Several hands-on iPhone 3G reports from after the WWDC 2008 Keynote are out, and as you might expect they’re all saying pretty much the same thing. Despite the few extra millimeters thickness over the old iPhone, Apple’s newly slimmed edges disguise it well and the plastic - which is a concession to the numerous wireless radios packed inside - feels reasonable, though some question how scratch-resistant it will prove. Apple are claiming it’ll disguise wear better than the original. The buttons have been switched to metal for aesthetic, not practical reasons, and are sharper-edged. A few people have suggested that the new, white 16GB handset is particularly feminine, though that’s more personal choice than anything else.


Continue the round up report at our sister site after the jump

Labels: 3G, iPhone

Apple today introduced the new iPhone 3G, combining all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK. In the US the new iPhone 3G is priced at a stunning $199 for the 8GB model, and just $299 for the 16GB model. iPhone 3G will be available in more than 70 countries later this year, beginning with customer availability in 22 countries - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US - on July 11.“Just one year after launching the iPhone, we’re launching the new iPhone 3G that is twice as fast at half the price,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone 3G supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync right out of the box, runs the incredible third party apps created with the iPhone SDK, and will be available in more than 70 countries around the world this year.”

iPhone 3G gives users ever faster access to the Internet and email over their cellular network with quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA for voice and data connectivity around the world. iPhone 3G supports Wi-Fi, 3G and EDGE networks and automatically switches between them to ensure the fastest possible download speeds.
iPhone 3G includes the new iPhone 2.0 software with both the iPhone SDK and key enterprise features such as support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide over-the-air push email, contact and calendar syncing as well as remote wipe and Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to corporate networks. The iPhone SDK allows developers to create amazing applications that leverage the iPhone’s groundbreaking Multi-Touch user interface, animation technology, accelerometer and GPS technology on the world’s most advanced mobile platform.

iPhone 3G includes the new App Store, providing iPhone users with native applications in a variety of categories including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The App Store on iPhone works over cellular networks and Wi-Fi. Some applications are even free and the App Store notifies you when application updates are available. The App Store will be available in 62 countries at launch.
Additional features available with the iPhone 2.0 software include the ability to do real-time mapping and track your progress with GPS technology, mass move and delete multiple email messages, search for contacts, access a new scientific calculator, turn on parental control restrictions for specified content, save images directly from a web page or email them to your iPhone and easily transfer them back to your photo library on your Mac or PC. iPhone 3G delivers an amazing 10 hours of talk time on 2G networks and 5 hours using 3G, with up to 5 to 6 hours of web browsing, up to 7 hours for video playback and up to 24 hours for audio playback.

iPhone 3G takes advantage of MobileMe, a new Internet service that pushes email, contacts, and calendars from an online “cloud” to native applications on iPhone, iPod touch, Macs and PCs. With MobileMe email, messages are pushed instantly to iPhone, removing the need to manually check email and wait for downloads, and push keeps contacts and calendars continuously up-to-date so changes made on one device are automatically updated on other devices. With iPhone, you can even snap a photo and post it directly to a MobileMe Gallery to share with friends and family.
iPhone 3G will be available in the US on July 11 for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 8GB model and $299 (US) for the 16GB model in both Apple and AT&T’s retail stores and requires a new two year contract with AT&T for qualifying customers. iPhone 2.0 software will be available on July 11 as a free software update via iTunes 7.7 or later for all iPhone customers.

Labels: iPhone

Sipgate today announces the immediate availability of a free application for the iPhone, which allows consumers to natively use any VoIP service which uses the industry standard SIP. The VoIP-enabling software is available from sipgate’s website www.sipgate.com.


With the sipgate service, users can dial any number without using minutes from a wireless plan. This is particularly useful when calling to or from other countries, as call costs can be as high as $3 per minute. However, when using a VoIP service, costs can be kept as low as $0.01 per minute. sipgate is giving new users 111 free minutes for domestic calls for users to test out VoIP usage on the device*.

Thilo Salmon, CEO of sipgate commented: “We love VoIP and we love the iPhone so we are giving people like us who always wanted VoIP on the iPhone the ability to use any SIP-based VoIP service they want. We are thrilled that Apple is opening up the iPhone and we look forward to taking part in future application development.”

Labels: iPhone

With a short and brief announcement, SoftBank Mobile is bringing the Apple iPhone to Japan. The company announced that they have just signed the agreement with Apple.



