All the Latest Free iPhone News & Reviews

Orange Giving iPhone 4 For Free on Two-year Contracts

Orange will no longer be charging a one off £75 from prospective customers looking to buy the 16GB iPhone 4 handset on a two year, £50 per month contract.

The total cost of ownership of the handset during the whole period falls to £1200 and to make the deal even better, Orange is giving away 50 picture messages and a free Orange Sat-nav (ed : you can always go for Skobbler if you don't like it).

For the price, you get 1200 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB worth of mobile data.

Orange has also finetuned the rest of its tariff table. For example it does allow users to swap some of their inclusive minutes for more data allowance, access to Orange maps and photo messages. It has also announced that it will cap its "unlimited" Wi-Fi at 750MB per month on BT Openzone.

3 UK still has the best value for money offer on the market when it comes to the iPhone 4. It charges £189 for a 32GB iPhone 4 on a £35 per month contract but gives out 900 anytime minutes, 5000 3-to-3 minutes, 5000 texts and 1GB worth of data.

Source: It Portal

Apple shop set to open in London's Covent Garden

The world's largest Apple shop is set to open in London's Covent Garden.

Some people have already begun queueing so they can be among the first customers when the shop opens its doors at 1000 BST.

An Apple executive said it was "a big moment" for the firm as this would be its 300th store.

An estimated 5,000 people waited outside Apple's shop on Regent Street when it opened for the first time in November 2004.

There have regularly been overnight queues since then as new products were launched.

However, there were many complaints about the most recent of these gadgets, the iPhone 4, with the handset's signal strength often draining when it was held in a certain way.

Last month Apple offered a free "bumper" case to everyone who had bought a phonein an attempt to overcome the problem.

The new store in central London has about 300 employees.

The actor and writer Stephen Fry, renowned as one of the company's devotees, wrote on his Twitter feed that the shop's prestigious address - No 1, The Plaza, Covent Garden - meant that "if all goes wrong, Apple will survive as real-estate owners".

Source: BBC UK

CNN releases free iPhone App

The verdict:

Love It: Great functions, really slick UI.

Hate It: The paid version has ads. This one will too.

Overall: 3/5

The Details

For US-based users, the CNN application for free iPhone and free iPod Touch will run $1.99. It’s not a very high price, but it’s gotten a lot of flack for having advertising included in a paid application. The other major problem is that you can only get it in the United States.

With the new International version of the CNN app, the news network is hoping to expand those borders while providing the same user experience.

The features are, for the most part, what you’d expect:

* Push Notification
* Personalization
* iReport Function
* Video on Demand

The personalization is pretty slick, as you’re able to follow a story or topic, then get push notifications as it updates. You can also save stories for a later view, even when offline. There is also regionally-targeted content for Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

The iReport function is, arguably, the most important feature of the app. Having the ability to record and then instantly upload your own reports is pretty amazing. Having an outlet other than the traditional video hosting services should open many doors for the “citizen journalists” worldwide.

Grab it free at the Apple Store.

Source:The Next Web

Free iPhone 4 Fix Will Hit Apple For $175 million

Unlike Apple, when we talk about a totally free iPhone 4, that's exactly what we mean.

Mr Jobs and co aren't so lucky. Their free iPhone 4 fix could set them back as much as $175 million in free iPhone 4 "band-aids".

So much for their best every profits announcement, the flawless Apple machine has finally come unstuck. No doubt only a temporary blip but a blip all the same.

Thanks to yet more amazing marketing and some fantastic iPhone 4 deals, early sales have been volumous. The post release media frenzy may have turned on the antenna problem but some would say that any publicity is good publicity.

What is unbelievable is that the iPhone 4 wasn't tested rigorously enough to spot the flaw. Surely someone would have noticed a poor signal when they held the iPhone 4 in the problematic manner.

Public pressure won the day and forced Apple's hand (no pun intended) and they can afford the $175 million.

Rest assured that the Apple fanboys will soon forgive and forget and rush to get the free iPad or free iPhone 5 when that is released!

iPhone 4 Deals - 1.7 Million Snapped Up Already

Apple are congratulating themselves on what they are calling their most successful launch and claim they could have sold more iPhone 4 deals had stock been available. 1.7 million in a matter of days is nothing short of a miracle given the state of the economy but it just goes to show the power of Steve Job's marketing machine. Even the 3G and 3GS only sold 1 million in the days after release.

Perhaps, given those volumes, the teething problems that some users have experienced were inevitable. Were similar problems encountered with the 3G or 3Gs or even the iPad though? Not that we can recall, so is the iPhone 4 release really a total success if you move away from the numbers? On balance, the answer has to be yes, the iPhone 4 is one heck of a bit of kit.

iPhone 4 deals are currently available іn thе United Kingdom on Vodafone (Vodafone iPhone), Orange (Orange iPhone) & O2 (O2 iPhone). We've previously questioned why T-Mobile and 3 network haven't stepped up to the plate but will let you know as soon as they announce their iPhone deals.

As ever, we should also remind you that the best iPhone 4 deal is right here in front of you. Why not grab a free iPhone 4, sim free, no contract. Simples!

3 Reveal Deals On Apple iPhone 4 Release Date Uk

Thursday 24th June saw the iPhone 4 release date UK, with many die hard Apple fans queuing at stores around the UK to be the first to get their hands on the latest smartphone.

Over a thousand had spent the night at the main Apple Store in London but it is unclear whether they stole a march on the 610,000 people said to have submitted iPhone 4 pre-orders when those opened up on 15th June 2010.

The iPhone 4 release not surprisingly saw the announcement of numerous iPhone 4 deals and tariffs.

Still king of the hill is the opportunity that we are giving here on Simplyfreeiphone. Yup, as the name suggests, a totally free iPhone 4, unlocked, sim free.

However, if you want a contract iPhone, the latest to confirm is 3 network, whose iPhone 4 deals begin at £30 per month for 500 minutes, 5000 texts and 1GB of data. Their entry level iPhone 4 costs £99.

If you are prepared to go up to £45 a month, 3 will give you a free iPhone 4 and 2000 minutes.

The only network still keeping quiet about its iPhone 4 deals is T-Mobile. It may be a case of "if you snooze you lose".

iphone 4 tariff comparison on 02, orange, vodafone, T-Mobile and three mobile

We've carried out some vital research into likely costs and prices of the iPhone 4 and our recommendation is to get a free iPhone 4 sim free (see the big "sign-up" button at the top right of the page for that bit!) and then choose your iPhone 4 PAYG deal very carefully.

Some of the networks are still to announce their iPhone 4 tariffs but let's take a quick look at the iPhone 4 deals that are being talked about.

If you want a free Orange iPhone 4 16GB on a 24 month contract then you will have to fork out £75 a month. Ouch! The cheapest alternative if you want a contract iPhone 4 on Orange is to pay £169 for the iPhone 4 on a £30 a month deal, which will give you 150 minutes, 250 texts and unlimited data. You can also add tethering from £5 a month

Vodafone have not yet officially released their iPhone 4 tariffs but the rumours are that an iPhone 4 on Vodafone will cost from £35 a month with the 16GB handset costing £89. It looks like the Vodafone iPhone 4 deals will be cheaper generally.

By contrast, the obvious limitation of getting an iPhone on O2 is that they are not currently offering unlimited data. O2 iPhone 4 data packages start at 500MB and go up to 1GB, which should be more than enough for most people. Taking a 24 month iPhone 4 deal for comparison, £25 month will get you 100 minutes at the 500MB level, increasing to £60 if you feel you need 1GB.

Don't discount the iPhone 4 on O2 though, you might also want to look at their Simplicity range; top up £10-14 per month and grab 300 texts with the 500MB data deal for example. That is the best starting point and it is easy enough to change tariff once each month.

We don't currently have any news on the T-Mobile iPhone 4 or Three Mobile iPhone 4 but will add that as soon as it appears.

All in all, as we have said before, by far the best option appears to be to secure your free iPhone 4 using Simplyfreeiphone and then take out the best iPhone 4 sim free PAYG deal to suit.

iPhone 4 Release Date UK - Are You Ready TO Grab Yours?

A week ago today, Apple unveiled the iPhone 4 and tech lovers in the UK are at fever pitch in anticipation on the eve of the pre-order launch tomorrow, 15th June 2010.

The iPhone 4 release date UK is then just a further nine days away on 24th June 2010.

Orange, T-Mobile, O2, Vodafone and 3 mobile will be carrying the iPhone 4 in the UK but have so far been tight lipped about pricing despite much speculation and rumour.

It will be interesting to see whether any of the networks are brave enough to undercut the competition but we are hopeful that there will be some amazing iPhone 4 deals and cheap iPhones to snap up.

Rest assured that we will be the first to show you how to get your free iPhone 4!

iPhone 4 release date UK

The question on everyone's lips after the iPhone 4 was unveiled is naturally "when will the iPhone 4 be released in the UK", closely followed by "how much will the iPhone 4 cost"?

We had previously warned consumers to expect a delay in the iPhone 4 release date UK but Apple is promising the 'fastest roll out ever' for the new iPhone (which we had previously referred to as the iPhone 4G, sorry guys).

The new iPhone 4 release date UK is said to be 24th June 2010. We've got to say that it looks absolutely amazing and we will be bringing the chance to get a free iPhone 4 just as soon as humanly possible.

Getting an iPhone 4 for free has to be the way to go based on US prices of $299 for the 32GB iPhone 4 version, 16GB at $199 and 8GB for $99. As we all know, the UK prices will be higher and all we can hope to do is bring you the best iPhone 4 deals.

The iPhone 4 release will initially be limited to the UK joined by the US, Japan, France and Germany.

Intriguingly the anticipated release date for the iPhone 4 from The Carphone Warehouse is 'subject to change' meaning the day when users can get their hands on the device could slide into July. Let's hope not!

Free iPhone 4G or free iPhone HD? Who cares what they call it as long as it is free!

If you like apps or the internet, then get ready for the free iPhone 4G release date UK.

The new model's improved processor and graphics chipset significantly boost the speed of everything from web browsing to games, cementing the free iPhone 4G as the nation's most flexible handheld device.

Is the free iPhone 4G going to be the World's best phone? Maybe, maybe not, but that's never been the true goal of the iPhone range: Apple is devoted to bringing handheld “computing” to the masses and is succeeding brilliantly.

In case you've been hiding in a cave since 2006, the iPhone is a combination video iPod, GPS, and pocket computer with an phone tacked on, almost as an afterthought. You interact with it using a touch screen and its easy interface has been the standard on smart devices for years.

The free iPhone 4G body is the same slab as ever (it will most likely be available in either black or white), with one important change: an invisible "oleo phobic" screen coating that repels grease and fingerprints, making watching videos on the free iPhone 4G much more enjoyable.

The free iPhone 4G also has increased storage capacities. Otherwise, it may appear there aren't many differences between the free iPhone, free iPhone 3GS and free iPhone 4G. Just make sure you get the best iPhone deals!

Free iPhone 4G

If you like apps or the internet, then get ready for the free iPhone 4G release date.

The free iPhone 4G also has increased storage capacities. Otherwise, it may appear there aren't many differences between the free iPhone, free iPhone 3GS and free iPhone 4G.

..but appearances can be deceiving. So go for it, get a free iPhone 4G when it is released.

iPhone Deals - Tesco Sparks Price War

Tesco have reduced prices and shortened contracts to offer some of the best iPhone deals on the market today.

iPhone deals start at a bargainous £100 for the basic but utterly amazing iPhone 3G. You could go one step further and treat yourself to an entry level iPhone 3GS deal at £200, or the 32GB version for just another £75.

At this rate, we can look forward to a free iPhone 4G!

Every iPhone deal can be taken on a remarkably short 12 month contract. The best iPhone deals will set you back £35 a month but that is well worth every penny for unlimited SMS and internet browsing.

Like everything, the longer you are prepared to tie yourself in for, the best iPhone deals you can get. Two years can be yours for as little as £45 per month with a free iPhone handset.

The gloves are off - which is quite handy for a touch screen! - let the price battle begin.

iPhone Deals - What are the best iPhone deals out there right now?

The features that are present on the iPhone have made them to be a little pricey. In spite of this, there are many iPhone deals that have made it possible for every person to buy and savor the iPhone. There are also mane cheap iPhones that have now become affordable with the many iPhone deals that are being offered to the clients.

The iPhone provides the best value for the money that you pay to buy a device that has various applications as well as features that are not present in many of the other smart phones on the market. As each generation of the iPhone is crossed, the features and the applications that are available in the mobile telephone increases.

All those who would love to own a iPhone, but are discouraged by the high end price of the phone have some good news and that is the best iPhone deals that are available. The cheap iPhone 3GS that are available on certain offers also make this high end phone available to the common man. Some of the best deals on offer are the Pay As You Go Deals and also the Pay Monthly iPhone Deals. These have made it possible for people to purchase the iPhone at a particular price and then you can buy the talk time later and depending on your need.

The other best iPhone deals include the sim free iPhone deals. There are also many other different kinds of deals that are available and details of these can help you to buy the best phones at a cheap price. The availability of the iPhones at an unimaginable price has made it more affordable to all people.

Unmatched performance of the free iPhone

The free iPhone that was made by Apple has been in the forefront of the mobile telephone devices. The iPhone comes with amazing pre-loaded features that make many people to want this phone. The fact that other than the pre loaded applications, there can also be development and installation of various other applications in the free iPhone has made it still more attractive for those who are planning to buy an free iPhone.

The performance of the free iPhone has made it amazing and the latest phone in the series, the free iPhone third generation smart phone also commonly known as the free iPhone 3GS has gone many miles ahead of its peers. The performance of the free iPhone 4G or free iPhone HD is two times faster than that of its previous model.

Application loading: The speed with which the various applications of the free iPhone 3GS loads is in fact astounding. It almost seems to be instantaneous that the new application seems to open as soon as you try to change the application. The Safari web browser that is used in the free iPhone 3Gs has also made the web pages to load faster than the conventional web browsers used in the other models.

Camera: The auto focus option that is available in the free iPhone 3GS has also made it dreams come true for many of the users.

Other features: The voice control has made it amazingly simple for you to use this phone and in fact increases the performance of the free iPhone 3GS. All you have to do is to give commands to the phone and it will do what it is told. It makes life simpler for the user. The Nike + integration has also made this phone into a real smart phone that has no match in the industry at present in terms of performance as well as features.

Free iPhone 4G Release Date

Will the iPhone 4G come out this summer?

Apple is great at keeping us handing on a thread for the latest gadget such as the iPad Tablet recently. It looks like the iPhone 4G is next.

Not anything wrong with the 3GS iPhone, but that is already pushing AT & T to the limits in the U.S. They have to improve networks speeds that can offer 4G LTE and those may not be available for a year or more.

However, Verizon is marching ahead and there is a rapid movement of people looking for a Verizon iphone. The rumors of a 4G iPhone release date in "June 2010" are spreading. In fact, just yesterday the rumors grew about iPhone 4G with options for Verizon CDMA network.

Apple OS 4.0. is also due out and needs to give people the ability to run together two or more applications like Google Android OS.

UK users will have to be more patient, but rest assured, if provided, SimplyfreeiPhone will show you how to get a free iPhone 4G.

10 Ways to promote your iphone applications

Even after the emergence of several competitors, demand for the iPhone is only increasing and hence so is the demand for free iPhone Apps. One would wonder, after developing the perfect iPhone application, what are the best ways to put it out there and make it sell putting into consideration that there is fierce competition from other developers? What are the ways to make it stand out and catch the attention of buyers?

Below are 10 ways to easily promote an iPhone Application:

1. Create a YouTube account and make a good Demo Video for your application. Ensure that you promote this and you get some views. You can do this by back linking from your blog or articles.
2. Use a name that is catchy, interesting and easy to remember.
3. Offer a free trial. This will make sure that your buyers have a chance to experience what you are selling to them for some days before making the actual purchase.
4. Use social networking sites like twitter and face book to promote your application.
5. Place an ad on Craigslist.
6. Use Word of mouth to Promote your App. This can involve telling your friends and relatives about it.
7. Send out a press release to media houses.
8. Create a website for your application.
9. Use Google PPC and make campaigns that will link to your website.
10. Use Social Bookmarking sites like Digg.com and Stumbleupon.com to promote your App.

If you follow the above tips and implement them well, you will rest assured that your iPhone application gets the attention it deserves and you also get to make some sales from it!

O2 launches new Apple iPhone deals

Customers with Apple iPhones can take advantage of O2's new sim-only packages.

Network operator O2 has unveiled a variety of new packages for its Apple iPhone and sim-only customers.

O2, which is a subsidiary of Telefonica, has announced that anyone who already owns one of the Apple handsets - or any other smartphone - will be able to take advantage of its new offers.

These will start from £15 per month, which gives O2 customers 300 minutes and unlimited texts, data and Wi-Fi usage, subject to signing a 12-month contract.

