MacNN reports that Rogers Wireless will be revising its iPhone plans on October 1 to include a new 250 minute plan for $60, among other changes.

The new bundles, MacNN says, would feature a $60 plan with:

• 250 daytime minutes
• 75 texts
• 1GB data
• Visual Voicemail
• three months of unlimited local calling
• a permanent MY5 Local option

A $75 plan may also be available, with 400 minutes, 100 texts, and 2GB data.

Early on, Rogers has had a rocky relationship with iPhone customers, many of whom are unhappy with the relatively high cost of plan rates and miniscule data allowances.

Canadian readers: Is this an improvement, or does Rogers still have a long way to go? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Since the iPhone's introduction, people have been using the built-in camera for more than quick snapshots. Some have taken macro shots, used it as a webcam or even created high art (OK, so that last one was a bug).

Another popular practice is to use it to generate to-do lists and even as a scanner. People have taken photos of things they need to buy or remember to do. Others have sent snapshots of business cards, receipts, etc. into applications like iPhoto and Evernote.

That's clever, but getting a legible image of your documents is difficult. Enter the iPhone Document Scanner. This device positions the iPhone and document to be "scanned" at the perfect distance and ensures a steady hand. If you're a Ponko member, you can download a free .eps file of the plans to build your own.

We knew Apple put the camera on the back for a reason!

Thanks, Baptiste!

When a developer submits a "Pull My Finger" application, you've kind of got to expect it's going to be rejected. iFartz was rejected. Ibrate was rejected -- and that one was even raising money for breast cancer research. Today, over at Mac Rumors, I read about "Pull My Finger"'s rejection for limited utility. Right at the bottom of the rejection letter was the name "Victor Wang".

Mr. Wang has become a near legend for his rejection letters, usually long, delayed (I suspect he's second- or third-tier in the review process) and for aesthetic reasons that leave developers blinking with surprise. While "Pull My Finger" would probably not meet "Koi Pond" levels of user reach (here's our look at Koi Pond), it could have a solid audience. It's a simple, stupid joke app (notice how I'm not pulling punches here) but it's the kind of simple, stupid joke app that a lot of people would download and use because people like simple, stupid joke apps.

I've complained about this before, so apologies to everyone who has heard this point -- the next post is just a wee bit below this one, feel free to scroll -- but until Apple offers developers a firm set of guidelines, developers will continue to be ticked off by seemingly arbitrary rejections like this one. Apple is clearly refusing applications that fail the sniff test -- and yes, I know that's a little more apt a metaphor than this application deserves. "Pull My Finger" is tasteless. Apple should have rejected it for that reason, rather than pulling new reasons out from thin air.

Apple needs to step forward, and do so soon, with a clear set of guidelines that explain to developers exactly what to expect when they press that "submit" button for their new app. Developers shouldn't be wasting Apple's time with unpublishable software. Apple should not be wasting Developers' time with a secretive and arbitrary review process.

Update: The app's author has set up a plea-page

Once my kids were beyond putting random technology into their mouths, I have let them play with gadgets. But what about my iPhone? It started innocently enough: a Leapster for a birthday. Then I cleaned out the garage and let them "borrow" a few antique Palm devices. Then I got them hooked on an old iBook G3 running OS 9 and some great old classics (the original "Toy Story" interactive storybook is a nearly-perfect example of the genre). A Palm T|X loaded with games, music, photos and movies might have been a step in the wrong direction, as was the Dell Axim with the same. Access to those was limited until the iPhone came along.

Once a kid has used iSaber (currently unavailable from the iTunes store) or played DizzyBee, it's over. When you show them you can add yet more fun diversions the question becomes "got anything new on your iPhone?" By then it's over.

Now the question becomes, what's the harm? Is there harm? I've limited their use to the inevitable "we're waiting right now" moments. But still, no matter what we've done that day that was new and exciting, if my son plays with the iPhone for 5 minutes that's all Mom hears about when he's going to bed.

I grew up with an Apple ][ in the house and I'm sure that had a hand in my love of tech. But there's also a case for letting kids find their own way, at an age-appropriate level. I cringe when they swing my naked iPhone around using iSaber, expecting Wii-style damage to our windows and the device itself. Yet I can't help but think that getting used to technology early -- something that will increasingly invade their lives as it becomes more embedded in our world -- is maybe a good thing. Everything in moderation, of course. I certainly don't want them erasing my high scores; I'll let iTunes do that.

Son's favorite games: Cannon Game and MotionX Dice. (iTunes links)
Daughter's favorite games: DizzyBeeFree (guess I better buy it!) and aSleep (iTunes links)

We've covered MotionX and aSleep before.