The second generation of Apple iPhone is set to be announced in the coming WWDC on June 9th. Remember to follow our sister site iphonebuzz for the live blogging on that day. The live blogging address is http://live.iphonebuzz.com/

Labels: iPhone

Zinio announced today that Zinio Labs has made 20 new titles available on the Zinio iPhone and iPod Touch. All titles can be accessed for free at http://www.zinio.com/iphone.


Some of these new titles include:

* Readers Digest
* Elle
* Esquire UK
* Macworld Spain
* Macworld UK
* Outside
* PC Magazine
* Popular Photography
* U.S. News & World Report

“Our initial iPhone application was extremely well received by consumers and ranked number one in Apple’s top ten iPhone applications list,” said Rob Novotny, SVP of Zinio Labs. “With the Mobile Newsstand update, we’ve added more popular titles and introduced international titles to meet the demands of users overseas; and this is just the start of more innovations to come.”

Labels: iPhone

iPass today announced service availability for Windows Mobile 6 devices. Users of the iPass Mobile Office service for enterprises and iPassConnect mobility service for individuals can now connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi using their Windows Mobile 6 smartphone and handheld devices. iPass plans to support the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch later this year and intends to support Wi-Fi-enabled Blackberry devices as well.
With more than 100,000 business-class hotspots worldwide, iPass Wi-Fi connectivity gives smart phone users an alternative to 2.5G and 3G access provided by cellular providers. iPass service auto-detecting available Wi-Fi networks in their area and automatically connecting to their bookmarked locations.

Use of Windows Mobile handhelds in the Mobile Office service is priced at a flat monthly rate for the enterprise based on the number of active users. For individuals in the United States looking for a subscription to the iPassConnect mobility service, pricing information is available at: www.ipassconnect.com.

via [mobileburn]

Labels: Blackberry, iPhone, Software

FlyTunes announced several major changes to its mobile content network, popularized on the iPhone and iPod Touch. FlyTunes is adding video and audio podcasts, a new user interface, and a customizable channel guide.


With over 200 new channels available immediately, the new video and audio channels cover a wide range of topics, including news, entertainment, politics, kids & family, health, comedy, business and technology. With today’s additions, FlyTunes now offers users over 350 channels of music, talk, video and podcast entertainment choices, far more than fee-based satellite radio services.

FlyTunes is also releasing a new, streamlined user interface that lets users quickly find and select desired channels from two simple dialog boxes. Each selected channel now displays more detailed information, including an SMS text message link to allow users to send friends a direct link to listen in. The new MyGuide feature allows users to personalize their mobile media experience by enabling or disabling individual channels and even entire genres from the selection menu.

Labels: iPhone

Remember the recent video demonstration from M80 of the GPS capability of Samsung Instinct and Apple iPhone? Here are the next 4 showing the Internet connectivity, live TV, how to shoot a video and how fast you can download a song with both handsets:










The problem with the Internet connectivity at Apple’s iPhone is explained like this:
Working on AT&T’s Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution, a 2.75G standard, iPhone proves high-speed transfer rates but there is a delay specific to packet-switched communications, which consists of routing blocks of data (packets) between nodes over data links shared with other traffic, and in each of these network nodes the packets are queued or buffered, which produces the variable delay, leading to transfer speeds of up to 236.8 kbit/s for 4 timeslots.

With 3G EV-DO Rev A at Samsung Instinct, things are a bit different because this type of connectivity is based on Code Division Multiple Access and Time Division Multiple Access techniques, which increase the user’s throughput and the system’s throughput, by allowing several data transmitters to send simultaneously via the single communication channel. Transmitters have codes assigned and they have to take turn in sending information with the access divided by time.
The EV-DO channel has a bandwidth of 1.25 MHz and the Revision A standard improves the latency increasing the rates on the forward link up to 3.1 Mbit/s and on reverse link up to 1.8 Mbit/s.

About the other aspect, music download, to be able to get music with the Samsung Instinct you’d have to get it from Sprint’s Power Vision Network.
With the iPhone you have to tap the iTunes icon to go on iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and browse, preview, buy and download what you like for your collection, but for this to work you have to be in a Wi-Fi hot spot and it seems that it doesn’t work every time...

(Source: Techpin.com)

Labels: iPhone

SingTel, Bharti Airtel, Globe and Optus today announced that they have signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Singapore, India, the Philippines and Australia later this year.


