Just Another iPhone Blog

Apple screws shut the Iphone 4 on the sly

2011-01-21T02:46:00.000-08:00

CONTROL FREAK FIRM Apple doesn't want owners of its precious Iphone 4 to fiddle with their internals, so it is locking the devices shut with oddly headed screws.

Some Americans who have sent in their devices for repair will not be able to open them up in the future, said repair firm Ifixit. This is because Apple, in a move that some would describe as breathtakingly arrogant and sneaky, is switching the screws for tamper-proof ones.

You aren't told about the switch, which involves techies swapping the regular Philips Torx screws with 'Pentalobular' screws. These are already shipped with Japanese versions of the Iphone 4, and there are no readily-available screwdrivers that can remove them.

Apple has used a similar type of screw before, in the mid-2009 MacBook Pro to prevent you from replacing the battery, said Ifixit. The company uses another tamper-proof screw on the outer case of the current Macbook Air.

Jokingly described as an "Evil Proprietary Five Point Screw", it has a rounder shape than your regular screw and five points instead of six. Apparently, you won't be able to find this screw from any supplier, with Apple having chosen a design that only its technicians are using.

If you've bought a new Iphone 4 recently, then you might find that Apple has used these screws in your device. Whether you think that locking people out of their own hardware is a good thing depends on what kind of love you have for the cappuccino techno-fashion cult.

If you were locked out of your own car you wouldn't be happy, but Jobs' Mob apparently either believes this will be acceptable or just doesn't care what its paying customers might think.

Security breach in iPhone 4 Safari browser

2011-01-19T16:45:00.001-08:00

Device control compromised through loading a PDF file through browser

The first jailbreak for the iPhone 4 was just barely released, but it has already drawn attention to a serious flaw in iPhone 4 security that allows a website to take over an iPhone just by loading a PDF file.

This new security breach is quite serious because it seems so innocuous. Here's how it works: The user simply visits a site in the built-in Safari browser for the iPhone 4, or any iOS 4 device including the iPad and iPod Touch, which opens and displays a compromised PDF file. The font in the PDF document hides special code that causes what is called a stack overflow. It's a bit complicated, but basically that means the code embedded in the font is granted access to the iPhone itself and can control the device.

This could lead to any number of problems. The malicious code can delete files, steal and transmit private information or even install other malicious software.

The JailbreakMe.com method of jailbreaking the iPhone 4 actually uses this method to circumvent iPhone controls and allow the user to install unauthorized software, but it turns control over to the user instead of surreptitiously stealing information and altering the phone.

Apple reports say that there are over 100 million iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices in the world, so this exploit could potentially affect a large number of users. That also makes this security breach an attractive target for hackers.

There has been no official response from Apple, and there is no clear fix at the moment. But there is a way to avoid this problem: Don't open links to PDF files when using the iOS 4 browser, and don't load any PDF files from untrusted sources.

If users want to jailbreak their iPhone 4, they can also install a program from Cydia called a PDF loading warner. Basically, the app alerts users when they are about to load a link that contains a PDF so that the action can be canceled.

Korean Film Shot on iPhone 4

2011-01-17T18:11:00.001-08:00

The iPhone 4 was used to shoot an entire movie. South Korean director Park Chan-wook said he has completed a 30-minute film shot entirely on the video camera of an Apple iPhone 4.

Park, director of the hit film “Oldboy,” said the new film, “Night Fishing,” was shot using only an iPhone and took 10 days to complete with a crew of 80 people, South Korea JoongAng Daily reported Monday.

The director said the film, which depicts the story of a fisherman and a female shaman, will be released to a limited amount of theaters in the coming weeks.

“This is a great example of how companies that haven’t been involved in movies are cooperating with artists,” Park said. “Now aspiring directors and those with small budgets will be given a chance to create high quality movies with just an iPhone on one-hundredth of the costs for a normal movie.”

New Antenna on Verizon's iPhone May Avoid Antennagate

2011-01-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

The iPhone 4 that hits Verizon Wireless stores next month won't be plagued by the antenna problems that caused red faces at Apple last summer, photos of the unreleased device suggest.

That's the opinion of an expert on antennas who noticed a different configuration in the images of the new device. Engineer Spencer Webb told Computerworld that there appear to be two cellular antennas in the device's stainless-steel frame, compared to one in the original iPhone 4 that has been sold since June by AT&T.

Dual Antenna?

The iPhone 4's unique design has the antenna contained in the frame to make it thinner. On AT&T's GSM model, the left side of the iPhone contains an antenna used for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS, while the right side is for cellular connectivity. Holding the phone with fingers touching the lower left side causes a bridge between the two antennas that caused reception bars to drop and inhibited performance, some customers complained.

But slots in the band suggest that, in the CDMA version of the iPhone, the band is broken into four segments, with a cellular antenna on each side.

"They've moved things around, and my guess is that they went to a dual [ceullar] antenna," Webb told Computerworld.

In its year in review, CNN called Apple's Antennagate the number-one Tech Fail of 2010, and Consumer Reports has declined to recommend the iPhone 4 because of it. Apple initially downplayed the problem, insisting that less than one percent of users experienced trouble and told them to try holding the device differently.

Apple later said the problem appeared worse than it is because of a software issue that affected how the device calculated the display of reception bars. Then the company offered a free bumper case to cover the antenna bands, or a refund to those who had already purchased cases. Sales exploded, with 1.7 million sold in just the first three days, regardless of the bad press.

In response to our inquiry, Verizon spokesperson Albert Aydin commented on the antenna design.

'Optimized' for CDMA

"The iPhone for Verizon has been optimized to work on our CDMA network," Aydin said. "We expect iPhone for Verizon customers to have the same great calling experience they would have on any of Verizon's 3G CDMA devices. I can't speak on the topic of the GSM build or other versions that are in the marketplace since I do not have that knowledge."

Apple spokesperson Natalie Harrison said, "iPhone 4 has a great antenna that allows it to have an amazingly thin design, great battery life, and reception. We designed the iPhone 4 external antenna to work great on Verizon's CDMA/EVDO network."

Avi Greengart of Current Analysis attended the Verizon launch event in New York City and had a chance to try the new device.

"I tried attenuating the signal by bridging the gaps with my fingers during the demo session after the launch, but was unable to replicate the problem," he said. "However, the signal strength in the room was exceptionally high -- Verizon Wireless obviously wanted to ensure its network would be presented in the best possible light."

In "real-world conditions," he said, it's possible that signal strength could be different, which would mean the iPhone could be a boon not only to Verizon but to bumper-case makers. But Greengart is doubtful that will happen.

"Antennagate, while describing a real phenomenon, still seems to have been more of a press attack on Apple than a significant consumer concern," he said.

Polaroid decal gives iPhone a '70s flair

2011-01-13T13:26:00.001-08:00

If you like modern gizmos but still hold a place in your heart for the gear of yore, you might go for a new decal that makes your iPhone look like an old Polaroid camera. It sells for $6 at Photojojo, which promises that the sticker's easy to apply and remove, and won't leave any residue. It's also supposed to guard your device from scratches, but don't expect any heavy-duty protection from dings and drops.

The decal, which is specially designed for the back of the iPhone 4, assumes the look of a Rainbow OneStep Polaroid Land camera, which was originally produced between 1977 and 1982. Surely there's an app that automatically plays KC and the Sunshine Band every time someone comments on your uniquely shaped retro shooter.

Android 2.4 Ice Cream Update May Battle iPhone 5

2011-01-12T15:03:00.000-08:00

It's not the latest flavor from Ben & Jerry's. But Android Ice Cream is bound to be a hit when it debuts this summer, the latest in Google's dessert-named updates for its mobile operating system.

Android-powered devices are currently running 2.2 (Froyo) or 2.3 (Gingerbread), and at last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Motorola unveiled the Xoom tablet, the first device to run the major update, Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), optimized for larger-screen tablet use.

Cold War

There are now reports that the next release, 2.4, will either be called Ice Cream or Ice Cream Sandwich. But however they are labeled, future Android updates will have their work cut out in competing with Apple's iOS, which powers the iPhone and iPad. The iPhone 4 is currently distributed by AT&T and soon by Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. wireless carriers.

If Android 2.4 arrives this summer, it will compete with the anticipated iPhone 5, which will pack the latest hardware and software from Apple's labs at Cupertino, Calif.

"The iPhone 5 will come out in June, at the same time 2.4 will become common," said technology consultant Ron Enderle. "The stakes are high. They're going to have to up their marketing game."

U.K.-based gadget news site Pocket Lint, citing "multiple sources familiar with the matter," reported Jan. 10 that Google will debut 2.4, code-named Ice Cream, this summer at its IO conference in May, with a June/July release date.

In a brief interview Wednesday, Google spokesperson Randall Sarafa couldn't tell us much about future Android updates. "We haven't set a timetable," he said, also declining to comment on the Verizon iPhone.

The latest data from Nielson shows Android and iOS almost neck-and-neck in the race for smartphone dominance in the U.S., with Apple ahead by a nose at 28.6 percent, compared to Android's 25.8, based on data from June through November.

Close behind is Research In Motion's BlackBerry, at 26.1, although Android is leading with new purchasers, 40 percent of whom chose Android during that period, compared with 27 percent for Apple and 19 percent for BlackBerry.

Apple's share is more impressive since its operating system runs on only one smartphone and currently one U.S. carrier, compared to the roster of manufacturers offering Android devices on all major carriers. That's also a marketing advantage for Apple.

"Google has the problem of too many products and not enough focus on any one of them, while Apple has the advantage of focusing on one device," said Enderle. "The customer gets confused with the Android product line."

Honeycomb vs iPad 2

Another Google-Apple matchup will play out in the next few months as Motorola's Xoom and other tablets running Honeycomb face off against the second-generation iPad, which could be announced as soon as next month for spring release.

Android 3.0 is the first version to require dual-core functionality, allowing the device to perform multiple instructions at the same time, meaning it cannot be used as an upgrade for existing single-core devices.

"The expectation is that Apple should be able to have a multi-core solution in place in time for iPad 2," Enderle said. "But microprocessors aren't their core business, so there is a possibility they could miss this."

Sarafa said devices running Android 3.0 will roll out on additional devices according to the timetables of manufacturers. "Everything you see in Honeycomb is definitely the future of Android," he said.

Apple's iPhone comes to Verizon

2011-01-11T15:12:00.000-08:00

Verizon has announced Apple's iPhone 4 will be sold on its network.

Since its debut in 2007, the iPhone launched a new age in mobile communication, but the device has been exclusive to AT&T customers until now.

The age of the iPhone has begun for Verizon. "Had I known that it was going to happen for sure two weeks ago, I wouldn't have bought the Droid I bought two weeks ago," Grand Blanc resident Kevin Smith said.

The much-anticipated announcement came down Tuesday morning from Verizon, which had previously been rather coy about plans to offer the popular device.

Financial and tech analysts think Verizon could easily sell several million iPhones in 2011.

"I'd probably switch to it. It's very useful to look stuff up," U of M-Flint student Nicole Smith said.

"I would think the only, the one real advantage to maybe having an iPhone is all the accessories and infrastructure that's built up around the iPhone," Smith said.

This version of the iPhone 4 will only run on Verizon's current 3G network, not the new and faster LTE 4G that is rolling out over the next few years.

That fact and the introduction of several new Android phones for Verizon at the Consumer Electronic Show in Vegas last week could mean some stiff competition from Android phones.

"It was simpler to use and it had some better camera capabilities and thought it was a better fit for myself," Flint resident Cindy McPheeters said.

Customers with other carriers probably won't make a switch. "No, I mean I like AT&T's service. I used to have Verizon and I didn't like Verizon," U of M-Flint student Amber Benscoter said.

Pricing is expected to be the same as other new phones - about $200 with a two-year contract. Pre-orders will be accepted on February 3, with availability online and in stores one week later.

Apple breaks Iphone 4 promise

2011-01-10T15:41:00.001-08:00

GETTING the rubber band powered Iphone 4 alarm clock to work is still proving to be a challenge too far for the software geniuses at Apple.

Yesterday we reported that Iphone 4 users were treated to the formerly hidden feature that their alarm clock did not go off after 1 January.

At the time, Jobs' Mob promised users that the alarm would start working again on January 3 and that it did not need an software upgrade. Unfortunately it turns out that the software 1/11/11 bug has not gone away at the request of the Apple press office, nor by faith of Apple fanbois alone.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Apple has been unable to get the most simple bit of technology in its Iphone 4 to work.

A similar problem hit the Iphone alarm when the clocks went back in November, again causing many users to be late for work or transport arrangements.

The Herald quotes Kyle Wiens, who runs the popular Apple repair site Ifixit, as saying that the alarm glitch is likely due to a bug in the date code of the IOS software that runs the Iphone. The date code is not very stable, he said.

Apple's last official statement was that it was aware of an issue related to non-repeating alarms set for January 1 or 2, but it should be okay by January 3. It did not release a software update.

Even a cheap Chinese alarm clock can manage to cope with a yearly date change without breaking, but apparently Apple is unable to tackle the crisis.

What amazes us is not only the fact that the Iphone 4 programming is so bad that it can't tell the time, but when Steve Jobs has four days to fix the problem his teams of geniuses remain bewildered. Either that or he fails to lose any sleep over the possibility that his fanbois could be fired for turning up to work late on the first day of the year.

An alarm clock is the sort of software exercise they give high school students to write. Jobs' Mob should have fixed it in about five minutes, not three days (and counting).

Meanwhile Apple fanbois have been telling us that it is only an alarm clock so we should get over it. Just like they told us it was only a few dropped calls during antennaegate.

"Apple's share price just went through the roof, you should be writing about that and not minor glitches, like this. Apple is popular and while it is popular and doing well no one can complain," one "Flame the writer" email said.

Maybe Steve Jobs is right after all. Apple doesn't have to be competent, it just has to be cool.

Verizon iPhone 4 parts leaked?

2011-01-06T03:55:00.000-08:00

A video was recently posted to YouTube from a firm called GlobalPartsDirect. In it they show what appears to a new iPhone 4 design–what could be the Verizon (CDMA) iPhone 4 or possibly, as they call it, the iPhone 5.

Of course none of this is even remotely confirmed (or confirmable) but they have a 5-minute video up with what is either a leaked handset or a convincing fake, complete with the metal frame and interior components. They take the supposed iPhone apart and compare it to a legitimate iPhone 4 noting internal changes as well changes to the antenna. You can see below that a gap in the antenna looks to have been moved–from the highly problematic spot on the lower left hand corner to above the mute switch.

Smartphonemedia has posted a image comparing the gaps in the external antenna, note the extra one on the handset’s right side (last image):

Strangely the new device has a micro-SIM slot, just like the iPhone 4, which means it’s either a global CDMA device or it’s not for Verizon at all. The new design also has 4 antenna breaks, as opposed to 3 in the iPhone 4.

Rather than getting further into the analysis let’s keep in mind that as convincing as this might be we’ve all seen too many fakes to take this without a grain of salt. The timing is perfect–right when the CES news is heating up and everyone is talking about Android phones–which could be evidence for or against it, but let’s not get too excited just yet.

Iomega Intros SuperHero iPhone Backup

2011-01-05T04:41:00.001-08:00

Today Iomega introduced a novel iPhone dock with charging and backup capabilities. The Iomega SuperHero looks like a standard iPhone dock with a brushed metal look so it will look good next to your Mac or standing alone. The SuperHero is a charger for the iPhone that also backs up important info between syncing sessions.

We all know that you should sync your iPhone to make sure you have a backup of your contacts and photos. However, that isn't always an option, especially when your Mac or PC is at home (or in the office, or your parent's house, etc.) The SuperHero can backup your photos and contacts every time you charge the iPhone, which is a daily occurrence for most users. The SuperHero can support multiple iPhones, with its included 4GB SD card, but you can upgrade that card yourself if you need more space. 4GB should be enough for many iPhones, at least right out of the box. The SuperHero doesn't backup iTunes music and videos, since those may be DRM protected on your computer. Your music and videos should be backed up in your iTunes library in any case.

The SuperHero works with Iomega's SuperHero iOS app, which is available free from the iTunes app store. Backup, naming (for multiple iPhone support), and restore are all handled by the SuperHero app automatically after an initial setup. Backups after the initial setup are incremental, saving time over full backups. If you lose your iPhone or have to reformat it, you can use the SuperHero app to restore your photos and contacts from the backup.

The Iomega SuperHero is now available for a MSRP of $69.99. The SuperHero is compatible with the Apple iPhone 4, 3GS, and 3G. The SuperHero will also work with the Apple iPod Touch (third and fourth generations). The SuperHero has a 3-year limited warranty.

iPhone alarm glitch leaves users snoozing

2011-01-04T04:10:00.000-08:00

Some iPhone users in Asia and Europe complained of malfunctioning alarms on the first working day of 2011, even after Apple reassured users that its phones' built-in clocks will work from Monday.

