Archive for July, 2007

In yet another round of “Deal, or No Deal” rumor regarding the UK launch of the Apple iPhone, it seems that O2 has secured the exclusive rights for UK distribution of the iPhone - again. Speculation has already pinned the UK iPhone carrier as O2, so we’re not too surprised by this report.

Nic Fildes at The Independent writes, “O2 expects the launch of broadband and Apple’s iPhone to maintain its momentum during the second half of the year, after it outperformed the market over the past three month,” adding that “Peter Erskine, chief executive of O2, said: ‘We’re excited about this product and we certainly hope to be marketing it later in the year when it launches.’”

When O2’s head honcho alludes to marketing the iPhone, the deal is most likely at least in the works. We’re going to put our money on O2 for now. As long as that wheel keeps spinning, we can still change our bet.

[Via: MacDailyNews]

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• O2 iPhone spotted in the UK!
• O2 confirmed for UK iPhone launch, coming soon - again
• Apple could debut iPhone 2.0 at Macworld 2008 in San Fransisco!
• Apple iPhone release date confirmed - iPhone Launches June 29!!
• Quanta Clinches Second Apple iPhone Contract - 5 Million iPhones Slated for September

The iPhone is a mini-computer, and it comes with the same problems we see on our full-fledged computers - frozen applications. It doesn't happen much on our Apple machines, but it does happen - and the same seems to be true of our iPhones. So, what do you do when an iPhone app just spins its wheels? Wait for it to sort things out? Sure, that's one option. But, or the more impatient types out there, here's a quick little tip to force that frozen application to quit:

Hold down the standby/sleep button and the home-button for six seconds.

That's it!
Simple, effective, useful. Now, go out and hope for an app to freeze. We never thought we'd ever say that.

If you think $80 for a battery replacement for your iPhone is a bit steep, you're not alone. And, some crazy Chinese company is trying to cash in on Apple's exorbitant battery replacement fee. The new Do-It-Yourself (DIY) battery replacement kit will run you about $20 and comes with a high-quality 1400mAh 3.7V battery, screwdriver, and some sort of plastic tool (presumably used to pry open that $600 iPhone of yours).

Right, we're definitely going to trust a third-party battery from some shady Chinese manufacturer and then use the home-brewed instructions to perform delicate surgery on our iPhones. Don't forget, once you pry open that outer shell, you're still going to need to de-solder and re-solder that battery into place. Wait, they don't provide any soldering tools? Well, you get what you pay for.

If you like living on the wild side, and the thought of cracking open your iPhone doesn't make you squirm, then by all means, pick up this kit and let us know how it goes. Oh, and also lets us know how it doesn't go, as the case most certainly may be.

[Via: I4U]

Well, someone had to officially say. Following on that retarded poor, misguided guy’s class-action lawsuit over the iPhone’s sealed battery, New York State’s Consumer Protection Board has officially put in their two-cents on the iPhone’s fleecing of America. The organization took issue with the additional costs associated with owning an iPhone, and sent Stevie a letter to that regard.

The battery’s $80 replacement fee, $29 iPhone loaner, short 14-day return period and the 10% restocking fee are among the poor customer service tactics cited by the CPB.

We completely agree. While we don’t condone a free battery replacement, the cost of doing so should be considerably lower, especially considering the ridiculous profits that Jobs is making on each iPhone. And charging for a loaner? We get free loaners for our cars (which cost considerably more than even a high-end gadget)! But, we can’t really say that a restocking fee is a bad idea, it keeps the non-serious lookey-loos from buying and returning the iPhone on a whim.
iPhone Central seems to think restocking fees should be abolished industry-wide, while they don’t understand the need for a longer trial period. We think they got this one backwards. Restocking fees are necessary, and so are longer trial periods.

We’re hoping more consumer protection agencies throw their hat into the ring on these issues. Afterall, their job is to make sure that greedy CEOs don’t overcharge or take advantage of us poor, little consumers. But, then again, Jobs is about as stubborn as they come, so we’re not holding our collective breath for any leniency from Apple.

[Via: MacWorld]

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• Steve Jobs spotted using the iPhone
• iPhone Is Crap - Or At Least It's 40 Minute Battery Is
• Free Marketing for Apple and iPhone
• Can Apple Ship 10 million iPhones By 2009?
• “You don’t want your phone to be an open platform" - Steve Jobs

It’s been about a month and Apple is prepping the first release of iPhone updates. We’ve been looking for the first update to enable iChat features and possibly even MMS support, so imagine our excitement when we heard that the upcoming update might include new widgets, chat client, location-based services, MMS support, and maybe even some Mac OS X Leopard integration!

Greg Joswiak, Apple VP of iPod Product Marketing, told RBC Captial Markets analysts Mike Abramsky that “An iPhone update patch is expected shortly.” However, there’s no word on Microsoft Exchange integration - but that doesn’t mean it’s not coming, or slated for a subsequent update.

