Updated iPhone 3G, 3GS pricing and availability for Canada announced

Filed under: iPhone

For those of you in Canada, good news. The cell carriers Telus and Bell have announced pricing and availability for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. In addition, Rogers will be announcing an update to its pricing.

Telus is offering four plan levels with three extras each to chose from, for a total of twelve different plan options. Each plan provides subsidized iPhone pricing of $99CAD for the 8GB iPhone 3G (black), $199CAD for the 16GB iPhone 3G S (black/white), and $299CAD for the 32GB iPhone 3G S (black/white).

The actual plans from Telus do not change with respect to the iPhone you choose. The prices begin at $50CAD for 150 minutes and 500 MB data and move up to $100CAD for 500 minutes and 3GB data; all plans include a 36-month contract term. Additionally, all plans include mobile tethering with the iPhone. All plans excluding the entry-level $50CAD/mo. plan include an option for unlimited messaging.

Bell has also announced their pricing and availability; actual iPhone pricing is the same as the Telus offering ranging from $99CAD for the 8GB iPhone 3G to $299CAD for the 32GB iPhone 3G S.

Bell's monthly plans start at $55CAD and include 300 minutes with 1GB data (tethering included) and increase up to $95CAD including 500 minutes with and 3GB data. As with Telus, all plans include a 36-month contract. Unlike Telus, however, the Bell plans include unlimited Wi-Fi at any Starbucks location.

Not one to be left out of all the press buzz, Rogers may be announcing a new plan for $95CAD/mo. An anonymous tipster reports that the Rogers plan will include 700 minutes and 1GB data with tethering included. The plan will also feature unlimited messaging.

Things are definitely heating up in Canada for iPhone users. Each provider is offering a little something different in terms of minutes, data, and extras. As always, don't forget to consider your coverage area, which iPhone in Canada has helpfully compared for you here.

While I don't live in Canada myself, I am definitely jealous of all the competition going on. I would love to see three US carriers with the iPhone all competing for my pocketbook.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and iphoneincanada.ca for the in-depth coverage.

Updated iPhone 3G, 3GS pricing and availability for Canada announced originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Updated iPhone 3G, 3GS pricing and availability for Canada announced originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone OS 3.1 now enforces Exchange encryption policy, may block pre-3GS iPhones

Filed under: Enterprise, iPhone, iPod touch

The Apple Support forums are a'buzz with reports of several users upgrading to iPhone OS 3.1 and discovering a new "feature" which was not available previously. As mentioned in our comments, after upgrading to 3.1, some original iPhone and iPhone 3G owners with Exchange accounts are having trouble accessing their email. Apparently the server-side encryption policy option for mobile devices (only available as of Exchange 2007 SP1) is now being appropriately enforced.

This is not affecting owners of the iPhone 3GS, due to the newer device's support for Exchange encryption. Prior to iPhone OS 3.1 the encryption policy was ignored for all models. Now that 3.1 is available, users are seeing this policy being correctly enforced and older iPhones without encryption support are left without access to Exchange services.

I have yet to find any reports of issues with the iPod touch, but I suspect that it will also be affected by this software change. We're awaiting confirmation from Apple on whether this will impact the newly announced iPod touch models as well.

While many are reacting to this issue as though it's a bug, and are reporting it as such, the reality is that the Exchange encryption requirement is a feature and the fact that it was not being correctly enforced was actually a security hole. IT administrators with Exchange 2007 SP1 servers and iPhone clients are probably going to be fielding an above-average level of incoming questions, but at least they can rest easy knowing that Exchange encryption is now working correctly. Cold comfort for their users, though.

If you are running into this issue, the straightforward (though pricey) solution is to upgrade to the iPhone 3GS; or consider bribing your IT guy with Red Bull so he will disable the encryption requirement for mobile devices. But we want to hear from you; are you using an Exchange account? Can you still access it following the upgrade to 3.1? Which device are you using, iPhone or iPod touch; 3G or 3GS? Is this a little thing that means a lot to you from a security perspective or have you been left high and dry without access to critical email?