Bloggers, Facebook and Twitter users complained they missed flights or were late to arrive at work, as the alarm built into Apple's iPhone failed to go off for a third straight day for some users.

"My iPhone alarm didn't work again," user sueannlove from Singapore tweeted on the social networking site. "Time to dig out (the) old school alarm clock."

Similar messages were sent by iPhone users in Britain, Netherlands and other European countries.

The problem was not limited only to the iPhone, with some owners of other Apple products, such as its iPod music players, also complaining of a similar problem with their alarms.

"Apple certainly needs to fix it as soon as possible, but I doubt this will impact sales or reflect negatively on Apple itself," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Previous alarm failures
Apple was not immediately available for comment in Asia and Europe, but it said on Jan. 2 that it was aware of the problem with non-recurring alarms and that the iPhone's alarm will begin functioning normally again on Jan. 3.

Some users said their alarms worked properly on Jan 3.

"This is not a major issue for Apple, but it is sad that they have the same error on vital dates," said John Strand, founder and chief of Danish telecoms consultancy Strand Consult.

The iPhone alarm system failed to recognize changes in daylight savings time in 2010, causing some users to sleep in an hour longer, according to media reports.

The last time Apple was embroiled in publicity problems was in July last year after the launch of the iPhone 4, when reports about bad reception snowballed and forced the company to call a news conference to address the issue, dubbed "antennagate".

This had no visible impact on Apple's sales as the firm sold more than 14 million iPhones in July-September quarter, more than ever before, and is now the world's second largest smartphone manufacturer behind Nokia.

Facebook for iPhone gains million users on Christmas day, and other festive stories

2011-01-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas cheer for Apple and Apple fans

Apple sold a ton of iOS devices, one iPhone caught a thief, Verizon's on the horizon, and Kindles are doing okay, too. The remainders for December 27, 2010 aren’t under the tree, but you can find them right where you left them.

Facebook for iPhone Usage Statistics(AllFacebook)

As John Gruber points out, the Facebook app for iPhone gained another million users on Christmas day, suggesting that St. Nick left a lot of iOS devices under trees this year. Would it kill all of you to write a thank-you note before you start poking your friends from high school?

A Find My iPhone Christmas Miracle(9 to 5 Mac)

When some coal-in-the-stocking-worthy thieves stole a Texas man’s Land Rover, he remembered the iPhone he’d left between the seats. Using the Find My iPhone feature, the man directed officers to the stolen car, and then helped again when one of the cuffed suspects escaped, and drove off again in the stolen car—running over an officer in the process. Guiding police to your stolen car and then to the escaping perp? There’s an app for that.

Report: Apple to ship 5-6 million Verizon compatible iPhones (Loop Insight)

Verizon customers need to track their stolen cars, too! Based on rumors from the various Taiwan-based suppliers, the latest thought is that Apple will start shipping CDMA-based, Verizon-compatible iPhones sometime in early 2011. Which means, if you will, that perhaps Verizon is on the horizon. (Apple, you’re free to use that in a press release.)

Third-Generation Kindle Now the Bestselling Product of All Time on Amazon Worldwide (Amazon)

If you’re a techie and you didn’t get an Apple product this holiday season, perhaps you scored a third-generation Kindle instead. If so, you’re not alone; Amazon says its latest Kindle is now the bestselling product in Amazon.com’s history, outselling even the seventh Harry Potter book. Of course, Amazon’s still not saying how many Kindles it has actually sold. Even more damning: the company has thus far not released a single story about finding a stolen car by tracking the forgotten Kindle inside.

iPhone video calling over 3G now possible

2010-12-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

iPhone users can make video calls with Skype over 3G

iPhone users can now make video calls over a 3G data connection using the free Skype app, available today on the App Store.

The new Skype for iPhone app is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch 4th generation with i0S 4.0 or above and works over 3G on 3G enabled devices, as well as WiFi.

Video receiving capabilities are available on the iPod touch 3rd generation and iPad.

Calls can also be made between devices using the new Skype for iPhone app and desktops including Skype for Windows 4.2 and above, Skype for Mac 2.8 and above, Skype for Linux and ASUS Videophone.

The new Skype app is available to download for free from the Apple App Store today, www.skype.com/go/iphone

"With video calling representing approximately 40% of all Skype-to-Skype minutes for the first six months of 2010, our users have been eager to get Skype video calling on their mobile phones," said Neil Stevens, general manager of Skype's consumer business. "By bringing video to mainstream users at their home or work via their desktops, on the go with their mobiles, or into their living room via their TV, Skype has made it possible for millions of people to share video moments wherever they are."

Skype warns that additional data charges may apply when making a video call over 3G. The company also notes that to get the best quality a strong WiFi connection is best for video calling.

No jokes or paper crowns in iPhone's Christmas crackers

2010-12-28T13:26:00.001-08:00

TWO new iPhones were accidentally broken in the Thomas household in just two days recently. Worth nearly $900 each, it was a financial blow the family of five did not need before Christmas.

But new research shows the Thomases are not alone, with the latest model iPhones much more prone to cracked screens and accidental damage than their predecessors.

Released in Australia in July, the iPhone 4's glass front and back are 82 per cent more likely to crack than the single screen of the iPhone 3, according to research by SquareTrade Warranties.
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The company analysed its warranty claims for more than 20,000 iPhone 4s and found that owners also reported 68 per cent more accidental damage than for iPhone 3s.

About 15.5 per cent of iPhone 4 owners had an accident within months of buying their phone.

''The iPhone 4 appears to be significantly more likely to break than previous versions. The aluminosilicate glass seems to crack at least as often as the old glass, and there is now twice as much surface area to break,'' the company said.

Apple gave away free rubber bumper sleeves not long after releasing the iPhone 4 because of reception problems when it was gripped in a certain way.

Repair shops also reported within days of the launch that the phone smashed too easily. Dropped iPhones are not covered by Apple under warranty.

Steve Thomas, a Melbourne builder, said his touchscreen shattered when his daughter India, 6, dropped it on the road while taking photos. His wife Eve found hers had somehow cracked in her handbag the next day.

''I dropped my old iPhone heaps of times and that never happened,'' Mr Thomas said.

Apple has not followed other big handset manufacturers in extending warranties from one to two years in cases of 24-month phone contracts. It charges extra for an extended warranty.

Apple Australia could not be reached for comment.

Apple iPhone 4 deals: Celebrate This Christmas with Apple

2010-12-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

Dec 27,2010 - Apple iPhone 4 is the latest invention by Apple family which comes loaded with many high technology features as well as applications.

One can find 2G and 3G technology which not only provides its users with high speed internet accessing facility but with that one can also make video calls to his or her near and dear ones. This mesmerizing gadget from Apple deals with large internal memory of 16/32 GB with 512 MB RAM with which the user can get huge storage space for their favorite music and videos. Apple iPhone 4 works on the operating system of iOS 4 with 1 GHz Apple A4 processor which makes it an superb handset.

One can find several network providers in UK mobile market like Orange, T-mobile, 3mobile, Vodafone and O2 which can give you Apple iphone 4 at some pocket friendly prices. One can choose out of numerous mobile phones deals a lucrative iPhone 4 deal for yourself and can get this outstanding gadget at some cheap rates. O2 the leading service provider in UK mobile market is giving it customers iphone 4 contract deal at the monthly rental of £ 30.00 with which the user just have to pay the amount of £ 199.00 for the amazing Apple iphone 4.

This deal is for 24 months with which the user will get several offers like 300 free minutes, unlimited text messages and 1.00 GB of Internet Allowance. Isn't it a fantastic deal that will save your hard earned money up to a larger extent. You can also go with Vodafone and can buy Apple iphone 4 deals at lucrative prices.

The NEW iPhone 5 - Coming July 2011

2010-12-26T15:51:00.000-08:00

The iPhone 5 built for 4G is COMING!!!

Lots of speculation is going around on the new iPhone 5... in HD!!

Verizon Wireless is currently testing a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 and 5 and Verizon confirms they are making network changes to bring the iphone to their network. The new iPhone 5 is going to be loaded with awesome new features like video chat on 3g and 4g (no longer restricted to WiFi only), face recognition and extreme downloading. (List of possible features below). Just when you think there is nothing else to come up with, more and more and more technology comes out. And it is on the rise, and not just at Apple, Inc!

This iPhone 5 will have dual core processors and higher and powerful graphic chips that can deliver higher video resolutions and better "still" images when taking pictures, AND it will make multi-tasking a breeze.

There are a few networks working on building a 4G network. T-mobile would be a likely carrier since they are GSM already. Sprint has a 4G network already... AT&T and Verizon Wireless are in the beginning stages. There are talks of Verizon Wireless getting iPhone sometime in 2010 but it looks like they will get it for sure in 2011 when the new iPhone 5 comes out.

Whether or not it will be 4G will be up to them!... can they build in time? They will definitely have the 3G version of iPhone, but with the new iPhone 5 (4g speeds) coming out, will they compete?! Regardless, there is much anticipation on how many people will leave AT&T for Verizon Wireless because of AT&T's lagging on app restrictions like Slingplayer and Google Voice and Skype (on 4g network, not Wi-Fi).

AT&T's restrictions have caused the percentage of people that are JailBreaking their iPhones to rise since Jail Breaking usually comes with Cydia which is the app store for jail broken phones. Most of the applications, ringtones, and even iphone themes!...are free with Cydia. Winterboard is part of the download, and it very easily add's the changes to your phone so you dont have to figure how to do it on your own...it is VERY automated.

The Palm Pre on Sprint and HTC EVO (Sprint now offering a 4G network) has made an attempt at being competitive with iPhone and Blackberry...and it seems they are making head way, although with the iPhone 4 released and the iPhone 5 on the way, they are sure to lose. Oh ya, the Blackberry Torch? = Nice try... but that browser is NOT full HTML.

iPhone 5 looks promising in terms of being sleek, packed with new hardware and finally less restrictions. Very exciting.

A few features of iPhone 5:

Thinner! With shiny glass back piece - 9.3 mm thick.

Face Recognition Security

Face Time (Video Chat) access on 3G AND 4G (available currently but only on 3G)

Custom SMS tones

Custom E-mail alerts with ability to assign different tones to each email address

A new, sleeker body design.

OLED screen.

Scratch proof and shatter proof screen

Wireless sync with iTunes

32G (basic) and 64G of memory. You're sure to never run out.

Extended battery life = 14 hours talk time on 3G and 7 hours on 4G. Standby 600 hours.

Hi Definition audio.

Messaging indicator light.

True GPS built in.

Who's network do you want to see the new iPhone 5 on??? Should Apple stay with AT&T? See what others are saying below.

Navigate the Cosmos through your iPhone with Starpicker

2010-12-23T02:47:00.000-08:00

New Jersey based Applix Software today announced the release of StarPicker, a novel astronomy app for the iPhone 4 and 3GS. The StarPicker application precisely guides the user to a star, planet, constellation, comet or cluster of their choosing. Created to entertain and enlighten everyone about the cosmos around them, this app allows you to locate numerous objects in the night sky by simply following a beeping sound and a blinking arrow.

Applix Software LLC, an emerging mobile software developer focused on applications for the iPhone, today announced the launch of StarPicker for the iPhone 4 and 3GS. Designed to be the first app where the iphone is used as a pointer to actively guide a user’s eyes as they search for a given night-sky object. Users can choose from a catalog of 150 brightest stars, 89 constellations, comets, and clusters – not to mention all of the planets in our solar system. Capable of giving anyone a hands-on way to learn and visually navigate the night sky, StarPicker is now available on the iTunes App Store for iPhone 4 and 3GS – running on iOS 4.1 or later.
Click here to find out more!

StarPicker includes a number of features that enhance the user’s experience while navigating their eyes through the sky to specific stars and other objects of interest. Chief among these features is StarPicker’s utilization of sounds and blinking guide arrows that serve to orient the user as accurately as possible. Once the user has successfully located their desired star or cosmic feature they can switch to Sky View with a single tap on their mobile device’s screen. While in Sky View, users can zoom to see finer details. Keeping education in mind, users can also switch to the app’s Accessory View, which provides them with additional information on the specific object they’ve chosen to locate.

StarPicker utilizes the fourth generation iPhone 4 and 3GS compass, accelerometer and GPS capabilities, to their fullest extent, in order to precisely calculate the user’s position in relation to the selected celestial object. The user is then guided by means of an effective and accurate two-step process. Users first hold the iPhone level, slowly rotating to the calculated angle of the selected object by following the flashing guidearrows. Once this angle – termed the azimuth -- is locked, users simply tilt their mobile device up or down until it is oriented directly towards the cosmic feature they wish to observe. A perfect app to captivate and enlighten avid sky gazers anywhere, StarPicker provides a blend of high-tech engineering and scientific computing with an enthusiastic sense of astronomic adventure that is not to be missed.
Available on the app store.

iPhone 4 still selling out in China, analyst says

2010-12-21T16:16:00.000-08:00

The iPhone 4 is still doing very well in China, says Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White. "We continue to believe that China remains in the early stages of catching 'Apple fever' and demand for iPhone 4 has been well above the ramp of the iPhone 3GS thus far," he comments. He adds that the iPhone 4 is "sold out for two months" every where it's officially available in China, including Apple Stores, authorized resellers and carrier China Unicom.

"In fact, we estimate China Unicom has been unable to fulfill approximately one-third of the iPhone 4 orders due to shortages," according to White. Not discussed though is the impact of scalpers, who have tried to beat ordinary shoppers to the punch for the sake of imposing markups. Before tight sales limits were imposed, scalpers would buy several iPhones at a time, making stock scarce for legitimate customers.

White meanwhile points out that the Chinese cellphone market continues to grow as a whole. The number of local subscribers rose 1.1 percent last month to 833 million, beating out a global increase of 0.7 percent. 3G subscribers grew 10 percent at China Mobile and China Unicom, though Mobile remains dominant with 18.83 million in November.

New iPhone 4 Case Making People Smile

2010-12-20T03:02:00.000-08:00

iBottleopener has Built In Bottle Opener! Company approved for funding on Kickstarter.com

A California company, Lightbulb Moments, has introduced an iPhone 4 case with a built-in bottle opener, the follow up product to their highly successful 3G/3GS version.

To help expand production, the company applied to and was accepted by kickstarter.com, the New york based crowd funding website.

"Kickstarter is a great platform for a small company to fund a fast moving product," said Cram. "We've gotten a positive initial response to our presentation video."

Each Person who pledges $25 receives a pre-order of the iPhone 4 iBottleopener, provided Lightbulb Moments reaches their funding goal. Shipping is included in the cost.

The cases will sell in stores for $24.95-$29.95, with the Slogan "protect your iPhone...and your Fun!"

Unlock-iPhone.org Released Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 and 4.1

2010-12-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

how to unlock iphone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1

The jailbreak Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1 is now available to download for iOS 4.2.1 4.1 and apparently it will even work on the Apple iPad, developers iH8Sn0w has said that it works on every device on iOS 4.2.1 4.1.

To Unlock your iPhone Visit: www.Unlock-iPhone.org

You have PwnageTool for Windows and now you have the similar Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1 that allows you to create a custom firmware while preserving the baseband and hacktivating the phone, it has been said that this jailbreak makes it impossible to unlock devices using UltraSn0w, the million dollar question is “Is it reliable enough for you to risk it?”

If you do decide to use the new SnowBreeze jailbreak we would love to hear from you of how things went, for more information please visit iDB. If you would like to download this version please do so here, but please remember you do this at your own risk.

To Unlock your iPhone Visit: www.Unlock-iPhone.org

If you have anything to say about Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1 please do so in the comments area provided below, have fun, good luck and we are hear to read about your experiences.
iH8Sn0w, the developer of Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1 recently announced on Twitter that he had released an updated version to his infamous jailbreak tool. This new version of Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1 supposedly works with every device on iOS 4.2.1 4.1, including the iPad iOS 3.2.2.

Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1 is like PwnageTool for Windows. It allows you to create a custom firmware while preserving the baseband and hacktivating the phone, thus making it possible for you to unlock using UltraSn0w. But how reliable is Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1?

To Unlock your iPhone Visit: www.Unlock-iPhone.org

Historically, most people have had problems at some point using Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1. While I have a huge respect for iH8Sn0w, I still wouldn’t recommend the use of his tool. If you don’t have a Mac and can’t use PwnageTool, I’m sure you can always find a friend or family member who can create a custom firmware for you.