At the top end of the scale, consumers can have unlimited calls, texts and data for £45 per month on taking up a 12-month agreement.

Anyone without a smartphone can still benefit from new O2 packages, including a £10 per month, 30-day rolling contract giving 100 minutes and unlimited texts.

"Customers' habits are changing, with more texts being sent and data being used than ever before," said Sally Cowdry, marketing director at O2.

This news comes after O2 was found to offer the fast average web browsing experience in the City of London.

Visit Mobiles.co.uk for more information.

Freeview offers free iPhone app

According to: Pocket Lint

Freeview has announced it is offering iPhone and iPod touch owners a new app to help them plan their TV viewing whilst on the go with instant access to the Freeview programme guide, including HD channels and over 50 Freeview channels.

Features including a "now and next" view, "Top 10" channel list if you care, along with the ability to reorder channels so favourites appear first and can be customised to a viewer's local region.

The app also offers the ability to filter listings by category, search by text entry, and recommendations automatically provided for all programmes said to be in order "to help introduce users to related programmes based on their selections".

BBC HD channel listings are available now on the app while ITV1 HD listings will be available shortly and Channel 4 HD listings will be added when the channel becomes available on Freeview HD.

The Freeview app is free and available for all iPhone and iPod touch users to download from the iTunes App Store now. It goes head-to-head with the Radio Times iPhone app that's offered for £1.79.

LOVefilm uk free iphone app

You've seen a lot of talk on Simplyfreeiphone about getting a free iPhone for taking up a two-week free DVD rental trial with LOVEFiLM.

Their service is so good that most people decide to keep it. What a bonus to see the release of the official LOVEFiLM iPhone app, which allows you to manage your movie lists on the move. Find out what you want to watch from over 65,000 movies, TV episodes and games.

Don't miss out, go get your free iPhone right now!

Most popular mobile browser wants to bring faster web browsing to iPhone

According to: The Independent

Browsing the web on the iPhone may be getting a whole lot faster if Opera is able to get their mobile web browser past the beady eyes of Apple's App store approval team.

Web browser developer Opera Software has designed an iPhone compatible version of their popular Opera Mini web browser which they believe is up to six times faster than Apple's default iPhone browser, Safari.

The browser will also provide savings for iPhone users who travel the globe. "For many users on pay per MB or while roaming, Opera Mini will reduce browsing cost up to 90%" said Julie Sajnani, senior communications manager, Opera Software.

"Opera Mini is designed with usability in mind," added Sajnani. Additional features include tabbed browsing, speed dial and password manager.

Opera Software will give press members a preview of its iPhone web browser at the 2010 Mobile World Congress (MWC) on February 15.

"This is a unique opportunity to introduce the fast, feature-rich Opera Mini experience for the iPhone, and to showcase our latest beta releases of Opera Mobile and Opera Mini on other platforms and devices," said Jon von Tetzchner, co-founder, Opera Software in a February 10 statement to the press.

More than 31.9 million users use Opera Mini to surf the web on their mobile devices. Opera is hoping to further increase their market share by bring their mobile browser to the more than 42 million people that use the iPhone across the globe.

A secondary web browser will come as a welcome breath of fresh air for iPhone users who are currently locked in to using Apple's default mobile web browser, Safari. But first, Opera will have to submit the application to Apple's App store and pass through their strict approval processes.

"We hope that Apple will not deny their users a choice in Web browsing experience," said Julie Sajnani in a February 10 email to Relaxnews.

The company was unable to provide any further details on the availability of the application but said they did not foresee any problems passing through Apple's approval process.

Mozilla is also working on a mobile version of its popular desktop-based web browser Firefox. The company hopes to bring its browser to Android-powered mobiles in the future.

top gadgets site to offer free iPad

The UK's number one consumer website Gadgets4nowt is offering the iPad for free as a pre-order in readiness for the product launch in March or April 2010.

The site offers a full guide showing you how to get your free iPad and includes testomonials from hundred's of happy users who have already received their free gifts.

Head over to Gadgets4nowt today and get your free iPad pre-order!

iPhone 4G?

According to PhonesReview:

The rumours are rife on the internet with expectancy of the new iPhone 4G 2010 and new iPhone OS 4.0, and most if not all is simply speculation because we all know that Apple has a completely tight lid on anything Apple.

However, Apple does have an event on the horizon and it is expected Apple will dish the details on at least iPhone OS 4.0 and if we are extremely lucky some detail on the iPhone 4G 2010.

With the iPhone 4G 2010, rumour has it the next generation smartphone will have the much asked for removable battery, a larger camera at 5 megapixels, a touch sensitive casing much like the Magic Mouse, a front facing camera, OLED display, dual-core processor, and 64GB NAND Flash memory. There is also rumour that the iPhone 4G 2010 will be released before the traditional iPhone release date of June, with April and May being touted as options.

As for the rumours about iPhone OS 4.0, well according to an article over on iphone help, iPhone OS 4.0 is rumoured to deliver multi-tasking to the iPhone, which is apparently being called a new way of running apps in the background. iPhone OS 4.0 will drop the 2G iPhone and only work on the 3G and 3GS versions, and it isn’t sure whether iPhone OS 4.0 will be for the iPod Touch either, and lastly something new, a new way to sync contacts and calendar.

Of course without any confirmation from Apple it is all just speculation, but as that Apple event is on the 27th it won’t be too long before we hopefully find out.

Want to find out how to get the best iPhone deals?

Vodafone joins Apple iPhone outlets with 50,000 starter sales

According to: Guardian.co.uk

Vodafone today became the fourth mobile phone operator in the UK to stock the iPhone, shipping 50,000 of the Apple devices to customers who pre-registered with the company.

There are reports of queues forming in some of Vodafone's 400 high street stores, despite the fact that the company's pricing is scarcely different from the tariffs offered by O2 and Orange.

In November last year, Orange brought O2's two-year exclusive deal with Apple to an end and started stocking the iPhone itself, selling 30,000 on the first day.

Tesco followed suit last month but has not given any sales figures. This week the supermarket announced its best Christmas trading figures for three years. It has been moving aggressively into the telecoms market and has more than two million customers of its Tesco Mobile venture, which uses O2's network.

The company said this week that one customer activated their Tesco Mobile handset every two seconds on Christmas Day, while the arrival of the iPhone has "generated strong customer demand".

There had been fears that Vodafone customers would defect to Orange or Tesco, lured by the iPhone. But when Orange announced it had succeeded in wresting the device from the clutches of O2, Vodafone executives scrambled to get their own deal signed with Apple in order to prevent any defections.

Vodafone UK chief executive Guy Laurence said the company has today shipped more than 50,000 iPhones to customers, citing "exceptional demand.

iPhone on Vodafone from 14th January 2010, Pre-Order Now!

According to The Guardian

Vodafone will start selling the iPhone in Britain next month, offering customers a free handset for £35 a month on a two-year contract, disappointing consumers hoping for a high-street price war over the device.

The pricing plan comes as a surprise because it does not give Britain's second-biggest mobile phone company a competitive advantage, especially on an 18-month deal, where it is slightly more expensive than its rivals.

"I don't think this is about a price war – I think this is a network quality war," said Vodafone UK's chief executive, Guy Laurence. "At the end of the day, customers will seek out the best deal and we are competitive, but it is about the quality of the network. We have spent a year optimising the network for the iPhone.

"It's very simple: now you can get the iPhone on a network you can rely on."

The arrival of the iPhone on Vodafone brings the number of mobile phone companies supplying the device in Britain to four. Vodafone customers who register interest before it goes on sale on 14 January will get free calls to other Vodafone users for the life of their initial contract.

Orange started selling the iPhone last month, ending O2's two-year exclusive grip on the handset, then Tesco arrived this month, complicating matters by opting for 12-month contracts and demanding consumers shell out several hundred pounds for the device itself.

Vodafone's "entry-level" prices for the iPhone over 18 months are about £15 more expensive than Orange and O2, while Tesco does not offer an 18-month contract.

Vodafone's entry-level prices over two years are about £40 cheaper than O2 but almost £75 more expensive than Orange. Different handsets, however, have been pitched by different networks at different price points and with varying bundles of texts and minutes.

The basic iPhone 3G is cheapest with Orange over 18 months, at £624.98, and with Tesco over two years – provided consumers renew their 12-month contract – at £702. But most consumers are likely to want the 16GB version of the faster iPhone 3GS. That is cheapest with Tesco, where it costs £800 over two years for consumers who renew their 12-month contract.

The 16GB iPhone works out at £829.64 for Orange customers, £869 on Vodafone and £909.35 on O2.
Variety of packages
But the packages on offer are very different.

For that price, Tesco offers £60 of calls and texts a month – which works out at about 600 minutes or 1,200 texts – while Vodafone offers 300 minutes and unlimited texts per month and O2 gives customers 600 minutes and 500 texts. In stark contrast, Orange offers just 150 minutes and 250 texts.On the face of it, Tesco and Vodafone offer better '"value'" than Orange or O2 on the iPhone 3GS 16GB over two years. Some people have been put off Tesco Mobile, however, by the fact that it uses O2's network to run its service and the company has been suffering network capacity issues in recent months, especially in London.

With Britain's newest network, 3, having made it plain that it wants to get its hands on the iPhone but unlikely to get it for several months and with T-Mobile having counted itself out of the race for the device for the foreseeable future, the arrival of Vodafone completes the range of choices for UK consumers.

Vodafone is offering all three versions of the iPhone on 18-month and 24-month contracts, the same as Orange and O2. Vodafone's 18-month tariff starts at £30 a month, but consumers will have to pay for their iPhones. The basic iPhone 3G – which has 8GB of memory and a 2 megapixel camera – costs £99, the iPhone 3GS 16GB – which has a 3 megapixel camera and a faster processor – costs £189 and the iPhone 3GS 32GB - which has double the memory capacity - will cost £290.

Over the length of the 18 month contract, therefore, consumers will pay £639 for the iPhone 3G, £729 for the 16GB version and £820 for the 32GB version.

The equivalent 18-month entry-level prices on O2 are £625.73, £713.82 and £803.07. For Orange the equivalent prices are £624.98, £712.98 and £802.48. To get a free iPhone 3G on Vodafone, customers must sign up to an 18 month contract at £40 a month.

Vodafone is also offering all three devices on 24-month contracts. At the basic £30-a-month contract the iPhone 3G will cost consumers £59, the iPhone 3GS 16GB £149 and the iPhone 3GS 32GB £239. Over the two-year period, therefore, consumers will pay a total of £779 for the iPhone 3G, £869 for the 16GB iPhone 3GS and £959 for the iPhone 3GS 32GB.

The equivalent prices for O2 are £822.24, £909.35 and £997.43 and for Orange they are £704.64, £829.64 and £929.64. To get a free iPhone 3G on Vodafone customers have to spend at least £35 a month on a two year contract.

Tesco started selling the device last week and while it grabbed headlines by being the first operator to make the phone available on a contract at £20 a month and lasting just a year, consumers have to pay £222 to buy the basic 3G handset or £320 for the 16GB version of the faster 3GS handset and £407 for the 32GB version of the device.

Over the life of an annual contract, therefore, the 3G phone on Tesco costs £462, the 16GB 3GS £560 and the 32GB version 3GS £647.

Expanding the price over 18 months in order to compare the Tesco deals with O2 and Orange, the iPhone 3G on Tesco costs at total of £582 over a year and a half, the 16GB 3GS costs £680 and the 32GB 3GS costs £767. All these prices are lower than the equivalent prices from O2 and Orange, but only by £35 to £40 over 18 months. Compared with Vodafone's 18 month prices, Tesco is about £130 cheaper.

It is not possible, however, to get an 18-month contract with Tesco so either customers would have to renew their 12-month contract or opt for Tesco's more expensive 24-month contract from the outset.

Doubling-up the 12-month contract leaves the 3G costing £702, the 16GB 3GS £800 and the 32GB £887 over two years.

Anyone signing up to Tesco's 24-month contract, at £60 a month, in contrast, will get the iPhone 3G and the 16GB 3GS for free – rather begging the question why anyone would want the basic 3G phone – while the 32GB version costs £50. Over 24 months, therefore the cost to a consumer of the 3G and 3GS 16GB devices would be £1440 and the 32GB £1490.

O2 sells the basic iPhone 3G for £96.89 on an 18-month contract at £29.38. The 16GB version of the iPhone 3GS is £184.98 on the same contract and the largest 32GB version £274.23. Over the year-and-a-half of the contract, therefore, the devices cost £625.73, £713.82 and £803.07.

O2 gives the iPhone 3G away for free on a 24-month contract at £34.26 a month while the 16GB iPhone costs £87.11 and the 32GB version £175.19. Over the two years, therefore, the prices for O2 are £822.24, £909.35 and £997.43.

Orange sells the basic 3G iPhone for £96.50 on an 18-month contract costing £29.36 a month; the 16GB 3GS costs £184.50 and the 32GB version £274. Over the lifetime of the contract, therefore, the three versions on Orange cost £624.98, £712.98 and £802.48. Or a mere 75p, 84p and 59p cheaper than O2.

Orange gives the iPhone 3G away free on a 24-month contract at £29.36, while the 16GB version of the 3GS costs £125 and the 32GB costs £225. Over the two years, therefore, the prices for Orange are £704.64, £829.64 and £929.64.

Tesco £20 monthly iPhone deal from 11th December

Tesco is to enter the increasingly crowded market for Apple's iPhone next week when the grocer will launch a mini price war on the smartphone. The supermarket group, which secured the rights to the phone last month, will start selling the 3G and 3GS iPhone models on Monday, offering a annual contract for just £20 a month. Customers will have to pay £222 for the basic 3G 8GB handset however.

The deal undercuts rivals O2 and Orange, which offer a lowest rate of just over £29 a month. Tesco also requires customers to sign up only for one year, compared to two years at its rivals, though their contracts make no charge for the phone. Best iPhone Deal

A fourth operator, Vodafone, is set to enter the market in "the first quarter" of next year, but is yet to give details on pricing arrangements.

Analysts are expecting price competition to intensify after Christmas, once all four groups are competing for customers. "France Telecom [which runs Orange] will keep prices high in the run-up to Christmas to ensure they capture premium subscribers who were starved of the iPhone but were loyal to Orange," said Will Draper of Evolution Securities. "When Vodafone joins the market the gloves will come off."

On securing the iPhone last month, the supermarket group promised to add "Tesco value" to the smartphone market. "[The] iPhone is now available and affordable for all, with the best deals in the UK market," claimed Lance Batchelor, the chief executive of Tesco Mobile and Tesco Telecoms.

"This is a fantastic announcement for us and we're delighted to make iPhone available to our customers. It shows what a serious player in the mobile market Tesco Mobile has become," he added.

Tesco Mobile is a joint venture between Tesco and O2, which did have an exclusive two-year deal with Apple to sell the iPhone until the autumn.

Tesco insisted yesterday that it was offering the lowest "cost of ownership" of the three networks, adding that its contracts offer more flexibility given the minimum 12-month, rather than two-year, deals. But few Orange or O2 deals, except those offering so-called "pay as you go" agreements, require customers to pay any up front fee for the phone itself.

Tesco customers signing up to the entry-level deal get a "£60 credit bundle" for calls, texts and web browsing: typically, this would give iPhone uses 300 minutes of calls and 150 text messages. On a 24-month contract at £60 a month, Tesco Mobile customers will get unlimited calls and texts and a more recent model – the iPhone 3GS 16GB – for free. The iPhone will also be available to pay-as-you-go customers, for whom the 3G model will cost £342.

A spokesperson for Tesco said that, unlike Orange and O2, there were no plans to introduce business tariffs.

Source: The Independent

Orange Introduces Unlimited iPhone Contract

According to: Itproportal

When introducing the iPhone 3GS to the British Public, Orange also dropped in the first unlimited texts/calls package ever with a mobile phone in the UK with a staggering price tag of £122.34 per month (to rise to £125 by the end of the year).

The 24-month iPhone deal is likely to cost around £3,000 more than four times more than the entry level package which carries a price tag of £29.36 per month. There are apparently no strings attached to the unlimited minutes and texts. We skimmed through the T&C and found nothing.

However, the unlimited mobile internet browsing still carries a fair usage policy of 750MB per month with the tethering option by default - you get 3GB and don't have to pay any fee. There's also free WiFi thrown in for good measure.

Punters will also get 100 free European Roaming minutes which can be used in Ireland, Channel Islands and Europe 1 zone to make or receive calls. In addition, there's also a measly 20MB monthly European roaming mobile internet browsing that can be used across the aforementioned territories.

You can choose any of the iPhones; Orange has yet to confirm whether it will launch other mobile phones on this extra exclusive contract.

