Thursday, November 6, 2008

Devs Dish Some iPhone App Tips

SAN FRANCISCO -- Is Apple the next Google? When it comes to mobile innovation, at least one developer sees parallels. "Apple has shown, as Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) did before, that it can reinvent an entire market," said Raven Zachary, a consultant to iPhone developers and founder of a developer conference called iPhoneDevCamp.

Zachary was joined by a panel of iPhone application developers and publishers here at the start of the Web 2.0 Summit Wednesday. Recalling his days at once high-flying Internet portal Excite, Zachary recalled how Google "out innovated" more established Web players to become an Internet giant.

One of those innovations has been the phenomenal success of the App Store, which has attracted over 200 million downloads of mostly free software since its launch earlier this year. There are no over 6,000 applications in the App Store, about a third of which are games.
RELATED ARTICLES

Lots in (App) Store for Smartphones
iPhone Apps Policy Stirs Discontent
Gartner: iPhone 'Acceptable' in the Enterprise

For more stories on this topic:

iPhone developer Bill Dundy of Gala Factory Software made a surprising connection between developing for the iPhone and the NeXT computer, an innovative workstation created by a company formed by Steve Jobs after he left Apple in the late 1980s.

"The NeXT computer was the coolest and most fun to develop for because I felt very productive," said Dundy. "Back then, NeXT was a niche opportunity. Today it feels the same way with the iPhone, but it's so much huger. Everyone talks about the iPhone and it's the thing kids want for Christmas."

Enterprise apps a disappointment

Most of the panelists were uniformly enthusiastic about the iPhone, and even dismissed complaints that Apple has been unfair in rejecting some applications for App Store distribution.
LATEST NEWS

Cisco's Recession Playbook
Virtualization Coming to HP SANs
Why MySpace, MTV See Profits in Piracy
Sun Serves Up Some Java EE 6 in GlassFish
Yang: 'Best Thing for Microsoft is to Buy Yahoo'

One mildly negative note was sounded by Matt Murphy, who heads the $100 million "iFund" for new iPhone software. Murphy noted the dearth of new enterprise applications, despite Apple's efforts to embrace Microsoft's Exchange and work with enterprise customers. "An area we haven't seen as much activity as we expected is in the enterprise," said Murphy. "I expect that's because these kind of applications take longer to build." Murphy also noted estimates that about 40 percent of enterprise companies have started some sort of trial engagement or testing of iPhones.

The panel also acknowledged the iPhone has given competitors a kick in the pants, spurring them to add features like touch screen interfaces and online application store fronts. Tom Conrad, Chief Technology Officer for the Pandora Internet radio service, noted his company has developed for several different mobile platforms and nothing matches the iPhone.

"Apple has a pretty substantial head start, not only in the fit and finish of the device, but also with its developer tools …. They have a profound lead in the developer experience," said Conrad.

He said Apple seems to also benefit from its control of the device as the designer of the both the hardware and the operating system. "Devices like RIM BlackBerry, Palm and Danger, that are also integrated hardware and software, are where you see the really passionate users," he said. "On Windows Mobile devices, users aren't as passionate. We'll have to see how that plays out for Android."

Keys to success

Murphy ticked off some tips for iPhone developer success. These included keeping applications simple so users see the utility right away. "We've seen some companies overcomplicate things and while they may get a lot of downloads, there's a big drop off in actual use," he said.

The application should have a "natural business model." Murphy said it's a mistake to try and follow old Web models that launch without a real revenue plan. He also emphasized developers should gain a deep understanding of what the iPhone is capable of. "Understand everything you can do with the platform so you can take advantage of it," he said.

RIM hopes Storm will blow iPhone away

Research in Motion has announced that its first ever touch-screen BlackBerry smartphone will be available in the UK from November 14.

Oh Thank Goodness, Someone Made an Antivirus App For Android

Ask an avid desktop Linux user if he or she (ok, he) uses an antivirus solution, and he won't give you an answer, he'll give you a sermon. And while his zeal might be inappropriate, his sentiment will be largely correct: Linux really doesn't need antivirus software. Android, with a smaller market share and simpler guts than most common Linux distros, has even less to worry about — which is why it's completely absurd for SMobile systems to release VirusGuard, the first antivirus software for the mobile platform.

