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Apple Back-to-School Promotion & New MacBook specs

Today, Apple launched it's annual Back-to-School promotion for U.S. educational customers. This year's sale, offers rebates on Apple's full line of iPods, up to $229 (depending on which iPod you choose...) In any case, a purchase of any new mac qualifies as long as its not a Mac Mini. Rebate Amounts are as follows:

  • iPod Touch - $229
  • iPod Classic 120GB - $229
  • iPod nano 16GB - $199
  • iPod nano 8GB - $149
  • iPod shuffle 4GB - $79
In order to qualify for the rebate, you must purchase the computer plus the iPod at the same time on the same receipt and purchases must be made through Apple or a qualifying Authorized Campus Store. The sale ends on September 8, 2009.

In other news, Apple, quietly upgraded the specs to it's white MacBook to the following:

  • Processor up to 2.13 Ghz from 2.0 Ghz
  • Ram up to 800 Mhz from 667 Mhz
  • Hard drive size increased to 160 GB from 120 GB
All while maintaining its price of $999. Yes, a modest bump, but one I'll take regardless...So, if you're on the fence on whether to go mac or not, now might be a good time, take advantages of these rebates and minor upgrade to the MacBook.

Get iSwipe FREE with Merchant Account Signup!

I just got word from AppNinja's that they are running a special promo where you can get iSwipe for FREE by signing up for a Merchant account through their website. They are offering this to the first 30 customers until the end of May. Details and more on their website. Check out this awesome deal here: AppNinja's iSwipe Promo.

Also, iSwipe was just updated to 1.2.2 which fixed a few of the issues I had with the app in my review of it here. If you need to charge credit cards at conventions or perhaps you do sales on the go,, iSwipe is a great way to do credit card transactions via your iPhone.

iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 4 Released & Blu-Ray in Next iTunes?

As June quickly approaches along with the hotly anticipated release of iPhone OS 3.0, Apple has issued another beta release...Yesterday, on schedule, Apple released iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 4 and although no new features have yet been uncovered, I'm almost certain in the next few days, the code hackers will discover anything of importance.

In other news, it seems that the latest version of iTunes, 8.2 beta, includes reference to Gracenote...that possibly points to recognizing the Blu-Ray format. We're not exactly sure what this means however we'll keep an eye on this and report if there are any new developments...

Amazon Buys eBook App Developer Lexcycle

Yesterday, Amazon.com purchased the company behind the leading ebook reader application for the iPhone/iTouch platforms, Stanza.

Downloaded more than 1 million times, Stanza lets users access over 10,000 eBooks 24 hours a day. Stanza currently supports the ePub format which currently the Kindle does not. Current users of Stanza were told not to worry as changes aren't planned. "We are not planning any changes in the Stanza application or user experience as a result of the acquisition."

Keep an eye on this space as more news develops...

Mobile Access Server in Snow Leopard

In the upcoming Snow Leopard Server, it seems that Apple will be introducing a new feature called Mobile Access Server which would allow iPhone users an alternate way to access corporate resources and services.

Although it has been know for some time that Apple would be providing some sort of Remote Access features in Leopard Server, they were very vague in describing it as, "push notifications to mobile users outside your firewall" and "secure remote access to email, address book contacts, calendars and internal calendars." To those of us in the tech field, this sounds a lot like VPN, however if you recall, the iPhone has been capable of VPN access since the introduction of the iPhone OS 2.0.

This session, announced for the World Wide Developers Conference 2009, is a bit more intriguing. It talks about a service called Mobile Access Server, which will allow "a path through a corporate firewall for IMAP, SMTP, HTTP, and CalDAV without using VPN."

If this is an alternative to VPN and Microsoft-rolled solutions, Snow Leopard servers could add up to a huge amount of savings for corporate IT environments...For more details, AppleInsider has a more in-depth article.

Apple Reports $1.21B Profit & AT&T Exclusivity

Yesterday in their earnings call for the Second Quarter of 2009, Apple reported a revenue of $8.16B and a net quarterly profit of $1.21B. These numbers are impressive, more stunning given the fact that they represent the best March Quarter report ever in Apple's history.

No doubt the earnings are due in no small part to the iPhone and it's commanding share of the market...which many industry insiders feel could be expanded by distributing the iPhone on other networks (ie. Verizon, Sprint & T-mobile). You can be sure that the Palm Pre won't have such a limitation...How this all plays out will be very interesting in the next few months...We'll see how the Third and Fourth quarters play out as well...

In any case, Apple's forecast for the Third Quarter is an expected revenue of $7.7/$7.9B....Hope you all bought your Apple stock early...

AT&T Activated 1.6M iPhones in 1stQ 2009 & Apple Earnings Report Today

So far, it's been a pretty interesting day, especially for AT&T who released their financial results today for the 1st quarter of 2009. What was interesting was that 40% of the new customers to AT&T were iPhone 3G activations...i mean, you know someone is seriously banking here...

Compared to the past, the number of activations are down but that could be attributed to the natural life cycle of Apple's iPhone product line...In the 4th quarter of 2008, there were 1.9 million activations, while in the 3rd quarter there were 2.4 activations. Of course, with this increase in activations, AT&T's revenue's gained 9.8% and accounted for 42.1% of their total revenue.

What should be even more interesting is Apple's earning call later today...Analysts will be watching closely to see how the recession has affected the companies earnings. In any case, the live audio conference will happen at 2 p.m. PDT and 5 p.m. EDT. For more details, follow the link provided above.

AT&T Doubling 3G Download Speeds in Anticipation of Next iPhone

When the iPhone was originally introduced (both EDGE & 3G versions), AT&T had to work furiously to upgrade their network infrastructure to accommodate the upcoming iPhone. Now, reports are coming in much the same as before, this time stating that AT&T is trying to double their existing capacity so that the peak download speed is 7.2 Mbps instead of the current 3.6 Mbps.

In addition to doubling 3G speeds, AT&T is also looking into the looming 4G with HSPA_ that would allow speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps...There are rumors that AT&T may opt to forego the 14.4 Mbps speeds and go directly to speeds of 21 Mbps. However, competitors such as Verizon and Sprint are rapidly ramping up their 4G networks...

Exciting news for us, the customers in any case...

iPhone Not Expected on Verizon Until at Least 2010

AT&T rival Verizon says that the earliest the iPhone could appear on their network is in 2010, along with the rollout of their 4G network. Industry insiders say that with the advent of the 4G network, it will be easier to manage a common, standard cellular communication technology.

Currently, there have been no official announcements, however, Verizon's Chief Executive Officer Ivan Seidenberg explained that Apple is "more likely" to want to work with Verizon with the wider distribution of 4G.

In any case, we'll keep an eye on this news and keep you updated as it happens.

Latest on the Next-Gen iPhone

digitimes.pngSeems like apparently Taiwan Semiconductor along with two of it's subsidiaries will be the major  manufacturer of the next generation iPhone. From digitimes, "TSMC have landed foundry orders for GSM EDGE power amplifiers, Bluetooth ICs and 3.2-megapixel OmniVision CMOS image sensor (CIS) used in the upcoming iPhone model, indicated the sources. Xintec will handle the packaging and testing service for the CIS whereas VisEra will manufacture on-chip color filters for the CIS."

We're not exactly sure how  accurate this information is, however, it is worth taking note of..the full article is here and shown to the right are the parts suppliers.

According to this article, the next-generation iPhone is scheduled to be released mid-2009.

CoreCase April Fools Day Sitewide Sale - Everything is $5

corecasessale1.pngIf you missed my review of the CoreCase Aluminum Slider for the iPhone 3G, take a look and if you like what you see and read, then today's sitewide $5 sale will blow you away.

This is NOT an April Fool's joke...if you don't go now, the joke will be on you.  Just visit CoreCases.com and take a look, CoreCases has a sitewide sale on ALL of its cases. Everything on their site is just $5.

Skype for iPhone Appears in AppStore 1 Day Early

skype1.pngLoyal  Skype users rejoiced yesterday when the official Skype client for iPhone became available in the AppStore yesterday afternoon HST. Skype if you weren't aware is a Voice Over IP (VOIP) service that allows users to place phone calls for free over the internet.

Although there were other iPhone apps that allow you to use Skype's services, this is the company's official client. In addition to being able to place calls via WiFi, there is also an included IM chat feature included, similar to what is available in the desktop client.

iPhone OS 3.0 SDK Beta Delivers on Most Fronts

ip30sdk.pngJust released to developers on Tuesday, the iPhone OS 3.0 beta addresses some of the issues users have been recently clamoring for. Not only will the beta give the users a chance to see new features, but more importantly, it will give developers the time to test these new features in their programs.

As a budding developer, I closely watched the webcast and noticed how Apple methodically went over all the so called shortcomings of the current iPhone OS and showed them off as part of the new 3.0 features.

iPhone OS 3.0 SDK Sneak Peak

If you weren't already aware, Apple is set to unveil some of the features of the upcoming iPhone OS 3.0 today at a special media event scheduled for 10 a.m. PST. There have been much speculation as to what exactly is going to be shown today, but in MY opinion, much of the speculation is just speculation on the writer's part.

The only "real" features that have somehow rised to the surface are:

  • Cut & Paste
  • Tethering 
  • and MMS

Ability to Edit, Sort & Filter Google Spreadsheets Enabled

iPhone users have long had the ability to view their Google Docs online however not edit them. Now seemingly the ability to edit, sort and filter has been added to the Google spreadsheet application.  This is really exciting news and now you'll have even less of a reason to NOT be doing work while you're on the run. There's no word as of yet to when the document application will be editable.

Here's the link from the Google blog. This is following on the heels of Google announcing offline access to their popular Gmail. We'll keep you posted on when that is available.

Mobile World Congress Update

Apple continues to lead the pack in the mobile industry even though they are relative newcomers to the business. It seems that all the major players want to emulate the success Apple has had with their own AppStores. With over 20,000 applications, it's not hard to see why other companies are eager to get their own stores up and running.

So far, we've seen these AppStores announced:

  • Nokia Ovi Store
  • Windows Marketplace
  • Symbian AppStore
  • Android Market
  • Blackberry Applications Ctr.
  • Palm Software Store
it's really interesting to see how this industry is shaping up. Each year is getting better and 2009 promises to be a year full of competition. Let's hope the iPhone competitors don't take a full five years to catch up to Apple's iPhone as Steve Jobs said in his keynote announcing the first generation iPhone in 2006.

Apple Releases iPhone OS 2.2.1 and Updates the SDK

Funny how I mentioned that we haven't seen an iPhone OS update in a while and sure enough the same day I say it, an update comes out...albiet a small one. In any case, yesterday, Apple released a small 246 MB update to their iPhone/iTouch platform. Here's what was included:

  • General bug fixes and improvements
  • Improved stability of Safari
  • Saving of images in Mail to the Camera Roll
In any case, the big changes that people were expecting was not the update that was delivered yesterday but rather we got a maintenance update. But, having this minor update makes me wonder, just when IS Apple planning their next major OS release.

I can't help but wonder what changes are in store for us in the next big OS release...but until then, the hardest part will be the waiting. Be sure to let me know of any leads you may have, I'll check them out and post them.

Apple Easing Up on AppStore SDK Restrictions - Allows 3rd Party Web Browsers

For some as of yet unexplained official reason, it seems that Apple has quietly lifted its "rule" of not allowing 3rd Party Browsers to be sold in the AppStore. It seems that various iPhone/Mac rumor sites have picked up that in last 24 hours, Apple has begun to approve web browsing applications. Originally, 3rd party browsers were not allowed in the AppStore because according to Apple developer restrictions, browsers would be duplicating existing app functionality.

In any case, the apps that have appeared in the AppStore include: 

- Edge Browser (Free) - No loss of screen real estate to the address or navigation bars.
- Incognito ($1.99) - Now you can browse without leaving a history of any kind.
- WebMate:Tabbed Browser ($0.99) - Web Mate simplifies browsing by queuing up all the links you click on, then allowing you to view them one by one when you're ready. 
- Shaking Web ($1.99) - adds a sophisticated algorithm to compensate for small hand shaking to allow for easier reading.

We're really excited with this change and look forward to reviewing these applications for your viewing pleasure. Keep an eye out for upcoming reviews...cross your fingers!

Two "Under the Radar" iPhone-Related Announcements Made at MWSF

Well yesterday's keynote by Phil Schiller came and went without nary a mention of the iPhone and it's upcoming OS release (perhaps 3.0?). BUT, when you think about it, this was a MacWorld, not iPhoneWorld, so why not make the event mac-centric. You know, I think that I was just hoping for the best even though I knew this, because this was the last MacWorld Apple would be participating in.

That said, the iPhone did have some news announcements that were made. It seems like the new version of iPhoto, iPhoto 09 has the ability to export it's slide shows on to an iPhone, also it will be able to utilize the iPhone's GPS ability to plot geo-tagged photos.

Another nugget that went under the radar was the keynote.app that was released for the iPhone. This $.99 app is able to connect to your laptop via wifi and control your keynote presentations. Reports say that moving from one slide to another just involves a swipe of the finger. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of reviews about these two products so keep an eye open for these reviews in the future.

Anyway, despite the lack of HUGE groundbreaking news, I feel that this MacWorld keynote was pretty good...Now my next thought would be, so WHEN is Apple planning their next media event?

Wal-Mart to Sell iPhones Beginning Sunday, December 28th

Today, Wal-mart officially announced that almost all of their 2,500 nationwide stores would start carrying the Apple iPhone starting this Sunday. Although some people expected Wal-Mart to deeply discount the iPhone, Wal-mart will be selling the 8GB model for $197 while the 16GB model will be $297.

Along with the discounted pricing, Wal-Mart will also implement a price matching policy which would allow them to match other retailers lowered pricing. We here at the iPhoneNewsBlog feel that this is a good thing as it means that consumers will have more ways to buy an iPhone.

Konami Announces Upcoming iPhone Titles - Metal Gear Solid, DDR, Silent Hill & Frogger

In a move that is surely to indicate that the iPhone is a legitimate mobile gaming platform, Konami has announced today that they are releasing four games for the iPhone/iTouch platform.  Available later in the AppStore this month will be Dance Dance Revolution S Lite, Frogger and Silent Hill The Escape. The last game, probably the most exciting announcement is that Metal Gear Solid is coming to the iPhone in Spring 2009.

Konomi also announced a new website called www.touch.konami.net where they will be promoting their new line of games and possibly creating a community. Screenshots available after the break.

Linux Ported to iPhone

Over the weekend, a hacker by the name of "planetbeing" has been able to get the Linux 2.6 kernel to boot on an iPhone. There is still a long way to go before this thing is usable but already the blogsphere has been talking about putting Android on an iPhone. I personally think that it'll only be a matter of time before they get that going BUT, i still have the question of WHY anyone would want to do something like that...In it's current form, it's a dual boot system, so MAYBE that would work...I've included the video below:



iPhone Linux Demonstration Video from planetbeing on Vimeo.

iPhone OS 2.2 Released Late Thurs/Early Friday Morning

Much to the anticipation of the rumor mill, Apple released iPhone OS 2.2 one day ahead of schedule. Enhancements to the OS include:

  • Enhancements to Maps
Google Street View*
Public transit and walking directions
Display address of dropped pins
Share location via email

  • Decrease in call setup failures and dropped calls
  • Enhancements to Mail
Resolved isolated issues with scheduled fetching of email
Improved formatting of wide HTML email

  • Podcasts are now available for download in iTunes application (over Wi-Fi and cellular network)
  • Improved stability and performance of Safari
  • Improved sound quality of Visual Voicemail message
  • Pressing Home button from any Home screen displays the first Home screen
  • Preference to turn on/off auto-correction in Keyboard Settings

Google's G1 Coming to T-mobile on Wednesday

The reviews have been trickling in and I'm sure you're all aware of it by now, but Google's first Android OS-based phone is set to make its entrance in the crowded smartphone market this Wednesday on T-mobile's network.

Anyway, we here at iPhoneNewsBlog haven't been able to get our hands on a demo unit however we have been trying to keep up with the reviews and the reviewers all seem to have more or less agreed that the G1 is a worthy competitor to the iPhone. We think that the competition is good for Apple and that it will be interesting how Apple's partnership with Google plays a part in all of this. If you didn't know before, Google's CEO Eric Schmidt is on Apple's Board of Directors

Loosening of the AppStore & iPhone Tech Talk World Tour

With the lifting of the iPhone SDK's Non-Disclosure Agreement, it seems that a floodgate has been opened. In the past few days, in more than one instance, I've seen tutorials on how to write iPhone applications AND a whole lot more sharing of information. What's more important is that it seems that Apple might be loosening up on their application approval process...Remember when the application "Podcaster" was denied from being published in the AppStore because it provided similar functionality to Apple's own iTunes? Well, it seems that now Apple has let 5 mail applications become available for download. Don't they provide the same functionality as Apple's Mail app? Of course they do, with one exception...they are able to compose messages in landscape mode and not only in portrait orientation. Here's a link to a story that the Apple blog wrote on this.

Then, in other news, it seems that in an attempt to help developers code better applications, Apple is hosting free iPhone tech talks. Unfortunately, none are schedule for our state, but here's the list of stops till the end of the year:

  • Oct 22 San Francisco
  • Oct 24 Los Angeles
  • Nov 03 Austin
  • Nov 05 Chicago
  • Dec 02 New York
  • Dec 04 Toronto
  • Dec 09 Seattle

So, if you live in North America and you're already a registered iPhone developer or plan to become one, here's your chance to hear it from the horse's mouth.

Have a GREAT weekend...Look for my case review sometime next week and remember the case giveaway is coming up!

Flash Being Actively Developed by Adobe

Yesterday, Adobe officially confirmed that they are working on an iPhone port of their ubiquitous Flash plug-in application at the Flash on the Beach (FOTB) conference in Brighton, Sr.

If given the go-ahead from Apple, Adobe says that Flash could be available for the iPhone in a very short time.

Although we here at iPhoneNewsBlog don't really advocate the inclusion of Flash in Mobile Safari, I do think that Flash on the iPhone will be a big deal for most users. And, if it is incorporated into the Mobile Safari there had better be a way to disable it.

We'll keep you updated on the latest news as hear it.

Lotus Notes Support Arrives on the iPhone

After announcing that they were working on Lotus Notes support for the iPhone in March 2008, IBM has finally made iNotes Ultralite available in the AppStore. The free download allows users to check their email as well as view their calendars and contacts.

According to a ComputerWorld article, after the app is downloaded, iNotes can be accessed via the iPhone's browser. Also included is a VPN client, Lotus Notes Mobile Connect.

The initial reaction has been positive and unfortunately at the time of publishing the app was not yet available in the AppStore. If you'd like to download the app, it should be available shortly.

AppStore Receives Minor Updates

Apple this past weekend made some minor changes to the way the AppStore handles reviews and how new versions of existing applications are ordered.

In the past, users were able to write reviews for any application, even if they didn't purchase them. Now, users are required to have bought the application before posting a review.

Additionally, updates/fixes to an existing application no longer places them at the top of the released date heap. In other words, the store is now ordered by "Actual Release Date" and not by when it was changed. To the developers, this a good thing because we feel it will prevent the newer apps from being buried by updated applications.

iPhone Coming to Latvia & Lithuania on Sept. 26

Wow, the iphone 3G rollouts never seems to cease. Reports confirm that o Sept. 26, TeliaSonera will be launching the iPhone 3G to Latvia, Lithuania via its subsidiaries LMT and Omnitel.

TeleSonera already offers the iPhone 3G in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway and Sweden.


Podcaster Shut Down by Apple Again

It seems that Apple has prohibited all distribution of an application called Podcaster. Podcaster was an application that was slated for the AppStore however Apple rejected it on the grounds that it was very similar to the iPhone's existing iTunes iPod functionality.

Many industry observers have commented with both negative and positive sides to this story, however, I think that one has to step back in order to see the whole picture. It seems that Apple does not want any apps that require users to go to a website and pay money in order to unlock or enhance features of an application...Of course not, they want all revenues to come through the AppStore...

In any case, this particular developer is headed to the Android Platform. We wish him luck, if you'd like to read his blog, you can find it here.

iPhone Software Update 2.1 Brings a Slew of Improvements

Good morning, well today, Apple delivered on it's promise of release iPhone Software 2.1 today. I can say that I have installed it on my iPhone, however I cannot say how much improved over update 2.02 it is yet. I do have the list of improvements that 2.1 brings to the table:

  • Decrease in call set-up failures and dropped calls
  • Significantly better battery life for most users
  • Dramatically reduced time to backup to iTunes
  • Improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts
  • Faster installation of 3rd party applications
  • Fixed bugs causing hangs and crashes for users with lots of third party applications
  • Improved performance in text messaging
  • Faster loading and searching of contacts
  • Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display
  • Repeat alert up to two additional times for incoming text messages
  • Option to wipe data after ten failed passcode attempts
  • Genius playlist creation
Whew, that is a lot of improvements, so whether you like how your iPhone is currently performing or not, I suggest you get this update as soon as you can. If you're more on the cautious side, you COULD wait a few hours to see what problems crop up from early adopters.

Anyway, if the update brings any major improvements for me, I'll be sure to post em here over the weekend...if not and I don't see you till Monday, have a GREAT day and enjoy your weekend! What are you waiting for, hit those Update buttons now!

