Verizon getting a CDMA iPhone that runs Windows Mobile, clears acne

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Rumors are coming fast and furious today citing unnamed tipsters that Apple is hard at work hammering out a CDMA iPhone for its friends at Verizon to be announced and released next year, the carrier it had initially approached about carrying the device back in 2005. Way we see it, though, 2009 ain't 2005; Apple's wielding boatloads more power in the wireless biz than it was before the first model launched, the industry's economics have changed, and technology roadmaps have been rewritten.

So why isn't this happening, exactly? First, Apple appears to be having no trouble finding enough customers (carriers, that is) to keep iPhone 3G production at a nice clip. Second, CDMA represents a minute fraction of the world's mobile customer base that GSM / UMTS does -- no matter how big Verizon, Sprint, Telus, Bell, KDDI au, and the remaining CDMA stalwarts may be. Third, CDMA is a dying technology that will be finished off in the early part of the next decade as networks make the migration to LTE and other 4G platforms. Fourth, we have to believe Apple would sooner pour its engineering efforts into advancing the iPhone platform in the same direction as the world's networks than divert considerable resources to busting out a one-off special.

Might this mythical CDMA iPhone yet exist? Yeah, Verizon's a huge carrier, and yes, stranger things have happened -- but until Steve and Ivan get on stage together at Macworld 2009, we're not buying it.

Verizon getting a CDMA iPhone that runs Windows Mobile, clears acne originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone gets tweaked Safari in firmware 2.2

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

We're going down our "things that absolutely must change on the iPhone" list, and yeah, "redo the Safari toolbar" isn't anywhere on there. Not even at the very bottom. Cupertino works in mysterious ways, though, and they've decided in firmware 2.2 that it's time to muck with the positioning of the text boxes so that the address bar and search bar both appear at all times without needing to first tap in the area. They've also moved the refresh button inside the address bar itself, which should truly revolutionize our browsing experience yet again. Apple, screw copy / paste -- we're officially stoked.

[Via Wired, thanks Konstantin]

iPhone gets tweaked Safari in firmware 2.2 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: With friends like Google, does Apple need Microsoft?

Filed under: Cellphones

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.

In the 1999 geek classic, "Pirates of Silicon Valley", an Apple employee watching the famous "1984" commercial with Steve Jobs points to the Big Brother character -- intended to represent IBM -- and then points to Bill Gates of Microsoft, whom Jobs has just introduced as part of Apple's family. The silent message is that the real threat to Apple is Microsoft, not IBM, and indeed the following scene depicts Jobs confronting Gates after Jobs sees Windows 1.0 running on an NEC PC.

That scene, set in 1983, could be easily recreated 25 years later, substituting the iPhone for the Macintosh, Microsoft for IBM as the iPhone's perceived threat, and Google for Microsoft as the iPhone's more serious threat. Like Microsoft in 1983, Google is a key Apple partner in 2008. The iPhone features Google Maps, GMail and Google as its default Web search engine, and Google CEO Eric Schmidt even sits on Apple's board of directors. And also like Microsoft in 1983, Google is working fervently to create a wide range of competitors to Apple's iPhone. None of these may ever match the integrated experience of Apple's iPhone, but it's clear that the first Android phone has come closer to the iPhone experience than Windows 1.0 did to the original Macintosh operating system.

Nevertheless, Google's task is a lot more daunting than Microsoft's was at the dawn of Windows for several reasons.

Continue reading Switched On: With friends like Google, does Apple need Microsoft?

Switched On: With friends like Google, does Apple need Microsoft? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iYo YOYO Induction Charger lets you enjoy your tunes sans AC

Filed under: Peripherals

For any iPhone or iPod user brimming with energy that might otherwise go wasted on aimless fidgeting, Swedish designer Peter Thuvander has devised the perfect way for you to marry your hyperactivity and your love for your Apple device: the iYo YOYO Induction Charger. While playing with the charger as you would an ordinary yo-yo, a small lithium-ion battery is charged inside, which in turn powers your device. The idea sounds great, and if it ever gets out of the concept stage we look forward to having our idle hands finally used as something other than the Devil's playthings. Check out a video of the device in rendered action after the break.

[Via Engadget German]

Continue reading iYo YOYO Induction Charger lets you enjoy your tunes sans AC

iYo YOYO Induction Charger lets you enjoy your tunes sans AC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple now selling iPhone 3G unlocked in Hong Kong

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

If you can't get your goods into China via the front door, there's always the back. Apple is now selling its iPhone 3G unlocked via its on-line Apple Store in Hong Kong. The 8GB model sells for HK$5,500 (about US$694) or HK$6,200 (about $797) for the 16 gigger. Already available since July 11th with a local Hutchison Telecommunications contract, this is the first time that Apple has sold its device unlocked in Hong Kong:

"iPhone 3G purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation."

Unfortunately for the 1 billion mainland Chinese, the terms and conditions limit sales to those in Hong Kong only -- not that the gray market cares about T&Cs. It'll be interesting to see if Apple extends the unlocking more broadly (presumably as exclusivity deals expire) or if this is strictly a local phenomena, perhaps in direct response to having its WiFi and the imperialistic 3G gutted from handsets sold under Apple's rumored China Mobile deal.

[Via PC World, thanks Twins N]

Apple now selling iPhone 3G unlocked in Hong Kong originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China Mobile could deactivate 3G / WiFi on iPhone 3G launch

Filed under: Cellphones

Currently, over 400,000 unlocked iPhones are roaming around China. Now that China Mobile is about to officially launch Apple's latest handset in the world's most populous country, we can only imagine that figure going up. In a bizarre twist of trying to keep a homegrown 3G standard (TD-SCDMA) alive, the carrier has announced that it is intending to launch the mobile with WiFi and 3G disabled -- a move that would make it less appealing to those who may be considering buying one, unlocking it and using it on the expected W-CDMA network from China Telecom. Uncool, China Mobile. Very uncool.

[Via mocoNews]

China Mobile could deactivate 3G / WiFi on iPhone 3G launch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone Developer University Program

Interesting move from Apple to engage IT students into iPhone Apps development. It looks like it’s a long term approach, or at least for a 2-4 years plan in mind. So I guess we will continue to see a lot of iPhones for a long time, with the same type of environment.

Tags:developer iphone Program Universitydeveloper, iphone, Program, University

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Engadget Cares: save us from Apple’s groundbreaking, developer-shackling App Store

Filed under: Cellphones

Engadget editor-at-large and gdgt co-founder Ryan Block contributes Engadget Cares, a friendly advice column for the people who make your technology.

It's not hard to argue that the App Store's inspired success for the mobile software world, with over 100 million programs downloaded on only a few million phones in just a matter of months. Palm, Nokia, Microsoft must all be simmering (and understandably so). But Apple, if you're having trouble getting buy-in from passionate developers with a serious creative vision for iPhone apps beyond the dozens of me-too calculators and to-do lists -- and you know you are -- the writing's on the wall, and you're the one who put it there.

But it's not just about the draconian SDK agreement (which we'll get to in a minute), or the uncertainty that runs through every developer -- large and small -- as they wonder whether you'll give the all-important thumbs-up to the app they've just invested all that blood / sweat / tears / money into (we'll get to that, too). What seems to the rest of us like nefarious intent may simply be Apple coming to grips with its own successes by reacting with the same kneejerk response it plies to most everything else: control and micromanagement.

Let's rewind for a moment though, and go back to what Steve said at this Spring's iPhone roadmap event, where the SDK was introduced for the first time. As Steve's introduction reached its crescendo, he excitedly declared, "The developers and us have the same exact interest, which is to get as many apps out in front of as many iPhone users as possible," but "there are going to be some apps we're not going to distribute: porn, malicious apps, apps that invade your privacy..." The slide listed "malicious," "illegal," "porn," "privacy," "bandwidth hog," and "unforeseen." Ah, unforeseen -- glorious wiggle room. I suppose "apps that might compete with our own" wouldn't have gone over as well with the crowd. Read on.

