As a major news outlet, it’s a little late to the iPhone party, but CNN has finally released an official app that covers its entire news network, unlike the previously available CNN Money application. The paid app features text, video and photo updates throughout the day, including breaking news updates that make use of the iPhone’s push notification features.

I was looking forward to a Wolf Blitzer splash page, but so far, none has been found. Maybe it’s an Easter egg. CNN for the iPhone also includes support for iReport functionality, the scheme by which you can become a reporter simply by snapping a photo or shooting some video and sending it off to the giant news corporation without hope of compensation.

Pricey and Polished

My own personal distaste for CNN’s crowd-sourcing lazy reporting scheme aside, they do provide a pretty slick app, especially compared to some of its peers. And it should perform well, since the cost of entry for the end user is $1.99. Since it’s a paid app, I’d also expect not to be burdened by intrusive advertising. CNN does however sport the occasional banner ad, sandwiched lovingly in between news items. Not unforgivable, but irksome in a paid app.

Navigation is nice, though, with stories loading quickly, and appearing in a list-style view when the device is vertical, or in a cover-flow type interface when you hold the iPhone horizontally. Tapping a story in cover-flow mode brings up a summary with the key points in bullet form, so you no longer have to go through the hassle of actually reading an article to stay relevant and informed.

Social News

You can also click through to the full article, and share any piece quickly and easily via email, SMS, Twitter or Facebook. When you tweet a story, the app asks for your Twitter account credentials, and allows you to customize the post before it’s published. Facebook sharing uses Facebook Connect to automatically post content with optional comments to your wall. CNN really has nailed down the social media aspect of this app.

As mentioned earlier, iReport is built in, so you can browse user generated stories, sign-in to your account if you have one, or just anonymously post photo and video content using a guest account. Truly, the culmination of responsible journalism. It is admittedly cool to be able to browse through and watch multiple first-hand accounts of events that would’ve maybe been caught on one or two surveillance cameras 10 years ago, though.

My CNN

Like AP News, CNN allows you to customize the content you see using location information you manually input or the location info taken from the device’s core location services. You can also “follow” a developing story, so that as new content is published relating to the topic, you’ll receive notifications via push. Interestingly, I couldn’t follow the topic “tsunami” when I tried just now, although the term “baseball” worked just fine.

Video

You can also stream live video or watch on-demand clips from the app, which is a big plus considering CNN’s extensive commitment to live multi-stream video news via the web. Finally, if you want to access stories later when you’re not connected, you can save any story for viewing. Good news for iPod touch users.

Is it worth $1.99? That depends on how much you like the news, and on how much you like CNN’s coverage of said news. It feels a lot more professionally done than other apps in this category, and video feeds and archived footage seems to load and play quickly and without issue, but there is the occasional ad and you have to pay for the privilege. Ideally, I’d like to see a scaled down free version, but don’t expect that to happen unless CNN sees lackluster sales during the launch of this current iteration.

A few days ago, Ed Bott reported that Apple was “up to its old tricks,” pushing unwanted software onto the PCs of unsuspecting Windows users everywhere. As you might expect, it caused something of a storm in a teacup, with Windows enthusiasts jumping on the Apple Bashing Bandwagon.

Now, as anyone who reads the tech-press will confirm, Ed is a Windows man through-and-through, and, although he occasionally appears to pay lip-service to Apple’s Mac OS X, he’s never slow to criticise the boys and girls in Cupertino.

So it should come as no surprise when I tell you that Ed happily spent about 700 words complaining bitterly and, at the end, throwing in a (somewhat unrelated) note of dissatisfaction with the size of the iTunes 9 installer.

Before I continue, and, at the risk of disappointing the more fervent Apple Fanbois among us, I’m not demonizing Ed. He’s an accomplished and fair writer. He’s just as quick to criticise Microsoft when they deserve it. This is not an Ed Bott Bashing article, m’kay?

Here’s what happened. Over the weekend, Apple released an update to its “Apple Software Update” utility on Windows. As well as QuickTime and iTunes updates (which were automatically selected), the Updater listed Safari (not pre-selected) and, at the top of the list, “iPhone Configuration Utility” (pre-selected).

Any Windows users accustomed to simply hitting “Install” would have downloaded software they will, in all likelihood, never need.

According to Greg Keizer at Computerworld, Apple removed the software from the update utility later that day.