App of the Day - Air Sharing

I haven't had time to test this one myself but I have downloaded it and on my next sync it'll get added to my iphone. In any case, the app is called Air Sharing and it was written by a company called Avatron Software Inc. Normally the developers say that the app would be priced at $6.99 however they are giving it away for the introductory price of FREE. This amazing deal can be found in the iTunes store for the next two week...Last time I checked there were 69 reviews and I'm sure many more are coming...looks promising so far!

Here's the link and a screenshot of what the app looks like:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=289943355&mt=8

airsharing.png

Best Buy Officially Selling iPhone 3Gs

Today, electronics retailer giant Best Buy became the first U.S. third party retailer to sell the iPhone other than Apple and AT&T.

Although we don't frequent Best Buy too much, we still feel this is exciting news as Best Buy owns 970 full-sized stores as well as 16 mobile stores.

We've even added a link to Best Buy's site for your viewing pleasure: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat160500050022&type=category

iPhone to be Sold in Russia by MTS

Russia's largest cell phone provider, MTS is slated to sell the iPhone in the near future. If the past is any indication of the demand, gray market iphones have sold in Russia for $1,000 and so far it seems about 500,000 have been sold.

The deal which was signed today does not specify which model will be for sale...

OpenClip Nixed by Apple

Remember the story reported by iPhoneNewsBlog a few days ago about a developer that was trying to rally other developers support so that he could provide cut-n-paste functionality on the iPhone?

Well, it seems that Apple has stepped in and brought down it's mighty fist to thwart development. It seems that Apple iPhone/iTouch software 2.02 prevents such copying and pasting between applications.

On the bright side, the developer feels that he still can make the concept work although it may not be as elegant as he had originally planned...

Bring us copy and paste functionality Apple!

What Has iPhone 2.02 Done for You?

According to an Associated Press article, recently released iPhone 2.02 software was supposed to fix connectivity to 3G networks. Since the update, reports have been coming in that no noticeable difference has been made and in some cases, things have gotten worse.

We hope that Apple gets its act together soon and will also be releasing a patch soon to take care of the 3rd party crash upon startup bug that is plaguing many users.

Let's cross our fingers and things get better really soon or all that hard work Apple put into building its reputation will be slowly slipping away

OpenClip Project to Provide Copy & Paste Across Apps

A student developer by the name of Zac White has took it upon himself to create a non-profit, open source organization that would allow it's members to integrate cut and paste functionality between participating applications.

In other words, if you and your application are members of OpenClip.org, you will be able to provide cut and paste functionality between other OpenClip.org member's applications. Still doesn't make sense? Here's a video clip from GeekBrief.tv that may illustrate the concept a bit better....



Cut and Paste for iPhone from Cali Lewis on Vimeo.

Apple Reading iPhone 3G Supplies to Meet Aug. 22 Launch

Although it seems that everyone and their brother and sister have an iphone, many countries still have yet to receive the all-in-one device. On August 22, Argentina, Greece, Brazil, India, Poland, Egypt and the Philippines are just some of the countries which will be selling the iPhones.

In any case, Apple is said to be quickly preparing to meet the demand as they do not want to underestimate demand as they did on July 11. We shall see what happens, let's all hope Apple is better prepared this time around.

iPhone 3G Glitches to be Fixed with a Software Update

A story from Business Week says that Apple will soon be addressing a few issues of dropped iPhone 3G calls and surfing sessions with a software update which is soon to be coming down the pipeline.

Earlier this week, we traced some stories saying that the problems could be traced to a possibly faulty 3G chipset that Infineon makes, however the latest reports say that the fix is an easier one, one that Apple can make with a quick software update.

Apparently the dropped calls seem to be limited to only affecting heavily populated areas and only affect 2 - 3% of iPhone traffic. We'll be looking forward to a release by Apple that probably won't affect us too much as it seems our 3G network coverage here is pretty good...

Additional details from the Business Week story can be found here.

Best Buy to Become First Independent iPhone Retailer in the U.S.

Yesterday, BestBuy announced that starting September 7th they would be re-selling the iPhone 3G. In a nutshell, this announcement means that Apple will eventually (over a two year period) have 970 more additional retail outlets to sell the iPhone 3G.

On September 7th, the iPhone 3G will be available at more than 3175 BestBuy retail locations and the electronics giant's market share accounts for over 20% of all U.S. electronics sales.

This is really good news and with this deal, Apple will be expanding it's iPhone retail presence by approximately 45 percent...go Apple go

AppStore Numbers & "Kill Switch" Confirmed

In an interview with Wall Street Journal today, Steve Jobs proudly announced that the AppStore has seen some 60 million programs downloaded which roughly translates into $30 million since it's launch one month ago.

Also in a somewhat unusual move, Jobs also confirmed the existence of the infamous kill switch saying that not having such a feature such as that would be irresponsible. He further went on to say, "hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull."

Apple's Blacklist, not a Apps Blacklist After All

There have been numerous reports about how Apple has hidden a remote blacklist that supposedly can remotely disable rogue iPhone apps previously distributed through the App Store. The discovery of this so called blacklist made by Jonathan Zdziarski has caused widespread controversy over whether or not Apple has your best interests in mind.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball puts an end to all the speculation over this supposed blacklist site and clears the air on what it actually is:

Apple has no reason to hide such a configuration in a sneaky place. If it's "tucked away in a configuration file deep inside" the Core Location framework, doesn't it seem more likely that this list has something to do with, say, Core Location? Even the URL of the file in question hints at this:

https://iphone-services.apple.com/clbl/unauthorizedApps

An informed source at Apple confirmed to me that the "clbl" in the URL stands for "Core Location Blacklist", and that it does just that. It is not a blacklist for disabling apps completely, but rather specifically for preventing any listed apps from accessing Core Location -- an API which, for obvious privacy reasons, is covered by very strict rules in the iPhone SDK guidelines.

So let's put this one to rest okay? Read more on Gruber's findings here.

iPhone 3G Second Launch & Lotus Notes App

Some of the latest iPhone news includes tidbits about the iPhone's "second launch," and Lotus Notes support for the iPhone.

Just when you thought the iPhone 3G train was slowing down, it seems Apple is getting ready for the second and third phases of it's iPhone 3G "world domination" tour. Yesterday, it was discovered that 17 more countries will soon be added to the getting iPhone's list. In no particular order they are (as they are currently known):

Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, India, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Philippines.

Further details of the third phase of the iPhone 3Gs release can be found at AppleInsider.

Less interesting is the news that IBM is developing an application that will bring the enterprise and Lotus Notes to all iDevices with software update 2.0. For those interested, the rest of the article can be found here and we've also uploaded a screenshot.

lotus-080807.gif

iPhone 2.01 Software Released

Just about 3 weeks after it's debut, the iPhone 3G along with it's 2.0 software has received an update via the iTunes automatic update process. The update seems to fix among other things:

  • responsiveness of the user interface
  • snappiness of the contacts list
  • problems with iPhone and application stability
  • and the list of bug fixes goes on...
In the typical Apple fashion, an exact description of what was fixed is missing however fellow website 9 to 5 Mac was good enough to create a short video showing the speed differences between the two versions. In any case, the video is embedded below:



iPhone Tethering App Makes a Debut in AppStore, Gets Pulled Shortly Thereafter

Yesterday there were reports that an application that allowed tethering was showing up in the iTunes AppStore. This app, priced at a reasonable $10 was called NetShare and was published by a company called Nullrirver.

According to Information Week, a Nullriver developer was quoted as saying, "We're not quite sure why Apple took down the application yet, we've received no communication from Apple thus far. NetShare did not violate any of the Developer or AppStore agreements. We're hoping we'll get some feedback from Apple tomorrow. Sorry to all the folks that couldn't get it in time. We'll do our best to try to get the application back onto the AppStore if at all possible. At the very least, I would hope Apple will allow it in countries where the provider does permit tethering."

Stay tuned for more news on this exciting application...

Reports of iPhone 3G Case Cracking Trickling In

Seems as if there have been a few reports from the field that some iPhone 3G units cases are developing hairline cracks on their "backs." So far, all the pictures I've seen show white 16GB iPhones, but it's unusual that a black iPhone with cracks hasn't shown up yet. We'll keep you posted on this as we think that this is very unusual and is only happening in a very few cases. Here's what the cracks reportedly look like:

iPhone3Gcrack.jpg

Apple Extends Retail Hours & Changes Line Policies

Apple has recently modified the hours of operation for their retail stores to accommodate for the consumer demand on the iPhone 3G. Now all Apple retail stores will open at 8 a.m. from Monday through Saturday until further notice.

Not only are they extending hours of operation, they are also changing some of their "line" policies so that once you get pre-qualified you will get a ticket that will allow you to pick up your iPhone 3G at your leisure that same day.

Yours truly can corroborate this story because on Friday, he was pre-qualified at the Apple store and then later told that he would have to wait in another line for the phone. A few minutes after being pre-qualified, he was told that the purchase had to be made at the AT&T store because there was a plan discount associated with the plan. Still rocky, but better than having to stand in a two hour line just to be re-routed to an AT&T store...So, in less than 2 weeks, I'll have a shiny new iPhone 3G in my hands. More to come....

Voice-Controlled Apps Being Developed for iPhone by AT&T

Word out on the street is that AT&T is busy developing software that will allow "smartphones" such as the iPhone to recognize voice commands without needing any voice-recognition software.

According to AppleInsider, this project, based on AT&T's Watson speech recognition engine works by capturing voice commands, sending them to a remote server and then interpreting that command.

Even more exciting is the fact that AT&T demonstrates this technology in a video and the fact that this technology will breed a whole new slew of applications.

Additional details can be found on AppleInsider's website.

Demand for the iPhone 3G Outpaces Supply

Reports from various news organizations around the web are reporting that demand for the iPhone 3G is so strong that in many instances, they are out of stock. As reported by Freep.com, at AT&T for example, the average wait time is 3 weeks.

What's even more unusal is that Sprint is "trying" to capitalize on the iPhone shortage by pointing it out...I guess they're saying don't wait to buy an iPhone, buy an instinct instead. Their spin on is that only three Apple stores in the U.S. have the phones in stock...my take: they'd better do all they can to stop the iPhone pain because sooner or later, consumers will see that the instinct is only a pale imitator to the real deal.

Finally, HardMac is reporting that the shortages will extend through August, while another site, Focus.de claims that the shortage will continue till mid-October. In any event, this is bound to be good news by any type of measure. Apple is sure to be lapping up hardware and software sales!

How to get Longer iPhone 3G Battery Life

So you've finally got that spiffy new iPhone 3G. You've waited for a long time for 3G speed, location services, and those really cool iPhone third-party applications and now you're happy. What? You're upset with the battery life?

This is the most common complaint I've heard from the lucky folks who have the 3G iPhone: with some usage, by the end of the day, their battery is almost dead or dead. And, there's no way to swap the battery with a fresh one to fix this problem.

AT&T Announces Free Wi-Fi

After flip-flopping and introducing this and then subsequently, pulling it back, it looks like AT&T is finally officially ready to announce their free Wi-Fi access! This is really good news for iPhone users everywhere.

At any rate, here are some quick details about the access, it will include:

More than 17,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot locations nationwide

  • 12 Airports
  • 31 Hotels
  • 23 Universities
  • 18 Convention Centers
  • 5 Sports Centers 
  • 8,000 + Restaurants
  • 700 + Bookstores
  • 50 + Supermarkets

Also mentioned in AT&Ts press release is free wi-fi at US based Starbucks locations, to locate a store, use the Starbucks store locator: http://www.starbucks.com/retail/locator/default.aspx

For more information, read AT&T's press release

iPhone Software 2.0 Update, 10 M AppStore Downloads

The iPhone 3G has only been generally available for sale for only four days and updates are coming fast and furious. Reports coming from the field say that iPhone software version 2.01 is in testing and will soon be released. This update addresses issues of performance, security and contains a few bug fixes. Look for the update to appear in iTunes in the near future.

One other thing we forgot to report yesterday is that the AppStore has seen over 10 million applications downloaded over the weekend since iPhone 3G launch. It is important to remember that these numbers do NOT indicate iPhone 3G sales as the previous generation iPhone and the iTouch are also able to download applications from the AppStore. The AppStore looks to be a big success and we'll be tracking it's progress as it gets bigger and bigger.

Speaking of the AppStore, here at the iPhoneNewsBlog, we want to try to start something called AppStore Pick of the Month. Each month, we'll try to pick out an application that we like and we will do a mini review on it. At the end of July, we hope to choose and review an application that we feel is heads and shoulders above the rest. Stay tuned for July results. WIth so many applications in the AppStore already, I can only imagine what the end of the month is going to look like...

Mysterious iPhone Firmware? 5A345 vs. 5A347

P7139966.JPGNot sure what to make of this but there seems to be two different versions of the iPhone v2.0 software floating around out there.

My wife and I stood in line on Friday and both got white 16GB iPhone 3G's. This evening I decided to restore my iPhone from my backup via iTunes. I thought this might remedy the crashing I had been having when using some third-party apps I downloaded from the App Store. 

iPhone 3G Unboxing Photos

P7119763.JPGSo I got up at 5:30 am and got down to the AT&T Store down the street at 6 am. There was a small line of 17 people there. My wife and I were numbers 18 & 19. Before I could blink there was a line going around the parking lot of at least 100 or so people. Luckily we got there early enough to wait in the shade.

We got into the store at 8:20 am and were out by 8:35 am. I dropped my wife off and headed to work. I took these photos of the iPhone being unboxed while at work.



iPhone 3G Debuts & Update 2.0 applied!

Ok well, today is the day we've all been waiting for! The iPhone 3G is just about to go on sale here in Hawaii...These past few days we've been getting reports from all over the world about the iPhone 3G and how it has made an already very good phone even better, today is the day some of us here at the iPhoneNewsBlog get our hands on it. We'll be able to give you a first hand account of what the phone is like and how the new 2.0 software update is different.

Anyway, for those who are not immediately upgrading to the iPhone 3G, we will continue to cover all things iPhone 1st Generation. In fact, today I wanted to go over the 2.0 upgrade process. In all, I think that the upgrade took longer than i expected...i am applying the update now and so far, it's taken about 40 minutes from start to restoring my iPhone's music and videos. I think that this is about the norm because the download process took about 7 minutes and the backing up, installing and restoring process can't go any faster.

So today my iPhone is live with the 2.0 software update and I'll either try to make an update later this weekend about how living with the update goes OR i'll definitely post my thoughts on Monday.

Take care and if you're in line for an iPhone 3G, best of luck! Have a GREAT weekend!

How to get iPhone Software v2.0 early

A sneaky someone found a link to the iPhone software v2.0 before it's been released here in the US! You can download iPhone software v2.0 here

Software build 5A347

NOTE: If you are using Safari to download this, it will uncompress and dump the original file into the trash. The original file is named iPhone1,2_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw.zip You need to retrieve the file from the trash and rename it. Simply remove the zip portion of the file name.

Before you update, please read Apple's support document: Updating and restoring iPhone and iPod touch software.

To install the update, simply connect your iPhone to iTunes then go to the summary screen. Hold down the option (alt) and click "Check for Update". Then select the file iPhone1,2_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw.

Be sure to make a backup of your phone! The update takes about 10 minutes.

iPhone 3G Launch Tomorrow & AppStore Already Showing Up

Folks, get ready for the coming of the iPhone 3G tomorrow worldwide at 8 a.m. Some reviews have already been flowing in. We'll try to post ours here as soon as we get our hands on a new unit...

In other news...

Reports from various rumor sites are reporting that the AppStore for the iPhone 3G is already showing up on iTunes 7.7. I have already upgraded to iPhone 7.7 however i do not see the AppStore...More investigation needed...

In any case, our friends over at MacRumors have posted a link to the iPhone 2.0 Firmware: download link

In an interview done by USAtoday Steve Jobs said, "With 500 programs launching internationally today, "This is the biggest launch of my career."

The complete story from USAToday can be found here.

Apple Expects iPhone 3G Activation Process to Take 15 Minutes

In an interview held yesterday, Apple retail chief Ron Johnson shed some light on how iPhone 3G sales and activations are going to be handled this coming Friday.

Johnson said that the activation process will take only 15 minutes, with the activation taking less than a minute and the credit check and plan selection taking the majority of the time.

Other interesting tidbits from the interview include:

  • Apple retail stores expect to be able to handle approximately 100 customers an hour.
  • Only 30 customers will be allowed in the store at a time.
  • You will need your credit card and social security number at the time of purchase.
  • A Valid ID is also needed.
A side note: Apple has posted a webpage that provides information to customers who are interested in iPhone 3Gs. Information can be found at the following link.

iPhone 3G Jumbo Displays

Seems like Apple is kicking it's marketing muscle into high gear. Gizmodo is reporting that even though you won't be able to actually buy an iPhone 3G till later this week (Friday to be exact), Apple stores have been busy retrofitting their stores with displays of HUGE iPhone 3G window displays. Pictured below is a photo of the window display courtesy of Gizmodo...

iphone1_3G.jpg














































Apple sure does go all out for these things..it'll be interesting to see how things develop in the next few days...exciting times indeed!

Apple Orders 50M more 8GB NAND Flash Chips

Samsung recently told its downstream customers it will have to reduce the amount of 8GB NAND flash chips available to them due to Apple buying approximately 50 million of the units to cover iPhone and iPod production through the rest of the year.

Earlier in June, Apple ordered 25 Million of these chips...Amazing, its just amazing when you think of all those iPhone and iPods that Apple will be making out of these chips...

This should come as good news to Apple shareholders and supporters alike...

iPhone Top Cellphone in Japan

In a recent study in Japan conducted by the research group iShare, the iPhone 3G was found to be wanted by 57.9 percent of those who responded to the survey. Even more surprising was the fact that the survey allowed for multiple answers and the fact that another recent poll showed that the Japanese market was not interested in the iPhone.

Other phones in the top six were from foreign companies and included Emobile's S11HT, known as the AT&T Tilt or HTC TyTN II; the HT1100 or HTC Touch DUAL; and the BlackBerry Bold, the first version of the smartphone capable of running in Japan.

Results of this poll can be seen in the graph below:

iShareSurvey.png

Apple Posts Two iPhone 3G videos

In preparation for the upcoming launch of the iPhone 3G, Apple has posted 2 videos on its website. One of the videos features a guided tour while the other is about the iPhone software 2.0 update.

Included are the two links for your viewing pleasure:

iPhone 3G Stuff

With less than 12 days before the iPhone 3G arrives at Apple and AT&T stores all over the country, there is quite a bit of news coming from all over the place...First of all, it seems that the end of the month is the deadline for iPhone developers to get their apps in the AppStore on opening day of July 11.

Also, in other news, the iPhone is being brought to Australia via Telstra and in an even more surprising move, Telstra will be selling the iPhone for a whopping 0$. The only catch is that you would need to sign up for the $80 plan...Few details are being given regarding what that plan includes...

Meanwhile back in the states, AT&T is revving up their customer service, ads and distributing procedures to help the iPhone 3G launch day go smoothly be on the lookout for more activity as the days go by...

Updated: News from AppleInsider: It seems that on July 11, AT&T (POS) point of sales systems will need to have a special application that will "unbrick" iPhones during the activation process. What this means to us as consumers is that all iPhone 3Gs will need to be unboxed and activated when you buy them. This is completely different from when the iPhone was first introduced over a year ago, when both AT&T and Apple allowed in home activation. This move is seen as an attempt by both companies to limit the black market on iPhone 3G devices...More to come as we find it...

iPhone SDK Beta 8 & iTunes 7.7

News from the field point to iPhone SDK Beta 8 being released as the Golden Master for iPhone software update 2.0. "Golden Master" is the term software developers usually use to denote that the software has been QA tested and is ready for release to the public for general consumption. This news makes sense as the release of the iPhone 3g on July 11 is right around the corner and you'd want the developers to have a stable platform to code against. No news as to feature details have been revealed probably due to the NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

In other related news, iTunes 7.7 was also released to developers and this has brought interestingly enough the ability to turn an iPhone or an iTouch into a iTunes media remote. No mention of this has been made by his Steveness however, filings with the US patent office have shown the development of such a feature...

Anyhow, that's all for this week and we'll be back bright and early on Monday unless some breaking news happens over the weekend...TTFN!

Apple Increasing iPhone Orders to 15 Million

0ur friends over at AppleInsider are reporting that Apple has raised the amount of iPhones originally ordered to a staggering 15 Million. Also in their story, it was interesting to see that 2 million more first generation phones were being ordered.

Also talked about in the story was a steady increase in iPod, iTouch and Mac orders. Here's a direct link to the story.

iPhone 2.0 Golden Master - June 27th?

Happy Hump Day Everyone!

Our friends over at Gizmodo are reporting that their sources say that the iPhone 2.0 software could be declared as golden master by as early as this Friday. Golden Master is usually the last release before the software is distributed to vendors/manufacturers. In Apple's case, Golden Master means that the iPhone 3Gs software has been completed. This is good news for the upcoming July 11 launch.

In other news, iSuppli a market researcher has stated that the iPhone 3G costs only $173 to make. Keep in mind that these numbers do NOT include R & D and are just guesses until the actual units come out...

iPhone 3G Download Speed Capped at 1.4 Mbps?

Numerous people have noticed that specifications from the Apple website state that the 3G iPhone may be limited to 1.4Mbps. This is very unusual as other phones that are 3G enabled post much higher download rates...One such example is the Motorola Q which is able to download at 3.6 Mbps...Also, HSDPA cards are able to download data at 7.2 Mbps.

