And you thought the code-warriors working on iNdependence were on their game…

Check out this video demonstrating the "iPhone Unleashed" as it's updating from a jailbroken iPhone v1.1.1 straight to the iPhone v1.1.4 firmware. The kicker here is that the update process, via iTunes, automatically and seamlessly jailbreaks, unlocks, and activates the iPhone into v1.1.4. What you see is an iPhone "that are belong" to the "iPhone Unleashed" team, running a jailbroken iPhone v1.1.4 and locked on to T-Mobile's network.

The team has also "PWNED" the restore screen to their liking. Not to mention replaced the startup Apple logo with their own. The iTunes-based jailbreak was made possible by hacking the iPhone firmware restore file (that file that ends with the extension .ipsw). This jailbreak is not ready for primetime yet, but we can only hope that there are plans to release it soon.











Oh, and they did all this without any official iPhone SDK support from Apple. These guys are amazing! Props to roxfan, Turbo, wizdaze, bgm, pumpkin and the iPhone Dev Team.

YouTube

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• iPhone v1.1.2 jailbreak updated with activation and PowerPC support
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• iPhone v1.1.4 jailbreak and SIM unlock solution gets real - iNdependence updated to jailbreak / unlock iPhone v1.1.4 firmware!
• iPhone v1.1.4 jailbreak and SIM unlock guide - Mac only for now [Update]

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While we wait for Apple's press event next week, let's speculate on what we'll hear. We know that "cool new enterprise features" are going to be part of the "iPhone Software Roadmap," but just what kind of enterprise features can we expect?

How does some Microsoft's Exchange server and IBM Lotus Notes software support sound? Sounds nice, doesn't it? Well, Shaw Wu, an American Technology Research analyst, cites his "industry and developer sources" who indicate that Apple will unveil some significant business-oriented software support for the iPhone on March 6th.

We've been pining for Apple to endow the iPhone with Microsoft Exchange Server support. The iPhone has seen limited success in the enterprise landscape, mainly because of its lack of business-software. IBM has already announced its intention to release Lotus Notes email for the iPhone, so the announcement that Apple will finally bring IBM into its stable of support software is no big surprise. But, allowing MS Exchange to work with the iPhone is a huge step, and a pleasant surprise.

"If true (which we believe is), this will prove key in having more enterprises and SMB adopt iPhone as their mobile platform," states Wu. "What isn't as clear to us is how Apple will accomplish this, whether this is from internal development (most likely), third-parties including Microsoft (next likely) with its ActiveSync technology, or Research in Motion Blackberry Connect (possible but less likely), or a combination of two or more."

Once the iPhone gets some official business support from Apple, the iPhone could really shine as a true enterprise smartphone. After all, a ChangeWave survey showed that enterprise customers are more satisfied with their iPhone than corporate users toting RIM BlackBerry handsets.

"Nearly three-in-five (59%) of Apple?s business customers say their company is Very Satisfied with the iPhone.?

?RIM (maker of the Blackberry) ranks second with a Very Satisfied rating of 47%, though we note this represents an unusually large 8-pt decline from the previous survey.?

The results make sense, seeing as how 72% of iPhone customers are satisfied, making the iPhone the top pick in planned purchases.

Let's see what happens on March 6th…

[Via: Apple Insider]

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• AT&T prepping to bring iPhone to corporate and business customers - Apple iPhone goes enterprise on Jan. 21
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• Avaya gives iPhone some enterprise prowess - Avaya one-X Mobile coming to iPhone

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ThinkGeek has rolled out the ModoPocket MicroTripod - allowing you to balance your camera in just about any situation without having to lug around an extra large tripod. This works best for impromptu shots when you want to place your camera on an uneven surface, and weighing a mere 50 grams and 6mm thin when folded, it is a snap to carry around in your camera bag. $29.99 is the asking price for the ModoPocket MicroTripod.

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Looks like the inevitable 3G-enabled iPhone will come with the Infineon chip within, and many signs point toward a release by mid-year. With this new creeping around in late February, would that mean you will see iPhone sales dip as consumers adopt a wait-and-see attitude, hoping that the 3G iPhone will be released this summer so that they can show off to all and sundry? I suppose I can hold on to my Nokia N73 for a little while longer - after all, that handset has served me well for a couple of years already despite suffering a few drops onto concrete to date.

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We have no doubts Apple will reach its goal and sell 10 million iPhones by the end of the year. Speaking at a Goldman Sachs investment conference, Apple's COO Tim Cook said he has "really good confidence" the company will reach its target on time.

There are three main reasons why I agree with Mr Cook:

• There are still untapped markets. Ireland may be one of the next few countries that will get an iPhone. In addition, the Italian language support is already present on the device, hence we may see the Steve bringing its shiny handset to the fashion-aware Italian consumers.


• The SDK is coming and so is the better support for the enterprises. The exact date is now known and it's March 6th.


• Unlocking is getting simpler thanks to the applications like ZiPhone. Yeah, Apple may lose the revenue sharing deal with the carriers, but they still make decent money from the handset sales alone.

Have I missed anything? Any comments?

[Via: The New York Times]

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• Apple iPhone to be available in 2000 stores on launch

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Looks like folks living in Ireland will be able to get their hands on the iPhone starting from March 14 onwards, with the 8GB and 16GB models retailing for €399 and €499, respectively. This news from O2 will see the iPhone being made available through the carrier's retail stores and Carphone Warehouse stores. There are three call plans to choose from - the €45 option will net you 175 anytime minutes and 100 text messages, while an extra €20 monthly will include 350 anytime minutes and 150 text messages, and a cool €100 results in 700 minutes and 250 text messages. Each contract comes with an 18-month agreement minus unlimited data and Visual Voicemail. Ireland joines the US, UK, France and Germany in the list of countries that have officially received the iPhone.

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SAN FRANCISCO -(Dow Jones)- Apple Inc. (AAPL) is open to exploring new ways of selling its iPhone, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said Wednesday.

He also made bullish comments about the impact of any economic headwinds, and hinted of a bigger iPhone development to come later this month.

Shares of Apple stock were trading up $4.35, or 3.5%, to $127.31 after-hours.

Apple thus far has sold its iPhone, a combination of phone and media player, by giving individual carriers the exclusive rights to sell it in their home country. The strategy has been criticized for limiting the iPhone's potential sales, and leaving potential business on the table. At last report, Apple's sold 4 million iPhones.

"Apple is not married to the single, exclusive-carrier model," Cook said from the stage of a Goldman Sachs investor conference in Las Vegas.

As to any impact by the slowing U.S. economy on Apple, Cook pointed to Apple's healthy revenue and Macintosh computer share growth of late. "I'm not saying that Apple is immune to economic factors," he said.

Cook also hinted that on March 6, Apple will release tools that programmers can use to create downloadable iPhone software, which Apple can then sell through its iTunes stores. The tools were due by the end of February.

Cook said the software developer kit will "make the iPhone even more compelling." Apple on Wednesday began circulating invitations to a March 6 event to discuss the iPhone software roadmap.

source

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Wouldn't it be nice if Apple would just be a little more forthcoming about their future device plans? Heck, it'd be nice if Apple would be a little more clear on exactly what their press events will reveal. Wishful thinking, I guess.

Dusan already mentioned that Apple is planning to hold an "iPhone Software Roadmap" press event on March 6th, and that the release of the long-awaited iPhone SDK is imminent. But, word on the street has it that the iPhone SDK could be released in beta form. The speculation comes from an unlikely source - SetteB.it - but that doesn't mean the rumor doesn't hold water.

Macrumors reports that those people that have seen early versions of the iPhone SDK allege that the software only offers the "bare essentials." The evidence suggests that Apple could be dropping a beta version of the iPhone SDK next week to appease Apple fans that are upset over the SDK's delay. A final iPhone SDK could be announced at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC), possibly in June.

For what it's worth, we're all keeping out fingers crossed for a final iPhone SDK on March 6th.

[Via: Macrumors]

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• Apple recruits native iPhone application hacker for iPhone SDK team

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Want to live like King Midas? Look for Goldstriker as they are currently offering a 16GB iPhone from Apple that comes coated in 24-carat gold. All the shiny gold makes the phone more glossy that it originally was, which also translates to even more frequent fingerprint wiping sessions. This new 24-carat offering will retail for $1,770 - that is roughly over three times more than the original iPhone price. Definitely not for the budget conscious but for those who want to flaunt their wealth even in times of economic difficulty all around.

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What's that you say? The next-generation iPhone is a-coming? According to a note from UBS global equity research analyst Nicolas Gaudois, Apple has tapped German chip-maker Infineon to outfit the guts of the next-gen 3G iPhone. The chipset, which includes a digital baseband controller, power management unit (PMU), and radio frequency (RF) module, will finally bring a 3G HSDPA-enabled iPhone to market - bringing faster data speeds to the web-surfing iPhone-masses.

More encouraging than the confirmation that Infineon will be providing the 3G hardware for the 3G iPhone is the expectation that the next-generation of iPhone could be upon us quite soon. Gaudois said that, "Consistent with these checks, our Apple analyst Ben Reitzes believes that 3G iPhones will be released by mid-year." That belief is in line with CNBC's Jim Goldman's report that we'll have a 3G iPhone in-hand by late May or early June 2008.

What's more, Gaudois mentioned that Infineon is slowing production of the EDGE baseband hardware that is used in the current iPhone. The ramp-down in production is seen as a move to clear out EDGE chipset inventory ahead of the 3G iPhone's entry into the HSDPA landscape.

Bring on the 3G iPhone!

[Via: CNN Money]

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• iPhone to get a GPS in 2008

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There are a lot of web-apps out there for us iPhone users to sort through, so here's a Top 10 list to make things a bit easier on you. As more web-apps get published, this Top 10 Web-Apps list may become outdated, but for now, this is a good place to start.

Remember, if you find a web-app that you like, you can add an web-clip icon to your homescreen that will take you directly to that web-app (as long as you have at least v1.1.3 installed).

Hit the link to check out the Top 10 iPhone web-apps list (actually, there are more than 10, but "10" sounded like a nice round number).

