About Iphone

So how will he do it? The crafty hacker will use a custom firmware bundle to bypass the iPhone’s passcode lock and gain access to all the phone’s secrets. But the hackerific presentation isn’t meant for thieves and vagabonds. Rather, it’s intended for “law enforcement and anyone else who has a need to access the not-so-readily available data on an iPhone.”

This all shouldn’t come as a big surprise, considering this is the same guy that programmed the NES.app and was one of the many responsible for cracking the iPhone for the first time. And though news of the recent iPhone security flaw where you could bypass the passcode lock just by double-clicking the home button makes it all seem rather simple, we’re assuming this hack is a bit more sophisticated. It probably assumes that simple flaw doesn’t exist.

via http://www.iphonebuzz.com/hacker-to-break-iphones-security-via-live-webcast-094667.php

espite Android, their highly anticipated upcoming mobile computing platform, Google executives have been consistently praising the iPhone for its innovative qualities. Matthew Glotzbach recently added himself to the list of iPhone-lovers to come from the company. This time it was for it’s impact on cloud computing.

“I’m a huge Apple fan, I’m a huge iPhone fan. It’s really opened up computing in the mobile world,” Glotzbach said. He mentioned his ability to do things like access email and documents, and even flip through a presentation he was set to give days later.

There are currently 500,000 businesses that use Google Apps, which includes their cloud-based business applications, and 3,000 more sign up every day. Could-based information and applications offer speed, security, and stability, and most of all, portability. “Obviously, the browser today is the gateway to the cloud,” Glotzbach said.

The constant public admiration of the iPhone from Google seems particularly unusual given that Google is preparing Android, their own mobile computing technology, which many believed would be in direct competition with the iPhone and iPhone 3G.

via http://www.iphonealley.com/news/google-exec-praises-iphone-for-its-effect-on-cloud-computing

Recently, TUAW has received numerous tips about near random iPhone boot loops that force users to restore their units. This forum thread suggests that these reboots may be due to the iPhone’s onboard watchdog system.

The iPhone has to create a new Application Map whenever you load or unload apps to the system. Should the time to create that map exceed two minutes, the phone enters an endless boot cycle.

The solution proposed on the thread isn’t of much general use — it requires jailbroken shell access. You may want to limit the number and scope of Apps you load to your phone (i.e. cut down on those tip calculators and sudoku apps that we know you’re secretly addicted to) to achieve the same, stable results.

via http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/05/iphone-users-reporting-reboots-due-to-high-app-count/

Fewer apps mean a shorter time to generate that map and a better likelihood that your phone will work with greater reliability.

ld most probably be an iPhone 3G killer. In this article we try to pit Android based phones (the Dream, as of yet) against the Apple iPhone 3G.

As the HTC Dream’s hardware specs are not yet clear, we will mostly concentrate on the software and operating system front. Also, the hardware comparision between the Android based phones and the iPhone 3G isn’t fair at all as there will be many Android phones coming out in the next year from most of the members of the Open Handset Alliance, each with a wide range of hardware components so the iPhone 3G probably doesn’t even stand much of a chance on the hardware front. Still, for the sake of fairness, we try to pit the iPhone 3G against the HTC Dream when it comes to hardware.

Design:
When it comes to design, the iPhone 3G wins hands down against the HTC Dream. The leaked images of the HTC Dream reveal a kiddish design, with rounded edges and a hideous sliding QWERTY keypad implementation. HTC’s design team could certainly have done a much better job with the first Android phone. The Dream has evoked very similar reactions from across the internet. The build quality does seem to be decent though. Also a bigger display size would have helped it a lot. Also, the iPhone excels when it comes to hardware components, except for some drawbacks like the camera, but overall it is superb. What it lags in are the software restrictions. We would surely hand this one to the iPhone 3G.
Winner: iPhone 3G

Hardware:
Considering the specs of the Dream, it seems to have superb hardware, very much in the league of the iPhone - Capacitive Touchscreen, 528 MHZ Qualcomm CPU, 128 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM and probably some accelerometers and sensors thrown in. What adds to it’s appeal, is that the Dream will have a full fledged QWERTY keypad which is much more suited to text input than the iPhone’s touchscreen input. It should also probably have a 3.2 MP camera with erm.. video recording support. It should also support A2DP profile with Bluetooth. Having said all this, we would like to point out that the iPhone has superb hardware, no doubt. But the Dream supposedly gives us what the iPhone doesn’t - a QWERTY keypad, better cam, A2DP and much more.
This one, we feel, should go to the HTC Dream.
Winner: HTC Dream (Android)

OS and Interface:
The iPhone 3G has the best interface yet, when it comes to smartphones. It’s new MultiTouch interface completely revolutionized the way people look at touchscreen phones. It has superb animations and menu transitions that were unheard of in smartphones. However, looking at the several Android demos and videos online as well as studying the SDK Emulator closely, we can say that Android too excels in the interface department. It has various 3D effects and animations all strewn across it’s menu and settings. It closely matches the iPhone in this aspect, if it doesn’t actually surpass it.
Also, when it comes to the core Operating system, Android is way ahead of the iPhone OS X in terms of features and capabilities. Almost every setting is configurable and you can actually tweak and alter the internals of the operating system to your liking. This is very much a better option to the ‘closed’-ness of the iPhone 3G.
Winner: HTC Dream (Android)