We'll find out more as we get closer to the iPhone's ship date...keep ya posted!

Apple Reportedly Shutting Out Developers from GPS Capabilities

Word out in the field is that Apple is not allowing 3rd party developers to have access to the iPhone 3Gs GPS capabilities. Although Steve Jobs demonstrated turn by turn directions and live GPS tracking during the WWDC keynote on Monday, it was unclear whether those were Apple produced applications or 3rd party applications.

We feel that Apple is just trying to protect itself from legal liabilities, however we also feel that over time they may HOPEFULLY change their position. The current SDK EULA reads, "Applications may not be designed or marketed for real time route guidance; automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes."

Anyway, we'll see how this all pans out next month as the AppStore comes online.

Hands on with the 3G iPhone

Not a whole lot of folks get to have a private hands on session with one of the most coveted gadgets in the world. Glen Fleishman over at TidBits was one of the few who got to spend a few minutes with the 3G iPhone.

We won't rehash his entire story but will summarize it for you:
- Plastic back feels good, better than the aluminum back of current iPhone.
- Not that much difference from original iPhone. Subtle differences. Refinement.
- OS feels faster overall.
- New power plug is REALLY small!
- Geotagging built in to iPhone photo meta data
- GPS will only activate when you are using it.
- Tracking will occur by permission only

Overall a wonderful read for anyone who is clamoring for more information about the 3G iPhone.

AT&T Listing of 3G Coverage

oahu-coverage.jpgIf you're already chomping at the bit to get your hands on a 3G iPhone, you'll probably want to know if you've got 3G coverage in your area before hand. Luckily AT&T has a listing of what areas are covered by State and City. 

For those of you looking for a static map with colored views of the 3G areas, our pals at TUAW have made one just for you: 3G here and Edge version is listed in another map.

P.A. Semi to produce future iPhone and iPod chips

pa_semi_chip.jpgSteve Jobs revealed in an interview with the New York Times John Markoff that Apple's recent acquisition of semiconductor company P.A. Semi was an investment in their future. Jobs revealed for the first time that P.A. Semi will indeed produce the next chipset for future iPods and iPhones.

"PA Semi is going to do system-on-chips for iPhones and iPods," Jobs said. This finally brings to light the reasons for Apple's acquisition of the chipmaker. This is bad news for bigger companies like SamSung and Intel though. By bringing the system-on-chip inhouse, Apple will not only be able to have exclusivity for the chipset but also control what it can and can't do.

iPhone 3G to be Distributed to 16 Additional Countries via Telefonica

In addition to already announcing their intent to distribute the iPhone in Spain, Telefonica announced today that they will also be delivery the upcoming 3G iPhone to Czech Republic, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, just to name a few...

The iPhone is expected to be available on July 11 in 22 countries and 70 countries by the end of the year....I can't wait to get my hands on one of these!

3G iPhone Announced by Apple...

Much to the surprise of none, Apple yesterday introduced the 3G iPhone, almost a year after the original was introduced to the world. In any case, not only is this phone 3G, it also has an assisted GPS built in to it. That means, all types of things will now be possible...like social network/location aware applications and other sorts of fun stuff...

I can only imagine what developers are going to do with this...Anyway, the other shocker is the price...the new iPhone has broken ground as far as pricing: $199 for the 8 GB model and $299 for the 16 GB model...with an original price of $499 and $599, this is an amazing deal...one can now get an iphone cheaper than an iTouch! Once again Apple has turned the whole cell phone business model on its head.

Anyway, the 3G iPhone will be hitting the shelves on July 11, we just can't wait to get our hands on one of em!

Live Coverage of WWDC 2008 Keynote

We'll be following along with the rest of the world. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to WWDC this year. Maybe next year I'll be able to get there...

Here are some sites that will have live info as the show progresses:
http://www.macrumorslive.com/
http://www.engadget.com/
http://www.macnn.com/
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php
http://www.macworld.com/
http://www.macscoop.com/
http://arstechnica.com/index.ars
http://www.thedigitallifestyle.tv/blog.html

See you tomorrow for some awesome news in the iPhone world. Can't wait!

3G iPhone to use Evolved HSPA?

Reports from the field are pointing to the fact that the new iPhone will be able to tap into newly/soon to be available "Evolved HSPA." For those outside the industry, in a nutshell, this means that Apple's new device will be capable of downloading content at 42Mbps.

Why is this important you ask? Well, the general consensus in the rumor mill is that Apple is planning to add video conferencing ability to it's widely popular iPhone. Further supporting these rumors is the fact that Telstra executives are claiming that Australia will have the fastest iPhone in the world (by Dec. 2008)...further pointing to the fact that "Evolved HSPA" will in fact be used.

Exciting news indeed...16 more days to go!

Geo-tagging to be added to iPhone 2.0 software?

Insiders who are familiar with the software development process of the next generation 3G iPhone report that geo-tagging will be a much welcomed addition. Geo-tagging for those who are not familiar is the ability to add the location to the photo that was taken. For instance, if you take a photo at San Francisco, the iPhone will be able to add the coordinates of the photo in the meta data of the picture.

In any case, this is a feature most likely used by a lot of social networking mobile websites and is also a good feature for those of us who want to remember where a certain picture was taken.

France Telecom's Subsidiary Orange to Extend Reach of iPhone

Today Orange announced that it would be selling iPhones in Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean. A statement from Orange read, "Orange today announced a new agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Orange customers in Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and Orange's African markets later this year."

Curiously missing from all this news recently is announcement of an iPhone carrier in Spain. I'm pretty sure we'll be hearing something in the very near future....i'll keep you posted!

AT&T Plans to Rev 3G Network Up to 20 Megabits by 2009

Today, AT&T announced that by 2009, their 3G network speeds would be increased by almost fivefold to approximately 20 megabits.

At the Morgan Stanley's annual Communications Conference, Ralph de la Vega said engineers already have a 3G network up and running in the labs at speeds of 7.2 megabits per second, or approximately double the theoretical throughput of its existing network.

He also added, that his firm has "a clear and logical path" to 700MHz 4G access via the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard in the 2010 timeframe which should again increase speeds fivefold to nearly 100 megabits per second.

This is great news for the ucoming iPhone version 2.0 and also the Blackberry 9000 (announced yesterday) and is similarly slated to be released on the AT&T network.

1st Gen. iPhone No Longer Available Online

In a somewhat uncharacteristic move, Apple yesterday admitted to being out of stock online in the U.S. and U.K. websites. There were numerous reports that indeed stock was running low, however, Apple did say that the phones would be still be available at Apple stores and AT&T stores.

The just announced shortage brings about more speculation as to when the next generation iPhone might be announced. Rumors and speculation are pointing to June 9th as the release date...However, iPhoneNewsBlog staff feel that from now till the 9th is a loooong time for Apple not to be selling iPhones. What this means to their projected goal of 10 million phones in one year we don't know, but they've reiterated it several times and seem very focused they will be able to do it...

Did AT&T Slip? iPhone Black Spotted on AT&Ts website

Anonymous tipsters have alerted staff at the iPhoneNewsBlog that a listing for a iPhone Black is now listed on its website. Strangely enough the slip is only shown when existing AT&T iPhone customers log in to their account and try to choose their iPhone.

The general consensus seems to be that instead of a chrome plated cover, the new iPhones will have a glossy black back. Its only a matter of time till we see what will really happen...Stay tuned for all the breaking news!

AT&T iPhone Plans Include Free Access to Starbucks WiFi Hotspots

Although recently rolled out and then recalled just a few days later, it seems that AT&T has now officially listed free WiFi access at Starbucks as part of the included features on all iPhone rate plans.

From the AT&T website, "Plans start at $59.99 and include Visual Voicemail, Unlimited Data (email and web), 200 SMS text messages and access to AT&T's more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, including Starbucks* all for use in the U.S. *Wi-Fi available at U.S. company operated Starbucks locations equipped with a hotspot."

Our take? This is great news and with the upcoming 3G iPhone, we are in for a treat. Keep watching the iPhoneNewsBlog.com for more information.


iPhone SDK Beta 5 Released

Apple released the fifth public beta of its software developer kit for the iPhone and iPod touch on Wednesday. The new SDK includes bug fixes and adds support for the latest iPhone OS.


According to Apple's iPhone Developer Center Web page, the "fifth beta version of the iPhone SDK includes Xcode IDE, iPhone simulator with Open GL ES support, Interface Builder, Instruments, frameworks and samples, compilers, and Shark analysis tool."

Both Vodafone & Telecom Italia

Today in a somewhat surprising move, Apple today announced that it has selected Vodafone and Telecom Italia to distribute its 2nd generation iPhone in Italy. Speaking on the subject, "An Apple spokesman declined to comment on the apparent shift in strategy of having two, rather than only one, operator in each market.

"Today's news is about the iPhone coming to ten new countries later this year," he said. "Our goal is to sell 10 million iPhones this year."

Italy is one of the most attractive mobile phone markets in the world, though Italians overwhelmingly choose pre-paid plans as opposed to contracts. At Vodafone, for instance, 91% of its Italian customers don't have contracts.

In the U.K. and Germany, prices have been cut on the iPhones as Apple struggles to win over European customers who are reluctant to spend for the touch-screen device when they can get aggressively-subsidized phones from rivals.

UK's O2 Preparing for 3G iPhone Launch

In what looks like preparation for the 3G iPhone launch, Apple iPhone partner in the UK has almost completely sold out of first generation iPhones an also has reached the 80% penetration point of being able to provide 3G services to about 80% of the UK.

The next few months are looking to be really exciting for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of a 3G version of the iPhone.

Foxconn Electronics Selected to Manufacture 3G iPhone by June

Apple has reportedly ordered 24 - 25 million 2nd generation iPhone handsets from Foxconn according to the Chinese newspaper Commercial Times. Right off the bat, shipments of the 3G iPhone are expected to top three million units in June alone.

We expect to hear more details as we approach June. No word on how AT&T will handle customers who intend to upgrade their handsets.

Apple buys chip designer P.A. Semi for $278 million

Yesterday, in a somewhat uncharacteristic and unexpected move, Apple agreed purchase a "boutique" microprocessor design company known for its sophisticated, but low-powered chip designs. The stunning announcement came during a question and answer session during a Forbes interview, however, the Apple spokesperson would not comment on how they would use the technology.

Speculation is running rampant in the iPhone and iPod communities about what this deal means for the upcoming Intel Atom specification released earlier this month.

P.A. Semi, was founded in 2003 by Dan Dobberpuhl, who was a lead designer for the well-regarded Alpha and StrongARM microprocessors developed by Digital Equipment in the 1990s.

We'll be watching this one for our faithful readers so stay tuned!

Economic Daily News says UMC has been Selected to produce chip for 3G iPhone

United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) has been selected to produce Infineon Technoloiges' 3G baseband chip, which will be allegedly used in the new Apple iPhone that supports 3G, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report.

The baseband chip (PMB878) will be fabricated on UMC's 65nm process node. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) was the foundry partner for Infineon for the baseband chip used in the first-generation iPhone, the paper noted.

Ability to Save Photos in Latest iPhone Beta

beta-save-image.jpg
Along with the release of the new iPhone beta software, our fellow iPhone websites (ie.
iPhonebuzz) are reporting that the latest Safari builds now include the ability to save pictures from webpages. In any case, this is exciting news as I often find myself wanting to use a picture online as a background or just wanting to save an interesting shot. Screenshots of the feature in action below:


iPhone SDK 3 Reveals 3G Chipset

According to Zibri (makers of the jailbreaking software ziphone), the recently released 3rd version of the iPhone beta SDK (software development kit) contains evidence that the next iPhone will be using S-GOLD3 chipset. The S-GOLD3 chipset includes support for:


  • HSDPA category 8 (7.2 Mbps)
  • Cameras of up to 5-megapixels
  • MPEG4/H.263 hardware acceleration
  • Video telephony, streaming, recording and playback

Other features of this chipset include: FM radio tuner/broadcasting, support for MMC cards and infrared capabilities,  however if the past is any indication, they will likely not be supported.

Like always, we will keep you updated as more information comes down the pipe. Stay tuned!

Amazing: Quake 3 Arena Ported to iPhone/iTouch

A seemingly believable video on YouTube shows that Quake 3 Arena has been ported to the iPhone/iTouch platforms. In this video below, you can see that the person is controller one player with his left hand and the other player with his right hand...multi-player? YUP

Anyway i guess for the rest of us, we need to wait a few months to see if this is real or not...I think it is and am very excited...And even if I personally don't play FPS, I think that something like this will be the killer app for the iPhone/iTouch and have the capability to take them to that next level! Enjoy!


WSJ's Mossberg Claims 3G iPhone to Debut in 60 days

Yesterday, while at an executive summit for Beet.tv, Wall Street Journal's technology columnist, Walt Mossberg said that a 3G iPhone would be released in about 60 days.

Normally, one might dismiss such a claim because many rumor and news sites have been reporting the possible imminent release of a 3G iPhone, however there may be more meat to his claim. If you recall the original iPhone's release, Mossberg somehow was able to get his hands on a device 2 weeks prior to other media and websites. Take it with a grain of salt, but who knows? We're crossing all of our fingers and toes here at iPNB.

3G iPhone Confirmed - AGAIN

This week at the CTIO Wireless conference, AT&T Mobility president and CEO Ralph de la Vega said that a 3G version of the iPhone will be arriving shortly. Yes, we know that in the past AT&T AND Steve Jobs both have said that the upgraded iPhone is in the works, but we felt that another confirmation would be reassuring...

De la Vega also went on to say that he expects the new iPhones to be available in May or June. Other worthy news of note was that he also said that they (AT&T) would be carrying phones running on Google's Android platform.

Hon Hai Selected to Produce Next Gen iPhone

According to anonymous sources, Hon Hai, one of Taiwan's largest contract electronics manufacturer, has won the bid to manufacture the next generation iPhone. There has been rampant speculation whether a 3G or a sub-$300 level iPhone will be introduced in the second half of 2008.

Some analysts are speculating that the new iPhone will be introduced in May and will help Apple reach its target goal of selling 10 million iPhones this year.

iPhone SDK 2 released today

Today, Apple released the iPhone SDK beta 2. The upgrade includes the Xcode Interface Builder that will allow programmers to create interfaces for their iPhone programs.

In a nutshell, the Interface Builder will allow developers to literally "drag and drop" interface elements into their applications and just link the controls to the source code behind the scenes.  More information to come as we receive it.

Gartner says Apple is ordering massive 3G iPhone

Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney says that Apple may already be putting the 3G iPhone into production according to his Asian contacts. Based on talks he's had with his sources, he believes that Apple has placed an order for 10 million of the new iPhone model.

Dulaney also speculates that battery life will be better because Apple will switch to OLED (organic LED) displays for the new phone and this will also make the iPhone thinner.

Whether or not this is true remains to be seen, but I have no doubt that Apple has already ramped up production to meet demand for the next generation of iPhones. And yes, I still think there will be more than one new iPhone from Apple this year.

Microsoft to make iPhone Apps?

Looks like Microsoft may try their hand at creating some iPhone apps, but the question is, what kind of app will they create?

According to Fortune, MS is looking at the SDK and already have ideas on what they want to do with it.

Apple in China: Singapore Telecom?

CNN Money says that Singapore Telecommunications Ltd is launching the iPhone in September, but the Telco has declined any comment about whether or not a deal was struck with Apple. This is according to a local broadcaster Channel News Asia.

Adobe working to bring Flash to the iPhone

According to a report by CNN, Adobe is working to bring Flash to the iPhone.

Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen is quoted as saying:
"We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone. We have evaluated ( the software developer tools) and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves."

Narayen goes on to say that he plans to distribute Flash through the iTunes Store along with the other iPhone apps.

This coincides with Sun Microsystems claiming that they will be bringing Java to the iPhone when they got their hands on the iPhone SDK a couple of weeks ago.

Exactly HOW these two companies will pull this off is beyond me. Seems like they didn't read through exactly what the SDK says developers can and CANNOT do!

The iPhone SDK terms explicitly state that "No interpreted code may be downloaded and used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple's Published APIs and builtin interpreter(s)".

Either they have access to some API other than what is offered to common developers or they are both "blowing a lot of smoke".

Apple iPhone SDK Downloads top 100,000

I don't think Apple will be having any problems selling 10 million iPhones this year. I'd like to know what their target is for next year!

There was an overwhelming demand for the iPhone SDK as some of you may have witnessed since Apple's developer server was broken for at least 48 hours. (I finally downloaded my copy via bit-torrent) In the last 4 days, Apple has had over 100,000 downloads of the SDK, a glowing sign of how much interest there actually is in developing for the iPhone and iPod.

"In the first four days since its launch on March 6, more than 100,000 iPhone developers have downloaded the iPhone SDK, Apple today announced. Leading developers such as AOL, Electronic Arts, Epocrates, salesforce.com and Sega have already demonstrated amazing applications using the SDK, and developer response continues to be phenomenal with more developers embracing the platform."

Can't wait to see the unloading of apps the day this goes live. It's going to be unreal.

Watch the iPhone event!

Now you can see it with your own eyes! Go take a gander at it here.

Notes from the Annual Shareholder Meeting

On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, Apple held their annual shareholder meeting and in that meeting a few interesting point relating to the iPhone were revealed.

First of all, Steve Jobs shot down all possibilities of porting the Flash plug-in to the iPhone. He went on to say that Apple is still shooting to sell 10 million iPhones in its first year. With this news, one has to wonder what Adobe is thinking as well as many possible iPhone developers.

For myself, I've done some Flash development in the past and I still don't think it is the right platform for all devices. It is still in some ways a niche technology. Well, we'll see how this plays out as Microsoft Silverlight seems to be up and coming and Apple may be headed toward the more open source SVG. Interesting times ahead.

UBS: 3G iPhone by Mid-year with Infineon chip

According to investment bank UBS the next generation iPhone with 3G will be released sometime in the middle of the year and it will use the Infineon chip set.

I believed that Apple was already midway to completion of iPhone 2.0 when the iPhone was released. Now that the 3G chip is ready, the roll out should begin sometime in the summer.

Read all about it here.

Yesterday Apple Inc. COO Tim Cook had a presentation at Goldman Sachs Technology Investment Symposium and brought with him the first good news of the year.

Rather than rehash it all here, you can read a full report on what was said here.

Basically, Cook stated that he doesn't think that there is iPod saturation and that the goal is to extend the iPod into a the first mainsteam mobile Wi-Fi platform. He also stated that Apple has high hopes for the iphone SDK to bring apps limited only by the developers imagination. He went on to talk about iPhone sales, unlocked iPhones, the MacBook Air's target market and Apple TV.

The statement that caught my eye was about the Mac. When asked if there was any limit to the Mac's market share, Cook stated that he sees no limit, no ceiling for Mac potential. Just wow.

I believe Apple realized the shareholders were hurting due to the large margin of losses in the first two months that the stock took since the market had it's doubts about whether or not the suspected downturn in the economy would weaken Apple's sales. Sending Tim Cook in to talk to analysts got the word out quickly that Apple is in good shape and is bullish on meeting their own goals in the present future.

APPL is currently trading +5.27 (128).

Apple Releases iPhone update 1.1.4

Apple today surprised us all and released iPhone update 1.1.4!

Users can sync their iPhone with iTunes and click the check for updates button to get and install the update. According to the Important Information section, it says this version of the software includes bug fixes and supersedes all previous versions.

The download weighs in at 162 MB. I'm downloading it as I type this!

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Linkin Park Plays Apple Soho Store

Last night in front of a private audience of 200 radio contest winners, Linkin Park performed a not-so-secret gig at the Apple Soho Store. According to thedailyswarm, the set was recorded for a future iTunes release.

This dashes the hopes of a special Apple Event, even as the self imposed due date for the iPhone SDK draws near. Although there is still hope for an event, it now seems highly unlikely to happen in February.

Video of the performance is located here.

iPhone Update 2.0

An article at Hardmac.com reports that iPhone update 2.0 may be coming down the pipeline soon. A survey from Orange mobile(Apple's partner in the UK) reports that the following may be included with the 2.0 update:

-- Update 2 (this would be the correct name, not 1.1.4), will bring new features:
* Support for Flash, files with extension .Docx
* Adding a mini file manager
* Adding a "clipboard" to manage copied and pasted text, and send files to the clipboard via email or bluetooth
* iClips Management (is this the name of apps distributed via iTunes?)
* A more complete bluetooth manager
* iChat accessible only via wifi

-- But it would not bring:
* Management of MMS
* Video capture
* Editing of office files

As always, take this report with a grain of salt as it says the update is due in a matter of days...we'll see how things pan out.

Special Apple Event Rumors?

Our sister blog reported yesterday of rumors that an Apple Event will be held at the end of February. Fueling these rumors were statements from the band Linkin Park frontman Mike Shinoda wrote on the bands website:

"Looking forward to our first show at Madison Square Garden this week (sold out)!," he wrote. "Also, look forward to a special show that we're doing in NYC in conjunction with Apple...shh...it's a secret..."

Speculation has been running high as Apple has indeed done small, special press only events in the past. It would seem likely that they would do something special for the release of the iPhone SDK.

Anyone want to predict if this one will happen?

Jailbreak for iPhone 1.1.3

For those of you who upgraded to firmware version 1.1.3 and miss jailbreak, or want to jailbreak your iPhone, we welcome iJailbreak back into the game.

iJailbreak 0.5.1 is here. It requires you to implement bootloader and doesn't work with any other version of firmware. Try it at your own risk of course.

