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Stuck Pixels after iPhone 2.0.1 Update

Yesterday, I was excited to hear that Apple finally released version 2.0.1 of the iPhone firmware, which is a major bug fixing release.  Unfortunately, it looks like the update left me a little present that I’m not too fond of.

As you can see below, my 8GB iPhone 3G now has a stuck pixel in the upper-left.  At first, I figured that this was an average stuck pixel that coincidentally appeared immediately after applying the 2.0.1 update.  However, after further examination, I don’t think that this is a normal stuck pixel.

A few hours later, my mother updated her 8GB 1st gen iPhone, and as you can see below, she now has a vertical line of stuck pixels in the same region as mine.  Since her stuck pixels also appeared immediately after applying the 2.0.1 update, I’m beginning to think that my stuck pixel may not be an isolated issue.

I have tried to restore both iPhones, adjust the brightness, apply light pressure to the stuck pixels, and run the Knox Pixel Fix for iPhone.  Neither method worked.  To further complicate the issue, the stuck pixels appear to flicker when viewed through the LCD screen of my digital camera.

Stuck pixels are (as the name implies) stuck, they do not flicker.  This, added to the fact that the issue occurred immediately after applying the 2.0.1 update, leads me to believe that this may actually be a software issue, possibly involving a conflict between the display drivers in the update and the display hardware shipped with certain iPhones.

Unfortunately, we’ll probably have to return both iPhones to Apple for replacement, but I’d just like to point out that it’s a very odd coincidence that both iPhones began displaying stuck pixels immediately after applying the 2.0.1 update.

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Favored Freeware Updates: July 2008

The following Favored Freeware applications have been updated since the beginning of July 2008:

• Delivery Status v4.3.2 (review)
• iStat pro v4.7 (review)
• Skitch v1.0b6.2 (review)
• VLC Media Player v0.8.6i (review)
• Yasu v2.5.8 (review)

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Open Share Add to Any Buttons

About eight months ago, Alex King released the first version of the Share This plugin, featuring his now famous Share Icon inspired by the now standard Feed Icon.  Unfortunately, Alex sold both the plugin and icon a few months ago to the entity which now owns and operates ShareThis.  While ShareThis claims that the icon is still free for all to use, the ShareThis has slowly been taking on a more commercial feel and the usage of the icon has begun to show some restrictions.  The icon, which was previously conceived as a standard for all sharing services, is now offered with the strong recommendation that you use it with the services provided by ShareThis, and some organizations which have sought to adapt it to use with their services have received take-down requests from ShareThis.

Fortunately, The Open Share Icon was created to provide a freely usable and distributable icon for the rest of us, and to challenge the Share Icon as a potential standard for all sharing services.  Due to ShareThis’ increasing commercial feel, I have decided to leave it behind for Add to Any, which provides buttons to easily share URLs or subscribe to feeds, and nothing more.  The Open Share Icon has not been widely adopted yet, so I have modified two of Add to Any’s popular buttons (a practice strongly encouraged by Add to Any’s creator) by adding the Open Share Icon.  Feel free to use them on your sites.

As a possible note of interest, these are the first buttons that I have created with Pixelmator. At first, I was hesitant to replace Photoshop with Pixelmator, but I can now say with confidence that Pixelmator does exactly what I need it to do for $590 and 1.9GB less than Photoshop.

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Favored Freeware Updates: June 2008

The following Favored Freeware applications have been updated since the beginning of June 2008:

• Delivery Status v4.3 (review)
• iStat menus v1.3 (review)
• Mactracker v5.0.3 (review)
• VLC Media Player v0.8.6h (review)

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Favored Freeware: Skitch

Skitch is a refreshingly simple application that lets you easily resize your photos, jot down a quick sketch, take a lightning fast screen capture and share images online.

Pros: Skitch simplifies photo markup with a unique and intuitive interface. It’s great for adding visual directions to a map or pointing out objects of interest in a photo or screen capture. Once you’re done tweaking your photo, you can easily save it, email it, or upload it to your server, .Mac, Flickr or Skitch.com. Like Skitch, Skitch.com simplifies photo sharing with an intuitive layout which allows you to easily share, embed or display your photo almost anywhere with less clicks than it takes to read your email.

Cons: Skitch is currently available as a public beta and each beta release has a built-in expiration date. An updated version is always released before the current beta expires, but further updates may no longer be free once the application leaves the beta stage of its development.