Back in July 2009, Tesco was offering a similar unlimited mobile phone contract albeit a PAYG version which didn't come with the phone and not many of the goodies offered by Orange. But then it costs less than a quarter of Orange's uber expensive offer.

iPhone 3GS: Orange UK Release date

According to a recent article on SlashGear it seems that the UK carrier Orange will begin selling Apple’s iPhone 3GS’ from November 10th, this release will be exactly one day after O2’s exclusivity ends

No details regarding pricing have been revealed by Orange yet, however with multiple UK carriers soon to be offering the handset it is thought that there will be a price war.

In attempt to beat some of their competitors to the massive demand for the iPhone it is thought that Orange may look into offering accessories and pre-installed applications with their iPhones.

For more information regarding iPhone deals on Orange check out SlashGear.

Will you be purchasing an iPhone 3GS on Orange? If not, why not?

Vodafone to sell iPhone

According to: Times Online

Vodafone has moved with impressive speed to shore up its position in Britain after winning the right to sell Apple’s iPhone from next year, a deal that should stop the flow of its high-value customers to rival networks.

When Orange revealed that it would be selling the mobile phone in time for Christmas, analysts feared that Vodafone could be left out in the cold as consumer demand for the handset has shown no sign of slowing down.

However, Vodafone quickly moved to plug the gap in its handset range after signing a deal with Apple late on Monday evening to sell the iPhone in the UK and the Republic of Ireland from 2010.

The rush to sign up to sell the iPhone once O2’s exclusive deal with Apple ends in November shows that the bargaining power has shifted back toward device makers, such as Apple and Nokia, and suggests that subscriber acquisition costs — a key metric for the financial performance of mobile phone operators — are set to increase accordingly.

Mark James, an analyst with Evolution Securities, said: “If you get exclusivity of an iconic product like the iPhone, then you can take market share in spades and the manufacturers know that. I don’t think operators hold the cards any more and the issue for the networks now is that all roads lead to costs.”

Operators across Europe, if not worldwide, have struggled to differentiate themselves on service and brand, meaning that signing deals for must-have devices has become paramount, Mr James said. As a result, networks may have to switch their focus from cash preservation and defending their market share to fighting for high-value subscribers.

Cazenove, the investment bank, argued that while the iPhone was “critical” in terms of retaining high-value customers and enhancing an operator’s brand image, the handset could weigh on the profitability of companies that sell it. “We expect weaker margins as operators compete aggressively to attract iPhone users,” it said.

The average subscriber acquisition costs for prepay and contract customers in Britain is about £75. However, that figure is weighed down by the provision of low-end and mid-range phones. Vodafone and Orange’s iPhone aspirations could drive that higher, Mr James said. The two companies hope that rising costs will be offset by much higher data usage by iPhone owners, who use the handset to access the internet and download applications.

This week, Apple said that two billion applications had been downloaded via its store after half a billion were downloaded in the last quarter alone.

Such statistics will cheer Orange and Vodafone, which want to dispel fears that they are entering the iPhone party too late.

While Orange customers have been registering to receive an iPhone for Christmas, Vodafone users can register their interest in the device from today but will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on the mobile phone.

Like Orange, Vodafone has stayed silent on pricing details, although it is widely assumed that competition for iPhone customers could result in lower prices, given the experience in other markets where exclusivity deals have come to an end.

Orange announces UK iPhone deal

Orange has reached an agreement to sell Apple’s popular iPhone in the UK.

The deal ends an exclusive arrangement between UK network operator O2 and the Californian phone maker, which has been in place since 2007.

Orange said its customers would be able to buy the phone “later this year” but did not specify a date or pricing.

However, analysts said that in markets where there was already competition there was little difference in handset prices but small variations in tariffs.

“There’s not a lot they can do – they are subsidising the hardware, so they can’t afford to do much on the tariff,” said Carolina Milanesi of Gartner.

“You may see a £30 per month tariff versus £35, but I would not expect anything more.”

Data jam

Orange recently revealed plans to merge its UK network with Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile to create a business with 28.4 million customers.

If given the go-ahead, it would be the UK’s largest provider, overtaking Telefonica’s O2, with about 37% of the mobile market.

“That would be good for Apple,” Dave McQueen, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media told BBC News.

“Then, around three quarters of the UK market will then have access to the iPhone.”

O2 has offered the handset in the UK since its launch in 2007. In February, it said it had sold more than one million of the handsets.

The launch of the latest iPhone 3GS in June significantly boosted sales, with many stores running out of stock.

The phone has also allowed the firm to win subscribers from other networks, according to analysts.

However, the rise of smartphones – which have the ability to surf the web and send e-mail – has put a burden on the O2 network, according to Mr McQueen.

“IPhone users to tend to use data quite extensively – perhaps more than anticipated,” he said.

“Orange has always a good data network and if the T-mobile deal goes through it would allow them to share the burden.”

O2 will continue to sell the handset in Britain, alongside iPhone rival the Palm Pre.

The Palm phone, described by some as an “iPhone killer”, will be available exclusively to O2 from 16 October.

O2 said that it always knew that its exclusive deal was for “a limited period of time”.

The new agreement with Orange brings the UK into line with many other countries around the world which have multiple operators that offer the iPhone.

In countries where exclusive deals still persist, such as the US, some customers choose to “unlock” their phones using third party software so they work on an unlicensed network.

However, Apple has warned that the practice can cause “irreparable” damage to a handset and has engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse, releasing periodic software updates which prevent unlocked phones from working correctly.

Source: BBC.co.uk

Will iPhone 3.1 Update Extend Battery Life?

According to: Product-reviews.net

There is no doubt about the fact that iPhone is one of the most popular cell phone out there. The argument for a longer battery life on the iPhone is relative in free iPhone 3GS terms of its user requirement. If used as a cell phone, for the primary purpose that it has been designed for, the battery life would be fine and will last probably all day. However, if someone likes to use it as portable computer which I assume most iPhone users are doing, for checking email, web browsing, playing games etc, then the battery is comparable to that of any standard notebook at best.

iPhone owners, unlike other cell phone owners, use more features on a regular basis. Use of these features considerably drain battery life. It’s not fair to blame the new hardware for the quick battery sucking of the new iPhone 3GS. The new design with all its bells and whistles aren’t the main and only culprits. Rather, it’s the software which is the main contributor for drawing the juice from iPhone 3GS batteries much faster than before. While iPhone 3.0 firmware was certainly a leap forward for Apple, with all the new features, there was also a huge disappointment with it, the battery life. Its funny how Apple didn’t add multitasking to save battery life, yet the new update with Push Notification System is doing away with battery faster.

Given due cognizance to the importance placed on improvement of features and styles, it is rather high time for Apple to continue to provide innovative and compelling devices, while recognizing the need for an improved battery strength. Apple has to explore some new battery technology to reduce the charging cycles of iPhone and moreover, needs a relook into the software side of its various applications which are significantly contributing to the excessive discharge. Apple has done hardly anything to provide relief to users to cope up with weak battery life. Moreover, iPhone’s battery is sealed inside, meaning users can’t swap it out with a fresh one while their battery is recharging thereby leaving no option but to be dud till recharging.

Apple announcement of the highly anticipated iPhone OS 3.1 firmware version is expected on September 9th where it claims improvement in the battery life. Let’s see how far Apple fixes the battery issues.

8GB iPhone 3GS incoming

Source: Mirror.co.uk

If you want an iPhone, but your bank balance is barely healthy enough for a splurge in the local 99p store, then an 8GB iPhone 3G is about all you’ll be able to muster. But it appears Apple is planning to give financially challenged punters the chance to get on board with the iPhone 3GS, with new leaks showing an 8GB version is on the way. Read on to find out when it’s likely to land.

The 8GB iPhone 3GS is on the way. The sneaky chaps at Boy Genius Report have snapped pics of Canadian operator Rogers’ internal memos, which claim that the the “8GB iPhone is transitioning to 3GS.”

It would make sense for Apple to have this unleashed ahead of Christmas, when punters want a new iPhone, but don’t fancy lashing out on a specced up 3GS, while at the same time not wanting to step back in time with an iPhone 3G.

Rumours O2 May Lose iPhone Exclusivity As Early As Autumn 2009

Via: Macworld

Reports are coming in that O2 is on the verge of losing it exclusive iPhone contract deal. According to Mobile Today, the iPhone 3G could be available to two new networks, Orange and T-Mobile from as early as September 2009. They already both have rights to sell the iPhone in other countries.

An O2 spokesman said that its exclusive with the iPhone could end soon. There is no official word on if Apple and T-Mobile are in talks and some call the rumor mere speculation.

Apparently, “sources said O2 has been furious with the news and is concerned potential rivals will undercut its prices on the older model.” However, Apple is allegedly planning to offer O2 exclusivity on the new, faster iPhone 3GS model.

T-Mobile has issued a “no comment” whilst Orange is yet to say anything.

Operator O2 may lose exclusive distribution of the iPhone

Source: Times Online

O2 could soon lose its exclusive deal to distribute Apple’s iPhone, it has emerged.

Theregister.co.uk, a technology website, reports that T-Mobile UK, the German-owned operator that is the fourth-biggest player in the British mobile market, is in talks with Apple about a distribution agreement for the iPhone 3G.

This would end the exclusivity that O2 has enjoyed since the iPhone was launched in Britain in 2007.

Theregister.co.uk said that the talks concerned only distribution of the iPhone 3G and that, regardless of the outcome of Apple’s talks with T-Mobile UK, O2 would retain exclusivity for the iPhone 3GS — the newer, faster model launched by Apple last month. It said that it was also possible that Orange could strike a distribution deal with Apple.

There has been speculation for months that Apple wanted to end its exclusive distribution deals for the iPhone, a move that would also hit AT&T, the handset’s distributor in the United States. Most industry analysts believe that consumer loyalty is primarily to Apple, rather than to network operators such as O2 and AT&T.

Rival operators to the incumbents in France and Germany already offer the iPhone.

The news comes two weeks after it was revealed that Vodafone and O2 have both expressed interest in buying T-Mobile UK.

Ronan Dunne, UK chief executive of O2, said yesterday that Telefónica, O2’s Spanish parent company, was watching developments with interest. He said: “We haven’t explicitly said whether we are participating in anything. To my knowledge, there isn’t a formal [sale] process go-ing on.”

This give you even more reason why you need to get your free iPhone here at Simplyfreeiphone.........

£900 for an unlocked iPhone 3GS

According to: P C Pro

Play.com is selling unlocked iPhone 3GS handsets in the UK - but the handsets come at the eye-watering price of £900.

Despite rumours that it was losing its exclusivity, O2 remains the sole official iPhone network in the UK, forcing customers of the other networks to jump ship if they want to get their hands on the Apple device.

However, Play.com appears to have got its hands on a batch of unlocked models. The 32GB model is shipped without a SIM card, and can allegedly be used on any UK network. One customer leaving a comment on the Play.com site claims to have had no problems connecting to the Orange network with the device.

The £900 price tag may seem incredibly steep, but it's actually not that much more expensive than the cost of buying the device on contract from O2.

The 32GB device costs £274.23 on a £29.38 per month contract with O2, which lasts for 18 months, giving a total cost of ownership of £803.07.

However, buyers of the unlocked handset will of course have to pay the monthly/pay-as-you-go tariff on the network of their choice.

Play.com may well be looking to cash in on demand for the iPhone 3GS, with stocks reportedly running low at O2.

Best free iPhone apps

According to: SavannahNow

Say you want to take a photo of yourself and your 4-year-old then swap your mugs, putting her teeny face on your giant head and your giant face on her teeny head. There's an app for that.

Say you want each of your daily achievements to be immediately followed by a glorious chorus of "HAAAAAAA-leluiah."

There's an app for that, too.

Or say you want to fill the room with 16 varieties of obscene bodily noises, just by touching a button.

Unfortunately - delightfully - there's an app for that, too.

Even if you don't have an iPhone, you have undoubtedly seen one of those catchy television commercials touting the awesomeness of iPhone apps.

For the uninitiated, "apps" is short for applications, which are little programs that when downloaded perform amazing tricks on iPhones.

They're one of the perks that make iPhone ownership so fulfilling. Making phone calls, texting friends and e-mailing from the car is fun for a while. But when you own a powerful little handheld computer like an iPhone, you start to yearn for more.

During my seven months of blissful iPhone ownership, I've downloaded about 30 different apps, which range in price from totally free to $100 and more. (Although most fall in the $5 and less category.)

Downloading apps is simple - you just press the "App Store" button on your phone and start shopping.

Some apps are downright useful. I use the Weather Channel app every day, which offers not only the current temperature but also a 10-day and hour-to-hour forecast.

And my Amazon Kindle app allowed me last week to download my book club's current selection straight to my iPhone for half the cost of buying the actual book.

But the best apps are the ones that serve no purpose whatsoever, other than to entertain or impress your friends.

One can, for example, download an app that displays a big picture of a lighter with a burning flame that can be substituted for the real thing during concert slow songs.

Those who are on a quest for more cowbell can download an app that allows them to clang away.

There's the aforementioned bodily function app (an inappropriate favorite with kids). And a light saber app displays the famous "Star Wars" weaponry with appropriate sound effects.

This week, I've learned of an app that will produce the "censored" beeping noise to be used around potty-mouthed friends, and one that provides a fake X-ray of a hand to be used around gullible friends.

Perhaps my favorite useless iPhone app is iSwap Faces, which allows the user to snap an iPhone picture of two people, digitally cut out their faces, then swap them.

The monstrosities I have created out of my otherwise attractive friends' heads are amazingly awful and very, very wrong. But we never fail to laugh hysterically through our grimaces at the finished products.

Say you're easily amused.

As I've demonstrated here, there are hundreds and hundreds of apps for that.

Now, here's a story that should convince you to go for a free iPhone!......

O2 Makes a Mess of iPhone 3G S UK Pricing

According to: Trustedreviews.com

The launch of the iPhone 3G S garnered a rather apathetic opinion from me when it launched last night while you guys have seemingly been split down the middle. There is however a new announcement in relation to the handset which we can all agree upon...

O2 has released its pricing for the new Apple phone and it's ludicrous, barmy, batty, recession-timed-madness that makes me so cross I'm going to simply copy and paste in this table to try and cut down on more adjectives.

In short, yes these run in stark contrast to O2's generous iPhone 3G tariffs which appeared one year ago almost to the day. In fact, whereas a flagship 16GB iPhone 3G in 2008 would cost you just £59 on a £45pm 18 month contract now the replacement 32GB flashship iPhone 3G S clocks in at a jaw dropping £175.19 on the same tariff.

Perhaps worst of all are the deals for the 'affordable' 8GB iPhone 3G which supposedly received a 50 per cent price cut yesterday to attract new users into the smartphone sector. Well SUPRISE! O2 hasn't changed the tariff at all and will still charge roughtly £99 (£96.89) for the handset on both £29.38pm and £34.26pm 18 month deals - the exact same rate it launched at 12 months ago. Thanks O2.

Think that's the end of it? Oh no. O2 will charge £2.94 for downloading each megabyte of data inside the EU and £6 per megabyte everywhere else. That new MMS functionality will come at the cost of no less than four SMS messages and tethering - oh my word tethering - costs an extra £14.60pm for a 3GB allowance or £29.36pm for a 10GB allowance. This is the exact same price O2 charges for its mobile broadband packages and at least there you a) get a free dongle and b) won't kill your iPhone battery in the process.

There's more.

Pay & Go pricing. Now let's put this in context: currently the 8GB iPhone 3G sells for £342.54 and the 16GB version costs £391.47 not an inconsiderable amount. Now the apparently 50 per cent cheaper 8GB iPhone 3G will sell for - yep - £342.50 with the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 3G S demanding a quite simply potty £440.40 and £538.30 respectively.

Feeling depressed? O2 has one final killer. Speaking from its official Twitter page the network has confirmed it will be abandoning the early upgrade options it offered to customers for the original iPhone and iPhone 3G launches. Now "Every O2 customer needs to pay to end their contract if they want to upgrade early." How much will this be? "The early upgrade cost is likely to be monthly cost x (multiplied by) months left on your contract."

So let's get this straight with an example. An early adopter of the 16GB iPhone 3G who bought it at launch in June will need to pay up the six remaining months of their contract - say the midrange £34.26pm tariff - then up to £184.98 for a replacement 16GB iPhone 3G S before signing up to another £34.26pm 18 month deal. In total that's a £395.54 upgrade cost combined with a new contract.

I've said a great many positive things about O2 over the last 18 months - all of them richly deserved - but it has not so much dropped the ball here as collected the ball, its chain, a few pro wrestlers and body slammed them onto the toes of existing and potential customers slap bang in the middle of the worst recession in nearly a century.

(No, that table insertion didn't really stop the adjectives - did it?)

Apple unveils new iPhone 3GS

Source: Star-techcentral.com

AFTER weeks of speculations, Apple finally announced the new iPhone 3GS at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference here.

Though it sports the same design as the iPhone 3G, the new iPhone 3GS will feature a host of improvements that users been asking for including copy, cut and paste functions as well as MMS support for sending photos and videos.