We'll be waiting on the sidelines for the news of the iPhone SDK which should arrive at the end of this month!

Is Flash Coming to the iPhone?

File this under "We'll believe it when we see it", but GearLive is reporting that Macromedia Flash may be coming to an iPhone near you shortly.

The one thing that the iPhone's Safari / WebKit based browser does not have compared to it's sibling desktop version is Flash. Without the Macromedia Flash plugin, some sites are rendered useless (which to me just means they aren't standards compliant nor accessible).

From GearLive.com
"We already have had a couple people ask about the supposed battery and CPU issues that were holding Flash back from being included on the iPhone in the first place. From what I am hearing, it was a complete fabrication. Flash has not yet made it to the iPhone solely due to business negotiations. As we said, it is now on it's way!"

According to the site, Flash integration may even be introduced as soon as the end of February, which should coincide with the release of the Apple iPhone SDK. Again, we'll believe it when we see it.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

xperia-1_w606.jpg

Today yet another challenger to the iPhone has come to the table, this time from electronics giant and cell phone veteran Sony Ericsson. Much like the iPhone this phone has a touch screen interface, however it has an 800 X 480 resolution.

In a nutshell, the X1's specs include: Quad-band EDGE plus quad-band HSDPA 7.2 with HSUPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 3.2-megapixel camera with DVD quality video playback and capture, FM radio and Bluetooth stereo. It includes a powerful 520-MHz ARM11 processor, but the downside is that it runs Windows Mobile 6. Oh yah, and it has a keyboard.

We think that this phone is cool hardware wise, but we know that the magic is in the software...let's see what Sony Ericsson can do...Hang on to your hats, the competition is going to get heavy.


Apple used Facebook on iPhone to get Teens interested

I have a feeling that Facebook has eclipsed MySpace in the social net game and my belief was strengthened last night when I saw that Apple has begun airing iPhone commercials touting Facebook's iPhone interface.

"If you love Facebook so much that you check it every time that you're at the computer, just think about how great it would be to check it every time you're nowhere near your computer. Right on your phone."

I contend this is probably the truth with high school kids since all of the ones I've seen with wireless laptops are constantly on Facebook or some other gaming site!

Check out Apple's ad with Facebook site here.

iPhone 16GB and iPod Touch 32GB announced!

Well just like I predicted, here they are!

iphone 16GBipodtouch 32gb

Today Apple announced the arrival of the iPhone 16BG model and iPod Touch 32GB model.

The iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model selling for $499, and the 8GB model for $399. A bit unexpected for some, theiPod touch now comes in a 32GB model for $499, along with the already available 16GB model for $399 and the 8GB model for $299. We have a feeling the 8GB model will stay for 6 months more before they kill it when they offer a 64GB iPod Touch our a completely new model before the Christmas / Holiday season.

"For some users, there's never enough memory," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. "Now people can enjoy even more of their music, photos and videos on the most revolutionary mobile phone and best Wi-Fi mobile device in the world."

Both iPhone 16BG and iPod Touch 32GB are available immediately in Apple Retail outlets and online.


Does Garmin have a true iPhone Rival with nüvifone?

Garmin NüvifoneWatch out for Garmin's new iPhone rival known as nüvifone! Known best for its GPS mapping gizmos, Garmin held a press conference this past Wednesday that showcased how they will be getting into the cell phone market.

Dubbed the nüvifone, it actually may look familiar to iPhone users since it has the same sized touchscreen display and form factor and it's used as the sole controls for the phone. Just like the iPhone, the only other controls are Power and Volume. The nüvifone will feature Wi-FI, ACC/MP3 audio, MPEG-4 Video and a web browser. Sound familiar?

Now why would anyone buy this over an iPhone from Apple? Garmin is betting that folks would rather have one thing that the iPhone doesn't: a true GPS unit built in.While the iPhone software update has triangulation software built in to give an estimate to where the user is, there is no true GPS for the current crop of iPhones. The Garmin version will work in Ameria and Europe and have a true GPS receiver built right in that will be able to communicate with Google for further information. The built in camera will geotag all photos captured.

There are a few other things that Garmin's Nüvifone has that the iPhone doesn't: video capture, faster 3G cellular internet, MMS messaging for sending photos and videos to other cell phones.

John Gruber of DaringFireball originally was excitied about the idea of a true competitor to the iPhone but upon close examination of their screenshot gallery had this to say:

"Upon further examination, I'm getting a much stronger vaporware vibe from this. For something due by September, they're awfully short on details. Their screenshot gallery is entirely comprised of mockups, not actual screenshots or photos from an actual prototype. (Unless the Nüviphone is going to pack a 1400 × 795 display, which is pretty unlikely.) When Apple pre-announced the iPhone six months in advance, they had real screenshots and actual prototype hardware. No word at all on how you type, what OS the device is using, Mac/PC connectivity or synching, or what rendering engine the web browser users. Whole things smells less-than-half-baked. Update: Engadget has "hands-on" photos, but none with the prototype turned, you know, on.

Garmin also seems to be implicitly encouraging direct comparison to the iPhone and Apple: the hardware is obviously iPhone-esque; the screenshot mockups are entirely set in Myriad (the iPhone uses Helvetica, of course, but Myriad is Apple's branding font); and even the name, "Nüvifone", contains the substring "ifone"."

In my mind, Garmin's Nüvifone will have to catch up to whatever Apple has ALREADY got in the bag for iPhone v2.0 and other iPhone related products. The Nüvifone may attract some that want a different phone, but I'm confident that iPhone 2 will simply be the next revolutionary version of the iPhone and will send Garmin back to the drawing board again.



Campfire Optimized for iPhone

Some fantastic news for those of you who use 37signals Campfire web app!

"Today we officially announce that Campfire has been optimized for the iPhone. Just visit your Campfire site with Safari on the iPhone and you'll automatically see the iPhone optimized version.

To scroll back through the transcript you'll need to use the two-finger scroll technique as illustrated below:"
campfire-iphone-scroll.jpg
Campfire is a great chat tool and now that it's optimized for the iPhone, it might currently be one of the best out there! Read the blog entry here.

Will Motorola Leave the Cell phone Market?

Is Motorola leaving the cell phone business for good? According to research by a Nomura investment analyst in a report published by AppleInsider, it might be true.

While another story circulating states that Apple may have a hard road to selling 10 million iPhones, Motorola is having an even harder time in the marketplace.

"Motorola is already said to be suffering, and in the fourth calendar quarter of 2007 reported a 38 percent drop in its mobile device sales compared to the same period a year ago -- a stark contrast to an industry widely agreed to be growing over time. The departure of Ed Zander from Motorola's chief executive spot in mid-quarter is understood to have been partly driven by the increasingly poor results.

Most of the reasons behind the plummeting welfare of the Motorola division are understood to stem from its emphasis on individual devices. By ignoring software and the platform as a whole, Motorola has essentially given Nokia a two-year lead..."
One thing is certain, each time I look at someone using a Razr I feel sorry for them. While it might have a sleek outer shell and cool design, the OS that runs the phone is so antiquated and lacking and hasn't been changed significantly in years.

I don't miss my Razr, but if Motorola leaves the cell market, I wonder what will happen?

LISTEN to your favorite News and Blogs on the iPhone

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PimpMyNews has released a very cool iPhone app that allows you to LISTEN to your favorite new and blogs via the iPhone!

PimpMyNews instantly converts the web's top text news and blog sites to audio that you can listen to online, or on-the-go on your iPhone, iPod, or any MP3 player. It keeps you current, saves time, and lets you listen to the best blogs from the web anytime, anywhere (in the car, the gym, etc).

Simply create your own personalized account at PimpMyNews.com then access your account via the iPhone or iPod Touch at http://www.PimpMyNews.com/m and you're on your way to LISTENING to your favorite websites!

 

Tabulate - Bookmarklet for the iPhone

Tabulate
The folks over at Inventive Labs have created Tabulate: a bookmarklet for the iPhone. What's the big deal about it? Well Tabulate brings the convenience of 'open in new tab' to Safari on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Using a cool looking hovering widget that you invoke from the bookmarks menu, Tabulate works it's magic! There is also an option of queueing up several links to open in new tabs with just one click.

You're just gonna have to try this out yourself to understand how cool it is. And no, you won't have to jailbreak your iPhone to use Tabulate! It's a bookmarklet after all!

Deep inside of iPhone firmware 1.1.3

iPhone hacker extraordinary, Nate True was taking a look around inside of the latest iPhone firmware 1.1.3 and found some interesting things:
  • SpringBoard no longer needs to be modified (via SummerBoard) in order to show extra applications in the /Applications folder.
  • All applications now run as the user 'mobile' instead of as root.
  • Preferences are now stored in /var/mobile rather than in /var/root.
What does this mean to you and me in laymans terms?

AT&T introduces iPhone Business Plans

Today AT&T introduced Business plans for the iPhone. This is great news for everyone who has been waiting a long time for this. Wonder what took them so long?

  • Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone 200: 200 SMS, Domestic Data (web/email), Visual Voicemail, $45/month.
  • Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone 1500: 1500 SMS, Domestic Data (web/email), Visual Voicemail, $55/month.
  • Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone Unlimited: Unlimited SMS, Domestic Data (web/email), Visual Voicemail, $65/month.
If you travel internationally, a Data Global Add-On for iPhone may be purchased in addition to an Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone.

  • 20MB Data Global plan (20MB of usage within 29 countries) for $24.99 per month.
  • 50MB Data Global plan (50MB of usage within 29 countries) for $59.99 per month.
More details located here: AT&T Business Plans for iPhone

iPhone 1.1.3 Jailbroken: requires hardware modification?

Over the weekend, we heard and read rumors of the iPhone firmware update being jailbroken. Then we saw the YouTube Video. Then we heard the bad news: You have to modify your iPhone hardware to get this to work. Um...no thanks!



So what's next? Well, instead of jailbreaking, we'll just wait for the iPhone / iPod Touch SDK due out at the end of next month.

Google warns of Issues with Gmail and iPhone Software update 1.1.3

Google has a warning out for those of you who are using Gmail on the iPhone along with iPhone software update 1.1.3:

via MacNN:
The company says that if users setup mail on their iPhones simply by tapping the "Gmail" icon, the v1.1.3 upgrade will convert access from POP to IMAP. The result is that messages read on an iPhone will also appear as read in the Gmail web interface and any deletions will move messages to the web Trash bin, where they will be permanently deleted after 30 days.

You can always manually configure Gmail's IMAP or revert to POP.

The change is just one of many changes that Google made to Gmail this week. Other changes include: automatic refreshing and contact completion on the iPhone. On regular gmail:  expanded chat, the ability to integrate non-Google e-mail accounts and larger attachment limits.

Hands on: iPhone 1.1.3

We were going to spend some time last night writing a hands on with iPhone Software Update 1.1.3 but MacNN already did one and their is pretty good, so we'll just refer you all to them.

They cover everything I was going to cover: new maps, auto locate feature, multiple SMS, and new home page configuration and arrangement! Way cool!

Read more here.

Make a Webclips icon for your website

Cool tip we found this evening: If you do the following steps, you can have a default webclip icon for your website when anyone saves it to their iPhone:

  • Create a 57x57 PNG.
  • Name the png "apple-touch-icon.png"
  • Put it in the root folder of your website
We found the information on Apple's iPhone Dev Center. Read more under Create a WebClip Bookmark Icon.

iTunes 7.6 adds ability to Manually Manage Music

iTunes 7.6 finally brings to iPhone owners what almost all iPods take for granted: the ability to manually manage music! To do this, simply check off Manually manage music and videos in iTunes when you connect your iPhone.

manualmanage.jpgYes now you can drag and drop music into your iPhone, but it seems like you cannot do this for any type of podcast. Podcasts are still managed by syncing with iTunes.












iPod Touch Software updates

iPod Touch owners shouldn't feel left out! Steve Jobs introduced 5 "new" apps for the iPod Touch, affectionately known as the iTouch:
  • Maps
  • Mail
  • Notes
  • Stocks
  • Weather
Basically all the apps you'd get on the iPhone! But theres a catch! It'll cost $20 to get these apps unless you buy a "new" iPod touch. Not a bad deal for these apps though I'd say.

We believe Apple is doing this to test out their upcoming Apple iPhone/iPod touch software distribution system via iTunes.

To download the software click here. (we just tried it but got an error. Apple may be working on the problem or the iTunes server is overloaded)


iPhone 1.1.3 is here!

Checked iTunes and it's available now!

Weighing in at 162.1 megs... it's downloading for me now!

Start your download engines!

iPhone Software Update 1.1.3 Soon.....

Well the cat's out and it was for real.. iPhone Software update 1.1.3 will be released sometime today. So far no updates from iTunes as of yet...

New iPhone 1.1.3 features:
  • Enhanced Maps
  • Rearrange icons on your home screen
  • Make WebClips of your favorite websites
  • SMS multiple recipients
  • Chapters for video
  • Karaoke mode and available lyrics
Hang tight!

Something's in the Air... maybe MacBook Air?

What could possibly be in the air?

That's what signs are saying up at Macworld Expo going on today. Active readers in the Mac community did a little sleuthing over the weekend and found that the domain name "macbookair.com" as well as the .org, .us, .biz, and .net were all registered to a company living at 1 Infinite Loop... hmmmm.

What if there IS  a MacBook Air coming out tomorrow? What will it do? Perhaps a wireless feature to use the iPhone as a modem to get wireless signal anywhere? We'll just have to wait and see...

iPhone: The untold story

Wired has a fantastic piece on what it took to make the iPhone, and how the iPhone is changing the landscape of the cellphone industry. It's an inside look at a secretive company and their goal of changing the world with a device that broke all the rules.

An excerpt:
"Through it all, Jobs maintained the highest level of secrecy. Internally, the project was known as P2, short for Purple 2 (the abandoned iPod phone was called Purple 1). Teams were split up and scattered across Apple's Cupertino, California, campus. Whenever Apple executives traveled to Cingular, they registered as employees of Infineon, the company Apple was using to make the phone's transmitter. Even the iPhone's hardware and software teams were kept apart: Hardware engineers worked on circuitry that was loaded with fake software, while software engineers worked off circuit boards sitting in wooden boxes. By January 2007, when Jobs announced the iPhone at Macworld, only 30 or so of the most senior people on the project had seen it."

Overall a great read for any Apple iPhone fan, and of course, that means you since your're reading this blog right?

Read The Untold Story: How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry

First Trojan Found for the iPhone

So it's finally happened. A trojan horse piece of software has been found out in the wild by Modmyiphone enthusiast forum and then confirmed by security research company F-secure.

The trojan will only affect jailbroken iPhones, so those of you who haven't jailbroken your iPhone have nothing to worry about.

According to the forum, the application masquerades itself as an update to Erica's Utilities and is labeled as "113 prep." When loaded all the app does is display the word "shoes." But after uninstalling the app, it removes files from the /bin directory on the iPhone, breaking valid apps that were installed on the jailbroken phone.

Reportedly, F-Secure said that it was an 11-year-old child playing with XML files who created the Trojan.

This trojan may have been harmless, but no telling what could happen if some malicious hacker decided to try out a few things right?

While we don't want to bash anyone who has jailbroken their iPhone, we do want to mention that you really don't know the people on the other end who are making these applications. Using a third party installer app like AppTap doesn't give you security that you might think it does.

Our advice is to wait for the official Apple SDK and official Apple distribution method before installing third party apps on your iPhone. You have been warned.

Will iPhone 1.1.3 firmware update break hacks again?

With news of the impending iPhone 1.1.3 firmware update arriving soon, the hacker community as well as those who have jailbroken their phones to install third-party software is up in arms.  It seems that the rumored version 1.1.3 update will once again break hacks that worked with the previous firmware according to people who have access to the new firmware.

Hacker "Natetrue", who also created the app "iBrickr", says that iPhone update version 1.1.3 disables both unlocks and third-party software. Most notably broken are any software that tries to unlock the iPhone such as AnySIM 1.2u, although iPhoneSIMFree and TurboSIM techniques have not been tried with the new firmware yet.

According to "Natetrue", Apple has patch a lot of vulnerabilities in the new firmware update. How did "Natetrue" get a copy of the firmware? Well it seems that it was leaked by someone in the inside who wanted to give hackers a head start on unlocking it.

We've been reading many comments on this story on other iPhone sites and think it's funny how so many people who have unlocked their iPhone or even jailbroken their iPhone are up in arms. Relax folks. If you like your jailbroken iPhone or your unlocked iPhone, we said it once before and we'll say it again... just don't upgrade to the latest firmware. Apple is doing what Apple should: protecting it's assets from vulnerabilities. If you don't like it, don't upgrade!

I for one haven't Jailbroken the iPhone since the first firmware update. Heres hoping for that new iPhone firmware 1.1.3 soon! What a way to start the new year!

iPhone 1.1.3 update imminent

Various rumor websites around the 'net have been reporting that iPhone update 1.1.3 is just around the corner. The origin of these stories seem to come from a site called GearLive which is not usually known for news such as this but the iPhone sites have nonetheless jumped on the bandwagon.

A lot of features that users have been requesting are now a part of the new update. For example, there are screenshots of the following new features:

- The ability to Edit Home Screen
- Dragging icons around with your finger
- Activation of "Locate Me" (pseudo-GPS) with Google Maps
- More screenshots of Locate Me
- Sending SMS to multiple people
- And finally, adding Safari Bookmarks to your Home Screen (example)

Right now, GearLive is taking a hammering (server wise), but the here's some links to the story and the gallery if you are able to get into the site.

Pretty exciting stuff if you ask me, This would be a great new year's present. I don't think I can wait for MacWorld.

Enjoy!


Update: Johnappleseed posted a gallery on his flickr site, it is way less congested than the GearLive site.

Breaking News: Jobs to unveil slimmer Macs and upgraded iPhone

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News and gossip this morning claims that Steve Jobs will unveil new slimmer Mac Portables and an upgraded iPhone.

According to a Bloomberg report it seems that the possibility of a slimmed down, ultra portable Mac will show up at MacWorld 2008 is pretty good. The report quotes a bunch of analyst for different firms with their takes on what will appear at MacWorld this coming year.

Analyst citing sources in Asia that supply Apple's assembly plants have said the sub-compact notebook will feature an 11-13" display.

Also on the list for an appearance: an "upgraded" iPhone with 16 gigabytes of memory is a high possibility. We think this is true. All you need to do is look at Apple's history when it comes to doing announcements and feature upgrades. It's quite rare that the upgrade doesn't come before the updated or new model. This will most likely hold true for the iPhone as well.

No one knows what else Steve might pull out of his Mac, but chances are, there'll be at least one more thing we're not expecting or aware of. New Apple TV? Music an Movie subscription service? Content deals? Who knows!

From all of us at iPhoneNewsBlog.com, Have a safe and Merry Christmas!

iPhone vs. Blackberry, iPhone wins in Consumer Reports Issue

We were at the local Costco and spotted the latest Consumer Reports issue for January 2008 was on the stand. Inside they did a comparison of smart phones. They put the Blackberry Curve up against the iPhone and the iPhone scored a 64 while the Blackberry Curve scored a 61.

How did the iPhone win in this comparison? The magazine gave kudos to Apple's longer 8.25 hours of call time in testing versus the Blackberry Curve's 6.25 hours. They also liked the fact that the iPhone was easier to synchronize with your computer.

But what about the Blackberry's killer function... push email? Consumer Reports said that the iPhone has a stronger email client, which I tend to agree. I love being able to just get email from any or all of my accounts whether IMAP or POP on the iPhone.

Of course this is all preaching to the chior to us.

iPhone vs. Blackberry, iPhone wins in Consumer Reports Issue

We were at the local Costco and spotted the latest Consumer Reports issue for January 2008 was on the stand. Inside they did a comparison of smart phones. They put the Blackberry Curve up against the iPhone and the iPhone scored a 64 while the Blackberry Curve scored a 61.

How did the iPhone win in this comparison? The magazine gave kudos to Apple's longer 8.25 hours of call time in testing versus the Blackberry Curve's 6.25 hours. They also liked the fact that the iPhone was easier to synchronize with your computer.

But what about the Blackberry's killer function... push email? Consumer Reports said that the iPhone has a stronger email client, which I tend to agree. I love being able to just get email from any or all of my accounts whether IMAP or POP on the iPhone.

Of course this is all preaching to the chior to us.

Apple overtaking Windows Mobile already???

In less than 1 year since its introduction, a report from Canalys says that the iPhone has overtaken Windows Mobile phones. So far, the study goes on to say that iPhones claim about 27% of the market which is slightly ahead of the Windows Mobile, but still far behind RIM and their Blackberry platform...

Not standing still, Microsoft has vowed to add iPhone-like features to its next update to Windows Mobile 7. When will this blatant copying end???

Apple supports user created ringtones

A Apple Support Document released today shows you how to create custom ringtones for your iPhone using GarageBand 4.1.1!

From the document: To create a custom ringtone:
  1. Set up a cycle region that covers the area you wish to use in the GarageBand song. Note: This area must be 40 seconds or less in length.
  2. Once the cycle area has been set, choose Share > Send Ringtone to iTunes.
In other words, the last firmware update allowing you to put your user made ringtones into your iPhone wasn't a fluke at all. Who knows why Apple is allowing this now? All we can say is, right on Apple. This was the right thing to do!