It’s sad to see Ed Bott so readily waving virtual fists in the air, though it’s entirely understandable.In 2008, Apple used the same Software Update method to push its Safari browser out to PC users who had likely never even heard of it before. Those actions caused Mozilla CEO John Lily to accuse Apple of “bad practice” and behavior that “…ultimately undermines the safety of the Internet.” But, all those amateur-dramatics aside, it’s probably safe to say that most of those PC users who mindlessly clicked “Install” at that time have still, to this day, never even booted Safari. Not once.

I suspect the inclusion of the iPhone Configuration Utility was a simple mistake. After all, Apple has nothing to gain by installing the iPhone Configuration Utility software on ordinary end-user’s PCs. At first blush it seems Apple has much more to gain getting Windows users to move over to Safari, but last year’s aggressive Safari push hasn’t made too much of a dent in browser-share over on Microsoft’s dominant Windows platform.

With this in mind, it’s not so clever insisting Apple is being intentionally ’sneaky’ or ‘tricky.’ A touch careless, perhaps, but none of this cloak-and-dagger stuff, please. In this case, I don’t think Apple is doing anything even approaching interesting.

To his credit, Ed updated his article with a short sentence reflecting Apple’s quick actions changing the Updater contents, though he still took a swipe at the pre-selected iTunes and QuickTime items. There’s just no pleasing some people.

The sequel to Tweetie, the Twitter client that earned itself the much-coveted Apple Design Award earlier this year, is on its way to the App Store as you read this.

For the past few weeks I’ve been part of Loren Brichter’s Tweetie 2 beta program, testing out new features as the former Apple engineer constructed his new Twitter client.

Brichter has rebuilt Tweetie from the ground-up.The sequel incorporates features such as app persistence, offline mode, drafts, threaded conversations, landscape support and much more.

Read on for an in-depth look at what to expect from Tweetie 2.

Look & Feel

While Tweetie 2 incorporates an updated aesthetic, it won’t be difficult for both new and veteran users to get to grips with the app. More so impressive is how the app incorporates a raft of new features without overwhelming the user.

Even after playing with Tweetie 2 for a few weeks, I’m still discovering new functionality. For instance, when replying to a tweet you can now drag down with your finger to “peek” at the original message.

It’s a small feature indeed but finding these kind of miniscule updates brings to mind that satisfied glow we all get when discovering new features in OS X. In essence, skimming through tweets, tapping out messages and finding new folk to follow looks and feels great with Tweetie 2.

Writing & Replying

Composing richer tweets is easier now. Tweetie 2 lays out the different options clearly so that you can quickly add content to your latest 140 character micro-opus. In a given tweet you’re able to access your Twitter address-book and @ messages, search current hashtags, geotag your tweet and add photos too.

Plus, just like with Tweetie on OS X, you can now shrink URLs with the tap of a button. Obsessively attentive readers may have noticed me video tweeting from Big Bird over the past few weeks, that’s because Tweetie 2 also incorporates video tweeting from the 3GS.

There’s also a wealth of options available beyond simply retweeting a message from someone that you’re following. Now you can quote the tweet, post a direct link, translate and even e-mail the tweet to a friend — all without leaving the app itself.

For prolific Twitter users there’s now a drafts manager. This means that you can write and save a stack of tweets for posting later on. I’ve found that it’s particularly handy to have several drafted tweets ready to go just incase you get hit by a case of tweeter’s block.

Browsing the Timeline

The app now features full persistence. This means that if you’re, say, tapping through a prolonged conversation and then you quit the app, you’re able to pick up exactly where you left off. Every single time you exit, the app remembers your place and drops you right back there.

Offline reading has been incorporated too. You’re now able to compose those witty little one-liners while offline, save them to your drafts, and unleash them on the Twittersphere next time you’re online. Even users or tweets you follow, block or favorite while offline will be synced back to the server.

Exactly like the desktop version of Tweetie, there are now threaded conversations, making it much easier to jump into an ongoing discussion and catch up with what you missed. Also, although I don’t use any read this later services, some users will be pleased to note that there’s Read It Later and Instapaper support too.

One of the most ingenious little additions to the timeline view is the “drag to refresh” gesture. Instead of tapping a refresh button, you simply scroll to the top of the timeline and then drag down. It works as intended and, thanks to the gesture combined with a sound-effect and flippy-floppy arrow, it feels tangible and satisfying.

