Everything iPhone

Apple gives ok to unlocked iPhones in France

2007-10-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Want an unlocked version of the iPhone that's actually sanctioned by Apple? Then wing your way to France next month, when wireless operator Orange begins selling an unlocked iPhone—with Cupertino's blessing. OK, "blessing" might be a bit of an overstatement. Apple's hand was forced by French law, which forbids the sale of cell phones that are tied to a particular carrier (hmmm, sounds like a good idea, no?). The International Herald Tribune reports that yesterday's announcement of Orange winning the iPhone deal in France was delayed for nearly a month as the carrier and Apple hammered out financial terms; an Orange rep denied that the unlocked iPhone was a factor in the delay.

Details about unlocked iPhone sales in France are still sketchy, however. What we do know is that a locked version of Orange's iPhone will retail for 399 euros (or about $560) when it debuts in November; the sticker price for an unlocked iPhone is still under wraps, but it "will cost more," the IHT reports. And here's a little something to consider for potential iPhone importers: the French iPhone will, of course, have all its menus written in French, and the last time I checked, I couldn't find a "Language" setting on my iPhone. Any ideas out there, folks?

* Article source: Yahoo! Tech

iPhone Hackers Statement: "Wait For the Relock"

2007-09-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

For those who unlocked their iPhone to work on other carriers other than AT&T or to run other applications, it seems there are ways to lock it back, if you wish.

The group that opened up the iPhone to both application development and networks other than AT&T, says it will have a fix out next week that will allow you to restore that iPhone to its factory settings. According to a statement issued by the iPhone Dev Team, right after Apples' warning that the new update planned for later this week may break hacked iPhones, the group is condemning Apple and promising a tool in the next week which will restore the unlocked iPhones to a factory-fresh state.

The statement, which is said to be issued by a spokesman for the iPhone Dev Team, was posted on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW). The unlock, he writes, made the iPhone free and useful world-wide, not just in certain countries.

The iPhone Dev Team has stated that, according to download numbers, several hundred thousand people have unlocked their iPhones worldwide. Those behind the iPhone Dev Team, who prefer to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, feel they should be allowed to do whatever they want with the iPhone, since they bought it.

Besides the iPhone Dev Team, other developers also say that the unlocking process could easily be reversed: "After unlocking the iPhone, minimal effort is required to get it in to its previously locked state."

On Monday Apple warned iPhone users who had installed software for unlocking their phones that an iPhone update expected later this week could potentially break their phones, and that just downloading the unlocking software voids the iPhone warranty.

* TUAW: "iPhone Dev Team" Issues Statement.
* CNET: iPhone hackers say "relock" on the way.

Apple's Warning: Unlocked iPhones May Become İnoperable

2007-09-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

Apple has warned (on monday) that anyone attempting to unlock their iPhone to use with carriers other than AT&T could find their phones irreparably damaged and "permanently inoperable" with future updates planned by the company.

Since the iPhone debuted in June, hackers have posted a number of methods online to make it possible to use the iPhone on cellular networks other than AT&T, which is the exclusive official carrier for the iPhone.

Apple executives say they have discovered that many of those unauthorized unlocking programs cause some software damage to iPhones.

Now, a software update that Apple plans to issue later this week that will add features such as accessibility to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store via a button on the iPhone, may end up making the touch-screen cell phone completely inoperable if it has been hacked into.

"This has nothing to do with proactively disabling a phone that is unlocked or hacked," Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said in an interview. "It's unfortunate that some of these programs have caused damage to the iPhone software, but Apple cannot be responsible for ... those consequences." Schiller said he didn't know how many iPhones are operating on different carriers.

According to several news sites, the warning will be seen as a pre-emptive strike by Apple in the ongoing battle with hackers who are increasingly making unlocking software available to iPhone users.

"Apple is saying that if you buy the iPhone and unlock it, you could preclude yourself from getting new features. Apple updates might not install properly and you could find that you own a £270 brick," said Ben Wood, director of research firm CCS Insight. (BBC news site)

The programs -- including several that can be downloaded for free, and at least one that costs $25 -- appear to be particularly popular with consumers in Europe. Many Europeans have bought iPhones in the United States, but Apple will not be selling them or providing service for them in Europe until November.

Unlocking the phone has also created a growing market for unauthorised applications, including wallpaper and ringtones.

An Unlocked iPhone Can Be Locked Back

John McLaughlin of Uniquephones.com, in Northern Ireland, has developed unlocking software, but his Belfast-based company hasn't sold or distributed it. "Anyone who has already unlocked their phone could get it back in working condition," he said.

"We have reviewed the source code of a number of these applications and to the best of our knowledge any changes made to the software can easily be reversed," McLaughlin said in an e-mail. "After unlocking the iPhone, minimal effort is required to get it in to its previously locked state."

As with any Apple product, hacking into the iPhone voids its warranty, Apple said.

* AP: Apple Warns Hacking iPhone May Harm It.
* BBC News: Apple Warning on Unlocked iPhones.

A Price Cut to Apple iPhone and the 7th Wonder, The Touch

2007-09-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

After all those rumors and expectations, something quite unexpected came out of Apple's sept. 5 "The Beat Goes On" special event:

* a $200 price cut to the 8 gb Apple iPhone which was being sold for $599.