[Via Broadband Reports]

iPhone OS 3.1 now enforces Exchange encryption policy, may block pre-3GS iPhones originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone OS 3.1 now enforces Exchange encryption policy, may block pre-3GS iPhones originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Push Growl notifications to iPhone with Prowl

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

If you've seen a string of notifications pop up on your screen and then gracefully fade away, you've probably seen Growl; it's the open source & popular system-wide framework that allows applications to let you know when something happens. For instance, a Growl notification might appear to inform you of a newly-arrived email, new mentions on Twitter, a change of song in iTunes, or a download completing in Safari or Transmission.

The notification itself is a customizable pop-up that can also include an auditory notification as well. Growl is very flexible; it allows you to choose exactly which events trigger a notice, or pick a particular notification style for a specific event. Growl includes support for hundreds of OS X applications and is one of the first items I install on a new system.

Probably the only feature that could make Growl even more awesome is if it were to support forwarding notifications to an iPhone or iPod Touch running 3.0 via the new Push framework. Enter iPhone application Prowl (iTunes link), it is a Growl client for the iPhone that sends your Mac's Growl notifications out to your iPhone. Read on for my experiences and thoughts on the first Growl application for the iPhone.

Continue reading Push Growl notifications to iPhone with Prowl

Push Growl notifications to iPhone with Prowl originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Push Growl notifications to iPhone with Prowl originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rejection: Apple hates (certain) books and whistling

Filed under: Bad Apple, iPhone, App Store

It seems like only yesterday Apple was surprising us with its App Store rejection antics. You'll recall that just last Monday, Apple was seen flaunting its control over the App Store by rejecting a remote-control client for the BitTorrent desktop application "Transmission" called "Drivetrain." Of interesting note in that case is that there is a web version of this application that I have on my iPhone's home screen.

Today we received word of an application called Eucalyptus that provided access to free-for-all books from Project Gutenberg. John Gruber over at Daring Fireball writes,

"Eucalyptus has been rejected by Apple, for the absolutely outrageous reason that one of the books you can search for and download from Gutenberg is Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana. Not only can anyone load and read this exact same book on any iPhone using MobileSafari, but it's also available through other e-book readers already in the App Store."

In both the Drivetrain and Eucalyptus cases it seems that Apple is playing favorites in terms of who it will let violate its rules. The strange thing though, is that both of these applications' functionality can be accomplished from within MobileSafari. Clearly Apple wants MobileSafari to be your only access to any pornographic objectionable content.

Before you get out your pitchforks however, there's more. If you have an application that has been approved twice, then guess what, the third time's the charm for you because you can expect the rejection hammer to come a'knockin'. At least that's the case for Yaniv Solnik's application "IsraelParty." When Yaniv submitted his app to resolve some routine bug fixes apparently the App Store royal guards decided they didn't like his marketing description of the application. The phrase that was so offensive as to warrant a rejection of an already-existing app that had been approved twice before? Adult content ahead, "Blow your iPhone's microphone to whistle."

Perhaps someone at Apple is bothered by the fact that they are not able to whistle themselves or perhaps they simply do not like the idea of an application that celebrates Israel's independence day. In any event the rejection is simply ludicrous; it brings me back to the late 90s when the over-zealous language filters in chat rooms would filter the phrase "the wind blows."

The clause that Apple cites in these cases refers to Apple's "reasonable judgment" (full text here). However, in my opinion, they are taking on a more overbearing role than they should. Not to say that I disagree with a filter on the App Store, on the contrary, I think a well-defined filter is absolutely necessary.

Because of Apple's unwillingness to firmly define and enforce the rules, I believe Apple is opening itself up to a "bag of hurt" by being the police of App Store city. It will not be long before advocacy groups will want Apple to provide the same filtering for Apple's own applications. I do not believe Apple wants to be in the business of filtering the web or our email, but by filtering applications based on availability of "inappropriate" content they are quickly headed down that path.

Hat tip to Peachfuzzy and Yaniv for the scoop.

Rejection: Apple hates (certain) books and whistling originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 21 May 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rejection: Apple hates (certain) books and whistling originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 21 May 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking News: No new app submissions unless they run on OS 3.0

Filed under: Bad Apple, Apple, iPhone, SDK

iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 was only released for general consumption yesterday, and already Apple is rocking our collective faces off with big news. While a cool new feature being uncovered would be great, what Apple has in store for would-be iPhone application submitters is a bit more challenging.