Application Support:
The Android powered HTC Dream seems to be the clear winner in this aspect. It will have much better software support and availability than the iPhone thanks to its open nature. It will also have the much needed multi-tasking support which is missing in the iPhone. In direct competition to the hugely popular Appstore, the only means to get applications and games for the iPhone, Google has announced the Android Market for application distribution which functions quite similarly to the Appstore.
As Android is expected to be backed by many open source loyalists and developers, it will have better support communities and forums. This should prove to be a major boost to the whole software development and distribution process of Android. On the other hand, Apple is, in a way, restricting application development for the iPhone by screening the applications and approving only some of them by some shady criteria. Also, comparing the SDK’s of both Android and the iPhone, we feel that Android’s SDK is much better than the iPhone’s. Creating applications for Android is much easier as it uses a custom language very similar to Java, syntactically and conceptually. One more point for Android.
Winner: HTC Dream (Android)

Multimedia Capabilities:
In the multimedia wars, it should be a tough fight, with the Dream having a slight edge over the iPhone. We can safely assume that Apple would definitely take the crown easily from the HTC Dream in the sound quality department, it is an iPod after all. In the video department, both should perform almost similarly, with the iPhone 3G gaining slightly again, anyone can vouch for it’s video playback quality. Also, we would like to assume that the iPhone 3G should have a better display than the Dream. However, the Dream would definitely support a wider range of formats and codecs, and also offer a wider choice of audio and video players, while the iPhone is and will be restricted to it’s native formats and default audio and video players. This should level the playing field for both the giants.
Also, considering the larger picture, Android as a whole will definitely win this war, as it will also have multimedia centric phones being rolled out, but we give this one to the iPhone 3G for the sake of fairness.
Winner: iPhone 3G

Other Features:
The HTC Dream should give us most of the features that the iPhone 3G misses out on. As mentioned before, a QWERTY keypad, Bluetooth with A2DP and file sending support, a better cam with video recording and hopefully AF and Flash, multitasking capabilities and better internet capabilities. Agreed that the iPhone’s Safari is the best mobile web browser yet, but Android’s browser based on Webkit seems to be equally capable as well. It may even surpass Safari in some aspects, judging by the browser’s performance in the SDK emulator. It does support Java and should include support Flash as well by the time it comes out. Android will also support a version of Opera Mobile.
It will definitely support setting MP3 files as ringtones, and has much better graphic capabilities, both software and hardware. Also, we do hope that the Android won’t have any of the infamous bugs the iPhone 3G has - faulty chips, mediocre reception and security threats due to buggy software.

Adding to these reasons, Android will run on many phones, ranging from the cheap to the wildly inexpensive and cover a wide range of hardware. It will have built in support for most Google products - Gmail, Orkut, GTalk etc. By observing the positive response at the launch of Google’s Chrome, we can definitely say that this feature will be very well received.

Winner: HTC Dream (Android)

Overall Winner: HTC Dream - Android

Digg it:
http://digg.com/linux_unix/HTC_Dream_Android_vs_iPhone_3G_A_Detailed_Comparision

Conclusion: As shown above, the HTC Dream (Android) beats the iPhone 3G, 4-2. Many of the points mentioned above may seem to be biased, especially to iPhone fanatics. Please note that it isn’t possible to make a clear and unbiased decision yet as the HTC Dream isn’t out yet. We will surely make changes to the article when the Dream is out and also post a more detailed comparision. Leave a comment if you like this article or otherwise.

via http://androidgeek.blogspot.com/2008/09/google-android-htc-dream-vs-apple_9364.html

* iPhone is here, but others are gearing up too

Apple may drop iPhone’s price by at least Rs 5,000, says Anshul Gupta, principal analyst with Gartner. “At current prices, we expect iPhone to sell primarily among those who cannot wait for Apple or the operators to cut prices,” he said. “It will be a volumes game then for the operators to clear out their stocks before Apple announces a new version of iPhone.”

* Apple iPhone: Beyond the hype

The 3G, or third generation, iPhone sells for more than triple its US price tag in India. The eight-gigabyte model of the phone, which includes a built-in iPod and a desktop-class web browser, sells for Rs 31,000, while the 16GB version goes for Rs 36,100. Amid the confetti and cheerleaders at its launch on August 22, the price was perceived to be a discordant note.There are an estimated 30,000 users of iPhone (first generation devices) in India, and the operators are hoping to get past this number with iPhone 3G. However, the price tag has limited Apple to an extremely small portion of the 260 million mobile subscribers in India. Airtel and Vodafone can between them theoretically carry iPhone to almost 105.2 million subscribers. However, iPhone falls in the smart phone category, whose market is estimated at 10 million by 2010.Meanwhile, the grey market (for both the first generation and 3G iPhone), has turned bleak. “Earlier in July, I had delivered 15 iPhone 2G handsets (priced at Rs 22,000) to my customers from all over Maharashtra and in August I had bookings for almost 20 iPhone 3G of which 10 customers have already cancelled their bookings,” said a dealer in Mumbai’s Heera Panna market. The customers, he says, are looking to buy from Airtel and Vodafone since the grey market price is only slightly lower.Analysts feel that both the operators are hoping to strike a stronger relation with their customers, by offering exclusive data plans. The industry’s average revenue per user has been on a decline each quarter. “As service providers penetrate deeper into the country, getting new customers who don’t spend more than $8-10 a month on their phone bills, they will rely on devices like iPhone to cushion their ARPUs in the urban areas,” says Girish Trivedi, deputy director (ICT Practice), Frost & Sullivan.

via http://anim.mypressonline.com/wordpress/2008/09/01/iphone-price-may-fall-15/

Yesterday, it came out that the iPhone has a serious security flaw that makes it so someone can hack into your phone even if there’s a password activated. But now Apple is coming out and confirming the flaw and stating a fix is on the way.

