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Line2 users shouldn't update to iOS 4.2 [but 4.2.1 may be OK]
Update: Several commenters who have installed the 4.2.1 release candidate build of iOS report that it fixes the sustained-ring issue for Line2 and other VoIP apps. Toktumi is warning all all iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users with the handy VoIP app Line2 installed to avoid upgrading to the coming-any-day-now iOS 4.2. According to an email sent to registered users today, users who run Line2 in the background after upgrading to iOS 4.2 may have trouble with the ringer. Specifically, it will continue to ring even after an incoming call is answered. Line2 adds a second line to your iPhone that works over 3G and Wi-Fi. It also allows for unlimited texting in the U.S. and Canada. International text messages cost US$0.10 each. Tokutumi notes that Apple Developer Support has been made aware of this issue with the 4.2 release candidates. However, as of the most recent iOS gold master build, it's still a problem. Of course, Line2 will continue to work as normal under older versions of the iOS. If you're using this solution, just sit tight and wait for Toktumi to announce an official fix. Thanks Jon & e hewitt!
Pogue-praised Line2 is offline for the moment
The price of fame: earlier this week, David Pogue lavished Toktumi's VoIP app Line2 with a hearty helping of NYT love, saying that the $1 app (which requires a $15 monthly subscription) "has the potential to shake up an entire industry." We first mentioned the service back in February, and while Steve wasn't quite as enthusiastic as David P., he did acknowledge that it's a great tool for small businesses or heavy phone users. As of last night, however, the Line2 service is temporarily offline and the app has been voluntarily pulled from the App Store; as Technologizer reports, the company's servers are being targeted by a DNS attack, and the service quality was degraded to the point where Toktumi execs felt that it was better to avoid a bad initial experience for new users while they resolved the problem. Toktumi is updating users via its Twitter feed as to the anticipated resolution. Seeing an app summarily pulled from the App Store, or rejected on specious grounds, has certainly happened before in the VoIP, audio and telephony space (in fact, just this morning the developers of Snowtape let us know that they're struggling to get their app through approval), so it was understandable that reader Arnoldo was anxious when he sent in an email this morning about the outage. In this case, however, it's not Apple pulling the strings.
Line2 adds a second line to your iPhone for $15 a month
Would you like to add a second line to your iPhone? Perhaps you'd like to add a business number to the phone, but your existing phone is currently tied to your personal mobile number. You could always carry a second phone, but that's an expensive proposition, particularly if you're an iPhone addict. VoIP provider Toktumi has a solution that may work out well for you. They're now selling an app called Line2 (US$0.99) that mimics many of the capabilities of the standard Phone app, complete with a form of visual voice mail. Purchasing the app provides you with one month of free VoIP service. After that point, each month's continued service costs $14.95 for unlimited calls within the US and Canada. The service is purchased in-app, and was a point of confusion for me -- the app listing in the iTunes store shows a "Top In App Purchase" at a cost of $19.99 for a month. Toktumi's website and the promotional video (above) do show the lower monthly rate. While many VoIP solutions require a Wi-Fi connection to work, Line2 works over both 3G and Wi-Fi. The app has many of the features you might want in a business phone, including call waiting and call transfer, the ability to create conference calls with up to 20 participants, and even integration with Toktumi's hosted PBX service. For small businesses that want to present a more professional image to callers, Line2 might be just the right solution. Toktumi notes that the app also works with both the iPod touch (Wi-Fi only) and iPad (Wi-Fi or 3G).
CES Watch: More tales from the iLounge
Another day at CES 2010, another round of new iPhone, iPod, and Mac-related accessories. We're putting them all together in one post -- it's like you're on the show floor, without the terrible AT&T reception. iLive is introducing a whole slew of new speakers and micro speaker systems. Case-Mate has some cases with charging features, including a pretty slick-looking induction charger panel. iWave's also got four new collections of cases, speakers, and headphones to introduce at the convention. The Cignias NAO Symphony is a nice looking speaker dock with a strange feature: the ability to control the dock with a second iPhone or iPod touch. You can also stream music to it over WiFi or Bluetooth, and the unit will run you a hefty $299. The Phubby will keep your iPhone attached to your wrist, but that looks pretty bad for circulation. Toktumi showed off an app that will supposedly add a second phone number to your iPhone. Engadget went hands-on with the L5 remote dongle that we talked about the other day. SRS is releasing a new iWow adapter -- it's supposed to make music, movies, and TV sound better on your iPhone. And finally, Targus is showing off fingerprint blockers to keep the prints off of your devices. As you can tell, the iLounge pavilion at the show is packed with all kinds of things that connect to your iPhone -- if anyone ever wanted to overpay for an accessory, it's probably there. We'll keep an eye on any other Mac-related releases during the show for you throughout the weekend.
