Prowl ($2.99 - iTunes link) sends Growl alerts to your iPhone via Push Notification. That’s right, duck and cover, we’ve just found the nu-cu-lar option.

Growl is a well known 3rd party alert system for Mac OS X and provides heads up display of incoming email, twitter, file transfer, chats, downloads, and just about anything you can shake an “I want to know” at. And Windows users, don’t you fret — they’re working on a beta for Microsoft’s platform as well.

Prowl takes Growl alerts and send them on to your iPhone (or iPod touch), and you can configure the type and priority level you want to get. Up to 30 days of notifications are logged, and links remain active in the alerts.

For hardcore status trackers, this might just be a dream come true. For those who think one more alert will send them over the cliffs of insanity… best stay well clear.

If you do try it out, Mac or Windows, let us know how it works for you.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Quick App: Prowl Provides Push Notification for Growl on iPhone

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone back at Macworld 2007, he prefaced the introduction by saying what was wrong with current not-so-smartphones — the hardware keyboard. They don’t go away when you don’t need them. They don’t change if you switch from text entry to bitmap editing, for example, And if you come up with a great idea later, you can’t go back an add an extra button.

Now it’s 2009 and Apple has released the iPhone 3GS, yet many people, including notable technologists, have called the lack of a physical keyboard a deal-breaker.

Is it? Let’s take a look after the break.

Dieter, in his review for the Palm Pre, had this to say:

I’ve been using QWERTY keyboards on phones for over seven years now and I had no problem adjusting to the Palm Pre. If you’re looking for a comparison, I’ll say that it’s not as good as your standard BlackBerry keyboard, but for 90% of people it’s going to be much better than the iPhone’s on-screen software keyboard. I know the keyboard is a big X factor for a lot of people, so the best I can say is that you not only need to try it for yourself, but you need to give it at least a couple of days of use before you turn in your verdict.

Personally, I’m on record as saying I vastly prefer the iPhone’s virtual keyboard to either the Treo, Windows Mobile, BlackBerrys and G1s I’ve owned or test-driven. My dislike for hardware keyboards and the pain-in-the fingers and arms they’d given me pretty much made me avoid them entirely until the iPhone came along. Zero. Stress. Typing.

Also, as we’ve said before, for those who need to switch frequently from English to Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, or even other Roman input method, hardware keyboards just can’t compare. (And let’s not forget those who need to out-type netbooks during car races…)

Daring Fireball, in response to Tim Bray saying he’d never use an iPhone sans hardware keyboard, summed up the argument:

(1) that all phone-size keyboards — hardware or software — are poor compared to real honest-to-god full-size put-your-eight-finger-across-the-home-row-keys keyboards; but (2) given a week or two of use and some trust in the auto-correct system, most people can thumb-type just as well, if not better, on an iPhone as they could on a BlackBerry or a slider-style keyboard like the G1's.

DF also believes Apple will never make an iPhone with a hardware keyboard, and that Apple will not suffer in the market for this (for our part, we’ve suggested the aforementioned Palm Pre could be considered the iPhone with a keyboard, given Jon Rubinstein’s history).

Given the over 40 million iPhone and iPod touch software keyboard devices already sold, and the 1 million iPhone 3GS’s sold opening weekend alone, it’s hard to argue that point. While there certainly is a niche that will never forgo the lack of a hardware keyboard, Apple seems to have proven there’s a far bigger market of those that will embrace, or at least tolerate and adapt to it.

What’s your take? Is the lack of a hardware keyboard holding the iPhone back? Is it just old-school hardware keyboarders that miss the action? Is it a deal-breaker for you? Or do you think Steve Jobs was right, a next generation smartphone needed a next generation keyboard?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Does the iPhone Need a Hardware Keyboard?

Three of the most popular tools on the scene have been updated to be fully compatible with the iPhone 3GS: The Dev Teams software unlock - ultrasn0w, their jailbreak software - redsn0w (via torrent for Windows, Mac, Linux), and saurik’s popular iPhone theming tool, Winterboard (via Cydia).

Two hours ago saurik twittered the following:

The newly released 0.9.2958 versions of MobileSubstrate and WinterBoard (upgraded to support ARM7/Thumb2) should now work on the iPhone 3GS

That was followed by a quick tweet from the Dev Team:

Released: redsn0w 0.8 (incl. 3GS, hactivate, linux) http://is.gd/1pRlV . Ultrasn0W 0.8 (incl. 3GS support) (see Cydia).

So it looks like purplera1n forced the Dev Team to respond by finally releasing their jailbreak software. Good news for all of you iPhone 3GS owners out there today, now you have two jailbreak solutions for your iPhone 3GS. Which will you choose?

For more jailbreak discussion be sure to check out TiPb’s Jailbreak Central.

Update: The Dev Team have updated their blog since the release of the new software, for more information on why they decided to release it and more check it out!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Ultrasn0w, Redsn0w, and Winterboard Get iPhone 3GS Compatible

Since the iPhone 3.0 Jailbreak has become available, and now with both purplera1n and redsn0w coming on line with iPhone 3GS Jailbreak solutions, we’ve heard rumblings about problems with Push Notifications not working, or not working properly.

The Dev Team has noted this:

we have some remaining 3.0 jailbreak issues to investigate, including push notification

danmowchan in our forums notes this again today with regards to Prowl. Potential battery drain issues aside, if you’ve Jailbroken, are you having trouble getting your Push on? If not, has problems with Push made you put your Jailbreak on hold?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Jailbreak Users Still Have Problems with Push Notification?

It's that time again — time for us to pick out some of the hot topics on TiPb's forums. In order for you to reply to any of the following threads please be sure to register. It's a painless process that will only take a moment of your time.

Forum regular, Duvi, started an interesting poll recently, does anyone believe there will be more than one iPhone next year? My personal feeling is we will be seeing a similar situation as we did this past June 19th. One new iPhone with the 3GS possibly sticking around at a lower price. Thoughts?

This next thread was started by yet another forum regular, cjvitek, who wants to know how many of you actually use the spotlight search feature? Personally I’ve found the more apps and music I put on my 32GB 3GS, the more I find myself using the Spotlight Search. How about you?

Clg82 started an excellent thread for those of you who are looking for all of the Push Notification applications available in Apple’s App Store! Be sure to check this thread out for the latest apps that push. Don’t see one listed? Feel free to add it to the list!

With over a million new iPhones sold recently, most of you probably are in need of some sort of help and/or basic tips to get the most out of your new iPhones. Well TiPb has got just the place for you. Have a question? Look here: iPhone Help. Search here for help and If your search comes up empty feel free to post a question in your own thread. You’ll have an answer in no time!

Bonus poll thread! A war of words seems to be brewing between the Dev Team and George Hotz regarding both of their respective jailbreak solutions. Now that the Dev Team released their jailbreak software (redsn0w) after purplera1n, which piece of software do you prefer - redsn0w or purplera1n?

See you on the forums!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

More Than One New iPhone Next Year? Spotlight Search, Push Apps, and iPhone Help — From the TiPb Forums

Apple’s iTunes App Store launched on July 11, 2008 alongside the iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0. Now, just a few days shy of its first birthday, iTunes is getting ready to celebrate by showcasing some of Apple’s favorite iPhone (and iPod touch) apps [iTunes link].

Split into two categories of 30, apps [iTunes link] and games [iTunes link], Apple’s picks are as diverse as they are interesting and seem to cover the gamut from major development studios to indies, premium priced to free, and as they put it are:

Part fun. Part function. Entirely amazing.

Did Apple include your favorite?

[via MacRumors]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone App Store Gets Ready to Celebrate 1st Birthday