The software claims to be able to scan devices and their memory cards for over 400 types of known malware, none of which, as far as I can tell, are harmful to Android phones. Now, it's not impossible that dangerous malware could find its way to you G1 in the future — in fact,Android has already experienced one security scare — but installing a piece of software that scans your device for Windows Mobile virii won't do anything to stop minor exploits like that, which can be quickly and effectively patched anyway.

Of course, all this security talk could just be there to provide parents with excuse fodder to install this on their child's G1 — it also monitors voice and text communications. Anyway, VirusGuard is already available on Handango, but will make its Marketplace debut when Google finally enables its payment system in Q1 of 2009. You misguided peace of mind will cost a whole $10, by the way. [Android Community via Slashphone]

T-Mobile G1 hacked: follows Apple iPhone

A gaping loophole in Android operating system on the T-Mobile G1 has been exploited by hackers who managed to jailbreak the Google phone. Although they do say that this jailbreak isn’t as impressive as the one that took place on Apple’s iPhone, which took several weeks for the hackers to get though the locks that was placed on the iPhone, the T-Mobile G1 open-source operating system only took the hackers one minute to gain root access, although you would reckon you would have to be a Linux geek to do it this fast.

You can see the hack for the G1 on the XDA-Developers forum, basically you use the PTerminal application to telnet to the device’s IP address and just like magic you how have the root, you can full steps on this hack here.

With this jailbreak it will allow to run your T-Mobile G1 like it was never intended to be. Google have said they are planning a patch that will be distributed to close the loophole.

Source: theregister

HTC Touch HD SlashGear Review: Part 1

 Relevant Entries on SlashGearUnboxing - Apple iPod TouchLenovo X60 Uber-Tablet video reviewsSprint HTC Touch Diamond: Video UnboxingOQO Model 2 is ready for its close-upiPod Touch to iPod Video hack makes your old iPod look new again

[Read original...]

Macsimum iPhone Video: Historic Apple Lisa demo from 1984

Today’s Macsimum iPhone video is a demo of the Apple Lisa computer—presented by Alfred DiBlasi—from way back in 1984. The Lisa project was started at Apple in 1978 and evolved into a project to design a powerful personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) that would be targeted toward business customers.

Around 1982, Steve Jobs was forced out of the Lisa project, so he joined the Macintosh project instead. Contrary to popular belief, the Macintosh is not a direct descendant of Lisa, although there are obvious similarities between the systems and the final revision, the Lisa 2/10, was modified and sold as the Macintosh XL.

The Lisa was a more advanced (and far more expensive) system than the Macintosh of that time in many respects, such as its inclusion of protected memory, cooperative multitasking, a generally more sophisticated hard disk based operating system, a built-in screensaver, an advanced calculator with a paper tape and RPN, support for up to 2 megabytes of RAM, expansion slots, and a larger higher resolution display. It would be many years before many of those features were implemented on the Macintosh platform. Protected memory, for instance, did not arrive until the Mac OS X operating system was released in 2001. The Macintosh, however, featured a faster 68000 processor (7.89 MHz) and sound. The complexity of the Lisa operating system and its programs taxed the 5 MHz Motorola 68000 microprocessor so that the system felt sluggish, particularly when scrolling in documents.

The Lisa was first introduced in January 19, 1983 at a cost of $9,995 US ($21,482.26 in 2008 dollars). It is one of the first commercial personal computers to have a GUI and a mouse. It used a Motorola 68000 CPU at a 5 MHz clock rate and had 1 MB RAM.

Read more: macsimumnews.com

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

UPDATE 2-Swisscom core profit down on iPhone costs

 * Swisscom Q3 EBITDA 1.19 bln Sfr vs forecast of 1.24 bln Sfr * iPhone introduction costs, lower telephony prices weighed * Confirms 2008 EBITDA forecast, cautions on revenue outlook (Adds shares, comment, iPhone details)

By Sven Egenter

ZURICH, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Swisscom AG's (SCMN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) core profit fell 3.6 percent in the third quarter, missing expectations and weighed down by launch costs of the iPhone and falling prices. Its shares fell 3.2 percent in early trade.

The former monopoly confirmed its targets for 2008 on Wednesday, forecasting revenue of around 12.3 billion francs and operating income (EBITDA) of around 4.8 billion francs.

But the prevailing currency trend may cause net revenue to fall slightly short of its target, the group said.

By 0855GMT, Swisscom shares were 3.2 percent lower at 355.50 Swiss francs, against a 1.2 percent fall in the Swiss European telecoms index .

"In general, Swisscom maintained good cost control to compensate for revenue declines in some of the domestic businesses," said Vontobel analyst Panagiotis Spiliopouolos.

The launch of the iPhone led to above-average growth in clients in the third quarter, with over 100,000 handsets sold, but the launch had 45 million Swiss francs one-off costs.

Swisscom's core profit, or earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), fell to 1.19 billion Swiss francs ($1.03 billion), the group said. Analysts had on average expected a largely stable EBITDA of 1.24 billion francs, according to a Reuters poll.

The group's net profit declined to 473 million francs, down 31.5 percent compared with the third quarter 2007, when an extraordinary gain from the sale of two business units boosted Swisscom's bottom line.

Swisscom bought Italian broadband operator Fastweb (FWB.MI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in 2007, returning to a more aggressive strategy to counter lacklustre growth at home where, like other former monopolies, it faces price pressures and increasing competition.

Swisscom shares have fallen around 17 percent this year but outperformed the European peers as the stock is seen a defensive pick given relatively benign regulation in its home market and the government's majority stake.

Swisscom is trading at around 9.8 times forecast 2009 earnings, an 11 percent premium over the sector. (Additional reporting by Jason Rhodes; Editing by David Cowell)   

Source: reuters.com

Appiphilia: reviews of iPhone applications that make fake calls, inventory your closet, navigate L.A. and record voice

Those of us with appiphilia -- an irresistible urge to download iPhone applications -- need some help sorting through what's worthwhile in Apple's App Store. Because iPhone apps seem to multiply with every click, we're starting this new weekly series, Appiphilia, to highlight and review a few that catch our fancy. We'll tell you which are the must-haves or the must-be-kiddings or those that fall somewhere in between.

In this first installment, we're looking at four apps that help with getting dressed, getting around, getting out of a sticky situation and getting it on the record.

Carrie's Closet SATC Carrie's Closet (free)

What it is: This is one of the few apps pegged to a movie  -- in this case a DVD debut. (The Dark Knight app launched when the newest Batman film hit theaters and let you adorn photos in true Joker style.) Carrie's Closet launched shortly after the recent release of the girls' guilty pleasure "Sex and the City" in take-home version. 

What sizzles: First of all, the ability to photograph, categorize and catalog what's in your closet. Are you kidding me? That's a dream. It's a bit like what Cher had in "Clueless," except in your hand. I added all of my shoes, purses and glasses. The ability to send that list of potential outfits to friends before a big date makes getting feedback from numerous trusted fashion sources a bit more civilized. Of course, it's wrapped inside a promotion for the movie. But most of us have learned to look beyond product placements.

You do need good lighting to snap photos of the items that are of much use. Remember, you're doing it with your iPhone camera. (My snapshots looked a bit fuzzy and the color was a tad drab.)

What fizzles: I get that this is a marketing tool that happens to do something for users. But really, the theme music that blasted every time I launched the app initially is not cute. (You can turn it off by going into the Settings for your iPhone and finding the app. But that shuts off all music, including the music clips from the movie that come with the app.) Man, was that annoying. Every time I opened the closet, I was outed as tapping something not related to work and specifically something "Sex and the City" related. Again, maybe great in theory for marketing purposes, but, free or not, it could cause a person to delete the app just to get the music to stop. 

Read more: latimes.com

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

AT&T and Firethorn Bring Mobile Banking to iPhone Customers

AT&T Inc. and Firethorn Holdings, LLC, a Qualcomm company, announced the availability of their market-leading mobile banking application for iPhone.

Mobile Banking on AT&T lets users securely and efficiently manage their finances, including checking balances and transaction history, transferring funds, receiving offers, viewing and paying bills, and tracking rewards points. 

The service is now available for all Firethorn financial institution partners, including America First Credit Union, Arvest Bank, BancorpSouth, Carolina First, FirstBank, Mercantile Bank, SunTrust, Synovus, USAA and Wachovia.

Additionally, iPhone customers will have access to any new financial institution added in the future. 

“Our customers are increasingly using their mobile phones as a hub from which they can manage nearly all aspects of their lives, and in addressing that trend, we’ve made it a priority to give them flexibility and control in managing their finances,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets.

“The extension of this convenience and functionality to iPhone customers is further delivery on our commitment to this space.”

AT&T and Firethorn have collaborated since 2006 to provide best-in-class usability and reliability in mobile banking.

“ Mobile Banking on AT&T with iPhone embodies the exciting evolution that mobile financial services must undertake to keep pace with consumers’ busy lifestyles. ” - Tripp Rackley, Chief executive officer, Firethorn.

"Mobile Banking on AT&T with iPhone embodies the exciting evolution that mobile financial services must undertake to keep pace with consumers’ busy lifestyles" said Tripp Rackley, chief executive officer, Firethorn.

“Our partners expect us to offer them the best technology available to help their users manage their finances. The Mobile Banking application promises ease of use, security and high visibility - all strategically designed to achieve mass market adoption - and we are proud to help make it a reality.” 

Apple iPod, iPhone wonk: iQuit?

A senior Apple veep who oversaw the development of the iPod is reportedly leaving the company.

Key iPod brainbox shuffles away from Apple?

According to the Wall Street Journal, Tony Fadell, who was also involved in the development of the iPhone and reports directly to Steve Jobs, is understood to be stepping down from his role at Apple for personal reasons.

The paper cites people familiar with the matter on Fadell’s decision to walk, although Apple, which was not immediately available for comment at time of writing, is yet to release any official statement.

Fadell will be replaced by IBM veteran Mark Papermaster, said the WSJ.

Big Blue, which last week threw a sueball at Papermaster in the hope of halting any switch to its rival, hasn’t confirmed the Apple move, however.

Papermaster worked at IBM for 26 years, most recently on the firm’s “elite Integration & Values Team”. He has also been a key designer of Power processors and blade servers.

IBM filed a lawsuit against him on 22 October in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in which it alleged that Papermaster was “privy to a whole host of trade secrets and confidences” used by Big Blue to design products.

source: theregister.co.uk

Ziphone author demos iPhone crash to Forbes

Ziphone creator Piergiorgio Zambrini has discovered a bug with the iPhone that causes the phone to crash when it starts to play a specially-created video. Forbes.com recorded a demonstration.

The bug apparently affects the audio track of the video, which takes down the iPhone operating system. I could not independently verify the bug, because the links to the movie (and the movie file itself) shown to Forbes were no longer available online.

The bug does not permanently damage devices, according to Zambrini. He said he hasn't yet contacted Apple's security response team. Forbes.com informed an Apple spokesman about the flaw and is still awaiting an official comment.

Zambrini claims he emailed Steve Jobs personally about the bug; around the same time, he applied for employment at Apple. Apple has not yet responded to his resume. It strikes me that Zambrini is trying to appeal to Apple in the same way that your ex-girlfriend tries to appeal to you by spray painting the front of your house.

In the Forbes.com article, Zambrini now claims his goal "...is not to work for Apple."

Zambrini created Ziphone, a popular iPhone unlocking tool.

source: tuaw.com

Monday, November 3, 2008

iPhone Buzz Week in Review - Week 44 2008

Apple has managed to squeeze out a “Game Changer” ad that shows a baseball application. For now this is the only app for baseball fans, the drawback is it is only for this current season. Apple is now selling the Scosche PassPORT in retail stores. The PassPORT is the first car adapter that allows you to charge your iPhone with the same car charger you use for you iPod.

The iPhone Dev Team is now much closer to unlocking the iPhone 3G. The Dev Team is now able to modify the baseban but are still not sure how close they are to an actual unlock. iPhone and iPod integration is now supported in the majority of US cars. Apples music devices have become so common that now 58% of US cars support them. Even though our economy is down for the moment, Apple has managed to sell 6.9 million handsets in Q4. In other numbers, Apple’s App Store reached the 200 million downloads mark, which is a big landmark for Apple.

Reports came in that iPhone firmware 2.2 has even more goodies for us. One thing that is very impressive is Google Street View. Speaking of Google, the App Store has just recently received another gem, Google Earth. The iPhone may finally be getting a documents application capable of allowing users to edit Excel, Word and PowerPoint documents. Among all of the other features that have been added to the new firmware version 2.2 is a new ratings system. Now when you delete an application you get the option to rate it before it is deleted. This appears to be another attempt by Apple to fix a broken rating system. Apple also managed to squeeze in over-the-air podcast downloads in the new firmware version, this decision has made a lot of people happy. This may explain why Apple denied the podcast application a while back.

