We want to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year from all of our families to yours!

Lets make 2010 the year to remember!

Mac enthusiasts usually hold the relatively virus-free environment on the Apple operating systems as proof of its superiority over Microsoft Windows.  While I agree with this, let’s give a little history lesson.

Microsoft won the war of the operating systems way back when in a very similar method to what Apple is now doing with the iPhone.  There are more apps available for the iPhone or iPod Touch than most other smartphones combined, and the same was true for Windows when it was on it’s way to becoming OS Champion of the World (in terms of number of users).

It boils down to philosophy.  Microsoft had an "open" environment in which anybody, with the right tools, could develop apps for their system.  Apple realized this and had a similar set-up for their iPhone.  The difference is that Microsoft neither charged a fee nor had an approval process for the distribution of applications.

By having their relatively "closed" system, it is far more difficult to develop a virus to infect it.  Plus, unlike a computer, a majority of people don’t keep their valuable data such as passwords and credit card numbers on their device … yet.

While there are those that complain about the unfair and seemingly arbitrary approval process for the App Store, it could simply be Apple doing their due diligence.  A virused iPhone would be bad for business.

(Yes, there have been viruses for iPhones, but those iPhones were jailbroken and Apple can’t be found liable.)

Eventually, someone may be able to sneak in a virus through an app, but the justice of Apple will then be swift and merciless and the reward may not be worth the risk.

What do you think?  Will someone eventually get a virus on a non-jailbroken iPhone?

I’ve already done a wish list for the holidays, so I figured I’d also round out the new year by naming my favorite apps that are currently on my device.  That is to say, the ones I use most often.  I eliminate from this list any program that actually came with the iPod Touch and prefer to focus on third party applications.

Pocket God – A fun app in which you get to kill off a myriad of island natives in cute yet gruesome ways.  A rival company developed a similar game called Pocket Devil, in which you torture denizens in Hell.  That one is a little more bloody.

Remote – This free app lets you control iTunes by remote control.  This is great if you watch or listen to a lot of content via iTunes.

South Park Mega Millionaire – I don’t play this anymore but when I first got it I didn’t stop playing it until I finished all levels.

Stanza – Any app that lets me download literary classics as well as Doctor Who novels for free is okay in my book.

CNN Mobile – This is quite simply the best newsreader program in the App Store.  When I originally got it I liked that it streamed the actual network, but it doesn’t seem to do that any more.  Or it could be that I just can’t find that functionality anymore.

But of course, my tastes are not shared by everyone.  What are your favorite iPhone or iPod Touch apps?

The holidays are upon us once again.  In celebration of surviving yet another year, I give you my holidays wish list with regards to all things related to What’s On iPhone:

• I wish the iPhone would abandon AT&T as a carrier in the United States.  Well, maybe not abandon, but not offer as the sole choice.  In my ideal world, the iPhone would simply be sold as its own unit by Apple itself and you can choose your own provider.
• I wish the iPod Touch had a camera and a built-in microphone.  It has taken strides by providing a built-in speaker, the possibility of a microphone (with attachment) and Bluetooth.  Granted, such add-ons would take business away from the iPhone, but so does Apple’s sole association with AT&T.
• I wish certain software was more inexpensive on iTunes.  If you can get your own GPS unit for $99, why would you pay the same for similar software on an iPhone?  And then pay $129 for a hardware kit to go with it?
• I wish iTunes had a better system for recovering apps in the event of a PC crash (note I didn’t say Mac crash).  Why can’t iTunes remember all the apps you downloaded on your account somewhere so you can re-download them later?  The last time I had to re-download from memory and I’m sure I missed some.

But these are just wishes.  Perhaps some of them will come true after the new year, depending on the will of Jobs.  Happy Holidays, all!

On June 29, 2007 Apple released the first iPhone.  Shortly thereafter it released the first iPod Touch and within a year Apple allowed development for the iPhone and iPod Touch to anybody who wanted it and let them market their own applications via the App Store in iTunes.

Since then, the App Store has acquired over 100,000 apps and continues to grow.  There are so many apps that to get them all would take up hundreds of iPhones.  There is only so much you can fit on an iPhone or iPod Touch, even if you get the high-end models.

As a reviewer, I get my hands on a lot of apps, some of which are worth keeping.  I purchase some others on my own on top of that.

In fact, due to the exhorbitant number of apps in my iTunes library, I can only keep a fraction of them on my iPod Touch.  Of those I keep on it, only a few of those are used on a regular basis.  This is on top of any audio or video files I keep on my device.  My 8 gigabytes of space are close to full.

For example, I purchased a copy of Space Ace, the 80’s video arcade game, for the iPod Touch simply for the nostalgia factor.  I never play it, yet I keep it on the device just in case.  The app takes up a lot of space due to the associated audio and video files, yet I can’t bring myself to remove it and simply keep it in the library.  I keep it because I want it on hand if the urge to play hits me, even though it quite probably never will.

Are there any unused apps on your iPhone or iPod Touch?  If so, why do you not uninstall them?

Even though we have lots of readers from all over the world, we want to take this opportunity to just wish everyone celebrating Thanksgiving with us in the USA a happy and healthy turkey day!

Now we’re off to watch the Macy’s Parade!

I once listed my biggest pet peeves about apps.  One of them was apps that "double-dip", that is charge you an initial fee then have fees on top of that to play the game or use the application.  Apple initiated such a concept this past March and is now extending it by allowing developers to sell content or services within free apps.

I’m sure Apple has already worked this through, but my question is this: what will prevent some developer from creating a "container" app and basically starting his or her own App Store?  Nothing, I think.  Would Apple get a piece of any sales that occur within apps?  I suspect so, but how will they track it?

I can only think of AppBox Pro, a container app which houses a couple of dozen micro-apps within itself.  Fortunately, the app only charges a low initial fee.  But what if it started charging to add or activate apps within itself?  That’s double-dipping right there.

There is also the "fake-out" nature of this latest development.  Apps can be advertised as free but have assorted hidden fees in order to make them work.  Hopefully Apple has worked out rules to protect the comsumer stating that if an app has additional fees, it must be advertised along with the app before it is even downloaded.

It hasn’t happened yet, but I see this latest development leading to further problems down the road.  There will be a lot of disappointment when it is learned that using free apps will cost people money.  What do you think?