It is not sure that SingTel will get the exclusive rights in Singapore. The company did not reveal their release schedule. Apple is expected to announce a new 3G iPhone at WWDC 2008, which will be held from 6th June at San Francisco.

Labels: iPhone

iLounge, maybe the world’s largest iPhone and iPod resource of information, has just announced the Design The Next iPhone, Win The Next iPhone Contest, where you can submit your ideas about how the next iPhone should and could look like, as well as what new functionalities it can come with.

After the end date, only 6 concepts will win the competition and they will win 3 Apple’s next iPhone model, while other 3 will get $100 iTunes Gift Cards.
To participate you have to submit at least a 1600 pixels wide image with the next generation iPhone and description, as well as your personal information including name, e-mail address, and location.
You can do this until May 25, when the international contest ends, and the winners will be announced in the Free iPod + iPhone Book 4 on June 1.

And now, to give you an idea about what others have submitted, here are the ideas of other designers about how the next generation iPhone could look like:
iPhone Dual Track Balls
Someone saw the next iPhone model as a handset with dual track balls, a design addition meant to make scrolling easier for those that use the iPhone for gaming.
iPhone Air
It is inspired , of course, by the MacBook Air look but not to make the handset lighter but probably just to match it with the world’s lightest notebook
iPhone Air:Thinnovation
It’s the thinnest iPhone concept, it too inspired by the MacBook Air design, but this one really matches the notebook, don’t you think?
If MacBook Air fits a manila envelope, iPhone Air: Thinnovation inserts easily into an airmail envelope.
iPhone Pico
iPhone Pico would e the world’s smallest iPhone, and it’s so small that we can’t see it.
iPhone Nil
iPhone Nil is no phone but just application icons.

iPhone Clear
A thinner version than the iPhone Air : Thinnovation.


iPhone Slide
-the slider version of the iPhone candybar. It would have two displays with multi-touch input, Video Conferencing, Ambient Light Sensor, Accelerometer, 32 GB storage, and 512 MB of RAM memory.

iPhone Bio
It’s called Bio because it uses Biometric Security technology aka Fingerprint Scanning for identifying the right user for full access grant.

iPhone Archetype
This is a concept version for the first 3G iPhone, a handset covered in a metallic black layer with backlit Apple logo. What it brings new is the glossy bezel replacing the chrome finish, and it also integrates the iCam mounted in the front.
The iBall sphere is scrollable and can be used for sound control and navigation, while there is also the multi-colored LED indicator that shows categories statuses

Smallest Phone Ever
Smaller than iPhone Pico? Maybe but it looks kinda ugly.

iPhone 3G
Another iPhone 3G concept…

4 New Flavors of iPhone
Cool color suggestions for the iPhone.

Labels: iPhone

Vodafone today announced it has signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten of its markets around the globe. Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network.


More at iphonebuzz

Labels: iPhone, Vodafone

Vodafone today announced it has signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten of its markets around the globe. It’s signed with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten markets, including Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey. Expect the phone later this year — that’s all we know for now.

Labels: iPhone, Vodafone

It’s still about the rumor of Apple’s 3G iPhone. Hmm, if this picture was real, it would be quite amazing, right! 3G iPhone with 60 GB storage!

Too good to be true, yeah?

Source: Justamp

Labels: iPhone

This is the Trabluar iPhone theme, from MMi forum member Velo.

It’s a Summerboard theme, with around 50 icons covering a range of 3rd party apps that the theme’s creator is fond of. This is another simple and clean feeling theme that I like quite a bit - although I think I much prefer using the alternative blue wallpapers included in the Extras folder that comes with the theme download.

You can download Trabluar themes for your iphone

Labels: iPhone

The new surprise from Goldstriker is iPhone Solar Star edition, a 24ct gold version of the popular mobile handset included in the recently announced Elite choice collection designed by Stuart Hughes.

iPhone Solar Star is a suberb nahdset sporting a front bezel with rear logo strucked with 24ct gold, and the Lamborghini Gallardo-inspired bottom part.
Goldstriker offers it at a price of £749.95.

Another Elite cell phone from the same company specialized in luxury designs is iPhone 16GB Black Night also coming in 24ct gold.

Labels: iPhone

An article published today by the Financial Times reports that Apple is in the process of exploring offering unlimited music download from iTunes at no cost to customers who purchase an iPhone or iPod. The concept is basically the same as the Nokia "comes with music" program which the handset manufacturer offers in partnership with Universal Music.