• Photo Forward - this isn't exactly a web-app, but it's cool-worthy nonetheless. Photo Forward is a bookmarklet that scans the webpage you are currently browsing for all images, and then gives you the option to send a link to any of those pictures to an email address. The iPhone doesn't let you copy text (or paste it, for that matter), but you can email it to yourself to use later.
  

  

  
  

  

  
  


• Tabulate - this simple bookmarklet enables true tabbed browsing on the iPhone Safari browser. Sure, the Mobile Safari browser already supports tabbed browsing by allowing you to open multiple windows simultaneously, but with Tabulate you can actually force Safari to "open link in new tab." Whenever you hit an embedded link in a website, you'll be given the option to "flag" the site for later viewing, open it in the current tab/window, or open the link in a new tab/window. Tabulate also keeps track of how many websites you've flagged for viewing later.
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  Go to the site, add the bookmark to your desktop Safari browser, then sync your iPhone (remember to check the box to sync bookmarks with your iPhone). Now, whenever you start your iPhone's Safari browser, just fire up the Tabulate bookmarklet and you'll be good to go.



• Food Network - quickly and easily find out what's for dinner tonight. The iPhone web-app from the Food Network puts the entire Food Network recipe catalogue on your iPhone. Pick recipes by ingredients, holiday themes, and even by chef. We like Giada - her recipes are nice too.
  

  

  
  


• Zinio Mobile Newstand - browse Zinio's top-selling digital magazines from your iPhone. The interface is sleek and fast thanks to the AJAX-heavy iPhone optimization. Pick your magazine, browse through the pages, and zoom in for a crystal-clear view of the page. Unfortunately, all the juicy bits are blurred out (ahem, Playboy's pictorials). Still, Zinio Mobile Newstand is the best way to kill time on your iPhone - if you're into that whole "reading" thing.
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  


• Remember The Cat - built on the famed Remember The Milk to-do list's API, but the iPhone specific version is free (Remember The Milk requires a "Pro" account to use the iPhone version), and the interface is slick and faster to navigate.
  

  

  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

  
  
  OneTrip - the best shopping list for the iPhone. Remember The Cat is good as a to-do list, but is a bit cumbersome as a shopping list. Use OneTrip for your next grocery-day. You won't forget the milk, because you'll have it in your grocery list.

  
  

  

  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  


• PogoNotes - from the makers of the Pogo iPhone Stylus. Share your notes with friends and access them online or through the Mac OS X Widget. Log into your PogoNotes account and create notes. You can choose to share your notes with your friend, a group, or everyone. You can also search for shared notes within a certain group, or from a specific user (your friend). PogoNotes is the social network equivalent of a notes application.
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  Noter - another online-based notes application that allows you to share notes with friends and co-workers in almost real-time. Here's how it works. You and your friends or co-workers all share a single Noter account. Everyone can log into the same account and load the Noter client onto their iPhone - allowing them to make/edit notes at will. The finished notes can by synchronized to the server, which can in turn be synchronized to other users' Noter clients. It's a great collaboration tool.

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  


• iZoho - the web-based office document suite specifically tailored to your iPhone. iZoho brings the acclaimed document-editing web-service to the iPhone. With AJAX-y access to Zoho Writer, Sheets, Show, and Creator, any iPhone user can view, edit, and create Microsoft Office-compatible documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and publications. iZoho makes your iPhone a complete smartphone.Raju of Zoho mentioned that we can edit and create documents through iZoho, but I have been unable to do so. Documents can be created and edited through Zoho (the non-iPhone version) just fine, but I'm waiting on word from Raju regarding iZoho. I'll update this list accordingly.
  

  

  
  


• Remote Buddy - control your Mac with your iPhone. Kick back and watch movies or listen to music on iTunes. Remote Buddy serves up the interface on your iPhone, so you know exactly what you're watching or listening to. And, when you want to move on to some more serious stuff, Remote Buddy gives you access to over 95 different Mac apps - it even lets you type text on your Mac through your iPhone's keyboard. Remember, this is Mac-ONLY folks!Video Demo of Remote Buddy in action.


• Hahlo - the straight-forward iPhone Twitter client, but it sure loads quickly. I like this client the best for those times when I'm on EDGE-only. The interface is full-featured but still loads quickly over EDGE.I just started using Twitter - I know I'm behind the times here. If you want to hit me up on Twitter, my handle is "WillPark" - nice and creative.
  

  

  
  

  PocketTweets - the prettier iPhone Twitter client, but slower to load over EDGE. I like this client when I have access to WiFi - which is to say, most of the time. The interface is slick and gives richer experience than Hahlo - but you pay with slow load times.

  
  

  

  
  

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The iPhone is coming to Ireland, great news for O2 customers. Or is it?

O2 has confirmed that it has partnered with Apple and will be offering the iPhone come March 14th. However, the unlimited data package and Visual Voicemail system that US iPhone users are used to won't be making their way to Ireland. Instead, O2 Customer in Ireland that snatch up an iPhone will be limited to just 1GB of monthly data usage (that is unless you want to pay exorbitant overage fees), and will have to pony up 15 cents per minute to check messages.

Would you buy an iPhone if it didn't have Visual Voicemail or unlimited data?

[Via: Apple Insider]

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• Apple faces increased lawsuit pressure over Visual Voicemail system

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Garmin can only hope their "phone story" will be somewhat similar with Apple's. So far, they seem on the right track. Not that people are vowed with the Nuviphone as they were with the iPhone, it's the lawsuit that makes the Nuviphone and iPhone similar. Cisco owns the iPhone name, and now other company has problems with Garmin calling their products with anything "Nuvi."

Anyway, Overland Park, Kansas based Internet telephone provider Nuvio Corp. is suing the portable navigation device (PND) maker over the proposed Nuviphone name. Furthermore, Nuvio doesn't like the whole Garmin naming scheme. They don't want to see them using "Nuvi" name on any of the regular PNDs, and they are now demanding damages from past infringement(s).

Garmin didn't wanted to comment. Their spokesman Ted Gartner only said they've first introduced the Nuvi line in North America in early 2006 and had sold Nuvi products in Europe before then, so — my two cents start here — what the f**k that Nuvio wants.

[Via: Yahoo]

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• Virgin Mobile Australia sued for insinuating Texas teen's virginity

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Ladies and gents we now know the iPhone SDK day. It's late, but not too late. Next Thursday, March 6th, Cupertino boys will unveil what they call the "iPhone software roadmap." Aside from the long awaited SDK release, Apple will also announce something for the suits. The "exciting new enterprise features" should help you convince your boss it's about time to buy you an iPhone. BlackBerry's cool but obviously not cool enough.

[Via: Engadget]

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Rumor on the street is that Apple is gearing toward iPhone launch in Ireland. According to some sources, Jobs&Co have partnered with Irish O2 and have scheduled the country's i-day for March 14th. The 8GB version will retail for 399 EUR, while the 16 GB version will see potential buyers pouring out an additional 100 EUR. Both prices are final and include VAT.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

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SAN DIEGO, ? Designed for bedrooms, studio apartments or college dorm rooms, Sony is unveiling its latest clock radio with a dock for iPod� and iPhone?.

Sony is one of the first companies to launch an iPhone compatible speaker clock radio. It features a wireless remote with full access to the iPod and iPhone devices? menus (the iPhone handset must be in iPod mode), as well as to alarm clock?s radio tuning and volume functions. It also charges the device while docked.

An adjustable backstop mechanism ensures that most devices fit snugly and securely in the clock radio?s cradle. It?s also compatible with the smaller iPod players. Because of its supplied cable and line-in jack, other digital music players can be easily connected to the unit.

Robust Alarm Clock

The clock radio also has a full-function alarm clock. Users can choose to wake up or fall asleep to music, the radio or a buzzer.

When first powered on, the Automatic Time Set (ATS) feature will display the correct Eastern Standard Time which easily can be changed to other time zones. The unit also has automatic Daylight Savings Time adjustment, eliminating the need to reset the clock in the spring and the fall. Adjustable brightness control over the LCD display provides easy readability.

Pricing and Availability

The ICF-ClipMK2 clock radio comes in both black and white designs. It will be available in May for about $100 at Sony Style stores, online at www.sonystyle.com and at authorized dealers nationwide.

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The downside of having cash is the “lawsuit magnet” effect. Apple is getting sued by Romek Figa of Abraham & Sons about an alleged patent infringement on how the phone finds a known contact name, based on the caller’s number. Obviously, most, if not all phones on the market do that, and I would be shocked if Romek Figa of Abraham & Sons could prove that Apple used a patented algorithm from them. It is so simple that it’s lame to patent that, to start with.

Anyways, I will spare you the added journalistic drama of saying that “Apple might be in troubles…” - it’s just not going to happen.

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Apple's Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook has mentioned that the iPhone is not married to a single-carrier marketing model despite doing so thus far and being profitable while at it. Apparently, conditions in the US make it far less complicated to stick to a single carrier model instead of trying to satisfy just about every Tom, Dick and Harry across both CDMA and GSM networks. According to Cook, "We're not married to any business model. What we're married to is shipping the best phones in the world." He then went on further to say that for certain areas to receive the iPhone, it might even be necessary to drop staple features of most cell phone services. Well, guess it is still AT&T for the time being.

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In a world where anything can be patented and then subsequently leveraged in a lawsuit, it should come as no surprise that the lawsuit-magnet that is the iPhone has come under legal attack once again. This time, Romek Figa of Abraham & Son has filed suit in Massachusetts against Apple, claiming that "certain Apple telephones" infringe on Figa's patent that displays the incoming phone number alongside the incoming caller's name.

The patent outlines a method that checks the incoming phone number against the contacts stored in a device and displays the contact name when a match is found. And, it seems that the iPhone (along with every other mobile phone we've used recently) does indeed tread on that patent description. The iPhone displays the incoming phone number as well as the caller name (and even picture) if the incoming phone number is in the iPhone's contact database.

Figa has apparently contacted Apple to get some sort of licensing deal down on paper, but Cupertino responded that they are not willing to make any agreement based "on the terms offered."

The lawsuit includes a jury trial request, and if Figa is found to be in the right, Apple could be forced to stop selling the iPhone. I smell settlement.

