down with performance issues that make it frustrating to use at times. During testing in both Wi-Fi and 3G modes, we often experienced 5 to 10 second buffer delays each time we initiated a music stream or skipped between songs. The buffer issues subsided under ideal circumstances where Wi-Fi or 3G reception was strong; however, similar streaming audio applications from Pandora and AOL offered better streaming performance under more realistic conditions.

With any luck, future updates to the Last.fm app will improve streaming music reliability and refine the somewhat confusing assortment of menu options and playback screen features. In its current state, the Last.fm app presents a bite-size version of the Last.fm Web site experience in a way that may satisfy existing users, but is unlikely to win new converts.

Editors' note: Last.fm is owned by CNET's parent company, CBS Interactive.

Stitcher is trying to be to news and information what Pandora is to music. The service provides you with a variety of audio programming, broken down by topics, such as sports, technology, and world news. Sources for the app include CNN, CNET, ESPN, AP, WSJ, Reuters, and a variety of local sources. As you rate the various audio streams and podcasts, Stitcher learns what you might like and serves up content.

While there is a bigger market for music, I think that there is a sizable market for customized news and information. A lot of people listen to news and sports on the radio and Stitcher makes it easy to have a highly personalized stream to get you caught up on what matters to you.

Stitcher is a free, ad supported app. There is no word yet on when the app is going to be available to the general public, but the limited beta test ends at the end of this week.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Google has updated yet another one of its products to work better on Apple's iPhone. On Thursday the company launched a new version of its Translate service that lets anyone convert their native tongue into one of the other 23 available languages.

The service has been reworked mainly to appeal to travelers who don't want to carry around phrase books and have their mobile phones with them anyway. In a post about the update, Google software engineer Allen Hutchison notes that the tool uses as minimal an amount of data as possible, so it won't break the bank while you're abroad and incur massive data roaming charges from your carrier. Hutchison says the general number of translations is anywhere between 200-400 per 1MB of data, which is quite a few considering data can cost you at least $0.005 per KB while abroad (depending your carrier).

The tool also keeps track of all your previous entries, so each time you come back to the page, your past translations will be there. You can get it to go back and re-translate them all to another language without getting rid of the old ones.

Also, in case you're trying to use it as a tool to communicate with someone else (without slaughtering any pronunciations) you can reverse the two languages on the fly, letting someone else type using their own language as long as it matches your phone's selected character set.

Still missing from the mobile version of Translate is the site translator and the dictionary utility that pulls up full word definitions and commonly used phrases that surround them, the former being useful for hitting local hotel or attraction sites while out on the go.

If you're too cheap to pay for a personal trainer after dropping two or three hundred bucks on a new iPhone or iPod Touch, Fitsync might be just what you're looking for. This Web application will track and organize exercises, help you put together a solid workout, and log results with a tap or two.

Included are a slew of exercises you can browse through and stack together. There are also recommended workouts you can borrow from others. The application makes use of the iPhone's video-playing capabilities to provide demos of each exercise so you'll know what to do. Most of these are only a few seconds, so they'll load pretty fast, even on first-generation iPhones on a weak signal (which can be typical in most concrete-laden gyms).

As the name would suggest, Fitsync's iPhone app will sync up workout data from your phone to your Fitsync.com account. You can the see how far you're progressing with each muscle group or particular exercise, and even get recommendations for other exercises based on what you've done in the past.

Fitsync is free to try out for 15 days. After that, you've got to upgrade to the $4.95 monthly plan to retain access to the mobile version, though you'll still be able to enter your workout data through the less iPhone-friendly desktop iteration.

Fitsync lets you organize a workout, track it while you're excerising, and even check out demos of excerises--all in one place.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

(Credit: Mac-Addict)

The application basically turns your iPhone into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, giving all of your Wi-Fi-enabled devices internet, wherever you have a cell signal. There are similar solutions available for iPhone users who have jailbroken their handsets, but they are significantly more complicated than Nullriver's offering, and since they require a hacked phone, don't hold mainstream appeal.

Briefly available, NetShare allowed iPhone users to take advantage of tethering their 3G and EDGE connections to their computers.

