T-Mobile to launch first Google-powered mobile
August 18, 2008
T-Mobile said Monday it plans to launch a mobile phone powered by Google’s Android software, making it the first operator to do so and posing a direct threat to Apple’s popular iPhone.
A spokesman for Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s German parent, declined to comment on the launch date for the device which is made by mobile phone maker HTC.
According to a report in the New York Times, the phone will hit the stores in the United States before Christmas, perhaps as early as October.
The new device will have a touch screen like the iPhone and other smartphones that use software from firms like Palm, Microsoft and Nokia to allow users to access the Internet.
Google Android phone sucks?!
August 15, 2008
iPhone 3G Connection Issues Related to Software or Hardware?
August 14, 2008
According to a new article from BusinessWeek.com, additional sources have corroborated an analyst’s claim that recent iPhone 3G connection issues are the result of issues with the Infineon chipset used to provide 3G connectivity in the iPhone. The sources indicate that Apple plans to address the issue through a software update rather than a hardware recall.
Two sources say Apple will likely issue a software update by the end of September—if not by the end of this month—to resolve the issues. Apple and Infineon are currently testing the fix, which will be included in a broader update of the iPhone’s software.
- from Macrumors
Turn Your iPhone Into A Wireless Drive
August 12, 2008
DataCase, though, looks to be different. It will turn your iPhone into a wireless drive for file storage, and includes a viewer for most popular file formats (Office, PDF, etc.). The application has been highly anticipated but is yet to launch - the creator says by email that they want it to be perfect before releasing it.
For now we have to settle for the demo video that they just put up on YouTube and is embedded below. DataCase will cost $7 when it does launch, and I expect a lot of people will buy it immediately. This is exactly the kind of utility application that I need. The ability to email out any file on the phone would be a nice feature add, too.
- from Techcrunch
iPhone Software Sales Take Off
August 11, 2008
Apple Inc.’s bet on cellphone software appears to be paying off.
In the month since Apple opened an online software clearinghouse called the App Store, users have downloaded more than 60 million programs for the iPhone, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in an interview at Apple’s headquarters. While most of those applications were free, Apple sold an average of $1 million a day in applications for a total of about $30 million in sales over the month, Mr. Jobs said.
If sales stay at the current pace, Apple stands to reap at least $360 million a year in new revenue from the App Store, Mr. Jobs said. “This thing’s going to crest a half a billion, soon,” he added. “Who knows, maybe it will be a $1 billion marketplace at some point in time.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my career for software,” he said.
- from WSJ
Apple removes $1,000 featureless iPhone application
August 8, 2008
Eight iPhone owners have joined an elite clan: Their Apple gadget is running a program that cost nearly $1,000.
When the iPhone first hit the market in June 2007, those who paid the $499 entry price — and signed the two-year AT&T contract — owned a status symbol. A year later, we have the iPhone 3G, Apple’s speedier, sleeker and, most important, less expensive smart phone, which introduced a section for downloading third-party applications. Now that the phone is affordable enough for a wider audience, a new status symbol has emerged: a seemingly useless application called I Am Rich.
Its function is exactly what the name implies: to alert people that you have money in the bank. I Am Rich was available for purchase from the phone’s App Store for, get this, $999.99 — the highest amount a developer can charge through the digital retailer, said Armin Heinrich, the program’s developer. Once downloaded, it doesn’t do much — a red icon sits on the iPhone home screen like any other application, with the subtext “I Am Rich.” Once activated, it treats the user to a large, glowing gem (pictured above). That’s about it. For a thousand dollars.
Apple apparently had some problems with I Am Rich. After initially approving it for distribution, the company has since removed it from the store. Heinrich, a German software developer, has yet to hear back from Apple concerning the removal. “I have no idea why they did it and am not aware of any violation of the rules to sell software on the App Store,” Heinrich said in an e-mail with The Times today.
- from LATimes
iPhone Nano Rumor Revived
August 4, 2008
DailyMail.co.uk revived rumors of an “iPhone nano” this weekend with a report that claimed that a “nano” version of the iPhone would be shipping in time for Christmas.
The product will be launched in the UK at up to £150 for pay-as-you-go customers by O2, the mobile phone group owned by Spain’s Telefonica. ‘This will be a big one,’ said an industry source.
- from Macrumors
AT&T to Remain Sole US iPhone Carrier into 2010?
August 3, 2008
In exchange for its payout, AT&T got a year extension, into 2010, on its exclusive distribution deal with Apple, people familiar with the matter say. Sources asked to not be named because the terms are confidential.
Under the original iPhone contract, Apple had the right to offer the device to other carriers beginning in 2009. If Apple exercised that clause, AT&T would have lost one of its biggest points of leverage with customers — exclusive access to the iPhone. Nailing the extension “is a very big deal,” Entner says.
Stephenson declined to discuss the contract, saying only that he is “very happy” with the arrangement.
