Camera Plus Pro adds video recording for all iPhone models

Global Delight releases version 2.0 of its Camera Plus Pro software that adds video capability for all iPhones.

Clearing the air on iPhone terminology: 4th generation vs. “4G”

Filed under: Rumors, Odds and ends, iPhone

Plenty of discussions about the next revision of the iPhone have referred to the as-yet hypothetical device as the "iPhone 4G." As many of our readers have correctly pointed out, not only is this nickname completely unofficial, it's also highly unlikely to be the name of the next iPhone.

It made sense to call the second-generation iPhone the iPhone 3G, as the addition of a faster 3G wireless chipset and antenna was in many ways the defining feature of the device. The next iPhone, the iPhone 3GS, once again has its distinctive feature spelled out right in the name: "S" for speed, since the 3GS is a faster version of its predecessor.

So why won't the next iPhone be called the iPhone 4G? For a pretty good reason, actually: as of right now, worldwide deployment of faster, ultra-broadband 4G wireless networks isn't even in its infancy -- it's barely past the fetal stage. In the US, Verizon and Sprint are testing 4G coverage in some major cities, but they're still a long way off from nationwide deployment. AT&T won't begin deployment of 4G networks until 2011, and T-Mobile is even farther behind in the 4G race.

As for the rest of the world, only Japan, South Korea, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Taiwan have even begun the first steps toward a 4G rollout. We will probably see a handset called the iPhone 4G as soon as there's enough 4G wireless coverage to warrant putting a 4G antenna and chipset in it. Based on the current rate of 4G network deployments in the States, to say nothing of the rest of the world, that's at least a year or more in the future.

Given that the next iPhone is almost certainly not going to be called the iPhone 4G, why is everybody under the sun calling it that anyway? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Clearing the air on iPhone terminology: 4th generation vs. "4G"

Clearing the air on iPhone terminology: 4th generation vs. "4G" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Clearing the air on iPhone terminology: 4th generation vs. "4G" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm CEO: We’re down, but not out

In a letter to Palm employees, CEO Jon Rubinstein attempted to re-energize the company, saying that while they were down, they weren't out. But how did the company find itself in trouble to begin with?

More iPhone OS on Mac and Apple TV Talk

A little while ago TiPb asked if the Apple TV should be switched over to the iPhone OS, but what about the Mac? Coincidentally, a recent Apple job offering was discovered by ComputerWorld that hinted Apple was seriously considering pushing the iPhone OS from phone, MP3-player iPod touch, and tablet iPad to further devices:

The Core Platform team within Apple’s Core OS organization is looking for a talented and inspired manager to lead a team focused on bring-up of iPhone OS on new platforms. The team is responsible for low level platform architecture, firmware, core drivers and bring-up of new hardware platforms. The team consists of talented engineers with experience in hardware, firmware, IOKit drivers, security and platform architecture.

Now the New York Times blogs quotes a former Apple engineer musing about whether or not the iPhone OS could be implemented as a special layer on top of Mac OS X, the way Front Row or Dashboard work today. Push a button, the multi-touch iPhone OS screen zooms in, you flick and swipe and pinch though what you want to do, then tap and go back to your mouse and keyboard.

We’re all fans of the iPhone OS here, do we want to see it everywhere else as well?

(ComputerWorld and New York Times blogs via MacRumors, twice)

More iPhone OS on Mac and Apple TV Talk is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Analyst Predicts Next-Generation iPhone Will Offer Lower Total Cost of Ownership

Fortune reports on a new research note from prominent Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty citing strong sales of Apple's iPad and the potential for increased growth in the iPhone segment from new models she predicts will carry lower total cos...

Apple Files Trademark Application for ‘Magic Trackpad’

Patently Apple reports that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) today published a trademark application filed earlier this week by Apple covering the term "Magic Trackpad". The application requests registration in International Class ...

AT&T Microcell to Boost iPhone Reception in 5 More Markets

George Ponder over at sibling site WMExperts brings word that AT&T’s Microcell — the device you plug into your home cable/DSL connection to boost your phone reception — is being rolled out to Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, San Diego, and Las Vegas.

If you are lucky enough to live in these areas, all you need to do is visit AT&T’s 3G Microcell website and enter your specific zip code to see if the Microcell is available. If you are in one of these trial areas, you will be provided with a list of retail locations where you can purchase the Microcell. There was no mention on the pricing for the Microcell itself but it appears, in reading the fine print, the service will run $19.99 per month. There are still rumors that bundled discounts will be available to lower the monthly cost.

While many might gaff at the idea of paying AT&T for the privilege of using their home internet connection to fix AT&T’s coverage, for others — especially in business who just. need. a. signal — this rollout likely can’t come fast enough.

