If you want an iPhone, but your bank balance is barely healthy enough for a splurge in the local 99p store, then an 8GB iPhone 3G is about all you’ll be able to muster. But it appears Apple is planning to give financially challenged punters the chance to get on board with the iPhone 3GS, with new leaks showing an 8GB version is on the way. Read on to find out when it’s likely to land.

The 8GB iPhone 3GS is on the way. The sneaky chaps at Boy Genius Report have snapped pics of Canadian operator Rogers’ internal memos, which claim that the the “8GB iPhone is transitioning to 3GS.”

It would make sense for Apple to have this unleashed ahead of Christmas, when punters want a new iPhone, but don’t fancy lashing out on a specced up 3GS, while at the same time not wanting to step back in time with an iPhone 3G.

Originally posted at: Mirror.co.uk

So you just got your unemployment check and have a bit of free time? Let's go to the movies then. What do you want to see? Beats me, too. Let's check what's out.

No, of course I don't have today's paper. Don't make me laugh. I've got my iPhone, though. I've got a couple of movie apps on it. Just downloaded Fandango the other day, as a matter of fact. I used Fandango all the time when my wife and I would go to the movies almost every Friday night. Of course, that was before we had kids. Good Web site, decent service.

The Fandango app for the iPhone and iPod touch is pretty solid, too. It's functional and convenient. I wish it had a few more features, but the app carries out its raison d'être with aplomb.

A movie ticket app really only needs to do two things seamlessly and well: It must let you search for movies near your location; more important, the app must let you buy the tickets with minimum effort. Most movie apps do a good job with the former by taking advantage of the handheld's GPS locator function, but trip over the latter. Fandango does both very well.

When you launch the Fandango app, you'll see a list of movies currently playing in theaters. When you find a movie that interests you, tap the listing and a window will pop up with information about stars, running time, and where the film is playing near you. Most movies will have a trailer that you can watch by tapping the movie's poster.

You can also tap the Theaters button at the bottom of the screen to browse all the features playing at your nearby multiplex. You can save your favorite theaters, which is a nice addition for creatures of habit. The app will show that day's movie times, but you can also look up times days in advance.

The difference between Fandango and, say, Flixster's Movies app ( Macworld rated 3 out of 5 mice ) is that you can enter and save your credit card information in the app itself. Once you've done that, buying tickets is a mere matter of a few taps.

I was generally kind to Flixster's Movies when I reviewed it in October, but I detested the way the app walked you through buying tickets. You ended up in Safari at Movietickets.com, trying to navigate several fields. It's an enormous pain. Fandango's solution is much simpler and more convenient.

There are a couple of clear trade-offs with Fandango's approach, however. First, if you save your credit card information in the app and you happen to lose your phone, somebody could enjoy a night at the movies at your expense. (But that's all--the full credit card number does not display.) Second, Fandango will only let you buy tickets from Regal Entertainment Group theaters and that's about all. Fandango will show you movie times for other chains, but you won't be able to purchase tickets. That might be a deal-breaker for some moviegoers.

Fandango doesn't have the frills and features of some other movie apps. The app doesn't link to news and reviews, show fan ratings or list this week's box office take. (Fandango's Web site does.) You can watch trailers for some current and future releases, but the app only lists attractions coming to theaters in the next week or two. Flixster's app, on the other hand, has trailers for movies months in advance and has a robust DVD section, too.

The bottom line: Lacking the news features of Fandango.com and putting limits on the theaters from which you can buy tickets hampers Fandango's convenience and ease of use. Here's hoping any sequel to this iPhone app turns out to be better.

Fandango is compatible with any iPhone or iPod touch running the iPhone 2.2 software update.

