A few posts back we got into a few App Store early growing pains/gripes, including that some less-scrupulous — or more marketing-savvy, depending on your point of view — developers were prepending spaces and symbols to their App names in order to get them to sort higher in the alphabetical listings. Well according to MacUser (via Ars), seems like Apple called shenanigans on that one and has put an end to the practice.

Visiting the App Store now, I see that Jirbo’s titles, as well as quite a few others, still have a space in front of them, but are simply alphabetized by the following letter.

Nicely done. Would that all App Store problems were so easily solved…

We likewise mentioned that one of the big problems with the App Store, given its locked-down distribution method and gagging NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) was that it effectively prevented developers from doing proper betas, collecting crash or other bug data, and testing fixes. That is if, unlike Iliumsoft, you can even get your App into the Store!:

Wow. If you think waiting for eWallet is painful out there, try being in here. We were really fired up for the big launch and now we’re just pulling our hair out wondering what is happening (and if you’ve seen pictures of me, additional hair removal is a serious problem in my case.) We were told that the app would appear by the 11th, talked to “thrice-removed from the actual AppStore” support personnel, emailed every person we can think of, and stared endlessly at the status screen willing it to change. Still, nothing.

Twitteriffic’s Craig Hockenberry (unsurprisingly via Twitter) posts that the length of time it takes Apple to push out updated Apps can lead to buggy versions still being downloaded even after they’re fixed:

A few minutes ago, the first line of the Fit description was “* THIS VERSION OF FIT HAS SHIPPED WITH A CRASHING BUG *” The next line was: “We have uploaded a fix in version 1.01, but Apple has not deployed the update to the App Store at this time.”

What’s more, the Review feature in iTunes for the App Store has become a vehicle for more than just reviews, with some apps getting literally flamed for dozens of posts (e.g. BoxOffice getting blasted in post after post by irate Canadians for only providing US Zipcode support, nothing international). Others just get nonsense. Again, via Hockenberry:

Another fine review: “Make sure you have this app when you’re digging your bomb shelter or spying on your neighbors’ subversive activities.” This is a real shame: it could be a wonderful way to collect ideas and feedback. Instead, it’s just frustrating. One can only hope that someone at Apple eventually figures out that software is not music. I’ve never had an MP3 crash or lack features. Flagging the reviews as inappropriate seems to have no effect.

Some developers have gone so far as to suggest a mass boycott from App Store (reportedly they can withdraw and terminate the distribution agreement at any time) as a way to get Apple’s attention. (Because, of course, Steve Jobs has always been easily swayed, right?)

Especially if, according to Tech Crunch, for-pay apps are increasing in popularity on the App Store. We hands out our money, we wants our awesome user experience.

Hopefully Apple will respond quickly and improve the system for both users and developers alike. Proper beta and QA, never mind a system for demos, would go a long way towards making better Apps all around.

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Pardon us while we forget how civilized, non-misogynistic, and enlightened owning an iPhone has made us. The iPhone gets to our caveman brain — we’re as helpless staring at the iPhone as a neanderthal staring at fire. Other things that get us in that same primitive gadget zone: Star Wars and that recent Transformers move (which, except for that Shia guy, was good times).

What we’re getting at here is that while we may not have as many celeb sightings as our CrackBerry.com friends, when we get one we make it count, friends, we make it count Tri-Fecta style. Megan Fox of Transformers fame + iPhone + retro Star Wars T-Shirt is worth five hundred janky Paris Hilton CrackBerry sightings.

Let’s do this some more — send in your Celeb iPhone sightings to news@theiphoneblog.com

[original source, slightly NSFW]

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Vindication! Well, kind of. Our MobileMe is still having problems but at least Apple admits that the transition from .Mac to MobileMe was “rocky” by sending an e-mail/apology letter to all MobileMe users. Billed as Exchange for the rest of us, MobileMe is still having problems with syncing, calendar, duplicate messages, etc. Not quite that Blackberry killer we envisioned.