Effective today, Apple will no longer be accepting any iPhone or iPod touch applications that are not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0. According to an email sent to developers,

"Beginning today, all submissions to the App Store will be reviewed on the latest beta of iPhone OS 3.0. If your app submission is not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0, it will not be approved."

While this may make sense at first glance, consider that OS 3.0 does not yet have a release date and developers might be pushed to spend time and energy tweaking apps against an unstable OS base. Also, any devs who only ship free apps will now have to pony up $99 to join the beta if they want to debug their apps against the new version.

Further, it seems that Apple might be removing existing applications from the App Store, once iPhone OS 3.0 is released, if it is found that they are not compatible with the new operating system. So grab your Twitter clients and flame-throwers, it's gripin' time!

Update: iPhone Developer Program enrollment is required for App Store application distribution; regardless of whether the application is free or paid, the enrollment fee applies, and any developers with apps in the store have already paid their $99 for access to the beta. Thanks goes to our intrepid commenters for reminding us.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

[via @razorianfly & the Loop Blog]

Breaking News: No new app submissions unless they run on OS 3.0 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 07 May 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Breaking News: No new app submissions unless they run on OS 3.0 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 07 May 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New iPhone ads appear, bring joy and good cheer

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Last night while watching House, I saw what seemed to be a new iPhone commercial featuring some pretty interesting applications. Despite the fact that I was watching this particular episode on my DVR, I stopped fast-forwarding through the commercials so I could catch the latest Apple showcase of iPhone applications.

For many people, if you've seen one commercial for a given product, then you've seen all the commercials you need to see. Not so with iPhone. As these commercials so ably show, the iPhone isn't just one product, it's thousands of products. Thanks to the App Store, the iPhone and iPod Touch have become a tour de force of gaming, productivity, networking, and so forth. The success has become so ubiquitous that I am even willing to watch a commercial to learn of new applications that could enhance my life.

The good news is that after stopping by MacDailyNews I discovered that there are a total of three new iPhone commercials available for your viewing pleasure; all without having to interrupt any commercial-skipping. MDN has the hot scoop replete with YouTube vids to fill your stomach with all sorts of unicorn teary goodness. You can also check out the new advertisements, "Itchy," "Office," and "Student," in extremely huge resolution over at Apple.com

Via MacDailyNews

New iPhone ads appear, bring joy and good cheer originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New iPhone ads appear, bring joy and good cheer originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone developers get Ivy League edu-mu-cation

Filed under: iTunes, Developer, iPhone, iPod touch

If you're an aspiring iPhone developer looking to hone your skills or a seasoned veteran who is willing to accept there is more to learn, then has Stanford University got a deal for you. Stanford and Apple have teamed up to offer course materials from Stanford's undergraduate program for iPhone developers.

The materials, available through Stanford's iTunes U page, include videos and PDFs to be made available every Wednesday and Friday during the 10-week course. Please bear in mind that while Stanford's course will be taught by Apple engineers, it is no substitute for the many great courses offered by Professor Bohon at TUAW-U.

Update: As a couple of you have pointed out, Stanford is not actually an Ivy League school. For a complete list of Ivy League members please see this article.

[via Engadget]

iPhone developers get Ivy League edu-mu-cation originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone developers get Ivy League edu-mu-cation originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone OS 3.0: Dreams really could come true

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Rumors, iPhone, SDK

In case you haven't checked iCal lately, the iPhone OS event is only hours away! What that means (aside from all of the tubes being clogged with rumors on what the new OS version will feature) is that it's time for another TUAW wishlist! Please know that while these are all going to be the best guesses on the whole wide web, they are still in fact just that, guesses.

Many of the staff are visiting SXSW and having the grandest of times; the rest of us are working from our satellite office (on the moon, actually). However, we thought it would be a great disservice to not begin the discussion on what you will definitely probably hopefully see in Apple's latest release of the iPhone OS.

Now, sit back and let the reality distortion field wash over you as we wax philosophically about today's press event. Don't forget to come back at 1pm ET/10am PT for our live chat during the preview session.