We can expect a fix sometime in September, though Apple isn’t all that concerned with it, calling it “minor.” This is because you can easily hide the flaw by setting your home button to take you to your iPod instead of your favorites.

Maybe Apple is just overwhelmed with all the other fixes people are calling for? Even so, if you ask me, it’s a bit discourteous to customers to dismiss the flaw so eagerly. But that’s just my opinion.

via http://www.iphonebuzz.com/apple-admits-to-security-flaw-fix-on-the-way-284544.php

While not yet available, the gold dipped iPhones will be the first with 24K yellow gold housing and bezel. Funnily enough, the makers even hinted that this time around the phones were a bit harder to dip because of the bad quality of the plastic casing. But I guess anything would seem poor to people that dip everything in gold!

Last minute tests are being performed now for people that may want customizations such as engravings. If you want one, you’ll need to e-mail Computer Choppers to find out how much they’ll cost.
Usually, if the price isn’t listed and you need to know it, you can’t afford it. At least that’s why I won’t be getting a gold coated iPhone anytime soon.

via http://www.iphonebuzz.com/24k-gold-iphone-3g-for-the-luxury-crowd-274519.php

A new document from Verizon Wireless has been leaked, and it focuses on offering tips for their employees so they will be better able to answer just why the new iPhone 3G is not as good as people think. Of course we have to keep in mind that although this document was “leaked” we have not had any official confirmation that is came from Verizon.

Personally, I am inclined to believe it, after all a good salesperson should know about the competition, especially when its an item such as the iPhone 3G that is getting a lot of coverage. Not to mention, if I remember correctly they have a similar document following the launch of the original iPhone.

Anyway, based on the anti-iPhone document there are four popular myth’s that they are looking to prove to be untrue, which are as follows;

* 3G iPhone is now trice as fast
* The new 3G iPhone is now half the price
* iPhone Data Plan Covers All Data
* 3G iPhone Data Plan include more data at affordable prices!

Basically these “myths” seem to be nothing more than a rehash of the same issues that many other iPhone users have already brought up already. Of course (and at the risk of sounding a little fanboyish) it still does not change the fact that it is an iPhone. While I will be the first to admit the iPhone and the iPhone 3G are far from perfect, they do offer a nice user experience, and at least for my primary uses, email, text and web they have been great.

knew it would happen eventually. It’s a lawsuit-filled world out there. Someone’s got to do it.

Some users have been experiencing some problems with the 3G on their iPhone 3G, and one new owner has decided to try to get her money’s worth.

A women in Alabama by the name of Jessica Alena Smith has filed a lawsuit against Apple for selling her a device that didn’t meet all the hype in the advertisements.

Smith purchased the device in response to Apple’s very convincing advertising. “One could barely turn on the television without hearing that the new iPhone 3G was ‘twice as fast for half the price,’” reads the complaint.

However, from day one her device’s data connection, e-mail, SMS, and other communications were slower than she had expected them to be.

Of course, she’s far from alone in her frustration, so many users are probably cheering her on. That is also why she asked for a class-action case.

Do you think she’ll be successful?

via http://www.iphonematters.com/article/user_suing_apple_because_of_false_advertising_234/

It seems gaming on the iPhone is about to get a whole lot more intuitive and a lot more versatile. At least that’s what those over at TouchArcade are saying. They’ve found evidence of two new iPhone control pads that could make it possible to use traditional gaming functions on your iPhoneThe iControl pad, pictured above, has four face buttons, Start/Select, a D pad and a light-up LED. this is just a prototype, but it’s definitely better than what we’ve got so far.

Another design is pictured below and it resembles a patent application. Even so, it seems to provide a bit more functionality and could be intended for games that require more precision in their controls. for instance, there is an analog stick in place of a D pad and Start/Select buttons. When the accelerometer isn’t enough for maneuvering in a game, this should do the trick.

via http://www.iphonebuzz.com/two-iphone-control-pads-on-the-way-254480.php

We have seen the recent reports that a software update will be coming soon to correct any of the reception issues that users are having with the iPhone 3G, but so far nothing official has come from Apple to confirm that.

This latest piece of the story is reported to have come from Apple, of course at this point I would consider it nothing more than an rumor, but it does at least fit with the previous reports.

At least one user claims to have received an email from Steve Jobs (more than likely someone on his behalf) claiming that they “hope to have a software update soon.” In addition it was also mentioned that the reception issues are affecting “around 2% of the iPhones shipped.”

