We’ve been trying to grasp why Apple keeps blacklisting useful apps. For example, the latest app blacklisted that we find extremely useful is Podcaster.

Now, Podcaster was built exactly to the SDK specifications and actually allows you to download and manage any podcast you would like on the fly. Sounds really useful, doesn’t it?

Well Apple decided that it shouldn’t be on the App Store for the following reason: “Since Podcaster assists in the distribution of podcasts, it duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes.”

Think about it for a second. As David Chartier from ArsTechnica made clear, there are a clear abundance of calculator and stopwatch apps for the iPhone. Doesn’t the iPhone do that on it’s own already?

The developers are doing their best to keep this app alive by providing it Ad Hoc for a donation of $9.99. While Apple can shut that down at any point, the developers claim to be trying their hardest to keep everything together for at least one year. Check out their website for more info.

Tags: ad hoc, app store, arstechnica, iphone, ipod touch, itunes, podcaster

Last week was a week of new firmware and new cracks apparently.

The iPod Touch firmware 2.1 launched just last Tuesday and by Friday it was already QuickPwn’d. The process isn’t exactly the one click solution that we’ve all grown accustom to, but if you’re the type that just can’t wait for the DevTeam to make things a little bit more noob friendly, you can go ahead and give it a shot. the whole process isn’t that difficult to handle.

While this method does work, the DevTeam has made it clear that this isn’t one of their official releases, so keep that in mind!

Tags: apple, devteam, firmware 2.1, genuis playlist, iphone, ipod touch, itunes, quickpwn

Tried out the new iTunes 8 yet? Well if you’ve got a jailbroken iPhone or are attempting to jailbreak your iPhone, you may not want to give it a shot after all. As of right now the PwnageTool doesn’t exactly play nice with iTunes 8. While Apple can’t undo what the PwnageTool does through firmware updates, the new iTunes does make it currently impossible to restore your iPhone to an iPwned ipsw.

The DevTeam is working their hardest on making their next release handle this issue, but is it really needed? Considering you can’t yet unlock the 3G network, there’s not a whole lot of use for it besides customizing how your iPhone looks. Perhaps if that’s your thing you should avoid the latest iTunes.

Tags: 3g iphone, apple, devteam, iphone, itunes, jailbreak, Mac, pwnagetool

iPhone and iPod Touch users are going to have quite the bit of extras on their hands in the coming months. The first of many interactive album applications has officially been dated for release! What this means for you is that future albums that you download to your iPhone or iPod Touch will come packed with a digital booklet, extra videos, lyrics, images, behind the scenes footage, and artwork. You’ll essentially have the limited edition junk you always wanted right on your iPhone.

The first band to go through with this is Snow Patrol. So check out their latest album release due out next month if this is your kinda thing.

Tags: app store, interactive album applications, iphone, ipod touch, itunes, itunes 8

It looks like the biggest issue behind the 3G problems for the iPhone have finally been unraveled!

Sources from inside Apple have revealed that the latest iPhone firmware update (2.0.2) has actually done a little bit of fixing on the iPhone and network side. The problem that many people have been facing was a significant lack of 3G connection. It looks like the reason behind that was actually the fault of the iPhone.

When a phone makes a request to a cell tower for power, it only needs to take a certain amount. Apparently the iPhone was getting a little bit too greedy. The phone was asking for way more power than it actually needed, resulting in those who gained a connection managing to keep it, but those who just made connection with that tower would not be able to get any signal.

The firmware upgrade did make some changes and fix some issues with the iPhone, but until every iPhone is running this firmware, we still may be out of luck.

Tags: 2.5g, 3g, apple, AT&T, ede, iphone 3g, itunes

More information regarding Google’s soon to be released mobile operating system have come to light. Today on the Google Android Developers Blog we had a chance to learn a little bit more about how the apps are going to work with Android and what we have to look forward to.

Instead of a store, Google will offer the Android Market, a place where any and all developers can list their apps for use with Google Android immediately and without approval. There will be plenty of measures taken to make sure that you won’t be able to load the wrong version of the app onto your Android based phone (as not all Android capable phones can do the same thing) and of course make the distinction between free and paid (paid apps won’t be in Android Market 1.0, fyi).

We’re nearing the launch of Google Android, so stay tuned for more up to the minute information from your favorite tech blog.

Tags: android market, app store, apps, developers, google, google android, iphone, itunes, sdk

It’s only been one short month since the launch of the iTunes App Store adn we’re already seeing that the projected number of downloades (including free and paid apps) have reached over 60 million. That figure also comes with an estimation that Apple has earned over $30 million from the sale of iPhone and iPod Touch apps in this short period of time. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Steve Jobs felt encouraged enough by these figures to say that “[the app store] will be a $1 billion marketplace at some point in time.”.

Jobs has high hopes of future apps being the customization that people need to make their phone unique enough to be their own in the same fashion that newer models and different physical styles had done for past phones. Only time will tell if this theory will catch on.

Tags: app store, apple, iphone, ipod touch, itunes, steve jobs

Waking up this morning nice and early brought about a flurry of new blog posts and stories for me to read. After all, I was away from my computer for at least 6 hours. But out of all the stories I saw, one caught my eye specifically:

iPhone App Store Walkthrough, Apps Now Available

I’m fairly certain I leapt up for my phone, ran to find my cord, scrambled to manually download iTunes 7.7 because it wouldn’t automatically upgrade to it for me, and then cried a bit on the inside, like you do when you realize your parents lied to you all those years, because iPhone Firmware 2.0 was still no where to be found.

Sure, you can browse the Apps and view everything you’ll be able to play with tomorrow on your 3G iPhone or hopefully upgraded EDGE iPhone, but what good does that do me now?

Thanks Apple….again.

Tags: 3g iphone, app store, apple, edge iphone, iphone 2.0, itunes

Itunes competitor and music subscription service, Rhapsody has shoveled a little more dirt on the coffin of DRM.

DRM, for those who don’t know, is what prevents you from actually owning the iTunes tracks you pay for – which is totally awesome, by the way.

Well Rhapsody has just launched a new version of its service that is DRM-free. Tracks run the standard $.99/song and albums cost $9.99. But wait, there’s more! The first 100,000 sign-ups before July 4 get an album for free. Getting a sweet deal and sticking it to the man? Sign me up.

Tags: drm, drm0free, itunes, rhapsody

No one likes paying taxes so it is pretty much a given that most people are not going to appreciate paying taxes on digital products such as music from iTunes or books from eBooks or Borders. Unfortunately, it appears that if a group of lawmakers get their way, those tax-free digital downloads from eBooks and iTunes may not be tax-free much longer. In fact, due to the actions of a number of state politicians, many states have started to adopt new bills placing taxes on any digital goods sold to individuals within the state.

These bills have been appearing for some time now, but to date only the bills in Iowa and California have actually been defeated so it may not be long before almost every state puts these taxes into effect.

Tags: digital download, ebooks, itunes, taxes