[Via: AppleInsider]

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The new iPhone v1.1.4 firmware update has been dissected by Italian Mac website Macitynet, and it seems that the iPhone v1.1.4 is ready to rock on T-Mobile Austria and O2 Ireland. Apple hasn't yet confirmed that the iPhone is coming to either Austria or Ireland, but having the network compatibility codes stored within the latest firmware is a pretty indicator that the iconic device will be coming to those respective countries.

Further, it makes sense for Apple to include T-Mobile Austria compatibility in the latest firmware. We already have confirmation from T-Mobile CEO Hamid Akhavan that the iPhone will be coming to Austria by this summer. And, that only gives more credibility to the speculation that the iPhone will be hitting O2 Ireland's network.

Still, the new code begs the question - is the iPhone v1.1.4 firmware "the one" that will work with iPhone SDK applications? Will there be another update before this summer? Well, if Apple were to hold off on updating the iPhone for a few months, we'd be surprised indeed.

[Via: Macworld]

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• iPhone v1.1.3 firmware restores previously bricked iPhones - iBricks rise from the dead

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Right, most of us iPhone users are probably mocking Apple for trying to trick us into updating our iPhones with the new v1.1.4 firmware. But, if you've been experiencing some Bluetooth connection problems, or noticed some SMS text message ordering issues, you might want to seriously consider the bump up to v1.1.4. Turns out, the iPhone v1.1.4 firmware actually does stuff.

We're hearing that the new firmware fixes the Bluetooth bug, where some Bluetooth devices simply failed to connect properly with the iPhone after updating to the v1.1.3 firmware. The SMS text message bug has also been squashed with the new update. No longer will you be answering your friends' text messages before they even ask a question.

Furthermore, signal reception seems to have gotten a boost in reliability with the new firmware. Some iPhone users reported that they noticed weaker signal strength upon updating to the v1.1.3 firmware, but the new iPhone v1.1.4 firmware should bring back your cell signal to normal levels.

And, since the iPhone v1.1.4 firmware is almost jailbreakable, troubled iPhone users might want to consider the update. ZiPhone is almost iPhone v1.1.4 jailbreak compatible. Sit tight.

[Via: iPhone Atlas]

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If you're one of the few people who do not yet own an iPod dock of sorts, why not check out the green Vers 2X? This unique iPod dock from Versaudio stands out from the plastic crowd, thanks to the use of wood farmed from sustainable plantations. Screws are used instead of glue for further environmental conservation, while the packaging it comes in is made out of 100% recycled and recyclable paper. The Vers 2X features a pair of 3" full range speakers powered by a 20-watt per channel (peak) class-D amplifier. Despite being rather small in size (11.5" x 5.6" x 5.6"), it produces extra bass boom thanks to the dual ported enclosure. The Vers 2X iPod speaker dock will retail for $149 and is compatible with the majority of the iPod family including the iPod Video, iPod nano, iPod mini, iPod, iPod classic, iPod touch and the iPhone.

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An Apple iPhone or iPod Touch will become a central part of Abilene Christian University's innovative learning experience this fall when all freshmen are provided one of these converged media devices, said Phil Schubert, ACU executive vice president.

At ACU - the first university in the nation to provide these cutting-edge media devices to its incoming class - freshmen will use the iPhones or iPod Touches to receive homework alerts, answer in-class surveys and quizzes, get directions to their professors' offices, and check their meal and account balances - among more than 15 other useful web applications already developed, said ACU Chief Information Officer Kevin Roberts.

ACU's innovative plans for this technology have attracted the attention of Apple executives and leaders at Ivy League universities. In fact, Roberts returned to Abilene Monday from Cupertino, Calif., where he was asked to present ACU's creative vision for converged media devices at Apple headquarters to executives and to selected leaders from universities including Harvard, Yale, MIT, Duke, Stanford, Oxford, Princeton and UCLA, Schubert said.

ACU's vision for technology has been captured in a forward-looking film called 'Connected,' found online - along with information about ACU's other ground-breaking mobile learning efforts - at www.acu.edu/connected.

"We are not merely providing cutting-edge technology tools to our incoming students," said Roberts. "We are also providing the web applications that ensure these tools will become critical to the students' learning experience. Because 93 percent of ACU students bring their own computers with them to college, we are choosing to take them to the next level by providing converged mobile devices."

Dr. Dwayne VanRheenen, ACU provost, said, "This is exciting to me, not only because we're giving students new tools, but because we are transforming the learning environment. The extensive research that's been done on campus in the past 10 months has prepared us to launch with freshmen this fall, and research will be ongoing as we expand the program in the future."

For a number of years, ACU's faculty and technology staff have researched strategic opportunities presented by handheld devices in higher education, said Roberts. However, for the past six months, ACU's intensive research has focused on more than 30 projects exploring pioneering mobile learning strategies for enhancing the campus environment.

The 2008 Horizon Report stated, "As new devices? are released that make content almost as easy to access and view on a mobile as on a computer, the demand for mobile content will continue to grow. This is more than merely an expectation to provide content: this is an opportunity for higher education to reach its constituents wherever they may be."

The Horizon Report, produced annually as a collaboration between the New Media Consortium (of which ACU is a member) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), also described the explosion of converged media technology. "More than a billion new mobile devices are being manufactured - a new phone for every six people on the planet. In this market, innovation is unfolding at an unprecedented pace . . . mobiles are quickly becoming the most affordable portable platform for staying networked on the go."

Using innovative technology to enhance learning is not new at ACU. In fact, ACU was one of the first universities to use mobile devices as a learning tool in its graduate distance education programs. "Expanding to undergraduate, residential students is a natural progression for us," Roberts said.

"We enjoy great relationships with many technological leaders such as Apple, AT&T and Amdocs," Schubert said. "These relationships help us as we continue to be a university on the leading edge of technology, a central component of our 21st Century Vision."

ACU's innovative, diverse learning environment attracts about 4,700 students from nearly every state and 60 nations to its beautiful 200-acre Texas campus. Strong academic programs include business, pre-med, theatre, physics, psychology, education and information technology.

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Sony's latest clock radio comes with an iPod/iPhone dock, making it join the ranks of a gazillion other similar gadgets. The ICF-ClipMK2 comes with a wireless remote that provides full access to both the iPod and iPhone's menu system, the alarm clock's radio tuning and volume functions. As with other iPod docks, your Apple offerings will be charged when docked. In addition to those two iconic gizmos, the dock is also compatible with smaller iPod players like the nano. Other digital audio players are not exempt from the ICF-ClipMK2 as the supplied cable and line-in jack makes it a snap for such connectivity. Choose from white or black designs. The ICF-ClipMK2 will roll out this May for $100 a pop.

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There are all manner of iPhone camera hacks and attachments out there, but nothing as quite as home-brew as this macro-lens hack. Armed with a dead camera's lens package, a bit of tape, and some paper-clip creativity, Colin Devroe conjured up this iPhone macro-lens camera attachment from scratch. The macro-lens hack purportedly takes decent up-close shots, unless you're in a low-light situation.

In which case, Colin Devroe has also hacked up a great iPhone flash. It's great because it's huge and powerful, not because anyone would ever use it or because its pretty. It's the biggest, baddest iPhone flash that you'll likely never use.

Low-light, macro, zoom, with the right hack, you can make your iPhone camera do anything. Well, almost…

[Via: cdevroe]

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I'm not sure whether this really counts, but during Gameloft boss Michel Guillemot's keynote GDC Mobile, Apple's handset was featured in several of his slides.

Now, the image above may just be a work of some Gameloft-hired Photoshop master, but we want to believe it's the real deal. The user interface seems right (i.e. so iPhone-ish) and considering the fact that Gameloft already has a number of iPod titles, I don't see a reason why they wouldn't work on the iPhone games as well. To bring everything on the next level, we could argue (speculate) they are one of the few companies that got the sneak peak of the upcoming SDK. It's only logical Apple wants high quality games for its shiny handset and signing Gameloft on board is certainly good thing for both consumers and Cupertino boys.

Anyway, while we're waiting for the SDK-day it's good to know that Gameloft will (let's hope, nothing's confirmed yet) be on board starting from day one. The ball's on Apple's court. Please Mr Jobs, release the necessary tools this week so that developers can start doing "their thing" ASAP.

[Via: PocketGamer.co.uk]

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• Apple iPhone may be getting games soon - the proof is in the code!

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Summary
At last. The usability test of the iPhone! Without doubt, the hype around the iPhone has managed to exceed most consumer devices in modern time. But? will it live up to the hype?

We let some of our best usability experts run an inUse comparative usability test with four phones and five users. It is easy to fall in love with something so beautiful and sexy, but if the device is not easy to use the initial euphoria will quickly turn into despair and frustration.

The results? Stunning. The iPhone has introduced a new interaction paradigm to the world, in an uncompromising way that proves that ?less is more? when it comes to true user experience.
Darja Isaksson, CEO inUse

Without doubt, the hype around the iPhone has managed to exceed most consumer devices in modern time. Rumors, information leaks and patent applications along with total silence from Apple led to a fanatic guessing-game that spread like wildfire on the internet. There is a lot to be said on how Apple managed to pull it off, how much was intentional and how much was accidental, but from a user-perspective we are mostly interested in why people care in the first place.

What is the hype?
A colleague was taking pictures in La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona using his iPhone when he was approached by a stranger who recognized the device, asking to have a look. After playing around with it for a moment he concluded that ?We will not get it here in Spain for a long time. You are very lucky!?.

This is just one of many similar stories of people coming up to us and asking to see and try out the phone and so the question was born: What is it that people expect from the iPhone? What is it they think it will do for them, and how do they expect it to make them happier? Apple attempts to position themselves as a company with a strong focus on user experience. Apple personal computers may or may not be better or more usable than the competitors, they are essentially used in the same way and the differences are only skin deep. The area where Apple really stands out is with the iTunes store and the iPod. The iPod changed the way we access and enjoy music, iTunes changed how we purchase it and in the end the whole music industry. The iPod is a phenomenon. Apple made a difference in our daily lives. We suspect that the fascination for the iPhone that we have seen in people?s faces carries the expectation that the iPhone will simplify and enhance their daily ?phoning? life.