* the 4 gb Apple iPhone will be discontinued, and the remaining supplies will be sold for $299.

And there were more announcements made on the iPod front, like the Touch:

* a new iPod was introduced, called the Touch, which is essentially the iPhone without the phone. Like the iPhone, the 16 gb iPod Touch will sell for $399, and it will include Wi-Fi, a Web browser and the "cover flow" software to virtually flip through your music collection with a finger. (The announcement of a wi-fi enabled iPod with a touchscreen was expected from Apple lately, but I guess Touch has surpassed most expectations.)
The latest version of the iPod music player is only 8mm thick, comes with a 3.5in colour screen, built-in wi-fi internet access and Apple’s Safari internet browser. It looks like the iPhone, but without the phone part. For the first time users will now be able to buy tracks from iTunes, Apple’s online media store, directly to the iPod without having to use a separate computer. Steve Jobs, the Apple chief executive, declared the gadget “the seventh wonder of the world”.

* Apple renamed the original iPod the iPod Classic, which will be available in two sizes: The biggest has 160 gb of storage, priced at $349, and an 80 gb version will sell for $249. Both models feature the visual cover-flow software found on the iPhone.
The 160 gb iPod will put "40,000 songs in your pocket," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said. The first iPod, released in 2001, had 5 gb of storage and held 1,000 songs.

* The iPod Nano is getting a face-lift as well. The new version will play video, a feature added to the iPod two years ago, but hold only 4 gb of content for $149 and 8 gb for $199. It also has the cover- flow feature.

* Apple has also announced an exclusive agreement with Starbucks that allows you to access the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store for free in participating US Starbucks stores starting next month. When you enter a participating Starbucks location, your iPod touch, iPhone, or PC or Mac® running iTunes will automatically recognize the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. You can see what song is currently playing or has recently played in the store, and immediately preview, buy and download it over Wi-Fi. (Gizmodo)

Apple's announcement of the unexpected price cut sent Apple's otherwise highflying shares tumbling 5 percent on Wall Street.

Microsoft cut the price of the Zune, its 30GB digital music player and a rival to the iPod, by $50 (£25) to $199 yesterday. It said that it had planned the price cut “for months”.

* Sources: ChicagoTribune.com

Blog Directory

Remote Access Service PCNow Launched iPhone Version

2007-09-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

Cisco owned WebEx, a developer of on-demand applications for collaborative business on the web, has launched an iPhone-optimized version of its remote access service PCNow. The iPhone compatible version of PCNow, lets users access files from their desktop PC, as well as Outlook e-mail, contacts and schedules. You can also forward, delete or reply to messages, and these changes will be reflected on the desktop. You can sign up for a 1 month free trial from its site.

"This latest version of WebEx PCNow gives iPhone users the ability to wirelessly access their desktop PC from anywhere, at any time," said Jack Chawla, senior director of product management, WebEx in a statement to the press. "We're delighted to be able to utilize the innovations in iPhone to enable seamless access to desktop files, email and tools 24/7."

With WebEx PCNow, it is possible to access and view files, photos, and documents stored on a remote computer from any mobile phone as well as share documents and pictures while on the go—enhancing capabilities for the increasingly mobile society.

PCNow costs $12 a month for use with two PCs, but users can also sign up for a 30-day free trial.

Go BlogZ
eBlogzilla

Meebo: "Best iPhone Chat App"

2007-09-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

A new app for the iPhone, enables multi-protocol chat to the Apple device. The new web-based chat application from meebo offers connectivity with AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Jabber and Google Talk networks. Other Apple iPhone chat clients like FlickIM only supported the AIM network.
Using the instant messaging site meebo for the iPhone does not require any software to be downloaded as meebo updates depending on the phone specifications.
"Safari on the iPhone has enabled a new level of mobile innovation - it's the most advanced web browser ever put on a portable device. Our application for the iPhone now provides a seamless experience between your computer's browser and your phone's browser," said Seth Sternberg, founder and CEO, meebo. "meebo truly is instant messaging everywhere!"
As said before, there is no download required to use the meebo service, just visit the www.meebo.com on your iPhone safari browser, the site will automatically identify your iPhone.
You’ll be able to get access to all of your instant messenger accounts with Meebo’s single log-in and buddy list, as well as chat history and preferences that are saved, so there’s no re-setting necessary for the iPhone-optimized application, and any changes made will be reflected on both the iPhone and the desktop. Active conversations will show at the top of your buddy list.

You get the standard Meebo IM networks you get on the desktop. You can even log in to the same Meebo account and use the same settings, including away messages and previous messages. Actually chatting is great as well, allowing you to keep the keyboard up while chatting, which is super convenient. They wanted to make this as light as possible, which means some features are stripped out (like adding contacts). But all the important ones you need to hold a conversation are there. (Gizmodo.com)

It's said to be the best iPhone chat application. And this is from the meebo blog:

"meebo is ready and available (and hopefully, much improved) on the iPhone. Just like normal meebo, there’s no download required; you get chat history for all your buddies and their buddy icons, and your IM accounts are all in one place, etc. It’s like you never even left the house!"

