Newest Cydia release tracks, restores your jailbroken apps

Some say the best smartphone is a jailbroken iPhone, but one problem (aside from the obvious, that jailbreaking, although legal, voids your warranty) is the issue of reinstalling all your jailbreak-only apps if you update and re-jailbreak. The latest version of Cydia can help with that problem.

iTunes will restore your non-jailbroken apps when you upgrade to a new version of iOS, or if you restore your iPhone. For jailbroken apps, you have to re-install them manually, at least until now.

Cydia is the "market" that users go to for apps specifically for jailbroken iOS devices. Possibly because of technology Cydia acquired via Rock Your Phone, you can now login with your Facebook or Google account. Once that's done, Cydia will track your purchases, so that you can reapply them after you jailbreak the next version of iOS.

It's a lot better than having to hunt down your old apps again via the repositories involved. Of course, Apple would prefer not just that jailbreaking was harder, but that it couldn't be done. Considering it's the only way to get a useful lock screen (among other things), many hope otherwise.

The App Store reaches the 10 billion download milestone

Apple thanked end users 10 billion times on Saturday, as the 10 billionth app from the App Store was downloaded. While we are not sure who the winner is yet (Apple says come back later), we know that the winner gets a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

The winner didn't actually have to download an app, either. There was a non-download entry form as well. The winner was either the downloader of the 10 billionth app, or the person who submitted an entry form immediately after the 9,999,999,999 app was downloaded.

The number of downloads in the App Store have been skyrocketing, along with device use. By the end of September 2009, the App Store was at 2 billion apps downloaded. About a year ago, in January 2010, there were 3 billion downloads. When the "countdown" began, the store was some 250M apps short, and that was just over a week ago.

In February of 2010, Apple had a different 10 billion download mark hit: the 10 billionth song song from iTunes: Johnny Cash's "Guess Things Happen That Way."

Update: The 10 billionth app downloaded was Paper Glider.  It was purchased by Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK.  Davis will receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card.

Starbucks mobile payment service goes national

Starbucks is taking the mobile payment system it has been testing in a limited number of stores in Seattle, New York and San Francisco national. The system, which enables iOS and BlackBerry users to "pay by phone" has expanded to nearly 6,800 company-operated Starbucks stores in the U.S., starting Wednesday.

Once the application is installed onto an iOS or BlackBerry phone, users can load their Starbucks card information onto the device. The app will display a barcode that is scanned for payment, just as with customers' Starbucks cards. Customers can check their balance and reload cards, as well.

Although Starbucks could have opted for the near-field communication system (NFC) that Google is touting as a potential future replacement for credit cards, it decided to go with its own custom system.  NFC, the company said, is too limited in adoption and too new, at least for now.  Google recently added NFC support to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).

20 percent of transactions at Starbucks stores are paid for with Starbucks cards. Brady Brewer, vice president of card and brand loyalty, said in a release:

“Mobile payment is just one example of how we’re continually innovating on behalf of our customers to enhance the Starbucks Experience. A growing segment of our customers use smartphones, and through the Starbucks Card Mobile App, we’re providing them with the fastest way to pay.”

One reason Starbucks thinks the program will be successful is that while waiting in line, customers are always fiddling with their mobile devices. Of course, in order to be truly successful, they'll need to add an Android version, and that is reportedly being built. There's no word on any plans for a Windows Phone version.

More than 60 apps downloaded per iOS device: report

We already knew that the countdown to the App Store 10 billionth download has begun. According to market research firm Asymco, that points to more than 60 apps per device, and that's an increase from 10 per device in 2008.

Of course, the App Store launched in 2008, so naturally we'd see a large increase. In fact, Asymco predicts that apps downloaded from the App Store will pass songs downloaded from the iTunes Store by March of 2011. The company made a similar prediction in September of 2010 expecting the event to happen by the end of 2010, which didn't happen, but it will happen, at some time.

After all, although most purchases for iDevice music is made at iTunes, not all are. Meanwhile, with the exception of jailbroken devices, all purchases for apps must be made at the App Store. In addition, apps will have reached 10 billion downloads in less than half the time it took for music from the iTunes Store (31 vs. 67 months).

Since Apple doesn't release numbers all that often, some of this is based on educated guesswork. Asymco estimates that 30 million apps are downloaded daily, but remember that as the number of iDevices increases daily, so do the number of apps. This number will just keep increasing.

Asymco also posits that as iDevice app consumption is increasing at such a high rate, it will soon overtake the PC software market (and based on the context, it sounds like they meant personal computer software, not PC = Windows, as is sometimes meant).

No more free iPad subscriptions for print subscribers: Apple

According to a report issued Friday, a number of European newspapers have been told that after April 1, they can no longer give print subscribers free access to a print edition through the App Store. The obvious reason for this: Apple doesn't get its 30 percent cut of revenue through the App Store in these sorts of cases.

The report came first from deVolkskrant (Google Translate). Another report from NRC (Google Translate) indicated that publishers are not happy with the move, as you might expect. The move, they said, makes Apple "too dominant."

Notably, this policy change comes as Apple prepares to roll out the recurring subscription change it is making to iOS, to better support Rupert Murdoch's "The Daily." In fact, the launch of "The Daily" has been delayed as Apple is still working on the subscription model.

It also comes on the heels of dismal results for iPad magazines, as reported by WWD. It's unclear if "The Daily," and a new subscription model can resurrect periodicals on the iPad which, like the Kindle before it, was seen as a possible savior for newspapers.

Home button to be removed from next-gen iPhones, iPads: rumor

Apple has just delivered a new beta to developers, iOS 4.3. The new release adds four or five fingers multi-touch gestures that allow users to pinch to the Home Screen. Since then some reports have been issued saying that Apple is going to remove the home button from the iPad. Others are pretty sure it won't happen.

BGR says its contacts have told it that Apple is already testing devices without home buttons. Since Apple likes consistency (witness, the side switch issue on the iPad), the "feature" would most likely its way to the iPhone as well, perhaps as early as the next generation of iPads and iPhones coming later this year.

Daring Fireball isn't so sure, and has a pretty common sense argument for his reasoning:

These gestures do mean that you don’t have to use the Home button. But there’s a serious discoverability problem with them. The physical Home button is impossible to miss. That it is the one and only button on the faces of these devices is a big part of why normal people are able to pick them up, start playing with them, and figure out how to get around with no help. How in the world would a normal person figure out or guess that they need to do a “five-finger pinch” to get back to the home screen?

The ability to pick up an iPad or iPhone and use it immediately, or at least start playing with it, is one of its great "features." Gruber is correct that this sort of move would seriously impact that ability.

There's another common sense reason for this, although it's a little grim: There are plenty of people who for one reason or another, are simply missing fingers. This doesn't mean it's not a great idea. It just means that, like keyboard shortcuts on Mac and Windows, this type of gesture would be good as an adjunct, not the main way to reach the home screen.

On the other hand, Apple has surprised before. We will see in April (perhaps sooner) and summer, on the next-gen iPad and iPhone. You can see a video on the new gestures below.

'Roll Your Own': iOS app teaches how to roll your own joints

Steve Jobs is quite vehement about the Android Market where you go for porn, but if you want to learn how to roll a doobie, it's the App Store all the way.

Recently released to the App Store is the Roll Your Own app. It is true that the developer makes no mention of marijuana in the App Store description, but go to their website and read some of their press release:

Steah announced today the release of Roll Your Own, a free iPhone app that gives tobacco enthusiasts and recreational and medical marijuana smokers a helping hand with comprehensive videos, step-by-step instructions and practical tips on rolling their favorite smokes. [...]

Canton went on to say that, "from a quality of life perspective, this app can be a real boon to those with medical marijuana prescriptions - particularly for people who may be unfamiliar with the methods of using it."

As noted in the press release, it is true that the app can be used by both medical marijuana users and tobacco smokers, as well, so it's not as though Roll Your Own is going to be used by those who wish Proposition 19 had passed, but it's always fun to find Apple in these sorts of situations, given the iron fist surrounding the App Store, and Jobs' comments about Android.

We tried to find a similar app in the Android Market and were successful (!), and it was even free. As far as "Roll Your Own" goes, we'll see if it stays in the App Store once Steve Jobs gets wind of it.

Despite Apple assurances, iPhone alarm glitch continues to allow users to sleep in

Although end users were assured by Apple itself, as well as some third-party sites that did testing of the feature, it appears that iPhone alarms are still not firing for everyone.

As reported earlier, the issue is that non-recurring alarms are not firing. The workaround Apple gave for January 1st and 2nd was to use recurring alarms for those days, and then await January 34d, whent the issue would be self-healed, so to speak.

Numerous folks are Tweeting, however, that as of January 3rd, alarms are still not working. CheriDoe, for example, said:

My iPhone alarm didn't work this morning. I thought that was fixed? Will use old technology tomorrow.

At the same time, others are reporting their alarms are firing just fine. It's also been reported that deleting an old alarm and re-creating it fixes the issue. While the bug is not likely to affect iPhone sales, it's interesting that the sanctity of high-profile dates, like Daylight Saving Time ending and the New Year seem to have eluded iOS developers.

While the issue affects Apple's built-in alarm (and note, since it's an iOS bug, exists on the iPod touch and iPad, as well), there are plenty of iOS alarm clocks that you can find in the App Store that work. Many of them are free (such as the aptly named Alarm Clock Free, pictured above). There is also the old-school regular old alarm clock, too.

Non-recurring iOS alarms not firing; welcome to the New Year

It's the New Year and Apple has started it off with a "reminder" of the DST bug that hit in November. In that case, iPhone recurring alarms were off by an hour; in this case one-off alarms won't fire at all.

The alert over the non-recurring alarm iOS bug came first via Twitter. Fortunately, this bug is self-healing. Once January 3rd rolls around, non-recurring alarms will work again. Fortunately, on this first day of the New Year, many may be sleeping off a late night out and won't have an alarm set at all.

Until January 3rd, the workaround is to set any alarms you need as recurring. That's not difficult, but certainly annoying, if you really don't need to be reminded more than once. So far, it's confirmed to affect iOS 4.x; it's unclear if those on 3.x are seeing the same issue.

WakeMate faces 'Toyota Moment' with recall just days after first shipments

The WakeMate sleep aid device / app only recently shipped, after nearly a year of delays. In a serious bit of bad news for the company, it's already been recalled, or more specifically, part of it has.

To be exact, the black USB charging unit that was shipped with the device has been recalled. Customers should not use the charger, as there is a risk of fire.

The company has sent emails to all customers, and says on its site that if a customer does not respond to an email, the company will call the contact number on the WakeMate order. They emails say:

Hello WakeMate Customer,

We have just been alerted to a safety issue with our product. The black USB charger bricks that have been included with the product are defective. Do not use them.

The USB chargers were sourced through a Chinese vendor. We paid to have the proper certification and safety tests performed here in the U.S. for the chargers. However, tonight we were informed by a customer of a safety incident with the black USB chargers. Therefore, effective immediately we are recalling ALL USB charger bricks and informing our customers that it is not safe to use these USB chargers to charge your WakeMate.

We will continue to look into the situation but needed to email you immediately to ensure that you stop using and unplug the included Black USB Power Bricks.

We are extremely sorry that we sent a product containing defective components. However, we also want to stress that this issue is with the chargers only, and not with the WakeMate itself. It is still safe to use the included USB cable to charge the WakeMate, and it is safe to wear the WakeMate while sleeping.

I sincerely apologize for this mishap on our part. We are doing everything we can to prevent any further incidents with the USB charger bricks.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Arun Gupta
CEO, Perfect Third Inc.

In a thread on Hacker News, the company elaborated on the problem:

yes the batteries are safe. we believe that the chargers are spitting out a noisy electrical signal, which is causing the battery charger IC on the WakeMate to overheat, thus causing the problem. We have only seen any incidence when the unit is plugged into the black USB charger bricks we shipped with. To date we have logged over 20000 hours of sleep on our system, so we’re certain that sleeping with the Wakemate is safe, and that the batteries on the WakeMates are safe as well. This is in addition to the testing and certification we had done on the unit as well before we began shipping units.

WakeMate is supposed to improve the sleeping experience of users, through the use of Actigraphy. The WakeMate is both an app and a device, as it comes with a wristband that measures your movements and determines your optimal wake-up time. The software runs on Android, iOS, and BlackBerry. That wristband, however, needs charging, and its the charger that is the problem.

Googler Jason Toff Tweeted about his experience, and included a video (below) that shows the damage done. While OK, he noted that if he had not been in the room with the WakeMate, his house would have caught on fire.

WakeMate has met its "Toyota unintended acceleration moment." Toyota was an established, huge corporation, as opposed to a start-up. Whether or not this incident becomes the company's downfall remains to be seen.