At the end of the day, do what you think is best for you. If you do decide to jailbreak using Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1, I’d like to hear about your experience. I hope you can prove me wrong and show me that SnowBreeze is indeed a great jailbreak.

You can download Unlock iPhone 4/3G/3Gs 4.2.1 4.1 from Unlock-iPhone.org . I won’t have a tutorial up for this, but you can follow one of our PwnageTool tutorials as they’re very similar.

RadioShack Selling iPhone 4 For $24

2010-12-06T03:47:00.000-08:00

RadioShack is offering a range of deals on Apple's iPhone 4, including a trade-in program that drops the net price of Apple's smartphone to just $24.

From now until December 11, RadioShack is holding an unprecedented sale on the Apple iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. It is knocking $50 off the contract price, dropping the 32GB model to $249, the 16GB model to $149, and the iPhone 3GS down to just $49.

Those are the lowest prices from any legitimate, authorized retailer for the iPhone 4 and 3GS right now, especially for a brand new phone.

RadioShack also has a trade-in program that will drop prices further. If current iPhone users trade in their iPhone 3G, they'll receive a credit of $75 (assuming the device works and has an unbroken screen). Customers who trade in an iPhone 3GS in working condition will receive a credit of $125.

Combining the $149 sale price with a $125 credit drops the effective price of the iPhone 4 16GB model to just $24, and the iPhone 4 32GB to $124 (not including taxes and fees).

That's probably the best deal anywhere for a brand new iPhone 4. It is only available at RadioShack's brick-and-mortar retail locations.

These prices are available to new AT&T customers, as well as to AT&T customers who are eligible for an upgrade. RadioShack says the promotion is meant to "boost awareness of its wireless business and create an edge up on the competition."

Apple iPhone 4: 10 Reasons to buy the new iPhone

2010-12-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

The HTC Desire may well have beaten it to the title of T3's Phone of the Year, but Antennagate aside, there's plenty to laud over Apple's latest smartphone creation.

As the Android smartphone army grows seemingly by the day and Windows Phone 7 handsets begin to surface, the fight for mobile phone supremacy has never been more interesting.

So what is Apple bringing to the table? We take a snapshot look at the iPhone 4 specs that may sway you to buy the latest Apple smartphone, or even wait for the white iPhone 4 which only esteemed fanbois like Stephen Fry can get hold of at the moment.

See below for our 10 reasons why you should buy T3's Commuter Gadget of the Year the Apple iPhone 4.

1/ Camera

The iOS 4 update added HDR capabilities to the already excellent camera. Photographs impress in all but murky conditions.

2/ Game Center

The social gaming network for iPhone is a place to boast about your high scores and play online against real opponents.

3/ Retina Display

Half a year on, no other phone has a screen that comes within a mile of the iPhone’s high-resolution, super-sharp Retina Display.

4/ HD video

The iPhone’s excellent 720p video can now be easily uploaded to YouTube, or edited using the iMovie app.

5/ Apps

No other store has anywhere near Apple’s choice – over a quarter of a million apps.

6/ Folders

You can organise apps and downloaded content into handy customisable folders.

7/ Build quality

The iPhone 4 is beautifully built, with the front and back panels using the type of tough glass helicopter windshields are made from.

8/ Speed

The fast, 1GHz processor never keeps you waiting.

9/ Accelerometer plus

A responsive accelerometer, a digital compass and a three-axis gyroscope mean it’s more sensitive and
versatile than ever for location services, games etc

10/ FaceTime

Want to make a video call? If your callee has an iPhone 4 and a working Wi-Fi connection, you can.

Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 Case from KarasKustoms Review

2010-12-01T14:52:00.000-08:00

This is the most awesome iPhone 4 case in the land

Today I am checking out the Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case from KarasKustoms. This case is made from aluminum that the maker machines out with fantastic quality. If you want a really cool protective case for your iPhone that looks like something that Apple would have made, the Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case is awesome. Read on for all for the details.

Specifications

The Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case is machined out of aluminum stock and uses eight small hex bolts to hold the thing onto your iPhone 4. The case ships with the small allen wrench you need to secure the case to your phone and a couple extra screws. You can get it in black, silver, blue, red, purple, and green. Each case is $39 and they are available right now.
In Use

As soon as I got my iPhone 4 in my hands, I knew that the Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case from KarasKustoms was what I wanted on the smartphone. This is easily the coolest looking case I have ever seen. The front and back of the case are thin machined aluminum plates that secure to the phone using short screws that go into little round screw holders to attach the iPhone 4 inside the case.

The installation process for the case requires you to remove four of the bolts and slip your iPhone 4 into the case and then bolt the case back down. The process took only a few minutes and the tool needed for installation is included. You do need to be careful to not over tighten the case or you could damage the glass front and back of the iPhone 4.

The Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case is made so that it is almost flat on the bottom allowing me to dock the iPhone 4 with my bedside alarm clock dock with the case on without any issues at all. I was worried about the ability to dock my iPhone with the case on since you have to unbolt the Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case to remove the iPhone. The bottom of the machined front and back plate sit flush with the bottom of the iPhone 4 and the little areas where the screws go through the case are only about an eighth of an inch or so longer than the iPhone is. That should mean that the thing will dock with many if not all of your accessories.

The Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case looks fantastic on my iPhone 4 and my natural aluminum color case exactly matches the finish and color of the aluminum part of my iPhone. The thin case adds very little bulk to the iPhone and adds very little weight as well. It’s really hard to find anything wrong with the Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case. It's lightweight and looks damn good.

The only downside is that the Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case is basically a bumper. It will not offer protection from liquids, dust, or scratches like other full coverage cases will. I am willing to risk that with such a cool case, this is my favorite iPhone 4 case hands down.
Verdict
Pros

* Looks awesome
* Easy install
* Allows docking and leaves all controls uncovered

Cons

* Not as much protection as some cases on the market with fuller coverage

Conclusion

I want a case that will protect my iPhone 4, but I also want something that looks really cool. The Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case may not offer the protection of something like an OtterBox, but the Machined Aluminum iPhone 4 case is easily the best-looking case I have seen and I highly recommend it.

Japan iPhone craze attracts global app developers

2010-11-28T03:06:00.000-08:00

The iPhone's popularity in Japan is cracking open an industry long thought inaccessible to outsiders.

For years, the typical Japanese cell phone -- built to operate on a network hardly used anywhere else in the world -- has been stuffed with quirky games and other applications that cater to finicky local tastes.

That helps explain why Japan's mobile phone industry earned the nickname "Galapagos" -- drawing parallels to the exotic animals that evolved on the isolated islands off South America -- and why cell phones are called "galakei," which combines "keitai," the Japanese word for cell phone, with Galapagos.

Foreign developers of applications for phones didn't give the Japanese market a second thought because of its insularity. But that is changing as the iPhone, for which tens of thousands of applications have been created, dominates Japanese smartphone sales.

Everywhere one turns, on commuter trains and urban cafes, people are tapping away at their iPhone screens in a relatively rare Japanese embrace of technology that isn't homegrown.

Azusa Furushima, a 22-year-old college student, who has an iPhone in a glittery Hello Kitty case, says she already has about 35 apps, including those for dieting and practicing typing.

American and other foreign developers for the iPhone now have eyes on this potentially lucrative market. And Japanese users, thanks to galakei culture that has long had services that charged small fees, such as "i-mode," are used to paying for their applications.

"Japanese are well-educated. They will pay for applications," said Brian Lee, a manager at Taiwan-based Penpower Inc., which sells an app for digitally organizing business cards. "A lot of developers are coming into this market."

Japanese developers, previously trapped into targeting galakei, in turn have a chance for a piece of the global iPhone pie, which topped 3 billion application downloads globally in less than 18 months, according to Apple. Apple takes 30 percent of the application sales, but the rest goes to developers.

Apple doesn't give iPhone sales breakdowns by country. But Japan makes up a significant chunk of the 70 million iPhones sold worldwide so far, including a record 14.1 million last quarter.

Smartphones, mostly iPhone models which top sales rankings, make up 16 percent of Japanese cell phone sales of 35 million a year, according to Gfk Marketing Services Japan, which track such data.

Finnish developer Rovio Mobile, behind the "Angry Birds" game, which has racked up 27 million global downloads in a year, introduced a Japanese-language version a month ago.

The game, which features bubbly headed peevish birds that fight pig-like creatures, has been No. 1 in iPhone games in the U.S. and 70 other nations. Hopes are high to move up from No. 6 to No. 1 someday in Japan as well.

Erin Gleason, spokeswoman for Foursquare, a popular U.S. location-based mobile application, says the service, which has more than 4 million users worldwide, is arriving in Japan soon, although she said details won't be disclosed until early 2011.

"We will be focusing on internationalization in the next couple of quarters, and we feel that Japan is an important market for us," she said.

The growing sales of smartphones running the Android operating system from Google Inc. are expected to expand the application business even further, from not just Softbank Corp., the only carrier to offer the iPhone, to giant rivals NTT DoCoMo and KDDI Corp.

Japanese electronic maker Sharp Corp. is even bringing out Android mobile devices called Galapagos -- in a tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation that underlines the Japanese electronics maker's ambitions for global appeal.

Cashing in on the iPhone fad comes in all sizes.

Hawken King, a 32-year-old Briton, who founded a tiny venture in Tokyo called Dadako, which means "brat" in Japanese, is doing all right, selling his product to just 20,000 iPhone users around the world. About half of them are American, but a third are Japanese.

His 350 yen "Facemakr" allows people to easily and smoothly create avatars, or facial likenesses, on iPhone's touch panel, choosing images of noses, eyes and hairstyles. It costs $2.99 in the U.S.

Developers like King say the success of the iPhone has evened out the playing field, allowing for a diverse range of products, rather than a winner-take-all or carrier-controlled market, which in the past favored established companies over newcomers.

"We'll soon see a wave of outside prospectors flooding in for the gold in the hills of Omotesando and Harajuku," predicts Mark Hiratsuka, director of Snapp Media, an independent mobile application promoter, referring to the Tokyo areas equivalent of Silicon Valley.

"Right now, only the very smartest developers are aware of the potential here. We're about to see that bust wide open," he said.

UK iPhone shipping times reduced

2010-10-12T03:14:00.000-07:00

Wait times for iPhone deliveries from the UK Apple Store have dropped from three weeks to "one to two," depending on the model purchases, according to a check of the Apple UK web site. iPhone 3GS models (£419) ship in "one to two" weeks while iPhone 4 (£499/599) has dropped from three weeks delay to within two.

The UK iPhones ship factory unlocked without SIM cards, meaning buyers can choose carriers and plans after purchase, including prepaid options. Apple presently lists five UK carriers for the iPhone, including 3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodaphone -- all of whom subsidize the cost of the iPhone if buyers get the phone and a contract with them.

Apple's online stores not ship iPhones internationally. The white iPhone continues to be listed as "unavailable for order."

Apple iPhone 4 launches on Friday; imitations on the rise

2010-09-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

The wildly coveted iPhone 4 officially launches this Friday, with service providers Far Eastone Telecommunications, Taiwan Mobile and Chunghwa Telecom set to announce the rates and deals on phone plans Thursday at the latest.

A rough industry estimate has the total number of pre-ordered iPhone 4s at 200,000; however, less than 30,000 of Apple Inc.'s newest phone will be available for the launch on Friday, displaying a significant product shortage in its first wave of import.

Of the three telecommunications service providers, Chunghwa Telecom lists over 10,000 users who have signed up for a phone. Taiwan Mobile has only 3,000 phones available for pre-orders, which have all been sold out, while Far EasTone has a tally of 50,000 eager consumers.

According to industry experts, each provider is limited to less than 10,000 phones for distribution, making the number of available iPhone less than 30,000.

A spokesperson of Chungwa Telecom said although there is a shortage with the first batch of iPhones, the second one will arrive one to two weeks after the launch. He added that the company predicts every person who has registered for an iPhone 4 will receive one by the end of this year.

For the launch, Far EasTone plans to throw an iPhone recycling/discount event, during which those who have the previous iPhone model can trade it in for up to NT$10,000 in discount. Users who have signed up for pre-orders with Taiwan Mobile will get free phone covers.

The Apple iPhone 4 mania has inevitably caused a rise in the number of imitation products on the black market, most of which are nonfunctional. A female shop owner in the Taipei City East District shopping area surnamed Hsu found this out the hard way, when she purchased two “iPhones” from a man who claimed to work for a consumer electronics company.

The alleged imitation product hawker — described as a polo-shirt-clad, middle-aged man — came into Hsu's store. After picking out some clothes, he engaged her in conversation regarding the iPhone 4 and even showed her some of his “samples.” The man was reportedly very knowledgeable about the product and presented company credentials, telling Hsu that his company gave amazing discounts to their store employees and that Hsu, too, could receive such benefits.

With phones priced at NT$7,000 each, Hsu requested two of the models. The man called his “company” to make sure there were still iPhones available, putting on such a convincing show that Hsu happily whipped out the NT$7,000 “down payment” for the two phones.

The man left Hsu his card with a cell phone number. After he left, the storeowner excitedly took out her new gadgets, which felt like the real thing. It wasn't until she tried to turn it on — and failed — that she noticed that the white color of the shell appeared to be spay-painted on. Hsu immediately called the number on the card and reached an actual employee of the consumer electronics company surnamed Chang. However, the real Chang claimed he never left his office, much less sold her the iPhones. It was then Hsu realized she had been duped.

Hsu filed a police report. Police cautioned everyone to be weary of a man claiming to be Mr. Chang, carrying and hawking a stash of fake iPhones.

iPhone and 3G handsets unlocked with a PIG

2008-11-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

SIM PIG can unlock difficult or expensive to unlock modern 3G handsets such as iPhone, Windows Mobile devices, HTC, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Blackberry and many more.

The SIM PIG (www.simpig.co.uk) is inserted with the SIM card into the handsets SIM card slot. The PIG then dynamically bypasses the network lock on the mobile phone. SIM PIG does not affect any of the handsets functionality and all features are maintained, importantly it does not invalidate any warranty on the handset. Once SIM PIG is removed, the handset reverts back to its locked condition.

Using the SIM PIG does not require any technical knowledge and is quick and simple to insert. As the name suggests, SIM PIG SIMply PIGgy backs on to the SIM card when it is inserted to the handset.

Ed Neal, Managing Director of Geodesa limited who distributes SIM PIG explains. "Many handsets are locked to a particular network so only that networks SIM cards can be used in the locked phone. Networks lock their handsets for various reasons and unlocking can allow the user to benefit from better tariffs than their current provider may offer, particularly if travelling to different countries. SIM PIG is the perfect partner to our GeoSIM global SIM Card which avoids roaming charges when making or receiving calls overseas".

Ed goes on to say "Traditional methods of unlocking a mobile phone is specific to that handset. If the user has more than one handset to unlock, then they need to pay to unlock each phone individually, this can be expensive and time consuming particularly with the latest 3G handsets. With one SIM PIG you can unlock any number of handsets."

ZOMG Zibri Zays Zomething - iPhone Self destruction in 5 seconds?

2008-11-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus, some say due to the lack of ‘borrowed’ source code, or others say due to the frustrations of the so called ‘ungrateful‘ iPhone unlocking community, Zibri is back - er, sort of.
Developing…
Next generation of ZiPhone is in the works.
It will be as simple as Apple would have done it.
A simple one click program.
A 5 seconds run.
Stay tuned.

Posted by Zibri at 9:16 PM

Suspiciously this news comes right around when the Dev Team have released/announce QuickPWN for the iPhone. The Dev’s have said that this release is Open Source and can be easily ported into a nice GUI by developers. Obviously someone testing QuickPWN, leaked the source to Zibri who may be quickly trying to put something together, but unfortunately or fortunately (:)) the Dev Team beat him to it.

What do you think?

Leaked 3G iPhone firmware shows chips, A-GPS

2008-06-07T14:07:00.001-07:00

New leaked 3G firmware ahead of the expected iPhone launch at WWDC on Monday has revealed some detailed information about the chips used next-generation device. The last minute report, courtesy of Engagdet and based on leaked "3G" iPhone firmware, says that Apple will use the Infineon PMB6952 ("S-GOLD3") chip, allowing the phone to be used on both UMTS and HSPA "3G" networks around the world. UTMS-based third-generation "3G" mobile networks are used around the world, while faster HSPA are being rolled out in Europe and the US (AT&T is expected to full HSPA coverage by late June).

The leaked firmware indicates that there will be support for Global Locate Library (GLL) software that handles assisted GPS related commands for the host processor. This would allow the iPhone to more accurately and quickly finding positioning information and points to use of Broadcom's recently acquired worldwide reference network that provides assistance data to its assisted GPS chips via GPRS or 3G mobile networks.

According to the report, Apple is also including three Skyworks chips that would facilitate HSPA/UTMS network connectivity on each of the roaming GSM frequencies around the world, including the 850MHz used by AT&T in the US and 1900MHz and 2100MHz used in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world.

The leak also shows that the chip will include a Murata LMRX3JCA-479 tri-band amplifier chip, which could be used to boost 3G signals. According to the leak, the phone will also have a Sony SP9T antenna switch for GSM / UMTS dual mode and UMTS Power Saving option (on or off) to conserve battery power.

Like the original iPhone, the report says the new 3G iPhone will sport an ARM 1176JZF-S processor. It also indicates that the internal build number of the iPhone is n82ap, consistent with the "m68ap" designation for the first-generation iPhone.

Three Flavors of 3G iPhone On The Way

2008-05-27T17:02:00.001-07:00

As we inch that much closer to WWDC on June the 9th, little tidbits of information are starting to leak out regarding the next-generation 3G iPhone. The latest rumor to find its way onto the interweb is the possibility that Apple will be selling the 3G iPhone in no fewer than three different colors.

As seen in the picture depicted here, the next-generation Apple iPhone could be shipping in your choice of silver, black, or red. The black with chrome trim is pretty much in line with the current model, but the inclusion of two other colors could provide Cupertino fans with a little more personality. The deep red is vaguely reminiscent of the red Chocolate phone from LG. Maybe it's just me.

In any case, you can chalk up the color option thing as a rumor for now. Look for more confirmation when Steve Jobs takes the stage early next month.

iPhone sold out online

2008-05-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Apple Inc. said Monday its online stores in the U.S. and UK are sold out of the iPhone, a sign supplies are being winnowed ahead of the launch of the device's next generation featuring faster Internet surfing speeds.

The Cupertino-based company confirmed that the iPhone is out of stock online, but added that brick-and-mortar stores run by Apple and iPhone carriers including AT&T Inc. might still have units available.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment on reasons for the shortage and on Apple's plans for an update to the device, which is widely expected to be unveiled in June at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The paucity of iPhones for sale in some markets comes as Apple is hustling to meet its goal of selling 10 million of the hybrid iPod-cell phone-Internet surfing gadgets by the end of 2008. So far, Apple has sold 5.4 million iPhones, according to the latest data as of the end of March.

One way Apple is expanding the iPhone's reach is by inking deals with wireless carriers around the world, even breaking with its pattern of requiring exclusivity to sell in a certain country.

On Monday, four mobile providers in the Asia-Pacific region announced partnerships with Apple to bring the iPhone to their regions later this year.

SingTel will sell the gadget in Singapore, Bharti Airtel Ltd. in India, Globe Telecom Inc. in the Philippines and Optus in Australia, the companies said in a brief joint statement, without giving details.

SingTel owns Optus and holds a 30.5 percent stake in Bharti and 44.5 percent in Globe.

SingTel has about 2.3 million mobile subscribers in Singapore and around 7 million in Australia, according to data as of December 31, 2007. Bharti currently has about 64 million subscribers, while Globe reported a 21.3 million mobile subscriber base for the quarter ended March 31.

Last week, the top mobile phone operator in Latin America, America Movil SAB, also announced plans to deliver the iPhone to its region. America Movil has 159.2 million subscribers in 16 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

In recent weeks Apple has also signed deals with Rogers Communications Inc. to sell the device in Canada; Milan-based Telecom Italia SpA to sell the iPhone in Italy; and Vodafone Group PLC, the world's biggest mobile company by sales, to sell it in a total of 10 countries, including Australia, India, Italy and Turkey.

Until the spate of the latest deals, Apple adhered to its policy of exclusivity with one carrier in each country.

The exclusive deals for the iPhone were with AT&T Inc. in the United States, O2 in Britain, T-Mobile in Germany and France Telecom's Orange wireless arm in France.

Industry observers say some people may be holding off on buying an iPhone until the much-rumored next-generation of the device is launched, and the phone is officially rolled out in more countries.

It takes some technical gymnastics, but it's still possible to get the phone in some markets where Apple doesn't have arrangements with wireless carriers.

Many of the phones sold so far have been bought legitimately in one country, modified to work on any cellular network, and resold in countries where Apple doesn't have agreements to sell the iPhone. The trend expands the iPhone's reach but deprives Apple of some of the subscriber fees that Apple splits with its carrier partners.

Apple is also planning a software update for this summer that makes the iPhone work better with corporate e-mail, a necessary upgrade to help the iPhone compete with Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry and Palm Inc.'s Treo smart phones.

iPhone is pricey, but well worth it

2008-04-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

After almost a year, the iPhone is my best tech purchase.

I was one of the suckers who bought an 8 GB iPhone for $599. When Apple dropped the price to $499 shortly thereafter, it stung a little; the $100 credit the company offered to early purchasers eased the pain somewhat.

The current lineup is more affordable: $399 for the 8 GB model and $499 for a 16 GB unit. That's still a lot of money, but not bad compared with other smartphones.

But you know what? Even at $599, the iPhone has been my best technology purchase of the last year. Here's why.

Ubiquitous Internet access. When you buy a house, the real-estate agent doesn't ask if you want electricity included as an add-on. You just expect it to be there when you plug in a lamp. That's what it's like to have the Internet available on the iPhone, wherever you are.

AT&T's Edge network isn't a stellar performer, but I'm rarely looking up high-bandwidth material — and when I need better access, I can switch to a Wi-Fi network. Driving directions and real-time traffic conditions are in the Maps application and Google searches on anything are always at my fingertips.

Much credit is due to both Apple and AT&T for hammering out an affordable, unmetered Internet-access plan, so I'm not always wondering if checking my e-mail is going to result in overage charges.

I've found that Internet ubiquity on the iPhone isn't just helpful when I'm out of the office or stuck in traffic. In fact, lately most of my iPhone Web browsing occurs on my couch, often in the middle of the night during my infant daughter's feedings.

I've become adept at balancing baby in the crook of my arm, bottle in my right hand, and iPhone in my left hand — to pass the time and sometimes to help me stay awake.

Much of that time is spent catching up on news and blogs at m.newsgator.com, a mobile-friendly (meaning the format has been optimized for reading on a smaller screen) aggregation of the RSS feeds to which I subscribe. On my Mac I use NewsGator's Mac software NetNewsWire (free), which synchronizes the read status of my feeds with the server.

I've also bookmarked mobile versions of sites such as The New York Times (mobile.nytimes.com) and Facebook (iphone.facebook.com).

When I'm in a more communicative mood, I use PocketTweets (www.pockettweets.com) to post messages and stay current on the Twitter streams that I follow.

The late, late show. To my surprise, as a new dad I've also watched several movies on my iPhone, usually in half-hour chunks. I haven't had much opportunity to sit down and watch a DVD, so the capability to rent movies from iTunes as digital downloads has enabled me to watch films I thought I would end up missing (including some movies, such as "The Kingdom," that I know my wife has little interest in watching with me).

I'll echo others' criticism that the 24-hour limit imposed on iTunes movie rentals once you've begun watching them is too brief. I managed to catch the first half of "300" before the movie disappeared from my phone.

What the iPhone doesn't yet let me do is rent movies directly from iTunes. I can purchase music, though, which I've done on occasion when I've decided to buy an album (often inspired by listening to songs in the KEXP Music That Matters podcast) and knew that I'd forget about it by the time I returned to my computer.

Software updates, SDK. Those are all things I can do now, but another reason the iPhone has been my best tech purchase is that it's not a device locked into its purchase date. The iPhone is a computer (running OS X, in fact) that happens to be small: I don't want to toss away a perfectly functional device when the next major software update comes along.

For the iPhone, that update will be version 2.0 of the operating system in June. And now that an iPhone SDK (software development kit) is finally available, we'll start to see third-party applications that go beyond what Apple has provided.

There are exceptions to the advantages I've listed so far, of course.

It's annoying to switch between accounts in Mail, as is scrolling through the contacts list; the capability to copy and paste text would be helpful; and I desperately want color-coded calendar categories that synchronize with iCal, rather than having all of my calendars grouped together on the iPhone.

But those are all items that can be applied in future software updates or third-party applications.

Personally, I hope someone creates an application that lets me remotely control iTunes on the computer that plays music through the living-room stereo, for those times when a sleeping baby won't let me get up from the couch.

IPhone to go down by £100

2008-04-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

The cost of Apple's iPhone handset is being cut to attract new customers.

The mobile phone operator O2 and retailer Carphone Warehouse are cutting the price of the standard handset by £100 to £169, in what O2 says will make the phone an "unbeatable proposition".

The offer for the 8GB model lasts until 1 June only, while the price of the more advanced 16GB handset remains unchanged at £329.

O2, which is the exclusive network contract holder, says the iPhone, launched last November, is its fastest-selling handset. However, some experts believe the price cut reflects a slowdown in sales.

An O2 spokesman said: "The iPhone has been very successful, but we want to expand it even further and price is a very good way to do that."

The price cut follows a similar move in Germany, where T-Mobile reduced the retail price of the 8GB version to as little as €99 (£78).

iPhone Competitors: What's The Point Now?

2008-04-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

All handset makers are working on their iPhone competitors feverishly to halt its growth, but after 10 months in the market, no one has succeeded in bringing a high quality iPhone competitor. That’s not to say they won’t market them now. They will. But the question is - is there a point to launching an "iPhone Killer?" Isn’t it too late already? If iPod success story is anything to look into, it depicts how slow response could give Apple a permanent win.

With iPhone 2.0 on its way and Apple’s aggressive strategy to open the platform for independent development, soon-to-be-announced touchscreen phones appear to have an uncertain, if not a disappointing, future. You wouldn’t hear handset makers admitting defeat, and iPhone-like phones will meet internal sales targets (because the targets will never be quite as high), but Apple will continue to bounce higher with an updated iPhone every year or so.

Why Apple Should Not Open It's Mobile Platform

Unfortunately, handset makers either didn’t learn from music player makers and responded quickly to the iPhone, or they were blindsided. Either way, they are in a losing position now and will be constantly reminded of this at every iPhone launch in the future. That will destroy morale internally, and that’s never a good sign for innovation.

There’s obviously no point in fighting a losing battle, but maybe, just maybe, one of them can out top Apple at its own game. I say that, but in a highly competitive industry, it would be foolish to expect others to just give up. They are going to try, they are going to fight and they are going to innovate, but it’s that magic that none of the others will add to their mix of ingredients.

Thus far, it appears as though the iPhone will be another iPod, and Apple will continue its winning streak in the foreseeable future. But for our sakes and their, let’s get ready, step up to the plate and hit a homerun with a real iPhone Killer. Maybe.

iPhone targets new geographies, gets GPS and web image save feature

2008-04-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the next round of rumors and leaks about the “next” iPhone: The latest iPhone firmware hints provide some information on Apple’s iPhone global expansion plans, with Russia and Asia-Pacific being the prime targets. A MacNN reader claims to have found evidence for a GPS module in the next-generation iPhone and Gizmodo revealed a new feature to save web images in the iPhone photo library.

There is much more information in the latest iPhone Beta SDK as previously thought and developers and hackers are coming up with new information about new features almost on a daily basis. The most recent SDK seed apparently reveals support for additional language support, leading Computerworld to believe that this may reflect new markets for device. The magazine discovered support for Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Korean and Portuguese languages. These languages add to already existing support for English, French, German, Italian and Russian. As the handset was subsequently released in the UK, France, Germany and Italy - but not Russia - we believe that Russia and countries in Asia-Pacific will be the next targets of Apple.

A MacNN reader, who was diving through iPhone developer documentation, reportedly found "nearly conclusive evidence" of a GPS module in the next-gen iPhone. The documentation hinted towards altitude measurements, which is not possible with the iPhone’s WPS (and quite frankly not really accurate to within 100 ft in GPS as well). However, the developer note stated that this feature is supported in iPhone OS 2.0 and later.

Gizmodo also made this round of iPhone news by discovering an updated Safari version within the iPhone 2.0 software update, which will allow users to save web images to iPhone photo albums. According to Gizmodo, this feature works by holding your finger against an image for a longer time than usual, prompting a pop-up dialog to appear. Users can save a web image to iPhone photo albums for use as a background images, email or use as a custom contact icon. The new web image saving feature adds to the already discovered contact search and iCal meeting invitation features reported previously.

As far as the language support is concerned, it is of particular interest that the newly revealed Korean language files hint at Apple's preparation to debut the iPhone in the Far East with a Korean release, since talks in China have hit a wall. Apple was engaged in talks with China Mobile to release the iPhone in China, but China Mobile declined to play along Apple’s revenue sharing model. China Mobile has more than 380 million subscribers, covering almost 30% of the Chinese population. In total, China has about 565 million mobile phone users.

China Mobile chairman Wang Jianzhou confirmed that his company will not agree to a revenue sharing model Apple has in place in the U.S. and in Europe and said that his company will work with Apple once the two parties have worked out a better business model. Jianzhou told press members that the "door will remain open as long as there is customer demand." And it seems that customer demand for an iPhone in China is overwhelming. A recent Pearl Research survey indicated that 68% of the Chinese population has heard of the iPhone. 88% of those have an “interest” in the handset, despite a steep $500 price tag suggested by the survey.

Apple allegedly gets a monthly cut for each new AT&T subscriber that buys an iPhone. Media reports claimed that Apple got away with as much as 30% per user contract in deals signed with some operators in Europe. However, Apple executives recently hinted that the company may consider other business models beside revenue sharing: The Australian web site MacTalk claims that Australians will get unlocked iPhones soon. As the website reports, iPhone users in Australia won't be locked into a contract, will be free to choose from more than one mobile operator. It seems Apple will have to adjust its business model for markets that take the iPhone into new cultures and economies to translate the American and European success into a global success.

iPhone shortage in US

2008-04-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

Bernstein Research said its iPhone supply checks showed that the multifunction device appeared to be out of stock at Apple's US stores and its online store, which could lead to lost sales of up to 40 000 units a week in the event of a prolonged shortage.

Sacconaghi said the impact so far was limited, estimating the average Apple store was out of stock for only a few days during the March quarter, and that supplies appeared to be fine at stores of wireless carrier partner AT&T.

"In our view, the most likely explanation for this unusual situation is a production shortfall, possibly due to a component shortage," analyst Toni Sacconaghi wrote in a note.

pple declined to confirm if there was an iPhone shortage, but spokesperson Steve Dowling said: "We are working to replenish iPhone supplies as quickly as we can and our stores continue to receive shipments almost every day."

Recent reports of iPhone shortages have fuelled speculation that Apple is readying a new version of the device that will run on faster 3G wireless networks.

Apple could introduce a new iPhone in June or July, about three months earlier than previously expected, said American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu, citing checks with unidentified supply chain sources.

"What gives us higher conviction in the accelerated timetable is that iPhone inventory levels appear fairly lean, which is consistent with Apple's tendency to wind down inventory ahead of an update," Wu wrote in a note.

Wu forecast Apple would sell 11 million phones by the end of 2008, 10 percent more than the company's stated goal, thanks to a new model, wider adoption among businesses, and price cuts.

So You've Jailbroken Your iPhone - Now What?

2008-04-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

With the release of iPhone 2.0 software in June, iPhone users will likely have a glut of Apple-approved programs to choose from. However, plenty of third-party iPhone software is out there now, provided you've opened your device to it, a process known as "jailbreaking." For those up to the task, here's how to load and manage programs on a jailbroken iPhone.

Until iPhone 2.0 software is released in June, if you want to add third-party software to your iPhone, you first need to jailbreak it (as I discuss in a blog entry). Jailbreaking, however, is only the first step. The next step is to actually install your choice of software. For this task, hackers have standardized on an iPhone application called, appropriately enough, "Installer." This program downloads software directly to your iPhone (assuming you have a WiFi or EDGE connection), much as Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple App Store promises to do.

If you decide to jailbreak your iPhone (which I encourage you to do), you'll need to get comfortable with this Installer. It comes with no instructions, however. In searching the Web, I found that there is very little tutorial information on how to use it. Admittedly, Installer is not a complex program, and you can figure out much of it yourself. Still, there are several nuances to the program that are not immediately obvious. So ... for the benefit of those who may find it useful ... here is my brief guide to using Installer.
Button 1: Featured

After you launch Installer (and you wait briefly while it refreshes its sources), you'll find five buttons along the bottom of the screen: Featured, Install, Update, Uninstall and Sources. Tap each to go to the designated screen.

Featured is the default screen; you're already there. From here, you can find out what's hot and what's new in the world of Installer. The remaining 4 buttons are where the bulk of Installer's work is done.
Button 2: Install

To start installing software, tap the Install button. This brings up a list of Category folders. The top folder is "All Packages." Tap this item to see an alphabetical list of all the software currently available to install.

Alternatively, scroll down the Categories list and pick a category of interest, such as Utilities. Tap this to see the subset of software that falls into that category.

The first thing I recommend that you install is Community Sources. Doing this greatly expands the list of software available for installing. Here's what to do:

1. Tap the Sources category

2. From the Packages list that appears, tap Community Sources

3. From the Package screen that next appears, tap the Install button in the upper right corner

4. From the buttons that pop-up from the bottom of the screen, tap Install

Wait briefly while Install does its work. When it's done, you are ready for the next installation. Repeat the same procedure for any other software you select.

I leave it up to you to explore the programs available and decide what you want on your iPhone. However, if you share my interest in "under the hood" utilities, here are a few programs I highly recommend you check out: MobileFinder, AFPd, SysInfo and Services.

Here are several Install tips you should know:

* A program's Package screen may include a More Info item. Tap it to get more detail about what the program does.

* To go back to a previous screen at any point, tap the button in the upper left (typically it will say "Packages" or "Categories").

* As stated above, when you tap the Install button in the upper right of the screen, a menu of buttons pops up. One button here is Add to Queue. If you tap this icon, the selected software is not immediately installed. Instead, you are returned to the previous screen, from which you can add further software. You can keep doing this. For the last selected item, tap Install instead of Add to Queue and all the items in the queue will be installed at the same time.

If there are items in the queue, the pop-up menu additionally includes a Clear Queue button.

Unfortunately, there is no way you can actually view the contents of the queue.

* The Install pop-up menu may warn you that a selected item is "untrusted." This will typically appear for software from sources you have added yourself (as described below). Assuming you had confidence that the added source was not fraudulent, you can ignore these "untrusted" warnings and install the software.

* If an installation fails and an error message pops up, the most common cause is that the server where the software originates is having problems. Try again later.

* After installing new software, it's a good idea to press the Home button. What will likely happen is that the iPhone's sundial "cursor" will briefly appear, followed by a jump to the iPhone's Lock screen. When you return to the Home screen, you'll see the icons for your newly added software.

* If you ever need to restore your iPhone, all of your Installer-added software is erased. As far as I know, there is no way to back up this software so that it can be automatically reinstalled after a restore. You'll just have to start over again from scratch. As such, it's probably a good idea to maintain a list of everything you've installed.

Button 3: Update

Installer automatically checks for updated versions of any software you have installed. If it finds any, a number will appear over the Update button at the bottom of the screen. The number indicates how many updates are waiting to be installed.

Tap the Update button to access the Update page. If there is more than one item listed, you can install just the programs you select or you can choose to install all listed programs at once.
Button 4: Uninstall

If you tap the Uninstall button, you are taken to a list of all currently installed software. Tap any item to go to its package page. An Uninstall button should be in the upper right. Tap it to uninstall the software. If the button says "Reinstall" instead of "Uninstall," you've selected a "base" program that cannot be uninstalled. All you can do is reinstall it, which may be needed if you believe there is currently some problem with the software.

This page also serves as a convenient record of everything that you have elected to install on your iPhone.
Button 5: Sources

The final button in the row of buttons along the bottom of the Installer screen is Sources; tap this to see a list of all the source servers that are contributing to the list of programs available from the Installer. This Sources list includes all the default sources put there when Installer was first installed plus any you added via items in the Sources category of the Install list.

Although it is unlikely that you will want to do so, you can uninstall any item in Sources. To do so, tap the Edit button in the upper right of the screen. Next, for each source you want to uninstall, tap the minus icon that appears next to its name followed by a tap of the Delete button. Finally, tap Done (which has replaced Edit in the upper right).

More often useful is the ability to add further sources. This is how you can gain access to software that is not included in any of Installer's sources. To do this:

1. From the Sources screen, tap the Edit button in the upper right

2. Tap the Add button in the upper left corner

3. From the Add Source window that appears, enter the URL (universal resource locator) of the desired source

4. Tap OK; then Tap Done in the upper right corner

5. Tap the Refresh button in the upper left corner

How do you find out the needed URL to enter here? From iPhone Web sites. Here are two examples of sources to add, which also happen to show off two of the cooler things you can do with a jailbroken iPhone:

* Apple Screenshot Enabler. Want to take a screenshot of an iPhone display? You'll be happy to know that Apple has built a screen capture function into the iPhone software. Unfortunately, they aren't telling anyone about it and, in fact, have the feature turned off by default.

To turn it on, you have to modify a .plist file on the iPhone. Yup, this is the same technique used to add "secret" features to your Mac (as I describe here). For iPhone screenshots, the required file is com.apple.springboard.plist, located in /var/mobile/Library/Preferences. What you have to do is add a SBMobileScreenshotr property to this file, with a Boolean class and a value of Yes. Exactly how to do this "by hand" goes beyond what I want to cover in this article. Happily, there is a simpler alternative:
1. Using the Installer utility, go to Sources and add http://repository.ripdev.com as a source

2. Go to Install and, from the RiP Dev category, install Apple Screenshot Enabler

3. Press the Home button to complete the installation

That's it. Now, to actually take a screenshot, press and hold the Home button while toggling the Mute button. When the screen flashes white, you have your shot. You'll find it stored in Photo's Camera Roll folder.

* ShowTime. Want to take a movie using the iPhone's camera? Just install ShowTime. To get it to appear in Installer's listings, you first have to add http://www.polarbearfarms.com/repo/ as a Source. You'll now find it in the Multimedia category. Recorded videos are stored in the iPhone's /var/mobile/Media/PBFVideo folder. You can transfer recordings to your Mac by using the AFPd utility to mount your iPhone as a hard drive and navigate to this folder.

iPhone to bleed Palm and BlackBerry Palm and BlackBerry

2008-04-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

Palm and RIM's BlackBerry are set to lose market share to Apple's iPhone, an analyst has claimed.

Needham & Co. analyst Charles Wolf has commenced coverage of Palm and RIM, and notes that both companies face challenges as iPhone wins hearts and minds in the consumer and enterprise markets.

Palm faced the deepest challenge. Wolf warned that the company had "lost its way." The lack of a new OS release in five years meant the company was increasingly reliant on in-development products to regain its lost market lead.

"Neither is likely to be introduced until late in the year. Even then, it's an open question whether they'll be successful. We're initiating coverage with an underperform rating," Needham said.

Wolf also believed that Apple's iPhone may take market share from both competing firms once it introduces new enterprise-friendly features in June. RIM will see some impact in its core enterprise markets, while the expected diversity of third-party iPhone applications would hammer Palm's place in the consumer market.

"We believe BlackBerry's supercharged growth in this [consumer] market could slow materially when far more versatile applications developed for the iPhone begin to appear in the second half of the year," Wolf warned.

The analyst does note that this triptych of smartphone developers still hold a great lead on most competitors, because other firms (such as Motorola or Samsung) were tied to Microsoft's Windows Mobile system, which Needham calls "a non-starter in the consumer world."

The introduction of Google's Android platform for mobile phones may change the game once again, the analyst said, as it will offer a more extendible base OS than Windows Mobile to competing firms.

Despite it all, Wolf notes that Apple changed the smartphone industry when it chose to launch iPhone, describing the market as "totally disrupted" by the product's introduction.

"The iPhone is a game changer, weaving together a wide array of computer-like functions," he explained. "Given the choice between a BlackBerry and iPhone, we believe a material percentage of consumers will opt for the iPhone once exciting applications for the phone begin to proliferate in the second half of the year. BlackBerry sales should continue to grow but at a materially slower rate than they would have in the absence of the iPhone."

RIM's market leadership was based entirely on the incompetence of the competition, the analyst also said: "RIM's competitors until quite recently were simply inept. Their failure stemmed less from their ability to design sleek phones than in their choice of an operating system on which to run them," he explained.

The analyst rates Palm shares as under-perform, while RIM takes a hold rating pending the effects of June's release of iPhone Software 2.0.

iPhone 2 chipset details discovered

2008-04-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

AppleInsider reports that the ZiPhone creators have discovered a few lines of code that refer to a 3G chipset in the latest iPhone firmware. Tucked within firmware beta 5A240d are references to Infineon chipset SGOLD3H, an unsurprising choice as the current iPhone uses the older Infineon SGOLD2.

The new chipset will serve a variety of functions such as application acceleration and A/V processor. It will also enable support of GSM 3G access, meaning HSDPA will be on the next iPhones. It supports up to 7.2Mbps over HSDPA, but unfortunately does not support the newer HSUPA standard.

Oh well, at least it’s better than EDGE.

iPhone Famous in China but Too Pricey for Many

2008-04-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

The iPhone already has a reputation in China -- about 68 percent of respondents in a recent survey had heard of the device, although it's not officially sold or marketed there. The price -- $500 was the number the survey used -- was the most common factor cited by those who said they wouldn't buy one.

Some 68 percent of respondents in a Chinese survey have heard of the iPhone, though the high price -- US$500 was used in the survey -- could be a hurdle for Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple in the country of 565 million mobile phone users.

The survey was conducted by Pearl Research though Apple has not announced plans for the iPhone in China, where many of gray market iPhones are already available.

The firm said that a $500 price tag was the most often mentioned reason for survey respondents to not be interested in the phone, though information released by the company to the media did not include the exact percentage of those surveyed who said they would not buy the device.
Evidence of Marketing Genius?

If the sample is accurate, 68 percent of respondents having heard of the iPhone is extraordinary in a market where Apple's market share is tiny in computers and only marginally larger in the digital media device market.

It speaks volumes about Apple's ability to garner attention for its every move throughout the world.

That said, the survey also found that 88 percent of existing iPod owners were interested in the iPhone, demonstrating the power that getting Apple products in the hands of customers can have.
Net Not So Important

Other key points in the survey include the fact that surfing the Internet is not a key selling point in China, in part because of the high costs of data plans in the country.

The survey also found consumer interest in the many iPhone knockoffs already being offered in China.

Pearl Research said the survey was conducted on 450 online survey respondents and 24 in-depth one-on-one interviews across both first-tier and second-tier Chinese cities.

Smugglers Help Boost Popularity of iPhone

2008-04-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

MOSCOW — Apple Inc. has gained unlikely allies in its bid to boost iPhone sales: Russian smugglers.

The device isn’t sold by Cupertino, California-based Apple in Russia and it can’t be used legally on local networks. Still, about 250,000 people own one, more than any other country except the U.S. and China, according to Eldar Murtazin, chief analyst at Moscow-based Mobile Research Group.

That popularity has turned into a bonanza for traders who sell the phones in kiosks and on the Internet for $1,000 each, more than twice the U.S. price. Hackers say they charge as much as 2,500 rubles ($105) to “unlock” them so they work locally.

“It’s an icon for Russians,” said Timofei Kulikov, a lawyer and buyer of electronic products for X5 Retail Group NV, Russia’s largest supermarket chain. “If you see two businessmen at lunch in Moscow, they’ll both have iPhones on the table.”

The evolution from web-surfing, touch-screen gadget to status symbol has been a boon for Peter Aloisson. The jeweler sold a diamond-studded iPhone encased in white gold to a Russian businessman in March for 120,000 euros and is working on a 500,000-euro ($783,000) version that may go to another Russian client.

“There is no doubt that Russia, when it comes to luxury items, is by far the best marketplace,” Aloission, 47, said last week from his studio in Vienna. “More and more Russian customers visit us here in Austria,” said Aloissen, who started customizing handsets 10 years ago.

Notable users include President-elect Dmitry Medvedev, billionaire Alexander Mamut and Boris Yeltsin Jr., grandson of the former president, according to the newspaper Kommersant. Medvedev’s spokeswoman declined to comment.

Murtazin says about 20,000 iPhones arrive in Russia each month.

“They arrive in suitcases,” Murtazin said. “Practically every flight from the U.S. brings new iPhones.”

Apple, the world’s biggest buyer of flash memory chips, hasn’t said how many of the 4 million iPhones sold through Jan. 15 were unlocked to work on unauthorized networks. Analysts including Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray & Co. put the figure at 1 million. About 400,000 of those are in China, CNET News reported in February, citing market research firm In-Stat.

Apple, which sells the 8-gigabyte version for $399, gets an undisclosed cut of monthly wireless fees for the device, released in June, and has deals with carriers in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Ireland and Austria. Users have hacked the handset to modify its software so it works on other carriers’ networks, depriving Apple of fees.

Chief Operating Officer Timothy Cook said in March that the number of unlocked iPhones used in countries where Apple hasn’t started selling them is a sign of “great demand.” Spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment on the use of the product in the former Soviet Union.

The iPhone’s popularity in Russia, home to 101 billionaires by Finans Magazine’s count, is an irritation for retailers including Yevroset, the country’s largest mobile-phone chain, whose sales are suffering because it can’t stock the product.

“The phones aren’t certified on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Yevroset co-owner and Chariman Yevgeny Chichvarkin, said in a telephone interview. “Import duties and value-added taxes aren’t paid.” Those taxes equal 24 percent of a phone’s retail price on average, said Murtazin of Mobile Research Group, which advises VimpelCom and MegaFon, two of Russia’s three national mobile operators.

Russia’s economy has expanded about 7 percent annually since President Vladimir Putin was elected in 2000, boosting average wages sixfold and spurring demand for mobile phones and other imported goods. Handset sales rose 10 percent last year to a record 32.5 million units, according to closely held Yevroset, which reported revenue of $5.6 billion in the period.

“In Russia, people want to stand out, even a person with a small income will find the money to buy expensive accessories,” said Sergei Savin, senior analyst at technology research firm J’son & Partners in Moscow.

The prevalence of the iPhone underscores Russia’s attitude toward licensed goods, which the U.S. has made a sticking point in approving the country’s 14-year quest to join the World Trade Organization. Hackers and sellers of contraband products openly advertise on the Internet.

“You can basically do whatever you like,” said Ivan, 21, after he unlocked an iPhone in a basement office he shares with two friends in one of the capital’s most expensive neighborhoods. “We’re not liable for anything because officially it’s not here,” said Ivan, who declined to give his last name.

That doesn’t worry Maxim Mokeyev, executive director at Evans Property Services, a real estate broker in Moscow.

“It’s radically different from anything else out there,” said Mokeyev, who taught himself how to unlock the phone with special software. “The one I bought in New York took me two hours,” Mokeyev said, pointing to his handset. “The second one I did, for a friend, took about 20 minutes.”

Meanwhile, the online technology journal CNews reported Monday that Apple intends to expand its presence in Russia in the near future. The report said that the online shop iTunes Store would be available to Russian users from April 21st. Yevgeny Chichvarkin, Yevroset’s owner, was quoted as saying that “the given step proves Apple’s interest in legal iPhone sales in Russia.”

According to CNews, billboard teasers designed in the iPhone colors appeared in Moscow on Friday. The billboards display the inscription ‘iSkoro 21.04.2008’ (iSoon 21.04.2008) against a black background, similar to the iPhone packaging.

Mossberg: 3G iPhone within 60 days

2008-04-06T03:24:00.000-07:00

The heavily anticipated 3G-capable iPhone will be available within the next 60 days, Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg revealed at a Beet.

TV executive conference in Washington, DC. The veteran writer made the comment while discussing the limits of cellular broadband in the US, noting that third-generation access in the country is still slow compared to other areas of the world. Mossberg doesn't offer supporting evidence in the speech but is known to regularly have exclusive access to advance details, having received a review iPhone weeks ahead of its June 2007 debut.

The comments fuel growing speculation over the launch of an iPhone that supports HSPA Internet access, which is considered by many to be essential for adding more Internet-dependent features to the handset as well as offering access to Japan and other countries where 3G is the only option for phone service. A special T-Mobile Germany promotion and analyst reports have all pointed to a likely iPhone upgrade to the faster wireless technology in June.

The Journal writer also noted that he appreciated the Apple TV but that current bandwidth limits on American broadband affect potential enjoyment of the experience. HD and very long videos often require long download times before they can reliably play on most users' devices.

iPhone shortage eases as Germans get a bargain

2008-04-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Despite sitting out the CTIA 2008 conference, Apple's iPhone business had an eventful week.

Today, on "This Week in iPhone," we'll address two significant developments. Apple stores around the country are starting to recover from an iPhone shortage, while T-Mobile has cut the price of the iPhone in Germany by 300 euros.

First up, the supply concerns. Apple acknowledged the shortage and told The New York Times that it was working to get iPhones into its retail stores as fast as possible. The cause of the shortage still hasn't emerged, but speculation that a 3G iPhone would be arriving sooner than expected has cooled.

One reason, advanced by Sanford Bernstein's Toni Sacconaghi, is that all the newly arriving iPhones are the regular models, not 3G versions. If Apple really was gearing up to launch a 3G model in the near future, it probably wouldn't build inventories of the older models. Sacconaghi thinks that Apple ran into a production issue, and made the decision to allocate the iPhones it had on hand to AT&T's stores, because it can count iPhones shipped to channel partners as sales. Remember, the first quarter just ended last week.

But, Sacconaghi doesn't think the shortage really cost Apple all that much business. "We believe the impact to Apple's overall iPhone sales has been minimal so far, and is likely to be modest unless the shortage persists or worsens," he wrote in a report.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile is running a special on iPhones until the end of June. You can now get an 8GB iPhone in Germany for 99 euros ($154.78), if you choose a hefty service plan. Several analysts think this means the 3G iPhone launch is therefore timed for the end of June, which would make some sense given the identical target date for the iPhone 2.0 software.

iPhone gets Enterprise boost with Microsoft Exchange support

2008-04-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Bans on Apple's popular iPhone may be lifted after a license with ActiveSync means e-mail can safely be pushed to the devices. The European Commission is likely to approve Google's move to acquire DoubleClick with an April 2 deadline looming, and Microsoft's Bill Gates is no longer the world's richest man.

Report Says Apple's 3G iPhone Will Debut in May

2008-03-31T14:13:00.001-07:00

The much-awaited iPhone with 3G is coming in May, according to a report by the Bank of America. Both Apple and AT&T, its exclusive carrier partner in the U.S., have said a higher-speed version of the popular device is coming, but they haven't set a date. The BOA's research report was authored by analyst Scott Craig and cited Friday by the Reuters news service.

Three Million in May

Craig told Reuters that there will be "an initial small build in May," and "significant production" in June. Despite the report, AT&T and Apple declined comment. But June would be a good time for the release, as there is an iPhone developers' conference that month, as well as the release of new firmware.

Craig added that he expects production volume to be higher than earlier estimates, even his. He predicted the production run in May will be more than three million iPhones, with another eight million in the third quarter. Previously, he had projected eight million iPhones for all of 2008.

Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with JupiterResearch, said he expects Apple to refresh the iPhone sometime this year, but he doubted outsiders know exactly when that might be. "Apple keeps it own schedule," he noted.

A refresh of any sort could help Apple meet its target of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of this year. As of January, Apple has said it had sold about four million.

3G on the iPhone "would be a nice addition," Gartenberg said, but the real question is what Apple or third-party developers would do with the additional bandwidth that they haven't already done with, for instance, AT&T's EDGE.

Web Sites, Business Users, Europe

The faster cellular bandwidth could give users more reliable access to media-rich Web sites. It could also enable third-party developers to create applications that assume some consistent access to high-speed connections. Recently, Apple released the second beta version of its iPhone software developers kit, and a variety of developers are working on applications for the popular device.

One of those companies is Microsoft. Some observers have noted that extending its portfolio to the iPhone would be, in part, a defensive move for Microsoft, since it has been a leading provider of Mac-based applications, most notably Microsoft Office for Mac.

Microsoft's interest in application development is also related to Apple's plans to provide Microsoft Exchange support for the iPhone. If users send Microsoft Office documents as attachments, it's in Microsoft's interest to make sure everything works as it should. With 3G capability, the iPhone takes another step toward becoming a respectable tool for business users exchanging large file sizes.

Finally, 3G would make the iPhone more competitive in Europe and elsewhere, where 3G is more common than in the U.S.

Apple Releases iPhone SDK Beta 2

2008-03-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

Apple on Thursday released the second beta version of the software development kit for building applications for the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

The free download is available online through the company's Apple Developer Connection Web site. The second beta of the SDK includes an interface builder, the Xcode integrated development environment, the iPhone simulator, frameworks and samples, compilers, and the Shark analysis tool.

Developers who want to test their code directly on the iPhone and distribute their applications through Apple's App Store have to apply for membership in the iPhone Developer Program.

Apple released the first test version of the SDK on March 6. Since then, developers have logged a number of complaints, starting with Apple's requirement that all distribution of applications to iPhone users go through the company's App Store.

More recently, developers learned that they won't be able to create music players for the iPhone. The SDK apparently doesn't permit access to iTunes, the iTunes library, or any facets of the iPhone's music player. As a result, music services such as Amazon.com and eMusic, won't be able to write their own download services for the iPhone.

Some developers, however, have been trying to make an end-run around Apple. Hackers calling themselves the iPhone Dev Team reported a couple of week ago that they found a way to run applications on the upcoming firmware of the iPhone and iPod Touch without a development certificate from Apple.

The company plans to upgrade the devices' firmware in June. The new software will have the hooks necessary to run applications built with the SDK.

Microsoft Gets Cozy With The iPhone

2008-03-27T02:51:00.000-07:00

Microsoft may look to launch an Office suite on iPhone

Microsoft and Apple may be rivals, but that doesn't stop Microsoft from being very excited about developing possible applications for the iPhone, according to recent reports.

Soon after the release of Apple's third party software developer kit (SDK) for the iPhone, Microsoft set an entire team of engineers to work analyzing it. Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Specialized Devices and Applications Group, states, "It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone. To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we’re actually in the process of trying to understand that now."

The move is not an entirely new one either. Microsoft has long maintained a group of engineers tasked with porting Microsoft software to Apple's operating systems. Microsoft's Mac Business Unit is based in Mountain View, Calif., cozily close to Apple's headquarters, which is just miles away. The Mac Business Unit has been extremely successful in marketing the Microsoft Office Suite to Mac users. Though Microsoft refuses to release figures on the unit, one of its most lucrative, Fortune magazine estimates that it did around $350M USD in business last year, and may have made as much as $200M USD in profit.

Microsoft has taken a strange sense of pride in being the best Apple developer other than Apple. Microsoft's extensive experience with OS X and its inside knowledge of the Microsoft Exchange protocols the iPhone is adopting for business email means that Microsoft should be primed to deliver some powerful iPhone applications.

Gibbons states, "We do have experience with that environment, and that gives us confidence to be able to do something. The key question is, what is the value that we need to bring? We’re still getting comfortable with the SDK, right? It’s just come out. So we had a guess as to what feasibility would be like, now we’ll really get our head wrapped around that."

Microsoft's voice recognition unit TellMe, a recent acquisition, is also eyeing the iPhone. TellMe's primary focus is in developing for the Windows Mobile operating system. While the situation may be slightly ironic, it is pure business and general manager Mike McCue says that as long as the iPhone SDK supports voice recording and location based technology, TellMe will be all over it. McCue states, "If the SDK supports these things we’re absolutely going to get a version out there as soon as we can, get TellMe out there on the iPhone."

In June, Apple will release an update which will allow third-party SDK-based software. Until then Microsoft will be busy coding, coming up with new products for the iPhone. Business certainly makes strange bedfellows.

Does the iPhone count as a “desktop”?

2008-03-26T03:38:00.000-07:00

This week I wrote a letter to the desktop welcoming it back. Then I got an email from one of my long time commentors asking if the iPhone counted as a “desktop”. Sure it’s not a desktop in the traditional sense, but in the application sense, it might be. This article about Microsoft looking at ways to create iPhone applications seems to help support that thought.

The iPhone is unlike any other mobile device partly because the general experience, both user and developer, is so similar to a desktop. We’ve already seen a lot of Ajax-RIAs created specifically for the iPhone. It has rich media capabilities, and while I haven’t spent much time with the SDK, I assume application developers can take advantage of some of those.

So the iPhone has some native, desktop-like traits. Should it be included in the desktop conversation? What do you think? Are iPhone applications going to be counted as RIAs?

Images of iPhone App Store leaked?

2008-03-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

Apple may have inadvertently revealed ongoing testing of the App Store for the iPhone and the iPod touch, a popular hacking site claims. One contributor notes that while experimenting recently with the v2.0 firmware, he inadvertently managed to enter the App Store, instead of receiving the normal "cannot connect" message. Found inside were two web applications, including the well-known iPhone version of Facebook; it is speculated that Apple is doing live testing of the Store, and using placeholders in advance of the first truly native applications.

Also observed in the Store were a five-star ratings system, and a series of navigation buttons which mimic those of the current Wi-Fi Music Store. As with its sibling, visitors to the App Store can browse featured apps, the top 50, or specific keywords; apps are further divided into genres, such as "Business" or "Blogs & Forums." Each program may also receive a unique icon, though these are not visible at the moment.

The risk for Apple iPhone users: They know too much

2008-03-23T02:20:00.000-07:00

The device makes it easy to search for data on the run. That can quickly turn a casual conversation into the Pursuit of Truth.

When she whipped out her iPhone, Erica Sadum could feel her husband's eyes roll. But she had a point to prove. And in less than a minute, she was able to report to the skeptics around the dinner table that Menno Simons, whose followers are known as Mennonites, was in fact born in 1496.

Apple Inc.'s iPhone, which went on sale nine months ago, isn't the only so-called smart phone that provides itinerant access to the Web. But its wide screen and top-quality browser make it easy to use and read, which means it can in seconds change a lighthearted conversation into the Pursuit of Truth.

"It's turned me from a really annoying know-it-all into an incredibly annoying know-it-all, with the Internet to back me up," said Sadum, a technology writer in Denver. "It's not a social advantage."

New technology always brings new habits with it, some of them unpopular. The mobile handset took phone calls into the streets and the BlackBerry created a generation of thumb-typing e-mail addicts. Some smart phones hook their owners up to facts and figures that ordinary people pull off the Internet with a proper computer.

As USC student and iPhoner Cliff Smith put it, "I have the ability to clear up any confusion."

Fewer than 1% of the 219 million cellphones in the U.S. are iPhones, according to M:Metrics. (One possible reason: An iPhone costs about $400.) That hasn't been enough to trigger a broader boom of Internet browsing on hand-held gadgets. The percentage of U.S. mobile phone users surfing the Internet over the last year has stayed flat at 13%, M:Metrics found.

Internet companies, though, report that they have been getting more traffic from mobile devices, much of it from outside the U.S. And the companies have noticed that iPhoners use their handsets differently from other owners of mobile phones. They search the Internet more, particularly for movies, restaurants and news, according to market researchers, and they watch more videos on YouTube and do more online banking.

Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are betting that mobile services and advertising will be the next big business opportunity. For example, the Yahoo Go service for Internet-connected cellphones (not yet available for the iPhone) showcases a program called PriceCheck. It allows people to check prices at a number of stores by entering a product's bar code number.

"Maybe you will remember to do price comparisons for flat-screen TVs online before you head out the door to a store like Best Buy, but maybe not," said Steve Boom, a Yahoo senior vice president. "Your need for that kind of information is immediate."

Wil Shipley, a Seattle software developer, uses his iPhone at the Whole Foods fish counter to check websites for updates on which seafood is the most environmentally correct to purchase. He quizzes the staff on where and how a fish was caught. Because he carries the Internet with him, "I can be super-picky," he said.

The clerks who work the fish counter don't mind. "He's confirming on the Internet things that I am saying," said Whole Foods' Ken Shugarts.

That's nice, but as Sadum warned, you should pick your iPhone moments carefully. "The second you go into the pocket for the iPhone, you have disconnected yourself from the conversation," she said. "No one has the patience."

Nora Wells certainly doesn't. When she's with iPhone-toting friends and a question comes up, she braces herself, as she did recently when it was suggested that they go out for beers "stat." Inevitably, someone wanted the exact definition.

"The iPhone even gave us the Latin," said Wells, a radio traffic reporter who learned that stat is an abbreviation of statim, "immediately," often used in the medical field. "We probably could have been having our beer in the amount of time it took to look it up."

The proud owner of a Motorola Razr cellphone (from which she can forward text messages, which she happily noted was beyond the iPhone's capabilities), Wells worries that iPhoneism might overtake even her.

"I feel so pressured to get one," the 27-year-old Venice resident said. "People expect it from me. It's the hip, young, fun thing to do."

Or not. Backstage recently in a Little Rock, Ark., theater, actress Natalie Canerday said the cast of a play was enjoying debating the year Bruce Springsteen's album "Born to Run" was released. Then the director took out his iPhone. All conversation stopped as he sought the answer: 1975, according to Wikipedia.

"Everyone said, 'Oh,' " Canerday recalled. It was another awkward iPhone moment.

Daniel Bernstein had one when he arranged to meet friends at a bowling alley in Daly City, near San Francisco. The lanes were booked. Bernstein used his iPhone to locate another bowling alley 10 miles away, find out how long the wait for a lane was and get driving directions.

Bernstein, director of business development at an Internet company, said his friends seemed more irked than appreciative. "They said, 'Thank you, iPhone,' " and not very nicely.

Adobe Says Apple's SDK Blocks Flash on iPhone

2008-03-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

Flash on Apple's iPhone has been on and off several times in the last few weeks. On Wednesday, Adobe Systems dampened expectations following a report that it would build a Flash player for the smartphone.

The report, first cited in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, said Adobe had begun work on a Flash player for the iPhone. The Journal cited remarks by Adobe Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen, who reportedly made the comments during a conference call with investors. He said Apple's recent release of a software developers kit (SDK) gave his company the tools it needed to create a media player for the popular iPhone.

The Fine Print

According to news reports, Narayen said Adobe had evaluated the SDK and "we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves."

Adobe said Wednesday it has "evaluated the iPhone SDK and can now start to develop a way to bring Flash Player to the iPhone." But it added, "to bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone Web-browsing experience" the company needs to work with Apple for capabilities beyond what the SDK allows.

One of the problems is the SDK's fine print, which is being interpreted by many observers as prohibiting the kind of plug-in capabilities offered by Flash. To use the SDK for those purposes, Adobe would need cooperation and permission from Apple.

Earlier this month, following persistent reports on various Web blogs that Flash on the iPhone was imminent, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the current Flash mobile player is not ready for the iPhone.

He said Flash Lite, designed for mobile devices, is not powerful enough, and regular Flash, designed for full-featured computers, runs too slowly on the iPhone. "There's this missing product in the middle," he told the Dow Jones news service.

Developers Looking Elsewhere?

Jeffrey Hammond, an analyst with industry research firm Forrester, said it was "interesting to see the discontinuity of Apple's approach to all this." He noted that Apple is promoting the iPhone as offering the full Web, but Flash is a key part of that environment.

There appear to be more restrictions emerging from the conditions surrounding the SDK, he said, plus Apple takes a "hefty cut" from purchased applications on its new App Store. He said Apple is acting in the protective way that telephone companies have acted for years.

Hammond said he is detecting "a certain amount of frustration" among developers. The more barriers Apple puts in front of developers, he noted, the more they will look for other platforms.

In particular, he pointed out that Google's open-source Android platform for mobile devices could be a more fertile ground for third-party applications. Additionally, Microsoft recently announced it is licensing Flash Lite for future versions of Windows Mobile.

iPhone hackers are a step ahead of Apple

2008-03-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

Two groups of hackers trying to keep the iPhone unlocked say they have obtained the beta of the iPhone firmware version 2.0, and have already cracked it.

With this, the upgrade will be able to be "jailbroken" as soon as it's released. This will allow users to run unsigned applications from third-party developers as well as those officially approved by Apple.

At the current time, only phones that were activated through a hack will work with the process, although the iPhone Dev Team expressed confidence that they will have a solution for AT&T customers soon.

A hacker that goes by the nickname "Zibri" has similarly reported that his unlocking tool called ZiPhone has been proven to work with the new firmware.

Since hackers will likely have both processes down to a science by the time the final versions of the firmware releases in June, it could be a matter of days --or even hours-- before those with hacked iPhones could update to the new software.

In the past, it could have been weeks after a firmware update before users could "safely" upgrade without experiencing problems. Either way, Apple's new openness is probably making the hacking process a whole lot easier.

Those who sign up for the development program will receive a beta of the firmware upgrade as well as preview versions of upcoming releases, meaning it will likely fall into hackers' hands before it releases to the public.

Does iPhone 2.0 Have What It Takes?

2008-03-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

There are lingering questions over whether Apple's iPhone 2.0 beta software, with Exchange e-mail and powerful security tools, can gain wide acceptance inside corporations for mission critical needs.

An IT official at a major U.S. bank today said that the case for iPhone 2.0 internal deployment looks "less optimistic" than when the announcement was first made on March 6. That comment came after the bank's IT officials got a thorough review of the 2.0 beta from Apple officials earlier this week, partly to see if federal security requirements imposed on banks can be satisfied, said the official, who asked not be named, citing bank policies.

The bank's review of 2.0 software is not complete, and the official would not elaborate.