OrangeGadgets have brought GPS functionality to iPhone 2G and original iPod Touch owners. With all of these techniques there is som sort of catch, in order to use this device you must be jailbroken. AT&T has finally decided to give iPhone owners free Wi-Fi at participating locations. They have made it really easy to get started. Lower income customers are tuning the iPhone 3G to consolidate entertainment costs with all that the iPhone has to offer.

It appears that iPhone owners will never get to partake in the Opera’s forbidden fruit. The browser has been denied from the App Store, more than likely for duplication a primart function that Apple already offers. A very interesting hockey game will soon hit the App Store, Archade Hockey is a very useful game that is worth the time to look into. EA Mobile has finally decided to give iPhone owners a taste of their very popular game Spore Origins. They have released a lite edition of the game because Apple still has not put a demo option in the App Store. We had a chance to try out the iPWR backup battery by Eznex. This device is a perfect solution to the short battery life of the iPhone. This battery pack is also compatible with any iPod that Apple has released.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

AT&T Hotspots Now Free for iPhone Owners

That's right folks! After months of speculation and rumors, iPhone owners can now use the Wi-Fi available at their local AT&T Hotspot at no additional charge. We thought it was ridiculous that this didn't come pre-packaged with the iPhone considering that most iPhone owners are using the web more than their minutes. If you haven't received this golden text message on your iPhone yet, we've got the scoop on how you can get access to free AT&T Wi-Fi on your iPhone.

Accessing AT&T Wi-Fi From Your iPhone

On Wednesday I received a text message from AT&T. This isn't unusual if you're an iPhone owner and still on the AT&T network. However the following text message probably made just about every iPhone owner run to the nearest coffee shop with an AT&T hotspot:

"AT&T Free Msg: Your Apple iPhone now has free AT&T Wi-Fi access at thousands of hotspots nationwide, including Starbucks*. "

AT&T hotspots can be found at thousands of locations. A huge emphasis is being placed on hotspots at Starbucks due to their new partnership that converted thousands of T-Mobile hotspots into AT&T hotspots. We all know that a Starbucks can be found on just about every corner and if not, there's always Barnes and Nobles.

Can I Use it on my Laptop Too?

In my personal tests at my local Barnes and Nobles I was able to connect my iPhone without a hitch. All it took was selecting the correct Wi-Fi network and my phone number to get things going. From there, a text message was sent to my iPhone with a secure link to access the hotspot. According to AT&T the link is only valid for 24 hours. Also, if you relocate to another hotspot you'll have to request a new link. Unfortunately, copying the link into the address bar of my laptop did not allow me to access the Wi-Fi from my laptop instead of my iPhone. Will we see a work around for this in the future?

source: readwriteweb.com

Marware's Game Grip Will Aesthetically Ruin Your iPhone

Gaming on the iPhone and iPod touch could be great with the addition of a gamepad handle: the promise of the iControlPad comes to mind. But the iPhone platform doesn't deserve two giant foam handles that do nothing but ruin the sleek lines of the device, providing no buttons, no extra battery life, and no added functionality. Hell, the thing doesn't even look comfortable to hold. It's available for pre-order now and costs a whopping $50.
source: gizmodo.com

Apple Doesn’t Want Opera Browser on the iPhone

Although Opera’s engineers have already developed Opera Mini, a version of the browser that can work on Apple Incorporated’s iPhone, the latter company has stated they wouldn’t launch it on their gadget, since it would go head-to-head with their Safari browser. Safari was released as a public beta on January 7, 2003, first on Apple’s Mac OS X operating system, followed by the browser’s launch on the iPhone and the iPod. Over the years, its marketshare has increased, reaching a percentage of 6.65 this September.

Another reason behind the refusal to use Opera Mini on the iPhone is the browser’s duplicate functionality, which entails that the software can interpret downloaded from the Web JavaScript. Still, the rules Apple has drawn for their AppStore do not allow that the core functionality of neither the iPhone nor the iPod be replicated.

Consequently, despite the Opera Mini’s features, which include faster browsing than the Safari one, enhanced security and small screen rendering technology, which better fits the web pages to handheld gadgets’ displays, iPhone users will have to make peace with the fact that they would be stuck with only the Safari browser for a while longer.

The Opera browser was developed by the Opera Software company to handle tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, IRC online chatting, downloading files via BitTorrent and reading web feeds. The browser is offered free of any charge for personal computers and mobile phones.

Currently, it is the forth most widely used web browser for PCs, following Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari.