“The ‘S’ in the new iPhone stands for speed as we have made some significant improvements to the phone in both hardware and software,” Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide product marketing Philip Schiller said.

The new iPhone promises improved speed and performance that’s twice as fast as the current iPhone 3G.

“With the new iPhone you can render webpages quicker and launch applications faster,” Schiller said.

The iPhone 3G S will also include the new iPhone OS 3.0 update that will feature improvements such as Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard across multiple applications and the much-wanted copy and paste feature.

“On top of that, the iPhone 3G S will take advantage of the OpenGL 2.0 standard that will allow developers to create stunning looking 3D graphics mobile games for both the iPhone and iPod touch,” he added.

“We have also improved the battery life, so you can now watch more videos, listen to music and browse the Internet,” he said.

Among the new hardware improvements to the phone is a 3-megapixel autofocus camera with video-recording capabilities. The autofocus feature will allow for users to “tap to focus” — touching the display to select an area they wish to focus on.

Users can also record VGA quality videos at 30 frames per second and even perform simple video edits on phone. The video feature also makes it easy to share video clips via e-mail, MMS and YouTube.

Another new feature is voice control, which allows users to control the iPhone by simply speaking to it. Holding down the home button brings up the new voice control interface.

Using this feature, users can say a contact’s name to make a call, play songs and even ask the iPhone what song is being played.

Other features integrated into the new iPhone include a digital compass that works together with the default maps application, built-in support for Nike Plus and hardware encryption for protecting private information.

Apple said the iPhone 3G S will be available in the United States on June 19 at a suggested retail price of US$199 (RM697) for the 16GB model and US$299 (RM1,047) for the 32GB model.

The iPhone 3G S is set to be available here next month. No local pricing was available at press time.

Jobs is back: with a new iPhone

Source: Independent.co.uk

The tension is palpable. Apple is preparing to kick off its annual conference next week and the internet has been buzzing with speculation that the company will unveil the next generation of its iPhone.

There is much riding on this unknown bit of kit as the group looks to expand its mass market appeal as well as face down a host of rivals, one of which has today launched what some believe could be the first "iPhone killer". Adam Leach, an analyst at the research group Ovum, said: "Apple has established the product in people's minds, but they have to prove they can keep innovating to stay out ahead. This is an important release for them."

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco kicks off on Monday, hosting more than 1,000 Apple engineers, and acting as a forum for developers and IT professionals who use the company's technology. For the past two years it has been the launching pad for new iPhones. There was good news for the group yesterday as it emerged that its founder, Steve Jobs, had recovered sufficiently from his recent ill health to return to the company sometime this month. He coule even present his traditional keynote at the conference, but currently his lieutenant Phillip Schiller is expected to announce the latest step forward in iPhone technology.

Michael Brook, editor of the technology magazine T3, said: "No one is quite sure what to expect, as we've only had two years of the iPhone. At one extreme it could be a whole new model, although it's more likely to be an updated version. At the other end it could just be a few updates, but that would be pretty disappointing."

The consensus among analysts and some of the iPhone-obsessed blogs is that the upgrades are likely to include a better camera, a video camera for the first time, and a compass. The storage capacity is likely to be lifted to 32 gigabytes, while the design could become sleeker, with a higher resolution touchscreen.

Users have also cried out for the battery life to be extended. "An interesting move was Apple applying for a patent on a solar panel screen. It could be embedded behind the touch screen and when you leave it out in the sunshine it would top up the battery power. That would go some way to helping solve the problem of the battery," Mr Brook said.

Yet, technology experts are hoping for something more revolutionary. Mr Brook said the company could follow the path it took with the iPod, by launching an iPhone Nano.

Carolina Milanesi, a research director at Gartner, said a Nano-style iPhone could well be a possibility. "It is taken for granted that Apple will launch something. The question is whether it will be high or low end. I think something like the Nano makes sense." The move will also allow it to hit the mass market more comprehensively, analysts said.

Mr Jobs launched the iPhone in 2007 to great acclaim, selling 270,000 in its first weekend. The following year, the group drove further ahead of rivals with the launch of the iPhone 3G. More than three million were sold in the first month.

Yet the group's rivals are beginning to catch up. Ms Milanesi said: "Apple definitely faces challenges. The touchscreen it brought to the mass market is now everywhere."

The smartphone battleground is heating up. Strategy Analytics said 152 million of the phones were sold last year, and it expects growth of up to a fifth this year. Apple faces unprecedented competition from BlackBerry. The group that cornered the market for corporate contracts is increasingly targeting consumers. It has struggled with its BlackBerry Storm in the UK, but in the US the BlackBerry Curve outsold the iPhone during the first quarter.

It also faces competition from the phones powered by Google's Android operating system. The biggest so far is the HTC Magic, launched earlier this year. Sales of Google-powered phones 8 million this year.

Many are jostling but only one is expected to have the draw to combat the iPhone on its own turf. The Palm Pre launches today after much fanfare, and Mr Brook of T3 said it was "the closest thing yet to an iPhone killer". It is no coincidence that the launch comes two days before the Apple conference, as one analyst said it is "a deliberate move to steal the limelight from Apple".

It is a dangerous strategy. Last year, Samsung launched its Omnia phone on the same day as the Apple conference in an attempt to act as a spoiler, and ended up getting lost. The iPhone still remains ahead, but for how long is unclear, and analysts said next week could be crucial.

"The iPhone is not as differentiated, so the challenge is to create something that looks as different as the iPhone did," Mr Leach said.

The challengers: Five biting into Apple

*The Palm Pre launches today and first reviews say it lives up to the hype. Palm said the phone is so in sync with your life "it feels like it's thinking ahead for you".

*No longer content with Wall Street, BlackBerry has targeted Apple's consumer heartland with Storm and Curve. US sales figures show that the latter is winning fans over.

*HTC Magic brings Google's Android to a touchscreen device. Experts say it takes Google's G1 phone to the next level.

*The industry is eagerly awaiting Toshiba's sleek TG01 device, which is set to be one of the most advanced of Windows Mobile phones.

*Samsung releases its latest smartphone challenger this month. Despite the mystery, hype is building.

New iPhone in 4GB and 32GB

According To: Mirror.co.uk

Another day, another promising new iPhone rumour. At this rate, if Apple doesn’t announce something iPhone shaped next week, thousands of Mac-heads may succumb to lethal amounts of disappointment. The latest speculation comes from a leaked image, belonging to Fido – a Canadian mobile network – which strongly suggests that a 4GB version of the iPhone is on its way.

Furthermore, this coincides neatly with a rumour that Engadget is reporting, namely that the new iPhone will come in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB flavours. That’s according to a trusted and obviously anonymous source.

The rumoured 4GB model stands out in particular. With the current iPhone 3G already available in 8GB, and so many other phones adopting 8GB or 16GB as a standard, it would seem odd for Apple to be taking a step back. That, however, has let to further speculation that Apple might be about to launch a lower budget handset.

Other specs visible in the leaked image suggest the 4GB model would only have a 2.0 megapixel camera – a feature Apple is also rumoured to be upgrading for the new iPhone. Could this be the first indication of the oft-speculated iPhone nano then?

1 million downloads for Stanford's free iPhone course

Source: Cnet News

Stanford University on Monday said its free iPhone Application Programming course has been downloaded more than 1 million times since being uploaded to Apple's iTunes U--a learning-focused area of iTunes--seven weeks ago.

The course is a series of classroom videos taken from the live lectures at Stanford. Apple engineers teach the course to students in an auditorium at Stanford's Quad--the videos are uploaded to iTunes U two days after every class, giving the public free access to the material. The university even makes copies of the slides shown during the class available to the public.

Jason Ediger, Apple's director of iTunes U and Mobile Learning, said this is the fastest any course hit the million download mark on iTunes U. Certainly a testament to the amount of interest from would-be iPhone developers.

Apple currently has over 40,000 apps available for download from the App Store, according to numbers from 148 Apps, an enthusiast Web site that monitors the number of apps on the store.

iPhone Application Programming is a 10-week course and can be downloaded free from iTunes U. Only students enrolled in the classroom course will receive credit, according to the university.

What will the next iPhone be called?

From: Counter Notions

Naming any Apple product — much less the iPhone, the most iconic of them all — is no easy task.

Remember all the mindless chatter when Apple risked legal entanglement with Cisco for the right to use the name “iPhone”?

Gizmodo:

Cisco rightfully owns the trademark for iPhone. And Apple can’t sue them or bully them into giving it up. The tech world had taken the title for granted, assumed it to be proper, plastered it over magazine covers, and now the name is lost. Which means Apple’s iPhone, if there even is an iPhone, will have to be named something else. It’s a big deal, if you think about what that name meant.
Apple never designated the original product iPhone 1G or iPhone 2G. Introduced as a convergence device, it was simply called iPhone. The next version last year (twice as fast, at half the price) was named iPhone 3G.

The “3G” part was referencing the speed upgrade from 2.5G/2.75G (EDGE) to 3G (HSPA), not its generational order. Only after the introduction of the iPhone 3G did it make sense to refer to the original as iPhone 2G, but that’s not Apple’s nomenclature.

Give us the name

Beyond simple versioning, however, product names often foretell Apple’s ambitions with a given product. Whatever value theme Apple will wrap around the next iPhone, it will likely be reflected in its name. Let’s consider some possibilities:

• iPhone 3G+ Too nerdy for Apple.

• iPhone 3G II Apple is not Nokia.

• iPhone 3.5G No decimals in consumer hardware names.

• iPhone 4G Four comes after three, to be sure. But in the cellphone industry 4G specifically refers to 4G LTE, the next major evolution in wireless speed and interoperability among mobile phone carriers. Apple’s carrier AT&T has said it would begin to upgrade its 3G network to HSPA+ this year and switch to 4G LTE by mid-2011. So the timing isn’t quite right for 4G.

• iPhone Pro Assumes minor hardware upgrades to existing iPhone at same/lower price and introduction of a higher-end model at a higher price (like MacBook vs. MacBook Pro). So if Apple is about to expand the “touch platform” horizontally (like the iPod product line), we can expect to see a new mobile “quadrant” segregated by functionality and price among products like iPhone mini, iPhone 3G, iPhone HD, iPhone Pro, iPod touch, iPod touch HD, iPhone Business, etc. Balance that against Apple’s practice of product line simplification though.

• iPhone V (Video) or iPhone M (Media) If Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi bears early fruit and the iPhone is turned into a multimedia powerhouse with faster CPU (ARM Cortex), multi-core GPU (Imagination PowerVR), parallel graphics processing (OpenCL), Wii-mote like 3D controls, better camera and video recording/conferencing, we can expect to see a long line of third party partners demonstrating the media prowess of the new iPhone at the WWDC. Apple knows that no other smartphone is even close to the iPhone as the mobile gaming platform, but it won’t be called iPhone G (Games) since the name can’t regress from 3G to G and association with “games” won’t help Apple battle RIM and Microsoft among business users.

• iPhone U (Universal) Apple’s decision to open up the 30-pin port to third party developers was a central part of the new iPhone OS 3.0 SDK. This makes the iPhone a ‘controller’ of a huge range of hardware in all kinds of industries from healthcare to entertainment to transportation. Indeed, the iPhone becomes the universal front-end ‘UI processor’ to the rest of the world, and the hub of a multi-billion dollar ecosystem in the making.

• iPhone X An opaque name, but nicely ties the iPhone via Snow Leopard (Apple’s upcoming OS, a mobile version of which will also power the touch platform) to the Mac OS X desktop world for the ultimate bi-directional halo effect. The next device in 2010 might then be called iPhone X2 and the one in 2011, iPhone 4G. How would the unwashed non-Mac users pronounce it, though, as “ton” or “eks”?

• iPhone <#noun> We don’t quite see Apple losing its mind with something like iPhone Storm/Instinct/Chocolate/Rumor/Propel but if there’s in fact a unifying value theme for the next device and a semi-abstract word can capture its soul and purpose, it is certainly a possibility.

• iPhone 09 Should Apple run out of naming ideas, there’s always the introduced-in-the-year standby. However, Apple does this with software (iLife 09, iWork 09) but not with hardware. Otherwise, what would it name the one capable of LTE, iPhone 4G 11?

• iPhone The ultimate Rorschach inkblot test. A maddening knot in the world of Cupertinology is Apple’s predilection to introduce a market defining product under one name and, over time, introduce several iterations without any name augmentation. That inevitably forces customers and tech support alike to make up names to identify Apple products such as “3G iPod fat nano with video,” “C2D 24-in iMac,” “MBP 15-in late 2008″ and so on. So there’s also a chance that Apple might decide not to add a qualifier to “iPhone” until the appropriate opportunity presents itself, like when 4G LTE is ready for deployment.

The name makes the product?

It would be easier to decipher what the next iPhone version will contain if we could get a glimpse of just the name of the device instead of spec lists and blurry pictures soon to inundate us. The name will tell all. We already know, however, what it won’t be called: “Apple MyPhone P3G-2 Millennium Live Edition 2009,” pre-hyped with a cheesy YouTube video.

Wesabe’s free iPhone app lets users manager their money

According to: IntoMobile

Wesabe is out with a free iPhone application designed to help users manage their money on the go. Users can view all of their bank and credit card accounts in one place; track their spending; edit, categorize and tag purchases; and set up and monitor spending targets. Moreover, the application takes advantage of iPhone’s location capabilities, so when you input a new purchase, it will offer the names of the closest merchants.

Additional features of Wesabe’s app include text-to-graph views, privacy protection via a Wesabe-specific PIN, data protection for lost/stolen phone, pending transactions, and full support for worldwide currencies…

Interested? Got to the AppStore from where you can grab the app free of charge.

Apple iPhone Need Not Fear BlackBerry

According to: PcWorld

Is this the beginning of the end for the iPhone? Relax, analysts say.

The BlackBerry Curve outsold the Apple iPhone in consumer sales in the first quarter of this year, according to research group NPD. The popular iPhone had held the title of top selling consumer smartphone for the last two quarters.

All tallied, the top five best-selling smartphones so far this year: Curve, iPhone, Storm, Pearl and T-Mobile's G1. NPD says the Curve overtook the iPhone thanks to a "buy-one-get-one-free" promotion by Verizon Wireless. Four wireless carriers support the Curve, while the iPhone is tied up in an exclusive contract with AT&T.

Nevertheless, the Curve's iPhone beatdown shocked and confused many mainstream pundits. It was as if the earth's polar magnetic fields suddenly flipped. Among tech analysts, though, cooler heads prevailed.

"I don't think Apple is hell-bent on being the number one smartphone sold," says Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin. "They posted extremely good numbers, are driving significant net adds for AT&T, and their users are heavily engaged with the App Store which drives additional revenue and increases loyalty. There is plenty of room in the market for both Apple and RIM to be successful."

Sure, Apple can grab marketshare if it lowers prices and opens up the iPhone to other carriers. Apple is reportedly in talks with Verizon, although a deal sounds unlikely. Eventually, the iPhone will regain its title over the Curve, says Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney. But Apple couldn't care less, he says.

The smartphone market is bubbling with excitement as Apple readies a new iPhone in the next few months and the Palm Pre is set to launch in the same time frame. "There is plenty of growth for all," Dulaney says. "Apple will introduce their new model in the summer and drive sales that way.

Fandango for IPhone

According to: Pcworld.com

So you just got your unemployment check and have a bit of free time? Let's go to the movies then. What do you want to see? Beats me, too. Let's check what's out.

No, of course I don't have today's paper. Don't make me laugh. I've got my iPhone, though. I've got a couple of movie apps on it. Just downloaded Fandango the other day, as a matter of fact. I used Fandango all the time when my wife and I would go to the movies almost every Friday night. Of course, that was before we had kids. Good Web site, decent service.

The Fandango app for the iPhone and iPod touch is pretty solid, too. It's functional and convenient. I wish it had a few more features, but the app carries out its raison d'être with aplomb.

A movie ticket app really only needs to do two things seamlessly and well: It must let you search for movies near your location; more important, the app must let you buy the tickets with minimum effort. Most movie apps do a good job with the former by taking advantage of the handheld's GPS locator function, but trip over the latter. Fandango does both very well.

When you launch the Fandango app, you'll see a list of movies currently playing in theaters. When you find a movie that interests you, tap the listing and a window will pop up with information about stars, running time, and where the film is playing near you. Most movies will have a trailer that you can watch by tapping the movie's poster.

You can also tap the Theaters button at the bottom of the screen to browse all the features playing at your nearby multiplex. You can save your favorite theaters, which is a nice addition for creatures of habit. The app will show that day's movie times, but you can also look up times days in advance.

The difference between Fandango and, say, Flixster's Movies app ( Macworld rated 3 out of 5 mice ) is that you can enter and save your credit card information in the app itself. Once you've done that, buying tickets is a mere matter of a few taps.