Essentially, either program would allow customers, who have purchased a handset or MP3 player at an inflated price, to download unlimited music and keep that music permanently (no DRM). The deal is based on partnerships with the record labels within which Apple (or Nokia) pays a flat fee to allow their customers unlimited access to the labels' libraries.

Research has shown that customers have strong appetites for such bundled packages, but bidding wars are holding up these programs becoming a reality. The word is that Nokia is offering the record labels around $80 per handset - divided proportionally between the record companies based what material is downloaded. For the same privilege, Apple is rumored to only be offering $20.

Apple is supposedly also considering a subscription model, where users would pay a monthly fee for unlimited downloads of music they could keep. There is no indication as of yet whether this subscription would be for a fixed period or only month-to-month.

Apple, who most agree is considering the move in order to boost iPod sales, declined to comment on the Financial Times report.

Does paying more for your handset or MP3 player in exchange for unlimited music downloads appeal to you?

Labels: iPhone, iPod

After capturing the U.S. market with lightening speed, Apple’s iPhone might soon be launched in Canada. Although, there is nothing official about this new venture, but it is believed that Apple Inc. is joining hands with Canada’s Rogers Communication Inc. to bring the smart phone to the country.

However, certain stumbling blocks need to be overcome before the deal between Apple and Rogers is finalized. Perhaps the greatest obstacle is Rogers’ wireless data plans that cost more than those offered by the European and American carriers that Apple does not like. Apple wants to expand the market of its iPhone by offering unlimited data plans so that consumers do not have to worry about the cost of mobile Web browsing. Apple is also demanding a part of the subscribers’ monthly bills that Rogers is not willing to accede. Canadians could only hope that Apple and Rogers solved their problems so that they could enjoy the iPhone experience that their neighbors have been enjoying for the last one year.

Labels: iPhone

One very obvious thing missing from last year's Apple iPhone was 3G support. If you wanted high-speed internet access when you weren't near a WiFi hotspot, then you needed to rely on a GPRS or EDGE connection. Very often subscribers were stuck with dial-up modem speeds on a device that really needed a much faster internet connection.

Apple's excuse for the lack of 3G was that it drained the battery too quickly, but in reality the problem was more likely to be that the iPhone was designed for the US AT&T/Cingular network where 3G availability was not great, and not for Europe where 3G coverage is very much better.

Several rumours and reports indicate that Apple may well be about to rectify the lack of 3G in the iPhone with a new model. A recent report in the UK's Times newspaper indicates that the 3G iPhone will be due for a launch in June, and carriers who hold existing iPhone stock are slashing prices in order to move inventory. And by all indications, major European carriers are sitting on top of hundreds of thousands of iPhones which are likely to become obsolete pretty quickly.

Not only do carriers have to worry about unsold stock, but there's also the problem of how to deal with upgrades. Many iPhone customers will want to upgrade their handsets while still within their contracts.. contracts which tent to be quite long for the iPhone. Customers will not want to wait until their contract expires to get an upgrade.

Although a replacement for the iPhone is inevitable, there is very little information on what the "iPhone II" will look like. Some analysts have said that it will be radically different, but it must surely be a touchscreen device that retains the excellent iPhone interface that it already has. As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and in this case we suspect that the iPhone II will build on all the strengths of the original model while addressing some of the many weaknesses.

Labels: 3G, iPhone

Yet another superb decoration from Goldstriker!
The company has just announced its new and exquisite iPhone Black Night special edition created by Stuart Hughes for the elite.

You can recognize these iPhone 16GB from the front bezel and rear logo struck with 24ct gold, with an adaptable finish to match any car you prefer.
Included in the Elite collection, iPhone Black Night is also part of the Bentley diamond black metallic range and is available at a price of £699.95.

Soon, Goldstriker will unveil two new special iPhones inspired by the Jaguar XK winter gold and Lamborghini Gallardo’s balloon white models.

Labels: iPhone

Start from this month, T-Mobile Germany will be putting a new price tag for its 8GB iPhone. The 8GB iPhone will cost just 99 euro, about $155 USD with a 2 year contract. The contract will include a mobile plan called Complete XL, which allows you to have 1000 minutes, 300 SMS and unlimited wireless data connection. Other new mobile plans will be also introduced with this price change.
via [iphonebuzz]

Labels: iPhone