- from USAToday
iPhone 3G Jailbroken
July 16, 2008
After unlocking and jailbreaking iPhone OS 2.0, the iPhone Dev Team has now liberated the new iPhone 3G, only five days after launch. This means a Pwnage tool that will allow you to install the unofficial applications that Apple doesn’t want you to have in your iPhone—like video recording apps or game emulators—alongside with the App Store ones. The upcoming Pwnage will support the classic iPhone, the iPod touch, and the iPhone 3G. - from Gizmodo
Google CEO ‘occasionally excused’ from Apple board meetings
June 12, 2008
Google chief executive and Apple board member Eric Schmidt disclosed during a speech on Wednesday that his unique situation atop the leaderships of both high tech firms has periodically required that he step away from portions of the iPhone maker’s board meetings. “It has not so far,” Schmidt says, although he notes that must ‘occasionally be excused’ from the room when certain aspects of the iPhone enter discussions. He also downplays the significance of the events by pointing out their rarity; there isn’t a regular clash between each other’s interests, according to the Google executive.
“I’ve only done this once or twice, so it’s not as common as it sounds,” Schmidt adds.
To that end, Schmidt also takes care to distance phones using Android from the iPhone. The offerings should be “quite different” in practice, he explains. While the differences weren’t fully illustrated at the event, Android devices aren’t required to use a touchscreen and in some cases can have either physical controls alone or even both, in the case of the rumored HTC Dream. The software is also more flexible than for Apple’s device and allows handset creators to modify nearly any aspect of the code, including core components like the dialer.
- from Appleinsider
Apple’s new 3G iPhone is HERE! With built-in GPS! God bless Steve Jobs!
June 9, 2008
“So great performance, great battery life. Now, one other thing that benefits from fast data is GPS — we’ve built that into GPS.” The crowd roars.
“We’ve learned so much with the first iPhone. We’ve taken everything we’ve learned and more and created the iPhone 3G. It’s beautiful. This is what it looks like. “Black back! “Thinner at the edges. Full plastic back, it’s really nice.”
HUGE applause.
“Today we’re introducing the iPhone 3G.
“The number one reason people didn’t buy iPhones is because they just can’t afford it (56%). So as we arrives iPhone’s 1st bday — we’re going to take it to the next level.”
- From Engadget
News of Steve Jobs and Apple’s new 3G iPhone
June 9, 2008
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could use your cellphone to monitor activities in your home, say, to zoom in for an audio/video check of the baby’s room while you were at work, or even adjust the heat?
Or how about going to a theme park and checking your phone to discover if other friends are there, and arrange a meeting place?
Such concepts are not pie in the sky, but actual programs that have been developed for Apple’s iPhone, the combination iPod/phone and Internet device first introduced to acclaim a year ago.
Consumers and reviewers alike gushed about its compact, futuristic design and sensitive touch-screen. But even its biggest fans have had one persistent chief complaint: The iPhone’s Internet network from partner AT&T was too slow.
So get ready for iPhone 2.0: On Monday Apple (AAPL) is widely expected to introduce a zippier version that will operate on both a faster AT&T network, and speedier networks internationally. The price also will rock: $199, according to people with knowledge of the matter, down from the current $399 and $499. Sources declined to be cited by name or affiliation because Apple and AT&T haven’t authorized anybody to speak publicly about pricing until after Monday’s announcement. The $199 price is being subsidized, though USA TODAY could not confirm details.
- From USATODAY
The Latest Apple iPhone Rumors
June 8, 2008
New Apple iPhone expected next week
June 2, 2008
June has arrived and for Apple fans and investors that means just one thing — a new iPhone.
The encore to the original iPhone, which launched nearly a year ago amid unprecedented industry buzz, is widely expected to be the main attraction when Chief Executive Steve Jobs takes the stage at Apple’s developers’ conference next Monday.
The new iPhone will be accompanied by support for corporate e-mail and a slate of new programs that could help boost sales of the devices, which sport a touch-sensitive screen, wireless Internet access and iPod-style media functions. “The thing for Apple is to be able to leverage the iPhone for further innovation, or they run the risk of being the next (Motorola) RAZR, which was iconic in its own way, but for which innovation did not come fast enough,” Shiv Bakhshi, director of mobility research for market research firm IDC.
- From MSNBC
Foxconn wins 3G iPhone contract, 3 million units coming in June?
April 28, 2008
Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) has reportedly landed orders for the assembly of second-generation iPhones from Apple supporting 3G, with shipments to begin in June this year, the Chinese-language Commercial Times has quoted sources at foreign institutional investors in Taipei as indicating.
The Commercial Times also cited sources at component suppliers as saying they have been instructed by Apple to begin preparing material supplies by the end of May.
Shipments of the 3G iPhone are expected to top three million units in June with the model likely to ship a total of 24-25 million units throughout its life-cycle, the paper added.
Via Digitimes