With an iPhone app coming out for seemingly every conceivable activity you might want to do, it’s no surprise that there would be one to come for ordering pizza. That’s right, thanks to modern technology you can now order a range of food from this well known pizza franchise. “We recognize that there’s something big going on,” Bernard Acoca, Pizza Hut’s senior director of digital marketing was quoted as saying, “Apple’s technology platform enabled us to create an experience for our customers that makes ordering easier, faster and more fun.” With over 1.5 billion apps downloaded by user of the iPhone, it isn’t surprising to hear this. Pizza Hut has traditionally embraced innovation, being one of the first pizza restaurant chains to offer pizza deliveries ordered over the internet. The Pizza Hut app will play like a video game, allowing users to utilize the iPhone’s technology to create their own pizza by dragging and dropping their favorite toppings, shake the virtual Chicken Wings and even take a sale coupon from a refrigerator within the app. Pizza Hut hopes that consumers will want to enjoy the game and be motivated to buy more products, all while having an entertaining time doing so.

look what Dave wrote about his iPhone

I admit it…

I just can’t stop touching the iPhone. It’s an engineering marvel on so many levels. However, like Kevin of jkOnThe Run, the iPhone isn’t for me (yet). But before I tell you what I need to make the “switch” I have more iPhone shenanigans to share…

I ran to Kinkos to send a fax ($2/page?!) and since the AT&T store was only a block away, I dropped in for my third 1/2 hour on the device. First off, my thumb typing skills have improved – even without applying Brian Lam’s (slowish) sliding technique. Second, the phone stores text message conversations. An earlier phone number was still on the device, so I took the liberty of texting them “iPhone!” About 30 seconds later, the phone vibrated and the mysterious person with a 202 area code responded, “Take me home!” I assume they wanted me to take the iPhone home. To them. OK, so if you didn’t find that as amusing as I did, go check out this video for a chuckle. Nice job, Mark! That woman’s lucky to only be out $800 and that pompous attitude… I wouldn’t recommend flashing $16k cash in any neighborhood. So on to those missing features…

In order to migrate to the iPhone I need true real-time over-the-air Exchange (or BES) sync. I’m not interested in carrying two phones, thus my personal and work phones are one in the same. And using IMAP to pull email from Exchange doesn’t cut it — What about my contacts, appointments, and tasks? I also need Apple to offer iTunes movie rentals for times when I travel without connectivity. Alternately, if TiVo enabled TiVoToGo on the Series3 I’d be able to meet the same need. (This is why I no longer own a video-capable iPod.) And where the heck is iChat? On the hardware side of things, a $600 über-iPod most definitely needs stereo Bluetooth (especially given the deeply recessed headphone jack). While not necessary to make the switch – a higher resolution camera, integrated GPS, and an iPhone dock or cable with video out are desirable.

So why didn’t you buy an iPhone?

Recently, I’ve been contacted by Luca di Cesare, the creator of iWikiPhone. In a nutshell, iWikiPhone is a social network for iPhone users. At iWikiPhone everyone is able to talk about iPhone, post application reviews, share experience, insert videos and so on. iWikiPhone is built around true Wiki spirit.

If you want to become more productive with your iPhone and enjoy your wonder device in even better and richer ways, I highly recommend using iWikiPhone. The service is free and open to everyone.

Finally, I’d like to note that that Luca Di Cesare is an Electronic Engineer and online sales and management consultant. He has been awarded third place among the best start-up participants at the TechGarage2009 Users Choice Awards.

The demo was not going well.

Again.

It was a late morning in the fall of 2006. Almost a year earlier, Steve Jobs had tasked about 200 of Apple’s top engineers with creating the iPhone. Yet here, in Apple’s boardroom, it was clear that the prototype was still a disaster. It wasn’t just buggy, it flat-out didn’t work. The phone dropped calls constantly, the battery stopped charging before it was full, data and applications routinely became corrupted and unusable. The list of problems seemed endless. At the end of the demo, Jobs fixed the dozen or so people in the room with a level stare and said, “We don’t have a product yet.”