Video recording now a reality

Our friends over at Monster and Friends have found a way to record video on the iPhone. Right now, the program is  still in VERY early development and is only able to record for 10 second bursts. The programmers feel that they will be able to record at 45 fps and should be able to record for longer sessions once they optimize the code.

To install this application, your phone must be jail broken. February can't come any sooner!

Watch below for a quick demonstration of how the program works and you'll notice that it doesn't really have any interface and just loops in record and playback mode.


Second Generation iPhone Almost complete

Researchers over at Goldman Sachs have been mighty busy this holiday season. According to the researchers, Apple is in the final stages of producing the next generation iPhone which should debut mid-year as well as "a smaller upgrade with more flash memory" version earlier in the year.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Apple was already hard at work on iPhone version 2.0 as soon as the iPhone was released. Looking at Apple's past release history it shouldn't be surprising to see the next gen announced sometime during the summer of 2008. I expect to see a "refresh" or upgrade to the iPhone in March or April. This is probably the iPhone you'll want to look at but not purchase since 3 months from that time iPhone v. 2.0 will probably be released.

iPhone 2.0 will of course have 3G but will probably retain most of it's design with a few modifications. Apple will gain momentum when they release the SDK for iPhone in February, which is why I suspect a "refresh" iPhone with more memory in March to coincide with the need for more space.

Read more about Goldman Sachs findings here.

More Speed Tests: iPhone vs. EVDO

In this particular video, the iPhone goes head to head with a Treo on Sprint's EVDO 3g network. To even it up, he clears the cache of both phone web browsers. For those of you who can't wait to find out what the results are... the iPhone is just as fast as the Palm Treo on Sprint on EVDO.


iPhone Edge vs. Nokia E61i on 3G network

Here's a great example of the iPhone on the EDGE network kicking the pants off of a Nokia E61i on the 3G network. Besides the fact that Nokia is slow regardless of 3G or not, the Nokia doesn't have great browser rendering the way mobile Safari on the iPhone does. Simply amazing. Enjoy!

JahJah v2.0 available

JahJah recently released JahJah v2.0. For those of you who don't know what JahJah is, the service basically let's you place international calls from your iPhone for a low rate. The good news is that there is no need to install any software or jailbreak your iPhone.

For more information, visit http://www.jajah.com or on your iPhone at http://iphone.jajah.com.

Google Releases Application for iPhone

Google (GOOG) has released a unified web application that combines search,  mail, calendar and rss reader for the iPhone. No jailbreak required for this app! Simply navigate Mobile Safari on your iPhone to http://google.com/ to access all the Google apps in one place.

This comes on the heels of their updated RSS news reader, email and calendar apps for the iPhone. It only makes sense that they'd integrate them all via a clean interface made for the iPhone.

Any user can switch out of iPhone mode to "Classic" mode by choosing the link at the bottom of the page for each application.


Select Developers get SDK access early?

Electronista is reporting that some select developers have gotten the iPhone SDK early. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen but we suspect it's probably true.

From Electronista
A handful of companies are said to be getting rough versions of the tools to help code more advanced applications than would be possible with the current web-only solution. Exact details of what the kit allows are unknown, though it is confirmed that it produces native programs and somewhat resembles Google's OpenSocial in that it mediates between the programmer and the iPhone operating system.

Read the article here.

Greg Joswiak talks iPhone SDK and other stuff too

Fortune has a great interview with Greg Koswiak, Apple iPod and iPhone marketing chief. The interview covers all of the iPods, including the iPhone. There are some juicy things said about the Apple iPhone SDK and what Apple is trying to do with the SDK, namely digital signatures.

I think the software development kit (SDK) that’s going to be available for the iPhone is very interesting, because we think that with the revolutionary multi-touch interface and the phenomenal product that the iPhone is, and certainly having OS X underneath it, that it’s going to be an unbelievable platform for developers.

Of course what we want to make sure we’ve done is keep the phone safe and reliable, and that’s why it’s taken us a little while to get this SDK out. Especially now that we’ll have a real SDK which means legitimate developers are going to come into the space. There are all kinds of fantastic and great things that they’re going to do.


on digital signatures with iPhone SDK


One of the things Steve talked about in his open letter is something Nokia’s doing, which is requiring a digital signature. That way if there’s something wrong with an application, you have a way to track it back to where it came from. So one of the things we want to do, again, is create a development environment that is going to maintain the security and reliability of the iPhone yet at the same time offer developers some really cool things that we can do.

on the future of software on iPhone and iPod Touch

Developers see the opportunity already. You only have to look and see how many were creating iPhone applications without permission, when they actually had to break it, as it were, to do it. I think that was a good indication as to how much the developer community loves the iPhone, how much they see an opportunity to create great things. With the SDK, I think it’s going to bring more legitimate developers into it, as well as having the grassroots, small developers, which I think is awesome. Sometimes these one- or two-person teams have created the most dramatic things.




Read the full interview here.

Is Apple tracking you by IMEI?

Is Apple tracking you via your IMEI number? Thats what the hacker community is thinking ever since they discovered that Apple is embedding your IMEI number in the Stocks and Weather applications.

An IMEI number is a number that each phone has. This is not unique to the iPhone and is actually something that all GSM phones have. This unique number is the way phone networks identify you and your phone as a customer.

Should you be worried? In my opinion, no. Apple is probably using this as a way to keep non-iPhone authorized applications from using the data feed in the Weather and Stocks widgets/applications. However, until Apple says anything, feel free to remain suspicious. I'll keep using my iPhone as usual.

iPhone Update 1.1.2 Officially released via iTunes

Apple finally released iPhone update 1.1.2 via iTunes. Others who have already updated their phones have reported numerous interesting things about the update, including the fact that non-iTunes ringtones are back again. Others have reported louder speakerphone and some said that the update increased their AT&T signal. Others have reported crashes and other problems.

Read this discussion over at the Apple Discussion forums here.

We're downloading and installing the update right now and we'll let you know what we find.

3:19 pm - Software downloaded. Installing now.
3:23pm - Still updating firmware. Silver Apple and spinny wheel thing.
3:25pm - iPhone has been updated. Now I see the connect to iTunes icon and the languages all flashed in the slide for emergency. Unplugged iPhone from connector and replugged in. iPhone is now activating. It's now activated.
3:27pm - iPhone updated to 1.1.2 (3B48b)
3:32pm - iPhone speaker is a bit louder and clearer or it might just be my imagination.
3:44pm - Just added my own ringtones to the iPhone. Why does this work again? I just don't get it!

Other than what was mentioned above, I couldn't find anything else that was very obvious in this update. So far, Mobile Safari has been good to me, so no complaints there. Let's hope the crashing I encountered in 1.1.1 won't show up again in 1.1.2.


Apple Releases iPhone 1.1.2 update

UPDATE: Maybe Apple didn't let it loose yet. Seems like only a few people have it and they got it via this link. It doesn't appear in iTunes, at least not yet.

Tonight Apple released iPhone 1.1.2 update. We haven't installed this yet but will in a few minutes. So far TUAW is reporting that it un-jailbreaks the phone but leaves stuff that you installed where it is, you're just unable to access it. If you're hoping to hang on to your third party apps, don't do this upgrade yet.

BTW: A friend just checked for the firmware upgrade via iTunes and noticed that it said his iPhone was up to date. We think it's because he hasn't updated to the latest iTunes and is still on version 7.


Google Mobile applications coming in 2008

Google officially announced today that they are developing a free software package for cell phones. Free with Google means that it's another platform for them to sell ads and services on.

This shouldn't be viewed as Google's answer to Apple's iPhone. For those of you waiting for the "G-Phone", you shouldn't hold your breath. Google isn't creating a handset at all. What they have done instead is work with four cell phone manufacturers who have agreed to use Google's software applications on the handsets. Motorolla, Samsung, HTC and LG Electronics are all on board and have agreed to put the software on some of their phones.

For those of you thinking Googles applications will work on your current phone, we're sorry to report that you'll need to buy a new phone to run these applications. Furthermore, the software won't be available until the second half of 2008.

We'll soon see the fruits of Android, the company Google purchased in 2005.

Last Chance! Win a FREE 4GB iPhone!

4GB-iPhone-Giveaway-large.gif
The month is flying by! Don't let this chance pass you by! If you haven't entered our 4GB iPhone giveaway yet, you better do it today! That's right, this month we're giving away a brand new 4GB iPhone. Yes a FREE iPhone! Simply sign-up for our newsletter below and you'll be entered to win! We'll draw the lucky winner on October 31, 2007. The winner will be notified by email. No purchase necessary! One entry per person please!


iPhone News Blog Newsletter Signup
Name:
Email Address:
Official Rules: No purchase necessary to play. One entry per valid email address. Winner will be chosen at random on October 31, 2007.

iPhone Revirginizer

The iPhone Elite folks have released a tool that is supposed to rebuild your iPhone's seczon lock table (the one that holds the unlock info for your phone). They call it revirginizer. Supposedly this will return your phone to it's pre-unlocked state so you can safely upgrade to 1.1.1.

If you're in that boat of folks with a bricked iPhone, this may be your lucky ticket out of that mess. As always, we say be cautious when using any third party "hack". I'd check the net for updates and comments on if it works or not before trying it out, even on a bricked iPhone.

Unofficial FAQ on Upcoming iPhone SDK (Software Development Kit)

Erica Sadun has put together an unofficial FAQ about Apple's upcoming iPhone SDK.  Although it's kinda sparse (c'mon it is unofficial) she does go over some basic questions folks might have about the SDK.

Since there's an official iPhone SDK coming for the iPhone and iPod touch, we highly recommend that you don't jailbreak your iPhone or iPod Touch. The jailbreak currently uses an EXPLOIT and will surely cause heartbreak/sadness/anger, etc when Apple plugs the hole in the next Firmware update.

Apple to allow third-party NATIVE iPhone Applications in February

Yes you read that right! Apple will allow NATIVE third party apps to live on the iPhone!

Apple Inc. (AAPL) CEO, Steve Jobs wrote today in the Apple.com Hot News Section:

Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.

Steve went on to say that they are taking their time creating the SDK because they want to do it the right way:

It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones—this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.

This is going just as we predicted. Patience is what will pay off. Again, I think many of you out there should play it safe and wait for the official SDK that will verify applications and allow true authentication of applications via Apple's mechanism rather than jailbreak your precious iPhone.

And just in case you thought the iPod Touch was going to be left out, Steve added:

P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch.

iPod Touch running Mail, and other apps

Those iPhone and iPod Touch folks have decrypted the ramdisk and are now installing apps on the iPod Touch, engadget reports. Go to their site for more details and some screenshots as well.

WebApp directory appears on Apple.com

Today Apple Inc. (AAPL) debuted their Web apps page with a lot of great sites to visit that are tailored to the iPhone!  They've also released a guide to developing web apps, as well as a way to submit your web app to be featured.

Don't know what a web app is? Check out Apple's page describing what web apps are and how to get started making your own.

iPhone SIM Free releases 1.1.1 SIM Unlock

iPhoneSIMFree, the guys who unlocked and possibly bricked more than a few iPhones have released another hack to SIM Unlock the 1.1.1 version of the iPhone software. They also believe that their new software will restore and repair bricked iPhones.

From their site:
This now means that SimFree v1.6 release, is now capable of completely restoring/repairing software unlocked "bricked" iPhone

Will you trust them the second time around? Once bitten, twice....

We won't do this to any of our iPhones but feel free to try and report back! iPhoneSIMFree costs about $60 - $100 depending on where you get it from.

iPhone News Shorts

Apple using iPhone Software 1.1.2
TUAW is reporting that iPhones are running 1.1.2 firmware in the UK during Apple training sessions.

Apple to launch official iPhone web app directory
It will have the same submission process as Apple's Dashboard widgets. We'll see if this pans out or not.

The other side of iPhone security
Interesting article. Talks about the fact that the iPhone runs on OS X and what the iPhone hackers have done is expose vulnerabilities and how eventually this will help tighten up security on OS X but may eventually mean more folks trying their best to break in.

3% of U.S. Teens Surveyed Already Own iPhone
Piper Jaffray's bi-annual survey of 980 American teenage buying patterns found that 3% own an iphone, 9% expect to buy one and 4.2% of 212 parent's surveyede own iPhone.

Want to sync more than 8 ringtones to your iPhone?

We think this might not be a bug... but rather someone at Apple didn't think anyone would purchase more thean 8 ringtones. Apparently if you try to sync more than 8 ringtones to your iPhone, iTunes just won't let you. This is why Apple has released this support doc describing a work around to get more than the allotted 8 ringtones onto your iPhone.

Here's what you have to do:

  1. Select iPhone in the source list in iTunes.
  2. Click the Summary tab and deselect "Automatically sync when this iPhone is connected.
  3. Click the Ringtones tab and select "Selected Ringtones."
  4. Select the ringtones you want to sync and then click Sync.

Almost there: Jailbreak on iPhone 1.1.1

Where theres a will theres a way? Seems that the iPhone/iTouch Dev Team (yes they've now combined forces... or maybe they are one and the same?) have finally managed to Jailbreak iPhone software update 1.1.1. So what does it mean for you, the daring iPhone hacker? Not much just yet.

Seems like Third-party apps kinda run but probably a lot of them have to be compiled for the new framework. Springboard, the finder like app that allows you to switch applications, seems to have a locked down list of applications it's allowed to show. And of course since its a preliminary release, a few more things that are broken which you can read about here. I guess the good news is that Mobile Terminal App works as well as the entire BSD suite too.

We're gonna say this again: On this end, we'll be patient and just wait it out until Apple allows third party apps on the iPhone. We're not sure if we're willing to jailbreak the iPhone with the risk of bricking or messing up the firmware and having the iPhone not work the way it should. In this writers opinion, there wasn't anything on the third-party that I cannot live without just yet. SURE it was nice to rearrange my springboard and change the background, but other than that, I can't think of an application that was so good that I'm missing right now. However I do wish the iPhone/iTouch dev team luck and we'll be watching from the sidelines!

If you jailbreak your iPhone and wish to blog about the experience, please contact us! Maybe you can write for the iPhoneNewsBlog!

iPhone News Shorts

'Brick' Enters Formal English Lexicon As Slang For A Useless iPhone
Yes, we've been guilty of using 'brick' as well. Probably from the days of modding the PSP. That got old real fast. An interesting article of how the word went mainstream.

iPhone 1.1.1 hack
Eric Sadun is liveblogging the attempt to duplicate a hack brought about by iPhone hackers "dinopio" and "Edgan".
By using symbolic links before doing a 1.1.1 upgrade, they were able to gain access to the entire 1.1.1 file tree. Says Sadun. So far it looks like she's been successful at getting to the directory structure and pulling out the iTunes Music Store. She tried the app on 1.0.2 but it didn't work. Good luck with hacking the 1.1.1, but I don't think we're going to touch it for fear of 'bricking' our iPhone when Apple's next update comes out!

10 percent of September iPhone sold for Unlock?
If this report is true, then thats great for Apple, bad for those looking to cash in on the unlocked phone. Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray estimates that as many as 100,000 iPhones were sold for unlock. Munster and his team spent 12 hours counting sales in Apple Stores in late September. Munster says the team noticed folks buying the maximum of 5 iPhones/customer which they believe were being purchased for unlock. Let's hope these folks don't all have bricks!

And if you do have a brick, don't forget you can win our brand new 4GB iPhone just by signing up for our newsletter here! The giveaway ends October 31, 2007 so sign up today!

iPhone Quick News

Downgrade your iPhone from 1.1.1 to 1.0.2
BOOM! It feels like I'm reliving the battle between Sony and PSP hackers. The iPhone Dev Team has come up with a way to downgrade your iPhone from 1.1.1 to 1.0.2. This still leaves the iPhone unable to use the phone part of it's name but it will allow you to use everything else as well as third party applications.

iPhone 1.1.1 has secret bug: Bluetooth streaming music
Seems like the iPhone's 1.1.1 update has an interesting bug in that it allows you to now send audio (yes music) over to your bluetooth headset. Unfortunately the audio is only in mono and the audio keeps playing out of the built in speaker as well. [via engadget]

Unlocking iPhone can cause permanent damage!

If you unlocked your iPhone, you may have done irreparable damage to your unit. Apple released this press release late today stating this for a fact.

CUPERTINO, Calif., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone's software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed. Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update, containing many new features including the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store (www.itunes.com), later this week. Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones. Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty. The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone's warranty.

© 2007 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPhone and iTunes are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

So far this has not been posted to www.apple.com/pr. [10:54am HST]

[Via Press Release]
also see:
http://prnewswire.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070924/aqm208.html?.v=5

iPhone Quick News

Sorry for the lack of updates! More coming soon... promise!

Apple iPhone invades Europe. Orange will get the iPhone in France (November), Tmobile gets iPhone in Germany.

Steve Jobs was subpoenaed by the SEC for deposition about options backdating. We're wondering if this is going to go well for Steve... Here's Fake Steve Jobs take on the situation:

What's really going on? It's like this. We threw Fred and Nancy under a bus, and said that I was completely innocent due to my utter ignorance of all things related to stock and money and finances. So the SEC says, Okay, well, Steve, then we'd like you to help us build our case against Nancy. How about you come in and answer some questions. Tell us all about how you knew nothing and it was all Nancy's idea. No problem if we put you under oath, right?

It's called a perjury trap. Oldest trick in the book. So how did I respond? That part I can't tell you. [via The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs]

Hackers / Developers are still having a hell of a time breaking into the iPod Touch. So far the future looks bleak as they haven't made much progress yet. We're hoping that this isn't the future for the iPhone as well when the next update hits. Some think that Apple may want to keep the iPod closed off to developers in order to create a sort-of iPhone is better notion, but we don't think so.

iPhone Quick News

Apple Inc (AAPL) announced today that the iPhone would be sold in the UK by O2 on November 9, 2007. The Apple iPhone UK webpage allows UK folks to sign-up to get info on the iPhone when it hits Europe. Steve Jobs, Apple CEO said it will offer the 8-gigabyte model for 269 pounds, or $536 -- or $139 more than what Apple charges in the U.S. Read more about Apple's UK iPhone announcement here.

After the announcement, Jobs fielded questions from reporters. Some of them concerned the iPhone being unlocked, Developers making third-party applications without Apple's approval, 3G iPhones and the possibility of Apple dropping the price 2 months after introduction at the UK.

iPhone being unlocked? Jobs said:
"This is constant cat-and-mouse game," he said of the ongoing attempts to untether the handset from its intended carriers. "[P]eople are going to try and break in and it's our job to try and stop them."

iPhone third party apps? Jobs said he is intrigued by a lot of the apps that are coming out and Apple is looking at them closely, especially those that don't require internet access.

3G iPhone? Job says they're waiting for a 3G chipset that won't kill battery life. (This is the same song and dance we've heard before).

via AppleInsider.

The iPod Touch is no where near being Jailbroken still. [via Erica Sadun @ TUAW]

FREE iPhone Unlock Software

Tonight, hot on the heels of iPhoneSIMfree, a group of iPhone hackers have duplicated the technique used by iPhoneSIMFree for unlocking the iPhone to run on any SIM card.

From the looks of it, this hack depends on a buffer overflow of sorts and we here at iPhoneNewsBlog.com all agree that this will probably break with the next iPhone upgrade. So do this at your own risk!

The hack involves uploading a few files to your iPhone and following step by step guide. You can download them here. The whole process looks easy enough if you are accustomed to using the terminal app, if you aren't then this might NOT be a good time to learn.

We haven't tried it out ourselves but please report your findings if you try it out! [via Macaper]

Hackers Beware... iTunes 7.4 breaks iPhone hacks

So you've updated to iTunes 7.4 and now you realize all of your hacks are broken. Yep, iTunes 7.4 "broke" many existing hacks... especially things that used jailbreak and ringtone installers.

The folks at Ambrosia Software are already at work on getting iToner back up and running. Ambrosia's Andrew Welch:

"We’re on it. Here’s what is happening. iTunes 7.4 thinks it is the sole entity that puts custom ringtones on your iPhone. As such whenever you sync (even if you aren’t using any ringtones from iTunes), it just blindly writes over the database of user-installed ringtones."

My favorite installer, Nullriver's AppTapp Installer.app is already updated to work with iTunes 7.4! Gotta hand it to these guys. Sometimes they release new updates 3 - 4 times in a day.

It seems like the new iTunes changes a few things in order to get ringtones to work. Devs are saying that anything in the iTunes folder on the iPhone is ruled by iTunes but putting ringtones into a ~/Library/Ringtones folder seems to solve the problem.

In any case, sit back and hang on tight or hold off on installing that new iTunes until the developers get a handle on whats going on with this new version.

Jobs says No to Early iPhone Adopters

USA Today asked Steve Jobs what he would say to customers who just bought a new iPhone for $599.

"If they bought it this morning, they should go back to where they bought it and talk to them," he said. "If they bought it a month ago, well, that's what happens in technology."

He added that Apple won't take a hit on costs by lowering the price by $200.

"We're in high-volume manufacturing, and we're pretty good on the costs side. We're also willing to be more aggressive. We think we have a real winner, and customers love the iPhone. The product's been extremely well accepted; we want to put the pedal to the metal. A holiday season is approaching; we'd have to wait another year for another one."

Many of the early iPhone adopters are outraged by the price drop and are fuming mad. The Apple Support forums are filled with hate threads and are being deleted by Apple.