I was generally kind to Flixster's Movies when I reviewed it in October, but I detested the way the app walked you through buying tickets. You ended up in Safari at Movietickets.com, trying to navigate several fields. It's an enormous pain. Fandango's solution is much simpler and more convenient.

There are a couple of clear trade-offs with Fandango's approach, however. First, if you save your credit card information in the app and you happen to lose your phone, somebody could enjoy a night at the movies at your expense. (But that's all--the full credit card number does not display.) Second, Fandango will only let you buy tickets from Regal Entertainment Group theaters and that's about all. Fandango will show you movie times for other chains, but you won't be able to purchase tickets. That might be a deal-breaker for some moviegoers.

Fandango doesn't have the frills and features of some other movie apps. The app doesn't link to news and reviews, show fan ratings or list this week's box office take. (Fandango's Web site does.) You can watch trailers for some current and future releases, but the app only lists attractions coming to theaters in the next week or two. Flixster's app, on the other hand, has trailers for movies months in advance and has a robust DVD section, too.

The bottom line: Lacking the news features of Fandango.com and putting limits on the theaters from which you can buy tickets hampers Fandango's convenience and ease of use. Here's hoping any sequel to this iPhone app turns out to be better.

Fandango is compatible with any iPhone or iPod touch running the iPhone 2.2 software update.

Microsoft Office opening for iPhone

As reported in: The Register

iPhone users will soon be able to view, edit, and share Microsoft Word and Excel files on their Jesus Phones.

Announced at this week's CTIA Wireless 2009 tradeshow and conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Quickoffice for iPhone promises a broad range of editing and file-management features.

Since at least last October, Dataviz has promised a similar app for the iPhone as part of its Documents to Go line for other handhelds, but it's not yet ready for release, and DataViz didn't immediately answer our query as to when it would appear.

Long-time Mac developer Mariner Software offers an Excel-on-iPhone app, the $9.99 Mariner Calc (iTunes link), but not a Word-editing app.

Quickoffice for free iPhone's Word-document editing capabilities will include font formatting, text selection, bulleting, and cut, copy, and paste within Word documents. Excel-spreadsheet features will include math and stat functions, cell editing, the ability to recalculate entries, and to insert and resize rows and columns.

Quickoffice for iPhone's developer - unsurprisingly named Quickoffice - also publishes a range of productivity apps for Symbian, Android, Blackberry, and Palm devices.

Two of the apps in the Quickoffice for iPhone suite, the $12.99 Quicksheet and $3.99 Quickoffice Files (iTunes links), are already available, and will be joined by Quickword to complete the suite.

Quickoffice said that the suite will be available at an "introductory price" of $19.99. A company spokesperson told The Reg to expect it next week.

After we receive our copy of Quickoffice for iPhone, we'll put it through its paces and let you know if it's worth your twenty bucks.

iPhone users to get Skype service

As reported by: News.bbc.co.uk

Skype has said that iPhone users will be able to use its internet telephony service to make calls, but only using wi-fi and not the mobile network.

The firm's native voice over internet protocol (VoIP) application - Skype for free iPhone - will be available for download from Apple's iTunes store on Tuesday.

The new service will allow users to make free calls to Skype users, but will charge for calls to other numbers.

The UK's first Skype handset was launched by network 3 in 2007.

Rival applications from Fring and TruPhone are already available for the iPhone. On Monday, TruPhone announced a flat rate charge of £25 a month for unlimited Voip calls to mobiles and landlines in 64 countries.

Unlike traditional mobile calls, which are transmitted over a cellular network, Skype turns your voice into data and sends it over the internet.

Some mobile Voip applications allow users to make internet telephone calls over wi-fi and the cellular network.

In the case of Skype, while calling another Skype user will be free, calling an actual phone number via the service will incur a cost.

iphone users will not be able to make Skype calls, either to Skype contacts or to landlines, over the mobile network, something users of Skype on the UK mobile network 3 can do, and have to use a wi-fi hotspot.

Watching the pennies

Many of Skype's other features - such as video conferencing and the ability to receive a second Skype call - have been left out, although the firm did not rule them out in the future.
Apple iPhone
A number of Skype's features have been removed for the iPhone version

"We're considering video carefully but we have a really high bar on the quality," said Skype's chief operating officer Scott Durchslag. "If we do it we will have to do it incredibly well."

Mr Durchslag said he had high hopes for the application.

"The number one request we get from customers is to make Skype available on iPhone," he said.

Skype plan to launch a service for BlackBerry users in May.

Apple iPhone 3.0 software update: a new iPhone for free

According to: Telegraph.co.uk

Improving the iPhone is as simple as pushing a software update to its 17 million users – good job too, because competitors are starting to churn out new handsets that could give the iPhone a run for its money.

Yesterday’s sneak peek at the iPhone 3.0 software update contained little in the way of surprises, but it did serve to underline a key point – when you buy an iPhone, you’re not just buying a piece of kit; you’re buying a platform.

Apple’s strategy seems to be one of constant update and improvement to its flagship device. Rather than attempting to coerce users into a upgrade cycle with the devices themselves, the company instead prefers to push out regular software updates every few months that add new capabilities and functionality to the handset. There are very few other companies that do this as willingly, frequently and conveniently as Apple. In truth, the improvements coming to free iPhone 3.0 are designed to plug some holes in the software that should have been fixed a long time ago – copy and paste is available at long last, as is the ability to send picture messages, to type emails using a landscape keyboard and to get push notifications from many applications. These features, and many more besides, have long been available on numerous other smartphones, and Apple’s decision to belatedly address them perhaps shows that the Californian company is starting to feel the heat from other phone makers, who have had to work hard to develop devices that could get anywhere near the iPhone’s initial promise.

Take the Pre, for instance, a make-or-break device for Palm which is turning out to be one of the most hotly anticipated gadgets of the year. Palm has ripped up the rule book with this one, starting from the ground up to rebuild an operating system around the key tenets of mobile computing and social networking, and all in a sleek, easy to use handset that has the blogosphere salivating in anticipation.

Android, too, the operating system developed in part by Google, is looking increasingly exciting and capable, and the next Android-based handset, HTC’s Magic, will offer many of the iPhone 3.0’s features as standard, straight out the box, and possess some of the ‘cool factor’ that the first Android phone, T-Mobile’s G1, has arguably lacked.

“The new capabilities make the iPhone better as a game machine, as a social networking tool, better as a business tool, and better as a browser,” said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research. “This can only help Apple.”

Significantly, the iPhone 3.0 update enables iPhone and iPod touch owners to wirelessly play games together or share contacts using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and to carry out voice chat while playing. It means the iPhone and iPod touch will mount a serious challenge to the dominance of other hand-held gaming devices, such as the Nintendo DS and Sony’s PSP. It will also consolidate the video games market as one of the most profitable for Apple, which takes a 30 per cent share of all sales made through the iTunes Application Store. Game developers will also be able to introduce micropayments into their games, enabling users to pay for extra levels, weapons or features in whatever game they are playing. Likewise other application developers of, say, a guide book, will be able to offer extra cities for download at an additional cost, or extra features not included in the basic version of the application.

The iPhone 3.0 software update is, on the face of it, simply an attempt by Apple to consolidate its market position and continue to raise the bar for its competitors. But dig a little deeper, and it becomes clear that it’s the next step in an aggressive business and marketing strategy designed to continue stimulating consumer investment in the iPhone without the costly need to develop a sufficiently improved handset to persuade consumers to upgrade, instead encouraging users to splash out on more apps and clever accessories.

Apple has shown that “upgrading” its device is as easy as pushing a software update through iTunes; that’s got to be pretty dispiriting for the chasing pack. Whether it’s enough to see off the burgeoning ambition of the Palm Pre, though, remains to be seen.

iPhone inches closer to China

According to: Theregister.co.uk

It's official: China Unicom chairman Chang Xiaobing has disclosed that his company has indeed been negotiating with Apple to bring the iPhone to China.

We had reported rumors of such talks late last months - but now that chairman Chang has spoken, the talks have been elevated in newsworthiness.

However, according to a Reuters report, Chang didn't go so far as to announce a deal, softening his remarks by saying, "We are in talks with many handset suppliers, including Apple."

Rival China Mobile had also been in talks with Apple, but those negotiations apparently broke down over a year ago.

But even if the iPhone comes to China, don't expect it to be an instant success. Although Apple may be a hot brand in the West, it's no Coca-Cola or McDonald's in China.

Also, Chinese clonemakers have been busy copying it and offering their clone-phones at prices that may very well undercut anything Apple has to offer.

The list of iPhone knock-offs in China is staggering. Here's a sampling: the SciPhone i68, GiPhone F5, HiPhone, ePhone M8, DESAY M888, Cect P168, Meizu M8, and the ever-popular CECT-A380i.

Knowing China's fast-and-loose attitude toward software piracy, we don't expect that any Apple efforts to take these phone makers to Chinese court for hardware piracy would bear much fruit.

China Unicom may be poised to launch the iPhone, but it will be launching it into a sea of clones.

Griffin Clarifi for iPhone 3G review

According to Rosemary Hattersley at PC Advisor :

Griffin Clarifi for Apple iPhone 3G snaps on to your iPhone, and helps you capture close up shots with the Apple phone's camera.

Cameraphones may have come on in leaps and bounds, routinely packing 5Mp or even 8Mp sensors, but the Apple iPhone trails badly behind in the image-capture stakes. While it's adept at snapping bright, crisp photos that look good on its 4in screen, they don't compare with even the lowliest of digital camera shots because of their poor resolution.

Even importing iPhone photos from my recent Arizona jaunt to iPhoto showed up the device's shortcomings. Its 2Mp images were pixellated and edges jagged - it just doesn't capture enough detail.

Visit Mobile Advisor for the latest mobile phone news, reviews, tips & tricks, as well as PC Advisor's unique Apple iPhone 3G Spotlight

Visit Photo Advisor for the latest reviews of digital photography and video hardware and software, cameras and accessories. PLUS: get tips and tricks to improve your photos

Griffin addresses this problem with its Griffin Clarifi snap-on accessory for the iPhone 3G.

The Griffin Clarifi is a shiny black half-case that has a magnifying lens for use with close-up shots. This slides across the iPhone's camera lens when you want to capture a subject in more detail, rather than the whole image appearing flat and closer objects blending in to their surroundings.

Of course, this works best when you've got plenty of contrast between subject and background, good light, a steady hand - there's no getting away from the awkwardness of holding aloft your iPhone handset, using its screen to compose the shot and then pressing an onscreen camera icon to trigger the shutter.

It's also worth noting that while the Griffin Clarifi lens can bring out hitherto uncapturable detail on close-to objects, it can do nothing to improve the overall lack of detail caused by the iPhone's limited megapixel rating.

Specifications

Protective polycarbonate case; rubberised coating; built-in close-up lens; compatible with Apple iPhone 3G

Verdict

As with many iPhone and iPod accessories, the Griffin Clarifi is a one-trick pony, but if you're an inveterate snapper who doesn't want to take a 'proper' camera with them on every occasion and you routinely want to snap close-up objects, it may just be worth spending £20 on the well-built and stylish Griffin Clarifi

Store replica pulling in the punters on iPhone

Why use iTunes when there is an easier option?

If you like tinkering with your iPhone or iPod touch but get frustrated at the interface on the iTunes App Store, you now have another option. AppleBeacon has been created to take advantage of Apple's affiliate programme that shares five per cent of the revenue from certain iTunes sales with referring parties.

The interface is fast and certainly better than iTunes, but the fact remains that purchases and installing the software on an iPhone still require iTunes at some point.

Users who don't want to browse in iTunes or who have Linux computers, for which the Apple software is unavailable, can now browse the software through AppBeacon's site instead.

Still, it hs to be good to miss all the ads and you can bookmark applications and permanently ignore others. That has to be a bonus.

By J Mark Lytle - Techradar.com

Lethal iPhone App informs you of fatality likelihood of your neighborhood

According to: Gadgets Boingboing

Lethal is a practical iPhone app for a change: a nice little program that uses your iPhone's built-in location services to gauge where you are, then tell you how likely you are to be maimed, mugged, mauled or otherwise maligned.

Let's say you're walking through my neighborhood back in Berlin. It's Prenzlauer Berg, so it's plenty shady: on one street corner, three filthy, mad-eyed hobos roast a baby on a spit over a burning mattress. The gutters are thick with used needles and coughed-up lung tissue. Madly jactitating mad men wrapped in raincoats stained with genetic filth eye you lasciviously from the shadows, singing to you in German about the orifices they can smell. WIndows explode above you, accompanied by screams and buckshot.

But how dangerous is Prenzlauer Berg really? Well, just load up Lethal and it will tell you: a Wildlife Rating of Zero, Crime and Disease bars maxed, and a Disaster Rating hovering around 80, since God's cursed it and all. Good to know for only $1.99.

Firmware 3.0 may bring multi-core capability to the iPhone?

ZDNet, a leading technology site, reports that the iPhone 3.0 firmware will support quad-core processors in an upcoming iPhone hardware revision.

While Apple has not yet detailed iPhone 3.0 firmware, numerous sites have independently heard from a reliable source of this same multi-core support in the 3.0 firmware which should accompany the next iPhone. This should greatly speed up processing for the iPhone and its applications.

Meanwhile, in related new, Imagination Technologies is announcing a multi-core GPU that could be very suitable for iPhone use. Apple, who happens to be an investor in Imagination Technologies, presently uses a less powerful version of their PowerVR GPU in the free iPhone and free iPod touch.

The likely candidate for the new iPhone’s CPU, however, is a derivative of the ARM Cortex A9 multi-core processor. The ARM Cortex has excellent power efficiency (useful for battery life, one of the iPhone’s main remaining complaints), well ahead of Intel’s Atom offerings. Apple appears to be an ARM architectural licensee and their acquisition of P.A. Semi has brought low-power chip design expertise into the company.

The Best IPhone Apps Not in the App Store

Via: PC World

All this week, Macworld editors have picked their favorite iPhone apps of the past year. And while these apps cover a diverse array of categories--entertainment, creativity, productivity, and so on--they share one common trait: All of them can be downloaded from Apple's App Store.

Alex Sokirynsky's Podcaster was barred from the App Store, but you can still install it on your jailbroken iPhone. Well, before the App Store arrived, bringing Apple-approved applications along with it, there was jailbreaking-the process of busting open the iPhone and iPod touch to allow them to run third-party applications that were definitely not approved by Apple.

While the App Store has enjoyed a great deal of popularity since its July debut, the jailbreaking community lives on and offers some very useful applications that you likely will never see from the App Store. Here are some of our favorites:

Cydia: Jay Freeman's installer application, Cydia, is included when you jailbreak your phone with QuickPwn or the PwnageTool. It's with Cydia that you download third-party applications to your iPhone or first-generation iPod touch. (Included are applications for regular folks as well as developers.

Cycorder: A free application authored by Freeman, Cycorder lets you shoot videos with your free iPhone's camera at frame rates from 6 to 15 frames per second. The resulting movies are encoded with MJPEG compression and are playable on your Mac.

Winterboard: Another Freeman creation, integrated into Cydia, the free Winterboard lets you skin the iPhone and iPod touch's interface with themes also available via Cydia.

Podcaster: This app by Alex Sokirynsky lets you stream and download podcasts directly to your iPhone or iPod touch-no iTunes required. Apple barred the controversial Podcaster from the App Store for allegedly "duplicating" functionality of the iPhone. Not to be denied, Sokirynsky began distributing it through Cydia and asking $5 per copy for his trouble. It's a polished and extremely useful application.

Snapture: If you've ever wished that your iPhone's camera behaved more like a real digital camera and let you shoot in black-and-white and featured digital zoom, timer functions, and burst mode, Snaptured.com's free Snapture is the answer to that wish.

Netatalk: Netatalk is the free iPhone/iPod touch version of the open-source implementation of the AppleTalk networking protocol. With it installed on your iPhone or iPod touch, you can gain access to the device's file system from your computer, just as you can with any other networked device. Having this kind of access is extremely helpful for moving files on and off the iPhone or iPod touch.

OpenSSH: The free OpenSSH, integrated into Cydia, provides another way into your jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch. With it installed, you can use the Secure File Transfer Protocol to get into the guts of your device.

Many of the applications that were available for jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches have disappeared and moved to the App Store now that it's open. But Cydia's catalog grows by the day-customization options, games, media readers, and utilities can be found.

Although jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod touch won't hurt it (you can always restore it to its original condition with iTunes), doing so will void your warranty. In addition, while jailbreaking won't hurt your device now, there's no guarantee that changes made to the iPhone and iPod touch's software in the future won't cause problems with a jailbroken device.

Free iPhone App for Searching Craigslist

Via: Wirelessandmobilenews.com

PheedYou, Inc is offering CraigSearch for free along with updates in the iTunes App Store.

CraigSearch is compatible with the free iPhone and free iPod Touch devices. It enables users to search for anything on Craigslist through an easy to use interface.