The effect was even more terrifying than one of Jobs’ trademark tantrums. When the Apple chief screamed at his staff, it was scary but familiar. This time, his relative calm was unnerving. “It was one of the few times at Apple when I got a chill,” says someone who was in the meeting.

The ramifications were serious. The iPhone was to be the centerpiece of Apple’s annual Macworld convention, set to take place in just a few months. Since his return to Apple in 1997, Jobs had used the event as a showcase to launch his biggest products, and Apple-watchers were expecting another dramatic announcement. Jobs had already admitted that Leopard — the new version of Apple’s operating system — would be delayed. If the iPhone wasn’t ready in time, Macworld would be a dud, Jobs’ critics would pounce, and Apple’s stock price could suffer.

And what would AT&T think? After a year and a half of secret meetings, Jobs had finally negotiated terms with the wireless division of the telecom giant (Cingular at the time) to be the iPhone’s carrier. In return for five years of exclusivity, roughly 10 percent of iPhone sales in AT&T stores, and a thin slice of Apple’s iTunes revenue, AT&T had granted Jobs unprecedented power. He had cajoled AT&T into spending millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours to create a new feature, so-called visual voicemail, and to reinvent the time-consuming in-store sign-up process. He’d also wrangled a unique revenue-sharing arrangement, garnering roughly $10 a month from every iPhone customer’s AT&T bill. On top of all that, Apple retained complete control over the design, manufacturing, and marketing of the iPhone. Jobs had done the unthinkable: squeezed a good deal out of one of the largest players in the entrenched wireless industry. Now, the least he could do was meet his deadlines.

For those working on the iPhone, the next three months would be the most stressful of their careers. Screaming matches broke out routinely in the hallways. Engineers, frazzled from all-night coding sessions, quit, only to rejoin days later after catching up on their sleep. A product manager slammed the door to her office so hard that the handle bent and locked her in; it took colleagues more than an hour and some well-placed whacks with an aluminum bat to free her.

But by the end of the push, just weeks before Macworld, Jobs had a prototype to show to the suits at AT&T. In mid-December 2006, he met wireless boss Stan Sigman at a suite in the Four Seasons hotel in Las Vegas. He showed off the iPhone’s brilliant screen, its powerful Web browser, its engaging user interface. Sigman, a taciturn Texan steeped in the conservative engineering traditions that permeate America’s big phone companies, was uncharacteristically effusive, calling the iPhone “the best device I have ever seen.” (Details of this and other key moments in the making of the iPhone were provided by people with knowledge of the events. Apple and AT&T would not discuss these meetings or the specific terms of the relationship.)

Six months later, on June 29, 2007, the iPhone went on sale. At press time, analysts were speculating that customers would snap up about 3 million units by the end of 2007, making it the fastest-selling smartphone of all time. It is also arguably Apple’s most profitable device. The company nets an estimated $80 for every $399 iPhone it sells, and that’s not counting the $240 it makes from every two-year AT&T contract an iPhone customer signs. Meanwhile, about 40 percent of iPhone buyers are new to AT&T’s rolls, and the iPhone has tripled the carrier’s volume of data traffic in cities like New York and San Francisco.

But as important as the iPhone has been to the fortunes of Apple and AT&T, its real impact is on the structure of the $11 billion-a-year US mobile phone industry. For decades, wireless carriers have treated manufacturers like serfs, using access to their networks as leverage to dictate what phones will get made, how much they will cost, and what features will be available on them. Handsets were viewed largely as cheap, disposable lures, massively subsidized to snare subscribers and lock them into using the carriers’ proprietary services. But the iPhone upsets that balance of power. Carriers are learning that the right phone — even a pricey one — can win customers and bring in revenue. Now, in the pursuit of an Apple-like contract, every manufacturer is racing to create a phone that consumers will love, instead of one that the carriers approve of. “The iPhone is already changing the way carriers and manufacturers behave,” says Michael Olson, a securities analyst at Piper Jaffray.