Honestly folks, if you stood in line or bought the iPhone at $599, we hope you felt it was worth at least that before you opened your wallet. This is the price of technology and we don't think this will be the last time this happens. We're now awaiting the next iPhone lawsuit where someone claims that Apple is deceptive and demand a refund of $200 for every iPhone bought before September 5, 2007.



iPhone News Shorts

Today Apple released iTunes 4.7 for Mac and Windows

About iTunes 7.4 for Mac
With iTunes 7.4, sync your favorite music and more with the new iPod nano (third generation), iPod classic, and iPod touch, plus create custom ringtones exclusively for iPhone with many of your favorite songs purchased from the iTunes Store. You can now also play purchased videos with closed captioning (when available), easily rate your favorite albums from one to five stars, and watch videos at a larger size inside the iTunes window.

Angry iPhone Owners cry Foul
Some of you iPhone owners are raging mad that Apple lowered the price of the iPhone by $200. Seriously though, if you didn't think the iPhone was worth $600 when it came out, you shouldn't have bought it. If you bought the iPhone in the last 14 days, ESPECIALLY IF YOU BOUGHT A 4 GIG iPhone, go into an Apple Store TODAY and return your iPhone! You'll pay the 10% restocking fee but at least you'll get approx. $160 back in exchange. MacNN has full coverage about angry iPhone users here.

Apple iPhone Sales are Slow?
There are some articles we read through last night that claim that Apple must not be selling many iPhones, hence the price drop. Well ummm, I don't think so. Apple is set to sell their 1 millionth phone this month, and thats a pretty good number. I believe Apple had set the price of the iPhone higher than it's intended price because it could due to supply and demand. Apple isn't really lowering the price of the iPhone, rather they're selling it for the real price they intended to all along. It's just our opinion though.


New iPod Touch is the phoneless iPhone and iPhone Price CUT to $399

Steve Jobs today announced the iPod everyone's been waiting for... the iPod touch featuring the same wide screen and UI as the iPhone as well as Wi-Fi. The iPod Touch also has a Facebook app, YouTube and Safari built in.

He also announced that an iPhone update later this month will bring iTunes Wi-Fi Store to the iPhone so folks with an iPhone won't be left out.

Finally, Jobs announced that the 8gb iPhone is getting a price cut of $200 and will now be sold for $399. If that's not gonna get folks to buy an iPhone... who knows what will!

Unauthorized iPhones being sold in China

Apple's iPhone, although not yet released in Asia, is being sold there for twice as much as it's being sold here in the US... and the phone doesn't even receive calls!

Folks in China who are clamoring for the iPhone are said to be willing to lay out 8,800 yuan ($1,170 US) just to own the device. According to the electronics newspaper Dian Nao Bao, the phones are being sold in electronic markets in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

Apple is currently only selling the iPhone in the US and plans an official release in Asia sometime in 2008. Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said the company wasn't aware of specific reports of the iPhone being sold in China, but added that sales of the handset were not authorized by Apple.

[via AP]

iPhone Quick Links

Nokia iPhone? Yep. The best part is the quote from Anssi Vanjoki -- Nokia's Executive VP & General Manager of Multimedia who  said, "If there is something good in the world then we copy with pride." [via Engadget]
 Check this out!


Craig Hockenberry writes an article at A List Apart for designing web content for the iPhone. It's a good article and a must read for those just starting to make websites that style nicely for the iPhone.

Craig Hunter has a diddy titled iPhone web app development has its limitations in which the author talks about his dismay with the iPhone "web apps" and how it's not much different from the regular web.

According to AppleInsider, Apple has filed for a world patent on a customizable iPhone interface:


The patent appears to take a page from Jobs' keynote speech in January, pointing out the inherent need for a flexible touchscreen interface. Since the keys and screen on traditional cell phones are fixed in place, the interface can rarely change to accommodate new features; developers often have to add physical buttons or overload existing buttons with special features, the patent explains. In return, users often can't change the interface themselves to fit their own expectations, typically forcing them to memorize obscure commands.

Apple's solution would rely heavily -- but not necessarily -- on a touchscreen interface virtually identical to that of the iPhone. By dragging an on-screen icon with a finger or stylus, users could either move icons to a static tray on the screen, replacing an earlier icon, or shift them around in their existing sections. In that latter case, neighboring icons could move aside gracefully to reorder the interface on the fly and make it clear where an icon will land when the user lifts their pointing device.


And for those of you who've been away (like us), Apple is holding a "Special Event" on September 5th. This special media event is rumored to introduce new iPods that are based on Mac OS X. Apple's event is scheduled to take place at the Moscone West in San Francisco on September 5 at 10:00 a.m.

QuickNews: Nintendo on iPhone, iPhone Recording app, Media Temple Account Center on iPhone

So now you can play Nintendo games on your iPhone... if you've hacked your iPhone that is. Get the hacker NES stuff here.

Erica Sadun over at TUAW has been hard at work hacking together "real" apps for the iPhone... even without an iPhone SDK. Just sheer brute force and determination and she's already created a voice recording app!

ipemailfinala_05.jpg


(mt) Media Temple (where iPhoneNewsBlog.com is hosted) now has full access control via iPhone!
From press email:
(mt) Media Temple is proud to introduce the world's first iPhone web hosting control panel. Buy a domain, reboot your server, add emails, pay your bill, get support and more - all from your iPhone, only at (mt).

We haven't tried it yet but the interface looks awesome! Learn more about Media Temple and the iPhone interface Account Center here.

Another iPhone lawsuit

Another iPhone lawsuit has been filed. This time a small Florida based firm is suing Apple Inc. (AAPL) saying that the on screen touch keyboard infringes on their patent.

From AppleInsider:
The 7-year-old filing describes a "method of providing a user interface for receiving information from a user using a user immutable graphical keyboard linked to an input area, [...] invoking the graphical keyboard on a touch screen display to receive input from a user, and [...] maintaining the graphical keyboard on the touch screen display such that the user cannot move, resize, remove, or close the graphical keyboard through the user interface while the input area remains and requires input."

iPhone Update 1.0.1

Apple (AAPL) today released iPhone Update 1.0.1. Open up iTunes and attempt to sync your iPhone to get the update started. I'm on a business trip so I haven't had a chance to update my iPhone just yet, but maybe you could post here and let us know it's been working for you if you've done the update.

Read about the security patches the iPhone Update 1.0.1 brings here in this Apple Tech note.

So far, from what we gather, there aren't any apparent updates in this release. It seems to be merely a security patch for various vulnerabilities.

Has your iPhone AC Adapter Failed?

During my stay in San Francisco last week, my iPhone AC Adapter started going wonky. At first I thought it was the USB cord, so I did my usually troubleshooting routine by swapping it our of the AC brick and then plugging it into the laptops USB connector. Doing that charged the iPhone. Using the brick did nothing. No chime or batter charging display.

I took the brick with me to the downtown San Francisco Apple Store and had a genius check it out. Strangely, the Brick worked with no problem. We plugged in my iPhone and it worked! The genius seemed troubled because I told him the steps that I did to recreate the problem, yet it showed no evidence of being broken at the store. To be safe he swapped it out with a new one which he tested and was sure it worked. We were out of the store in 10 minutes.

Now we're reading reports across the net about others having the same problem. Has your iPhone brick stopped working or become intermittant? In any case, it seems like Apple will replace it fairly easily.

Let us know!

Hack leaves iPhone vulnerable?

UPDATE:
TUAW's Michael Rose had this to say about the vulnerability and the FUD that its causing.

news.com is reporting today that Independent Security Evaluators, a company tests its clients' computer security by hacking it, said that they could take control of iPhones through a Wi-Fi connection or by tricking users into going to a Web site that contains malicious code.

Apple spokeswoman, Lynn Fox, said, "Apple takes security very seriously and has a great track record of addressing potential vulnerabilities before they can affect users. We're looking into the report submitted by ISE and always welcome feedback on how to improve our security."

news.com had more on this:
Miller, a former employee of the National Security Agency who has a doctorate in computer science, demonstrated the hack to a reporter by using his iPhone's Web browser to visit a Web site of his own design.

Once he was there, the site injected a bit of code into the iPhone that then took over the phone. The phone promptly followed instructions to transmit a set of files to the attacking computer that included recent text messages--including one that had been sent to the reporter's cell phone moments before--as well as telephone contacts and e-mail addresses.

"We can get any file we want," he said. Potentially, he added, the attack could be used to program the phone to make calls, running up large bills or even turning it into a portable bugging device.

Details on the vulnerability, but not a step-by-step guide to hacking the phone, can be found at Exploitingiphone.com, which the researchers said would be unveiled today.

No one has reported being hacked by this exploit yet, but it would be wise for the time being to be careful of what public wi-fi networks you connect to.

Read entire story at news.com.

Gene Munster: Stay tuned for the NEXT iPod

Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster is at it again. Today in a research note, Munster said Apple will soon be turning their actions once again toward the iPod. Munster predicts the company will release it's next generation iPod by the time of next January's MacWorld. The next gen iPod would feature the current iPhone's interface and Mac OSX underpinnings, minus the wireless phone and internet connectivity.

We think the next gen iPod will hit in Novemeber... just in time for Christmas. It's been a long, long time since the last new iPod hit Apple shelves. We think the timings just about right.

Mossberg: iPhone will have Flash in a 'couple of months'

Walt Mossberg, in his blog on allthingsd.com answered a bunch of questions regarding the iPhone. One of the big answers was that the iPhone will soon support Flash which it's Safari web browser is currently lacking.

From the blog:
Q: If the iPhone’s Web browser is so good, why can’t it play video on Web sites I visit?

A: At launch, the iPhone version of the Safari browser is missing some plug-ins needed for playing common types of Web videos. The most important of these is the plug-in for Adobe’s Flash technology. Apple says it plans to add that plug-in through an early software update, which I am guessing will occur within the next couple of months. However, a separate program included on the iPhone can play a limited selection of videos from YouTube, and the phone can play videos you purchase from Apple’s iTunes store, and certain videos you create yourself.

Read the whole Walt Mossberg Q & A here.

Apple Out of Stock on iPhones

If you live in Pittsburgh, you MIGHT be able to pick up an iPhone today. That's according to Apple's own iPhone availability tracker. Yes folks, America and has bought just about every remaining iPhone for work, play and of course, craigslist and eBay.

Folks who bought their iPhone via the Apple Store online the day it came out have reported that they shipped out yesterday and are due to arrive by next week Monday. No one knows for sure if everyone who placed an order that day will get theirs, but a few friends who placed orders within the first 5 minutes have all confirmed that they got shipping notices from Apple.

If you'd like to see the list but can't because it's past 9am in your time zone, just simply set your clock to anytime before 9am to fool Apple's web app.

Apple Posts Developer Guide for iPhone

This flew in under the radar this weekend but a few eagle eyed folks caught it and sent it to us. Apple posted a guide for web developers who want to make their web apps work with iPhone. The website outlines important iPhone specific info that you can use to get your iPhone ready web app going.

The guide covers the following:
Understanding User-iPhone Interaction, Integrating with Phone, Mail and Maps, Optimizing for Page Readability, What Safari Supports on iPhone and more.

Check out this cool iPhone guide and build some cool web apps for use to use on the iPhone today!

iPhone Unlocked: Someone figured out how to crack / unlock the iPhone for iPod and WIFi use

DVD Jon, better known as Jon Lech Johansen has cracked the iPhone and come up with a way to use it without service from AT&T. Johansen, who is known as DVD Jon because he broke the DeCSS encryption on DVD's, has found the secret to unlocking the iPhone by editing key hexadecimal numbers in Apple's software and redirecting the server request in order to trick the device into switching into it's normal mode. When done, the iPhone will not be able to make any calls but will function as a WiFi device and iPod.

So far the software to perform this operation has been tested on Windows only.

If you want a WiFi only iPod, just be patient is what we say. There is no doubt that the next gen iPod will feature a majority of the iPhone features minus the phone.

iPhone Photos: Taking the iPhone apart

With a little help of some crazy folks, we've taken a brand new iPhone and pulled it apart. While we were doing this, we whipped out our digital cameras and started snapping photos. LOTS of photos! Macro photos, we're talking extreme close up here!

Then we took them all and started to blog about the adventure. Come with us as we take the iPhone apart and look at whats hidden deep inside this little gem.

Check it out at iPhonenewsblog.com/photos/

More than 700,000 iPhones sold

Over the weekend Apple sold over 700,000 iPhones which went well beyond what analysts had predicted. This shatters AT&T's record of selling more iPhones in 3 days that Motorola's RAZR did in an entire month!

Apple is sold out of iPhone in about 10 states according to Bloomberg. AT&T is totally cleared out of iPhones and 95 of 164 Apple stores sold out by Tuesday night, this includes Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, and Washington.

Apple Inc's (AAPL) Stock price is currently up +5.91 (4.87%) 127.1 as of this writing.

AT&T EDGE network down?

Reports are filtering in around the country that AT&T's EDGE network was down.

HowardForums, a forum for cell phone enthusiasts, has reports from users all over the country saying their iPhones are not working on while on EDGE.

EDGE seems to be working fine in our area, but perhaps the problem has already been fixed?

UPDATE: Maybe EDGE isn't working fine. It seems to be intermittent. Now that we're trying to surf via EDGE only to test it out.

AppleCare Service Phone

In the unfortunate event that your iPhone needs repair, you will want to read the iPhone Service FAQ. The FAQ has some interesting tidbits about iPhone warranty, iPhone servicing and iPhone rentals. The FAQ details just about everything you could possibly want to know about what it will take to get the phone fixed. Let's face it... we're all going to have to get a new battery sooner or later, which means the iPhone will need to go back to Apple since the battery is soldered onto the logic board. Click to see a picture of the battery soldered to the board here.

Some highlights:
Will I be given an iPhone as the AppleCare Service Phone or will I be given a different type of phone?
AppleCare Service Phones are iPhones, so you can enjoy the use of an iPhone with all of your data while your iPhone is being repaired.


I just sent my iPhone to Apple for repair and forgot to transfer the SIM card to the AppleCare Service Phone. What do I do?
Please contact your local AT&T store to obtain a new SIM card. As Apple cannot guarantee that your SIM will be returned from the repair center, please explain to the AT&T representative that you lost your SIM card. The AT&T representative can transfer the proper account information to a new SIM card that you can use in your AppleCare Service Phone and then put back into your phone once it’s returned from being repaired.

Will I be able to load my content from my iPhone to the AppleCare Service Phone?
Yes, simply sync your AppleCare Service Phone with your computer using iTunes. All of the data that you synced from your iPhone to iTunes will now sync to the service phone for you to use.


Can I move my new and updated contacts and content from the AppleCare Service Phone to my iPhone?
Yes, simply sync your repaired iPhone with your computer using iTunes. Any data that you synced from your service phone to iTunes will now sync with your newly repaired iPhone.

Will I have to activate my AppleCare Service Phone?
No, there is no need to activate the AppleCare Service Phone. Simply transfer the SIM card from your iPhone to the AppleCare Service Phone and you will be able to make and receive calls. The first time you connect to iTunes with the service phone, you will need to provide your phone number, ZIP Code, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Will I lose any data from the iPhone that needs repair?
Apple will clear all the data on your iPhone during service. In order to preserve your data it is important that you backup the data on your computer by syncing your iPhone with iTunes. Data that has been added to your iPhone but has not been synced with iTunes will not be preserved.

Have you dropped your iPhone?

Well, we haven't dropped our iPhone yet but somehow it got a nice scratch on the side of its backing. We're not sure how it got there but we were okay with it. It won't be the first time it get scratched or the last we think.

We're looking into getting a protective case for it, but we're waiting for more options. We've already put the static screen protection on and it works wonderfully. The Contour clear acrylic case looks good but we want to see an iPhone with it on and so far we've not seen even one. Just want to make sure it fits.

If you've dropped your iPhone or know someone who has, send us your horror story or story of amazement. Email us at: info@iphonenewsblog.com

Apple sold 525,000 iPhone since Friday

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The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Apple Inc. (AAPL) sold about 525,000 iPhones at Apple and AT&T stores during the first weekend launch of the iPhone.

Half of the Apple Stores on the U.S. West Coast were sold out of the devices on the first day. Both Apple stores in Honolulu, Hawaii were sold out by the middle of Sunday.

Neither Apple nor AT&T were available for comment on this story.

And yes, that photo is taken with the iPhone.

One hour to go

One hour to go in our area...

Holding breath!

Apple Tech Notes posted

Apple posted 5 separate tech notes which detail known issues with the iPhone.

- Unable to send mail
- iPhone not recognized in iTunes
- iPhone is frozen or unresponsive
- SMS text messages
- Connecting to the internet with EDGE or Wi-FI

Apple posts iPhone User Guide

Apple published the iPhone Users Guide so those of you who don't have an iPhone yet can read about every little detail!

Get it here.

iPhoneNewsBlog update: in line

We're in line now. There are 40 people or so ahead of us so we're pretty cool. It's inside a mall so theres AC and wi-fi which is very nice. We'll be waiitng and posting!

iPhone Frenzy

iPhone fever has hit. We're planning to start scouting the local sites for spaces in line. Stay tuned for more iPhone fun once we get our hands on one!

iPhone Screen Shots in the Wild!

ThinkSecret has posted never before seen screenshots from an iPhone in the wild!

Go see them here.

Steve Jobs gives out Free iPhones

ArsTechnica has an article about the 11am Apple company-wide meeting that Steve Jobs conducted today. The article notes that Jobs "discussed the gravity of the iPhone on Apple's business as well as how he perceives the parts played by the rest of the company."

He also hinted about next generation iPods that will have Mac OS X operating system built in. At the end of the speech, Steve Jobs became Santa Claus and stated that all full-time Apple employees would be given a free 8GB iPhone by the end of July. This is probably when Apple hopes to have initial demand taken care of.

If you work at Apple, you're gonna be waiting for your iPhone for over a month!!

Apple has web application to track iPhone availabiltiy

Apple has released the Apple retail availability tracker which allows iPhone seekers to find iPhones in their area. A green dot will mean in-stock, a red dot means it's sold out. The tracker will only be updated on a nightly basis, so we're not sure how useful this will be.

Probably a good idea to call the store but we think you'll be hard pressed to get a person on the phone to speak with.

So where should you buy an iPhone from?

iPhone arrives at 6pm in your time zone tomorrow... if you live in the USA. But where should you buy the iPhone?

We all recall last month when Steve Jobs told a fellow blogger not to go to the Apple Store, but rather go to an AT&T store since it won't be a mad house there. We're not too sure about that.

While AT&T may be less crowded than an Apple Store, we really think that the Apple Store will get the lions share of the iPhones for sure. Today Apple announced that it will allow 2 units per person on a first come first served basis. This leads us to believe that Apple will have more than enough inventory per store to sell to the public.

From todays press release:
"All 164 Apple retail stores in the US will stay open until midnight, and customers can purchase up to two iPhones on a first come, first served basis."

"Beginning Saturday morning, iPhone owners can learn how to get the most out of their new iPhone with free, in-depth workshops offered throughout the day at all Apple retail stores. Every Apple retail store will offer free support for iPhone at the Genius Bar and personal training through Apple’s new One to One program.

“Apple retail stores were created for this moment—to let customers touch and experience a revolutionary new product,” said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “With our legendary Genius Bar support, free workshops and our One to One personal training, we’re here to help customers get the most from their new iPhone.”

We're still debating which we'll be heading to tomorrow. There is a nice Apple Store in our area that is located inside a mall with air conditioning and carpet. The AT&T locations in our area are not and lately, it's been really, really HOT!


AT&T to limit iPhone to one per person

In an email sent to customers, it seems AT&T will limit one (1) Apple iPhone per person on Friday. This is probably to prevent hoarding of the device and will probably stop a lot of folks from grabbing 2 or more to sell on eBay. Good job!

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Apple posts iPhone Questions and Answers

Apple posted a Q&A section regarding their iPhone. The Q&A covers using an iPhone, setting up iPhone, Accessorizing the iPhone. Read more here.

AT&T posts iPhone FAQ

AT&T has posted their iPhone FAQ prior to it's release this friday.

Important note: there is no wireless insurnace, but they will offer a 14 day return policy with 10% restocking fee.

See entire FAQ after the cut.

iPhone Video showcases Keyboard operation

Apple has just posted yet another daily iPhone update. This time focusing on the keyboard. Check it out here.

iPhone Reviews are in

Here are some links to iPhone reviews we've found around the web:

USA Today - Apple's iPhone isn't perfect, but it's worthy of the hype
New York Times - The iPhone Matches Most of it's Hype
Wall St. Journal - The iPhone is a Breathrough Handheld Computer
Newsweek - At Last, the iPhone

Walt Mossberg - iPhone Lives up to Hype

Uncle Walt Mossberg's review of the iPhone is out! After using the iPhone for three weeks, the verdict is finally in. The topic we were most curious about was the keyboard, which even he was skeptical of.

Walt says:
"The iPhone's most controversial feature, the omission of a physical keyboard in favor of a virtual keyboard on the screen, turned out in our tests to be a nonissue, despite our deep initial skepticism. After five days of use, Walt -- who did most of the testing for this review -- was able to type on it as quickly and accurately as he could on the Palm Treo he has used for years. This was partly because of smart software that corrects typing errors on the fly."

Among other interesting comments in the review:
- iPhone lived up to its battery life claims
- no way to make songs ringtones.
- camera takes great shots but no way to shoot video
- no way to copy and paste
- no week view in calendar mode

Read the whole article, it's really good! Here.

75 gig iPhone?

