With Apple's introduction of an iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) last week, it seems everyone and their brother is hopping on the iPhone bandwagon or considering the jump. There are still some issues about software distribution to be worked through, however - particularly when it comes to shareware.....

What Apple didn't detail, and what's missing from the documentation provided with the SDK, according to the developers I've spoken with, is any mention of how to distribute trialware or shareware software for the iPhone. Here's what we've managed to piece together for our iPhone Software FAQ.....

Apple is betting its future in the smartphone market on a control-freak business model. Where other smartphone platforms let anybody build applications for them, Apple demands to be the gatekeeper for what goes on the iPhone, to protect users from inappropriate and dangerous content, and to generate additional revenue for itself. But developers might decide that Apple's business model is too much hassle and give their business to competitors instead. And Apple needs third-party developers to ensure the ongoing success of the iPhone.

Steve Jobs and two of his top lieutenants spent just over an hour last week outlining their plans to allow software makers to create programs custom-built to run on the iPhone, Apple's innovative mobile handset.

The move could mark the beginning of a new phase in the development of mobile software, as programmers build programs that are not limited by the physical constraints - such as fixed buttons and small screens - that plague many other mobile handsets.

Executives at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers had a running bet as they announced a $100 million fund to encourage developers to build tools for Apple's iPhone. The wager was over how many business plans they'd receive in the first 30 days after the Mar. 6 announcement. Kleiner Perkins partner Matt Murphy won't divulge the number, but says it was exceeded within 36 hours.

So great is the interest among developers in creating a software-based tool, or application, for Apple's popular iPhone or iPod Touch that on the same day Apple announced the release of the software developer's kit, or SDK, Apple's Web site crashed.....

The iPhone is going to go x86 in a year or two, and Moorestown is set to be the lead vehicle. A year of whispers was finally nailed down a few days ago with a comment and a slide....

Save your pennies boys and girls, the iPhone3 is going to be pretty nice, if a bit fascistic.

The BBC has swooped to close a loophole in its recently-launched iPhone streaming service that allowed Linux, Windows and Mac users to grab a high quality DRM-free download.

We reported the hack yesterday morning, but today an email from Auntie assures us the party's over: "We've released a fix to prevent unrestricted downloading of streamed TV programmes on BBC iPlayer.

The iPlayer lets people stream BBC programmes

The BBC has issued a fix to stop people downloading programmes from the iPlayer website that were intended for streaming on an iPhone or iPod only.

Hackers had discovered an exploit that allowed them to save the programmes to hard disk and share them with others.

Rights issues mean the BBC is only able to offer streamed programmes for up to seven days after broadcast.

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