Personally (knock on wood) I have not had any issues yet, but either way we can only hope that this email is indeed accurate, even with just 2% being affected that is a lot of people dealing with this issue. Certainly not what you want when you spent a few hundred bucks for the phone and tied yourself into a contract.

A new iPhone software update just hit iTunes. Version 2.0.2 is described as a bug fix release with little additional information. As usual, a version can be downloaded directly from Apple’s servers or through iTunes. And, as always, this update will de-pwn your iPhone, should you have previously pwned it for command-line shell access and third-party Cydia applications.

Rearranging the icons on the home screen of your iPhone is a part of the customization fun that Apple built in. However, if you rearranged your icons and want them back to factory specifications, it is as easy as a simple tap. Just navigate to Settings > General > Reset. Once there, select the “Reset Home Screen Layout” button. A dialog will pop-up asking for a confirmation.

Once you return to the home screen, you will notice that all the icons are placed just like they were when you first turned on your iPhone! Third-party applications’ icons will follow the default applications.

via http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/17/iphone-101-restore-your-homescreen-icons/

Users have been reporting unusually bad reception and an abundance of dropped calls on their iPhone 3Gs, leading one analyst to suggest that the Infineon chipset may be defective. Now a source of BusinessWeek corroborates the story, saying that Apple is aware of the situation and that the problem is in fact related to the chipset.

According to this source, Apple is planning to fix the issue in existing phones through a software update rather than something more disruptive like a product recall. It is said that software residing on the chip that lets it function is creating a problem, which they will fix in the update.

Another source says that Infineon’s technology is still too new and hasn’t been properly tested in high volumes.

Piper Jaffray spent 25 hours observing sales at Apple stores around the US, and has concluded in a research note posted today that each store sells around 95 iPhone 3Gs every day. Based on this information, they estimate that sales of the device are set to increase forufold during their fiscal fourth quarter.

“Our 25 hours of counting iPhone sales in Apple retail stores throughout the country lead us to believe Apple is on pace to beat our previous estimate of 4.1 million iPhones for the September quarter,” analyst Gene Munster advised in the note.

From this information, he has changed his sales estimate for the fourth quarter to 4.47.

“We believe Apple will sell 1.78 million units at its U.S. retail stores, and 0.90 million phones at U.S. AT&T locations,” Munster wrote. “Our estimate assumes each of the 2,200 AT&T stores will sell an average of 5 phones per day from the July 11th launch through the end of the September quarter.”

However, it should be noted that they may shift their projections downward over time, as over the two-week span that the checks were made, sales began to slow down over the second week.

“We believe that our revision may be conservative and that Apple will meet our estimates,” he wrote. “The August 22nd launch in additional countries should provide another catalyst to sales.

via http://www.iphonealley.com/news/apple-selling-95-iphones-per-store-every-day?s=73db1872ec33dc45ca4ef0143b1eadc2

There is already a hearing-impaired plan from AT&T for the iPhone, but now that the iPhone 3G has been released, the plan got a bit of an overhaul, at least in the price department.

Prior to the 3G, the plan cost $40 a month. It included unlimited SMS and data transfer, and visual voicemail though phone calls were $.40/minute.

For the 3G, the plan has merely been raised $10–just like all of the other iPhone 3G plans. Not too bad when you get down to it, but for some the $10 difference can mean a lot.

We can all expect another feature to hit the iPhone 3G soon–speech recognition.

Now as exciting as that sounds, don’t get too excited yet. This is not speech recognition in the normal sense of the term. No, you can’t say “Mom” and the iPhone will automatically dial your mother’s number. Not going to happen. And the reason why is AT&T is developing the feature to run as a web feature. So when you speak, the data is sent to a remote server, then comes back to perform an action on your handset.

The service, called Speech Mashups, is web-based, so iPhone first gen users will probably be out of luck if stuck with using the EDGE network.

And even though voice dialing won’t work with this brand of speech recognition, it will work for a few other nifty things. There’s a video online showing a man dictating a city and type of business in YellowPages and how Speech Mashups does all of the footwork for you. Pretty cool, but voice dialing would be even nicer!

via http://www.iphonebuzz.com/speech-recognition-coming-to-the-iphone-233285.php

Here’s another very small iPhone tip, but one that may hopefully prove useful for some who are finding iPhone syncing under the new 2.0 software to be unbearably slow.

A big part of how slow the syncs are under 2.0 - at least in my experience so far - is the ‘Backup’ section of things. I believe one of the reasons for this is that when applications are backed up, it is not only the install files, it is all data associated with every app. In any case, the backups are taking an awful long time.

So if you want to skip the backup portion of the sync - and greatly reduce the overall length of the whole sync - just hit the little ‘x’ to the right of the top Progress Bar at the top of the iTunes window - next to where it is saying ‘Backing up iPhoneName’ - as shown in the screenshot above. This will only cancel backup; the rest of the sync will carry on.

Of course it’s not a great idea to cancel out of the backup every time (that’ll come back to bite you for sure), but if you know you’ve already got a recent one (or more) done and are in a hurry, this is a useful quick kill for the backup process.

via http://justanotheriphoneblog.com/wordpress/2008/07/14/how-to-stop-backup-during-iphone-itunes-sync-on-20/

There’s a good chance that by now you’ve figured out which plan you’re going to get for your shiny new iPhone 3G. However, if there is some doubt in your mind that you’re not going to get the right one, there is a handy little tool over at BillShrink.

