WSJ Says Verizon Will Sell iPhone Early 2011

We've certainly been down this road before, but it looks more and more like it may finally come to pass. Yukari Iwatani Kane from The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is set to release a Verizon iPhone with a Qualcomm chip as well as a CDMA radio. Bloomburg reported that Apple is preparing for 3 million of the Verizon iPhones to be mass produced in December, with a possible launch of the device as early as January 2011. There's no word on if this will be a LTE, but it's said that it will be a new fifth generation edition without the iPhone 4 antenna design.

I know that this comes as good news to many, but I have to say that I'm not one of them. I'm upset simply because had I known that this was coming, I would not have sold my cellular soul to AT&T for another 2 years. I'm well aware that this is clearly MY PROBLEM, but there is something to be said about finding this information out 4 months after the launch of the iPhone 4.

Would I have waited had I know Verizon would get the iPhone as early as January.... absolutely!!!

And I know that I'm not the only one who feels this way....... I can see a angry talk between myself and Apple very soon.

[Engadget]

iPhone Jailbreak Exploit Only Fixable Via New Hardware

The news is good for iPhone jailbreakers everywhere this morning — but for Apple? Not so much.

Just minutes after the iOS 4.1 update became available to all, iPhone hacker pod2g has revealed that they’ve discovered a new bootrom exploit, with all recently released iOS hardware seemingly being vulnerable. In less geeky words: the iPhone 4? the new iPod Touch? If it was built anytime before today, it’s theoretically jailbreakable — and there’s not a whole lot Apple can do to fix that.

[Read More from Mobile Crunch via Crunchgear]

Netfilx App Comes To iPhone

Netflix has slowly and successfully sunk its teeth into me with a great business plan from day one. Not only have they backed the once king of the rentals Blockbuster into a corner, but has taken how we view content to a whole new level. From the rent as long as you like model, to streaming instantaneously to your TV, to now streaming directly to your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad anywhere you are.

With the release of the new iPhone app today, Netflix has continued to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to content distribution methods. So now if you have a long train commute, you can fire up those 'Dexter' shows that you've wanted to catch up on. The best part of all this is that you're not confined to only Wi-Fi with this app, and can stream directly over 3G (which now that I think about it may not be that great after all).

Oh well, I'm going to tax AT&T's weak network even more with this new toy!!!

[Gizmodo]

RedEye mini – iPhone/iPod Touch Universal Remote

Now I know in the past I’ve kind of frowned on the idea of universal remotes being done on an iPhone or iPod touch, but I may have decided to turn around and say that they might be a good idea.  This seems to be a great idea.  They also have a more full featured one, that seems like overkill, but I think it stands a chance.  Now, probably the reason that I’m kind of up on the idea now is that I have an iPhone 3G that is nearing the end of its life, and I’d like to use it for more than a glorified Walkman. 

Engadget has an article here about this product, plus more pictures. 

Opera Mini approved for App Store

And the peasants rejoice!!!

In a surprise move today, Apple has actually approved the fastest (arguably) mobile web browser – Opera Mini for the iPhone platform. It will be available in the App Store for free in under 24 hours from now. This is what the CEO of Opera said in an official press release today.

Image via TechCrunch

We are delighted to offer iPhone and iPod touch users a great browsing experience with the Opera Mini App," said Lars Boilesen, CEO, OperaSoftware. “This app is another step toward Opera’s goal of bringing the Web to more people in more places.

For those who don’t know what Opera Mini is, it’s a free browser by Opera itself for cell phones. Opera Mini has been the browser of choice by millions of users due to it’s highspeed browsing and it’s amazing page rendering techniques. Opera showed off the Opera Mini on iPhone at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona this year, and it was as appealing as Opera running on any other mobile platform like Android, simply superb!

via Redmond Pie

Rumor Alert: Two New iPhones This Year?... One For Verizon?

Here is one of the most credible iPhone rumors that Verizon customers may be interested in. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is in the process of developing two new iPhones for release this year. The summer release of the iPhone 4.0 isn't a shock to anyone, but a new iPhone that runs on CDMA— which is Verizon and Sprint's network of choice is said to be set for release later in the year.

This change in plan is said to be because Apple realized Verizon's upgrade to LTE (4G Network) would take longer than expected. Previously Apple was set to release their 4G LTE iPhone to Verizon next year, but delays have set that plan back.

This seems to be good news to Verizon customers who have been waiting for the iPhone, and better news to AT&T customers who love the iPhone but want to jump ship to better service. Of course this is still just a rumor, but it at least is coming from a credible source.

[WSJ]

RedEye Turns Your iPhone/iPod Touch Into Universal Remote

If I hadn't made it clear about how I feel about my Logitech Harmony 670 Universal remote let me say now........ I hate it!!!