Once you log in (and you don’t need a Meebo account to use the site, just login as you normally would on whatever network you prefer), you’ll be dropped into your contacts list. Select a contact and start a chat just as you would in a normal IM app. Buddies you’re actively chatting with will appear at the top of the list so you get a quick preview from the buddy list.

The only problem about this app which actually has to do with the iPhone, is that if you get a call or a text message or otherwise close the browser, you’re automatically signed out of Meebo (or nearly anything else for that matter).

More Rumors About the Special Apple Event: iPhone Nano or iPod with WiFi

2007-09-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

* Source: The Washington Post

When Apple said it was going to make an announcement at the Moscone Center in San Francisco next week, it triggered an elaborate and familiar guessing game.

Could it be the iPhone Nano, the subject of speculation in a financial analyst's report this summer? What about a WiFi-enabled iPod that some bloggers are buzzing about?

If documents prepared by an Apple partner and obtained by The Washington Post are to be believed, both of those products are in the works and slated for release in the coming months. One would be an iPod with WiFi and a touch screen like that on the iPhone; the other would be an iPhone Nano priced lower than the cheapest iPhone, which sells for $500.

Such speculation not only moves markets, it also prompts action from companies, from retailers to analysts and accessory makers, for whom every Apple launch creates new business opportunities.

A J.P. Morgan analyst in Taiwan scrutinized patent applications and probed overseas vendors, concluding in a July report that an iPhone Nano -- a version smaller than the iPhone launched in June -- would be released this year.

The report caused such a stir that another J.P Morgan analyst issued a subsequent report clarifying the firm's position. "We have been unable to independently confirm . . . so we are not yet convinced this is a likely event" before year's end, the analyst, Bill Shope, wrote.

There are other clues bloggers are trying to imbue with significance. One is that Apple's retail channels apparently have not received new iPod inventory in recent weeks, a possible sign that a new iPod will come sooner, rather than later, bloggers said. A second: The image on Apple's invitation features album cover art used in its iTunes jukebox software.

In the end, it's all a guess, with some guesses more educated than others. But they're also making a few bucks for Apple investors. The buzz generated by Tuesday night's announcement has helped push Apple's stock up 9.2 percent, closing yesterday at $138.48 a share.

It's fun to get excited about a new gadget, but, alas, there is a potential downside for Apple, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.

"If it brings out a product that doesn't capture the excitement . . . I wonder if people will be disappointed because it doesn't come up to the levels of what's expected," Enderle said.

Apple declined to comment.

Apple May Announce Ringtone Service for iPhone on Sept. 5

2007-09-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

According to New York Post, Apple is ready to launch the long awaited ringtone service for iPhone and the announcement will be made on the Sept. 5, iPod show.
It is said that the ringtones will be iPhone-only, and more expensive than regular song downloads.

The New York Post story, suggests that ringtones may be sold in a similar fashion to the DRM-free EMI content that's currently being sold, with Apple offering songs with ringtone capabilities for a slightly higher price. iPhone users will apparently be able to choose any part of a song they want as a ringtone, but will also be able to buy pre-made ringtones. Most major ringtone offerings from Verizon, AT&T or Sprint feature pre-determined samples. Apple will also allow users to convert songs they have previously purchased through iTunes into a ringtone.

Wireless carriers typically charge between $1.99 and $2.49 for ringtones.

The ringtones business represents an important new source of revenue for the music industry. U.S. ringtones revenues topped $600 million in 2006, up from $68 million in 2003, according to BMI, a collection society for songwriters and publishers.

Worldwide ringtones sales totaled $3.5 billion last year, according to London's ARC Group, a research firm that tracks the telecom industry.

Apple is the leading retailer of digital music worldwide, selling more than 3 billion song downloads since the launch of iTunes in 2003.

Apple's ringers are expected to be only compatible with the recently launched iPhone.

One major problem, underlined by ArsTechnica, is that Universal Music Group which is responsible for a lot of popular artists, won't be participating in the iTunes Store ringtones service. Universal has declined to comment, but if its true, this would make other software ringtone solutions look more attractive because lots of people may not be able to find ringtones from their favorite artists.

iToner Enables Custom Ringtones Without Hacking the Apple iPhone

2007-09-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

Ambrosia Software on Friday introduced iToner 1.0.0, a new utility for Mac OS X that enables iPhone users to create and install custom ringtones on your iPhone without hacking it. It costs $15.

With iToner, you simply drag and drop audio files onto the interface and click the Sync button. iToner then installs the custom ringtones on your iPhone. The interface of the application itself resembles the iPhone, to make it easy for you to understand what to do.

The software works without modifying or hacking your iPhone, according to Ambrosia, so your custom ringtones will continue to work with future iPhone OS updates.

iToner is a Universal binary. System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later.

* PC World.