That people expect the iPhone to change how we communicate in the same way the iPod has already changed our relation to music. If this is the case, how does the iPhone live up to such incredible expectations? In short, does the iPhone live up to the hype?

So? Does the iPhone live up to its hype?

The test
We decided to do a usability test1 to determine if the iPhone will meet people?s expectations and live up to its hype. Simply having people trying out the iPhone, and then asking them if they liked it or not, would not make much of a test. In order to see how the iPhone really worked in action, and how well that corresponds to people?s expectations of it, we had five people carry out a set of tasks using the iPhone as well as with three other devices from leading competing brands.

We selected what we consider to be simple everyday tasks that are crucial to the overall user experience of each device. Use of mobile phones is typically characterized by carrying out the same or similar sequences of actions over and over; calling someone from the contacts list and reading new text messages may be repeated every hour of every day. The specific tasks were chosen because we consider them to be key use cases that determine the ease-of-use of a mobile phone, as well as showing the different interaction methods used in the iPhone. Five people with different usage patterns when it comes to mobile phones were invited to perform the test. Each person was given five minutes to play around with each device before the actual test started. The tasks that the users were asked to perform were: make a call by dialing a number manually and then by calling a person from the address book, change volume during a call add a new contact to the address book, create a new calendar event, set the alarm, lock and unlock the device, compose and send a text message, compose and send a text message, put the phone in silent mode, and take a picture and send it to a person in the address book.

A test leader and an observer were present throughout the test session and one person performed the tasks using each phone. We have developed a refined technique to support the user and, at the same time, carry out an interview that reveals the user�s understanding of the product and it�s features. It is important to differentiate between how well people actually succeed with what they are doing, and what they think of the product or system. If the device is not easy to use the initial euphoria will quickly turn into frustration. The test results should thus not be interpreted as a measure of how cool the iPhone is, rather how well people are able to carry out common everyday actions and how well it does this compared to other phones. Furthermore, a short test with five subjects cannot give an absolute answer to the posed question. However, when observing users carrying out specified real life tasks, usage patterns do emerge quite quickly.
The devices

We went through a bit of trouble trying to find a suitable range of devices to compare with. Our initial ambition was to test touch screen devices only but we simply couldn?t find many enough that were available on the market. We then figured that comparing to other smartphones would provide the most appropriate devices. However, the iPhone doesn?t really qualify since it does not allow third party applications to be installed. In the end, we decided to pick a selection of new high end devices in the same price range but of different brands that provide roughly the same functionality.

We used our standard setting for usability testing, inspired by Wright & Monk�s cooperative evaluation. The user performs pre-defined tasks that should be representative for her normal usage, whilst a test leader communicates with her in a format that sounds like a normal conversation, but really is a refined method to find out what the user conceive about the product. An observer is present, with the one assignment to note everything of what is said and done that is important for understanding how the product succeeds in meeting the user�s expectations.
? If the device is not easy to use the initial euphoria will quickly turn into frustration.?

HTC TyTN
Our HTC TyTN uses the Windows mobile 6 operating system, a platform that is feature rich from the start and supports lots of third party software to be installed. It has a touch screen as well as a foldable qwerty-keyboard which means it uses the same basic layout as most computers.

There is also a set of dedicated keys that open the web browser, the e-mail application and different menus as well as a couple of contextual, or ?soft?, keys that change action depending on what the user is doing or what state the device is in. It has a music player, a calendar, a little camera, expandable memory and it can connect to wireless internet over WiFi and 3,5G. This and many other things make it a powerful and generic smartphone.

Sony Ericsson W910i
The Sony Ericsson W910i is marketed as ?Your portable sound machine? and carries the Walkman brand, targeting it as a music phone. It has a slider form factor, meaning that the if you have to slide the top part to use the keys. The keypad uses a traditional 0-9 layout. It has a few dedicated keys such as start the Walkman application and change the volume.

While it certainly is possible to install third party applications, most people would disagree that this is a smart phone as there are not that many to choose from. Also, it does not read formats like .pdf or .doc, nor does it allow secure access to company e-mail.

All in all, the Sony Ericsson W910i is a high end multimedia device but if you have to put a label on it, smartphone may not be accurate.

Nokia N95
The Nokia N95 uses the Symbian S60 operative system, and is also packed with features out of the box. As with the Windows mobile platform, there is plenty of third party software to be installed by the user. Like the Sony Ericsson device it has a traditional 0-9 keypad, a couple of dedicated keys to control different menus, change volume and start the camera as well as quite a few contextual keys. The Nokia phone has the same slider form factor as the Sony Ericsson with the interesting addition that if you slide it the other way, a set of media controller keys such as play, pause and fast forward show up. It has a rather nice camera, a YouTube interface, FM radio, calendar and most of the stuff you expect from a smartphone today. It connects to the internet using WiFi or 3.5G and also has a built-in GPS tracker. Despite its phone-like appearance, the Nokia N95 does without any doubt qualify as a smartphone.

Apple iPhone
The iPhone stands out since it uses touch screen as the primary medium for all user input. There are a few dedicated keys; a home key that always returns to the main menu, a key for silent mode, keys for changing volume and one on the top to lock the phone. Besides being a phone, it also hosts an iPod interface, a camera, Google maps, calendar, a YouTube interface, and a few more applications. The iPhone does not support third party applications, effectively ruling it out as a smartphone. On the technical side, is supports GRPS and EDGE (the old standard for wireless GSM data traffic) as well as WiFi. It is the only device in the test that does not support 3 or 3,5G, meaning that users will be stuck with a lot slower data transfers while outside of WiFi coverage.

Results
After the users had completed all tasks, they were asked which phone they would prefer to use, should they choose today. Four persons picked the iPhone and one the Sony Ericsson W910i. In terms of subjective preference, this means that the iPhone won by wide margins. The Sony Ericsson came in second place and the Nokia third.

Most of the subjects did not mention the HTC at all when speaking of which device they would prefer. Looking at actual performance, four users were able to carry out all tasks without any help from the test leader while using the iPhone. The fifth person needed help to find the back-key in the upper left corner of the screen to step back in the interface. He also had problems making a call using the address book, trying to find a green phone icon to push. When using the Sony Ericsson W910i, two people did not manage to set the phone in silent mode, and one failed to set the alarm correctly. There were even more issues with the Nokia N95 as two users were unable to find the silent mode, two failed to take a picture, two failed to send the picture, and one had severe difficulties sending a text message. The numbers of failed tasks also reflect how much time users spent trying to figure out how to carry out the tasks they managed to figure out themselves. For example, all of the users found what they were looking for pretty much straight away using the iPhone, except realizing how to back out trough the interface as mentioned above. With the Sony Ericsson W910i, one person found it difficult to change volume during a call, two had trouble entering silent mode, another had problems creating a contact and one person even ran into difficulties entering a number.

Using the Nokia N95, issues were even more frequent; almost all users had difficulties taking a picture, either the cover was closed or they did not press the key long enough for the camera to focus and actually take the picture. One user had problems finding a contact as well as adding a new one, and several users had difficulties sending a taken picture to a contact.

When looking at the HTC TyTN, things did indeed take a turn for the worse. Only one of the users was able to carry out all tasks without the assistance of the test leader and all five users had severe difficulties with at least three of the tasks.

Two were unable to lock the device (one person gave up when realized he had opened the battery hatch), one could not send the picture or set the alarm and one could not add a contact. One user was unable to compose a text message, and one failed to make a call. Needless to say, the actions that some were not able to carry out at all still caused problems for the others. In terms of actual performance, the iPhone clearly stands out! Issues were certainly observed but nowhere near as many as with the other devices.

What makes the iPhone different?
What is it then that makes the iPhone different? Most importantly, it has removed one level of abstraction by allowing the user to act on objects using the finger directly on the phone?s surface. The difference between this and having to press keys on a keyboard and watch the screen to see what happens is striking. Instead of having to press one key to focus on the list item representing your contact and then clicking another key to make the call, the iPhone allows you to actually click the contact right on the screen. To scroll, you pull the list itself instead of clicking a down-key, and to flip between pictures in the album, you drag them from one side to another.

?Apple has removed one level of abstraction ? the difference is striking!?

?An entertainment machine?
While testing, one of the users concluded that ?this is an entertainment machine that you can make calls from?. What makes this comment particularly interesting is that the iPhone is actually the device in the test with the least number of features. Every other device in the test can do all the things the iPhone does already! In fact, out of all the devices in the test, the iPhone is the device that least of all qualifies as ?an entertainment machine?, at least if you see to the number of entertainment related functions it can offer. Another user said about the different devices that ?Apple is right on target! They make entertainment. These are just the same crap as usual [about the other phones].? What is it that makes the iPhone so enjoyable? Obviously there are many answers to this, but the fact is that all devices provide the same basic functionality, but most of it passes unnoticed on the other devices. The iPhone is different in at least three aspects: Transparency. What you see when you start the iPhone is pretty much what you get. There are no hidden applications. It?s a matter of seconds until the user has understood the whole range of services and features.

Accessibility. There is no deep menu system, one touch is often enough to get to where the user wants. There is no digging down in lists or shifting focus across different icons. Seduction. Simply browsing the user interface is quite enjoyable. The bright, high resolution screen, the smooth animations, all the subtle but informative sounds and the attention put into the graphic details all contribute to the positive impression of the device.

Users realized they were seduced by the iPhone and it did not seem to bother them. One of them said that ?the Nokia N95 is more completed and the smartest of them but I would still choose the iPhone as I am temporarily seduced by it?.

So, does the iPhone live up to its hype?
The iPhone aims for the stars, and the expectations are incredibly high. However, from what we have seen in this initial test, it manages very well. Crucial everyday actions are intuitive and effective to carry out, at least better implemented than with competing mobile device conventions. The iPhone also seduces with its glossy interface and bright screen. So ? yes. The iPhone does live up to the hype!
7
Contact Stockholm info@inuse.se inUse AB www.inuse.se Drottninggatan 83 111 60 Stockholm Phone: +46 8 - 58 88 77 82 Mail: stockholm@inuse.se Malm� G�teborg inUse AB inUse AB S�dra F�rstadsgatan 23A �stra Hamngatan 45 211 43 Malm� 411 10�teborg Phone: +46 40 - 600 94 00 Phone: +46 31 - 72 21 120 Mail: malmo@inuse.se Mail: goteborg@inuse.se

www.inuseful.se

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The title says it all. In response to all those people that complained about the iPhone's on-screen virtual keyboard lacking any tactile feedback, Malcolm Hall and Eve Hoggan from the University of Glasgow have come up with a haptic-feedback solution for the iPhone. It's strictly a prototype and is more a proof of concept than a commercially viable haptic-feedback method.

Now, this isn't real haptic, it's pseudo-haptic. The entire iPhone vibrates to help you "feel" the different keys as you run your finger along the virtual keyboard or press a key. The "click" uses a two-part waveform to give the user the sensation of pressing and releasing the key - a "finger down" and "finger up" vibration. We'd rather that the device's haptic vibration was localized to the actual position of the key-press (now that would be real haptic feedback), but baby-steps are better than no steps.

The haptic-feedback solution for the iPhone is buggy and unreliable, it's a prototype after all. So, don't expect any commercial launch. It's just nice to know that people are working on this sort of thing.

Source

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• Nokia shows off some seriously cool haptic-feedback touchscreen tech - Haptikos takes haptic feedback to a whole new level

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Why in the world would the Abilene Christian University need to resort to cheap gadget-giveaway gimmicks to attract a larger freshman student-base? Are they having trouble appealing to the MTV and Hollywood-influenced high school seniors out there for some reason? Well, whatever the reason, ACU is offering new freshman a free iPhone or iPod Touch. The cost of the new gadget is probably padded into the tuition, but hey, it might be easier to score an iPhone by having the costs hidden in tuition than begging your parents for a few hundred dollars.

The iPhone/iPod Touch is intended to allow students to "receive homework alerts, answer in-class surveys and quizzes, get directions to their professors' offices, and check their meal and account balances." We'd check the box for an iPhone on our ACU application, but it's not clear how ACU will be doling out the iPhone or iPod Touches.

So, if you want a free iPhone, send your college application to ACU. It's totally worth the four year schooling commitment.

Source

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South Korean CEOs went through Time Magazine's "Inventions of 2007" to pick the most inspirational gadget on the list. Guess which device got most of the votes? Yap, it's the iPhone which was favored by 26.4% of respondents — or about 155 CEOs (out of 590). And best of all, the poll was conducted by the Samsung Economic Research Institute, giving us hope the South Korean giant's mobile unit will release more touchy devices later in the year.

A flexible display that can be folded or even rolled up like paper also received a favorable response, gaining 21.8% of the vote.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

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The Memory Foam MP3 Blackout Shades not only helps keep your eyes shielded from whatever bright light in the area, it also allows you to chill out to your favorite beach tunes via its integrated speakers by hooking up an MP3 player to it. Of course, many would argue that dropping $25 on this would be rather silly since the same experience can be had without forking out a single penny - all you need to do is blindfold yourself while decked out under the sun and listen to your iPod via its own headphones. Well, I guess you pay for the novelty involved here as well as the memory foam that molds around your face's contours.

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Business customers are pretty happy with their purchases of Apple iPhones. This is interesting because Apple has not made a concerted effort to attract business users. But good news for the company is that the customers they have sold are happy with the purchase.

Of course, the iPhone still lags in market share — ChangeWave?s data shows Apple (5 percent) trailing RIM (73 percent), Palm (18 percent), Motorola (9 percent) and Nokia (7 percent).

The picture is a bit brighter for the iPhone on the planned purchases front. Of the survey sample 11 percent said they would buy iPhones, second only to RIM?s 77 percent. However, that?s a 3 percent drop for Apple from the November survey, not the direction it wants to go.

So BlackBerry still has the commanding lead among business users, but the iPhone is making some progress.

blog.planet-cell-phone.com

The NXMP324 from Neux Corp. is definitely a head turner, considering the form factor that it comes in. While it doesn't can the competition, this unique MP4 player features support for MP3, WMA, WMV, WAV and ASF file formats complete with ID3 tags and lyrics display for your to sing along to your favorite tunes, not that you need the lyrics in the first place anyway. The NXMP324 comes with an OLED display, a microphone, an integrated FM radio with voice recording capability and USB 2.0 connectivity. Choose from 128MB, 256MB, 512MB (they still make these?), 1GB, 2GB and 4GB capacities. If you wanna look corny, the Neux NXMP324 won't go wrong.

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ZodTTD has just released his snes4iphone v1.0.0, and the results are satisfactory to say the least. This emulator has certainly improved by leaps and bounds compared to its maiden outing, despite the fact that several gaming essentials such as missing in-game audio are still there to haunt the (cheap) player. Background music playback has been fixed though, and gameplay is said to be decent once frameskip is enabled. In addition, a cleverly implemented save system makes it a snap for you to continue where you left off while you attend to some important office e-mails.

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So Oakley's range of MP3 player sunglasses did not exactly capture the world's imagination by storm, but they surely must have made a fair splash to warrant future releases. Jamiroquai has been roped in by Oakley to launch his limited special edition pair that shares similar hardware with the vanilla Split Thump sunglasses, save for the special white and purple camouflage pattern located on the arms and the lilac 'O' located at the integrated control system on the sides. Only 500 of such pairs will be made available through the world, with 50% of that amount in the UK for obvious reasons. Each $569 purchase comes with a couple of pre-loaded Jamiroquai songs that consist of exclusive remixes from his album launched 15 years ago - Emergency on Planet Earth. This is a wee bit too expensive for my taste, how about you?

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Did you catch the "Oscars" last night?

With nearly a billion (that's billion with a capital "B") viewers, the 80th Annual Academy Awards was no doubt a huge opportunity for Apple to get even more coverage for the iPhone. Last night we saw "No Country for Old Men" go home with a handful of awards and a fair number of French actors and industry types getting "Oscar-ed." But, like the good geek that I am, the most memorable moment (for me) of the entire multi-hour broadcast was the cameo appearance by the iPhone.

Oscar-host John Stewart made a pass at the seemingly never-ending awards show by watching a movie on his iPhone as he waited for nominees to be announced. The camera even zoomed in on the iPhone's Apple logo as John played with the iPhone - cementing the iPhone as an iconic piece of pop-culture.

And the award for "Most Well-Known Mobile Phone" of 2008 goes to… Apple iPhone!

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To beat this particular cat to death, research firm InUse has just published another iPhone usability report. The iPhone's user-interface (which defines the user experience) is the most unique and arguably the most attractive on the market, but just how does it fare against the top competitors? Quite well, quite well indeed.

InUse pitted the iPhone against the HTC TyTn (AT&T 8525), the Sony Ericsson W910i, and the venerable Nokia N95. It seems that the study aimed to find out just how well individual operating systems fared against its rivals, with hardware usability taking a close back-seat to the software experience.

Five study participants with different usage patterns were allowed five minutes of pre-study playtime with each device, and were then tasked with:

• Making a manually-dialed voice call


• Placing a voice-call from the address book


• Changing call-volume


• Adding a new contact to address book


• Creating a new calendar event


• Setting an alarm


• Composing and sending a text message


• Switch the phone into "Silent" mode


• Taking a picture and sending it to a contact in the address book

After each person ran through the test with each phone, they were asked which phone they would most prefer if they had to choose today. Four out of five (4/5) of the study participants said that they'd take the Apple iPhone, with the remaining participant preferring the Sony Ericsson W910i.

"In terms of subjective preference, this means that the iPhone won by wide margins. The Sony Ericsson came in second place and the Nokia third. Most of the subjects did not mention the HTC at all when speaking of which device they would prefer."

It should be noted that the study participants were aware that the Nokia N95 was the "more completed [sic] and smartest" of the bunch, but the iPhone's user experience had seduced them into choosing the iconic device as their favorite. Furthermore, the iPhone OS topped the study in terms of intuitiveness and usability.

So, does the iPhone live up to the hype?

"Crucial everyday actions are intuitive and effective to carry out, at least better implemented than with competing mobile device conventions. The iPhone also seduces with its glossy interface and bright screen.�

So ? yes. The iPhone does live up to the hype!"

Find the InUse usability study here. (PDF link)

[Via: MacDailyNews]

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Social networks aren't going away anytime soon - and the mobile space is the next frontier. Following on Facebook's mobile version launch recently, the professional social network LinkedIn has announced that they have gone mobile. The LinkedIn mobile site is available at http://m.linkedin.com/ - and if you use your iPhone to visit the mobile version, you'll see an iPhone-optimized website.

LinkedIn is made for professionals to make the same kind of social-network contacts that Facebook and MySpace allows, but without all that spammy nonesense that tends to follow the teenage-demographic. Make contacts, set up real-life meetings, read-up on a colleague's qualifications - LinkedIn replaces the old-school face-to-face networking and business-card swapping that many corporate types are probably used to.

To that end, iPhones may not be the corporate-email-compatible handset of choice among professionals, but if any of your business-users couldn't resist the draw of the iPhone, you'll find a nice iPhone interface at LinkedIn's new mobile site.

Point your mobile web browser to http://m.linkedin.com/ to try out the mobilized LinkedIn website.

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• Facebook hits the iPhone!

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No idea if LEGO's legal eagles have caught whiff of this range of MP3 players, but they sure as heck resemble the familiar Danish building block game. All the controls can be accessed from the raised dots located on each block's surface. Since the LEGO MP3 players are available in different primary colors, you can always choose to connect one to the other for a marriage between form and function. Each of these MP3 players include an integrated Li-ion battery that offers up to half a dozen hours of play time, so it is advisable for you to tote around a 2GB microSD memory card since there is a lack of internal memory. The LEGO MP3 players retail for $46 each.

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About This Video
This is a brand new video of the SNES emulator brought to you by ZodTTD http://www.zodttd.com
This time the video is in good quality, with 4 different games! [zelda, donkey kong II, mario & chrono trigger!]
Now stop whining that it is laggy and that this will never work, because it already works!
Cheers from Holland!