Also, Apple will stop using the word push to describe MobileMe until syncing is “near-instant” on Mac and PCs like it is for the iPhone and Web Apps. Not that “15 minute” version of push it currently is. Either way, Apple is begging (read: bribing) for your forgiveness with a free 30 day extension to all current subscribers.

It’s good to see Apple admit mistake and take care of their customers, but I’m fairly certain most of us would have rather had a product that ‘just works’. Unreliability, problems, and false promises are for the folks over in Redmond, this is supposed to be Apple right?

Thanks for the tip Cherryhead25!

Read on for MobileMe’s full apology letter!

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You’ve got your uber-cool new iPhone 3G or you’re rocking the new 2.0 update on your iPhone 2G or iPod Touch, and you want to try out this Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync all the kids suits are yabbering about. One problem — you don’t have an Exchange server. You’re not part of some big megacorp with a massive IT department, you’re not a developer with MSDC licenses for the “testing”, and you’re not even small-business’y enough to pick up a cheap (for Microsoft!) ActionPack with a couple of licenses (or even if you did, you don’t have the geek in you to set ‘em up and administer the high-maintenance little beasties).

What to do, what to do?

Hosted Exchange.

Yup, just like ISP’s offer regular old email, and we services offer Yahoo!, Hotmail, Gmail, etc. for POP and IMAP mail, some companies will provide you with similar email accounts hosted on Exchange, ready for to get your ActiveSync iPhone nirvana on. Ranging in price, some even do it cheaply and some… for FREE!

The inimitable Lifehacker points us towards Mail2Web, which offers a FREE Microsoft Exchange based email solution, and provides handy-dandy setup and usage tips (though it looks like you might need the $4.45 a month version if you want to use it directly with Outlook on the PC).

TiPb’s own cross-platformer-in-chief also points us towards some for-pay, but potentially better fitting solutions from some users, with Sherweb at the top of his list, 1and1 hitting okay, and 4smartphone serving up equal parts popularity and unreliability (lately).

Of course, Microsoft itself is also entering the subscription space, for anyone who might want an ActiveSync addy straight out of Redmond…

Any options we’re missing?

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Now that we’ve successfully giving away over a thousand dollars in iTunes Gift Cards and an iPhone 3G, it’s time for us to take a breather. Thing is, the way we take a breather here at TiPb is to start up another way for you to get what you want for your iPhone. Here’s the deal:

Head on over to our new “iPhone App Lightning Reviews” forum and, you know, post a review of an iPhone app. It can be native or web, legit or jailbroken. Be sure to include some screenshots as attachments — on iPhone 2.0, you can just hold down the home and powerbutton briefly and the screenshot will get saved to your camera album. Keep it around 500ish words, be fair, and try not to all review the same apps — though reviews after major updates are always a good idea. Give it a rating out of 5 stars and a couple pros and cons at the end too, for those crazy skimmers.

…Why would you do all that? Every so often the TiPb staff will be picking our favorites and promoting them to the front page. We’ll thank you by giving back to you. More after the break!

• that unique feeling that comes from having your opinion voiced on the main page of what we think is the best durn iPhone blog around
• the satisfaction of a job well-done
• …and, oh yeah, a 25% off coupon for our iPhone accessory store that you can use yourself or send along to a friend.

Our iPhone accessory store has made the move over from Phone different (We’re all TiPb now, baby!) and is stocked now with bluetooth headsets, wired headphones, and cases compatible with both the 2G and 3G iPhones, with more coming in for the 3G even as you’re reading this post. Just be sure to click on the device selector in the upper-left to chose which iPhone you’re currently rocking to ensure that you’re getting something compatible.

(p.s. we still have a bug for Safari users that’s preventing uploads, we’re working on it. But the iPhone-ified version of the forums should officially be bug free — if it ain’t hit us up at news@theiphoneblog.com to let us know. Update: Fixed!)

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