17 year old iPhone hacker, posted the procedure on his blog

2007-08-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, probably everyone knows it by now, 17 year old George Hotz of Glen Rock, N.J. unlocked the iPhone, and traded it with a Nissan. The thing I learned right now is that he had given the full steps of the unlock procedure on his blog, last thursday. Under the post title "It's Release Time" he goes on writing these: "Welcome to the final countdown. I am leaving for college Saturday, and have been busy lately with getting everything ready. And once I am there, I really won't have much time to work on the iPhone. But I don't want to leave being the only person with an unlocked iPhone :)

So we have decided to release the hardware unlock. The hardware required is decently simple, and most people who have modded a game system have the soldering ability required to do it. This has been a great adventure, the "summer of the iPhone", and I finally achieved my goal of getting my phone working on T-Mobile. So its about time everyone else can do this too.

Here is the release plan. Last night, I went to the Apple store, and purchased a brand new 4GB iPhone. At 8AM EST sharp, I will begin unlocking a NIB iPhone step by step on the blog along with everyone who wants to come along. ... ...
So see you all at 8 AM EST."

I don't think I will be unlocking or even trying to unlock any iPhone in the future. But I am a firm believer in that with the web today and all that blogging going on, people and big firms need to understand that business can't be done the same way it was years before.

Now back to Hotz- he, obviously doesn't have much time to post these days (also with his being gone to college) but if you check his blog, you can still get some information on how his life has changed after receiving the big publicity: "I barely have any free time; their is always something or other scheduled. I will be doing consulting work for Certicell and Puremobile in the little bit of free time I have. My project for now is a GPS for the iPhone that uses triangluation from the cell phone towers. I believe the towers are public record and you can use an AT command to get signal strengh."

Hotz has traded the unlocked iPhone for a "sweet" Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones. He said he will be sending the 3 new iPhones "unlocked if they wish" to his online collaborators who helped him divorce the iPhone from AT&T's network: jpetrie(the first donater), gray(the reversing genius), and iProof(who is truly amazing at finding stuff online).

The job took 500 hours, or about 8 hours a day since the iPhone's June 29 launch. "This has been a great end to a great summer," Hotz wrote on his blog: http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/

"We do not have any plans on the table right now to commercialize Mr. Hotz' discovery," Terry Daidone of Certicell said in a statement.

iBrickr makes it so easy to customize your iPhone

2007-08-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

Natetrue from Cre.ations.net has designed an application for Windows users to customize their iPhone. Mac users had tools like iFuntastic and Installer.app that made iPhone modding easy and now the same is possible for Windows users with "iBrickr."

"iBrickr is the Windows application that makes it dead simple to modify your iPhone, add and manage custom ringtones, and install third-party applications. "

The latest version released for iBrickr is 0.7 right now. "Version 0.7 replaces the Install Application button with "Browse Applications" - clicking an app icon in Browse will download and install it to your phone in one step. Also included is integrated management for NES ROMs, Voice notes, and EBooks for the Books application. These are linked to from the Applications view when you have those applications installed."

iBrickr's website also hosts a repository for currently released iPhone applications in PXL format. Currently, there are about 30 applications in the repository, including games, utilities, eBooks, and more.There's a video on the site with the iBrickr designer NateTrue showing the process.

If you have any problems, using the "Send Error Report" link within the application, you can send an email and get a response directly back from iBrickr's developer NateTrue and as far as I can see he is answering all kinds of questions about the application left to him on his site too.

Is the European launch planned for Apple Expo Paris?

2007-08-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

The "European launch of the iPhone" debate has heated up even further with the German Financial Times newspaper reporting that Apple had signed deals with three European carriers. T-Mobile, Orange and O2 - have signed exclusive contracts for the European iPhone with Apple, according to the FT Deutschland paper. And yet according to more rumors, the anticipated launch of the iPhone in parts of Europe could coincide with the Apple Expo Paris, which will be held from 25-29 September.
According to the FT report, T-Mobile will be the sole provider for the iPhone in Germany, Orange in France and O2 in the UK. Terms are purportedly very similar to those signed with AT&T and would have all three carriers share some of their subscription revenues with Apple. The contract, requires that the operators hand over to Apple 10 per cent of the revenues made from calls and data transfers by customers over iPhones.
AT&T pays Apple a fee for every new iPhone customer it signs up. Apple recognizes a portion of the revenue from every iPhone customer every quarter during the required two years of an iPhone contract.

Jennifer Bowcock, an Apple spokeswoman, said the company "doesn't comment on rumors," and had nothing to say about the potential iPhone deals in Europe.

Apple has previously said that it wants to limit iPhone’s European launch this autumn to the UK, France and Germany. It will continue the roll-out elsewhere in Europe next year, when it will also launch in Asia.

The latest iPhone report helped boost Apple's stock by $4.94 to close at $132.51. After taking some hits along with the broad tech sector over the last two weeks, Apple shares have risen 8.5% since Monday, in large part due to estimates of better-than-expected iPhone sales this quarter.

iPhone users don't forget to switch to online billing

2007-08-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

We heard that a blogger/comedian from Pittsburgh received her first iPhone bill from AT&T in a box. And even more surprising the bill consisted of 300 pages giving every useless detail of each message she had sent and each phone call she made. Being an active blogger plus comedian, she turned her big surprise into a video clip of her opening the bill box and checking those endless 300 pages in a cofee shop. Justine Ezarik's video of the dreadful bill received almost 2,500,000 views on the first week it was posted, 500,000 of them being on YouTube and 1,100,000 on Yahoo Video.

Ezarik's video commentary focused on the unnecessary waste of paper billing. In the video she highlights the physical size of the bill, not the amount due. The video ends saying "Use e-billing. Save a forest." Yet in interviews made with her later on she told that the amount on her iPhone bill was 275 USD and although she was a heavy user of the iPhone she was "shocked" at how high it was. Ezarik also later explains that she sends 30,000 text messages each month, which should be the real reason of those hundreds of pages because, AT&T tends to give each detail and the text of each message sent. But still, this has been a good example to caution other users not to forget to switch to e-billing or summary billing.

AT&T has options for detailed billing which produced the 300-page bill, summary billing which provides a basic account statement by mail, or online billing which is paperless. The AT&T network itemizes every data transfer when the handset connects to the network, including background transfers when the user checks e-mail or visits Web sites. With the iPhone's many online functions, that creates a large number entries on the detailed bill. The billing is the same for all AT&T mobile users, but the popularity and functionality of the iPhone has given it new visibility.

The USA Today story was titled "How many trees did your iPhone bill kill?" but did not attempt to answer the question. According to blogger Muhammad Saleem, Apple’s aim to have 10 million iPhone users by the end of 2008 would require the logging of about 74,535 trees annually. Apple Inc., the developer and retailer for the iPhone, has positioned itself as an environmentally responsible company since 1990 and has adopted the green computing model in its new products, in particular their new iMac, so Apple customers may have been surprised by AT&T's business practices. Those who read the entire bill found the following statement at the very end: "The New AT&T is going green."

So for Apple iPhone users who don't want to help AT&T go on killing trees, these are the other options for billing other than detailed billing:

summary billing (which provides a basic account statement by mail) and
online billing (which is paperless).

Other noted iPhone bills:

* An iPhone user identified as "Pierre" was billed for $4190.76 after a trip to Europe. The bill was reduced to $900 with a retroactive plan change.

*Adam Aronson, received the most expensive known bill so far: $5,086.66.

Update to post: On Wednesday (22 august), AT&T, Apple's wireless partner, sent text messages to iPhone customers telling them that they would receive summary bills as a default option. If they want itemized bills, or online billing, they should contact AT&T.

Starting Sept. 28, new AT&T wireless customers will get the summary bill. Detailed paper bills will cost $1.99 per phone line.

Apple iPhone with Questions and Answers

2007-08-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

Some frequently asked Apple iPhone questions and their answers which I have selected from three separate sites:

Will iPhone work with my PC and Microsoft Windows?
Yes. iPhone works with Windows XP Home or Professional (SP2), and Windows Vista. See specifications for more details.

Can I use my iPhone internationally?
iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone and will work around the world. Before you travel, make sure that international dialing and roaming are enabled through AT&T and that the places you’re going offer GSM coverage. Visit AT&T help for more information.

Can I view regular websites on iPhone or just mobile websites?
With the Safari web browser on iPhone, you can surf websites just as you do on your personal computer. You’re not limited to mobile WAP sites.

Can I surf the web on iPhone without a Wi-Fi connection?
Yes. When a Wi-Fi connection is not available, you can access the Internet using AT&T’s EDGE data network.

Can I transfer my mobile phone number to my new iPhone?
Yes, you can transfer most current mobile numbers to a new iPhone.

Can I transfer contacts from my current mobile phone to my new iPhone?
Yes. You should first transfer all your contact information to Microsoft Outlook on a PC or Address Book or Entourage on a Mac. Then you can sync your iPhone with your computer to put your contacts into your iPhone.

* From the Apple iPhone website - Questions and answers
(http://www.apple.com/iphone/questionsandanswers.html)

Since the iPhone battery is sealed in and can’t be easily replaced by the user, what happens when it dies? Will you have to buy a new iPhone?
No, but you will have to send the phone to Apple, or drop it off at an Apple store, to have the battery replaced. The battery is covered during the phone’s one-year warranty period. After that, replacing the battery costs $79, plus $6.95 for shipping, and takes three business days. Details are at apple.com/support/iphone/service/battery/. Some small companies may eventually offer to do this for less, or in less time, as they have for the iPod.
One twist: because a phone is a necessity, Apple is offering loaner iPhones for $29 while your phone’s battery is being replaced, or for the period of any other repair on the iPhone. You will have to switch the AT&T SIM card from your own phone to the loaner, and then back again. Details are at apple.com/support/iphone/service/faq.
In addition, Apple warns that all the data on your iPhone will be wiped out during a battery replacement, but notes that it can easily be restored by simply syncing again with the iTunes software on your computer once you get it back with a fresh battery. That’s because, whenever you sync your iPhone with iTunes, it backs up the data on the phone. You can also use this method to fill your loaner iPhone with your own data.

* From All Things Digital - Mossberg's Mailbox
(http://mailbox.allthingsd.com/20070705/questions-about-apples-iphone/)

Does the touch screen work if you’re wearing gloves?
Will a stylus or pen tip work? No. Skin contact is required to operate the buttons. Fortunately, most tappable elements on the screen are big and broad, designed for fingertip access.

Does the iPhone have a speakerphone? Vibrate mode? Airplane mode?
Yes, yes and yes. The speakerphone and the vibrations are both weak, though.