Originally posted at: Pcworld.com

There is no doubt about the fact that iPhone is one of the most popular cell phone out there. The argument for a longer battery life on the iPhone is relative in free iPhone 3GS terms of its user requirement. If used as a cell phone, for the primary purpose that it has been designed for, the battery life would be fine and will last probably all day. However, if someone likes to use it as portable computer which I assume most iPhone users are doing, for checking email, web browsing, playing games etc, then the battery is comparable to that of any standard notebook at best.

iPhone owners, unlike other cell phone owners, use more features on a regular basis. Use of these features considerably drain battery life. It’s not fair to blame the new hardware for the quick battery sucking of the new iPhone 3GS. The new design with all its bells and whistles aren’t the main and only culprits. Rather, it’s the software which is the main contributor for drawing the juice from iPhone 3GS batteries much faster than before. While iPhone 3.0 firmware was certainly a leap forward for Apple, with all the new features, there was also a huge disappointment with it, the battery life. Its funny how Apple didn’t add multitasking to save battery life, yet the new update with Push Notification System is doing away with battery faster.

Given due cognizance to the importance placed on improvement of features and styles, it is rather high time for Apple to continue to provide innovative and compelling devices, while recognizing the need for an improved battery strength. Apple has to explore some new battery technology to reduce the charging cycles of iPhone and moreover, needs a relook into the software side of its various applications which are significantly contributing to the excessive discharge. Apple has done hardly anything to provide relief to users to cope up with weak battery life. Moreover, iPhone’s battery is sealed inside, meaning users can’t swap it out with a fresh one while their battery is recharging thereby leaving no option but to be dud till recharging.

Apple announcement of the highly anticipated iPhone OS 3.1 firmware version is expected on September 9th where it claims improvement in the battery life. Let’s see how far Apple fixes the battery issues.

Originally posted at: Product-reviews.net

Griffin Clarifi for Apple iPhone 3G snaps on to your iPhone, and helps you capture close up shots with the Apple phone's camera.

Cameraphones may have come on in leaps and bounds, routinely packing 5Mp or even 8Mp sensors, but the Apple iPhone trails badly behind in the image-capture stakes. While it's adept at snapping bright, crisp photos that look good on its 4in screen, they don't compare with even the lowliest of digital camera shots because of their poor resolution.

Even importing iPhone photos from my recent Arizona jaunt to iPhoto showed up the device's shortcomings. Its 2Mp images were pixellated and edges jagged - it just doesn't capture enough detail.

Visit Mobile Advisor for the latest mobile phone news, reviews, tips & tricks, as well as PC Advisor's unique Apple iPhone 3G Spotlight

Visit Photo Advisor for the latest reviews of digital photography and video hardware and software, cameras and accessories. PLUS: get tips and tricks to improve your photos

Griffin addresses this problem with its Griffin Clarifi snap-on accessory for the iPhone 3G.

The Griffin Clarifi is a shiny black half-case that has a magnifying lens for use with close-up shots. This slides across the iPhone's camera lens when you want to capture a subject in more detail, rather than the whole image appearing flat and closer objects blending in to their surroundings.

Of course, this works best when you've got plenty of contrast between subject and background, good light, a steady hand - there's no getting away from the awkwardness of holding aloft your iPhone handset, using its screen to compose the shot and then pressing an onscreen camera icon to trigger the shutter.

It's also worth noting that while the Griffin Clarifi lens can bring out hitherto uncapturable detail on close-to objects, it can do nothing to improve the overall lack of detail caused by the iPhone's limited megapixel rating.

Specifications

Protective polycarbonate case; rubberised coating; built-in close-up lens; compatible with Apple iPhone 3G

Verdict

As with many iPhone and iPod accessories, the Griffin Clarifi is a one-trick pony, but if you're an inveterate snapper who doesn't want to take a 'proper' camera with them on every occasion and you routinely want to snap close-up objects, it may just be worth spending £20 on the well-built and stylish Griffin Clarifi


Originally posted by Rosemary Hattersley at PC Advisor

Another day, another promising new iPhone rumour. At this rate, if Apple doesn’t announce something iPhone shaped next week, thousands of Mac-heads may succumb to lethal amounts of disappointment. The latest speculation comes from a leaked image, belonging to Fido – a Canadian mobile network – which strongly suggests that a 4GB version of the iPhone is on its way.

