182 posts tagged “apple's iphone”
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Arn / MacRumors:
Apple:
Jefferson Graham / USA Today:
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News.com:
Margaret Kane / CNET News.com:Apple launches new iTunes with App Store
uXM For iPhone Streams XM Satellite Radio
The same guys who made uSirius
for jailbroken iPhones are back with uXM, which does exactly the same
thing except with XM. An XM subscription is necessary, but you'll be
able to listen to your stations on the toilet, in the office, in the
office toilet, or even at Starbucks—anywhere where you can get a decent
connection. Never be alone with your thoughts again. [iSmashPhone]
Gizmodo's iPhone 3G Review Matrix
How do you read three lengthy reviews at the same time, really really fast? You jump to our review matrix of the iPhone 3G, first judged exclusively by the Three Amigos of Appledom: Ed Baig of USA Today, Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal and David Pogue of the New York Times.
If you need more gritty and less nitty, check out Chen's rundown of the reviews. Or, if you have some spare time, read the Three Amigos' own unexpurgated scribblings. [USA Today, WSJ/AllThingsD, NYT]
iPhone 3G Reviews Are In
The first iPhone 3G reviews have just hit, from Walt Mossberg of the WSJ and All Things D, Ed Baig from USA Today and David Pogue from the NYTimes. No one goes deep into the app store but here's what they think:
Walt Mossberg of the WSJ has been testing it "for a couple of weeks" and sees that surfing on the faster 3G is between three and five times the speed of the original iPhone. However, Moss found that browsing on the 3G network drained his battery much faster than browsing on the original. Externally, he says the speaker was "much louder" (YES!) for both music and speakerphone, but otherwise pretty much the same as the original. One bug/feature he ran into was that you can only sync your calendar and contacts with either Exchange or your personal accounts, not both.
In Mossberg's own battery tests, he got 4 hours and 27 minutes (short of 5 hours) of talk time, which is three hours less than his test on the original iPhone. Using 3G, he got 5 hours and 49 minutes, which is slightly better than Apple's own claim. He couldn't test any apps on his iPhone 3G, but did on his old iPhone—they worked pretty much as advertised. He concludes with pretty much what we've all known: it's slightly more expensive on AT&T due to the higher price plan, but satisfies people who really need that 3G speed. What's weird is that Mossberg didn't test the GPS functionality at all, so we're left wondering how that is. [All Things D]
Ed Baig of USA Today also tested the iPhone 3G and claims both that it was worth the wait, but still not perfect. His complaints of the first one—no video capture, no Bluetooth stereo and no voice dialing—are still there. Also, AT&T's 3G coverage was nonexistent in his New Jersey home, which kinda negates the whole "iPhone 3G" thing. He notes that the new plastic backing helps reception, and the new flush headphone jack is "a welcome development." Unlike Mossberg, Baig does have something to note on the GPS. He says he was quite impressed by its accuracy when searching for pizza places while driving, and hopes that there will be a third-party add-on for turn-by-turn live directions.
Baig also says that the speaker is improved, but notes strangely that you can't directly charge the new iPhone 3G in some old accessories, such as a Bose SoundDock or a Belkin car kit. There's actually an adapter coming that will enable charging on those. Weird. He finishes up with his wishes for the next generation: Flash, Java and WMV support, removable battery and an expandable memory slot. All in all, a pretty positive review. [USA Today]
David Pogue of the NYT says that the audio quality is much improved, and notes that both incoming and outgoing sound is better than before. "In fact, few cellphones sound this good." The curved back makes the phone feel better in your hand, which is a definite plus. However, he says, the missing "standard cellphone features" from the first generation are also missing from this one. He hopes that the third-party Apps from the iPhone App Store will help fill in the gaps, but some of the ones we've seen—finding parking spots, free phone calls at Wi-Fi hotspots, random restaurant recommender, expense tracker, Etch-a-Sketch and tip calculator—don't exactly make up for the missing MMS, video recording and cut and paste features. Pogue also noticed the GPS does not support turn-by-turn navigation.
Pogue doesn't have much else in the way of benchmarks or impressions, but comes off seeming like he really likes the phone because of the iPhone 2.0 software; something old iPhone owners will be able to get for free. [NYT]
Notes: We have to say that Mossberg's review was the best in terms of completeness (save for the GPS omission). Normally, Newsweek would have a review up for the iPhone along with these three guys, but both they and Wired don't have an early review. This, we think, is because Steven Levy (the old Newsweek guy) at Wired, and Fake Steve Jobs (who hasn't quite started at Newsweek) didn't get the nod from Apple. We had our own hands on with the phone back at WWDC, which covers a lot of the exterior hardware elements as well as some of the software details.
