• apple,  iphone,  itunes,  rumors

    Rumor: iPhone OS 4 only for iPhone 3G, 3GS

    January 20, 2010 /

    BoyGeniusReport.com has some new details on what could end up being in the final version of iPhone OS 4.0, widely rumored to be either introduced or launched next week during Apple’s media event along side the fanboy insanity that could be the launch of the iTablet.

    According to BGR, the following could end up on a fruit themed smartphones near you very shortly:

    • There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
    • “A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.
    • Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.
    • The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
    • The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.

    If the iTablet does end up running iPhone OS, and I think that makes the most sense and allows Apple and their third-party developers to leverage the existing iTunes ecosystem, the changes coming in iPhone OS 4 make a lot of sense and are probably right on.

    The bad news is that that, if true, the rumor suggests that folks using the original first generation 2G iPhone will be shutout from future OS updates. Also missing from the rumor is the fate of the current pool of iPod touch owners. If the iPhone 3G and 3GS are eligible for the upgrade, it follows that the most current iPod touch would be also.

    Man, I’m suddenly not all that excited about losing access to new software updates on my first generation iPod touch and iPhone. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next week.

    [Via BoyGeniusReport.com…]

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  • apple,  iphone,  itunes

    Confirmed: Apple Event January 27th

    January 19, 2010 /

    Apple has confirmed that they will hold a media press event on January 27th at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. In the emails sent out to the media, Apple invites people to “Come see our latest creation.”

    Let the wild speculation begin. Ops! Too late! So what does Apple have in store for us? Well, the leading rumor is that Apple fill finally introduce their new tablet. At this point, we all know that Apple is doing a tablet. The only question people have is what amazing things will it do?

    Other rumors flying around the Internet today suggest that Apple will bring out iPhone OS 4.0, but not a new iPhone or iPod touch, and possibly talk about or release a new version of iLife 2010 (and if there is an iLife upgrade, rest assured that there will be an iWork upgrade sooner than later).

    Even if we only get half of what is rumored to be shown off next week, it will still be a great event!

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  • apple,  iphone,  itunes,  palm

    A History of Tablet Computing

    January 17, 2010 /

    Most smartphone fans started out life using devices referred to a “personal digital assistants”, or PDAs. Over the last 10 years, the most iconic PDA was the “PalmPilot.” Apple has reignited a second mobile computing renaissance first with the iPod, then iTunes, and most recently, the iPhone and the iPod touch. While we wait for Apple to unveil their next mobile computing platform, rumored to a new tablet computer, AppleInsider has published a very good historical accounting of mobile computing.

    “A variety of vendors have tried to deliver tablet-like products over the past two decades, but none have been a standout success. This has the tech world watching with bated breath to see if Apple can apply its aura of desirability to the tablet segment in the same way that it has managed to do in desktops, notebooks, MP3 players and smartphones.”

    Read the full AppleInsider article…

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

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  • apple,  iphone,  itunes

    Custom Ringtones for the iPhone

    January 14, 2010 /

    Someone saw me with my iPhone recently and asked how to go about converting an .mp3 file they already had in iTunes into a ringtone they could use on their iPhone. Since I haven’t activated my iPhone’s phone service, I never checked out how to make a ringtone. Sure you can buy them from the iTunes store, but it seems silly to spend extra money for a 15 second song clip after having already purchased the full song.

    Turns out that the folks at Art of the iPhone have a good tutorial on how to convert a non-copy protected song in your iTunes library into an iPhone ringtone.

    Head over to ArtOfTheiPhone.com for more details.

    [Via ArtOfTheiPhone.com…]

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  • apple,  iphone,  rumors

    Rumor: Next Gen iPhone Due Up in April

    January 13, 2010 /

    File this under the WAG rumor department, but new rumors about Apple’s next generation iPhone and iPhone OS 4 are making the rounds on the Internet.

    “The Korea Times claimed Tuesday that sources at KT said the new phone would have an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen, would feature video chat functionality, and a removable battery is “highly likely.” The report also said the new iPhone would include dual-core processors, more powerful graphics capabilities, and a superior camera.”

    I can see Apple breaking out their design kung-fu to bring us new OLED screens and even a forward facing camera for video conferencing, but a removable battery? Apple? Come on. Apple is dropping removable batteries from their MacBook and MacBook Pro note books. Can you really see Apple switching to a removable battery on the iPhone? I’m less sure about the addition of a dual core processor on the iPhone. Sure, the extra horsepower could be used in next generation 3D games, but I’m concerned with how a dual core processor will impact the battery.

    Read the full article over AppleInsider.com.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

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  • o2,  pre,  web os

    Palm webOS 1.3.5.2 Lands in Europe

    January 12, 2010 /

    Following a few short weeks after the introduction of Palm webOS 1.3.5 and 1.3.5.1 here in the US, O2 Pre customers in Europe where treated today to the Palm webOS 1.3.5.2 update.

    By and large, Palm webOS 1.3.5.1 and 1.3.5.2 appear to be identical as there doesn’t seem to be anything in the release notes that jumps out at you as being different.

    Just like the US edition, Palm webOS 1.3.5.2 includes the fix for the pesky Calendar and Exchange ActiveSync sync issue and effectively removes the application install limit that some customers who loaded their Pres up on App Catalog and homebrew apps ran into.

    For the complete list of updates included in the European Palm webOS 1.3.5.2 update, visit the Palm webOS European updates page.

    The update is available now and can be installed on your Pre smartphone by running the Updates application.

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  • verizon

    FCC Still Looking for Answers from Verizon Wireless

    January 10, 2010 /

    In the on-going back and forth over changes in the fees that Verizon Wireless charges their customers for ending their contracts before the 2-year maturation point, the FCC feels that the wireless carrier still has some explaining do to.

    During the CES show, that wraps up today in Las Vegas, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says that he is still looking for more details.

    Sinead Carew, a reporter for Reutuers, writes:

    “I thought that response raised more questions than it answered. The bureau is looking into that,” he said but declined to say what the FCC‘s next move would be in that case. Verizon Wireless had cited increasing costs for the fee hike.

    “There’s a very real level of consumer confusion around these areas,” Genachowski said.

    [Via Yahoo News…]

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  • android,  google,  web os

    Android Users Suffering from App Space Limit

    January 10, 2010 /

    Now where have we seen this issue before? Seems like folks using smartphones powered by Google’s Android operating system are caught up in the same issue that Palm webOS customers where until the release of the 1.3.5 update back on December 28.

    At issue is the fact that when you install an application on your device, the app and potentially all of its data, are stored in the phone’s memory space and not on the microSD card. This issue gets a little tricky as the app and required files can get stored in memory, but data files created by the user can be stored on the microSD card. It seems that the hacker community has some ways of dealing with this issue, however, Joe and Jane Average likely won’t be making any modifications to their phones or the Android OS just to squeeze more apps onto their phone.

    The good news is that Google has acknowledged the issue and says that they are going to address the issue in a future release of the Android OS. The only questions that I have is when will this update be released and for what versions of the Android OS and smartphones will it be released for?

    [Via EngadgetMobile.com…]

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  • web os

    Palm webOS Tip: Contacts Shortcut

    January 9, 2010 /

    I stumbled upon another webOS application shortcut.
    If you begin to type “address” or “people” on your Palm Pre or Pixi, Universal Search will find the Contacts application.

    Cool, huh?

    Here’s a quick recap of the short cuts I’ve found so far:

    add = Contacts
    date = Calendar
    sms = Messaging
    pref = Displays webOS’ “control panel” applications
    peo = Contacts

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