Furthermore, this coincides neatly with a rumour that Engadget is reporting, namely that the new iPhone will come in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB flavours. That’s according to a trusted and obviously anonymous source.

The rumoured 4GB model stands out in particular. With the current iPhone 3G already available in 8GB, and so many other phones adopting 8GB or 16GB as a standard, it would seem odd for Apple to be taking a step back. That, however, has let to further speculation that Apple might be about to launch a lower budget handset.

Other specs visible in the leaked image suggest the 4GB model would only have a 2.0 megapixel camera – a feature Apple is also rumoured to be upgrading for the new iPhone. Could this be the first indication of the oft-speculated iPhone nano then?


Originally posted at: Mirror.co.uk

AFTER weeks of speculations, Apple finally announced the new iPhone 3GS at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference here.

Though it sports the same design as the iPhone 3G, the new iPhone 3GS will feature a host of improvements that users been asking for including copy, cut and paste functions as well as MMS support for sending photos and videos.

“The ‘S’ in the new iPhone stands for speed as we have made some significant improvements to the phone in both hardware and software,” Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide product marketing Philip Schiller said.

The new iPhone promises improved speed and performance that’s twice as fast as the current iPhone 3G.

“With the new iPhone you can render webpages quicker and launch applications faster,” Schiller said.

The iPhone 3G S will also include the new iPhone OS 3.0 update that will feature improvements such as Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard across multiple applications and the much-wanted copy and paste feature.

“On top of that, the iPhone 3G S will take advantage of the OpenGL 2.0 standard that will allow developers to create stunning looking 3D graphics mobile games for both the iPhone and iPod touch,” he added.

“We have also improved the battery life, so you can now watch more videos, listen to music and browse the Internet,” he said.

Among the new hardware improvements to the phone is a 3-megapixel autofocus camera with video-recording capabilities. The autofocus feature will allow for users to “tap to focus” — touching the display to select an area they wish to focus on.

Users can also record VGA quality videos at 30 frames per second and even perform simple video edits on phone. The video feature also makes it easy to share video clips via e-mail, MMS and YouTube.

Another new feature is voice control, which allows users to control the iPhone by simply speaking to it. Holding down the home button brings up the new voice control interface.

Using this feature, users can say a contact’s name to make a call, play songs and even ask the iPhone what song is being played.

Other features integrated into the new iPhone include a digital compass that works together with the default maps application, built-in support for Nike Plus and hardware encryption for protecting private information.

Apple said the iPhone 3G S will be available in the United States on June 19 at a suggested retail price of US$199 (RM697) for the 16GB model and US$299 (RM1,047) for the 32GB model.

The iPhone 3G S is set to be available here next month. No local pricing was available at press time.


Originally posted at: Star-techcentral.com

O2 could soon lose its exclusive deal to distribute Apple’s iPhone, it has emerged.

Theregister.co.uk, a technology website, reports that T-Mobile UK, the German-owned operator that is the fourth-biggest player in the British mobile market, is in talks with Apple about a distribution agreement for the iPhone 3G.

This would end the exclusivity that O2 has enjoyed since theiPhone was launched in Britain in 2007.

Theregister.co.uk said that the talks concerned only distribution of the iPhone 3G and that, regardless of the outcome of Apple’s talks with T-Mobile UK, O2 would retain exclusivity for the iPhone 3GS — the newer, faster model launched by Apple last month. It said that it was also possible that Orange could strike a distribution deal with Apple.

There has been speculation for months that Apple wanted to end its exclusive distribution deals for the iPhone, a move that would also hit AT&T, the handset’s distributor in the United States. Most industry analysts believe that consumer loyalty is primarily to Apple, rather than to network operators such as O2 and AT&T.

Rival operators to the incumbents in France and Germany already offer the iPhone.

The news comes two weeks after it was revealed that Vodafone and O2 have both expressed interest in buying T-Mobile UK.

Ronan Dunne, UK chief executive of O2, said yesterday that Telefónica, O2’s Spanish parent company, was watching developments with interest. He said: “We haven’t explicitly said whether we are participating in anything. To my knowledge, there isn’t a formal [sale] process go-ing on.”


Originally posted at: Times Online

Hackers have cracked the Apple iPhone 3G’s latest software 2.2 update, meaning users can “jailbreak” their phones to run any application.

Apple released new software for the iPhone 3G last Friday. The iPhone 2.2 software update adds Street View to the Google Maps application along with better directions when travelling on foot or by car, improved call quality, the ability to download podcasts over the air, and an enhanced Safari web browser with integrated search bar.

But now the iPhone Dev team, a group of coding experts, have found a way to circumvent the security features build into the latest software update, meaning iPhone owners can “hack” their handset to install a wide variety of software and applications to the device that aren’t available through Apple’s approved App Store.

Ever since the iPhone was first launched in June 2007, some users have sought to hack their handsets to run whatever programs and software they wanted. But with each new software update from Apple, owners of “jailbroken” iPhones faced the possibility that their hacked iPhone may no longer work. Teams of coders are constantly working on ways to circumvent Apple’s updates to allow jailbroken iPhone owners to continue using their devices.

Apple’s chief executive, Steve Jobs, had hoped that allowing third-party developers to create useful programs for the iPhone and sell them through the official App Store might have put paid to the “cat and mouse game” surrounding attempts to hack the free iPhone operating system. “We try to stay ahead. People will try to break in, and it’s our job to stop them breaking in,” he said.

But some iPhone owners still prefer to hack their handsets in order to access additional features and software not available on non-jailbroken phones, such as the ability to record video through the iPhone’s built-in camera, the ability to copy and paste text between applications, and even to add an external keyboard to the device for easier typing of text messages.

More than 200 million applications have been downloaded from the official Apple application store since it launched in July.

Originally posted at: Telegraph.co.uk

All this week, Macworld editors have picked their favoriteiPhone apps of the past year. And while these apps cover a diverse array of categories--entertainment, creativity, productivity, and so on--they share one common trait: All of them can be downloaded from Apple's App Store.

Alex Sokirynsky's Podcaster was barred from the App Store, but you can still install it on your jailbroken iPhone. Well, before the App Store arrived, bringing Apple-approved applications along with it, there was jailbreaking-the process of busting open the iPhone and iPod touch to allow them to run third-party applications that were definitely not approved by Apple.

While the App Store has enjoyed a great deal of popularity since its July debut, the jailbreaking community lives on and offers some very useful applications that you likely will never see from the App Store. Here are some of our favorites:

Cydia: Jay Freeman's installer application, Cydia, is included when you jailbreak your phone with QuickPwn or the PwnageTool. It's with Cydia that you download third-party applications to your iPhone or first-generationiPod touch. (Included are applications for regular folks as well as developers.

Cycorder: A free application authored by Freeman, Cycorder lets you shoot videos with your free iPhone's camera at frame rates from 6 to 15 frames per second. The resulting movies are encoded with MJPEG compression and are playable on your Mac.

Winterboard: Another Freeman creation, integrated into Cydia, the free Winterboard lets you skin the iPhone and iPod touch's interface with themes also available via Cydia.

Podcaster: This app by Alex Sokirynsky lets you stream and download podcasts directly to your iPhone or iPod touch-no iTunes required. Apple barred the controversial Podcaster from the App Store for allegedly "duplicating" functionality of the iPhone. Not to be denied, Sokirynsky began distributing it through Cydia and asking $5 per copy for his trouble. It's a polished and extremely useful application.

Snapture: If you've ever wished that your iPhone's camera behaved more like a real digital camera and let you shoot in black-and-white and featured digital zoom, timer functions, and burst mode, Snaptured.com's free Snapture is the answer to that wish.