3G iPhone Case Shows Thicker, Curvier Backside (and Front-Facing Camera Too?)
This
isn't the first time we've heard that iPhone case manufacturers have
gotten an early peek at the 3G iPhone, but this rendering on XSKN's
site for the EXO mask iPhone 3G is obviously a bit more detailed than the rough sketches from a couple weeks ago. It lines up with them though, as well as what we've heard earlier:
It's a bit thicker, with a more pronounced curve to the back, though
it's hard to tell if the headphone jack is flush now. The earpiece hole
spans almost the whole width of the phone—could it be for a front-face
camera? Apply the usual skepticism here, but this could be plausible,
given that cases will have to be ready in time for launch, so
manufacturers likely already have the specs. [XSKN via Mac Rumors]
Native Orb App Brings Live TV to Your iPhone
The
OrbLive streaming media app is for everyone who is sick of waiting for
a Sling Mobile client on their iPhone. As you may (or may not) know,
Orb pulls files off your PC and streams them to any device with an app
or web browser capable of accessing the Orb interface. From there you
can stream music, video files, and if you have a TV tuner card, live
TV. While Orb was previously accessible via Safari, this new, official
app is supposed to be an easier, more intuitive way to get your media
on the go. It does require a jailbroken iPhone, however. Check out the
video of the client in action. [Orb via Register Hardware]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW7Q51Ma22o
100+ iPhone 2 Designs I Guarantee Steve Jobs Won't Unveil Anytime Soon
I recently challenged you all to come up with the most ridiculous iPhone 2 concept designs possible,
and boy oh boy did you ever deliver. What you're about to see is over
100 of the most impractical, nonsensical and flat-out retarded
cellphone designs the world has ever seen. No, you won't be seeing any
of these on stage at WWDC next month and you certainly won't see them
at the Apple store, but hopefully the sheer insanity and creativity of
your fellow readers will tide you over until the real thing drops.
Enjoy.
None of These are the 3G iPhone
NBC Streaming Full Episodes of 30 Rock and the Office to iPhones (for Free, No Ads!)
Even though there's no love lost between NBC and iTunes,
that doesn't mean NBC doesn't love you! At least if you've got an
iPhone or iPod touch. They're streaming full episodes of 30 Rock and
The Office to iPhones (and touches) in QuickTime, for free, with NO
ads. They work, nicely, but the major catch is that if you exit Safari,
you've gotta re-DL all over again, and the files are huge, so is this
Wi-Fi only, really. This looks weird for NBC, but it's really not.
They're putting their shows out online in a million different ways (you can even download 30 Rock, The Office, Conan and Leno direct to your desktop now) and more than happy to pipe 'em to you, as long as it's in a controlled sandbox of some sort. NBC Direct requires a walled-garden player install with loads of DRM, and they wanted copyright controls from Apple and Microsoft to give just two examples, not to mention Hulu. It's sorta surprising that the QuickTime feed for iPhone is unprotected, but theoretically it's restricted to two devices. You know, if they'd just relax a bit, overall, they'd be in a good place online. [Silicon Alley Insider, Thanks Peter!]
The True iPhone Anti-Christ Is Here! Repent!
And
I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder: One of the four beasts
saying: "Come and see." And I saw. And behold, the definitive iPhone
knock-off! 99%-exactly like the real thing except for the front and
back cameras, and the sign of the Anti-Christ: the inverted Apple!
Right after the iPod touch clone.
Is this Alpha's and Omega's Kingdom come? Was Dr. Venkman right when he
said we are headed for a disaster of biblical proportions, fire and
brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling, 40 years
of darkness, the dead rising from the grave, human sacrifice, dogs and
cats living together, and mass hysteria? Probably, as it runs Windows
Mobile 6.0.
According to the manufacturers, this thing has Windows Mobile 6.0 built in, with:
All that with 128MB of ROM, 64MB of RAM, and a 200MHz TI OMAP850. And despite the cameras, the Anti-Christ also runs on EDGE/GPRS networks, not 3G, just like the JesusPhone. [Solomobi —Thanks Kennetic]TOUCH FLO smart operation interface and real-time sliding interface [what?] dynamic Screen technology (realize sensitive operation with distance, light and movement. Such as: auto cross screen when browsing web and watching movie/photo, auto shut down the screen light when phone closing to face after connection, etc.) Super large 3.2" touch LCD, built-in OFFICE softwares, real-time send/receive E-MAIL/MSN/QQ2007. Super E-map (can realize GPS satellite navigation with external GPS receiver). Unique memory card encryption technology to prevent information leakage!
Ken / Mac Daddy World:
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines: