iPhone News Blog: News Archives

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Voice-Controlled Apps Being for iPhone by AT&T

July 23, 2008 6:50 AM • by R. Look • Posted to Misc | News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

July 21, 2008 6:40 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

July 18, 2008 9:10 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to FAQ | News | iPhone Tips and Tricks Comments (0) | Permalink

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

July 18, 2008 6:37 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

July 15, 2008 6:48 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (1) | Permalink

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

July 13, 2008 11:50 PM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

Not 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

July 11, 2008 5:27 PM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News | Reviews Comments (1) | Permalink

So 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!

July 11, 2008 6:31 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

July 10, 2008 8:51 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News | iPhone Hacks Comments (0) | Permalink

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

July 10, 2008 7:01 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

July 8, 2008 11:55 PM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

July 8, 2008 7:00 AM • by R. Look • Posted to Misc | News Comments (0) | Permalink

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...

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

July 3, 2008 6:35 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

July 2, 2008 6:31 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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:

Apple Posts Two iPhone 3G videos

July 1, 2008 7:22 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

June 30, 2008 6:47 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

June 27, 2008 6:51 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

June 26, 2008 6:32 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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?

June 25, 2008 6:46 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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?

June 16, 2008 7:17 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (1) | Permalink

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

June 13, 2008 6:51 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

June 12, 2008 11:53 PM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

June 11, 2008 10:25 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

If 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

June 11, 2008 9:31 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

Steve 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

June 11, 2008 8:26 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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...

June 10, 2008 6:47 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

June 8, 2008 6:32 PM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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?

May 23, 2008 6:35 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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?

May 22, 2008 6:56 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

May 16, 2008 6:43 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

May 14, 2008 6:46 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

May 13, 2008 6:31 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

May 12, 2008 7:32 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

May 8, 2008 6:37 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

May 7, 2008 6:58 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

May 6, 2008 6:54 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

May 2, 2008 6:57 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

April 28, 2008 7:58 PM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

April 23, 2008 5:32 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

April 16, 2008 7:23 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

April 15, 2008 6:51 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

April 9, 2008 6:33 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

April 7, 2008 7:06 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

April 6, 2008 8:24 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

April 3, 2008 6:33 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

March 31, 2008 6:59 AM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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

March 27, 2008 9:47 PM • by R. Look • Posted to News | iPhone Apps Comments (0) | Permalink

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

March 26, 2008 11:03 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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?

March 25, 2008 10:38 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News | iPhone Apps Comments (0) | Permalink

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?

March 20, 2008 7:35 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

March 18, 2008 5:56 PM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

March 12, 2008 6:58 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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!

March 6, 2008 12:00 PM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (1) | Permalink

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

Notes from the Annual Shareholder Meeting

March 5, 2008 6:11 AM • by R. Look • Posted to Misc | News | Opinion Comments (0) | Permalink

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

February 28, 2008 6:26 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

February 26, 2008 9:10 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (1) | Permalink

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

February 21, 2008 5:19 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

February 20, 2008 4:26 PM • by R. Look • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (0) | Permalink

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?

February 20, 2008 6:14 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News | Rumors Comments (1) | Permalink

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

February 13, 2008 6:36 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News | iPhone Hacks Comments (1) | Permalink

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?

February 12, 2008 6:22 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (1) | Permalink

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

February 10, 2008 10:11 PM • by R. Look • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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

February 6, 2008 6:04 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (0) | Permalink

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!

February 5, 2008 6:04 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News Comments (1) | Permalink

Well just like I predicted, here they are!

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?

February 1, 2008 6:22 AM • by iPhone News Blog Staff • Posted to News | Opinion Comments (1) | Permalink

Watch 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