Will the iPhone work overseas?
If you mean to use your AT&T account, yes; call AT&T to turn on international roaming, and then prepare to pay big roaming charges. If you mean to insert some other country’s SIM card, no.

How about voice memos, voice dialing or call recording?
No.

Do I need an AT&T account?
Yes. The iPhone won’t work at all without a two-year AT&T voice-plus-Internet plan (and no, you can’t use it as just an iPod, no matter how tempting the bigger screen and longer battery life is).

Does the iPhone alert you when it detects a wireless Internet hot spot?
Yes. In fact, if it’s a hot spot you’ve used before, the iPhone hops onto it seamlessly and quietly.

Can you make phone calls while you’re on the Internet?
Yes — if your iPhone has a Wi-Fi connection. When it’s using AT&T’s Internet network, no.

Is there instant messaging, like AIM or MSN Messenger? No. Text-message exchanges appear as sequential, colorful text balloons, just as in Apple’s iChat program. But they’re still cellphone text messages, not chat.

Does the iPhone synchronize bookmarks with your computer?
Yes: with Safari on the Mac, or Internet Explorer on Windows.

What kind of e-mail can it get?
The iPhone comes with presets for Gmail, AOL and Yahoo Mail. You can also set up standard POP3 and IMAP accounts.

What does the Web browser have?
Multiple open pages (like tabs), fonts, layouts, pop-up menus, checkboxes, clickable links and dialable phone numbers (tap with your finger).

What does it lack?
Java, Flash, stored passwords, RSS, streaming audio or video (except for some QuickTime videos).

Does the iPhone synchronize with my computer’s calendar and address book? Yes. It can sync with Address Book or Microsoft Entourage on the Macintosh, Outlook, Outlook Express on Windows, or Yahoo’s address book on the Web. If you add appointments or phone numbers to the iPhone, they are added to your computer the next time you sync.

Without cursor keys, how do I edit something I’ve written?
If you hold your fingertip against the glass, a magnifying loupe appears around it. You can now slide you finger through what you’ve written, moving the insertion point as you go.

* From Pogue's Posts - The New York Times
(http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/often-asked-iphone-questions/)

Blogs Directory

The Apple iPhone Camera vs. Other Camera Phones

2007-08-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in the Apple iPhone as a camera and wonder how good it is compared to other cell phone cameras, the technology blog CNET has a good tool for you: Camera Phone Image Gallery.
All you need to do is select a camera phone from each of the two menus available to see photos from their cameras and compare the image quality of todays leading camera phones. This tool is not only for comparing the Apple iPhone camera but you can see how the iPhone's 2-megapixel camera stacks up against other camera cell phones, with CNET's side-by-side image comparison.

To add ringtones, change wallpaper, etc.: Jailbreaking iPhone

2007-08-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

* by Erica Sadun
When you want to add ringtones, change wallpaper, or run third-party applications on your iPhone, you need to perform a task called "jailbreaking". What this does is to open up your iPhone's file system so it can be accessed from your computer. There are a number of tools available to jailbreak.

If you're on an Intel Mac, you just won the lottery. The easiest software to use, by far, is iFuntastic. It walks you through the entire process with helpful prompts and pictures and is very simple to use. The iFuntastic crew promise PPC support in upcoming releases. If you are a PPC user and don't have the desire to download, compile and install complicated hacker tools you might be best served by just waiting for the next iFuntastic release.

Also keep in mind that you don't have to jailbreak on your own computer. You can borrow a friend's computer for 15 minutes to use iFuntastic. That's handy if you're a Windows users or on a G4 or G5.

A much more complicated alternative to iFuntastic is the iPhone Utility Client, with its amusing acronym iPHUC. You will have to google for the link as the website in question has requested no direct links. If you have access to developer tools, iPHUC will allow you to jailbreak on your G4 or G5. I warn you that the process is ugly and involves extreme hackery. If you want a slightly easier way to use iPHUC, the latest version of the iActivator tool performs iPHUC-compatible jailbreaks. Best of all, it's a Universal Binary.

For Windows users, there's the original fully-leaded jailbreak utility. The complicated bit is that it requires that you have a copy of the original 1.0.0 firmware present. To get that, you will have needed to have restored your iPhone at least once during it's 1.0.0 release.

The bottom line is that if you don't own an Intel Macintosh, the path to jailbreaking is difficult and complicated. You'll need to google a lot and, I recommend, rely on social networking. The best place to get started with jailbreak is over at irc.osx86.hu, in the #iphone channel. Be polite. And remember, anyone helping you out is doing so of their own goodwill.

* from the tuaw.com The Unofficial Apple Weblog: iPhone Hacking 101: Jailbreaking

The origin of the Apple iPhone (from 1983)

2007-08-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

I'm still searching for a bit more "extensive iPhone history" and yet again during my pursuit I came across "the very first Apple iphone from 1983" as published on Fudder.de, 19 July, 2007. This strange model wasn't among the pre-iphone history with cell phone pictures, because it has only stayed as a prototype.
We happen to learn that fudder-employee Marc Esslinger's father Hartmut Esslinger has designed the Apple IIc, which was Apples first portable computer (1984). Father Esslinger also has designed this phone for Apple in 1983. A landline phone with an Apple logo and a touchscreen it belongs among the partly never before seen Apple-designs of the early 80's (for more such design photos you can check the Fudder Photo-Gallery). It is said that this was the spark that eventually led the creation of the iPhone.