Another instant messenger app for iPhone has been released, joining the ranks of such stalwarts as Pairingo, MobileChat, and AIM for iPhone. Shape IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger for iPhone (click opens iTunes App Store) supports AIM/iChat, MSN/Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo!, ICQ, Jabber, Google Talk and MySpaceIM. All public IM systems can be connected through the one client, and all messages come into one shared inbox.

Shape Services GMBH is currently offering the iPhone application for free, while the Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Symbian, and BlackBerry versions retail for $29.99. Get it while it's free!

Thanks to ZaP for the tip!

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn..." but not for long. A company called Digital Jokers, in conjunction with a subsidary called Mayhem Studios, is bringing HP Lovecraft's cuddly, horrible, insanity-inspiring Great Old One to the iPhone in the form of a graphical adventure game called Call of Cthulhu: The Darkness Within. It looks like fun, although if the laughable trailer is any indication, they'll need to do some spell checking and additional translation before the game actually goes live.

Still, Cthulhu fans will slog through some pretty bad software if it means there's a good Lovecraftian story in the mix. We'll keep an eye on this one -- graphical horror-based adventure on the iPhone done well could make for a good (or should we say evil?) time.

[via Macworld]

Spore Origins has wriggled its way out to the iTunes store for the iPod. The game is a slimmed-down version of the early microbial stages in the upcoming PC game -- in the main game, you'll be able to take your little microbes up through the evolutionary ladder all the way up to space travel, but in the iPod game, you just guide a little cellular organism around in the primordial muck, eating what's smaller than you and running away from what's bigger.

We haven't played the iPod version, but the iPhone version, which we got a hands-on with at E3 earlier this year, is due out later this week, according to the game's creator, Will Wright. Both games pale in comparison to the creativity and polish that the full Spore game will offer -- running a creature around in the muck isn't nearly as fun as guiding it through the history of time itself, and unfortunately, as we were told at E3, online play and character transfer never made it into the final version, so the portable games have no relation to the full game at all.

So what you're left with is a little arcade game, which probably isn't actually worth the $5 it costs. There are, after all, better games out there for less.

I thought Line Rider kind of "jumped" the shark (so to speak) when they sold out to McDonald's, but apparently the little sandbox physics game is still kicking around. InXile, the company that makes it, is working on a version for the iPhone. There was a version available for jailbreakers, but apparently the company put the kibosh on it when they found out.

Not much else to say about this -- Line Rider is currently available for free online, and if you like it there, you'll probably like it on the iPhone, too. Personally, it's more fun to watch than to play -- whenever I try to make a run, my little guy always dies on the first curve. But maybe with a little more iPhone-based practice, I can finally get him to do that loop-de-loop I've been wanting.

[via Touch Arcade]

This Business Week article describes the rising demand for first generation iPhones. "Shelf prices" (using eBay values of virtual shelves) for the 16GB iPhone are currently at about $600, and $500 for 8GB models. In other words, the $250 AT&T refurb specials from March are now worth roughly double what you paid for them.

From easy-unlocking to contract-free usage to eco-consumerism, consumers are looking for those original units and paying premium prices to get them. A majority of phones are heading outside the US for resale while growing demand at home keeps resale prices high.

Earlier today, many iPhone owners on the east coast (including yours truly) were experiencing data problems with AT&T. Specifically, my data transfer all but disappeared, including web and email, over EDGE. The weird part was that my iPhone was reporting a strong signal. It seems I wasn't alone.

Electornista is reporting that the issue affected users from New York to Missouri, Massachusetts and North Carolina. AT&T responded and, as of this writing, it's been worked out. A representative said, "There was a routing issue affecting some wireless data use in the Northeast region ... technicians determined the cause and restored service at 11:56AM EDT."

So, flip on your iPhones, east coast-dwellers. We're back in business.

In an oddly prescient lawsuit filed yesterday, a San Diego man claims that Apple and AT&T knowingly oversold the iPhone 3G, and overloaded the network, causing slow data throughput.

We may never know if this morning's outage was in any way related to the claims the man, William J. Gillis, makes in his filing. He is seeking class-action status for the suit. It follows a similar one filed in Alabama which questioned claims that 3G data speeds are twice as fast, as Apple advertised.

Gillis, a local "corporate entertainer" and "world renowned Master Magician" (according to his website), says the iPhone's packaging does not warn buyers that its performance may not meet customers' expectations. That SUV won't actually drive straight up a cliff face, you know.

Newsflash: Every mobile provider oversells the capacity of its network. Witness attending a convention or during a disaster: it's hard to make a call, because everything's jammed with people trying to make calls. It's the cornerstone of the mobile phone industry, and it's probably not going away because of this lawsuit.