Netatalk: Netatalk is the free iPhone/iPod touch version of the open-source implementation of the AppleTalk networking protocol. With it installed on your iPhone or iPod touch, you can gain access to the device's file system from your computer, just as you can with any other networked device. Having this kind of access is extremely helpful for moving files on and off the iPhone or iPod touch.

OpenSSH: The free OpenSSH, integrated into Cydia, provides another way into your jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch. With it installed, you can use the Secure File Transfer Protocol to get into the guts of your device.

Many of the applications that were available for jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches have disappeared and moved to the App Store now that it's open. But Cydia's catalog grows by the day-customization options, games, media readers, and utilities can be found.

Although jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod touch won't hurt it (you can always restore it to its original condition with iTunes), doing so will void your warranty. In addition, while jailbreaking won't hurt your device now, there's no guarantee that changes made to the iPhone and iPod touch's software in the future won't cause problems with a jailbroken device.

Originally posted at: PC World

Vodafone will start selling the iPhone in Britain next month, offering customers a free handset for £35 a month on a two-year contract, disappointing consumers hoping for a high-street price war over the device.

The pricing plan comes as a surprise because it does not give Britain's second-biggest mobile phone company a competitive advantage, especially on an 18-month deal, where it is slightly more expensive than its rivals.

"I don't think this is about a price war – I think this is a network quality war," said Vodafone UK's chief executive, Guy Laurence. "At the end of the day, customers will seek out the best deal and we are competitive, but it is about the quality of the network. We have spent a year optimising the network for the iPhone.

"It's very simple: now you can get the iPhone on a network you can rely on."

The arrival of the iPhone on Vodafone brings the number of mobile phone companies supplying the device in Britain to four. Vodafone customers who register interest before it goes on sale on 14 January will get free calls to other Vodafone users for the life of their initial contract.

Orange started selling the iPhone last month, ending O2's two-year exclusive grip on the handset, then Tesco arrived this month, complicating matters by opting for 12-month contracts and demanding consumers shell out several hundred pounds for the device itself.

Vodafone's "entry-level" prices for the iPhone over 18 months are about £15 more expensive than Orange and O2, while Tesco does not offer an 18-month contract.

Vodafone's entry-level prices over two years are about £40 cheaper than O2 but almost £75 more expensive than Orange. Different handsets, however, have been pitched by different networks at different price points and with varying bundles of texts and minutes.

The basic iPhone 3G is cheapest with Orange over 18 months, at £624.98, and with Tesco over two years – provided consumers renew their 12-month contract – at £702. But most consumers are likely to want the 16GB version of the faster iPhone 3GS. That is cheapest with Tesco, where it costs £800 over two years for consumers who renew their 12-month contract.

The 16GB iPhone works out at £829.64 for Orange customers, £869 on Vodafone and £909.35 on O2.
Variety of packages
But the packages on offer are very different.

For that price, Tesco offers £60 of calls and texts a month – which works out at about 600 minutes or 1,200 texts – while Vodafone offers 300 minutes and unlimited texts per month and O2 gives customers 600 minutes and 500 texts. In stark contrast, Orange offers just 150 minutes and 250 texts.On the face of it, Tesco and Vodafone offer better '"value'" than Orange or O2 on the iPhone 3GS 16GB over two years. Some people have been put off Tesco Mobile, however, by the fact that it uses O2's network to run its service and the company has been suffering network capacity issues in recent months, especially in London.

With Britain's newest network, 3, having made it plain that it wants to get its hands on the iPhone but unlikely to get it for several months and with T-Mobile having counted itself out of the race for the device for the foreseeable future, the arrival of Vodafone completes the range of choices for UK consumers.