(Credit: MacRumors.com)

Those of us who were not quick enough to grab the app while it was available on the App Store seem to be out of luck for now. Links to the application now pop up with an error message that reads, "The item you've requested is not currently available in the US store." It's not exactly clear what happened with NetShare, how it slipped through the cracks, or why it was pulled. The app may have accidentally gotten through in the avalanche of new applications that are being added to the store, however it seems unlikely that someone at Apple would have signed off on this app, not knowing what it did. It would appear that either Apple, AT&T, or both had cleared the application, then quickly reconsidered. Apple has not yet responded to a request for a comment on the issue.

(Credit: Veiosoft)

OK, we know you're probably iPhone-apped out by now, but a seemingly promising program called DataCase is worth a mention. It turns your iPhone (or iPod Touch) into a handheld wireless drive, meaning you should be able to peek at your PowerPoint document, reread your Word Document, review a PDF, or check your Excel spreadsheet when and where you want, with no upload program or server configuration necessary.

The program works directly with Finder and Bonjour to let you save all manner of files by dragging and dropping. PCs and Linux are also supported.

The application is currently in public beta, with the development team at Veiosoft delaying the final release so they can iron out any major problems. "We expect the beta period to be very short, and sincerely hope you'll understand our desire to release quality software over pushing out something that does not meet your expectations," the Web site says. Hmmm, we like the sound of that. The $7 price tag doesn't sound too bad, either.

Watch a demo of DataCase below.

Earlier this week I compared Evernote and YouNote, two solid note-taking applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. With the thousands of Apple-approved iPhone apps springing up in the iTunes AppStore, finding the right program is becoming a test of patience.

In an effort to help slash your guesswork a bit, we took a closer look at one of those note-takers, YouNote. In this First Look video, we demonstrate the features that caught our eye and discuss what we'd like to see in YouNote's future versions.

Also check out other First Look videos on popular and must-have apps for Windows, Mac, and mobile.

There are just three simple instructions for finding local restaurants with Urbanspoon for iPhone and iPod Touch, an application developed by the makers of Urbanspoon.com:

Step 1: If you're one the iPhone, let the app use GPS to pinpoint your location. If you're on the iPod Touch, tap the button to enter your city.

Step 2: Vigorously shake the device up and down like you would a blocked-up ketchup bottle. Or simply press the "shake" button.

Step 3: Watch the application's slot machine wheels spin as Urbanspoon settles on a cuisine, price range, and finally on a restaurant selection in a nearby neighborhood.

From there, you can spin again for a different recommendation, click to view the suggested restaurant's details, or read users' and critics' reviews. Even if you take a dim view of playing a casino game to find your supper, the application's browse and search panels offer more conventional tools. See all the ways you can discover local restaurants in the First Look video above.

1Password lets you add and manage all sorts of Web log-ins in one place.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

iPhone and iPod Touch users have a fantastic new solution for keeping track of log-in credentials from site to site. It's called 1Password, and like the name suggests, you only need to remember one password to access and use your log-ins across hundreds and thousands of sites.

Like RoboForm (download) and other desktop password solutions, 1Password lets you save these log-ins under the protection of a single master password. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of Apple's SDK, you can't run 1Password while you're randomly browsing in Safari, meaning you won't be able to enjoy the ease of autofill. 1Password's workaround is to have you plug in your log-in information and the URL of where that log-in screen is located. From the application, you can simply click on the site you want to go to and it will plug all of that information into the correct fields when it opens in an in-app browser.

The application is already off to a great start, but there are some quirks that need fixing (and will be getting soon). The most glaring omission is the lack of an on-screen keyboard, meaning if there's something like a captcha or another form to fill in later on, you're out of luck. You're also unable to delete saved log-ins, so any log-in you no longer need must be repurposed instead.

Otherwise, there's a lot of power for advanced users. Once you're browsing any site, if you have to log in again for something, you can simply hit the "lock" key, which will plug in your username and password yet again. The same can be done for forms if you're willing to make a preset for that--something just fantastic when you need to enter billing information without killing your thumbs.

Mac users who want to carry over passwords from their browser can also take advantage of cross-platform sync, which will port over log-ins from their desktop to their phone and vice versa with the $35 desktop version.

[via Macrumors]