Continue reading iPhone OS 3.0: Dreams really could come true

iPhone OS 3.0: Dreams really could come true originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone OS 3.0: Dreams really could come true originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boxee remote app for iPhone and iPod Touch available on App Store

Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch

We've made no secret of our love for the Boxee media center. Its lovable interface works great from 2ft. to 20ft. and covers just about everything an HTPC should on both the Apple TV and Mac mini. Now, after weeks of being in review, the folks over at the Boxee blog have finally announced the availability of the Boxee remote app (iTunes link). It's extremely affordable for everything it does (it's Free) and is available immediately. If you've lost your Apple remote, or for whatever reason don't have (or want) one, Boxee's remote app is a pure gem. Check it out now and then give Boxee some suggestions on how they can improve it.

Boxee remote app for iPhone and iPod Touch available on App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Boxee remote app for iPhone and iPod Touch available on App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PwnageTool and QuickPwn updated, compatible with 2.2.1

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, Jailbreak/pwnage

Early this morning the iPhone Dev-Team announced the impending availability of the latest release of PwnageTool and QuickPwn. The feature most touted was compatibility with the recent update of the iPhone's OS to 2.2.1.

The announcement over at the Dev-Team's blog also provides some very useful information regarding unlocking and jailbreaking iPhones and iPod touches. It gives heads-up warnings for users in different situations, such as factory-unlocked iPhone owners, YellowSn0w users, and iPod touch owners. It covers what they should or should not do regarding upgrading to 2.2.1 and using PwnageTool or QuickPwn; the Dev-Team also details a fix for entering DFU mode when using OS X 10.5.6.

Currently the release is Mac-only, but a Windows-friendly version of QuickPwn is said to be "coming soon." You can grab the release from the official BitTorrent download. Alternatively, there are several unofficial HTTP mirrors available. The team recommends comparing the SHA1 checksums when downloading from an unofficial mirror. Given the recent string of security-related downloading incidents, TUAW cannot recommend highly enough that users download from an official source or follow the Dev-Team's security advice.

I tip my hat to the many fine folks that sent this in!

Continue reading PwnageTool and QuickPwn updated, compatible with 2.2.1

PwnageTool and QuickPwn updated, compatible with 2.2.1 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PwnageTool and QuickPwn updated, compatible with 2.2.1 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Emoji on your iPhone :-)

Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone

Emoji, Japanese for "picture" + "letter," is a set of picture characters used in Japan much in the same way as emoticons here in the US. The Emoji pictographs, however, offer a wider variety of images than emoticons which are typically limited to just expressing an emotion or facial expression such as winking.

Emoji pictographs include the usual suspects from the emoticon gang as well as many others. Such gems as the top hat, a diamond ring for "txting" your wedding proposal, and also some holiday goodies like Santa, and a ghost are all part of the fun! For the majority of cell phones, Emoji is a Japanese-focused feature that is not implemented much in the US. Some, however, have already enabled the use of Emoji through a process that requires jailbreaking the iPhone.

There is a simpler way, however. We touched on the enabling of Emoji in a recent iPhone 101 article. This post over at MacTalk provides a very detailed step-by-step walkthrough for enabling Emoji on iPhones with firmware 2.2. Justine also covered this procedure for enabling Emoji over at her site.

The process involves purchasing and briefly using an application called FrostySpace ($0.99, iTunes link). The result is that a new international keyboard, "Emoji," is available for your use. Please note: FrostySpace is a Japanese-languageTaiwanese RSS feed reader that may be of limited utility for some users.

If you get this working (or don't) we'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

Thanks to Chris Pirillo and others for sending this in!

Emoji on your iPhone :-) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Emoji on your iPhone :-) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teach your iPhone to swear, take two

Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone, iPod touch

Erica Sadun has written an article over at Ars all about teaching your touchable pocket pal some nasty habits. If your language is generally more "explicit," or you just have a need for the iPhone (or iPod Touch) to learn someone's last name, then take heart, ye weary iPhone typists!

We previously covered TJ Luoma's tip that involved adding a new contact whose name was a word that does not appear in the system dictionary; TJ has since updated the tip to note that you can include the target words outside the contact name and the approach still works. Erica has suggested a slightly different approach that does not require you to salt the address book with contact fluff. This is especially useful if you have young children or mothers who might happen to peruse your contacts.

The general assumption is that after correcting the auto-correct, the system will eventually add whatever it is you're typing to the dictionary. As it turns out, not all apps are created equal in terms of updating the dictionary with new words. I won't spoil the surprise, but I will tell you that the Notes app is not where you should conduct your keyboard-training session.