After watching the iPhone Activation and Sync video today, we notices something interesting when John Appleseed was showing us how much space is left on our iPhone:

Picture%209.jpg

Apple's new iPhone Activation and Sync video shows that the iPhone connected to iTunes has a 75 gig capacity. Notice it says Capacity 74.40 GB. Which iPhone has 75 gigs built in?

Is this yet another surprise waiting for us or a demo mistake? Perhaps the next gen iPod?

Apple posts iPhone Activation and Sync video

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Apple today revealed it's iPhone Activation and Sync Video posted here.

Activation is done in iTunes and the video shows how easy it will be to activate your iPhone. This is how Steve Jobs plans to get people out of the store quickly and ensure that none of the Apple Store staff activates phones for anyone on the opening day perhaps?

While the video makes it look simple, we're hoping that it proves to be that easy when iDay rolls around and that the activation net isn't jam packed and clogged. Perhaps this is the reason Jobs wanted the rollout to be at 6pm for each time zone to allow a staggered activation queue.

Syncing the iPhone is just like syncing an iPod. It's all done in iTunes. Address book, Calender, email, and safari / IE bookmarks, iTunes playlists, iPhoto photos, podcasts, and videos.

iPhone Rate Plans FINALLY Posted by Apple and AT&T

Finally! Straight from the horses mouth. Apple and AT&T finally reveal their voice and data plans.

Individual plan:
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Family plan:
Picture%206.jpg

Existing customer plan:
Picture%207.jpg

What we found interesting is that you'll need a 2 year activation for the phone including iPod. That means you can't use the iPod functions without getting a 2 year activation on the device.

More here.

List of Over 60 iPhone Add-Ons

The iLounge has a listing of over 60 iPhone Add-ons as well as a warning:

"iLounge’s editors have strong reason to believe that existing iPod accessories—and even some recently touted as “iPhone-compatible”—will not work as expected with the iPhone. We have made this point as clearly as possible in several articles on the site leading up to the iPhone’s launch. Unfortunately, because iPhones have not been provided to developers for in-house electronic or physical testing, it will be unclear until after the iPhone’s launch which accessories will have issues, and how serious those issues will be. We have been told that it is possible that certain iPod chargers may break when connected to iPhone, and that it is likely that noises from iPhone will create audio interference with older iPod speakers.

If you are concerned about possible damage to your past accessories, we strongly recommend that you await “safe for iPhone” postings on manufacturers’ web sites before connecting them to your iPhone. Brief tests may not be enough to reveal certain types of issues, and since many electronically different revisions of accessories are out there, it is all but impossible for anyone other than the manufacturer to guarantee that all versions of a specific product will work. We’ll continue to monitor official word from manufacturers, and from Apple, as the iPhone launch nears and passes. "

To see the complete list of possible iPhone add-ons and iPhone accessories, click here.

iPhone accessories gearing up for iPhone release

Apple's retail outlets will offer about two dozen accessories for the upcoming iPhone on Friday, sources tell AppleInsider.

Most of these products will be cases or protective gear, along with offerings from Apple: the standard stereo headphone with mic which is included with the iPhone ($29) and the bluetooth headset which will go for a reported $129 (thats expensive!)

There may be a few more suprizes left... only 4 days away!

First iPhone Shipments have arrived

Apple Insider has reported that the first shipments of the iPhone have arrived over the weekend at various drop locations.

According to the article, the security precautions are over the top:

"Awaiting the freight at each location on Sunday were armored (sic) personnel, who were reportedly hired by Apple through its courier's ground handling agent and then cleared by the Transportation Security Administration. Armed guards are extremely unusual for freight coming out of the Asian sector, those familiar with the matter explained, and are typically reserved for shipments containing riches such as gold and diamonds.

Once on the ground, the iPhone shipments were to be broken down under the watch of the armed personnel, who would then observe the loading of the freight onto ground vehicles and become party to its transpiration outbound."

In addition, Apple management informed staffers on Sunday that there would be no devices with cameras allowed in the backrooms of it's retail outlets. This includes cellphones, and Macs with built-in iSight.

iPhone Cases arrive at AT&T Stores

Feast your eyes on these guys! The clear case will be the first i'll be picking up...

iphone-case1.jpg

iphone-case2.jpg
So far there's a rubberized iphone case, a clear plastic iPhone case and a luxury looking iPhone, holdster...

Wonder what other accessories will be waiting for us when we visit the Apple Store?

AT&T Stores Prepare for iDay

Reports are coming in that suggest that AT&T is in full swing to prepare for the iPhone in what they call "iDay". AppleInsider is reporting that AT&T will be asking existing staff to take on new roles to help out during this day. This includes marketing, sales and regional staff to help with crowd control and other front line duties.

To stop AT&T employess from buying iPhones for themselves, there will be no employee discount for the iPhone. Employees will have to purchase them at the retail price like everyone else.

Employees will be receiving "need to know" info as the Friday launch date draws closer. This must be a high stress time for AT&T employees. We can't wait to get our hands on this phone so we can think about other things!

Apple Tech Spec notes

From Apple's iPhone tech specs webpage:

1. 1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.

2. Talk Time: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2007 using preproduction iPhones and software. All talk time testing was done connected to a 1900MHz network. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the WiFi feature Ask to Join Networks was turned off. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.

3. Standby: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2007 using preproduction iPhones and software. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the WiFi feature Ask to Join Networks was turned off. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.

4. Internet over WiFi: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2007 using preproduction iPhones and software. Internet over WiFi testing conducted using a closed network and dedicated web and mail server, simulating browsing to 20 popular URLs and checking mail once an hour. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the WiFi feature Ask to Join Networks and Auto-Brightness were turned off; WPA2 encryption was enabled. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, WiFi connectivity, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary. Internet over EDGE: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2007 using preproduction iPhones and software. Internet over EDGE testing conducted over a 1900 MHz EDGE, using a dedicated web and mail server, simulating browsing to 20 popular URLs and checking mail once an hour. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the WiFi feature Ask to Join Networks and Auto-Brightness were turned off. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, EDGE connectivity, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.

5. Video Playback: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2007 using preproduction iPhones and software. Video content was a repeated 2 hour 23 minute movie purchased from the iTunes Store. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the WiFi feature Ask to Join Networks and Auto-Brightness were turned off. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.

6. Audio Playback: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2007 using preproduction iPhones and software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks, a combination of content imported from CDs using iTunes (128-Kbps AAC encoding) and content purchased from the iTunes Store (128-Kbps AAC encoding). All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the WiFi feature Ask to Join Networks was turned off. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.

Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information.

Apple updates the iPhone webpage

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Apple (AAPL) updated their iPhone web page with all new info including a 20 minute video guided tour of the iPhone and more!

So far most of what we've seen on the page is a redesign and lots of press kit info with more photos of the iPhone.

20 minute video play by play

- side of the iphone has volume up and down and silent ringer switch
- top of the phone is the sleep wake/button, headphone jack and what looks like a sim card slot
- bottom of the iphone has speaker, mic and iphone connector
- home button on the center on the front
- lock the iphone by pressing the sleep/wake button
- turn off the iphone by pressing and holding sleep/wake button then slide dinfer across screen to confirm.
- iPhone syncs with your address book and you can use this info with google maps, safari and mail.
- while you are on a call you can access the address book or any other applications
- favorites list for one tap dialing
- list of missed calls shows up in a list in red
- very easy to add contacts to address book
- visual voice mail allows you to listen to voice mail in any order. New vm's are in blue. Easy to call back from voice mail list.
- easy to swap calls or merge them with easy onscreen button interface.
- ipod section sorted by artist, album, songs, videos and more
- coverflow looks really cool
- videos play in landscape, can play in anamorphic or full screen as well.
- "more" allows you to choose how you want to organize your ipod navigation
- headphones have a button attached to it to act as a remove control to the iPhone. It also allows you to answer phone calls. music fades out when a call comes in. One click answers the phone. Another click will resume music.
- iPhones photo album is awesome. Assing photos to contacts or use them as wallpaper.
- Safari can sync bookmarks from a pc or mac. Very easy to get to websites
- Double tap to zoom in or out
- Google is default search, tap in the URL field then a screen comes up with a google search. You can change this to Yahoo search.
- new pages can be open in safari
- keyboard has a .com button for easy url input when in safari
- supports rich html email for inline images
- very easy to delete emails
- email can open .doc (microsoft word documents)
- in email: tapping on a url launches safari, tapping on a phone number launches the phone.
- sms's look like iChat along with iChat sounds
- sms's will pick up where you left off
- stocks and weather applications use network to get the latest data
- google maps works just like you'd expect
- zoom out by tapping with two fingers
- maps has bookmarks too so you can bookmark your home location
- car button is for traffic conditions, green means things are running smoothly, yellow is trouble ahead.
- step by step instructions are given to get to your destination
- You tube defaults to the most popular videos
- can bookmark and email YouTube videos to your friends
- Settings: can turn off network, has airplane mode - no iphone or bluetooth
- choose ringtones, looks like standard mac sonds as well as a few new ones.
- can choose wallpaper from wallpaper album or one of your own photos
- can change how often iphone checks email
- also change font sizes in mail
- other config settings shown: usage (how long your phone has been used) sounds, brightness, wallpaper, general, mail, phone, safari, ipod and photos
- go to Apple on June 29th to actually use one or buy one!

Thats it!

Oddly missing: iPhones built in camera phone. How does it work?? What kind of photos does it take? How many megapixels? Does it take video?

Looks like the iPhone will be available at the Apple Store Online. At the bottom right of the iPhone page it says: "Buy online. Browse, shop and buy your iPhone online. Coming soon."

-----
We'll go over the video with a fine tooth comb and list any other interesting things we find.

Video: The Chinese Fake iPhone

We're not sure how this company is gonna get away with this, but wow. They even have the guts to put the Apple logo on this fake. We highly doubt anyone will be fooled by it but if you like this kind of cheap stuff... this might be right up your alley!

Expect Apple attorneys to get into full swing now that this is out in the wild. Enjoy!

iPhone Leak: University of Washington posts technical iPhone details

Technical details about Apple's iPhone was leaked on the web today by a University of Washington technology group, which was soon yanked from the site. The group confirmed that the iPhone would not support Adobe's Flash, but rather use QuickTime to display audio and video. Also, Safari, the browser in the iPhone will only be able to keep 8 webpages in memory at a time.

The University of Washington's technology team got this info from a iPhone session they had at WWDC last week. Here are some details that they let out:

- No support for Flash, Adobe's multimedia Web content format.

- No Java.

- JavaScript runtime limited to five seconds.

- QuickTime used for audio and video.

- A maximum of eight documents loaded in Safari on the iPhone.

- Links to video on a Web page take users directly to full-screen playback.

- Support for PDF through Apple's own DisplayPDF code, not Adobe.

- Multiple gestures automatically available to Web sites viewed through iPhone without any additional coding, including pinching content to shrink, double-tapping to zoom, and two-fingered scrolling.

University director of technology Oren Sreenbny said they decided to remove the post because someone pointed out that they were in violation of the non-disclosure agreement.

Secret iPhone Tests

Newsfactor's Leslie Cauley has a story today on top secret testers of the Apple iPhone. In an interview with Balsu Thandu, newsfactor uncovers what went on behind the scenes and probably right in front of us during this testing period. Utilizing about 200 field technicians which logged more that 10,00 hours on the phone invluding 5000+ hours of voice calls, AT&T tested the iPhone for over 10 weeks!

from the article:
"Doing dry runs with the world's most anticipated cellphone has been challenging. Tests had to be done in places frequented by wireless Relevant Products/Services users. Under strict orders to keep the phone under wraps, technicians had to hide or disguise the phone when in public, Thandu says.

The disguises took many forms: an iPod "sock" was sometimes slipped over the iPhone. Other times, he says, testers kept the device inside a newspaper or pants pocket and used a wireless headset. "

Read more of this facinating stuff here.

AT&T: iPhone Unlimited Internet for $40 plus voice plan

One of our staff members was getting a bit antsy and did his weekly calling around about the iPhone. After speaking with a Cingular store representative, he uncovered a few details:

- You must buy a data plan with the iPhone.
- Data plan package is $40. This includes Unlimited Internet surfing and 1500 text, SMS or photo messages.
- You may increase your text, SMS or photo messages for a higher price
- You may choose your voice plan among the various ones they have available currently.
- Most likely 2 year contract will be required.
- No info on pricing for current subscribers with AT&T / Cingular but you will have to be qualified for an upgrade to purchase one.
- They had no details as to how many they were going to get in stock.
- They will close at 4:30pm and reopen at 6pm to sell the iPhone
- No waiting list. First come, first served.

Looks like everything out in the grapevine is true and this all came from a Cingular/New AT&T representative.

iPhone's GoogleMaps has new icons

Also new today is a video of GoogleMaps that shows the addition of the small car icon and the up and down arrows on either side of the apps navigation at the bottom.

iphone-googlemaps.jpg

YouTube coming to iPhone

Apple (AAPL) announced today that iPhone users will be able to view YouTube's videos on the iPhone when it begins shipping on June 29. An Apple Designed (NOT a web 2.0 webpage) application will allow YouTube vids to wirelessly stream content to the iPhone via WiFi or EDGE network.

"iPhone delivers the best YouTube mobile experience by far. Now users can enjoy YouTube wherever they are-on their iPhone, on their Mac or on a widescreen TV in their living room with Apple TV." said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO.

All of this is accomplished using the H.264 format which allows the iPhone to have longer battery life and higher video quality. The iPhone is the first mobile device to use the H.264 encoded video as well.

"The combination of H.264-encoded videos plus iPhone's built-in Wi-Fi networking, stunning 3.5 inch display, and custom YouTube application with its multi-touch user interface results in the best YouTube experience on any mobile device."

There should be over 10,000 You Tube videos available on June 29, and more available every week until YouTubes entire catalog is available in H.264 this fall.

Could this be Apple's way of nixing Adobe Flash? We kinda doubt it. Flash would still be needed on the iPhone to play back interactive menus and websites. We'll see what happens next in that respect.

iPhone touchscreen - effective keyboard

iphone-typing.png


Blogger Will Mon dissected the demo of the iPhone doing SMS messaging and decided that it would be just fine for typing out messages, even though it has no physical keyboard.

from his blog:
"It would[n't] be fair to just say that the iPhone is unsuited for use while driving due to the lack of a keypad without mentioning why it'll be quite comparable to typing on a physical keyboard for sighted people.

From left to right:

1. a finger hovers over the letter 'u' (another is over the letter 's')
2. the finger touches the screen, prompting visual feedback before the input is actually registered
3. on release, the letter us is registered and appears in the text input field. Until the release, you get the chance to correctively reposition your finger in the event that 'u' was not your intended keystroke.


The visual feedback you get from letter magnification combined with 'on release' behavior instead of 'on click' behavior suggest that typing will be a breeze on the iPhone. Multi-touch, or the ability to touch different parts of the display at the same time, means fast two (or more) fingered typing."

Fascinating stuff! We can't wait to see if it really works... (actually we're pretty sure it will).

iPhone to have glass screen and better battery life

Apple today came out with the news that their highly anticipated iPhone will now boast 8 hours of talk time up from 5 hours originally claimed in Janurary. Further, the dimunitive phone will sport 24 hours of music playback and 6 hours of internet browsing or 7 hours of video playback. Standby time is claimed to be 250 hours ~ 10 days!

Apple claims that this is the most capable devices in the phone industry. "With 8 hours of talk time, and 24 hours of audio playback, iPhone’s battery life is longer than any other ‘Smartphone’ and even longer than most MP3 players," Apple's CEO Steve Jobs says.

The other big news is that the screen has been upgraded with lens-quality glass which will help visibility and make it resistant to scratches. Just don't drop that iPhone on it's face!

We'll take the iPhone battery life claims with the grain of salt as always. Apple's real world battery life don't always live up to the claims made so your millage may vary.

iPhone Shortage?

The Apple (AAPL) iPhone may face shortages of four to eight weeks at it's June 29th launch. This is according to Dr. Simon Croom of the Supply Chain Mangement Institute as told to ZDNet. Croom has indicated that the company might face strains since it's components are of a global nature.

From ZDNet, quoting Croom:
"My view about the fulfillment and supply chain challenges of the iPhone are as follows:

Launching any product, especially one so hyped, means that the main task is ensuring sufficient supplies are available across the US market on launch. Undoubtedly there will be shortages, service issues and challenges for call centers set upto support users. Depending on reliability of the product, there may also be a rapid ramp up in returns and warranty claims. Using a global supply chain will likely cause more of a problem 4 – 8 weeks into the ‘first season’ of the launch.

Pressure will also be felt for AT&T in terms of sales support – in particular trade ins, impact on the sales of other phones and customer’s expectations from a ‘revolutionary’ new product.

The bottom line is that the launch of the iPhone is a high risk supply chain challenge."

Apple says Get Ready for iPhone

getreadyforiphone.jpg

Today a new email from Apple hit our gmail box! It read "Get Ready for iPhone"!

The email is basically a list of services and apps you should get acquainted with before purchasing an iPhone... especially if you want to use all of its features.

Especially of note:
- You'll need an iTunes account to set up your iPhone. This is how important iTunes is to iPhone as it will be the main "hub" to synchronizing content!
- iPhone has a 2 megapixel camera built in.
- iPhone will work with Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL, and .Mac Mail as well as Mac Mail and Outlook because it supports POP and IMAP
- iPhone will sync with iCal or Entourage on the Mac, or Outlook on a PC
- iPhone will sync your contacts from Address Book or Entourage on a Mac, or Outlook or Outlook Express on a PC. Also will sync with Yahoo! Address Book.

Read the entire email text after the cut:

iPhone launch on June 29th, 6pm?

Today at WWDC, Steve Jobs said: "The iPhone ships on June 29th, that is just 18 days from today. I believe it's 6pm in the evening it will go on sale..."

What's up with the 6pm time? Is that a joke? Probably not.

From a few Apple Store sources, we're told that FedEx holds their shipment of new merchandise to stop eager beaver employees from getting to it before launch. This may be the case with the iPhone and Apple may be trying to be sure that the devices get to the dealers before the riots start.

We're not sure how this is going to work though. We had planned to camp out the night before and be there when the store opens, but now, we may have to do more than that!

We're still not sure if that's 6pm Pacific time, or 6pm in all time zones. Either way, we'll be there!

If you have any info, please let us know. Also, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

One Last thing... iPhone shipping June 29, 6pm and 3rd party Developer apps!

From WWDC keynote:
One Last Thing...
- iPhone Ships June 29th - 6pm (what is that? 6pm???)
- Sweet Solution for Developers - They can create secure web apps using AJAX + web 2.0. Integrate w/ iPhone services, make calls, send e-mails with instant distribution and no sdk needed.
- All apps run in Safari. You can create custom applications that have the look and feel of iPhone

This is exactly what we were thinking would happen. Since Safari is a real browser on this phone and not something watered down, it'll more than likely be able to run some webapps. This opens the door to many many folks to develop for the iPhone. We're still hoping to create self contained widgets but this is just as good.

Windows Mobile Users get Slide 2 Unlock iPhone feature

freeware_pocketpc_slide2unlock.gif

This is for those of you who currently have a Windows Mobile compatible phone and are itching to get your hands on an iPhone. Or it could also be for those of you who don't want to switch but would love that cool slide to unlock feature that the iPhone will have.

You're in luck! A freeware app called pocketpc slide2unlock is now available. This startup screen for Windows Mobile allows similar functionality to Apple's iPhone "slide to unlock" feature. Download freeware Windows Mobile slide2unlock here.

One More thing... Fourth iPhone ad debuts

During the 10pm news in our area, I saw the 4th iPhone ad, "Watered Down" featuring the iPhone and Safari, surfing the net. This phone is going to kick butt! Check out the ad here.

After taking a better look at the ad online, we discovered a few things. The first was the fact that the blurb requiring a 2 year activation plan has been removed. Not just from the current ad but all of them online! What does this mean? Probably that Apple and AT&T have other plans available for those that would like to get in on the iPhone action.

One of our colleagues also pointed out what appears to be Flash embedded in the NY Times website. Does this mean that the iPhone will support Flash or is this just commercial smoke and mirrors? Only time will tell, but in order for Safari to be a "real" browser, it'll have to support Flash which is used so often on many sites. It would be foolish NOT to have it.

Insider has Hands-On with iPhone

We don't know whether to classify this as rumor or news... but we'll file it under news. Gizmodo says that they've got a "proven inside source" which got to play with the iPhone. Here's what he had to say:

• "It does have email and it is already set up for AOL/GMAIL/HOTMAIL etc.. and you can use your own POP email address."

•"Not worth the $500-$600 IMHO maybe half that."

•"I must say it has very fast response to input and very good resolution on the LCD it is very crisp and vivid."

•"...it has a place to put your SIM. It looks to not have an easily replaceable battery (like the IPODS no battery door)."

•"The phone has a super top secret feature that I can't even be told what is."

•"Web browsing is pretty fast as well."

•" The phone has to be carried around in a pouch there is no other way around it. "

•"One thing that struck me was that there are constant firmware updates. I'm talking nearly daily. I hate to see that the firmware is being tweaked so much 3 weeks before its release."

That's a pretty detailed account there. It's good to read these things, but again, we'll take it with a large bowl of salt. We're curious if he was trying the phone with Wi-fi or over AT&T's network? Also the comment about it not being worth $500-$600 is a matter of opinion. Some of us said the same thing about the iPod when it first came out. We're pretty sure the price will come down in a bit.

iPhone Requires minimum 2 year activation plan

So ya want an iPhone huh? But you're on another carrier? Wanna switch? You'll have to do a two year plan if you're going for that iPhone according to the ads just posted over at Apple.com.