Landscapes & Locations

Not only can you compose a tweet in landscape view, the entire app can be browsed in landscape view. I appreciate that some users may have been waiting for this, however it’s not a feature that I particularly wanted, nor do I make use of now that it’s here. If I could find the button to turn off auto-rotate, I would do so.

Setting that little niggle aside, the Nearby tweets feature has received a much-needed overhaul too. The original Tweetie displayed an odd looking radar animation before loading a basic, but functional, timeline of tweets nearby your current location.

The new Tweetie loads up a Google Map and then pops up tiny speech bubble icons representing all the tweets in your vicinity. It’s an effective way of sorting through local tweets and is a more creative approach than the standard timeline view.

And There’s Even More…

There are details and small features that you almost certainly won’t come across within the first few days of using the app. For instance, Brichter has now included profile editing from within the app.

Another feature that I just picked up on today is the ability to tweet simultaneously from multiple accounts. When composing a tweet you simply tap the “New Tweet” header at the top of the screen and then select the other accounts that you’d like to post the message from.

The Bottom Line

The app is a standalone purchase, as opposed to an update/upgrade. It’ll be available in the App Store soon for only $2.99, just like the original iPhone Tweetie. There’s also an update to the Mac version on the way, however this will be a free update to current owners of Tweetie for OS X.

If you’re unfamiliar with the current state of Twitter clients, we’ve got a great roundup here on TheAppleBlog. It’s worth noting that the original Tweetie came out on top as one of the top clients.

The new app definitely gets a thumbs-up from me, although I’d be interested to know which of you will be upgrading to Tweetie 2 when it comes out.

Of all the file syncing solutions available, one of the most popular is Dropbox. As one of the solutions that is also cross-platform compatible, many Mac users have embraced Dropbox as a more reliable and robust solution than other alternatives, like MobileMes iDisk. Diehard Dropbox users can now rejoice as the Dropbox team is at it once again with the release of a native iPhone app,allowing users to access their dropbox on the go.

For a while, Dropbox has provided users with an iPhone-optimized web site for accessing their contents on the go, but that left many users desiring more. Even with 3G speeds, web browsing through Mobile Safari is not as fast as an application that can read/write to its own resources and sync with a server.

Native App, Native Features

With a native application, the Dropbox team has managed to provide full access to your dropbox contents as well as several interesting iPhone-specific features.

One of these is the ability to take photos or video directly within the application (or use existing content on your device) and have those photos synced to your dropbox automatically. Dropbox then gives users quick access to generate an email with an appropriate link to view the content and share it with others.

The application itself is very usable and functions like most other native apps. As expected, you can delete items from your dropbox just as you would an email (swipe to delete). To prevent users from experiencing lag (as would have happened with a web app), the application caches a copy of the directory structure once youve viewed it at least once. (This later is re-synced if changes occur elsewhere.)

Typical application file types that are supported on the iPhone (images, PDFs, Keynotes, Pages documents, Word documents, etc.) are all supported within the application. Word documents even support copy and paste! If you have video files that are of a supported type (QuickTime and the like), they will also stream from your Dropbox. For those who love sharing content, just like the aforementioned photos, a mail icon in the lower left corner allows users to generate emails for any content stored on their dropbox.

Dropbox also supports a “Favorites” feature which allows you to sync your favorite files directly to your iPhone, even further speeding up response time. To favorite a file, simply tap the star icon at the bottom of the screen when viewing the file.

A Few Shortcomings

One little complaint that I have is that Dropbox uses its own picture browser. As such, when I load an image, I’m unable to pinch to zoom like what happens when browsing photos elsewhere on my phone. Support for the accelerometer is present, though, as rotating my phone allows the photo to reorient itself. I’m assuming this is just a bug and something the Dropbox team will work out in a future update.

Another interesting piece that is missing is the fact that Dropbox supports Growl on its desktop version. Though it may be annoying, some users may be wishing for push notifications for any updates to their dropbox. Again, as this is an initial release, this is something that could come in a later update.

Dropbox is a free download from the App Store but does require a valid Dropbox account. Users can sign up for a free Dropbox account (limited to 2GB), and there are paid options for greater storage (50GB or 100GB). As someone who has used Dropbox for over a year now, it’s a very robust solution for file syncing and in my tests, a lot more stable than MobileMe’s iDisk. If youve used Dropbox or the new Dropbox app and have thoughts on the matter, tell us your experience!