Not for the functionality of the remote, because that part is great. But for the buttons alone on this piece of crap, which at the very least is frustrating. Sometimes the buttons register........ sometimes not. But it is enough to make me go back to using the original remote that came with my AT&T Uverse..... That aint good!!!

So with me hearing about ThinkFlood's "RedEye" Universal remote that turns your iPhone into a remote, it certainly had my attention. It's an interesting idea that gives you a multi-touch remote that uses your Wi-Fi to control your home theater. There isn't any bluetooth support as of yet, but the best part of "RedEye" is that it has the ability to update like other apps which could bring that feature soon.

That alone makes it better than any other remote on the market.

The "RedEye" goes on sale today at a pricey $188, but with some of Logitech's remotes costing as much as $400, this might not be a bad price.

If the price does come down, this could be a must have!!!



[RedEye via Gizmodo]

There's a Map for That

This is good, and Apple must realize the customer explosion they could get if they drop the exclusive agreement in the US like they have in other countries.

Facebook App Gets A Facelift

Alrighty Facebook nuts!!!

If you have an iPhone, go get the new Facebook 3.0 version that’s available now in the app store. The version does say 2.5, but if you download it you will get the 3.0 version. Some really nice changes have been made, adding some much needed features to the app such as the video upload directly from the phone. The developers have also streamlined the look, and made it much easier to use.

[Gizmodo]

Some will agree, others... Looks like a flame war

Most folk love them some iPhone; but maybe not the kind of love they once had... In fact, maybe folks are starting to think Apple is monopolizing in that market as bad as Microsoft ever did; if not worse. Read on for such an opinion. Good read by the way.

GTA clone for iPhone and iPod Touch

Gangstar: West Coast Hustle -- "an enhanced port of [Gameloft's] 2006 mobile handset title" -- for the iPhone is essentially "a fully 3D take on the [GTA] formula, set in an expansive world (Los Angeles)." Continue reading for the video.

On the audio front, Gameloft definitely didn't skimp. A total of four different radio stations can be accessed with each vehicle's radio: rock, latino, techno, and hip-hop

 

Check out the full story here.

[via TouchArcade]

Talk about personalizing your iPhone!

Ok, now this one is seriously got me thinking about Jailbreaking my iPhone.

Hilarious!!!

[Gizmodo via imgur]

Gonna have to upgrade to this

After your fourth or fifth time ending up in a ditch or a swimming pool or a tree while attempting to find a good FM frequency to push your iPod tunes to your car stereo, you're likely looking for a better way to live. (I had to change at least 10 times driving for one hour in Chicago this weekend). Lucky for you, Belkin has been hard at work over-engineering the problem to death, and has finally emerged with the new TuneCast Auto Live FM Transmitter. The device is "specifically compatible" with iPhone OS 3.0, and pulls GPS data from the phone to figure out the clearest FM frequency to use based on "geographical" data and on the recommendations of other local users. It's all controllable from the iPhone interface with the free ClearScan Live app, which reduces device juggling, but the unit also works with the iPod touch, iPod classic and iPod nano. It'll be available early this fall for $80.

[via Engadget]

Might be my next keyboard

IH-K230MB
iConnect Media Keyboard

Dock your iPod or iPhone in the keyboard and easily transfer music, photos, videos, applications and more with iTunes. The built-in dock has a cover which slides flat on the keyboard when it's not in use to maintain the keyboard's stylish and sleek design.

Illuminated touch sensitive media keys allow you to shuffle your playlist and control your media with a glide of a finger.

2 rotating USB 2.0 ports offer quick and easy access for connecting digital cameras, printers, thumb drives, mice and more.

The rubberized wrist rest allows you to work or play in complete comfort.

Also available for the Mac

[via ihome]

Push Notification in action

iPhone OS 3.0 may not be available to the masses for a couple days yet, but that's not stopping Tapulous (nor Apple's App Store overlords, apparently) from rolling out a new version of its ridiculously popular Tap Tap Revenge that's fully ready to take advantage of push notifications right here and right now. We've taken the new build for a spin, and in brief, it works as designed -- notification times ranged from near instantaneous to just under a minute. One of our editors here was testing on a cellular connection and the other was on a SIM-less iPhone 3G running just WiFi, so it looks like this setup will work pretty seamlessly regardless of what kind of connection you happen to be enjoying / tolerating / loathing at the moment.

[via Engadget]

iPhone 3GS vs. iPhone 3G: Side By Side Comparison

So the new iPhone 3GS has been announced and if you’re like me, you’re wondering if you should upgrade from the iPhone 3G? Well Apple sure makes it simple with this new feature by feature iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS bullet point type chart. Judging from this I don’t think I’m ready to jump on board for a bump in performance, video, voice control, and a compass. My 3G still kicks ass!!!