The app also allows users to browse the results and refine searches until they find exactly what you're looking for.

PheedYou is working on additional features such as saving searches, alert notifications, ImageFlow for pictures attached to posts, and adding countries and locations.

"We are really excited to have released CraigSearch, and the best stuff is truly yet to come. The goal of releasing now is that we wanted users to help direct where we go from here. Please keep the suggestions flowing," said Chad Marcus.

iPhone Owners Massively Use WiFi Instead Of 3G

According to: itproportal.com

A report published by mobile advertiser AdMob showed that UK advert requests on WiFi during the month of November were more than twice that of August (8% vs 4%) as WiFi enabled devices like the iPod Touch, the iPhone and newer smartphones spearheaded a WiFi renaissance for mobiles.

42 percent of iPhone requests were made from WiFi which compares very favourably with other WiFi-enabled phones which tend to hover around 10-20 percent. Unsurprisingly, WiFi usage happened to spike for iPhone specific websites and applications.

Furthermore, Admob figures showed that worldwide requests from iPhones shot up by 52 percent from October to November reaching a phenomenal 359 million, accounting for one in every 16 requests recorded by Admob.

Apple accounted for 78.5 percent of WiFi requests in the US with 154 million, significantly more than the rest of the all other mobile manufacturers put together.

AdMob's survey only covered its own network but should realistically represent the rest of the mobile advertising market in US and UK. Non Mobile phone devices as well are generating significant traffic on WiFi.

The data also showed that Android generated 15 million requests in November and represented 7 percent of all T-Mobile traffic recorded. In terms of mobile OS traffic in the US, Android accounted for 2 percent.

Nokia N97 launches latest challenge to iPhone

Via: Technology.Timesonline.co.uk

iPhone Killer?

Touchscreen handset with Point and Find software is " world's most advanced mobile computer" accessing the entire internet, Nokia claims

Nokia unveiled its latest challenge to the iPhone today, the N97, as the Finnish mobile giant vowed it would transform the internet.

The touchscreen smartphone, which has a 3.5 inch screen and both a touchscreen and a glide-out Qwerty keyboard, is the latest handset in Nokia's N series. It follows the blockbuster N95, the handset which has so far sold 15 million, and the N96, which was released earlier this year.

The N97 is the latest handset to join an increasingly crowded smartphone market that includes the G1, which runs Google's Android software, the BlackBerry Storm, which went on sale last month, and Sony Ericsson's X1.

Nokia claims the N97, which is due to be released by the middle of next year, is "the world's most advanced mobile computer" and will boast new services that will transform the way people connect to the internet.

The phone comes with 32 GB of memory - more than twice the capacity of the most powerful iPhone on the market - with the option to expand this to 48 GB with a 16 GB memory card. This means it can store thousands more songs, or hours more video, than its rivals (up to 37 hours of music and 4.5 hours of video playback to be precise).

In a gentle dig at Apple, Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia's executive vice president of markets, who unveiled the phone, made the point that the N97 can access "the entire internet, not just piece of it" as, unlike the iPhone, it will be able to play the Flash videos used on many websites.

In another move that makes the N97 more like a mini-computer than a phone, the screen tilts to a 35 degree angle when the keyboard glides out, making it easier to see the screen while typing. It is a nice touch. I tried it out: your forefingers fit snuggly behind the screen making it more stable to hold and therefore easier to type. Unlike other slide-out Qwerty keyboards, as seen on handsets such as the G1 or the HTC Touch Pro, which feel quite clunky as they move into place, the N97 really does glide, or almost pivot, out. It is a very satisfying movement.

Like most of its rivals the N97 will run over HSDPA, the fastest type of mobile broadband, with speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps, and, although this is a feature surprisingly absent in the Storm, the N97 is wifi enabled.

While the hardware is impressive, it is the software that Nokia executives are most excited about and which they say will let users personalise the internet.

The N97 will sport internet widgets that can be moved around with your finger to personalise your home screen and a Nokia Messaging button - a single application that will enable you to access any webmail, e-mail and Instant Messanger accounts you might have.

The N97 also introduces so-called "SoLo", or social location, making it easier to update social networks automatically with real-time information. The phone's integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass means it knows exactly where it is, and, if your friends allow it to, will know where they are too, opening up new possibilities for gaming and applications.

As Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia's chief executive, told journalists at the Nokia World conference today, "By putting together your location, your contacts, you get mashups. I love this idea. Imagine what can happen when we mash up social networking and your location, when your device knows where you are, where your friends are and what they are doing. Your social location, or SoLo will become your here-and-now-identity."

A new, souped up version of Nokia Maps, which will include terrain and satellite maps, will allow users to plan their journey on their PC and then synchronise it straight to their phone. Because your phone knows where you are it can then suggest the best route to take, or, if you use it while driving, help you avoid traffic jams.

"Today, we are at the threshold of another profound change in the way we connect and interact with each other and with our world," Mr Kallasvuo said. "This is a world where you will have the power to tailor and personalise your internet how and when you like, to make your day-to-day life easier and more fulfilling."

The N97 will also sport another new Nokia service: "Point and Find". By using both the phone's camera (a 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens) and its inbuilt virtual compass and GPS, Point and Find means you will be able to point your mobile at a landmark, such as Big Ben, and immediately receive information about it from the internet. "It's combining the real world with the virtual world in real terms," Mr Vanjoki said.

In another dig, this time at Google, Mr Vanjoki said: "There's a company that says they can index the world. We are going to go deeper. We are going to coordinate the world. We are going to coordinate everything on a map. Not just a map that is standard like a Google Map, but a map that is dynamic, driving all the roads of the world, making sure we have coordinates for everything there is."

Nokia was the last major handset maker to launch a fully touchscreen phone and analysts had worried that it would lose out to rivals such as Apple and Samsung, as the N97 enters a crowded marketplace, and that its reliance on low to mid tier phones would weigh on its profit margins.

The N97 is Nokia's second touchscreen phone, following the 5800, also known as the Nokia Tube, which went on sale last month, and the group said today it would now introduce touchscreen phones across its portfolio. Some analysts fear the N97 may not be enough to re-establish Nokia's position in the high-end market.

"[The N97] might give Nokia a little edge," noted Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Gartner, the technology specialists, "but it is six months until this reaches the market."

Ben Wood, CCS Insight's research director, said: "Nokia tried to cram in lots of different technologies such as a touchscreen, full Qwerty keyboard and plenty of memory, but it had to make trade-offs in its size and features. It has ended up with a relatively thick device that lacks some of the benchmark features expected in flagship products in mid-2009."

But other analysts were more upbeat.

"With the N97, Nokia has produced the first phone that will truly challenge, and even transcend, Apple's best," said Robin Landy, of mobile phone review website Omio.com. "Nokia has brought together a lot of common smartphone features, such as GPS, wifi and 3G internet, in one gorgeous device. Crucially though, they've combined the standard stuff with features that really matter to users, but are often missing from rival handsets.

"A proper Qwerty keyboard will make a huge difference to the everyday user experience, and the huge amount of memory means that even people with large music collections can leave their iPods at home. The N97 lacks the in-your-face dazzle of the iPhone, but it does strike a balance between understated good looks and functional practicality."

The N97 wil cost 550 euro, or £470 but is expected to be subsidised by operators.

Apple iPhone 3G 'jailbroken' after software update

Hackers have cracked the Apple iPhone 3G’s latest software 2.2 update, meaning users can “jailbreak” their phones to run any application according to: Telegraph.co.uk

Apple released new software for the iPhone 3G last Friday. The iPhone 2.2 software update adds Street View to the Google Maps application along with better directions when travelling on foot or by car, improved call quality, the ability to download podcasts over the air, and an enhanced Safari web browser with integrated search bar.

But now the iPhone Dev team, a group of coding experts, have found a way to circumvent the security features build into the latest software update, meaning iPhone owners can “hack” their handset to install a wide variety of software and applications to the device that aren’t available through Apple’s approved App Store.

Ever since the iPhone was first launched in June 2007, some users have sought to hack their handsets to run whatever programs and software they wanted. But with each new software update from Apple, owners of “jailbroken” iPhones faced the possibility that their hacked iPhone may no longer work. Teams of coders are constantly working on ways to circumvent Apple’s updates to allow jailbroken iPhone owners to continue using their devices.

Apple’s chief executive, Steve Jobs, had hoped that allowing third-party developers to create useful programs for the iPhone and sell them through the official App Store might have put paid to the “cat and mouse game” surrounding attempts to hack the free iPhone operating system. “We try to stay ahead. People will try to break in, and it’s our job to stop them breaking in,” he said.

But some iPhone owners still prefer to hack their handsets in order to access additional features and software not available on non-jailbroken phones, such as the ability to record video through the iPhone’s built-in camera, the ability to copy and paste text between applications, and even to add an external keyboard to the device for easier typing of text messages.

More than 200 million applications have been downloaded from the official Apple application store since it launched in July.

New game brings iPhone into Wiimote territory

According to: Cnet ....

The Social Gaming Network, a company best known for its Facebook Platform apps, has launched a new iPhone app that uses the handset as...a gaming controller.

Called "iFun," the app is a takeoff on the Social Gaming Network's existing sports apps: iGolf, iBowl, iBaseball, and the like. But instead of playing on your iPhone, you use your iPhone or iPod Touch much like the "Wiimote" device for Nintendo's Wii console. (Both gadgets use accelerometer technologies.) It connects via Wi-Fi or cellular network to your PC. You can then play against friends--remotely, and in real time.

Currently, iFun is restricted to a golf game but will soon expand--as well as to other devices with accelerometers in them, like the Android-powered G1. It also uses Facebook Connect for authentication.

Social Gaming Network CEO Shervin Pishevar told CNET News that the company is currently "lining up advertisers" and isound last spring, followed by more funding from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' venture firm.

And--wait for it--here's the recession angle. Playing the free iFun game on an iPod Touch is &quo interested in turning iFun into a platform for external developers to create their own games. The Social Gaming Network raised a $15 million investment rt;significantly cheaper than buying a Wii for Christmas," Pishevar said.

The iPhone beats BlackBerry when it comes to reliability

Source: Infoworld

An online warranty supplier says Apple's iPhone has substantially fewer failures than handsets from BlackBerry and Palm

A study of new mobile phones from an online warranty supplier has suggested that Apple's iPhone has substantially fewer failures than handsets from BlackBerry and Palm.

San Francisco-based SquareTrade sells extended warranties for electronic goods in the United States. At the weekend, it published a report that looked at the failure rates from more than 15,000 new phones within 12 months of ownership.

After the first year of handset use, it found a 5.6 percent malfunction rate reported on the iPhone, which was "significantly lower" than malfunction rate of 11.9 percent for BlackBerry handsets. Palm Treo users suffered the worst, with a malfunction rate of 16.2 percent.

SquareTrade says it measured the failure rates at the one year mark mostly because the iPhone was less than 15 months old when the study was conducted. Also, the secondary reason was that the one year mark is traditionally when the manufacturer warranty expires.

On that basis, it projects "the iPhone will have few malfunctions over the 2 year minimum lifetime of a phone" (the length of most mobile carrier contracts in the US). It projects a failure rate of 11.3 percent for the iPhone over two years, whereas it recorded 14.3 percent for the BlackBerry, and 21 percent for the Treo.

The research also rubbished concerns over the limited battery life of the iPhone, as fewer than 0.5 percent of iPhone users reported a battery problem in the first year. Roughly 1 percent of BlackBerry and Treo handsets reported battery issues during the same period.

But the iPhone does have a weakness it seems, namely its touch screen, with one third (32 percent) of all reported iPhone problems were screen related. The majority of these screen problems were "dead spots", found on some screens.

SquareTrade also examined the cause of accidental damage to the iPhone and found that users found the iPhone quite slippery to hold, making the iPhone the more accident prone than any other handset. The BlackBerry meanwhile seems to have fewer software faults than the other two handsets.

SquareTrade says it examined customer data on 15,000 phones over the last two years. Apparently, it randomly selected 6,678 BlackBerry, 5,651 Treo, and 4,902 iPhone handsets covered by SquareTrade Care Plans between October 2006 and October 2008.

It included all handsets marketed under the iPhone, Treo, and BlackBerry names and purchased brand new. Only malfunctions reported directly to SquareTrade were included in the data. The company also insists it does not have affiliation with any handset manufacturers cited in this study.

Premium iPhone Apps

From: www.pcmag.com

We've shown you a selection of free iPhone apps we've tested out. Now take a peek at some iPhone apps you actually might not mind paying for.

The Apple AppStore is chock-full of free iPhone stuff to download. We've already shown you a few of the coolest free iPhone apps available, but what apps are actually worth paying for? To find out we took five premium iPhone apps for a test drive.

Our favorite of the bunch is Avatron's Air Sharing app. Apple doesn't make it easy to use your iPod to store non-media files, even though the device is perfectly capable of doing so. Air Sharing comes to the rescue with a handy app that turns your iPhone into a networked drive that can wirelessly transfer files to and from your computers, while also letting you view a wide variety of file types on your phone. It works with Mac, Microsoft, and Linux, and it gives you Web access to files on your iPhone. This handy app costs $6.99, but if you're the type who needs access to files on the go, it's well worth the cost.

One bewildering omission is the iPhone's lack of cut-and-paste functionality. TextGuru rectifies this oversight by giving you the ability to cut, copy, and paste in documents you create with the program. In addition, it also lets you view PDF and Microsoft Word files. It's a little rough around the edges, but for $4.99 you can cut and paste on your iPhone to your heart's delight.

While SpeakEasy Voice Recorder isn't the only app out there that can turn your iPhone into a voice recorder, its simple interface and its ability to download files to play in iTunes make it stand out among the crowd. Technical limitations, like the inability to record actual phone calls, detract from the otherwise-perfect SpeakEasy, but, for $1.99, you get a simple app that provides a more foolproof way of downloading your recordings to your computer for archiving or transcribing.

OneTap Movies is a prime example of an app that just isn't worth the cost. It helps you locate a nearby flick when you're on the go, but so can other apps that don't charge you $1.99. Our advice: Save your money for the popcorn.

Another example of an overpriced app is BeejiveIM, which sells for a whopping $16. Of all the apps that let you use your favorite instant-messaging applications on your iPhone, Beejive, so far, is the only one that lets you stay connected to multiple IM services on your iPhone when you close the app. Might be worth the price for IM addicts until Apple finally lets third-party apps run IM apps in the background. Otherwise, we've gotta say it seems too expensive.

Read the short descriptions that follow and decide for yourself whether these premium apps are worth your investment. Also, be sure to check out the full range of phone and PDA apps we've reviewed in our product guide. More are on the way! If you've got a favorite iPhone app you'd like us to consider, tell us about it on this article's discussion thread.

Featured in This Roundup:

Air Sharing for iPhoneAir Sharing

Air Sharing turns your iPhone into a networked drive that can wirelessly transfer files to and from your computers, while also letting you view a wide variety of file types on your phone. At $7, it's not cheap as iPhone apps go, but it's well worth the outlay.

BeejiveIM for iPhoneBeejiveIM

For a whopping $16, BeejiveIM gives you the ability to stay connected to multiple instant-messaging services on your iPhone—even when you close the app.

OneTap Movies for iPhoneOneTap Movies

The OneTap Movies iPhone app can help you locate a nearby flick when you're on the go, but so can other apps that don't charge you $2. Save your money for the popcorn instead.

SpeakEasy Voice RecorderSpeakEasy Voice Recorder

SpeakEasy Voice Recorder stands out among the many voice-recording iPhone apps, thanks to its simple interface and ability to download files to play in iTunes. A few technical limitations keep it from being a perfect solution, however. Still, it's only $2.

TextGuru for iPhoneTextGuru

A full-featured text-editing app, the $5 TextGuru finally adds cutting and pasting to the iPhone. Its implementation isn't ideal, however, and the interface could stand a few additions to make this a standout program.

Eight sweet free iPhone apps we love - and 4 we can't get

Credit to: Gizmag for this excellent article:

The all-conquering free iPhone is a pretty impressive gadget out of the box - but it's the fantastic App Store that really keeps the honeymoon going, giving users access to literally thousands of downloadable third-party applications. From the sublime to the ridiculous, they're only a few taps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taps away - and a large number of them are free. Useful? Sometimes. Perfect? Rarely. Addictive? Hell yes, show me an iPhone user that hasn't thumbed through the app store late at night and I'll show you somebody who should have bought a Nokia. Here's a few of our favorite freebies - and a couple of things we want to know why we can't have!

1. AroundMe Where's the nearest bank? This is a fantastic app that takes your GPS location and shows you what's nearby, from banks, bars and coffee shops, to petrol stations, hotels, parking garages and hospitals - ranked by proximity. Once you decide on a business, you're presented with full contact details, a map and route details if you want them. We're not sure where AroundMe takes its data from, but it does an excellent job, only limited by the database. A must-have app.