Object Recognition: One patent application, filed on June 17th, 2008, describes methods by which a mobile device user could detect an object via camera, RFID sensor or other means and have their device automatically identify and provide additional information on the object. In Apple’s background information on the patent, an example of an art museum is used, describing how a user might take a photo of a piece of art and wish to have it automatically identified and additional information on it provided, or engage in an audio tour or podcast and wish to access additional content beyond that provided in the audio files.

Facial Detection: Another patent application, filed on March 8th, 2008, addresses the use of facial detection to allow a device to determine whether a user is passively interacting with the device. As an example, Apple describes how a user watching a video may have to periodically interact with a device in order to prevent a screen saver from activating. Apple’s invention utilizes automatic facial detection via a camera on the device to determine that a user is present. The method may also be used to grant or deny users access to restricted applications or other data.

Message Filtering: Conceived as an extension of Parental Controls, this application, filed January 3rd, 2008, covers the ability for users to filter incoming or outgoing text-based messages based on their content. User-defined criteria could allow messages containing objectionable material to be edited to remove the content or be blocked entirely. Additionally, the technology could be used to require certain content to be present in messages. For example, a parent might require that messages contain proper spelling and grammar, or certain vocabulary words, or a certain number of words in a foreign language over a set period of time in order to aid a student in his or her studies.

Managing Multiple-Recipient Messages: In a patent application filed January 6th, 2008, Apple describes a method for managing messages with multiple recipients. The invention covers the ability for an application monitor whether the message has been delivered to all recipients, and if not, provide a simple interface for resending at a later time to those who have not received the message.

Unread Message Alerts: An application filed January 3rd, 2008 covers the ability for a device to automatically provide unread message alerts when a user is about to contact another party. For example, as a user begins to compose an e-mail to another person, the device may alert the user to unread messages from the second party that they may wish to view before sending their e-mail. The alert criteria may simply include the message recipient’s name, but could also be expanded to specify content on the same subject as the intended message.

Voice Modulation: In a final patent application filed April 2nd, 2008, Apple describes methods for modulating voice audio output to simulate additional voices. Apple’s examples describe a mother who could have an audiobook read in her voice to her child or a student who wishes to alter a section of a podcast lecture for emphasis.

OK, Apple releases iPhone OS 3.1 Beta to developers, yes!

iPhone SDK 3.1 beta and iPhone OS 3.1 beta are now posted to the iPhone Dev Center. These versions are for development and testing only and should be installed on devices dedicated to iPhone OS 3.1 beta software development. Please read the iPhone OS Pre-Install Advisory and the iPhone SDK 3.1 beta release notes before downloading and installing.

Now, the iPhone 3.1 release is still in beta and only available to developers  (for me).

Apple does not provide any details about the update. But it’s quite sure Apple will fix the exploit that is currently used by ultrasn0w.

So, if you have already unlocked your iPhone 3G with ultrasn0w, please stay away from upgrading to iPhone 3.1.

In the exciting new category of modern hand-held computers – devices that fit in your pocket but are used more like a laptop than a traditional phone – there so far has been only one serious option. But that will change Wednesday, when T-Mobile and Google bring out the G1, the first hand-held computer that’s in the same class as Apple’s iPhone.

I have been testing the G1 extensively, in multiple cities and in multiple scenarios. In general, I like it and consider it a worthy competitor to the iPhone. Both devices run on fast 3G phone networks and include Wi-Fi. Both have smart-touch interfaces and robust Web browsers. Both have the ability to easily download third-party apps, or programs.

Tampa buyers should beware, however. T-Mobile does not yet have 3G service in the area, so surfing the Web will be extremely slow compared with the iPhone. The company says it will provide local high speed service soon.