It’s pretty simple and straightforward. Just put in how much you’re currently paying, then specify how many minutes, text and how much data you use. You can also put in your zip code to see how many bars to expect. Honestly, it doesn’t really tell you much more than you probably already knew, it just puts it in a nice neat format.

Walt Mossberg / AllThingsD

- “it mostly keeps its promises.”
- “more capable version of an already excellent device”
- Battery drained much more quickly using 3G
- Greatly improved audio, much louder speaker
- Data speeds 3-5x faster than original iPhone
- Better voice coverage with 3G. “At my neighborhood shopping center, where the first iPhone got little or no AT&T service, the iPhone 3G registered strong coverage.”

Edward Baig / USA Today

- “iPhone 3G: The Sequel, is worth the wait.”
- Still no recording video, no stereo bluetooth or voice dialing
- Supports PowerPoint attachments; mass move or delete multiple e-mail messages
- 10-30 seconds to load popular websites on 3G.
- GPS was very accurate
- Speaker sounded better for both speakerphone and music.
- “started receiving low battery warnings toward the end of a busy work day; I found myself charging the device overnight, the same as with the older iPhone.”

David Pogue / NYTimes

- Sound is much improved. “In fact, few cellphones sound this good.”
- Feels better in your hand due to the curved back
- “According to Apple, the iPhone’s G.P.S. antenna is much too small to emulate the turn-by-turn navigation of a G.P.S. unit for a vehicle, for example.”
- No voice dialing, video recording, copy/paste, memory card slot, Bluetooth stereo, MMS
- “the really big deal is the iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store, neither of which requires buying a new iPhone.”

via http://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/08/first-iphone-3g-reviews-mossberg-baig-and-pogue/

Current AT&T customers who don’t have a first generation iPhone, or who aren’t eligible for an upgrade, will have to pay an extra $200 to purchase an iPhone 3G. Sad, but true.

However, if you follow these simple instructions (instead of waiting until upgrade time rolls around, or impatiently throwing down an extra $200 for an unsubsidized iPhone) then you will be able to get yourself an iPhone 3G also.

All you need is a little help from a friend who already has an iPhone.

1. Grab a friend who already has a first generation iPhone.
2. Remove the SIM card from your friend’s iPhone and replace it with the one from your own phone.
3. Plug the iPhone into a Mac or PC running a recent copy of iTunes. (iTunes will recognize that the iPhone is loaded with a different SIM and begin the activation process.)

Note: You’ll literally need to sign up for an iPhone plan at this point, sign a new two-year contract… etc

4. When you’re done, you can return your friend’s SIM to the iPhone and your SIM to your phone.

Simple, eh? Word of this has been spreading all over the internet. Steve Jobs may reach his goal after all.

via http://www.iphonematters.com/article/att_customers_4_steps_to_become_instantly_eligible_for_iphone_3g_234/

Numerous readers have reported that Apple’s iPhone 3G commercial has begun appearing on a wide variety of U.S. television stations. The commercial, entitled Hallway, debuted during Steve Jobs’ keynote speech at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9th and was posted to Apple’s site soon after. However, the commercial has remained conspicuously absent from television broadcasts until now.

The iPhone 3G launches this Friday in approximately 20 countries, with an additional 50 countries scheduled to begin offering the new iPhone later this year

via http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2008/07/07/iphone-3g-commercial-airing-on-u-s-television/

If you’re planning to get yourself an iPhone 3G in just around five days, one of the first things you’ll probably be wanting to test out is just how fast your 3G speeds are. I know I’ll be keen to test this out early and often with the new iPhone.

There are bound to be tons of sites around for this testing, but here are a few I’ve noticed that look good:

http://testmyiphone.com - the one shown above left - nicely iPhone optimized page

http://iphonespeedtest.com - shown above right - also well optimized for the iPhone screen

http://i.dslr.net/tinyspeedtest.html - iPhone section of the well-known Dslreports site - not very nicely done for the iPhone (requires a lot of pinching and zooming) but a well-established testing resource.

Unconfirmed reports claim that the U.S. iPhone launch will take place starting at 8am, July 11th at AT&T stores nationwide. A screenshot posted to our forums claims to depict the actual email sent to AT&T managers. Even if you accept the letter as true, it’s not entirely certain that the 8am time was sanctioned by Apple. When the iPhone first launched in 2007, there were multiple reports of AT&T stores planning on opening first thing in the morning, only later to find out the actual launch time was 6pm.

Apple’s own retail stores have not yet been briefed on the exact launch time of the iPhone 3G, though it had been previously suggested that it would again happen at 6pm. Apple has confirmed that the iPhone 3G will launch on July 11th, 2008, but the exact time of day has not been announced.

Apple is expected to brief their retail stores on July 6th regarding both the iPhone 3G and MobileMe, so more details should be available after that time.

via http://www.macrumors.com/2008/06/25/time-of-iphone-3g-launch-remains-unclear/

There has been much speculation as to just how much money Apple is getting from AT&T this time around. According to Yair Reiner at Oppenhiemer, they should be getting roughly the same amount of money from the carrier. The only difference is that they’re getting most of their money up-front this time.