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This is an EXPERIMENTAL version ? it is NOT a product, nor is its presence here a commitment of any kind, express or implied, that StyleTap Inc. will ever release an official version of StyleTap CrossPlatform for Apple iPhone or iPod Touch.

About This Video
Experimental version of StyleTap CrossPlatform for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch.

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StyleTap created an experimental build of the CrossPlatform Palm emulator for the iPhone/iPod Touch. At this stage, their idea is only to prove that's possible and I guess to tease the rest of us. There's a notice on their site saying this is NOT a product and you shouldn't ask for it, even if you want to be one of the beta testers. As I said, they just want to tease us… Anyway, here's the 2-minute long demo video featuring iPod Touch which runs Palm OS apps.

[Via: TUAW]

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• SlingPlayer Mobile coming to iPhone/iPod Touch?
• Palm Centro coming to AT&T?
• iPhone to support 3rd party apps!

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Price US$11.99 from usbfever

Highlights:
Don't be limited by the original iPhone Lens, now you have a way to widen your eyes (iPhone).

Features:
- Plug and Play
- 1 piece off attachment, just attach it when you need it.
- Special coatig on lens
- compace size: 20x15x12mm
- Magnification : 0.68x

Package Contents:
- iPhone Wide Angle Lens x 1

Note:
- This product is to be shipped in a bulk pack.
- The features above are for reference only, for the real effects, pls refer to our pictures above.

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The iPhone might not be your best bet for capturing those scenic panoramas, but if you're left with no other choice (you know, maybe a DSLR or high-end point-and-shoot), then here's an option you may want to consider. Take a gander at this here wide-angle lens add-on for your iPhone's camera. It's not the prettiest solution, but it should get the job done.

Simply put the $11.99 (from USB Fever) lens-cover over the top of your iPhone and start snapping away with wide-angle glee. Look for it to ship on February 29th. That is, if you're willing to carry this penis-pump looking attachment in your pocket.

[Via: myitablet]

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

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• Apple Looking for European Carrier for iPhone

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Here are some more live pics of the best iPhone clone I have ever seen. It's just crazy how similar how it looks like the real thing.


Type your summary here

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About This Video
Apple's iPhone ad shows what's so great about having the Internet in your pocket.

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Rumor on the street is that iPhone SDK is going to be late. According, to Business Week's Arik Hesseldahl the official release date, initially scheduled for February, could slide by anywhere from one to three weeks. He's also hearing that the situation is fluid, with lot of last-minute decisions being made about what precisely will or will not be disclosed next week, if anything.

As always, Apple is quiet and doesn't comment any speculations. If it takes more time to add Copy/Paste functionality, take your time Steve - we really do need that. On the other hand, if these are nothing but rumors - it's time to smash them once and for all. Next week may be Jobs&Co's showtime, or not. We'll watch closely, have no doubt about it.

[Via: BusinessWeek]

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• Apple's iPhone SDK will require applications to have digital signatures

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Onlineconsumergifts are giving out new free pink iPhones.


http://pink-iphone.com/

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Product Features:
Lightweight
iPod/MP3 player pocket with viewable window
Built-in speakers
Foam and soft plush interior
Foam support for guitar neck

Product Description:
This rockin' Gator Lightweight Electric Guitar Case from the I-series gives you the ability to play your tunes from your iPod right from your case! Two battery-powered speakers are built in, and a pocket with a viewable window keeps your iPod or portable MP3 player safe.The perfect cross between a hardshell case and gig bag, the exterior is covered with a 600-denier ballistic material, and the interior features dense EPS foam covered with soft plush. A foam support cradles the neck of your electric guitar. The case also comes complete with two accessory pockets, parachute nylon web carrying handle, and #10 zippers.

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Flash on the iPhone. We've been pining for just a little bit of Flash-love from Apple ever since we first ventured on the New York Times website. But, to our dismay, Cupertino's been pretty tight-lipped about any official Flash support for our iPhones.

But, it's not just the public from which Steve Jobs is keeping his intentions hidden. ?No one aside from [Apple CEO] Steve Jobs has any idea if or when it?s coming,? Ryan Stewart, Adobe?s chief spokesman stated on his blog. ?Everyone I talk to doesn?t know anything.?

Apparently, the delay in Flash support isn't some battery-life concern or some technological barrier, the problem is the Apple-Adobe business relationship. The two companies aren't exactly on the best of terms - Adobe slighted Apple by ceasing Mac support on certain products, and Apple retaliated by hurting Adobe's distribution model.

So, with the iPhone SDK due within the next week or so, we're likely going to see Flash support on the iPhone. The question is, will Adobe be getting any sort of heads-up from Apple? Likely not.

[Via: MocoNews]

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• Steve Jobs' Macworld San Francisco 2008 keynote highlights video
• Could a 3G iPhone be slated for early 2008 with GPS in tow?
• Free Marketing for Apple and iPhone
• Can Apple Ship 10 million iPhones By 2009?

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The 16GB version of the iPhone is being sold in Hong Kong for about 700$ US.

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Ed Hern�ndez has just unveiled to the world his latest project - a 5G 30GB iPod video that comes with a Bluetooth module, enabling audio out. Unfortunately, the 30GB model is too thin for comfort, and hence Ed had to make some modifications in order to make Apple's famous PMP accommodate the Bluetooth module. The hard drive was replaced with a Compact Flash memory card, while the front white plastic has been removed, with an iVue clear panel replacing it so that the Bluetooth LED is able to shine through. Reminds me of those transparent Gameboys that Nintendo used to sell...

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No wonder Apple's revenue sharing negotiations with China Mobile for the iPhone didn't go as planned. China Mobile itself is claiming that something like 400,000 unlocked iPhones are already in use on its network. With the iPhone black market doing as well as it is in China, Apple would be hard pressed to guarantee iPhone exclusivity to China Mobile in return for iPhone revenue kickbacks. Which could be one explanation for Apple's delay in launching the iPhone in China.

At 400,000 iPhones, unlocked iPhones exceed In Stat's estimates by four-fold. And many China-bound iPhones are commanding premiums in the hundreds of dollars. Those Chinese sure do love them some iPhone.

If Apple is willing to ditch the revenue sharing model, the iPhone could do very well in China - more so than it already allegedly is.

[Via: Macworld]

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• Unlocked iPhones under fire in Singapore - Apple threatens legal action against unlocked iPhone retailers
• Orange unlocked iPhones truly unlocked?
• Unlocked iPhones in Germany and France still locked, kind of
• Apple calls off iPhone negotiations with China Mobile?
• Chinese iPhones in Hong Kong with full Chinese-language support

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In yet another iPhone-validating statistic, Google announced at Mobile World Congress Barcelona that Google search traffic from iPhones was 50 times greater than search traffic from any other mobile device. We already knew that the iPhone sent a lot of traffic to Google, but this is just outrageous. It seems that iPhone users are addicted to Google search - and it makes sense given that the iPhone Safari browser's built-in search bar is defaulted to Google.

In fact, traffic figures were so skewed that Google engineers thought they had goofed in their calculations. "We thought it was a mistake and made our engineers check the logs again," Vic Gundotra, head of Google's mobile operations told the Financial Times at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. In the end, it seems that iPhones were indeed responsible for 50 times as many searches to Google as any other mobile phone/device.

So, just what does all this search traffic mean for Google? Well, aside from the anecdotal evidence for the iPhone's popular function as a mobile internet device, the stats point toward serious revenue for Google's mobile internet ad-model. As more and more devices and platforms move towards an intuitive and easily accessed mobile web experience, Google (and maybe Yahoo) will be seeing more and more search traffic from mobile devices. We'll definitely be seeing more mobile advertising in the near future. Don't say we didn't warn you.

[Via: FT]

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• Apple to offer Google Apps on the iPhone?
• Google Announces Re-vamped Mobile Search
• Google Calendar, Reader, Mail revamped for iPhone
• More iPhone apps available
• Google pre-launches iPhone-optimized interface

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We've already covered iPhoneDrive in the past. The new version is out and it also has a new name - MegaPhone. Some cool new features are there as well. First and foremost, now you can access, edit and create new notes right from your Mac. You can even drag an HTML into the window with other notes, or even change the font of your notes — only iPhone fonts are accepted, though (Helvetica, Courier, Arial, etc).

In addition, the new version of iPhoneDrive MegaPhone adds batch delete for text messages and phone call logs, allowing you to free up some memory if you're running against the iPhone's log limits. Other/older features remain intact and you can still use your iPhone as a disk; access all your audio, image and video files; view and export SMS.

Demo version is available for free, while the full version costs $19.95. Here's the link with more details.

[Via: TUAW]

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• Idea: Live notes application
• Apple iPhone as mass storage device - ecamm's iPhoneDrive lets you store data on your iPhone
• Google Notebook goes mobile
• Online OS Glide Mobile adds iPhone support

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Europeans always get to have all the fun. Even with the iPhone, it seems. The BBC has announced that they will be launching their iPlayer streaming TV service for the iPhone in the next few weeks. Lucky Brits will be able to watch their favorite BBC TV shows on their iPhones via the coincidentally-named iPlayer service.

Now, iPlayer streams its television shows in Flash format, and the iPhone does not support Flash. So, what format will the iPhone-compatible iPlayer use? Will BBC re-encode their iPhone-bound streams in H.264 (like YouTube does for the YouTube application)? Or, will the iPhone finally support Flash?

Well, there have been rumblings about the iPhone finally getting Flash support in tandem with the iPhone SDK rollout. Apple is expected to drop the official iPhone SDK on us soon, so the prospect of getting Flash support and a Flash-based iPlayer is exciting. It's all speculation at this point, but GearLive has it on good sources that Apple will be bringing Flash to the iPhone in the near future.

[Via: Guardian.co.uk]

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

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• Leaked iPhone SDK key for third-party application authentication?
• SNES emulator coming to iPhone, iPod Touch

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Product placement is the best way to subtly (sometimes not so subtly) advertise your wares to a captive audience, and Apple really knows how to advertise. In case you haven't gotten enough of the iPhone in the past months, you'll be getting blasted with yet another advertising campaign during your "American Idol" broadcast. You see, "American Idol" has picked up Apple as a major sponsor. In addition to making "Idol" songs available on iTunes, the show has picked the iPhone as the official "American Idol" handset.