Vodafone is offering all three versions of the iPhone on 18-month and 24-month contracts, the same as Orange and O2. Vodafone's 18-month tariff starts at £30 a month, but consumers will have to pay for their iPhones. The basic iPhone 3G – which has 8GB of memory and a 2 megapixel camera – costs £99, the iPhone 3GS 16GB – which has a 3 megapixel camera and a faster processor – costs £189 and the iPhone 3GS 32GB - which has double the memory capacity - will cost £290.

Over the length of the 18 month contract, therefore, consumers will pay £639 for the iPhone 3G, £729 for the 16GB version and £820 for the 32GB version.

The equivalent 18-month entry-level prices on O2 are £625.73, £713.82 and £803.07. For Orange the equivalent prices are £624.98, £712.98 and £802.48. To get a free iPhone 3G on Vodafone, customers must sign up to an 18 month contract at £40 a month.

Vodafone is also offering all three devices on 24-month contracts. At the basic £30-a-month contract the iPhone 3G will cost consumers £59, the iPhone 3GS 16GB £149 and the iPhone 3GS 32GB £239. Over the two-year period, therefore, consumers will pay a total of £779 for the iPhone 3G, £869 for the 16GB iPhone 3GS and £959 for the iPhone 3GS 32GB.

The equivalent prices for O2 are £822.24, £909.35 and £997.43 and for Orange they are £704.64, £829.64 and £929.64. To get a free iPhone 3G on Vodafone customers have to spend at least £35 a month on a two year contract.

Tesco started selling the device last week and while it grabbed headlines by being the first operator to make the phone available on a contract at £20 a month and lasting just a year, consumers have to pay £222 to buy the basic 3G handset or £320 for the 16GB version of the faster 3GS handset and £407 for the 32GB version of the device.

Over the life of an annual contract, therefore, the 3G phone on Tesco costs £462, the 16GB 3GS £560 and the 32GB version 3GS £647.

Expanding the price over 18 months in order to compare the Tesco deals with O2 and Orange, the iPhone 3G on Tesco costs at total of £582 over a year and a half, the 16GB 3GS costs £680 and the 32GB 3GS costs £767. All these prices are lower than the equivalent prices from O2 and Orange, but only by £35 to £40 over 18 months. Compared with Vodafone's 18 month prices, Tesco is about £130 cheaper.

It is not possible, however, to get an 18-month contract with Tesco so either customers would have to renew their 12-month contract or opt for Tesco's more expensive 24-month contract from the outset.

Doubling-up the 12-month contract leaves the 3G costing £702, the 16GB 3GS £800 and the 32GB £887 over two years.

Anyone signing up to Tesco's 24-month contract, at £60 a month, in contrast, will get the iPhone 3G and the 16GB 3GS for free – rather begging the question why anyone would want the basic 3G phone – while the 32GB version costs £50. Over 24 months, therefore the cost to a consumer of the 3G and 3GS 16GB devices would be £1440 and the 32GB £1490.

O2 sells the basic iPhone 3G for £96.89 on an 18-month contract at £29.38. The 16GB version of the iPhone 3GS is £184.98 on the same contract and the largest 32GB version £274.23. Over the year-and-a-half of the contract, therefore, the devices cost £625.73, £713.82 and £803.07.

O2 gives the iPhone 3G away for free on a 24-month contract at £34.26 a month while the 16GB iPhone costs £87.11 and the 32GB version £175.19. Over the two years, therefore, the prices for O2 are £822.24, £909.35 and £997.43.

Orange sells the basic 3G iPhone for £96.50 on an 18-month contract costing £29.36 a month; the 16GB 3GS costs £184.50 and the 32GB version £274. Over the lifetime of the contract, therefore, the three versions on Orange cost £624.98, £712.98 and £802.48. Or a mere 75p, 84p and 59p cheaper than O2.

Orange gives the iPhone 3G away free on a 24-month contract at £29.36, while the 16GB version of the 3GS costs £125 and the 32GB costs £225. Over the two years, therefore, the prices for Orange are £704.64, £829.64 and £929.64.



Originally posted at: The Guardian