Reiner suggests that AT&T is paying roughly $325 in subsidies on every new iPhone sold. What’s more is that he also believes that Apple is receiving a $100 bonus for every new customer that signs up at one of their stores. It sounds like Apple might have thought things through a little more this time around. Now they’re selling a phone that’s cheaper than the original (and will thus likely sell even better) and they’re getting their money up-front from AT&T. Well played.

There has been much speculation as to just how much money Apple is getting from AT&T this time around. According to Yair Reiner at Oppenhiemer, they should be getting roughly the same amount of money from the carrier. The only difference is that they’re getting most of their money up-front this time.

Reiner suggests that AT&T is paying roughly $325 in subsidies on every new iPhone sold. What’s more is that he also believes that Apple is receiving a $100 bonus for every new customer that signs up at one of their stores. It sounds like Apple might have thought things through a little more this time around. Now they’re selling a phone that’s cheaper than the original (and will thus likely sell even better) and they’re getting their money up-front from AT&T. Well played.

I’m sure that everyone remembers the number of people lining up for iPhones last year, and the concern over supply versus demand. Can we expect a similar demand for the new iPhone 3G? Morgan Stanley says that it’s going to be even bigger this time around.

It’s pretty obvious why there will be a bigger demand for Apple’s latest headset. According to a representative of Morgan Stanley “We believe the market generally expects a doubling of iPhone units with the lower price point ($199) and we believe this is realistic, if not conservative.” They have even raised their price target on Apple’s stock up to $210, which is up $25 from their last target.

Carriers such as O2 in the UK and Optus in Australia are already receiving more interested customers than expected. Optus was taking $100 deposits from customers wanting to get their hands on an iPhone 3G, however, they have received so many that they had to stop taking such deposits. Looks like you’d better get lined up pretty early this year.

While much attention has been paid to AT&T’s consumer voice and data rate plans for the iPhone 3G, little scrutiny has been paid to corporate and business plans — and therein lies confusion. AT&T generally offers special employee discounts for corporate rate plans, including reduced device pricing, reduced plan pricing, and free trials, but whether or not such discounts apply to the iPhone is unclear.

Businesses often shop for discounted rate plans. Some of these plans are subject to specific calling plans, calling features, phones or accessories. Companies have the option of sharing these discounts with their employees through a sponsorship program. Employees are often able to get substantial discounts through these programs; discounts of between 15% and 25% are available on devices, services, etc. Some devices may even be free with a minimum two year contract and other incentives. AT&T has a business center for determining eligibility.

We visited an AT&T Corporate retail store, and were told that thee voice portion of the calling plan was eligible for discounts. During another visit, however, we were told that no discounts were applicable.

According to AT&T spokesman, Mark A. Siegel, who spoke with iPhone Atlas earlier this week, business discounts are handled on a case-by-case basis per the agreement between AT&T and your business. Currently there is no definitive answer as to whether or not the iPhone will be eligible for this program. Siegel indicated that as the July 11th launch date draws near, both this issue and other matters related to the AT&T plan pricing will become clear.

The first version of the iPhone was not eligible due to the agreement with Apple regarding revenue sharing, etc. However now that the iPhone is being sold in a subsidized fashion like other phones, the doors are open.

via http://www.iphoneatlas.com/2008/06/18/iphone-3g-and-business-rate-plan-discounts/

T-Mobile has released the iPhone 3G rate plans (link auf Deutsch) for Germany and it looks like our lucky friends in Deutschland are getting a major subsidy. The 8Gb iPhone will be available for as little as €1 with monthly plan of €69 while the 16Gb iPhone will be €19.95 with a monthly plan of €89. All of these plans include 3G data and access to T-Mobile’s wifi HotSpot network and require a 24-month contract.

via http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/16/germans-to-get-iphone-3g-for-1/
Unfortunately, things are not so rosy for existing iPhone customers. According to the German iPhone Blog, existing customers will be on the hook for €10 per month remaining in their original contracts (or about €180 for the earliest adopters) before being eligible to sign up for the new 24 month plan. So it’s good news for new iPhone customers, but existing 2G customers are in for a blow to the Geldbeutel if they want to upgrade.

In a keynote speech today, Steve Jobs announced the next version of the iPhone, complete with 3G networking, better battery life, a slimmer profile, and global positioning system support.

The phone features a black plastic back, solid metal buttons, the same 3.5-inch LCD display, and a headphone jack mounted flush with the enclosure (which should make third-party headphone vendors happy).

With GPS, the iPhone can be tracked across a Google map as a pulsating blue dot. The iPhone can still derive location data from cell phone towers and WiFi networks.

In terms of battery life, the iPhone 3G offers five hours of 3G talk time, 5 - 6 hours of browsing time, seven hours of video time, or 300 hours of standby time.

The new iPhone will be available in 70 countries over the next several months via a variety of carriers, including Canada, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and many others.

The iPhone 3G will start $199 for an 8GB model. The 16GB model will sell for $299, and is available in a black or white backing. It will be available in all countries starting July 11.

via http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/09/iphone-3g-announced/

We’ve all heard the rumors that the iPhone 2.0 firmware would be out at WWDC 08, but we have received some information that begs to differ. According to the information that we have, it will be released late June/early July. This is because of Apple’s deal with the cell carriers — currently, Apple has to give the cell carriers a “first look” at the new firmware before it can ship; normally this takes around 1-2 weeks.