Right, expect some sly product placement and perhaps some outright iPhone-plugs. We don't watch "American Idol" so we won't know if Ryan Seacrest starts peddling the iPhone alongside voting results, but we're sure the millions of "Idol" fans will just eat it up. IntoMobile, out.

[Via: iPhone Central]

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• Extra year of iPhone guarantee available for $69

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iPhone owners, rejoice! AirDrive earphones are now available for purchase, although the $99 price tag is rather hefty. This pair of earphones hang outside your ear, allowing you to listen to your favorite tunes without losing the ability to know/hear what's going on in your surroundings. Hopefully we will see a universal 2.5mm version roll out sometime in the future. Since this pair doesn't enter your ear completely, it is perfect for wearing them all day round.

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Transcend has just released its 8GB T.sonic 650 MP3 player, bringing the following features to the table.

• Integrated FM radio


• A-B repeat and variable playback speeds


• Supports MP3, WMA, WAV and WMA-DRM10 audio formats


• Dual-color OLED display that looks great under all conditions

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Apple's CoverFlow view is slick indeed. Paired with the iPhone's capacitance multi-touch display, CoverFlow really shines. Well, it shines in the iPhone's album/music browsing function and nowhere else. It's just a shame that CoverFlow wasn't more fully developed to work in other iPhone features - thanks, Apple.

And, that's why we love the third-party iPhone development community (all without an official iPhone SDK, by the way). Kevin Brosius figured out how to use the CoverFlow UI in other iPhone applications. Then, Layton Duncan put together a demo application that displays your iPhone's Applications directory in all its CoverFlow glory.

We're crossing our fingers for iPhone developers to integrate CoverFlow view into every iPhone application.

Jailbreak and SSH are a must to take advantage of the new CoverFlow application for your Application list/homescreen, but you've already got those bases covered. Right?

• Where to Get Cheap MP3 Albums
• How To Download iPod Movies Online
  

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Apple has dropped the price of the 1GB iPod Shuffle to $49 – this sounds somewhat like a better price for such a low-tech player. The reason behind the cut is the introduction of the 2GB iPod Shuffle, priced at $69, a rather expensive price for a 2GB player without a display.

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As many as 400,000 unlocked iPhones were running on China Mobile's cellular network at the end of last year, according to market research firm In-Stat.

Apple sold 3.7 million iPhones in 2007, and more than 10 percent of them are in China, In-Stat said, attributing that information to China Mobile. That helps explain part of the "iPhone gap" created by the difference between Apple's shipping totals for 2007 and the activations reported by its carrier partners in the U.S. and Europe.

Somewhere around 1 million iPhones are thought to have been unlocked, and 400,000 are in China.

Despite Apple's attempts to keep iPhone unlocking under wraps with new software and changes to the iPhone's bootloader, enterprising entrepreneurs are apparently giving the people what they want. This is a bit of an opportunity lost for Apple, since the company has signed lucrative revenue-sharing deals with its carrier partners that don't apply if an iPhone is unlocked from its respective network.

But, as In-Stat noted in a report, at least it shows people want the iPhone. The firm said Chinese consumers want smartphones with multimedia features and Web browsing, and the iPhone fills that need nicely. And they're willing to pay for it: 20 percent of smartphones sold in China last year went for 4,000RMB ($533) or more.

Apple had at one point discussed the iPhone with China Mobile, but Apple CEO Steve Jobs downplayed the significance of those talks, saying the companies just had a single meeting. The iPhone is set to make its official debut in Asia at some point in 2008, probably sooner rather than later, but it's clearly a hot item in China already.

source

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I guess there is no better time than now to pick up a brand new iPod Shuffle if you've ever eyed one. Apple has dropped the 1GB model to a mere $49 from the $79 level, and has also rolled out a new 2GB Shuffle that retails for just $79. The 2GB model will be available later this month, and you can snap up the 1GB model today if you haven't done so already. I wonder how folks who bought the 1GB iPod Shuffle yesterday felt. [Press Release]

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Thankfully, the £1,350 price tag that comes with the Krell iPod dock claims to net you the best iPod dock in the entire world. At that price, I'm not sure if I'd invest in MP3 tunes any more since the bitrate can only get so high. Give me a super audio CD anyday for audio clarity, but then again MP3s are the new cassettes due to their convenience. Would you ever drop such serious coin for an iPod dock? The day I do that would be after having checked into the local asylum.

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If you own an iPhone or iPod, there's a decent chance you're already familiar with DLO's offering. They make an array of accessories for Apple's products and we've already covered their iPhone Action Jacket in the past…

Now, we've spotted their new foldable portable speakers for iPhone. And even though you can use them with any other portable media player thanks to the standard 3.5mm audio jack, somehow I doubt they'll be interesting for those not owning an Apple's handset or iPod Touch. The mentioned two devices fit perfectly at the rotating stand that holds the device upright or horizontally for the "ideal portable movie-viewing experience." Just connect your shiny device to this baby, add 4 AAA batteries or plug it in the power outlet (AC adapter is included in the box) and you're ready to rock. Literary.

[Via: Gizmodo]

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• Summer with Verizon: LG enV Orange and Portable speakers
• Apple Patent Hints At Secret iPhone Feature
• Altec Lansing T612 speakers work with the iPhone
• Yamaha launches NX-B02 portable Bluetooth speaker
• Apple patent application reveals iPod and iPhone as wireless remote controls with metadata communications!

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SEGA said that Sonic for iPod was a “fantastic opportunity”. Sega of America’s Simon Jeffrey also said:

“The iPod is arguably the most pervasive cross-demographic piece of consumer electronics today. There are no age or fashion barriers to iPod adoption, and making Sonic available to tens of millions of iPod owners really is a fantastic opportunity for us.”

In the end of the day, that’s not every day that you can re-purpose a past franchise and squeeze money out of it. Fortunately companies like SEGA, mobile computing will give them a chance to sell glorious franchises again.

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Now here's an iPod dock that looks more like a spaceship than anything else. The Kenwood AS-IP300 comes in either white or black varieties, measuring 380mm x 157mm x 221mm and weighing 1kg, making it a comfortable addition to any living room. Two 1.9W speakers pump out your favorite tunes. I'd get this just for the design and not sound quality, but the €95 price tag makes me think twice.

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If you love scuba diving and yet want to enjoy some Mozart while swimming among the corals, then the Scuba MP3 player is just the thing for you. It features the iRiver iFP-380T MP3 player at its heart, complete with a waterproof case, waterproof amp and underwater headphones. These headphones feature clips that enable you to attached them to the strap on your goggles. For $99, you get 128MB of storage space and chances are you'll run out of air before the 9V and AA batteries used to power this underwater MP3 player are exhausted.

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Now here's an entry level MP3 player - the Crammer from Leapfrog. It comes with a paltry 1GB internal memory and can carry pre-programmed flashcards as well as machine-pronounced vocabulary words. No color screen here as you'll have to settle for a monochrome display instead. The Crammer comes with a couple of buttons on top while navigation is performed via a rocking display ala iRiver Clix. Talk about a bare bones MP3 player! I'd rather settle for the iPod Shuffle, never mind the lack of words in my vocabulary.

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There are quite a lot of Rock Band fans out there, and it looks like a little bit more money can be squeezed out of the franchise. The tracks are now available on iTunes for $73.26 – yes, that’s right, $73.26…

There are 74 tracks at $0.99 each – no volume discount for fans. We heard that the tracks don’t exactly match the game’s – the songs are the same, but iTunes sometime features live versions while the game does not. For die-hard fans, I guess.

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Self photo taking, battery charger stand, etc. mobile holder

Price US$10.00 from brando

Features:
- Mobile Holder with Tripod
- Best for Self Photo Taking, Battery charger stand, etc.
- Clip size height: 5.5 to 6.5 cm
- Clip size width: 2 cm
- 360-degree movement joint
- Foot Stand length: 10 to 16.5 cm

Package Included:
- 1 pc Mobile Holder with Tripod

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Could the Spyker be the European version of the iPhone clone? Well, the possibility is definitely there - just take a good look at the photo above and you'll probably think it shares the same father as the iPhone. Paraded at MWC '08, the Spyker does not come with a full touch screen display though, replacing a small section of it with a physical keypad instead. Other than viewing it through a glass case, very little is known about the specifications of the Spyker.

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If you think the standard iPod touch isn't a good enough present for the other half in your life, then this limited edition designer iPod touch could potentially change your mind. Selfridges is carrying this unique iPod line, featuring hundreds of black Swarovski crystals complete with a special diamond ring design encrusted with 24k gold coated and silver crystals. What a way to propose, eh? You could include her favorite songs into the playlist while you pop the question. Unfortunately, you will have to pay through your nose for this special edition iPod touch as it retails for £899 while the iPod nano is a wee bit cheaper for £749.

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This zit zapper does not only help to keep your face free from the pimple scourge, it also plays MP3 files as well. Tipping the scales at a mere 1.2 ounces, it holds a paltry 128MB of storage space which translates to roughly 20 minutes' of music. That pretty much sucks, but at least it massages your mug and releases both positive and negatively charged ions to neutralize breakouts. All you need to do is flip the switch to Minus, hold it for five to 10 minutes while grooving to your favorite tunes, turn the switch to Positive and hold it for the same amount of time before you're done. At $185 a pop, it is pretty pricey but I don't think owning one gives you the license to gorge on deep fried and oily stuff.

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Hit the road and enjoy your independence with the iPhone Car Handsfree Kit.

Price US$35.00 from brando

Features:
- Simple user interface for comfortable call handling (accept/reject/end call/volume control)
- Excellent audio quality
- No installation required; just plug into the vehicle lighter socket
- Integrated microphone and speaker
- Charges your iPhone
- Richter 4-Hole Ratcheting System to use with different Richter Holders
- Power Indicator

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Looks like the iPhone isn't all that perfect - there are some folks who have already started to see bubble-like distortions making an unwelcome appearance under the iPhone display's glass layer. Good thing Apple will replace these affected iPhones, but seriously - having bubbles surface on your display? I thought that would happen to lower quality handsets only and not a product from Cupertino.