A closer look at what the Apple iPhone is about (Apple iPhone video of feautures)

2007-08-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Apple Inc's Phil Schiller shows John Blackstone the many features of the iPhone:

Apple did it once before with the famous Mac ad in 1984

2007-08-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

The great marketing success behind iPhone isn't the first for Apple. Lots of people still remember the famous 1984 Super Bowl commercial that introduced the Apple Macintosh Personal Computer to the world. It remains to date one of the most famous and talked about commercials of all time. This commercial named "1984" as in George Orwell's famous nowel "1984", was shown only once during the january 1984 Super Bowl, but shortly after began to be aired on TV.

Apple's iPhone generates buzz that may top Mustang

2007-08-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

Apple Inc.'s campaign to build excitement about its iPhone may be the most successful marketing effort ever, surpassing the drive to promote Ford Motor Co.'s 1964 Mustang and Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 95.

The combination mobile phone and music player has generated more pre-sale media coverage than any other product, says Al Ries, chairman of Ries & Ries, an Atlanta marketing strategy firm. Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch in New York, estimates Apple will spend about $100 million on the introduction, roughly half what Microsoft spent for Windows 95.

``Apple is one of those rare brands that can create mystique around a product,'' says Matt Williams, a partner at Richmond, Virginia-based advertising firm Martin Agency. ``They created a buzz that has taken on a life of its own.''

Apple released details little by little, teasing consumers to keep interest high, and followed with its first television spot with the simple tagline ``hello'' during the Academy Awards. That meant much of the hype came from word of mouth, which Apple has mastered since its 1984 introduction of the Macintosh computer. And it made the campaign less expensive.

The appeal may propel sales to 200,000 in the first two days and 3 million in the second half of 2007, according to the highest analyst estimates. Early acceptance may be a key part of Cupertino, California-based Apple's strategy to crack the mobile- phone market, which is almost four times bigger than the PC market.

``From an advertising and marketing point of view, Apple is head and shoulders above everybody else,'' says Ries, who has been writing books on marketing for more than 25 years, including ``The Origin of Brands.'' ``It just boggles the mind.''

Ford's campaign for the Mustang included folk concerts to appeal to the budding counterculture and a national television broadcast featuring Motown music star Martha Reeves dancing along at a Mustang assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan.

Ford unveiled the Mustang at the 1964 New York World's Fair, just as 77 million baby boomers started driving. The car appeared early and often in movies, including the James Bond film ``Goldfinger,'' and graced the covers of Time and Newsweek. The Mustang sold 418,812 units during the first year.

Steve Jobs

Apple emulated the way Microsoft released information about the Windows 95 operating system a bit at a time.

Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, 52, unveiled the product to fanfare at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco in January, stealing the limelight from rivals such as Motorola Inc. that were touting their own handsets at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas the same week.

Then came advertisements and video clips on the Internet. The ``hello'' spot consists of about 30 movie clips, with stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Robert De Niro saying ``hello'' on the phone. It ends with a shot of the iPhone and a text ``Hello'' followed by ``Coming in June.''

``They've spent some money on advertising, but certainly not a lot,'' he says. ``The PR, the hype, the publicity, it makes the advertising more visible.''

`Experiencing the Product'

The newer IPhone ads show what people can do, with emphasis on how it is done. A consumer recently told Gartenberg he wished his handset had the same Google Inc. map function as the iPhone. In fact, that application is available for the phone the consumer had, he just hadn't realized it, Gartenberg says.

The TV ads consist of a close-up of the iPhone playing a movie or displaying a Web site. A hand moves around the screen, showing consumers what to press to answer a call, type an e-mail or search an address using the map function.

``It gave me the sense that I was actually experiencing the product,'' says Williams, whose agency created the caveman ads for the Geico unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Williams says the campaign worked so well he is planning to get an iPhone even though it will cost twice as much as he has ever shelled out for a phone, his Palm Inc. Treo.

Apple ads have a history of impact. Its 1984 Super Bowl commercial introducing the Mac, is still remembered. In the spot, a woman athlete hurls a sledgehammer through a giant video screen, signaling Apple's intention to smash International Business Machines Corp.'s hold on personal computing.

``If you're not on the market for an iPhone, you don't really want to find yourself anywhere near an Apple or AT&T store at 6 p.m. on Friday,'' Gartenberg said.

* By Ville Heiskanen (June 28, 2007) - Bloomberg.com

Pre-iPhone history in pictures

2007-08-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

While searching the web for a (somewhat more than usual) detailed history of the iPhone, I came across a history of cell phones (from the first cell phone to iphone) in pictures: "In Pictures: A History of Cellphones". Although I'm not that young, I found it hard remembering some of them, for example this one:

Nokia Mobira Senator (1982)
It may look more like a boombox than a portable phone, but this boxy, bulky device was actually Nokia's first mobile (if you can call it that) phone. Introduced in 1982, the Nokia Mobira Senator was designed for use in cars. After all, you wouldn't want to use this phone while walking: It weighed about 21 pounds.