Things: Elegant task management on the Mac and iPhone

Before I get into reviewing this app (or rather, apps), a bit of background is in order. I’m a big fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done system, which I have been using on and off over the years with my trusty combo of my iMac with iCal, a Palm Tungsten T2, and Missing Sync to glue everything together. It’s worked well enough, though I find it can get a bit overwhelming once you start having lots of actions and projects.
We don’t need no stinkin’ To Dos

Being a bit of an Apple convert, I’ve obviously been interested in this thing called an iPhone for a while. If you’re a keen follower of this blog, you’ll remember that I was put off buying an iPhone by its inexplicable lack of a To Do list system, which makes it kind of tricky to replace my Palm with an iPhone. (Mind you, it’s hardly the only feature missing from the iPhone.)

So before rushing out to buy an iPhone that would have less functionality than my 4-year-old Palm (ha ha), I started researching third-party To Do apps for the iPhone to see if I could close the gap that way. That’s when I came across Things. Not only is it a To Do app, but it even follows the GTD methodology of projects, contexts, Someday/Maybe actions and areas of focus. What’s more, it’s available for both the Mac and the iPhone, and the two apps sync together over wi-fi.

In fact, the whole setup sounded so impressive that Things ended up being the catalyst that led to me finally buying an iPhone. So was it worth it?
The review

The Mac version of Things is currently free, though it’s going to be $49 when it comes out of beta in January ($39 if you sign up for their newsletter now). The iPhone version is on the App Store at $9.99.

I’ve been using the iPhone and Things in earnest for a couple of weeks, and on the whole I’d say I’m now more productive than I was with iCal and the Palm. The fact that Things lets you organize tasks into projects a la GTD is a godsend. And the wi-fi syncing is great; it’s reassuring to know that my tasks and projects on my iPhone are always up-to-date with those on the Mac.
Things on iPhone…

Here’s an overview of how Things works on the iPhone. The home screen shows you various lists of tasks and projects:

* Inbox is unsorted “stuff” - whenever you have something you want to do or remember, you create a new item here. Then when you review the list, you’ll probably move most of these items into Next (if they’re single actions) or Projects (if they have more than one action).
* Today is all the tasks that you want to get done today. You can move tasks in and out of Today as you please.
* Next is simply all your next actions, to do ASAP. It includes all the tasks in Today.
* Scheduled holds tasks that you don’t want to do ASAP, but on specified dates. When the dates are reached, the tasks automatically become active and move into Today. (Nice.)
* Someday is the GTD “Someday/Maybe” idea - tasks or projects that you don’t want to move on now, but might at some point in the future.
* Projects holds all your, well, projects. In GTD, a project is defined as anything that requires more than 1 physical action to complete. You can organize your actions into projects in Things (this is one of the key advantages over simple To Do systems like iCal).
* Logbook is the task graveyard. At the end of the day, any completed tasks are moved here for reference.

…and Things on Desktop

The desktop version has all the same features as the iPhone version, and it also has tags (which you can use for GTD contexts: At Home, At Computer etc), and Areas of Responsibility, which are a level above projects (for example, “family activities” might be an Area of Responsibility):

Things on the desktop is superb. It has lots of nice UI touches, such as keyboard shortcuts for adding tags to tasks and projects, that make it super-quick and easy to use. The whole app’s very nicely laid out and intuitive. The only slightly annoying thing is that, when adding new tasks to a project, you can’t see the project’s note field (which in my case often contains the very tasks I want to add!).

In fact, the lack of tags in the iPhone version is a fairly major problem, especially if you have a sizeable Next Actions list. However, tags are supposed to be “coming soon” to the iPhone app.
The bug (there’s always one isn’t there)

I have come across a rather frustrating bug on the iPhone version. Occasionally I’ve added a task, only to find out later that it hadn’t been added after all. I can’t pin down exactly when it happens - it seems pretty random - but it’s understandably annoying, and undermines my trust in the app to a degree. It sounds a bit like this bug here, except that for me it also happens when creating a task outside a project.
But it’s still great

Despite this bug and other niggles with the iPhone version, Things is a very nice combo of apps. It’s simple and elegant, providing just enough organization to help you stay on top of your GTD system, but without overwhelming you with unnecessary features, or frustrating you with rigid workflows. If you’re looking for a GTD-style app that’s intuitive and works across both the Mac and iPhone, Things is well worth checking out.