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Instead of sending your iPhone box to the recycling center, why not use it for other nefarious purposes? There is this nifty pinhole camera that can be installed in the iPhone box, known as the iHole. Scot Hampton who gave birth to this brainchild has some instructions on building an iHole for yourself on his site, making sure that everyone in your home remains as an Apple fan and won't go do dirty things behind your back - like you know, using a (gasp) Windows-based device. Go ahead, be an A-Hole with the iHole.

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Well, according to T-Mobile Chief Executive Hamid Akhavan, the iPhone is headed to Austria. That's Austria, as in Europe, not Australia, as in "down unda."

Akhavan stated on Tuesday that,� Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile would begin selling the iconic Apple iPhone in the first half of this year. That means we could see T-Mobile bringing the iPhone to the Austrian masses by this coming summer.

The deal would make sense as T-Mobile Germany already partnered up with Apple to bring the iPhone to Germany.

In other news, Akhavan also stated that T-Mobile would be releasing a Google Android-powered handset in Q4 2008. We can't wait.

We'll keep an ear out for the latest on this one, folks. Stay tuned.

[Via: Reuters]

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• Google and NTT DoCoMo confirmed partners, possibly bringing Android handset to Japan
• ARM preparing to demo Android handset at Mobile World Congress (3GSM)?
• Dell and Google to work together on cellphone?
• Google lauds iPhone
• Palm says "NO" to Android

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The second generation iPod nano looks rather squat in nature, and most people will normally purchase a protective case of some sort to go along with it in order to prevent scratches and nicks. Proporta has a Shine case that is sleek and stylish, coming in either red or black patent leather. Heck, there is even an internal mirror when you flip it open for you to check up on whether your mascara has run or not or if the weirdo you met at the local cafe is following you. The Proporta Shine case retails for £16.99 a pop and comes with a removable lanyard.

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Nice little videos talking about the upcoming Nuviphone from Garmin.

[rossman]qy9NCr_n0wE&e[/rossman]

itipsblog.com

If you're the type who do a whole lot of video watching on your iPhone, then DLO has the perfect solution for you. No longer do you need to suffer from unnecessary hand cramps while going through the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy as the DLO Portable Speakers for iPhone comes with its own dock to keep your hands free, while a pair of speakers provides enough bang for a personal movie watching experience. It is also compatible with the iPod classic, iPod video, iPod nano, iPod touch, the 30GB Zune (!), and virtually any other device that uses a standard headphone jack. When wrapped up for storage, the speakers fold into a "ball" that measures a mere 6" in diameter. You can now have a "ball" of a time for $49.99.

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[MWC] Sennheiser introduced its new MM50 iPhone headset at MWC '08 which features an in-line microphone as well. Unfortunately, that's all the information that we have on the MM50 at this point in time as there is no word on pricing details and a release date yet. Sennheiser won't be launching just a single device though, as it has a slew of Bluetooth products on parade as well such as the MM 200 Bluetooth stereo headset, the BW 900 wireless office headset with a 100-meter range, the VMX 100 Bluetooth headset featuring VoiceMax dual-microphone technology and the FLX 70 headphones that features FlexFit technology and an in-ear speaker design.

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With this stereo speaker amplifier, you can listen to music from your MP3 reader wherever you go - even while riding your bike!

This great gadget means you don''t have to bother with wires and headsets - the Bike Stereo Speaker gives you freedom to enjoy your music whenever you like !

Its'' robust container protects your MP3 reader and is easily fixed to your bicycle''s handlebars.

Up to 15 hours of music as loud as you like (with 2 AA batteries, not included) !

The 3.5mm connecting plug connects easily to all kinds of MP3 reader and has gold plated contact wires to guarantee high quality sound reproduction.

Colour black, the speaker has a rigid shell with padded internal and external surfaces for fall protection. The airtight shell is closed with a zip fastener, protecting your MP3 from damp and light rain.

With blue LED operational light.
Frequency response : 150-20.000 Hz.
Size: 19cm x 9 x 8

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�50 price cut at the end of February, 8GB models dropped?

The iPhone and iPod touch could get up to $100 (�50) knocked off their retail price at the end of February - which is when Apple is also said to be holding a 'special event', which will probably focus on the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK).

Apple could also drop the 8GB iPod touch from its line-up, which also includes the 16GB and new 32GB models. 9to5 Mac reckons it would make sense if the 8GB iPhone was dropped too - although commentors on the site have pointed out that a cheaper 8GB iPhone would help deliver even greater sales.

Price cuts for both models at this point would make sense. Apple has been repeatedly scaling back production of both iPods and the iPhone in recent weeks, according to reports. And that's sure sign that sales of both are soft.

Any price cut could also help Apple clear out its iPhone inventory ahead of the launch of a 3G model, which is expected to arrive later this year - Forbes puts its arrival as early as May, although Apple maintains that a 3G model won't arrive until 'later this year.'

Apple may also be considering a price cut to bolster sales of the iPhone, which now also faces stiff competition from a range of new handsets being launched at Mobile World Congress.

If the price cut does happen, it will be the second time that Apple has slashed the price of the iPhone since its US launch in July 2007. Apple knocked $200 (�100) off the price last September, causing widespread anger among iPhone early adopters.

That's because they had paid $599 for a device that had fallen in price to $399 within the space of two months. Apple CEO Steve Jobs was forced to apologise in an open letter and offered a $100 (�50) Apple Store rebate to those who felt hard done by.

source

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In case you're sick of all the casual games that are available on your iPod, how about picking up this $49 i-No game? This ought to bring some much needed laughter and excitement into your life, where your iPod is docked into the i-No game. A color-coded remote control is used to buzz in whenever you know the answer of the current playing tune and artist, so this game can get pretty lopsided, depending on whose iPod is being used as the "database" at the moment.

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The NavDock ND2000 from Tekkeon works with just about any iPod generation (save for the iPhone), allowing you to watch video podcasts as well as other downloaded content on a screen much larger than what the iPod offers. The 16-button remote fits snugly into the ND2000 as well when not in use to reduce the clutter around your home. There is no word on pricing, but it ought to hit retail stores near you pretty soon. Do you prefer iPod docks such as these or a simple pair of iPod glasses?

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Speculation is mounting that Google is plotting the launch of a mobile phone in partnership with computer giant Dell.

Senior industry sources claim the two companies will reveal their plans at next month?s 3GSM telecoms conference in Barcelona, al-though Google insiders deny an announcement is due in the near future.

But the rumours will once again throw the spotlight on Google?s mobile

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If you're sick and tired of watching your favorite movies through the iPod's tiny display, there is always the iLuv i1155 to help you out. This iPod dock comes with an 8.4" TFT LCD display and a car adapter, making this one truly portable unit. I'm not too confident of its use in a vehicle though as driving through bright sunlight will probably result in washed out colors for passengers in the back seat. At $249.99 a pop, you get the following :-

• DVD playback supported


• 8.4? widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) TFT LCD


• iPod charger


• iPod full remote control


• Touch sensitive function keypad controls


• Integrated dock for your iPod with video (30GB, 60GB and 80GB)


• Adjustable stand with latches for desktop use and different viewing angles


• Composite and S-Video output

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Well the iPhone didn’t really win, it just sorta walked away with its life. Here’s a quick little “How (NOT) To” guide for taking care of your iPhone:

• Don’t place iPhone on trunk of car on cold, windy, day in Kansas


• Don’t drive off with iPhone still sitting on said trunk - especially onto a highway


• Don’t stand on side of highway, waiting to retrieve fallen iPhone, causing a big-rig truck to run over iPhone

But, should you forget the above helpful tips, you’ll be glad to know that your iPhone can survive a run-in with an 18-wheeler and still work perfectly - albeit a bit scuffed up.

Mike Beauchamp, Kansas resident, apparently found out the hard way (or, really, the only way) that an iPhone can be run over by a multi-ton truck and still work.

As I watched helplessly from the shoulder, the semi plowed my phone at full speed, throwing it to the ditch on the other side of the highway. At this point, I figured I’d retrieve it just for the purpose of seeing the crushed iPhone in disarray, mangled and crunched lifeless in the grass…Much to my surprise, as I approached, I heard the familiar sound of my ringtone — the iPhone was alive and ringing! As I picked it up and cradled it gently in my hands, I saw the screen displaying my caller ID — the screen still worked! I slid my finger gently over the answer slide and paused as I held the tattered and torn device to my ear — my heart must have skipped a beat when I heard my mom’s voice at the other end of the phone — the phone still worked! I ran back to my car and sat on the side of the road for about 15 minutes inspecting it, testing it, and looking it over — how in the hell had it survived being trounced by an 18-wheeler at 70mph?!?”

Who knew the iPhone was a ruggedized handset?

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• Could Nokia be behind the anonymous order for 8 million iPhone touchscreens from Balda?
• Nokia's "Open to anything" ad takes on iPhone
• T-Mobile victorious over Vodafone - German court overturns injunction; keeps iPhone's locked, exclusive to T-Mobile
• Brand new Apple iPhone YouTube advertisement!
• Fast typing on an iPhone is easy?

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Following on AT&T’s launch of business/corporate iPhone accounts, Apple’s iPhone partner overseas has announced their intention to do the same. O2’s corporate/business customers in the UK will soon be able to take advantage of their corporate pricing discounts with the iPhone.

An O2 spokesperson stated that they “Want to offer it as a service for business users looking to use the smartphone in their office.”

If you’ve been waiting to link your iPhone to your corporate/business account, you’re wait is almost over. Business tariffs will be available for iPhones in 2008.

[Via: Pocket-Lint]

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Related Articles at IntoMobile:

• Lotus Notes eMail coming to iPhone?
• Apple: 1 million iPhone sold in next three months
• O2 customer numbers soar on the back of iPhone interest
• AT&T rolls out Apple iPhone for corporate and business customers
• HTC Tilt video tour; The best business smartphone ever?

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