Another month has passed an our IT Security team has yet to allow iPhone integration with our Exchange system. Windows smart phone users and blackberry users have enjoyed the convenience of accessing their work email, calendar, and taks for years. However, fear of widespread adoption and loss of complete control over where data can be backed up has paralyzed our security team. We’re already aware that all of the data on an iPhone connected to Exchange can be wiped at any time. The concern is that data can be backed up at home (primarily contact info and data stored in calendar appointments). What is stopping people from printing out their contacts, exporting them into a web site, and forwarding contact info and appointments externally? Theoretically, strong network filtering and proxying can prevent this. In practice, it’s just wasted time and effort, not to mention hours of productivity lost by those trying to circumvent these restrictions. If you want your users connected, you have to give up a little control. If you have a problem with that, don’t announce support for the hot new mobile device on the block.

Tags: corporate, iphone, security

Since programming for the iPhone involves a familiarity with Apple’s Cocoa framework, which has been the foundation of Mac OS X programming since day one, you’ll need to cozy up to Cocoa if you fancy yourself an iPhone developer. Here are 5 books to help you get started:

1. The Holy Grail of iPhone books had to be published by ubiquitous tech publisher O’Reilly Media (who published both of my books). Check it out: iPhone SDK Development, First Edition. Due in December, this book promises to be what other O’Reilly books already area: a fantastic starting point.

2. Blogger Andrew Grant recommends Cocoa Programming for OS X.  In its third edition, this book covers Apple’s XCode development environment and the Objective C programming language in detail.

3. If you’re looking for a friendly, hands-on introduction to Cocoa programming, or feel you might want to develop for both iPhone and Mac OS X, check out O’Reilly’s Learning Cocoa with Objective C.

4. Not exactly a programming book, but useful for understanding usability guidelines and the hidden features of the iPhone, David Pogue’s iPhone: The Missing Manual is a handy guide.

5. Developing for jailbroken iPhones is another thing entirely, and who better to ask for assistance than the guy who ported the NES emulator the iPhone, Jonathan Zdiarski. His book, iPhone Open Application Development, has you covered.

Tags: books, programming, software

But is Nokia still in the same market as the iPhone?

When I first toyed around with the iPhone 3G, I thought to myself, man if Nokia could only bring this level of usability to the massive featureset of the E-Series and N-Series, they might just have the perfect portable device. And provide Apple with some competition.

It appears that Nokia may be inching in that direction, but not according to traditional means.  Friend Dameon has written about some interesting changes to Nokia’s line of Internet Tablets on his excellent blog, Joy of Gadgets. Among the improvements are HSPA high speed packet access support and the total open-sourcing of the tablets’ Linux-based OS, Maemo.  Still no word on whether the next-gen tablet will have a 3G radio (as opposed to a 3.5G unit) in it, but we’ll find out soon. It also remains to be seen if the devices will become phones.

Of course, while Nokia’s developments always *look* exciting, the market often concludes that their high-end phones are either too convoluted or too incrementally evolved to be accepted en masse. Here’s hoping they get the usability issue figured out.

Tags: hspa, nokia

Alex Price has re-released Phonesaber as “Lightsaber Unleashed.” As a self-admitted Star Wars geek, I was thrilled to have instant access to the nerdyness that was Phonesaber: at any moment (even during meetings at work) a lightsaber battle could break out. The new release is officially endorsed by Lucasfilm, however it comes at a “cost.” The app is still free, but “Lightsaber Unleashed” is a shameless advertisement for “The Force Unleashed” on the iPhone. A splash screen selling TFU delays access to the application itself <strong>[Update: The latest release allows you to disable the splash screen after 5 launches]</strong> and the number and variety of lightsabers has been reduced. However, a nice dueling soundtrack feature has been added to the application. It’s almost a draw between the old app and the new adware… the only thing keeping me from being excited is the splashscreen/ad delay. <strong>[Update: So, I guess I'm officially excited! Also there are a few Easter Eggs in this release: look for bright stars.]</strong>

Tags: game, iphone, lightsaber, phonesaber

From Macintouch.com:

Apple Ultracompact USB Power Adapter Exchange Program
Today Apple announced the Apple Ultracompact USB Power Adapter Exchange program. Apple has determined that under certain conditions the new ultracompact Apple USB power adapter’s metal prongs can break off and remain in a power outlet, creating a risk of electric shock. We have received reports of detached blades involving a very small percentage of the adapters sold, but no injuries have been reported.
The ultracompact USB power adapters were supplied with every iPhone 3G sold in the following countries, and may also have been purchased separately as an accessory:
* US
* Japan
* Canada
* Mexico
* Several Latin American countries
(click here for a detailed list of countries)

Tags: accessories, hardware, power supply, recall