2. Thumbtacts One of the many criticisms of the freeiPhone is that its computer-like interface can make it a bit clunky to use as a phone. Finding and calling a contact, for example, can be a frustrating exercise if you've only got one hand free. But hey, who buys a phone to make calls these days anyway right? Thumbtacts offers a creative solution by breaking the contact list down into a series of simple thumb-clickable options that quickly and accurately find the number you're after. Hard to explain but easy to use, Thumbtacts is almost always a quicker way to find and call contacts than the standard contacts list. Nice one!

3. Midomi This one's great for its show-off value... sing, hum or play a tune into the Midomi screen and it'll identify the song, play a preview and take you through to the iTunes itunes-overtakes-wal-mart-in-music-sales Apr-4-2008 store to buy it if you want for your free iPhone. Accuracy is a bit variable, and don't expect to find anything too obscure in the database, but in general it works better than you'd expect. The "wow" factor wears off a bit once you realize how the system works, but the price is right http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Price_Is_Right and it's niftier than Shazam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shazam , its main competitor.

4. Facebook A cut-down version of facebook on your phone - can be frustrating when you can't see your events or save photos, but provides a much nicer interface for the small screen than the main full-featured Facebook page in Safari. A solid bus-stop timekiller but how much nicer would it be if you could see your events and send them straight to the iCal calendar? We live in hope.

5. Labyrinth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth LE A gaming platform with no buttons poses quite a challenge for game developers - a lot of iPhone games require a finger on the screen at all times, and suffer for it. Labyrinth, however, uses the platform to great advantage, even if gameplay is very simple. Tilt the phone to roll the ball into the goal slot, avoiding the holes along the way. Where it makes up points is in the fantastic audio, which makes your expensive phone feel like a real fifty-cent wooden box. Amazing what technology can do!

6. Free Translator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/translation Like many iPhone apps, this is simply an interface to an online service you could just as easily access via Safari. But Free Translator proves its worth in simplicity and speed. Choose a source language, choose a target language, and type in your word or phrase. The app uses Google's translation tools, so it's just as accurate and with all the usual foibles. Annoyingly, the keyboard autocorrect tries to correct all your foreign words into English, but this would happen if you were using Google Translate online anyway. Still a very handy application, particularly when traveling.

7. Cube Runner Another game that uses the iPhone's accelerometers to great effect, Cube runner simply asks you to tilt the phone to steer yourself through a maze of cubes. On the harder settings it's vaguely reminiscent of the feeling of splitting through freeway traffic on a motorcycle - so this sneaks onto the list by virtue of the fact that many of us here at Gizmag are bike heads.

8. GPS Tracker Does exactly what it says on the tin; it takes regular GPS readings and uploads them to a Web server so you can look back at a plotted map of your trip. It also functions as a laggy but passable GPS speedometer. Works very well but chews battery too fast to be much chop for longer trips without a power cable - and spends a lot of time communicating with the server too, which could mean trouble if you're on a stingy data plan. You can change the accuracy and frequency of GPS readings, but would be handy to be able to touch the screen to set a new waypoint so you could simply upload a marker every time you turned a corner or something. Still a very nifty app.

With all the great applications available, there's still some very notable omissions that would basically bring the iPhone up to speed with other mobile phones that have been available for years. Things like...

1) Bluetooth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth file transfers Sure, there's applications like FliQ that let you send certain files between iPhones that are on the same Wifi network, but why not Bluetooth?

2) Sending vCard contact details via SMS There's numerous (paid) apps that let you send vCard-style information in an email, but what good is that when a friend texts you to ask for somebody else's number? It wouldn't be such an issue if you were able to cut and paste text, but...

3) Cut and Paste 'Nuff said. Surely Apple knows by now that people want this.

4) iPhone modem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modem capability Just about every smartphone can be used as a wireless modem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_modem . Why not the iPhone? It seems contractual issues have forced Apple to remove all modem software from the App Store, which is very annoying for owners and no doubt one of the biggest reasons why people are jailbreaking their handsets to use non-approved applications like iPhoneModem.

All these third-party iPhone apps are available at the App Store - just search for them by name.

Software unlock for iPhone 3G coming soon?

Source: CNET

An unlocked iPhone 3G is a little closer to becoming reality, according to the iPhone Dev Team.

An easy way of unlocking your iPhone 3G could hit the Internet relatively soon.

Gizmodo picked up on a video produced by the iPhone Dev Team demonstrating that it has gained access to the baseband processor used by Apple in the iPhone 3G. The baseband chip is what controls the connection between the phone and the mobile phone network, meaning that a software download that could let you use your iPhone 3G on a carrier network other than the ones officially designated by Apple could be released soon.

I'm sure you remember the fuss about the original iPhone and those who sought to unlock it from the four carriers that were Apple's launch partners for the first iPhone. The iPhone 3G has proven a tougher nut to crack, because Apple apparently changed the baseband to make it more difficult to exploit than the baseband used on the original iPhone. You can unlock your iPhone 3G to use it on another carrier by modifying the SIM card, but what the iPhone Dev Team is trying to accomplish is a software-based unlock that you would just download and install.

There hasn't been as much demand for unlocked iPhone 3Gs, given the much greater distribution of that phone around the world. However, there are still some countries like China that don't carry the iPhone, and there are still some users who want to use their iPhones on a different carrier than the one designated for the iPhone in their country.

Downloads transform iPhone into handy tool

Source: http://www.boston.com/

It seems a shame to run down the battery of an iPhone by making phone calls. There are so many more interesting things to do with it since July, when Apple Inc. opened up the popular smartphone to outside software developers.

The result is a torrent of helpful little programs, or "apps," that turn the free iPhone into a powerful handheld computer. At Apple's iTunes online App Store, there are thousands to choose from, with more turning up every day. Which are the best? Depends what you're looking for. I favor the powerful, the practical, and the cool - programs that do useful stuff and look stylish as they do it.

I'm easily lost in the winding streets of Boston, so I like apps that take advantage of the Global Positioning System chip in the new free iPhone 3G. One of the best is Where, from Boston-based uLocate Communications Inc. Long available for other GPS-enabled phones, Where can now be installed at no charge on any iPhone. It comes with a search feature that will quickly locate nearby businesses and other points of interest, and even offers driving directions. If you've got a first-generation iPhone, which lacks GPS, Where uses technology from Boston's Skyhook Wireless Inc. to figure out your location based on signals from nearby WiFi Internet routers.

Too bad the iPhone version of Where doesn't let users install extra "widgets" - mini-programs that enhance the software. For instance, there's a Where widget for ticket retailer StubHub that makes it easy to buy tickets to entertainment and sporting events. You can add this feature and many others to many other GPS-capable phones, but not the iPhone.

Much as I like Where, another free iPhone program called Where To? is simpler and more powerful. It's preprogrammed with hundreds of possible points of interest. You don't have to type in, say, "florists," because it's already listed under shopping opportunities. Just tap the screen a few times, and up pops a Google map of your area, littered with flower shops. If you're in a hurry to find something, Where To? is the way to go.

I'm always looking for handy ways to store digital data. I often plug an old iPod into a desktop computer and use it as a portable hard drive, but the iPhone doesn't allow it. That didn't sit well with developers at Avatron Software Inc., who have created an appealing app called Air Sharing. The program works with desktop computers connected to a Wi-Fi wireless network. Air Sharing links the iPhone to the Wi-Fi network, causing computers on the network to see the phone as a data storage folder. That allows users to drag and drop any file from the computer to the iPhone and vice versa.

The system has its limits: Many office computers aren't accessible through Wi-Fi, for instance. But if you've got Wi-Fi at home, you can use Air Sharing to load documents, photos, and music files onto an iPhone, then view or play the files anytime, anywhere. Air Sharing costs $6.99.

I also use my old iPod as a digital recorder, with the help of an add-on microphone that plugs in at the top. But the iPhone has a built-in mic, so all it needs for sound recording is a bit of software. An app called Recorder nicely fills the bill. This 99 cent download, created by Retronyms.com, is refreshingly simple: Fire it up and press the record button. Once you're done, you can use a Wi-Fi feature similar to Air Sharing to put the recording on a computer. Or if the file is small enough, e-mail it to yourself. Actually, the audio file is stored online by Retronyms, and the e-mail includes a link that allows it to be downloaded. Either way, Recorder gives the iPhone a valuable new capability at a dirt-cheap price.

Thanks to its bright screen, the iPhone is a decent device for viewing electronic books. A couple of free apps, eReader and Stanza, take advantage of that. EReader runs an online store that sells electronic books. Use the iPhone's browser or any desktop browser to go online and order a title. The eReader app will install the book on the iPhone and display it in clear, legible type.

Stanza is even more impressive. Start it up, and the app displays an array of Internet sites where you can download free electronic books, mostly older, out-of-copyright stuff. But you can also download up-to-date issues of major magazines like Wired and The Atlantic Monthly, and summaries of major newspapers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. You can also install a program on a Windows or Macintosh computer that will collect your own text files, like Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF documents, and feed them into the iPhone through a Wi-Fi connection. With Stanza, you can read the files on the iPhone.

At least until the battery runs out. But you can save lots of juice by making fewer phone calls. You've got better things to do, anyway

iPhone 3G review

Source and credit: http://www.engadget.com/

It's hard to think of any other device that's enjoyed the level of exposure and hype that Apple found in the launch of the first iPhone. Who could forget it? Everyone got to be a gadget nerd for a day; even those completely disinterested in technology seemed to come down with iPhone fever. But the original device was still far from perfect: its limited capabilities (especially in the 3G department), high price of entry, and the small number of countries in which it was available kept many potential buyers sidelined. Until now -- or so Apple hopes.

The wireless industry is a notoriously tough nut to crack, and it's become pretty clear that the first iPhone wasn't about total domination so much as priming the market and making a good first impression with some very dissatisfied cellphone users. With the iPhone 3G, though, Apple's playing for keeps. Not only is this iPhone's Exchange enterprise support aiming straight for the heart of the business market, but the long-awaited 3rd party application support and App Store means it's no longer just a device, but a viable computing platform. And its 3G network compatibility finally makes the iPhone welcome the world over, especially after Cupertino decided to ditch its non-traditional carrier partnerships in favor of dropping the handset price dramatically. $200? We're still a little stunned.

So now that Apple finally stands poised for an all out war on cellphone-makers everywhere, will the free iPhone 3G stand up to the competition -- and higher expectations than ever? Read on for our full review.

The hardware
No one will have any trouble recognizing the new device from its face -- it's essentially identical to the original iPhone. Thankfully, the bright, high quality, high resolution 480 x 320 3.5-inch display that's just so easy to love, hasn't been changed a bit. Unfortunately, it's still every bit as much a magnet for smudges and fingerprints -- in fact, even more so now that the rear of the device has dropped its chic matte aluminum in favor of black (or white, optional on the 16GB model) plastic. Hey, at least now it's more symmetrical.

The move to plastic seemed almost inevitable now that the iPhone has so many radios, frequencies, and antenna needs (GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS), but while we do prefer the original aluminum, the plastic does feel pretty solid and not at all flimsy, which is more than we can say for a hell of a lot of handsets. There's no doubt about the fact that we'd have preferred a matte or soft-touch finish to the glossy plastic, but that's all a matter of taste.

The body of the phone is slightly thicker at its center than its predecessor, although the edges are tapered and thinner than before, which is always a good way to make a device feel smaller than it actually is. (Palm learned this a long time ago.) There are a couple downsides to the body shape, though: first, when you're tapping off-center on a hard, flat surface, the phone wobbles (but only a little, oh well).

Second, the new shape means you won't be using it in your original device's dock. This really wouldn't be all that bad if Apple included a dock with the 3G like they did with the first iPhone, but now they want you to buy that separately. Did we mention they're asking $30 for it? Way lame. That absurdly small power adapter kind of makes up for it, but only a little.

One thing Apple was keen to talk up is the vastly improved call quality of the iPhone 3G. Those in the know understand that 3G call quality is often better than regular GSM -- but it turns out Apple made a huge improvement on both sides. iPhone 3G calls made over 3G and GSM both sounded significantly better than calls made on the original iPhone. If you're upgrading your device iPhone you may not necessarily notice it, but on a side by side it was pretty obvious.

Of course, call quality most often depends on coverage, and coverage varies between 3G and GSM networks depending on where you are. 3G calling also requires more battery power. Where are we going with this? Well, despite many of the painstaking measures Apple's taken to preserve battery power, the iPhone 3G doesn't do any real time signal detection to help determine whether you currently have better 3G or GSM voice coverage. If you suspect you might get better coverage either on or off 3G, it's up to you to dig down through a few settings menus to flip the switch. Not a deal breaker by any means, but it'd make for a welcome fix.

Apple's numbers on the iPhone 3G's battery life peg it at 10 / 5 hours talk on GSM / 3G (respectively), 5 hours 3G data, 6 hours WiFi, 24 hours music and 7 hours video. Pretty much everything we've found in our testing jibes with Apple's claims, if not exceeds them. (Our early results testing video early on skewed low because we had mistakenly left on push and fetch data, which dropped the battery life by almost 25%. After re-testing, they're back up to spec.)

All our tests were conducted with 3G on, WiFi on (not connected), Bluetooth off, no data fetching enabled (unless specified otherwise). Media tested with stock headphones, medium volume, and medium screen brightness, auto-brightness disabled.

* Music (continuous playback, large library, occasionally turning on screen): 31h 23m
* Video (continuous playback, no push/fetch data): 7h 5m
* Video (continuous playback, with push and 15 minute fetch data): 5h 24m
* Daily data use (browsing, email, and GPS / maps): ~6h 30m

Those numbers definitely are not bad, but if you're anything like us and you kill time on your phone reading feeds and checking email like a fiend, by 3 or 4pm you'll likely be wondering if you'll even make it home with any power left -- especially if you leave on the 3G data. So be warned, because the kind of prolonged usage you used to get away with on the original iPhone probably isn't possible with the iPhone 3G. For some, this may be an issue. Others may never notice.

There have been a number of other fixes to better the device as well. For example, the phone now has two proximity sensors to better detect when it's held to your ear. We also found that while the camera was essentially identical, we were getting images that were ever so slightly sharper and crisper than the original iPhone on 1.1.4 (check it out below). Still, knowing that HTC's Touch Diamond -- which features a 3.2 megapixel sensor and mechanical autofocus -- could pack such a great camera in an even smaller form factor than the iPhone's left us pining for something a bit more than the same 2 megapixels from the first time around.

What we're probably the most excited about, though, is that two of our biggest hardware-related gripes from the original device have finally been addressed: first, the headphone jack is now flush, which means any standard (3.5mm) headphones will work in the iPhone without the need for an adapter. The new jack has a solid, confidence-inspiring feel that won't leave you worrying about damaging the device or your headphones. To this day we still have no clue why Apple pushed the jack in -- it was kind of funny hearing Steve pitch the flush jack as a feature at WWDC. It's the simple things, you know?

Second, the speaker volume has been jacked up significantly, giving your calls (or music) a much more workable volume level if you're not blessed with superhuman hearing. It's not the loudest speaker we've ever heard on a device, and unlike many Nokia Nseries phones, it's still mono. But it's definitely a step up compared to the first iPhone, which was not only quiet, but also seemed to distort at much lower volumes.

Speed and location
At the end of the day, it's the 3G data that's important enough to become part of the new iPhone's namesake. Speed testing the iPhone 3G hasn't been disappointing in the slightest. We've seen speeds between 300 - 500Kbps in the US (roughly equivalent of other HSDPA devices we've tested), and in networks abroad where the data rates are even faster, we've gotten consistent data rates of over 700-800Kbps. It's pretty clear the iPhone 3G isn't hitting hardware limits right now, so much of what you can prepare to see in terms of speed in the US will depend directly on reception with AT&T's network -- which doesn't have the most outstanding reputation, nor the broadest 3G rollout.

Interestingly, in one test, our iPhone 3G had worse reception on AT&T than a Nokia N78, yet managed speeds of over 100Kbps faster. So ultimately, where 3G coverage is decent, you should be seeing speeds that will no longer have you tearing your eyes out, as was so often the case with little mister sometimes-takes-minutes-to-load-a-small-page first-gen iPhone.

GPS acquisition has also been surprisingly fast for a cellphone. AGPS devices use traditional GPS receivers, but help speed up location acquisition and accuracy by using cellphone towers to triangulate. As far as we know, the iPhone 3G is the only device out right now that not only has AGPS, but takes advantage of Skyhook's proprietary WiFi-based location system, giving it a total of three ways to help find where you're at. We were able to acquire GPS in as little as a second or two, although depending on your location and reception, you might see that take longer. It's important to note, though, that the iPhone's was clearly intended to be a location-aware smartphone -- not a dedicated GPS device. There's a big difference.