Just add this one to the growing pile of work to do for Apple's corporate lawyers.

[Via AppleInsider]

Taking time out of busy day just to meditate for a few minutes is a beautiful thing -- if you can stay focused long enough.The folks at Lingon i Korg Software Creations have come up with a way to help -- Meditation Timer [iTunes link] for the iPhone and iPod touch.

This cool little app does more than just bong an alarm when meditation time is up. Any old app can do that. This timer gives you a choice between two soothing screen color schemes -- purple and white, or green and white -- and two different alarm settings.

Just like the iPhone and touch's native alarm, you set the hours, minutes, and seconds by scrolling through the onscreen dials to the select the length of time you want to meditate (it defaults to 10 minutes). You'll be alerted when time's up by a gentle chime called "Spinning Bowl." You can also set the alarm to vibrate (iPhone only), or turn it off entirely.

If you need a reminder to start winding down to get ready for your next round of meditation, set the Preparation Timer to count down the minutes until your next session.

Meditation Timer is free to the first 5,000 customers. After that, the app will be priced at 99 cents.

Ohhhmmmm....DownloadThisNow......Ohhhhmmmm....

Dedicated runners, bikers, hikers, and walkers like to keep track of their efforts, dutifully logging miles (or kilometers), time, weather conditions, elevation gain or loss. That's why there was a lot of excitement after the Nike + iPod Sport Kit was announced in 2006, since the same device you were using to listen to music could be used to tell you just how far and fast you ran.

Unfortunately, many competitive runners quickly realized that the accuracy of the Nike + iPod Sport Kit wasn't all that great. TidBITS Publisher and marathoner Adam Engst wrote a post last year in which he pointed out how inaccurate the Sport Kit is, even when carefully calibrated. Adam thought that the Sport Kit had some possibilities for fitness runners, but not for those who need accurate measurements of distance and time.

When the iPhone 3G arrived this summer, I wondered how it would work as an exercise tracking tool. After all, the device has GPS built in and should be able to accurately measure distances, time, and even elevation. I looked at

• Trailguru
• RunKeeper
• The Running GyPSy
• iTrail

To see how these apps and the Nike + iPod Sport Kit compete, read on.

Two popular Mac developers have taken the time to blog the future of their applications. First, Marco Arment has written about his plans for Instapaper for iPhone and iPod touch. If you haven't tried Instapaper yet, you're missing out. Basically, the desktop version is simply a web bookmarklet that lets you collect weblinks on a single page.

Have you found an article you'd like to read when you have some free time? Click the bookmarklet and it's added to your Instapaper page.

The iPod touch/iPhone version syncs with your links collection so you've got them on-the-go. It works wonderfully, and there's both a free version [link] and paid pro version [link] in the App Store.

In his blog post, Marco writes "...I compiled a feature list for what I want in Instapaper.app 2.0, and it's huge. It's easily 6 months of work ... But if I can pull off the product I want for 2.0, I'll really have something amazing."

Meahwhile, Brent Simmons has written about NetNewsWire, the popuar RSS reader. All four of them. "I'm working on four apps. But they're all NetNewsWire," he says. Specifically, version 1.0.9 is almost ready for the App Store [here's the current version] while 3.1.7 is under development for the Mac. At the same time, Brent is working on versions 3.2 and 4.0 for future release.

Good luck, guys! We appreciate the dedication and love your applications. Keep up the good work.

Having trouble this morning accessing data through your local cellular network? You're not alone. As several dozen (very appreciated!) TUAW tipsters have let us know, AT&T data seems to be down around the DC metropolitan area and areas North. If you're affected by this outage, drop us a note in the comments and let us know where you are.

Update: Associated Press confirms that the AT&T wireless data network is down in parts of the eastern US. Affected areas include Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois (not part of the east last time I checked) and Missouri (ditto).

Voice service remains unaffected but Web surfing and email are not functional. Surprisingly (not!) most outage reports came from iPhone users, once again proving that the iPhone is the first smart phone that really gets used as an Internet device (versus as an Email-specific device).

Rumors say that AT&T has been hard pressed keeping up with the iPhone demand on the data network -- because with an iPhone it's really easy to get online and surf effectively.

Update 2: TUAW Reader Tim writes that he was given a credit for the outage this morning. If you're seriously put out by the lack of data service, it may be worth a call to AT&T. You may not get the same $25 credit Tim got but you may be prorated for the downtime.

Update 3 South New Jersey seems to be affected as well.

Data still out for you? Share your location here or continue reading for a map.

Update DC Area seems back online. First reports that Boston is back.