According to our sources, the 2.0 firmware went gold master this week, which means it will be in the hands of the cell carriers for 1-2 weeks. If Apple doesn’t have to fix anything in the firmware, then it will be released to the public — otherwise, they will have to fix the problems and start the process over again.

TUAW has also learned that the original details of the iPhone 2 which were posted on Engadget are, in fact, real. The second generation iPhone will include 3G and GPS functionality and will come in a glossy-black case. We have yet to learn any details on pricing.

Update:this is still a rumor and should be treated as such. What we’re confirming is Engadget’s description of the new iPhone, but as pointed out in the original post the pictured item is most likely a third-party case.

via http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/04/iphone-2-0-firmware-details-and-information-on-second-generation/

Same story, different Carrier/Country. Softbank announces that they will carry the 3G iPhone on their UMTS 3G Network later this year…

“この度、ソフトバンクモバイル株式会社は、今年中に日本国内において「iPhone」を発売することにつきまして、アップル社と契約を締結したことを発表いたします”

Since they don’t mention exclusivity, NTT Docomo, KDDI and the rest still have a shot - so don’t go dropping your current provider just yet!

via http://9to5mac.com/softbank

Today, a rumor about a 22% thinner 3G iPhone with GPS priced at $200 hit the Mac web. In looking back, however, this is not the first time we’ve heard this exact set of specifications. On April 29th, Scott Mortiz first reported on the possibility of a $200 subsidy from AT&T for the 3G iPhone. He said it would be priced at $399 (8GB) and $499 (16GB), but after a $200 subsidy, these prices would fall to $199 and $299, respectively.

Moritz also specifically said that the new iPhone will be 2.5mm thinner than the current iPhone, which happens to work out to 22% thinner (2.5mm/11.6mm), corresponding nicely to Kahney’s 22% thinner figure. Kahney and Moritz diverge on the capacity of the iPhone, however, as Kahney claims 16GB and 32GB sizes for the new iPhone. Regardless, this paints a picture of the following possible “thin iPhone”:

Thin iPhone
• $199 (8GB or 16GB), $299 (16GB or 32GB), possibly subsidized by AT&T
• 3G, GPS, 22% thinner
• Possible longer battery

However, it’s also clear that there’s another set of rumors circulating which are also consistent with each other. The so-called “thick iPhone” rumor started at Engadget and depicted in the XSKN case designs.

Thick iPhone
• 3G, GPS, slightly thicker
• Glossy black, rounded back
• Non-recessed headphone jack, additional sensor?

If you add in recent whispers of high end pricing of the 16GB ($499) and 32GB ($699) models, this introduces the possibility that these rumors together could represent a range of iPhone models.

Both Thick and Thin?
• $399 (8GB), $499 (16GB), $699 (32GB) retail prices
• Possible $200 subsidy bringing prices to $199 (8GB), $299 (16GB), $499 (32GB)
• 3GB, GPS, ? Video Conferencing
• Low capacity models thinner, high capacity models thicker

Of course, alternatively, one or none of these rumors could be true. As we’ve said before, Apple has been known to purposefully spread misinformation in order to confuse the rumor mill. Official announcements are expected next week during the Worldwide Developer Conference keynote which takes place on Monday, June 9th, 2008.

via http://www.macrumors.com/2008/06/02/3g-iphone-thinner-thicker-or-both/

MacRumors has heard some unconfirmed whispers about the 3G capable iPhone due at next week’s WWDC. Besides 3G support, the following features/specs were also passed along, mostly consistent with circulating rumors:

- Lighter weight
- Black + other colors
- Focus on Multimedia with Video recording
- Video Conferencing
- GPS
- 16GB $499
- 32GB $699

As with all pre-release specs, confirmation can be difficult and intentional misinformation may be common, so we provide it for interest alone. If released exactly as described, this would eliminate the $399 8GB iPhone, keep the $499 16GB and add a $699 32GB model.

WWDC kicks off on June 9th with a keynote address by Steve Jobs.

via http://www.macrumors.com/2008/05/31/3g-iphone-specs-and-prices/

ChangeWave Research shows that 1 / 4 of the potential iPhone users are waiting for the purchase of next-generation iPhone.
Access to the 3600 survey feedback from users, 14 percent of the people waiting for a major revision of the new iPhone, 11% in the 3 G waiting for data to support - a desire to be in three weeks, will be able to achieve.ChangeWave said that the head, look forward to the next generation Apple iPhone support 3 G, is a good thing for Apple, which is Apple’s need to address the key issues.
Before the company’s investigations revealed that the iPhone users now, is the most complained about the slow speed of EDGE, the problem does not limit the iPhone in the Wi-Fi use.
By contrast, prices of third-party software support and only minor issues. IPhone prices were too high for the complaints, in October to March, 21% to 24%, attributable to the type of concerns the U.S. economy because the July 2007 listing, iPhone starting at 499 U.S. dollars, but the price is very user satisfaction.

via http://iphoneforest.com/25-of-the-buyers-are-waiting-for-new-iphone.html

Only last month Rogers finally officially confirmed that the iPhone was Canada bound. Now electronista is reporting that sources inside the company are saying that the 3G iPhone will debut next month (presumably about the same time as the US launch) and will qualify for Rogers new reasonably priced $7 unlimited data plan. Rogers has long been notorious for high data costs, making the new plan particularly welcome for the data hungry iPhone.