Think I’ll wait for the iPhone 3GS2 next year!

[Apple via Gizmodo]

iPhone OS 3.0 out June 17th

Apple is launching iPhone OS version 3.0 next week, bringing with it a slew of new features, including cut and paste, undo, MMS support and more. But what about the gaming features?

We already knew that Apple would allow for in-application purchases, ushering in the era of microtransactions via add-on game packs and other downloadable types of content. iPhone OS 3.0 also adds new options for developers to tap into other new features, including new "push" notification technology, Google Maps availability in any application, peer-to-peer support for paid apps and much, much more.

Two iPhone game developers, Gameloft and ngmoco, showed off playable apps that take advantage of these new features.

Gameloft's Asphalt 5 takes advantage of peer-to-peer functionality by adding multiplayer over Bluetooth. It also lets players tap into their own music collections by accessing custom soundtracks directly from your iPod library.

ngmoco's Star Defense, just released today, will be one of the first games to take advantage of in-app purchases. iPhone owners can download new galaxies adding "hundreds of hours of gameplay."

[via Kotaku]

UPDATE:  Well, US iPhone users, guess what.  AT&T will not be supporting MMS for the iPhone.  I guess they need a way to charge me even more than for my data and text message plan.  I’d been pretty happy with my AT&T service for the past few years, but this may be the proverbial straw.

Palm Pre Has A Release Date

June 6th is the release date for the newly anointed “iPhone killer” called the Palm Pre. And now people will finally have a decent reason for staying with Sprint……. At least for now. The Pre will set you back $199 after a $100 mail-in rebate, (I hate mail-in rebates!!!) and after you sell your cellular soul for 2 years to Sprint.

Think it’s a cawinky dink that the release date is 2 days before Apple’s WWDC keynote?

I get the feeling that Apple isn’t too worried.

[Engadget]

Trent Reznor Of NIN Tears Apple Apps Process A New One

I absolutely love NIN frontman Trent Reznor, as only a straight guy can love another man. Not only because he makes really good music, but because this guy knows his tech like no other musician (sorry John Mayer). Case in point is when Trent comes off the top rope on Apple and their ridiculous App approval process. Apple recently rejected a NIN application because of “risqué content” , and that sent Reznor over the edge with this NSFW posting on his podcast:

“You can buy The Downward Fucking Spiral on iTunes, but you can't allow an iPhone app that may have a song with a bad word somewhere in it. Geez, what if someone in the forum in our app says FUCK or CUNT? I suppose that also falls into indecent material. Hey Apple, I just got some SPAM about fucking hot asian teens THROUGH YOUR MAIL PROGRAM. I just saw two guys having explicit anal sex right there in Safari! On my iPhone!”

As crude as he is…… He has a point. Check out the rest of the statement below:

“Everyone - let me be clear. I love Apple products and as goofy and out-of-touch as their app approval process / policy is, I will still use them because they work 1000X better than the competition. This is not a debate, it's a fact. The iPhone is THE most elegant, modern smartphone at this point in time and it's perfect for what we want to do with the NIN app - except for the ludicrous approval process, and that's what I want to draw attention to. Android is cool, but nobody has an Android phone. Blackberry is OK but the hardware is inconsistent and WinMo straight-up sucks balls. If Apple doesn't get it together, we will most certainly make it available to the jailbreak community. I didn't invest in this app to see it languish on the sidelines from an idiotic policy while this tour is in full swing. “

I do find it interesting that Apple doesn’t have a problem with NSFW applications such as Twitter and other questionable apps, not to mention the fact that you can buy explicit lyrics songs on iTunes. Why not just have Adult sections of the app store that you must be over 18 to download instead of rejecting these types of apps? By rejecting them, Apple opens itself up to criticism of hypocrisy, and rightfully so.

Do yourself a favor Apple…. Stop trying to be our Moms!!!

[Gizmodo]

UPDATE: Straight from the twitter account of the man himself, the NIN iPhone app has been approved and will be available sometime later today "unchanged" from the version that Apple found objectionable.
So, it appears that Apple has caved in to the criticism, further illustrating that their approval system is all kinds of messed up. All that aside, I'm just happy it's on it's way. [Twitter]

$ims 3 for the iPhone $creens

EA Mobile have released some new screens from the upcoming SIMS3 for iPhone. The game was shown in detail at the iPhone SDK/OS3.0 event. It looked pretty good, and included micro transaction features of the the new SDK.

If you didn’t see this coming, let’s do the math. iPhone / iPod Touch sales : 37 million and counting.  Sims franchise units sold : 100 million.  App store apps sold/downloaded : 1 billion.  If that is not a money printing press, I don’t know what is.

[via iPhone Games Network]