Apple bought the iPhone.com domain for over 1 million USD's

2007-08-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

In 1995, a guy named Michael Kovatch registered the domain name www.iphone.com. At that time, he thought of the possibility of placing calls over the Internet in the near future and bought the domain with the intention of creating a company which enables this type of services. He has been the active owner of the domain for over 12 years. That tells us that the Apple didn’t own the brand name “iPhone” when they initially announced iPhone to the market.

eBay has been flooded with domains containing the name iPhone a long time before the handset was actually launched. Apple has managed to get its hands on the most important of them all for a seven digit sum which has not been disclosed. It could be anywhere between 1,000,000 to 9,999,999…!
In 1995 the cost for domain registration was around 100 bucks.
iPhone.com is the most concise and the easiest to remember domain name of all. Michael Kovatch must have paid a small sum when he bought this domain several years ago. Its value skyrocketed along with the interest that people have been showing on the iPhone.

It might have been a considerably good idea coming from Apple to buy this domain a long time ago, even before announcing the future launch of their new device. This is now probably the worst time for them to decide to buy it, as in all this time the domain's value has really boosted.

Michael Kovatch, the previous owner, thought of dropping negotiations and keeping the site until the end. He found great potential in it, ready for being exploited at its max. Actually, he was planning of developing a company on this specific domain. Its potential could have been huge, but he finally decided that it was better worth it just to sell it to Apple and not take the risk.

Michael Kovatch owns several other domains with excellent names for expansion.

"The iPhone nano hoax"

2007-08-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

The other day I couldn’t help but notice Reuters reporting that JP Morgan’s Kevin Chang was predicting the imminent of an “iPhone nano.” Come on, seriously, how was that going to work?

Here’s the quote that struck me as peculiar:

“We believe that iPod Nano will be converted into a phone because it’s probably the only way for Apple to launch a lower end phone without severely cannibalizing iPod Nano,” he said noting that the new phone could have “rather limited functionality.”

Seriously, how was Apple going to pull off that trick? Anyone who has taken a look at any of the iPhone autopsy galleries on the web (there’s one here for you if you want to take a look inside the iPhone) will see the space problems that Apple are up against. There’s hardly space inside the iPhone for more than a few air molecules. The idea of taking the iPhone and compressing that into a form factor similar to that of the iPod nano is just crazy (unless Apple has come up with TARDIS technology). Yeah, sure, it would be cool, but if Apple had the capability of making the iPhone smaller and simpler (and therefore, cheaper to make), it would have done thins already and maybe packed a bigger battery or more memory into the current iPhone.

Sure, a nano-sized iPhone would be cool, and we might see one eventually, but it’s not going to happen just yet.

* by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes from ZDNet Blogs Hardware (published on 11 July 2007).
Adrian is a technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology. He also also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor.

Apple may launch cheaper iPhone model this year

2007-08-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

By John Liu
Bloomberg News

Apple may introduce a model of its iPhone this year that is 50 percent cheaper than the handsets that went on sale in the U.S. last month, JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Kevin Chang said.

The new model, based on Apple's thin iPod Nano, may cost less than $300, Chang said today by telephone from Taipei, citing a patent Apple filed in the U.S. and components suppliers he declined to identify. Apple began sales of two iPhone models priced at $499 and $599 on June 29.

A lower-priced iPhone may win customers away from rivals Nokia and Motorola, with Chang estimating Apple may ship as many as 40 million units of the new handset in the fiscal year ending September 2008. Apple will probably sell the new phone with several wireless carriers, unlike the five-year exclusive agreement it has with AT&T for the current iPhone, Chang said.

"We'll see this new iPhone having a noticeable impact on the handset market," Chang said. The new model may be introduced as early as the fourth quarter, he said.

Jill Tan, a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for Apple, declined to comment on the report.

JPMorgan analyst Bill Shope in New York, who covers Apple, cautioned investors about Chang's predictions.

"The potential for a low-end, subsidized phone from Apple seems unlikely in the near term," Shope wrote in a separate report today. "Perhaps Apple will choose to eventually replace its iPod family with phones over time, but it could be premature to assume this will happen in volume any time soon."

Apple may release the next version of the iPhone in the first half of next year, Shope said. It will still be "high- priced" and support so-called third-generation networks for connecting to the Internet at faster speeds.

The new iPhone model won't have a touch screen like the current handset and will likely be controlled by a scroll wheel similar to those used on Apple's iPod music and video players, Chang wrote in the report published Monday. It will also have fewer functions, such as limited Internet browsing, he wrote.

Simpler features would allow Apple to sell the handset with multiple carriers, as operators won't need to customize their wireless networks for the phone's services, Chang said. Subsidies provided by carriers may further lower the price of the new model to as little as $99, he said.

Apple ran out of iPhones at more than half its 164 stores less than a week after introducing the handset, and AT&T said it sold out at its 1,800 outlets within 24 hours. Apple said it is delivering iPhones to its stores and AT&T shops every day.

* From The Seattle Times - Business & Technology published on 10 July 2007.