Feature: July 2008 Archives
Author: Damon Brown
A few weeks ago, more than a million new (and old) iPhone users lined up at the Apple Store to pick up the iPhone 3G. (As you probably know, $199 for the 8 GB, $299 for 16 GB.) Considering there were more than six million iPhone users before the new 3G model, many of the previous users opted not to pick it up - not right away, at least.
There are four reasons for this, three of which are Apple's fault. First, the poor economy here in America. Second, the well-reported hiccups with the iPhone 3G initialization that left some customers waiting hours without an active phone. Third, the almost equally well-reported bump in service contract costs, an increase that could run customers as much as $1,700 more over the course of the two year commitment. Finally - that which is most important to us - Apple gave the iPhone 3G's much-hyped 2.0 software upgrade to all of us. For free. I actually missed the boat on launch day, albeit by a few hours, while waiting for iTunes to tell me when the new iPhone 3G software upgrade would be available. It won't tell you. iTunes only checks for new software about every two weeks, which means, at least in my case, I could still be waiting for 2.0. Regardless, you can check for iPhone software upgrades anytime by plugging in your iPhone and viewing the Summary screen. It will automatically go to the Summary screen, but, just in case, you can always tap the Summary tab, the first tab on the iPhone screen in iTunes.
If you were lucky enough to get one of the new iPhones before your local store sold out, you've probably already checked out the new App Store. But with hundreds of apps available and more being added every day, it can be difficult to sort through the noise and find the apps that are truly compelling. Here are 81 iPhone apps worth a look.
Click here for the full story at Datamation.
The Beijing Olympics begin in two weeks. But for Apple, the China games have already begun. The company opened a shiny new Apple store in Beijing Saturday -- the "first of many" in China, according to an Apple official. The race is on.
But is this an event Apple can win?
China is a coveted market. But so far, things aren't going well. Apple has less than 8 percent market share in China for media players, and far less than 1 percent of either PC or cell phone market share.
Although Apple has successfully launched the iPhone in more than 70 countries, China isn't one of them. The company has not yet been able to reach a deal with any Chinese carrier.
Apple's second biggest hit in China, the iPhone, isn't authorized. One Chinese analyst estimates that some 1 million Apple iPhones are currently operating on just one Chinese carrier -- China Mobile -- with a smaller number on other carriers. Most Apple "Authorized Resellers" in China sell black-market iPhones, and many even offer illegal cracking services -- a process that reportedly takes less time than activating an iPhone 3G in California.
Apple's struggle to sell iPhones legitimately in China is part of a larger problem: China is simply incompatible with Apple. Here's why.
Click here for the full story at Datamation.com.
Users have been clamoring for an instant messaging application on the iPhone. With this week's launch of the new App Store and the arrival of Apple-approved third-party apps, they're closer than they were, but still not quite there.
See here for the full story.
Activation snafus mare otherwise successful launch of iPhone 3G, the first iPhone to handle speedy 3G wireless downloads and uploads, integrate GPS, and sport firmware 2.0—with support for native software and Apple's new App Store.
The iPhone 3G is here. That's right, the wait is over.
A little over a year after shipping the first iPhone, Apple—in partnership with AT&T in the U.S and many other carriers worldwide - in 21 countries, including in a number of markets gett their first (official) taste of iPhone fever—has delivered the iPhone many wished it'd released last year.
At last, there's Wi-Fi-like cellular-wireless networking for e-mail, Web access, and other data services, vast improvement over the first-gen iPhone's 2.5G EDGE technology, and integrated GPS for location-based services. With 3G, you can surf the Web and speak on the phone at the same time. Something you couldn't do with iPhone 1.0's EDGE connection.
The iPhone 3G is also a little slimmer and lighter than first iPhone. Slightly rounded and less smooth in the back, the new iPhone is easier to get a good grip on and keep a hold of too, we've found.
A with iPhone 1.0 - since Apple nixed the 4GB model last fall - the new smartphones comes in 16GB and 8GB editions. Both in black, with a white casing option available for those who choose to go with the higher storage capacity.
Although the cost of the data plan has jumped to $30 from $20, the new iPhone sells for several hundred dollars than the first. The 8GB iPhone 3G costs $199, whereas that capacity model sold for $599 at launch last year. The new 16GB iPhone is $299. 
While the hardware refinements in the iPhone 3G are welcome, it is the new software capabilities that ship with this year's model that really set it apart from last year's. These include major changes, such as the much-touted enterprise capabilities (i.e. push e-mail through Microsoft Exchange server) and many more-modest - but still welcome - alterations, such as the ability to access Contacts from the Home Screen and not just from within the iPhone's Phone application.
The most important improvement brought to the iPhone with the new model is the ability buy and download (through iTunes or on the iPhone itself) and install official native software. The iPhone App Store, both on the device and in iTunes, is intuitive and easy to use.
And with 125 or so apps (out of the more than 500 titles already available) free, no one should lack for new software to try with their iPhone. While we expect the unofficial iPhone application market to continue (the iPhone 3G has reportedly already been unlocked and jailbreaked), there's the open question - in the face of so many official titles making its way to consumers through the App Store - as to whether it'll be as strong or as exciting to follow as when it was the only game in town.
Innovations happening on the video game front, both officially (Super Monkey Ball) and unofficially (a NEC TurboGrafx-16 console emulator); as Barnes & Noble sets up shop and Google readies improved Reader for the iPhone also.
A line ran down the street at the downtown San Francisco Apple store as Steve Jobs announced customers would have to wait an entire month for the new iPhone 3G, Mobile Me, GPS and video games at the nearby Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Some customers had reportedly been waiting for days.
July 11th has come up fast, but that didn't stopped other third-party companies from doing their iPhone modifications early. It may be a good idea to look at what else is available, as not all of the awesome products and software announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will be out exactly on Friday.
In fact, some innovations are already happening on the video game front. At the WWDC we saw Super Monkey Ball as well as a slew of other work-in-progress puzzle, action and adventure games.
The visuals were impressive and the response time seemed decent. However, the companies were rather reticent when it came to actual release dates - as in none were announced.
And as interesting as the "upcoming" titles are, the previews pale compared to the bootleg games coming down the pipe, games that, because of legal reasons, may never be available directly through Apple's distribution channels.
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Author: Joe Pawlikowski
If anyone can kill the iPhone, it's RIM.
As I've noted before here at PDAStreet, the iPhone and the BlackBerry, as currently constituted, shouldn't run into the heavy competitive issues espoused by most of the breathing press.
Yes, there's a bit of overlap, as there is with most smartphones. But overall, with Research In Motion (RIM) taking the larger chunk of the enterprise market and Apple handily eating up the consumer sector, they play to different audiences.
However, we've seen some spill-over lately.