If you’re in one of those markets and take the Microcell for a whirl, let us know how it works for you. If you’re not, how eager are you for it to get to your market?

AT&T Microcell to Boost iPhone Reception in 5 More Markets is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Analyst: Apple Should Lower Price, Add New Features for 4th Gen iPhone

Okay, that headline about how an analyst thinks Apple should lower the price and add new features next June/July when they release the 4th generation iPhone (not iPhone 4G, that’s a couple years and an LTE network away) is only semi-facetious. Apple has lowered up-front costs and increased features on every generation of iPhone, after all. Last year the iPhone 3G dropped to $99 and the iPhone 3GS added video recording, hardware encryption, voice control, and a host of other things — never mind iPhone 3.0. According to AppleInsider, however, Katy Huberty of Morgan Stanley has two things more specific in mind.

“We expect Apple to launch new iPhones in June that offer both a lower total cost of ownership and new functionality, potentially including gesture-based technology.”

We’ll leave the part about gestures alone; just file it under “reads the same patent applications we do” and move right along. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), however, is interesting because in 2008, even as the iPhone 3G was offered at $199, the cost of the AT&T data plan rose to $30/m making the overall TCO (over the course of the 2-year contract) higher.

Now, if Apple wants the iPhone to battle it out with Nokia in emerging markets, TCO is vitally important. But Apple hasn’t historically chosen to battle it out in the low-end PC space, and their answer to netbooks wasn’t cheaper MacBooks but the iPad. Makes it tough to see them doing it with discount iPhones.

In the US, big, colorful charts show how much you can save in terms of TCO on other networks and devices. With the iPad coming, and tiered AT&T data plans coming with it, maybe it’s not unreasonable to think a reduction in TCO is in order — not just “everything unlimited” but “overall less expensive”. Then again, AT&T isn’t hurting for subscribers or iPhone sales, so where this downward pressure would come from, if not Apple or our simply wishing it so, is unclear.

What do you think? Any chance Apple will pull “magical new plans” out of AT&T for the 4th generation iPhone?

Analyst: Apple Should Lower Price, Add New Features for 4th Gen iPhone is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

New patent hints at iPhone camera gesture control

Filed under: iPhone

An interesting patent application came to light via PatentlyApple yesterday. The patent, titled "Camera as Input Interface," was filed by Apple in August 2008 and details a means of controlling an iPhone by swiping a finger across the device's camera lens. The patent proposes using the iPhone's camera, which is typically idle when the user is on a call, to control voicemail options such as rewind, fast forward, and pause while the iPhone is at the user's ear:

"In one embodiment, to access his voice mailbox, a user may tap the phone to cause playback of a message to pause, tap the phone again to resume playback, swipe his finger over the camera lens in one direction to fast forward playback, and swipe his finger over the camera lens in another direction to rewind playback. These actions allow the user to control functions of voicemail review without removing the device from over his ear."

The patent also describes using the iPhone's accelerometer to detect tapping input to supplement the finger swipes:

"In another embodiment, functions for controlling call features utilize similar user actions or motions. Features such as merging multiple calls, putting a call on hold, and switching between or among multiple simultaneous calls may be controlled by single or double (or any number of) taps of the device, as detected by an accelerometer of the device. These taps may be preprogrammed by a manufacturer, or selected and programmed by a user."

The patent application goes on to describe how the camera swipe could be used when the phone is away from the ear. It details how the camera swipe feature could be used to navigate web pages or applications while the user is looking at the iPhone's screen. Using the camera swipe method in this way would allow the user to view the full screen of the iPhone without his fingers obstructing the view.

This latest patent application shares similarities to a mid-January rumor by Bloomberg that Apple was working on an iPhone with a touch-sensitive backside casing similar to the Mighty Mouse. While it's not clear how much adding a touch-sensitive casing to the iPhone would cost, it might be cost-prohibitive if Apple wants to keep the iPhone margins high and purchase price low. This latest application could present a nice middle ground using the iPhone's existing hardware to mimic the functionality of a touch-sensitive backing.

Interestingly enough, this kind of functionality was one of the top ten hardware "wants" TUAW readers hoped to see in the next iPhone, albeit through a touch-sensitive casing instead of the camera.

[via AppleInsider]

New patent hints at iPhone camera gesture control originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New patent hints at iPhone camera gesture control originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: iTimeLapse Pro for iPhone

If you've ever wanted to make your own time-lapse videos or even a cool stop-motion animation, look no further than this app. With iTimeLapse Pro, you can easily create your own masterpieces straight from your iPhone and share them with the world.