Now, if only we could get 3G enabled on the iPhone. Alas, there are no hidden 3G chips to enable, and Abramsky believes that the 3G version of the iPhone will not be available (even in Europe) until Spring of 2008.

Thanks, Apple! We love the fact that our iPhones can be easily updated through a simple download, rather than waiting months for a whole new firmware version.

[Via: Apple Insider]

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• Apple iPhone closer than ever to getting unlocked!
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Who else could write a book about an iPhone, but a guy who was one of the first ones to give it try along with WSJ’s Walt Mossberg. Yeah, I’m talking about the New York Times columnist and Missing Manual series creator - David Pogue.

Anyway, touted as “the book that should have been in the box,” iPhone: The Missing Manual teaches you how to extend iPhone’s usefulness by exploiting its links to the Web as well as its connection to Macs or PCs; how to save money using Internet-based messages instead of phone calls; and how to fill the iPhone with TV shows and DVDs for free.

Previously, we’ve showcased “iPhone for Dummies” and “How to Do Everything with Your iPhone” titles, but this book is written by the same guy who made the “I want an iPhone” musical. Guess that makes you want to preorder his book on Amazon - it’s only $13.59!

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• Apple iPhone book, "How to Do Everything with Your iPhone" available for preorder
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• Apple iPhone Commerical hints at unannounced iPhone Application - Mystery Application

In case you haven’t realized, your iPhone can go beyond the built-in YouTube application. For instance you can already enjoy clips from Google Video if you download them as “Video iPod/Sony PSP” files. But things don’t end there - now we have Dailymotion joining the rising “optimized for iPhone” tide with the launch of “iphone.dailymotion.com” site. From there you can access all Dailymotion’s content from your beloved device, and spend even more time watching the user-generated content… from a WiFi connection of course…

[Via: Engadget]

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• Zoho optimizes for iPhone; Launches iZoho
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See, iPhone does find its way to the enterprise market! Latest in the line to join the iPhone fray and add some seriousness on top of Apple’s primarily multimedia handset are the leading provider of UNIX software - SCO Group and a provider of rental and point-of-sale software for the specialty equipment rental market - Genisys Software. Last months, the two companies were working to bring AlphaRENTAL Solution for the iPhone handset.

The AlphaRENTAL solution is a mobile workforce automation application used by retail equipment and party rental centers to manage all aspects of their business, including CRM, sales, reservations, quotes, invoicing, receivables, parts, service and rental equipment inventory management.

There you have it - another industry is now covered with the iPhone. What’s next?

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• Apple say iPhone and AppleTV to get FREE applications and software features
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• Nokia Intellisync now works on Sony Ericsson M600 and P990 … most useless PR ever?

Synchronica is prepped to start free trial offers of their Mobile Gateway 3.0 solution for Microsoft Exchange on your iPhone. But, if you just can’t wait a couple more days to get your iPhone on the Enterprise tip, check out the hosted-Exchange service from Ice Web. The IceMAIL service is offered for free for the first 30 days, and will run you $8.50 per month after that - for a hosted service (they give you Outlook access and Exchange servers), that’s not too bad a deal.

It’s the complete hosting solution that sets Ice Mail apart from services like Synchronica’s Mobile Gateway 3.0, and we’re more than happy to welcome it with open arms. Microsoft Exchange doesn’t just appeal to suits and corporate-drones, but it turns out that they’re more likley to have a dedicated Exchange server backing them up (and even those with Exchange access can’t convince their IT overlords to open up the IMAP ports that the iPhone needs to sync with Exchange). If you want to get your own Exchange account, Ice Mail is for you. Check out the Ice Web site for details on setting up your iPhone with their Ice Mail service.

Source

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• Apple may be licensing Microsoft Exchange Active Sync for Direct Push email on iPhone!
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• Apple iPhone does Enterprise - will have standard OSX VPN-client and Quick Look for Word and Excel Files
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With the iPhone’s file-system cracked open for all to see, everyone and their grandma is free to browse through the iPhone’s guts for kicks and giggles. And, all that snooping around has uncovered a few interesting bits of information within the iPhone’s firmware. It seems that there are 4 hidden references to unused, possibly hidden, applications in the “LocalizedApplicationNames.strings” file:

key: com.apple.widget.translation
string: Translator

key: com.apple.unitconverter
string: Converter

key: com.apple.widget.phonebook
string: Business

key: com.apple.mobile.radio
string: Radio

This could hint at the future Google-collaborated apps that we speculated previously.

While the Translator, Converter, and Business references could simply be “left-overs” from Mac OS X (these are all widgets within Mac OS X Dashboard), the “mobile.radio’ reference is incredibly interesting. The iPhone’s hardware doesn’t even support radio functions - could we see a mobile, web-based radio app in the future? This is pure speculation, but we’re hoping that a future update will enable these “hidden” apps.