Continue reading Engadget Cares: save us from Apple's groundbreaking, developer-shackling App Store

Engadget Cares: save us from Apple's groundbreaking, developer-shackling App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple launches iPhone 3G online purchase tool

Filed under: Cellphones

Worried about long lines for the iPhone 3G come this holiday season? Already breaking into cold sweats at the thought of standing knee-deep in snow for three hours so that your loved ones won't be filled with contempt for you? Take heart, consumers -- Apple has you covered. The company has just launched an online tool to take you through the process of purchasing an iPhone 3G, allowing you to just pop into your local Apple Store for retrieval and activation. Sure, this still doesn't let you just order a phone for delivery like a normal person, and it's a day late and a dollar short for the people who've already wasted precious time waiting for this thing, but it's nice to know it's there if you need it.

Apple launches iPhone 3G online purchase tool originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple prepping a 32GB iPhone update, bringing back at-home activation?

Filed under: Cellphones

We're not particularly inclined to believe them, but the whispers that Apple is about to bump the top-end iPhone capacity to 32GB are getting harder to ignore -- especially since 8GB inventory is drying up, leading to speculation that's it's going to be dropped as soon as next week. We think the timing's a little odd on the heels of the Let's Rock iPod refresh, but considering the rampant speculation that Apple was forced to bump the nano to 16GB and drop the "limited edition" 4GB model entirely at the last minute in response to the new Zune lineup we suppose it makes competitive sense. AppleInsider also says customers will once again get the option to activate in-home, but we haven't heard anything about that -- we'll see what happens in the next few days.

[Thanks, Harry]

Apple prepping a 32GB iPhone update, bringing back at-home activation? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 3G has a hidden data matrix code

Filed under: Cellphones

fsjk85 at the Australian Whirlpool forums was playing around with his camcorder's NightShot function when he found something interesting -- a hidden data matrix code on the left side of the iPhone 3G. We're guessing that's where Apple imprints the serial and IMEI numbers of each handset since it can't exactly hide them under a removable battery (cough), but we'll leave it to the rest of you to decode this sneaky tag and solve the mystery once and for all.

Update: We just got a much higher-res image of the code -- check it after the break. [Thanks Ben]

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading iPhone 3G has a hidden data matrix code

iPhone 3G has a hidden data matrix code originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Griffin unveils AirCurve acoustic amplifier, Clarifi case for iPhone

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

We're not saying a transparent box designed to "acoustically amplify" your iPhone speakers is an unmistakable ripoff or anything, but we do believe your $19.99 would be better spent on materials and beverages of choice as you exercise that DIY muscle. At any rate, Griffin Technology has today introduced the AirCurve (that's the thing we just described) alongside the Clarifi ($34.99; pictured after the jump), a polycarbonate protective case for your iPhone 3G. Unlike alternatives, though, this one has a "close-up lens," which supposedly gives your iPhone 3G the ability to take remarkably detailed macro shots with even "more accurate colors." Call us jaded, but both of these things have marketing hoopla written all over 'em.

[Via iLounge]
Read - AirCurve
Read - Clarifi

Continue reading Griffin unveils AirCurve acoustic amplifier, Clarifi case for iPhone

Griffin unveils AirCurve acoustic amplifier, Clarifi case for iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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London 2012 Olympics Blog iPhone optimized

I’ve just discovered a new blog about the London Olympics that have an iPhone version with apparently a new Wordpress iPhone theme and plugin. So check it out at London 2012 News, or:

iPhone Version:

Computer Version:

Tags:2012 iphone london news2012, iphone, london, news

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iPhone Applications Directory and more…

If you struggle to find what you want on the App Store, or if you want some suggestions on which free or paid applications-games you should install on your iPhone or iPod Touch, Apptism is for you, check it out:

Tags:appstore apptism iphone ipod touchappstore, apptism, iphone, ipod, touch

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iPhone 2.1 update: the aftermath

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Now that 2.1's out, your iPhone 3G is finally perfect -- right? Well, that all depends on your definition of "perfect," but odds are you still have a niggle or two poking out from behind that heaping pile of bugs and security flaws that were smoothed over with Cupertino's putty knife in last week's update. Here's a quick look at what we're hearing so far:

• Excluding those of you who don't know where you are, our poll on claimed reception improvements in 2.1 suggests that the majority of iPhone 3G owners (by a slim margin) are seeing no improvement or -- gasp! -- a degradation in signal strength since 2.0.2.
• Given that 2.1 patches up some bugs with third-party apps, it comes as no surprise that a few of 'em are apparently breaking with the new firmware (a disappointment, yes, but not a surprise). It sucks that Apple whacked the ball into developers' courts on this one, and we're hoping for the sake of users and devs alike that it's not going to take many sleepless nights of re-coding and debugging to get the affected apps back on the straight and narrow.
• We're now hearing some reports of email buffoonery ranging from an inability to add new accounts to 2.1-equipped phones, to failures of existing accounts that had previously worked, to total Exchange breakage. Are you folks seeing anything there? Any corporate types freaking out that they've lost access to their beloved ActiveSync setups?

We actually found another bug in 2.1 ourselves: we can't find copy / paste anywhere. It's anyone's guess how that one slipped by the testers.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

iPhone 2.1 update: the aftermath originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Sep 2008 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poll: Is firmware 2.1 actually boosting your signal?

Filed under: Cellphones

So, you've gone and updated to that new "big fix" firmware 2.1 -- but is the Kool Aid as delicious as you've been promised? On our end, we're certainly seeing noticeable improvements on lagging keyboards, app switching / opening (particularly with contacts and text messages), moving through menus / scrolling, application installation and iTunes syncing, but has Apple solved the big issue? The software update page boasts of a "decrease in call set-up failures and dropped calls," and while that might make you think you'll see the proverbial "more bars in more places" (and you probably do), it's likely related to another change in this update, namely, "improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display." We know that a lot of you are seeing apparent improvements in signal strength, but is that a matter of updated icons, or a reflection of some crazy voodoo Apple performed on the phone's radio? We're leaning towards the former, but we'd like to hear what you have to say. So what's the deal? Is the iPhone 3G seeing actual reception improvements, or is it just cosmetic? Let us know in the poll below.

View Poll

Poll: Is firmware 2.1 actually boosting your signal? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPod Juice helps you repair your iPod/iPhone of change its battery

I’ve just discovered a new supplier for the iPod-iPhone family that provides wonderful kits and demos about Apple IPod Repair, but also Apple Iphone Repair and finally replacement of your battery.

You can also use their no-obligation repair evaluation services, and then check if your beloved iPod-iPhone is possible to repair after a water damage, cracked screen, etc…

The batteries that iPodJuice put inside your iPod or iPhone are better than the original ones from Apple. So it is worth considering if your battery is out of order or not good enough to handle a full day of use.

Here is an example of the kind of videos iPod Juice provides to help customers change themselves the batteries of their Ipod, and also do a full Ipod Repair eventually.

iPod juice provides as well other tools and devices useful for iPod/iPhone users, such as:

• Solar-powered charger
• iPod charger and backup battery
• Automobile outlet charger
• USB and firewire charging cable
• USB Retractable charging cable
• Repair kits to open your iPod/iPhone

In terms of warranty, the batteries are guaranteed for 10 years. In terms of shipping and delivery, iPod Juice is using USPS, UPS or FedEx.

Tags:battery iphone ipod ipodjuice juice repairbattery, iphone, ipod, ipodjuice, juice, repair

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iPhone 2.1 update is out: bug fixes and longer battery life promised

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

You made it. Three full battery charges and three full days of buggy 2.0.2 firmware later and the 2.1 software is now available for download. Remember, this "big update" comes with Steve's personal promise of "fewer call drops... significantly improved battery life for most customers... fixed a lot of bugs where if you have a lot of apps on the phone you're not going to get some of the crashes we've seen... backing up to iTunes is dramatically faster." We'll see.

P.S. Not that we're expecting any, but if you spot copy and paste or any other unannounced features be sure to let us know.

Update: We're updating right now and we'll let you know if we see anything amazing. Keep us posted in the comments too -- how is it going for you?

iPhone 2.1 update is out: bug fixes and longer battery life promised originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone Firmware 2.1 is ready!

Check your iTunes (8.0) now:

Tags:2.1 firmware iphone2.1, firmware, iphone

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4% market share for the iPhone from Smartphones

Interesting chart from Admob today:

Tags:admob iphone smartphoneadmob, iphone, smartphone

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