Industry analysts agreed that iPhone 2.0 is filled with important features needed by corporate users. But some corporations, such as financial services firms and hospitals, have more demanding requirements, including federal rules for protecting data.
Enterprise Lite?

At its announcement, Apple Inc. said Nike Inc. and The Walt Disney Co., among others, would be adding more iPhone users with the 2.0 release in late June. But the announced users, so far, do not face some of the tight regulatory scrutiny of banks particularly, some analysts said.

"I'd call it [iPhone 2.0] enterprise lite," said one of those analysts, Nathan Dyer of Yankee Group Inc. in Boston, during a conference call with reporters and IT managers. "In financial and health care sectors, you're not going to see a huge uptick. It's certainly not for everyone."

Clearly, some analysts disagree, including Michael Gartenberg at Jupiter Research Inc., who said that when the CEO of a company buys an iPhone and wants to use it at work, "it becomes a defacto enterprise business tool." He added that the security in the iPhone "is certainly going to be good enough for most enterprises."

Apple officials would not respond to queries on this topic, referring a reporter to a Webcast of the iPhone 2.0 announcement.

Business Concerns

The announcement includes many important security features, but there might be some small gaps that would pose problems for the toughest customers, some analysts said. Included with Exchange ActiveSync will be the ability to remotely wipe data off an iPhone that is lost or stolen. A Cisco Systems Inc. IPsec VPN also will provide encrypted access to private corporate networks.

But there is still the possibility, unlikely as it may be, that a user could drop an iPhone with data on its screen that can be intercepted by anyone. For that concern, IT managers could presumably set a function that requires re-authentication even after a very short lapse in time when the device is not used. However, it is not clear how that issue would be addressed, and Apple has not provided complete answers, analysts said.

Further, Kevin Coleman, a vice president of operations for Bluefire Security Technologies in Baltimore, questioned whether the device can wipe off data automatically after a certain amount of failed brute force authorization attempts.

Coleman also said that despite the VPN and over-the-air encryption, apparently there is still not encryption or a firewall capability on the device itself. Dyer said Yankee analysts have been told that the Cisco PIX (Private Internet Exchange) firewall will be used, although it is not clear if that firewall will satisfy all users.
Data Encryption

Jack Gold , an analyst at J. Gold Associates, said today that the biggest security concern is how Apple plans to provide true data encryption of all data on the device. "Is it currently good enough?" he asked. "What if you download a patient file or a financial statement to the device and store it locally?"

Password protection on the device is fine, but Gold added, "that is usually insufficient for regulated industries" such as banks, hospitals and utilities. "Mission critical security is something that no enterprise wants to compromise on," he said.

In response, Gartenberg said data encryption on the iPhone is "not much of a concern" because data can't be loaded onto it via a tiny SD card, as with many phones, simply because there is no SD card slot.

Gold and Dyer said the iPhone 2.0, as announced, still does not appear to have the same level of security as a BlackBerry, Windows Mobile or Symbian device. They said that the iPhone SDK will allow for third parties to build beefed-up security, but it could take some time to see what security applications are most effective.

"My advice to most enterprises would be to wait for better protection on the device before moving to endorse this as an enterprise ready, mission critical device," Gold said.
Single Carrier

Beyond security, Dyer said there are many other factors that will limit enterprise adoption, including Apple's reliance on a single carrier, AT&T Inc., for cellular service. While the iPhone works on AT&T in the U.S. and several European carriers in Europe, Windows Mobile devices function on 170 operators' networks, and BlackBerry devices work on 300 operators' networks in 120 countries.

"Granted, it is the early days for iPhone, but it takes years to cultivate these carrier relationships, so you question if Apple is willing to put out that effort," Dyer said.

The inexperience with multiple carriers is an indication of a broader concern Apple faces with the iPhone in the enterprise, he added. Simply put, Apple doesn't have broad experience in IT shops. It also doesn't have a full set of explanations or examples of its ability to improve productivity and to provide a return on investment in order to be used by hundreds or thousands of users within a company, he said.

"It's still not seen as a legitimate solution by IT, which faces a steep learning curve in supporting it," Dyer added. "The lack of a cost of ownership story means it is a tough sell, in the near term, when compared to other platforms."

But Gartenberg had the last word on that issue, noting that the iPhone 2.0 will probably be bought by enlightened consumers who bring them to work and will want to use them for work tasks and then get paid back through an expense account rather than relying on IT to distribute them.

"They'll be asking, does it fit into the enterprise infrastructure? And the answer is, yes it does," he said.

iPhone: Not So Cool in Japan?

2008-03-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

Japanese analysts are doubtful whether the iPhone will catch on in markets like Japan, where consumers favor smaller and sleeker multifunctional handsets. They also question whether Japanese carriers will accept ceding to Apple's tight control over handset design and agree to its demand for a certain share of subscription fees.

Unlike much of the rest of the world, Japan is unlikely to embrace the iPhone, Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple Internet-enabled multimedia mobile phone, said Nahoko Mitsuyama, a telecom analyst at Gartner Japan who attended the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February.

While she noted that foreign cellular phone makers are taking the iPhone threat seriously and rushing to release their own versions, most Japanese consumers are more likely to remain content with what they already have.

The iPhone, which combines the features of a mobile phone and the popular iPod digital music player, also boasts a full-scale Web browser, a touch screen with colorful icons and a virtual keyboard as well as a camera.

Apple released the iPhone in the United States in late June under an exclusive licensing deal with AT&T (NYSE: T) Latest News about AT&T, the nation's biggest phone service provider.

Hot Seller Stateside

It took Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., only 74 days to hit the 1 million mark in iPhones sold. In contrast, it took two years for the millionth iPod to sell, according to Apple.

Outside the U.S., Apple has struck similar deals with O2, Britain's largest telecom operator, Germany's T-Mobile Latest News about T-Mobile and France's Orange.

Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research, said iPhone sales in the U.S. are "very strong" but "mildly disappointing" in Europe.

Apple said the iPhone will be available in Asia sometime this year. Media reports indicate NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM) Latest News about NTT DoCoMo, Japan's leading wireless firm, and No. 3 operator Softbank are in talks with Apple to release the iPhone in Japan. Both firms declined comment.
'Very Attractive Market'

However, Japanese analysts are doubtful whether the iPhone will catch on in markets like Japan, where consumers favor smaller and sleeker multifunctional handsets. They also question whether Japanese carriers will accept ceding to Apple's tight control over handset design and agree to its demand for a certain share of subscription fees.

Current iPhones won't work in Japan, where the faster third-generation network has become the mainstream. Industry watchers believe 3G Latest News about 3G iPhones will be released in the latter half of this year.

Apple hopes to reach an agreement with a Japanese mobile phone operator to achieve its goal of selling 10 million iPhones worldwide by the end of 2008. It sold some 3.7 million iPhones throughout the world in 2007.

Japan is a "very attractive market" for Apple, Golvin of Forrester Research said, because the company has established itself here as a user-friendly, fashionable and cutting-edge innovator through the sales of its Macintosh Latest News about Macintosh personal computers and iPod products.

"Japan is a leader in mobile communications and success there will reinforce Apple's position as influential in this market," he said in an e-mail E-Mail Marketing Software - Free Trial. Click Here. from California. "Japanese consumers desire cutting-edge devices so success there will reinforce the supremacy of the iPhone's design."

Noritaka Kobayashi, an information and communications consultant at Nomura Research Institute in Tokyo, said: "Most of the world's Internet users via mobile phone are Japanese, so success in mobile services here can be applied to other markets."

Japanese consumers have fallen in love with the iPod, which controls 54.5 percent of Japan's digital portable music player market -- well above Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Latest News about Sony Walkman with 26.2 percent, according to market research firm BCN. The iPhone could benefit from an emotional attachment to Apple among Japanese.

"Japanese like anything new and trendy, so the thing is how many customers can Apple attract beyond Apple fans," Gartner's Mitsuyama said, noting that Japanese on average change their handsets every two years.
The Thumb Factor

Still, Japan is expected to be a difficult market. Here, mobile phone carriers control the release of new handsets and dictate specific features and functions of new cell phones to satisfy consumers who are picky about product usability, design and quality. Foreign makers account for only about 10 percent of the roughly 50 million handsets sold annually in Japan, although their market share is on the rise, according to Yano Research Institute.

Many Japanese like small, multifunctional clamshell handsets because they fit easily in the hand or a pocket and allow for Net-surfing and e-mailing with a thumb in crowded and small places, said Yutaka Shimbo, executive director of Japan Research Institute.

He noted that the iPhone's touch screen virtual keypad is not convenient for writing a message with just a thumb.

Munehisa Kamio, a product developer at Softbank, agrees.

Ease of writing by thumb matters as many Japanese today rely on e-mailing with mobile phones as a key communication tool, he said.

"The point is how quickly they can type a message," he said. "The Japanese language is rich in terms of kinds of signs -- hiragana, katakana and kanji. Many Japanese also use symbols in their messages rather than just plain text. When coming up with an idea for a new handset, being able to switch between writing systems is an important factor."
Who Gets it?

When the iPhone was announced, many Japanese were excited about its interface, which allows users to move content by a dragging motion of the finger, notes Kobayashi of Nomura Research. However, because the latest version of the iPod operates the same way, some of the excitement surrounding the iPhone has worn off, he added. "The situation would have been different if iPhone had (hit the Japanese market) earlier."

Because Apple has been keen to sign licensing deals with No. 1 carriers in other markets, analysts believe DoCoMo is Apple's likely first choice.

For DoCoMo, the deal is important as a possible way to curb the customer defections it has suffered since the number portability system was introduced in 2006. In January, DoCoMo dropped to fourth place in net gains in the number of new subscribers, while Softbank Mobile remained the No. 1 winner for the ninth consecutive month, according to industry group data.

Apple may even turn to Softbank, which has been taking customers away from its larger rivals, analysts and industry executives say.

"(Softbank chief) Masayoshi Son is now one of the most respected mobile phone businesspeople after turning his company into the most vigorous mobile phone company. He made a big impression in his keynote speech delivered at the Mobile World Congress," said Takuya Miyata, chief executive of a company providing mobile phone content who also took part in the conference.

Apple shares rise on optimism over iPhone demand

2008-02-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Apple Inc (AAPL.O) rose more than 4 percent on Thursday amid optimism on Wall Street that the maker of consumer favorites such as the iPod media player and iPhone can weather economic troubles.

The shares rose $5.46 to $128.42 in early trade on Nasdaq, a bright contrast to slumping broader markets weighed down by mounting U.S. recession fears.

The gains come one day after Apple affirmed its iPhone sales goal for this year and promised to give details of how outside programmers can create software for the device. The move is expected to spur demand for the Web-browsing and media-playing mobile phone.

Goldman Sachs analyst David Bailey, after a meeting with Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook on Wednesday, said he continues to believe that "Apple's industry-leading product cycles should help it overcome softer seasonality and sets the stock up for a strong second half."

Although the shares have risen over the past two trading sessions, they are still a long way from recouping a 30 percent decline over the past three months. Investors have soured somewhat on Apple amid concerns that a slowing economy could hit sales of its Mac computers, iPods and iPhones.

Apple also said it will unveil new iPhone features aimed at businesses, potentially stepping up competition with Research In Motion Ltd's (RIM.TO) popular BlackBerry devices.

Apple will detail the software road map for the iPhone on March 6 at its Cupertino, California, headquarters, the company said in an invitation sent to reporters.

When Apple launched the iPhone last June, it only allowed outside software developers to make Web-based programs, not ones that could be installed and run on the device itself.

Apple is likely to announce improvements that will spur more businesses to use the iPhone as a company phone, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu said in a client note on Thursday, citing industry and developer sources.

"While near-term trends look difficult with a looming recession and a slowdown in consumer spending, we continue to believe Apple is well positioned to weather the storm better than most with its strong fundamentals," Wu said.

iPhone SDK delayed?

2008-02-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

Apple's promised iPhone SDK (software developer kit) may not meet its February release target, a reported source tells BusinessWeek. No explanation is given for the delay, though the alleged insider claims the circumstances of the release are "fluid" and that the delay could involve as little as one week or as many as three. Depending on circumstances, Apple may choose to release only selective information or nothing at all in the last week of February, waiting until March to uncover full details.

Apple chief Steve Jobs made a promise for the SDK in the fall of last year and is often believed to have made the early announcement in part as a reaction to criticisms by early developers, who expressed frustration that development so far has been limited to web-only applications. Apple initially rejected demands for native third-party applications under claims of security concerns.

However, sources told Electronista late last year that Apple was seeding early SDKs to key developers to speed development of early applications for the February release planned at the time, suggesting that the company had been preparing the kit significantly in advance of the October announcement by Jobs.

Hacker unlocks iPhone 1.1.2 via new exploit

2008-02-08T10:14:00.001-08:00

An iPhone hacker has discovered a new way to unlock Apple's iPhone firmware version 1.1.2 without the need to downgrade to a prior firmware revision and then re-upgrade after unlocking the device. The unlock technique relies on a bug that allows hackers to erase the contents of memory within a range of specific addresses, coupled with a second bug that allows users to copy data before validation occurs.

"The first exploit I found, at around 4 AM last night, was the -0x20000 exploit," wrote George Hotz, the discoverer of the new unlock method. "I finally found a working exploit about 23 hours into my search for the software unlock. The explict addresses 0xA03D0000-0xA03F0000 will always erase."

Another user has posted a tutorial describing the process of jailbreaking and unlocking an iPhone, making use of the newly discovered exploit.

I got an iPhone!

2008-02-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

'iPhone' halloween costume

Apple iPhone User Review

2008-02-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

It all began in January, the MacWorld 2007 Keynote that would change the cell phone industry from here on out. Steve Jobs gave the impression that Apple would be rolling out three products, a phone, Internet device, and an iPod. He repeated himself, not once, but twice. Most of the Keynote attendees caught on after he said it once, that indeed this device would be all in one. The crowd up roared when Steve finally said it himself: iPhone.

From that day on out, many people were amazed with this product. The world wanted more details, rather than just a phone sitting in a glass case heavily guarded. As months went by, little by little details started to emerging, the most being about 2 weeks from launch all the way up to the day before the launch, as these preview videos, press releases, and the usual what not.

What Day Is It? It's iDay!

Thousands of people knew what they had to do today. "Get. iPhone." People already started camping out on Tuesday at the Fifth Avenue Apple store in New York. Many were also calling in their local stores checking the status of the lines. I called my AT&T store around 1 PM, and asked the employee, "Are there any lines for the iPhone yet?" He peeked around the corner, and tells me, "Ohhh, there is about 25 people or so in line already, is that all I can help you with?" This store is just a small little store in a strip mall. It is at the corner of a extremely busy intersection, but still, 25 people? I drove by the store around 7 AM and already saw that one guy was waiting in line with his laptop, which is what sparked people to start coming I assume. 2:30 roles around I decide that I should head down there to wait in line.

I must say this was a great experience. The people in line were very nice and talkative; one guy even bought me a drink while I held his spot in line so he could get me something. AT&T was passing out free water all day, but I was surprised when they started offering us free pizza and pop. I passed, but still, good job AT&T and Apple for doing this, as I confirmed they did this at many stores.

6 PM roles around, and the people on the east coast are already playing with their iPhones while us Centrals' are about to get our phone. They were only allowing a handful of people in the store at a time, probably three at the most. A employee comes out and tells us that stock is running low, and everyone in the line just pauses and feels a bit of anger. A few minutes later they announce the 8 GB's have run out, so a few people get out of line.

It was finally my turn! I was so excited, all I was hoping was that they wouldn't break the news to me that they had run out of 4 GB's (which by the way, was all I needed). When I walked in, I was greeted, and shook hands with the employees. They were also offering demos, which did hold up the line a great deal. They broke the news to me at the checkout that I was getting the last iPhone as well, which made me feel unbelievably lucky, as camping out for 4 hours was worth it. Not to mention about 50 people were behind me still.

As I paid and finished, I walked out the door, and this time the "greeter guy" actually shook my hand and gave me a pat on the back, saying "Good Luck". Parking was limited so I had to park a few blocks away, but as I walked to my car, people were yelling at me from their cars and on the sidewalk. I heard a lot of "Whoa, you got a iPhone!" and "You're so lucky!" Now, time to hurry home.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with what I call as "iDay", and if I could do it all over, I would. AT&T / Apple planned this perfectly.

Unboxing

The time has finally come, the moment I have been waiting to happen for months. Apple, like its every other product, packaged the iPhone in a nice little compact box. Opening up the box, there it is, the iPhone right on top. The minute I saw it in my own hands, it looked so small and classy, which was a good thing.