Needless to say this is good news for our friends up north, and yet more fuel on the 3G iPhone fire (as if it needed any).

via http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/18/3g-iphone-in-canada-next-month-with-reasonable-data-costs/

An article printed in a Chinese news paper, The Commercial Times, is saying that the manufacturer Foxconn, Hon Hai Precision Industry, has landed the contract to manufacture the new iPhone. Foxconn was also the manufacturer of the original iPhone, so it is not too far fetched of an idea. The article says that the new iPhone should ship around June. We all knew that already though, didn’t we?

The Chinese Times article claims that their sources have been instructed by Apple to begin preparing to manufacture the new iPhone. The article says that the sources were told they need to “begin preparing material supplies by the end of May.” It also claims that the new iPhone should sell over three million units by the end of June.

That seems to be pretty generous estimate for just one month of sales. Potentially even less than a month depending on when in June it starts shipping, if at all. This is not the only number they are estimating. The article says that the new model would ship about 25 million units during it’s life span. It very well could; after all, 3G opens up a much broader market than it’s 3G-challenged first generation brother.

via http://www.digitimes.com/telecom/a20080428PB202.html

Apple’s MagSafe power cords have probably saved thousands of laptops from untimely impacts — too bad there’s no such insurance policy for the iPhone. Brett Peters’ phone had an unfortunate encounter with his young son and moments later, with the floor, and the result is as you see above. While the screen glass is shattered, Brett was able to lay a piece of clear packing tape on top of the phone and keep all the shards in place. You can see all the photos on Brett’s blog and here on Flickr.

Believe it or not, the phone is still functional; more surprisingly, except for the most seriously damaged spots, the touchscreen still works. Brett is considering a screen replacement via this procedure, but in the meantime I’m sure he’s having a heart-to-heart with his son about the facts of physics. 9.8m/s^2 — it’s not just a good idea, it’s the law

Multimedia designer, Phil Lu, has created some mockups of an iPhone application that he calls “QuickOrder”:

Surprisingly, the mockups were created before the publicized patent application in which Apple explores to-go ordering from the iPhone. The series of images show how such a system might work.

Iphone does not need any introduction. In case you are an iphone user and want to have that exclusive and unique wallpaper on your geeky device then it’s all for you!

Here is the list of few websites and resources on internet from where you can download wallpapers for iphone. Everything from abstract to celebrity pics, its all up there for grabs.

1. Iphone Wallpapers on Flickr:There is huge collection of Iphone wallpapers on Flickr. Contributed by number of Flickr users, collection has more than 950 wallpapers to chose from.

2. iPhone Atmo Wallpapers:Very good quality and huge number of Iphone wallpapers to chose from. You can select wallpaper from any of the category like:Abstract, Babes, Cars, Males, Movies, Music, Space, Sports, Television etc.

3. 199 Wallpapers by DevianArt:Yeah about 199 wallpapers ready for download by DevianArt. Very nice collection!

4. Steve Diet Goedde:Iphone wallpaper collection of Steve Diet Goedde is all about beautiful babes in very classical and aesthetic poses ready to grace your Iphone. Very creative!

5. Needmore Designs: If you love nature, birds, lakes then this is the place for you to go. Needmore desings offer over 170 images ready for download.

6. Weston Hickey: This is strictly for animal and nature lovers. Very beautiful images of animals in wild, I love it!

7. Thememyphone: Another well categorised resource to download different types of iphone wallpapers. Lot of options to chose from. It also offer icon and ringtones.

8. Sciphone: Good resource for high quality iPhone wallpapers. Very clean layout to help you chose type of wallpaper among different categories on offer.

9. chrisglass Collection: Small but interesting collection of iphone wallpapers. Abstract, birds, cityview, nature its all there.

10. Freeiphonewallpapers: Huge and impressive collection of iphone wallpapers. Actresses, Actors, Anime, Animals, Sports, Musicians, Nature and much more available for download.

11. iphone wallpapers.us: Found this site very good for downloading iphone wallpaper of celebrities. Very nice and unique collection up for grabs.

12. Iconfactory: Very good collection of abstract and cartooned collection. If you are looking for really different iphone wallpaper, the check this website. You need to click on iphone icon next to image for the download.

Hope above weblink will help you find iphone wallapers. Incase you know any more interesting iphone wallpapers websites, please share with me.

Sources add that the AT&T iPhone supports Microsoft Exchange servers, adding that Apple has likely licensed Microsoft’s ActiveSync to accomplish that integration.

When asked about corporate email in a USA Today interview, Apple CEO Steve Jobs replied, “You’ll be hearing more about this in the coming weeks. We have some pilots going with companies with names you’ll recognize. This won’t be a big issue.”

Much commentary and speculation has surrounded the topic of the iPhone being a viable smart phone for businesses or whether the device will dominate only the consumer ranks.

The iPhone images show:

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- Calendar List and Month Views

- Email account setup

- Alarm Clock, Timer, Calculator

- Sim Card Removal

- RSS Reader

- Movie / Cover Flow controls