[Via: MacRumors]

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• iPhone to support 3rd party apps!

Those of you just itching to get your iPhone all hooked up with your Microsoft Exchange email account are in luck! Synchronica’s Mobile Gateway 3.0 software opens up the Enterprise world of Exchange mail right on your iPhone! The over-the-air system makes nice with your Exchange account via Outlook Web Access (OWA) and serves up that synchronized email to your iPhone.

As Dusan mentioned before, “Synchronica’s solution does NOT require the enterprise to expose IMAP and SMTP in their Exchange servers or install additional connectors — instead it uses Microsoft’s secure Outlook Web Access (OWA) to retrieve e-mail from the corporate Exchange server, a service enabled by many enterprises to provide users with access to corporate e-mail from home or while traveling. And the best thing is that you will be able to use iPhone’s built-in email client, not some web-based solution!”

The software will kick off its commercial availability with a free trial offer, starting this week. Head on over to Synchronica’s sign-up page to register for your chance to get yourself some sweet free trial offer action.

Source

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• iPhone syncs with Microsoft Exchange via Synchronica's Mobile Gateway 3.0
• Apple may be licensing Microsoft Exchange Active Sync for Direct Push email on iPhone!
• UK teens to get a free cell phone service in exchange for ads
• Helio Ocean gets jiggy with Exchange ActiveSync
• Nokia expands Intellisync Device Management

We're getting reports that AT&T may be refunding the iPhone activation fee for those iPhone owners complaining of AT&T's activation blunders during last month's iPhone launch.

If that $36 activation fee is enough for you to call in to AT&T and ask for some sympathy from the customer service rep, then by all means, please do. We'd recommend approaching the situation with honey, as vinegar is rumored to not catch as many bees.

With the incredible profit margins and exorbitant kickbacks that Apple is getting for each new iPhone customer, we'd like to see all activation fees waived, courtesy of Steve Jobs - but that's about as likely as AT&T going out on its own and picking up the activation fee tab for new iPhone customers. Especially considering how badly AT&T botched the launch of the iPhone.

Call in and let us know how it goes!

[Via: TUAW]

There's nothing worse than watching your battery meter in agony as your portable gadget slowly dies. With no immediately available electrical outlet, losing your gadget to battery depletion can be a trying experience - worse if that portable gadget is both your music player and your mobile phone. iZAP to the rescue! Like the miracle-juice toting St. Bernard in the Tom & Jerry cartoons, iZAP will juice up your iPhone in its time of need.

iZAP was initially intended for use as an Apple iPod battery charger, but has been re-purposed for use as an iPhone battery charger. Says Steve Schneider, ZAP CEO, "Frankly, if an iPod runs out of power, losing your music and video is not as critical to your business trip as the iPhone. You lose your cell phone access, text messages, Internet and email access, time zone clock, business notes, scheduling software, driving maps, calculator and all the other news and information for which the iPhone was designed."

The iZAP can triple your iPhone's battery life, with no additional cables or adapters needed. The iZAP can be recharged through your computer's USB port - taking 5 hours to charge the 2100mAh battery.

Hit up ZAP World to get your hands on the $79.00 iZAP.

[Via: I4U News]

What's with all these retailers putting the iPhone up on their site, or in their store as the case may be, to tease UK customers? Following in the footsteps of Amazon.com, Computer Warehouse has put up a US-activated Apple iPhone in its Brentford showroom. The iPhone isn't setup to make calls (this is the UK afterall) but the data features are fully functional over WiFi networks.

Says
Computer Warehouse:
"One of only a handful of the little beauties in the UK, visit Computer Warehouse’s Brentford West London store and have a rare chance to try the ‘magical device’ for yourself. The iPhone has many features that explain its hype. Along with the ability to download music and videos it can also be used to text, email and browse the web."

We're all for retailers putting up their wares for customers to get a hands-on experience, that is the best way to make the sale, afterall. You hearing that AT&T? Retailers that don't even have iPhone stock are giving their customers a chance to play with the device, don't you think you could grab an iPhone out of the pile in the stockroom to close that deal?

[Via: iLounge]

Is there anyone out there that doesn't know what Bejeweled is? The iconic mobile time-waster has finally made its way onto the iPhone, courtesy of PopCap Arcade! The online-game publisher has optimized the Bejeweled puzzle-game for the iPhone's display and input controls. That means all you bored iPhone owners out there can get your mobile-gaming fix through your Safari browser.

Hit up PopCap to check out the new iPhone-optimized Bejeweled.

If Bejeweled just doesn't cut it for you, head on over to Macmost for a list of iPhone-specific online games.

[Via: I4U News]