This excellent tip can also be used for teaching your tactile friend some less abrasive words that are not in the dictionary. Erica's article walks through the procedure for updating the built-in dictionary on an iPhone or iPod Touch. If you happen to have jailbroken your device and installed SSH, she shows you how to directly access the dictionary. Hit the read link for the full scoop on how to update your dictionary with your off-color language or otherwise unique verbiage.

Teach your iPhone to swear, take two originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Teach your iPhone to swear, take two originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ballmer hearts iPhone, at least a little bit

Filed under: iPhone

Our friend & former colleague David Chartier has a piece up over at Ars Technica with the sordid details of one Steve Ballmer's new-found love affair (well, more of a like affair) with Apple's iPhone. Prior to the iPhone's triumphant launch, his Steve-ness (Ballmer, that is) proclaimed the iPhone had "no chance" at success in the marketplace.

According to Ars, in a recent interview, Ballmer was quoted saying the iPhone has "clear market momentum." Now if that isn't the definition of understatement, then I don't know what is. With the recent release of multiple apps for the iPhone, it is clear that Microsoft is willing to acknowledge, and promote, iPhone's presence in the mobile space.

While we at TUAW may not be the biggest supporters of Microsoft [except for the MacBU, love you, don't change --Ed.] it is definitely nice to hear a bit of praise from another mobile platform vendor. What say you, dear commenters, is Microsoft really drinking the Apple Kool-Aid, or are they merely biding their time until the release of their own Zune-phone of sorts, with the next-est-gen version of Windows Mobile?

Ballmer hearts iPhone, at least a little bit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ballmer hearts iPhone, at least a little bit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 3G unlock (finally) crashes everyone’s party

Filed under: iPhone, Jailbreak/pwnage

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

iPhone 3G unlock (finally) crashes everyone's party originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Jan 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone 3G unlock (finally) crashes everyone's party originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 01 Jan 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Traveling? iPhone can help!

Filed under: Productivity, iPhone

If you're a road warrior and an iPhone owner, chances are you are not using your beloved technology to its fullest potential. There are many applications and services that can make your trip a lot less stressful so you can focus on enjoying the trip rather than making sure everything goes according to plan. Everyone by now is accustomed to using the iPhone for browsing the web while waiting for a plane or listening to music while sitting on a bus. But did you know you can do things like check in for your flight, listen to the radio in your home town from a thousand miles away, and at some airports even get through security all using just your iPhone?

Read on, weary travelers, if you too want to learn the many ways in which the iPhone can make your entire traveling experience pleasant, even if you're traveling for business.

Continue reading Traveling? iPhone can help!

Traveling? iPhone can help! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Traveling? iPhone can help! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Solar powered iPhone case may not work when visiting the Sun

Filed under: Accessories, iPhone

Eco-friendly traveler? Check! Hip professional? Check! Outdoor enthusiast? Check! Hip profess--wait a minute! OK, so Solar Arcadia may not have the greatest product pages around but that does not stop them from offering this environmentally friendly piece of iPhone case awesomeness.

The case is essentially a lithium ion battery pack with a solar panel that doubles as a flip cover for the iPhone. The construction is said to be leather, however I cannot imagine this being very kind to Mother Nature. There is also an LED status indicator that informs you of the capacity of the case's battery pack when charging and discharging.

The instruction manual notes that an empty iPhone battery can be re-charged in 3 hours when the included Li-Ion battery pack is full. When the battery pack is empty you can set the case to direct charge mode and get your iPhone recharge on straight from the power of the Sun itself!

Note that it does take a full 12 hours of direct sunlight to fully charge an empty iPhone battery, and in December that much sunlight could be hard to come by (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere). However, it is possible to charge the case's battery pack without being attached to the iPhone. So, if you are on a long flight with a window seat it's possible to charge your backup battery while watching the latest episode of Family Guy that you torrented bought from iTunes.

The case may not be the most attractive and is not to be used in conditions where it gets to be hotter than 150° F -- but these things are unimportant. You care about the environment; this is why you bought a Prius and hold the MPG record for your local hyper-miling club. Now get out there and begin harvesting all of that solar energy! Besides, there isn't a wind-powered iPhone case available... not yet, anyway.

Thanks Kirk for sending this in!

Solar powered iPhone case may not work when visiting the Sun originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Solar powered iPhone case may not work when visiting the Sun originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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