That said, there's an enormous amount of interest by people hoping they can add one more to the pile of devices their iPhone has taken over for. It's pretty clear why people might want the iPhone 3G to replace their car's dedicated GPS nav, too. It's not just a location-aware device with a large, bright screen -- it's also connected (with service you're already paying for), thus able to get traffic updates, routing information, and so on. The Google Maps app doesn't provide turn by turn route guidance, though, so while it does provide directions, you can only use it as a stand-in -- and not as a full replacement -- for a proper GPS device. This problem might be solved later by some intrepid 3rd party developer (like, say, TomTom or Telenav), but there's been some confusion as to whether this might actually happen, and what Apple's official stance on GPS nav actually is. And even if this GPS software does eventually come out, the speaker on the iPhone 3G simply won't be loud enough to be heard over most road noise, so you'd also have to make use of a line-out. In other words, don't sell your GPS device just yet, okay?

The software
Anyone that's used the original iPhone knows what a delight the device can be to use -- except when using the old mail app -- but the hardware is only one part of that. An accurate capacitive touchscreen and well optimized mobile processors form the basis of that experience, but the iPhone continues to derives its real power in usability. The iPhone 3G and the second release of mobile OS X have given the device numerous useful new features while keeping in line with expectations that they not slow down the experience, nor overwhelm new or experienced users. So far, so good.

Easily the most significant addition to the iPhone 3G (as well as the original iPhone and iPod touch) is the App Store, which finally enables users to trick out their phone with whatever programs make it through Apple's rigorous developer screening and software testing process. We've got as many mixed feelings about that closed-but-open model as we do about many of the programs that launched with the device -- especially the AIM client, which we were most excited about, but that kind of flopped. (Disclosure: Engadget is owned by AOL / TimeWarner. Sorry gang!)

Although the App Store isn't open to any developer, it's worth noting that Apple's implementation wrests all control from its carrier partners, which typically expect 3rd party applications to be either side-loaded (i.e. more for the power user set), or simply want complete control of sales through their own walled garden. It's easy to argue that the App Store just trades one walled garden for another, but what the hell, we'll happily take Apple's over AT&T's.

The applications themselves vary in price, and are purchased after you've logged in with your iTunes account. (Yeah, you'll need one even if you're only downloading free programs.) Apps under 10MB download over the air, and are immediately deposited in your first available slot, where they can be moved (or removed) as you see fit. As new versions of the apps become available, the App Store notifies you of updates and manages the downloads. Yes, it's a new kind of walled garden, but the App Store is also a category-redefining experience. We've already heard a radically open version will be making its way to Android, and we hope it will eventually find its way to platforms like Windows Mobile and Symbian as well.

Another new addition is character recognition support for logographic-based languages, such as Traditional Chinese, as well as localized keyboards for nearly two dozen languages and markets worldwide. But the touchscreen keyboard can still be a major sticking point for some -- ourselves enthusiastically included -- and Apple hasn't given any more of its default programs (like SMS) the increased ease of typing that comes with using the keyboard in landscape mode. There's simply no question that in terms of efficiency, on an iPhone we're nowhere close to where we can get on a spacious (or even not so spacious) QWERTY keypad. To their credit, though, Apple's made a few tweaks over the last year that have made typing a little faster and easier (like letting you pre-type the next letter before your first finger has lifted). But the fact is this defining feature of the iPhone remains one of its biggest drawbacks.

After nearly a week of testing MobileMe, we still haven't really had a positive experience with it among our editorial team. One editor, who had fewer issues than anyone else, still had difficulty syncing his 1,300+ contacts. MobileMe would choke on sync and require disabling / re-enabling to keep that sync moving. Another problem we saw was that email deletes weren't synced to other devices, requiring the same message be deleted in multiple locations. In some cases, a deleted email that wasn't properly synced would actually repropagate to back out other devices. Nothing better than zombie email.

Another thing we (and a lot of people noticed) is that MobileMe on the desktop is faux-push -- it only gets updates every 15 minutes because it's actually pulling them, unlike the iPhone's proper push. (We're, like, totally sure someone's going to sue.) You can edit a certain .pref file (details here) to make it fetch every minute -- but fetching every minute isn't push, now is it? Apple has since acknowledged this issue (among others). We also noticed on the phone that if you have synced MobileMe calendars, your calendar subscriptions (like, say, shared iCal or Gcal or what have you) are disabled.

All in all, as of the time of this writing, our feeling is that MobileMe still feels like it's in beta -- when it's up -- and is generally falling way short of what was promised by Apple. We believe they're earnest when they say they're trying to get it all up and running to fulfill their commitments, but for the time being we think it's best to steer clear until they work out the kinks.

On the other hand, we found the Exchange support to be simple enough to set up and use that you may not have to bug your IT dude. Some hardcore enterprise users will miss the full Exchange suite, including synced notes and tasks, but the core functionality (email, calendar, contacts) work very well, and if you need to take your iPhone into the locked-down office, we tested and confirmed that it will play fine with your company's WPA Enterprise / 802.1x with PEAP network. But our biggest gripe with Exchange isn't small: the system is unable to let enterprise contacts and calendars coexist on the same device with personal contacts and calendars. (Personal and corp email get along just fine, though.)

When you turn on Exchange-synced contacts and calendars, you're notified that it's a one or the other kind of a situation, and your personal data will be removed from the phone. Though that data isn't purged from your host machine, of course, you do immediately lose the ability to change contact or calendar sync settings. This effectively means that your device can only serve as an enterprise device OR a personal device, but not both at once. Kind of defeats the purpose of convincing your boss to get you an iPhone in the first place, you know? Can't all our calendars and contact lists just play together on the same device? We think they can (and should).

Some other new and noteworthy features:

* As mentioned, Google Maps now shows a pinging blue locator that can track your movement. As of right now there's no way to convert this to KML or anything usable for geocaching.
* The camera will also now ask you permission to use GPS to geotag photos with your current location. Once you grant that permission, it will add the necessary standard EXIF data to your photos. Trés useful, but you can't refer back to those geotags to bring up a location in Google Maps.
* Side note: there's now an option to reset location notifications, if you accidentally granted permission to an app you don't want knowing where you are.
* The iPhone can now read PowerPoint, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents. It's still incapable of editing or creating new documents, however, and outside of sending yourself these files via email, there's no accessible file storage.
* You can now save images from the web to your camera roll by tapping and holding.
* The calculator goes into scientific mode when the device is tilted sideways.
* Entering passwords is a little easier -- the last character you entered is temporarily shown at the end of the string. Keeps things safe but makes sure you know if you mistyped.
* One of the very first things we ever requested the iPhone see fixed is finally fixed: calendar colors are now supported, meaning you can finally visually tell your appointments apart based on calendar.
* You can now control email, contact, and calendar fetching from system settings, giving you granular control over push and pull data on your various accounts.
* You can also enable parental controls if you got the device for your kids. Or you just want to curb temptation to constantly watch Charlie the Unicorn on YouTube or buy Lil Wayne tracks on the WiFi Store, weirdo.
* Screen captures can be taken by holding home, then pressing sleep. They're dropped in the camera roll.
* Doing a hard reset now fully purges the device's memory, thereby making it much more difficult to recover the kind of data you don't want someone else recovering. (More on that here.)

We'd also be remiss if we didn't namecheck a few of the things missing from the device, some likely to be inconveniences, others outright dealbreakers:

* Easily-replaceable battery -- especially being that 3G is much more demanding on battery power than EDGE data. We haven't popped the back off, but even if replacing the battery were as simple as unscrewing the two screws at the bottom (and it's not), that's still not what we'd call easily replaceable.
* Copy / paste. As if we even needed to mention this.
* MMS. Ditto.
* Expandable memory still isn't in the cards (har). 8 and 16GB capacities are very decent, but the ability to go further with microSDHC would be welcomed by many. As would be a 32GB model.
* A2DP (stereo Bluetooth). If this was an unlikely addition before, it's all but written off now. A2DP is a notorious battery hog on devices like cellphones, and the iPhone is already pushing the limits on power conservation and efficiency. It pains us to say it, but we just don't see A2DP happening any time soon.
* Push Gmail. Hey, if Helio can have it on the Ocean, and Samsung on the Instinct, why is Apple stuck with only push Yahoo mail?
* Service-independent device to machine wireless syncing. Exchange and MobileMe are nice, but even nicer would be a way to easily sync data directly to your machine without having to pay or have some kind of service.
* Tethered data. Hey, you're paying $30 a month for data (likely more if you're using it outside the US), your laptop should be able to use some of it too.
* No way to open a link in a new tab in mobile Safari. We also wish the browser was still a bit better about caching data, too -- it'd be nice not to have to do so many reloads when switching between tabs or moving back and forward through history.

And for the enterprise users in the audience, the shortlist of ActiveSync / Exchange bits that didn't make the cut:

* Folder management
* Opening links in email to documents stored on Sharepoint
* Task sync
* Setting an out of office autoreply
* Creating meeting invitations
* Flagging messages for followup

Wrap-up
If you're an avid Symbian, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile / Exchange user, chances are you might think the iPhone 3G is Apple playing catch-up -- and you're not wrong. 3G, GPS, third party apps, enterprise messaging, these are all old hat. But even the would-be iPhone killers being churned out weekly haven't yet found a way to counter the iPhone's usability and seamless integration of service and software, desktop and mobile, and media and internet.

There are always things that could be improved, features to be added, fixes that should be applied -- but from first to second gen, from year one to year two, Apple has proven itself a relentless upstart in the mobile space, and is showing no signs of slowing down. All those new features give the iPhone even more appeal than ever, but the price is what really seals the deal.

For our money, you're going to have a hard time finding a better device for two hundred bucks -- or maybe even for any price. But that doesn't mean you ought to toss your original iPhone, either. With the release of iPhone 2.0, Apple's given early adopters every possible new feature for free, meaning the iPhone 3G's biggest roadblock to adoption in the US may be its still very worthy predecessor. But as Steve says, "If anybody is going to cannibalize us, I want it to be us." As for the rest of the world? Things are about to get interesting.

iPhone Round Up: 3G Available Unlocked, App Reviews Require Ownership, Apple Lowers Output

According to: http://www.informationweek.com

A whole lot has been happening in iPhone land lately. The 3G iPhone is now available unlocked...in China. If you want to write a nasty note about an iPhone Application, you're going to have to pay for it first. Lastly, Apple has lowered the number of iPhones it will manufacture this year, but has raised the number it thinks it will sell.

3G Unlocked iPhone

If you want an unlocked iPhone, get ready to shell out some cold, hard cash. The Apple iPhone 3G is available unlocked in China for a sum of $700 for the 8GB version and $800 for the 16GB version. The Apple Web site says that the iPhone 3G purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. It doesn't specify if that means any carrier in China or any carrier in the world.

Alternately, you can buy one here at the subsidized price of $200 or $300 and unlock it yourself for free. Of course, there's that pesky two-year contract to consider...

iPhone App Reviews

Here's a nice little PR move. One of the great things about the iPhone Apps Store are the user reviews. They give you the real deal, not marketing lingo, so you know what you're in store for if you choose to buy an application. Well, before this weekend, you could write a review of an application even if you hadn't downloaded it. That is no longer the case. In order to write a review of an application, you must have downloaded it and installed it on the iPhone.

This is a good move, if you ask me. Any reviewer who writes a review even if he/she hasn't even used the application is wasting my time.

iPhone Output

According to analysts, Apple has cut the production of 3G iPhones from 18 million units to 14 or 15 million units during the third and fourth quarter of this year. The Register reports that, "[Pacific Crest Securities] reckons Apple will sell 11m iPhones during H2 2008, up from its previous forecast of 8m. Accounting for the apparent discrepancy - increased sales yet reduced production - PCS noted that cutting back on manufacturing costs gives Apple 'sustainable pricing power', implying the Mac maker could reduce the handset's price over the period."

Apple and analysts think the company will sell all of the iPhones that it makes.

The iPhone Is Better Than The BlackBerry

According to: http://www.informationweek.com

The war of words between AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) sees its latest salvo from the AT&T camp. A document was caught circulating the Interwebs that spells out "talking points" for AT&T retail reps to mention if a potential iPhone customer mentions the BlackBerry Storm.

This is really cracking me up. Verizon representatives have been taking potshots at the iPhone's troubles all summer via Twitter and Facebook. At the same time, it is using Twitter, Facebook and its own Web site to build buzz about the BlackBerry Storm, the highly-anticipated smartphone from RIM (NSDQ: RIMM).

Well, it seems that AT&T doesn't want any potential iPhone customers lured away by the luster of the Storm. There's a flier with AT&T branding all over it that reads:

The RIM BlackBerry Storm is anticipated to Launch on Verizon in October of November 2008, prior to the holiday selling season. The BlackBerry Storm is RIM's first touch screen device. Verizon is positioning the Storm as a direct competitor to the iPhone since it has a touchscreen and BlackBerry's popular email service.

The document then spells out the many advantages the iPhone has over the BlackBerry Storm. The Storm won't have a multitouch interface, but the iPhone does. The Storm won't have Wi-Fi, though the iPhone does. The Storm doesn't have access to anything like Apple's iPhone Apps Store. The Storm doesn't have tri-band HSDPA for roaming 3G networks in Europe. The Storm's browser won't compare to the iPhone's browser. And on and on.

The document closes with, "Overall, free iPhone offers ease of use, from how you make a phone call with the tap of a finger, to viewing email and attachments to browsing Web pages with Safari - the best browser on a mobile device."

This set of "talking points" from AT&T comes barely a week after Verizon circulated its own "talking points" about how great the Storm is.

Fun stuff, AT&T and Verizon. Keep it up, because the blogosphere is enjoying the shoot-out.

Apple recalls millions of free iPhone 3G power adapters

Apple Inc. today recalled all power adapters it packaged with iPhone 3G phones sold since mid-July in the U.S., Japan, Canada, Mexico and several Central and South American countries.

The number of affected users will be in the millions. Recent analyst estimates have pegged iPhone 3G sales as high as 6 million since its July debut, with the U.S. market remaining Apple's largest. Apple has not stated its quarterly iPhone 3G sales, but CEO Steve Jobs said the company had sold more than 1 million in its first weekend of availability.

The adapters, a redesign from the bulkier version included with the first generation iPhone, pose a shock hazard, said Apple in a release Friday afternoon. The company will exchange all eligible adapters free of charge through mail-in or walk-in programs at its own retail stores starting Oct. 10.

"Under certain conditions the new ultracompact Apple USB power adapter's metal prongs can break off and remain in a power outlet, creating a risk of electric shock," said Apple, which said that although it had received reports of broken prongs, no injuries had been reported.

Apple told users to immediately stop using the small adaptors, which are about the size of the plug end of an extension cord.

In lieu of the adapters, and until replacements are received, users should charge their iPhone 3G phones by connecting them to their Mac or PC with the USB cable that came with their iPhone, Apple said. Alternately, users can turn to third-party adapters designed for the iPhone -- such as car chargers -- or the larger-sized USB adapter that Apple sells for $29. Ultracompact adapters purchased separately by customers may also be eligible for replacement.

Adapters identified by a green dot on the bottom, however, are replacements that are said to be safe to use. Adapters sold with the first-generation free iPhone PAYG , and those packaged or sold separately with iPhone 3G phones in other countries, are also not affected.

iPhone 3G owners can order a PS3 replacement online starting today, or by taking their current adapter to an Apple retail store starting Oct. 10. Online orders, however, won't begin shipping until Oct. 10. Owners will need to provide Apple with a mailing address as well as their iPhone 3G's serial number if ordering a replacement online; those who ask for a replacement at an Apple store starting next month must also bring in their iPhone 3G.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission did not issue an accompanying alert, as it sometimes does when companies recall defective products.

Apple last launched a major safety recall in August 2006 when it recalled some 1.8 million lithium-ion batteries made by Sony Corp. that had been sold with its iBook and PowerBook notebooks. Last month, Apple's Japanese subsidiary offered to replace iPod nano batteries because of overheating issues.

This is the first recall for the iPhone, which Apple launched in June 2007 and then relaunched in its current 3G form on July 11 of this year.

No Firefox for the iPhone/iPod touch … D’oh!

Source: Zdnet.com

Mozilla CEO John Lilly confirms that there will be no Firefox iPhone/iPod touch. D’oh!

Wired: Are you going to develop a version of Firefox for the iPhone?

Lilly: No. Apple makes it too hard. They say it’s because of technical issues — they don’t want outsiders to disrupt the user experience. That’s a business argument masquerading as a technological argument. We’re focusing on more important stuff. The iPhone has been influential, but there’s not that many of them. We’re part of the LiMo Foundation — Linux on Mobile. The Razr V2 is a LiMo phone, and you’ll see more in the next year or so.

D’oh!

I had been hoping that Firefox would make it to the iPhone/iPod touch, but kinda assumed that it wouldn’t because Apple has unrealistic aspirations for Safari. Shame.

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