A Neowin.net reader as posted a fix that seems to solve the sluggish performance on the iPhone 3G. This fix seems to also resolve the battery drain problems I was having on my 3Gs as well.

The fix is this, Go to “Settings->General->Home Button->Spotlight Search-> deselect every option” and this will stop background indexing on the phone.

Apple has just released their latest firmware update for the iPhone and iPod touch excluding the 1st generation models.

Although the user interface has not changed much, apple have hade huge improvements to the OS, with copy and paste in 3.0 and now multitasking in 4.0, though multitasking is not supported on the iPhone 3G.

iTunes 9.2 is required to upgrade your device to 4.0

AT&T have stopped selling Apple’s iPhone in the New York area.

Customers who enter a New York ZIP codes will be greeted with "Sorry this Package is not available in your area."

AT&T appears to be taking next step in dealing with the high data usage in some US Cities, buy not selling the iPhone online.

An AT&T spokesperson called Fletcher Cook said in a written statement to The Consumerist

"We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels." It appears that AT&T has temporarily stopped selling the iPhone 3G and 3GS to new customers. Consumers can still purchase the iPhone through the Apple Store with an AT&T contract.

Apple have just announced, during the MacWorld keynote, that 10 million songs on iTunes will become DRM free by the end of Q1 2009.

On the Apple iTunes store the text reads “This is a special offer to upgrade your entire music library of previously purchased songs, albums and music videos now available in iTunes plus. You will be charged $0.30 a song, 30% of the current album price and $0.60 a music video to upgrade. Just click buy now and new versions of all your music below will be downloaded in iTunes Plus. This page updates automatically as we add more music in iTunes Plus. Please check back often!”

Tracks should sell for 69¢, 99¢, and $1.29 — depending on their demand.

In a separate announcement, iPhone users are now able to purchase music from the iTunes store via 3G. Previously users could only download music on a Wi-Fi network.

Image courtesy of Engadget

News source: Neowin.net

A media storm created by a note on the Apple website has proved to be one in a teacup.

The note urged Mac owners to use anti-virus software which commentators saw as a change in strategy for a firm that had regarded itself as virus-proof.

Media outlets and blogs, including the BBC, saw the advice as a response to the growing and changing cyber threat.

But it emerged the advice was old and Apple has since removed it completely saying it was “inaccurate”.

The note appears to have been an update of one that first appeared on the site in mid-2007.

The advice has now returned to the more familiar Apple mantra.

“The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box,” an Apple spokesman said.

Full artcicle on the BBC News site

Apple has issued a technical note about Mac antivirus software, and, for the first time, suggests that Macs need such software. The note says: “Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple antivirus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult.” The note then goes on to mention three antivirus programs, with Intego VirusBarrier X5 listed first.

It is worth noting this, since Apple, especially in its recent “Get a Mac” ads, has always publicly tried to ignore the threat of malware to Macs, as well as other security issues. We can only applaud the fact that Apple has chosen to recognize that Macs face security risks and that they require protection.

News source: Neowin.net