But the two devices have different strengths and weaknesses, and are likely to attract different types of users.

If you’ve been lusting after the iPhone’s functionality, but didn’t like its virtual keyboard, its user interface or its U.S. carrier, AT&T, the G1 may be just the ticket for you. But it does have some significant downsides.

By far, the G1’s biggest differentiator is that it has a physical keyboard, which is revealed by sliding open the screen. The keyboard proved only fair in my tests, and is complemented by a BlackBerry-like trackball for navigation.

The G1 has a removable battery and uses removable, expandable memory cards. And it’s even a bit cheaper than its Apple rival: $179 versus $199. Its data plan also costs less – $25 a month versus $30 – and includes 400 free text messages, which cost extra on the iPhone.

The G1 has a slick, clever touch interface to go along with its keyboard, and it includes a powerful new operating system, called Android, which was built by Google.

It’s much easier to place a phone call on the G1. You can just start typing a contact name or phone number while on the home screen, sparing the need to enter the phone or contacts program.

This first Android phone, which was largely designed by Google and built by Taiwan-based HTC, also includes some key features Apple omitted. These include a limited ability to copy and paste text, and the ability to send photos to other phones without relying on e-mail. And, unlike AT&T, T-Mobile will even allow users to legally unlock the phone after 90 days and start using it on another carrier, provided you pay a hefty early-termination fee.

In my battery tests, the G1 lasted through the day, but I had to charge it every night.

However, the G1 also has downsides. It’s a chunky brick of a device. While it’s narrower than the iPhone and feels OK in the hand, it’s almost 20 percent heavier and nearly 30 percent thicker. It also has a smaller screen.

The G1 also skimps on memory. It comes with only 1 gigabyte of storage, just one-eighth of what the base iPhone offers. To increase the G1’s memory, you have to buy a larger memory card.

The G1 also is a greatly inferior multimedia device when compared with the iPhone. Its music player, while adequate, isn’t as nice as the built-in iPod on the iPhone. And it lacks a video player altogether.

And then there’s the network. T-Mobile offers 3G in just 20 U.S. metro areas.

Overall, the G1 is a good first effort, and a godsend for people who prefer physical keyboards or T-Mobile but want to be part of the new world of pocket computers.

Way back in the elder days of iPhone 3.0 Beta 5, there was some discussion on Twitter about how apps would have an incorrect icon, or would be missing an icon altogether. Since the iPhone 3.0 betas were private and not public, TiPb didn’t post about it as that’s just not how we play cricket. Private betas will have bugs, get those bugs reported, and hopefully have those bugs fixed by the time the software goes into general availability.

However, TUAW highlights that this particular bug is still biting iPhone 3.0, even in the release version. Now, as then, if you have an app that’s missing an icon or has the incorrect icon, you can try to reboot your iPhone, delete the app and download or sync it back on, or wait for Apple to fix it in a 3.0.x update.

Meanwhile, you can let us know the funniest app mishaps iPhone 3.0 is giving you in the comments below.

(Mine is the little AIM dude swiping my 1Passwords Pro!)

from the iPhone blog. Thanks!

Modem access or tethering is an in-demand feature for the iPhone. Even though AT&T provides data tethering options at an additional cost for its other smartphones, it doesn’t offer a similar feature for the iPhone. NullRiver, the developer of Installer.app had recently made available, a data tethering application called Netshare in the App Store that allowed the sharing of an iPhone’s EDGE or 3G Internet connection with a computer. Netshare basically turned the iPhone into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, enabling a Wi-Fi enabled device or laptop to surf the internet using the iPhone’s data connection. However this application was removed from the App Store recently with “no explanation” as per Nullriver.

• Cut/copy/paste
• Shake to undo
• MMS
• Landscape mode in mail, notes, and messages
• USB tethering
• Spotlight search
• In-app purchases
• Shake to shuffle iPod
• Auto-fill
• Turn by turn GPS capability
• Improved predictive dictionary