Yep, for just a tiny fraction of a second at the end of the ad in small print it read:
"Use requires minimum new 2 year activation plan."

This means even though you're already on AT&T / Cingular, you'll have to do a resigning of your contract for 2 years. What kind of deal will iPhone owners get with that two year deal remains to be seen. We'd also like to see how they work out deals for existing customers already on AT&T Cingular. If any of you have leads please let us know!

Confirmed: iPhone Shipping on June 29

screen_neveripod20070612.jpg

The word is out! The iPhone will be arriving in stores on June 29. The world will never be the same.

Apple posted 3 brand new TV ads featuring the upcoming iPhone in all it's glory. If these ads don't make you drool just waiting for one... something might be wrong with you!

Check them out here!

The ads quickly go through the main features of the iPhone: iPod/music/video, email, web browsing, google maps, photos and of course taking a phone call. It really is something to see. Like all things, in 3 months we'll be taking all of this eye candy for granted, so lets savor the moment and watch these videos over and over again shall we?

http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/

Yes, the iPhone is running a FULL version of Mac OS X

Steve Jobs confirmed yesterday at the D Conference, that indeed, the iPhone is running a full version of OS X under it's tiny shell.

How is this possible? OS X is huge! Leave it to Steve Jobs to explain:

"The entire Mac OS is gigs, a lot is data. Take out the data -- every desktop pattern, sound sample -- if you look at Safari it's not that big. It's REAL Safari, REAL OS X. We put a different user interface on it to work with a multi-touch screen... it's an amazing amount of software. "

If Stevie says it's real OS X... then who are we to say it ain't? Straight from the horses mouth!

3rd Party Applications coming for the iPhone

At yesterdays D Conference, Walt Mossberg and Steve Jobs sat down and talked a little about the iPhone. One of the questions was about 3rd party applications for the iPhone. Jobs hinted at the possibility of third-party applications as soon as Apple deals with security and making sure that nothing will crash the iPhone or allow it to be hacked.

Steve Jobs: "I think sometime later this year we will find a way to let third parties write apps and still preserve security. But until we can find that way, we can’t compromise the security of the phone. Nobody’s perfect, but we sure don’t want our phone to crash. We would like to solve this problem, if you could be just a little more patient with us, I think everyone can get what they want."

AT&T shops to have less than 40 phones each?

Take this with a grain of salt, but AppleInsider is reporting on the findings of WR Hambrecht & Co which surveyed a number of Cingular/AT&T stores.

according to the report:
"[Our] results indicate that the stores do not have reliable color on the timing of when they will have the phone; most stores expect the phone on June 15th or June 22nd, and most expect to only have a few (highest number was 40 at one store) on hand initially," analyst Matthew Kather wrote in a report.

We believe that Apple's strategy will be the same as any new product and they will distribute in advance and retailers won't know the true nature of the inventory until the day the iPhone arrives. A few friends of ours that work at Apple Stores say that many of us Mac fanatics learn about new models before they do.

The iPhone is Here

The iPhone is here. But it's not the Apple iPhone.

Here's just one of many iPhone rip offs to come, but this one comes out even before the launch of the Apple iPhone. Is it an iPhone copy or an iPhone clone? Maybe...

This is the P168 from a Chinese Manufacturer. It features six (6) onboard speakers for 3D surround sound (3D sound on a phone? Really?). It also looks like the P168 has 5 buttons to control it's functions. It has a 3.5 inche touchscreen with QVGA resolution. It also looks like it supports dual SIM's and a removable SD card. To make this fake even faker, they claim 2.0 Megapixels but it is clearly a 1.3 megapixel camera since the maximum resolution supported is 1280 x 1024. It also has a USB slot.

Lots more photos after the cut....

iPhone to be Available on June 20

According to a CNBC report late Thursday, an AT&T phone store said that the iPhone is expected to be available on June 20. There are still no pre-orders for the the much awaited phone but there may be a waiting list as of the week before the launch.

An Apple spokeswoman would not confirm or deny the date, however she did say "We have said consistently that we're looking forward to shipping the iPhone in late June and that has not changed."

She also noted that when the phone launches, it will be available at the Apple Store as well as AT&T Stores. No word on if the phone will be available in the Apple Store online though.

Shares of Apple (AAPL) rose on the news of the "confirmed launch date". Many investors are feeling more confident that Apple will ship the product on time.

Many are skeptical since Apple tends to launch most new products on Monday or Tuesday. We'll take June 20th even if it's a Sunday!

Verizon to release iPhone Killer... again?

TheStreet.com has stated that Verizon will launch an iPhone Killer in the states this summer. The Prada phone is said to be set to launch in order to stem the tide of customers that may jump ship to AT&T / Cingular for the iPhone.

Supposedly Verizon will pull out the stops and go heavy on the marketing, but will it really be able to keep customers away from the iPhone? Maybe... maybe not. The iPhone is really set to shake up the cell phone market and the way that it operates. The iPhone will not be subsidized (at least we doubt it will be in the very beginning) and with all the cool features it will bring, it really raises the bar (pardon the pun) on what is going to be expected of future smart phones and cell phones.

We think the main factors against the iPhone will be price and the fact that it's only on AT&T currently (and for the next 5 years if we believe everything we read). But even the iPod was expensive when it first came out... and before we blinked, everyone had to have one. Will Verizon be able to stave off the I-gotta-have-one factor? We'll find out for sure this summer!

Cingular / AT&T Dealers taking iPhone Pre-Orders

Is it true that AT&T / Cingular dealers are taking pre-orders for the Apple (aapl) iPhone? Contrary to what was mandated from what we gleaned from the internal memo from AT&T, it seems that some locations are indeed putting customers on wait lists.

According to a recent post by Channel Checkers which surveyed 36 AT&T / Cingular stores (approximately 10,000 stores!) 64 percent of respondents indicated that they are keeping a wait list. According to the survey, the average wait list is 25 people, with one store in New York claiming to have 1900 people on the list.

Now we don't know whats going on with this report vs. the internal memo stating no pre-orders. Calling our local Cingular store right down the street got us the "no pre-orders" and we don't have any info except that it's coming in late June.

Apple iPhone - stuck with AT&T for five years

USA Today is reporting that AT&T will have exclusive rights to the iPhone for 5 years. This most likely means that there will be no CDMA handset during that time. So unless you're with AT&T, you probably won't get an iPhone with your provider until 2012.

iPhone to be Available for Pre-Paid Users?

pre-paid.jpg

Various net sources are reporting via an internal AT&T leaked screenshot, that the iPhone will be available to Pre-paid users. This is great news for those who use another carrier or Cingular as a pre-paid service. While we cannot authenticate the screenshot, we can only wonder how much this pre-paid iPhone will cost. We're going to assume its way over the normal price!

AT&T moving quickly to re-brand itself to to prepare for iPhone

Over 1800 Cingular outlets and kiosks will be transformed overnight to AT&T as the telecom giant revamps its image and rebrands itself for the iPhone.

Cingular it seems, is being banished, never to be seen again once AT&T's new logos appear all across the nation."Our branding campaign is performing at and above projected levels and customers response has been very positive," said Randall Stephenson, AT&T's chief operating officer. "We are excited to move into the next phase of transforming AT&T into the only communications provider our customers will ever want."

The iPhone is set to change a lot of things in the wireless playing field. AT&T's new branding strategy in store and out is just the beginning of it all. It will be interesting to see how AT&T does financially once the iPhone is out and people adopt this new standard.

iPhone to be Available in 2000 stores

Everyone has been wondering "Where will the iPhone be sold?" Well it seems we now have our answer.

According to Bear Stearns analyst Andy Neff, the Apple (AAPL) iPhone is scheduled to debut in 2000 retail outlets when it's released next month (June).

During a meeting with members of Apple's executive team this past Wednesday, Apple retail's Ron Johnson and Director of Mac Product Marketing Tom Boger layed out a hint of whats to come: Apple and AT&T will sell the phones exclusively in their retail stores which consist of approx. 161 U.S. Apple Stores and 1840 AT&T wireless shops.

We're wondering which would be a better bet to camp out in front of? Just how many iPhones will each location get?

FCC Okays iPhone

The FCC has approved the iPhone for sale in the US. An AppleInsider article tells of the heavily redacted FCC info.

"The Apple Inc. A1203 GSM Cellular Telephone with Bluetooth and Wifi, FCC ID: BCGA1203, is in compliance with the limits for general population uncontrolled exposure specified in FCC 2.1093. The device was tested according to the measurement standards and procedures specified in FCC OET Bulletin 65, Supplement C (Edition 01-01) and IEEE p1528/D1.2, April 21, 2003."

Apple requested that many things be omitted for a "short term" due to confidentiality reasons, so there are no External photos, no internal photos and no user manual to be seen.

Apple is still set to release the iPhone in late June.

Fake Apple Memo says iPhone delayed

A memo, purportedly from Apple was circulated to all of it's employees today that claimed that the iPhone would be delayed until October and that Leopard would also be delayed until next year.

Engadget got ahold of this memo through one of it's insider sources and posted the news.

This is from Engadget:

Original Apple email

From: Bullet News
Date: May 16, 2007 9:09 AM CDT
To: [redacted]
Subject: Mac OS X Leopard and iPhone Delayed

Mac OS X Leopard Delayed Until January
iPhone Delayed Until October

REGIONS: Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America, United States
GROUPS: AppleCare, Retail

Apple issued a press release today announcing that iPhone which was scheduled to ship in June, has been moved to October and the release date for Mac OS X Leopard has been moved to January next year. A beta version of Mac OS X Leopard will be given to developers at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).


Apple moved quickly to stop the spread of incorrect information but not before Apple's stock shares took a three point tumble. Soon after Apple issued a REAL press release stating that:

"You may have received what appeared to be a Bullet*News from Apple. This communication is fake and did not come from Apple.

Apple is on track to ship iPhone in late June and Mac OS X Leopard in October."


We're not sure if Apple is investigating how this could have happened, but we're sure there are more than a few shareholders that would like to know.

AT&T says No Pre-Sales or Orders for the iPhone

iphone-att-memo.jpg

This was found by a reader! It seems that theres yet another internal AT&T memo that was let out into the wild. It basically states that the iPhone is not available for pre-sales or orders at all.

For those that have bad eyesight like most of us at the blog do, we've transcribed the critical information part for you:

* "iPhone will be available sometime in June. The exact date has not been announced, specific dates should not be provided to customers.

* Sales for the iPhone will be on a first come, first served basis. No wait list of names will be taken and NO pre-selling is allowed.

* Two models of the iPhone will be available, a 4GB will retail at $499 and have an 8GB will retail at $599. If asked what the price will be, answer that the prices have been announced as $499 for the 4G, and $599 for the 8G, respectively. There should NOT be any additional speculation/discussion about pricing."

Still nothing firm as far as how Apple (AAPL) will be selling the iPhone next month. We'll probably be standing in line for a long, long time in order to get one!

AT&T/Cingular CEO Gifts iPhone?

We're not sure what to make of this but this is a transcription of the footage from Tuaw.com:

"This next ?announcement? may interest you more than anything...(unintelligible)...The first ?regulation? iPhone in the state of Texas is in the hands of Dr. O'Brien of West Texas A&M University. (applause) So, if you don't remember a word I've said and someone asks you about your graduation, you can say...(unintelligible)"

iPhone Pre-Sale! Order your iPhone NOW!

ebay-iphone-pre-sale.jpg

This was just brought to our attention: Theres a few people on eBay that are guaranteeing that they will get you the Apple (AAPL) iPhone within 30 days of the start date of the listing.

Previously, eBay has yanked auctions for the iPhone "pre-sale" because the company did not feel confidant that the seller could make good on getting the iPhone to a customer in 30 days. The particular one we looked at last night seems to have already ended with a final winning bid of US $925.00.

We hope that the winner gets their iPhone within 30 days! Apple has been known to under estimate their potential for a product and that has led to shortages but hopefully this won't be the case with the iPhone as it's probably the most anticipated device at the moment.

Apple iPhone is set to ship on June 15th. Exactly how Apple will be selling it remains to be seen.

Third-Party Apps coming to iPhone

Steve Jobs may have let the cat out of the bag during the recent shareholders meeting. No, we're not talking about the stock-options scandal, we're talking about 3rd party applications on the iPhone.

The iPhone has had it's share of naysayers from the start and one of the harshest criticisms is when folks heard that the iPhone would be a closed platform just like the iPod.

According to MacRumors, during the sharholders meeting:

Jobs did acknowledge that the company is still struggling to decide if third-party developers will be able to create software that will run on the iPhone. It’s a decision Apple “is wrestling with,” according to Jobs.

We'll see if Mr. Jobs allows 3rd party apps or not. We all feel that allowing 3rd party apps is the last nail in the coffin for Windows Mobile and Palm if it becomes a reality. Mac developers usually come up with super slick products.

Of course it may be a while before those applications come to life as Apple would have to reveal a whole lot to developers in order to get them on track to creating applications for the iPhone. Like all things iPhone... we'll wait and see.

Apple patent filing reveals iPhone 2 or iPhone Nano

A patent filing revealed last week shows either the next gen iPhone or possible the iPhone Nano that many rumor sites have been talking about.

apple-ipod-iphone.jpg


The compact design saves space by putting the scroll wheel on the rear of the phone and the full touch-screen interface in the front of the phone. This is a work of genius, and again Apple comes through.

Now we're not sure exactly how small this device is meant to be, but we're pretty sure it can't get too diminutively small without losing some ergonomic feel. If you care to read through the legal jargon, check it out here.

We're just happy to have a picture/diagram to look at.

Motorola set to release a "Media Monster"

Motorola Chairman and CEO Ed Zander is preparing for the debut of Apple Inc's (AAPL) iPhone. Motorola is planning to set its focus on mobile internet and multimedia.

In an attempt to fend off the coming of the iPhone which should arrive on June 15th, Motorola will launch a high-end mobile phone next week in Europe. It's "wickedly cool" Zander said.

"This has unbelievable video capability. It's a media monster."

The new phone will play movies directly from SD (Secure Digital) cards, but thats all he would say. Whats the big deal about that? Can't most newer phones do this already?

We'll wait to see what this "media monster" turns out to be. As long as it doesn't have the same antiquated Motorola menuing system/OS from 2002 it'll be a step in the right direction.

Sun Shows off new Java version "iPhone"

Sun Microsystems (SUNW) debuted what many are calling the jPhone at yesterdays JavaOne. The new software for high-end cellphones looks similar to the Apple (AAPL) iPhone. The software is still in development and is months away from being a reality but it is designed as a full software stack.

"We are providing a full software stack for the cellphone like the Nokia Series 60, so I guess we are in competition with them," said Tim Cramer, executive director of customer solutions in Sun's software group.

Read more about this via Information Week

Survey Says: Apple's iPhone ROCKS!

Paul Carton from ChangeWave Alliance submitted a report to SeekingAlpha where they surveyed 3,489 Alliance members regarding the Apple (AAPL), iPhone.

The results? In Carton's words "it rocks"! Nearly one-in-10 respondents (9%) say they are likely to buy the new iPhone once it becomes available in June. Another 7% say they are likely to buy the iPhone as a gift for someone else. Those are exceptionally high numbers considering Apple's goal of just 1% of the market within one years time.

There are some fascinating findings in this survey including the price point a non-buyer would purchase the iPhone, which hovered around $200-$300.

For more survey results and info click here.

AT&T getting ready for iPhone, New product displays coming soon

Are you ready for the iPhone to be released? AT&T is rumored to be getting ready... with whole new demo booths just for the iPhone!

According to this report, AT&T is in the final stages of getting their iPhone demo booths in place for the big debut. The demo booths are said to be much larger than any that have been on display before. Also of note is that each display will require exceptional power requirements with a separate power supply. While we're not sure why this is a big deal, we're sure you can come up with a good reason.

Retail chains will need to have ethernet cables indicating that they'll be showcasing the fact that iPhone has Wi-Fi connectivity. What isn't known is if the displays will ship with the demo iPhone units or not. We're pretty sure they'll ship sans iPhones for sure.

Blackberry Curve the latest challenger to iPhone

rimcurve.jpg

Research In Motion (RIM) released their latest Blackberry smartphone called "Blackberry Curve". While the Blackberry Pearl brought RIM to the consumer forefront with its sleek design and small form factor, the Curve looks like it was meant for business class folk or people who really want to write a long email on their phone.

Sporting a full size QWERTY keyboard we're sure Blackberry heads will be snatching up this smartphone as it arrives at authorized dealers. We still don't think the Curve will be able to match the iPhone in style and probably functionality but that remains to be seen.

However, if we weren't awaiting the Apple Inc's (AAPL) iPhone to drop, we'd be seriously looking at RIM's latest offering. We can hear a lot of folks saying so long to Palm and M$ shortly.

iPhone: The reason Leopard is delayed until October

This is news to us! Apple Inc. (AAPL) just released a statement that their eagerly awaited update to Mac OS X is going to be delayed until October due to using software engineers to work on the eagerly awaited iPhone.

Apple Statement

iPhone has already passed several of its required certification tests and is on schedule to ship in late June as planned. We can’t wait until customers get their hands (and fingers) on it and experience what a revolutionary and magical product it is. However, iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price — we had to borrow some key software engineering and QA resources from our Mac OS X team, and as a result we will not be able to release Leopard at our Worldwide Developers Conference in early June as planned. While Leopard's features will be complete by then, we cannot deliver the quality release that we and our customers expect from us. We now plan to show our developers a near final version of Leopard at the conference, give them a beta copy to take home so they can do their final testing, and ship Leopard in October. We think it will be well worth the wait. Life often presents tradeoffs, and in this case we're sure we've made the right ones. [Apr 12, 2007]

We at the iphone news blog believe that this was a smart move by Apple to utilize the best people to work on critical products when needed. Better late than full of bugs we say.

Apple Confirms iPhone Ship date is June 2007

Today Apple (AAPL) emailed everyone who signed up for information on their soon to be released iPhone. The email notification was done up in simple Apple style. The message simply read:

"Thanks for signing up. You'll be the first to hear the latest about iPhone- coming this June. That gives you just enough time to think of ways to break the news to your current phone."

See graphic from the email for those of you who haven't gotten it yet:

iphonesignup.jpg

What does the Hawaiian Word Aloha! and the iPhone have in common?

Scribd has uncovered an Apple doc that showcases a diagram depicting the internal operations of the Apple (AAPL) iPhone.

What we know from this document:
Internal architecture is name Aloha!, Core Audio and Video, running on an ARM processor, there is mention of a Games Emulator.app and the GUI is called Onyx.

From the meta-data, this document looks to be real as it was created by Bertrand Serlet, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple.

April Fools! It's all a joke.... see this.

iPhone Release Date: June 11, 2007. Start your countdown now!

Cnet's News.com is reporting via their Gadgets Blog that Apple's (AAPL) iPhone will be released on June 11. Cnet did things the old fashioned way and called Cingular customer service and got the scoop!

"Now Cingular is confirming that the release date will be June 11. A customer service manager at Cingular (we called 800-947-5096 and were transferred to sales) gave us that date late Thursday, but, alas, said he didn't have any additional information beyond that."

Whether or not it's true remains to be seen... all we can say is don't hold your breath... but you MAY want to start your countdown timer and start saving your money!

iPhone made a Guest appearance at CTIA 2007

As we reported yesterday, the iPhone made an appearance over at CTIA 2007 in Orlando, Florida.

The heavily gaurded phone was shown off by Cingular/AT&T COO Randall L. Stephenson. While Stephenson didn't use the phone while delivering the keynote, he did joke that it was the first time he had held the most wanted phone in the world, the iPhone.

Another person who spent time with the iPhone was Kevin Martin, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, who got to play with the iPhone backstage before it was whisked away by security.

Stephenson joked, "He spent more time with it than I did," Stephenson said. "It seemed like he wouldn't give it back." And who'd want to? If we had our paws on that beautiful phone we'd want to have a lot of face time with it as well!

Remarkably, Tuesday was only the second time Stephenson had held or seen an iPhone!

"I held it one time in a Cingular board meeting," but that unit wasn't operational, he said. "Today was the first time I could navigate it."


Did Apple's iPhone TV ad rip off Christian Marclay's idea?

RadarOnline has a report out today that Apple may have "ripped off" the idea for the iPhone television ad that ran during the Oscars. The work in question: Christian Marclay's "Telephones".

Marclay claims that Apple approached him about using Telephones and he declined the offer. They approached us [about using Telephones] and I said no, and then they just went ahead," he says. "The way they dealt with the whole thing is pretty sleazy."

Marclay has decided not to sue Apple... yet.

So are the ads similar? You be the judge!

Marclay's Telephones starts at 3:38 in this YouTube clip.

Read more about this here.

Does Apple's iPhone have 1 million potential buyers?

The answer is a resounding "yes!" if you asked AT&T COO Randall L. Stephenson. Stephenson who gave the keynote at CTIA stated that AT&T has had a million requests to be notified when the phone is available. Granted these are not sales but if the interest in this product is this high, many are speculating it may just lead to sales.

At the CTIA keynote, Stephenson held, for the first time an Apple iPhone in his hands. While there was no real life demo of the phone, they did show a pre-made video of what the iPhone can do.

iPhone Gloom and Doom over at CTIA Wireless 2007