A plastic piece separated the iPhone from the area below that held the cradle, wall charger, USB connector, headphones, and informational booklets. The iPhone was covered in strong plastic material, as well as a plastic film protecting the face of the phone.

Activation

Activation for me was extremely easy. It wasn't the same for a handful of other people though, as they couldn't get their iPhones to activate. Some issues were happening when people were switching wireless service to AT&T, and the main other issue was the whole system going too slow and not working at all, nothing unusual though when thousands of iPhones are trying to be activated once. If this is holding you from making a purchase now, don't let that be a issue as this was just a launch issue, and the high demand all at once to get this activated. Although your brand new shiny toy is completely useless unless activated.

Activation was just as the Activation & Sync Video from Apple's web site said it would be. No surprises, and it was extremely quick when the process does work. Overall it took under 10 minutes to activate my iPhone, and once activation was completed, I was ready to go.

Syncing

Syncing is just like an iPod would sync. The iPhone automatically syncs your contacts, calendars, and mail accounts. It also will sync your Bookmarks from Internet Explorer or Safari; sorry no Firefox option. Syncing is easy, and that is really all there is to it.

Design

Words can't describe the looks of the iPhone. If you're looking for the best looking device (and not to mention the bragging rights) I would put this phone on the top of your list.

There is only one button on the front of the iPhone, and that's the "Home" button. Pressing this button will bring you to home screen, from whatever you are doing. Once you go back the application you were at, it will be right where you left it.

here are also Up/Down/Mute buttons on the left side of the iPhone, and at the top is the headphone jack, SIM tray, and sleep / wake button.

The silver trim around the iPhone hits the spot. The back and the sides are really smooth, so there really is no "grip" on the phone unless you are holding it in your hands. No, the Apple on the back of the iPhone is not a mirror.

Durability

PC World did a iPhone stress test which can be found here.

I haven't dropped my iPhone, and I hope that I won't anytime soon, but this video gives you a general idea of how durable this phone really is. I was surprised with the results nonetheless, and as they said, I can sleep better at night rest assured that my precious iPhone can withstand some tough love.

Screen

his is what makes it the iPhone. The screen is flat out awesome.

It comes out of the box at 50% bright, but can easily be changed to 100% bright in the settings, and boy, is this thing bright. It also has a sensor in the top of the iPhone above the screen that will automatically change brightness in certain lighting conditions. I was impressed when I took this outside, and in direct sunlight, you can still see everything you can as if you were indoors.

Although with a touch screen, you expect smudges on the screen, and yes, Apple still hasn't figured out to make a smudge less phone (maybe in the next decade...?) but in the mean time, it does smudge, and it isn't noticeable as much if you are looking at it directly, but if you are in a bright environment, or looking at it from the sides, it's there. Apple gives you a cloth though that wipes it off pretty well.

Pictures and movies couldn't get any clearer. I watched a movie for about an hour on my iPhone, and it was enjoyable. Pictures are also nice and clear. No complaints here.

Keyboard

Apple wanted to make sure that it got the point out to the public in its videos that the keyboard would easy to use, and also easier than any other smartphone out today. For me, I adapted to typing on the iPhone quickly, although everyone is different.

Using the two thumb method when the iPhone is vertical is the best way to get used to typing on the iPhone. The keyboard does not rotate horizontally when text messaging, only in Safari. Typing does take practice, and don't worry if you aren't speedy the first few days.

Apple claims that this keyboard is a "smart keyboard" and will detect what letters you meant to press if you hit the incorrect key when typing a word. For the most part, it is smart.

I have had my iPhone for 3 days now, and from using it a lot over the weekend, I have adapted to the keyboard already. Everyone is different, but most of the time when I mess up on typing, it is either when I hit the keys that are on the edge of the phone like Q, A, P, and L, as well as I hit the spacebar and backspace every now and then on accident when I meant to hit a key close by.

The dictionary is also helpful... most times that is. I sometimes say words that aren't in the English dictionary. Lets take the word "Hola" for example. If I was typing, I would type out "Hola", but "Hold" would come as the correct word, so I would hit space when I was done typing, and it would auto correct me, but I actually need to tap the suggested word for it to ignore it. The iPhone dictionary also does not correct words when you type out 'U" or "Ur", and I'm sure there is more.

Overall, the keyboard is great, and it gets the job done quick and easily once you get used to it.

Phone

Phone quality is good. I've asked many people and talked to someone who has a iPhone as well to see how good I sound, and the microphone is right on par. When the iPhone is 3 feet away from my mouth, I still can be heard well and clear.

I'm not impressed with the speakerphone, though. There is only one speaker on the iPhone, which is on the bottom left. The bottom right is the microphone. A few people were confused about this as they thought they had a defective unit. Nope, just one built in speaker. With only one speaker, I must admit that it isn't as loud either. It's defiantly hearable, but not as loud as a RAZR/KRZR speakerphone I'm used to.

Making a call isn't exactly a short step process if your iPhone has been in sleep mode. To make a call from sleep mode, you need to:

1. Press the wake button
2. Slide the unlock button
3. Press the Home button if you previously were in another application, if not, skip this
4. Press the Phone icon
5. If needed, press the Contacts button. There are Favorites, Recents, and Keypad buttons as well.
6. Press the name of the contact you want to call
7. Hit their number

Sure this sounds like a lot of work, but it only took me about 4 seconds to do.

When in a call, on the screen it gives you the options of: Mute, Keypad, Speaker, Add Call, Hold, Contacts, and of course End Call at the bottom of the screen. There is also a censor at the top of the iPhone that senses when the phone is put up to your ear, so the screen turns off, avoiding any buttons to be accidentally pressed during a call. Pretty cool I must admit.

Overall, the Phone on the iPhone is good. Not bad, but not great. Biggest complaint would be the speaker.

Mail

iTunes automatically synchronizes your email accounts straight to the iPhone. I had no problems sending and receiving email. You can also easily change your email accounts, add another account, and other various settings in the settings area.

Deleting emails is just like deleting a text message on the iPhone. All you do is just swipe your finger across the email to the right, and a Delete option pops up; to cancel it, just tap anywhere on the iPhone.

Sending an email just requires you to enter a email address manually or get it from one of your contacts. Then just type the message and it is as easy as that. Sending is quick, as I received the email I sent to my laptop within a minute, both on Wi-Fi and EDGE connections.

If you get a lot of spam mail, there is no other way (currently) to delete email at a mass, so you have to delete each one at a time. Other than that, Mail on the iPhone is easy to read, and overall is great. Only complaint so far is not being able to delete more than 1 email at once.

Safari

This is the main reason why I bought this phone.

There were only two things that I was worried about with the iPhone: How much the data plan would cost and how fast it would be. AT&T offered different iPhone minute plans that included data, but there was also the option to have the iPhone data plan added on to our current plans.

For unlimited data, and 200 texts, it was only $20 more a month. I find this to be worth the value entirely, as AT&T also turned the switch for the better EDGE network ($50,000,000 upgrade) the night before the iPhone was released (users were seeing a big boost in speed that night). Many people complained about the iPhone not having 3G (a lot faster network compared to the 2.5G EDGE network). Apple stood by its decision as 3G would use too much battery life, and wasn't worth it.

I'm very pleased with EDGE in my area. I'm located in the Chicago suburbs, and surfing speeds are of course not as fast as Wi-Fi, but it is good enough for me.

Here are timings for a few popular web sites:
(Note: My router was 15 feet away from my iPhone, on a Comcast cable connection)
Web Site Wi-Fi EDGE
google.com 2 sec 7 sec
myspace.com 5 sec 14 sec
msn.com 4 sec 12 sec
nytimes.com 4 sec 12 sec
brighthand.com 5 sec 13 sec

Browsing web sites is very easy. Of course you can't read a web page when it's fully zoomed out, but it is as easy as double tapping the screen, or pinching to some in on a particular spot.

When you need to input data, they keyboard automatically pops up. You can also rotate the phone horizontally and browse sites that way, and be able to still use the keyboard (you can't when sending text messages). I'd like to note that when the keyboard is popped up, if you rotate the phone, the web page and keyboard will not rotate, the keyboard needs to be closed out before rotating.

There is also a tab feature in Safari for the iPhone. If you tap that button, the current window gets smaller, and it slides over to a new page, which allows you to browse as many different web pages as you want.

There are also a Add Bookmark, fresh, back, forward, and bookmark buttons.

I would like to note that my iPhone froze while using Google maps through www.google.com rather than the built in app. This happened only once, and never again. I had to reset the phone by holding the sleep/wake button, but nothing new to expect in version 1.0 software. Other than that crash, there have been no other crashes or even slow downs were the iPhone would be laggish. None.

Overall, I believe browsing the Web on the iPhone is great.

iPod

The iPod on the iPhone is awesome. I love flicking through my music, and when turned horizontally, the cover flow is cool. Just like Steve Jobs said himself, you can touch your music.

When you press the iPod on the screen, it brings you to the iPod app, which allows you to browse music in different ways. These ways are: Playlists, Artists, Songs, Videos, and a More button. The More button gives you the option of Albums, Audiobooks, Compilations, Composers, Genres, and Podcasts. There is also Edit button that allows you to choose what four buttons you want at the bottom of the iPod app.

Again, as I described in the Phone part of the review, playing music over the speaker isn't great. It's hearable, but if you turn the volume all the way up, most music is fuzzy and tinny, but remember, this is a iPod, not a digital boom box.

Listening to the iPod through headphones, though, is a quite different experience. Music quality is flat out awesome.

he album art on the iPhone is extremely clear and crisp. When playing a song, if you rotate the iPhone horizontally, cover flow appears. It's nice and smooth, with no delays no matter how fast you speed through your albums. By tapping the album, it flips, and brings up all the songs of that particular album.

If the iPhone goes idle, it will still play music, and when you wake the iPhone, on the "Slide to unlock" page, it shows the album art and the name of the song playing right there.

I would also like to note that the headphone jack for the iPhone is different, so don't just expect to use just any pair of headphones, although you can simply buy a cheap adapter to make the standard headphones work. The standard headphones feature a pause / play button as well as a microphone right in the headset.

If you get a call while listening to a song, the music fades out, and you can answer the call. If you decline the call, or when you are done talking, the music fades back in from where you left off.

Overall, the iPod on the iPhone is great. Something you would expect from a normal iPod, but with a lot of extra cool features added.

Other Applications

Texting -- Texting on the iPhone - Fun. If you text a lot, you will have a great time using the iPhone.

The text main application brings you to a page of all the different conversations you have had. To delete a conversation, you delete it just like you would a email, just swipe your finger across it to the right, and tap delete.

When you open that conversation, it shows it as bubbles. Your chat is in green bubble, and the person you are talking with is in a white bubble. It also shows the date and time of each text in the conversation. At the top of the conversation, it also gives you the option to call the person, or look at the contact info of the person.

Only thing I don't like about texting is that I can't type horizontally. This would probably make the conversation window smaller, but still. Other than that, texting on the iPhone is quick and easy.

Calendar -- The calendar icon on the home screen shows the date and the day of the week right on the icon.

When you open up the calendar app, it brings you to a calendar. From here, you can either choose to view Month, Day, or List. List shows the different things you scheduled to do in the iPhone all in one master list.

Adding events is easy. Just click the + button at the top of the app, and gives you the window to enter different things in. It lets you put in: Time, Location, a Starting and End time, the option to Repeat this event, Alert, and a Notes area that lets you add Notes for the certain event.

I haven't used the calendar myself much yet, but from just messing around with it, it simply gets the job done.

Photos -- When you click the Photos' app on the iPhone, it brings up the Photo Album page. Here is where you can view the different albums of pictures that were synced from your computer. (Each picture file = Album). Pictures you take on the iPhone shows under a "Camera Roll" Album. You can also view every single picture on the iPhone you have in the "Photo Library" album. When you tap one of the albums, the pictures show up. Each album shows four pictures wide.

To view a picture, you simply tap the picture once. If you tap the picture once, it brings up options. These options include: Return to the Photo Library, More Options (a square with an arrow going out of it), a backward button, a play button (for a slideshow), and a forward button.

Of course, we can't forget all the different ways to interact with your pictures. To zoom in, you can either double tap or put your index and thumb together on the screen, and spread your fingers out. To zoom out, you double tap again, or you take your index and thumb and bring them together. To go to the next picture, you can just flick from the right to the left. To go backward, just flick left to right. You can also rotate the iPhone, and the pictures will rotate as well showing in their proper ratio.

You can tap the more button when viewing a picture, and a window pops up giving you the option to either: Use As Wallpaper, Email Photo, or Assign to Contact.

Camera -- The camera on the iPhone is decent. Remember this isn't a digital camera as well, but it mostly gets the job done.

Pictures at night are bad. Taking a picture of something of moving is bad. There is no zoom or flash. The best pictures are taken in a bright environment.

When taking a picture on the iPhone, the display screen shows up on the whole screen, and there are only two buttons while taking a picture. One is to take a picture, and the other button is to view the pictures you have taken with the iPhone. For a cell phone camera though, this camera is great. Other than that, I would consider it decent.

YouTube -- YouTube on the iPhone is "sweeeeet". Seriously. Video quality on Wi-Fi is awesome. Some user have noticed that video on EDGE isn't as good quality, but it still decent.

All YouTube videos should be converted over to work on the iPhone by this fall. As of now, YouTube has all of the popular videos compatible with the iPhone, as well as a bunch of others, so there should be something of interest to you to watch on the iPhone for the time being.

YouTube gives you the option to view Featured videos, Most Viewed, Bookmarks, Search, and a More button that gives you the option to watch the Most Recent added, Top Rated, and the History of videos you have watched. To watch a video, you just tap it. Then pops up the video pages that gives the description, add date, category, and tags. You also have the option to share the video, and it also gives you related videos. YouTube on the iPhone is great entertainment.

Maps -- The maps feature on the iPhone was another reason why I really wanted the iPhone. The iPhone gives you the option to either view the map as a road map or satellite image. Zooming is the same as if you were to look at a picture.

The iPhone also gives you the option to get driving directions, and real time traffic.

No GPS on the iPhone though. Some have mixed feelings about this. I'm sure many people would have liked to have GPS built in, but what can you do about it. Maybe a device that plugs into the iPhone giving it GPS capabilities someday... But Apple did implement a feature when you enter in directions, just simply hit the next area, and it gives you what way to turn on what road, as well as the distance. On the map, it shows a purple circle of the next intersection you need to turn at.

Stocks & Weather -- Both standard widgets, nothing really new here.

Clock -- The clock app lets you view World Time, set an Alarm, Stopwatch, and a Timer. All 4 features are extremely easy to use.

Calculator -- Coming from Apple, you would kind of expect to have a better looking app. The calculator app is just basic of basic.

Notes -- Same with the notes, it's very basic. In my opinion it's kind of cheesy, but what could you want. The note background is just like a notepad, and the font is also custom too. There is the ability to email the note directly from the app with the press of a button.

Conclusion

The iPhone is an amazing smartphone. After all the hype it lived up to what it expected to be. It's a good phone, great Internet device, and great iPod. Some may hate all the hype this phone gets, but it is well deserved.

If you are thinking about getting an iPhone, get one. It's well worth the money. The iPhone also has the capabilities to run apps us users can make ourselves. The down side is we need to have our own web site/server to do so, but I expect to see a lot of different cool apps to start popping up soon.

Pros

* Touch Screen
* Sleek / Sexy Device - Can Catch Anyone's Eye
* iPhone Data Plan is Only $20 Extra a Month for Unlimited Data / 200 Text
* Very Easy To Use
* Built In Sensors That Make Using the iPhone Easier

Cons

* Can't Be Used as a Modem for a Laptop - Yet
* Only Available Through AT&T Currently
* Battery Isn't Replaceable
* No Flash / Java - Yet
* No GPS

Is it worth getting an iPhone if you're NOT going to use the iPod feature?

2008-02-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

I was in an Apple store yesterday and my friend and I were having a good little fiddle round with the iPhone. I have to admit, despite the size being bigger than I'd like, the interface was pretty cool and the animations surprisingly smooth. I also enjoyed using many of the applications and I'm sure I'd get used to the on screen keyboard.

However, the main reason I've never been interested in an iPhone before is because I have a Napster subscription (best thing since sliced bread in my opinion - FAR cheaper than purchasing over the long term) and so with the exception of the CD's I already own, I'd never use the iPhone for its iPod feature.

I already have a Napster compatible MP3 player so I can still listen to music on the move. But what I want to know is if I'm not gonna be using the iPhone for music am I missing out massively; isn't that the main reason for people buying iPhones in the first place? Now that o2 have improved their talk plans here in the UK, I'm getting tempted, but is it worth getting if I won't be using it to its fullest?