We reported earlier that BlackBerry would be delivering its Desktop Manager software for Mac in September of this year. Keen readers will note that, in fact, that was not the case, since it is now the last possible day for that software to appear, and that software isn’t coming.

It is, however, going to arrive just a little outside of the originally announced release window. On Oct. 2, which is this Friday, BlackBerry customers who are also Mac users will finally be able to enjoy equal status with their PC counterparts. About time, RIM. Be honest, you were just holding a grudge about the iPhone’s success, weren’t you?

As of this Friday, you’ll be able to use BlackBerry’s own software to sync contacts, calendar items and appointments, notes and task from sources such as iCal, Address Book, and Entourage, among others. You can also add and remove software downloaded via BlackBerry’s App World using the Desktop Manager, which is good news for people who’ve been trying to manage their fledgling collections all via the device itself.

BlackBerry users will also be able to sync playlists from iTunes, so long as the format is compatible. Last time I checked (just last week), the Tour still didn’t play back .m4a files. It recognized them and was able to retrieve track information, but it wouldn’t actually play them.

People with RIM devices will also be able to schedule and encrypt backups for their phones, and install software updates from the desktop. BlackBerry Desktop Manager is designed to run on OS X 10.5.5 and above. BlackBerry devices used with Desktop Manager for Mac must be running OS 4.2 or higher. Set your alarm for 10 a.m. PDT on Friday, because that’s when the download goes live at the official BlackBerry site.

With the end of September comes the end of fiscal year 2009 for Apple. While the company won’t be releasing the numbers for another two weeks or so, consensus estimates from Wall Street for the fourth quarter will fill in the blanks, as Apple always beats estimates. For 2009, during what is arguably the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Apple will have its best year ever.

For FY 2009, Apple can expect sales of approximately $36 billion, up from $32.5 billion last year. While the increase will only be half that from 2007 to 2008, that’s against severely curtailed consumer spending. Conventional wisdom suggests premium products like those from Apple would be hit hardest in such an environment, but Apple has been selling strong since 2005. However, looking at net income over the long term, the picture is a little different.

That bump during the late 90’s is largely due to the original iMac, introduced in May 1998. The iMac probably saved the company. It’s hard to imagine Apple losing money or barely profitable until 2004. That year the company earned net income of a quarter of a billion dollars. The next year it was more than $1.25 billion, beginning that nice linear trajectory to $5.5 billion for FY 2009, but enough about the money. For those who use the products, the real numbers are in the success of the platform, and the Mac is about to have its best year ever.

Fiscal year or calendar year, it just doesn’t matter, either way 2009 will be the first year the company sells 10 million Macs. Sales estimates for the quarter ending September 30 are for 2.7 million Macs, putting Apple just over that magical base-10 for the fiscal year. That will top last year’s record of 9.7 million Macs, which was also a new record, but then every year since 2006 has been a new record. The question then becomes whether this year’s “slowing” sales are due to economic conditions, or a plateauing of the Mac like the iPod has seen.

The bad news is that the phenomenal growth the iPod enjoyed from 2004 through 2007 appears to be over. The good news is that’s still more than 50 million iPods per year. For FY 2009, projections are for just under 54 million iPods to be sold, which would be just under the record of 54 million sold last year. However, further solace can be had in the theory that iPod sales are being cannibalized by iPhone sales, and iPhone sales are looking a lot like iPod sales used to look.

Analysts are all over the place on iPhone sales for FY 2009, with somewhere in the range of six to seven million iPhones sold in the fourth fiscal quarter. Splitting the difference at 6.5 million means iPhone sales for the year will come in just under 20 million. That would nearly double last year’s total of 11.6 million. With the imminent introduction of the iPhone into China, it’s a safe bet that iPhone sales won’t be leveling off anytime soon. The iPhone is undeniably the biggest success in a record year, but what brought that success?

Two words, one name: Steve Jobs.

That’s the biggest earner for the year past, and every year going back to 1996. Although Jobs became “iCEO” in the summer of 1997, Apple acquired NeXT in late 1996 for what would become OS X, and got Jobs for free. It was the best deal the company has ever made. Just look at the numbers.