ABC’s Nightline Tours Inside Apple’s Factories in China

Look at the back of your iPhone. Like most things around you, it says, “Assembled in China”. Not a big shock, but due to the size of this factory (Foxconn), when bad things happen, like suicides and explosions, they get more media attention. I’m all for the audits and making things right and so here is ABC’s video of their tour and what they saw: [Read more…]

Apple Tablet Live Blog

Apple iPhone SchoolToday I will be live blogging during the Apple event. I’m going to do it a little different from the past. I’m not going to attempt to write every little thing that happens on this one post. I will be taking notes from the event and then, later, writing full articles about each point. What we’ll be doing during the events is tweeting and live streaming both major iPhone and Tablet announcements and sharing our comments. There will be a live video feed from me and an area where you can either live chat (type), comment in the post, or reply via twitter.

We will also be tweeting as much info as possible from our @iphoneschool twitter account for those of you on mobile devices.

Link to Live Stream of Event: http://www.ustream.tv/leolaporte

Video Stream of Live Blog

view on ustream.tv

Chat

Hightlights

Name: iPad
Price: $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32 GB, $699 for 64GB. Add $130 to each model for 3G chip.
3G: available from AT&T, 250MB a month for $14.99 or Unlimted for $29.99 a month. No contract, includes AT&T wifi hotspots, unlocked, no voice.
On Screen Keyboard
1GHz Processor
10 hour battery life, 1 month standby
Runs all App Store Apps, some in full screen with more features. SDK out now.
Main apps rewritten for iPad: Mail, Photos, Browser, Contacts, Calendar, Maps, YouTube, iTunes
New Apps: iBook Store, iWorks ($9.99 per app)
Physical Specs: 1/2 inch thick, 9.7 inch screen, 1.5 lbs, 9.56 high x 7.47 inches wide.
Connectivity: 3G, Wifi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
Other hardware: A-GPS, Digital Compass, microphone, speaker, volume rocker, mute switch, headphone jack, 30pin connector, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, home button.

Photos

iPhoneography.com – iPhone Photography and Videography Blog

##ICON_NAME## I’ve really gotten into iPhone photography lately. Really, I’ve always loved the quality of the iPhone camera but with the new touch to focus, autofocus and video features I’ve really started using my iPhone over other cameras due to accessibility. With my iTunes gift card for Christmas I bought a lot of apps that are for photography or videography. I’ll be sharing my reviews soon but I wanted to share a website with you that I like to check in on about photography and the iPhone. [Read more…]

AT&T To Allow VoIP Apps (Skype) on Network (Including iPhone)

AT&TPreviously, AT&T and Apple had an agreement that AT&T would not allow apps like Skype to run on AT&T’s network. They could only run on Wifi, probably to lessen the load on the system. Today, AT&T sent a letter to the FCC stating they “informed Apple that, effective immediately, AT&T consents to Apple enabling third-party VoIP applications for the iPhone that use our wireless network, including our 2G and 3G capabilities.” Now you can use Skype any time without using your minutes. It most likely will not work immediately but require an update to the apps or iPhone firmware via iTunes.

Vonage just announced their app for the iPhone yesterday that allows discounted international calls. AT&T’s recent announcement doesn’t seem to have effected the status of the Google Voice application. [Read more…]

Visual Search of iPhone Apps by Bing

BingA friend of mine sent me a link tonight to a Bing.com visual search result of “Top iPhone Apps”. It’s pretty sweet and when you click on an app, it takes you to a search result page for that app. Most of the results are reviews for that application. You can sort the apps by category, price, publisher, price range, & release date. The search uses Microsoft Silverlight so you’ll have to install that first if you haven’t already (and of course, like flash, Silverlight doesn’t work on the iPhone). This allows for a pretty sweet visual experience as apps move around all fancy while you sort them.

The weird thing is Microsoft just released their Zune HD which is a direct competitor to the iPhone and iPod touch. Microsoft is probably just being smart and accepting that the iPhone rocks and that they can monopolize on app search results. You can get to the search page here: bing.com [Read more…]

AT&T to Launch iPhone MMS on September 25th!

##ICON_NAME## Finally, AT&T has released an actual date on when we will see MMS for the iPhone. AT&T plans to roll out MMS for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers on September 25th! The update will be enabled through a software update on September 25th! YAY for September 25th!

Though, you will notice that the Press Release says nothing about tethering… grrrrr. View full press release below.

Press Release:

We know many of our iPhone customers are eager for an update on our rollout schedule for Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). We’ve been working for the past several months to prepare our systems and network to ensure the best possible experience with MMS when it launches – and that launch date is: September 25 for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers. MMS will be enabled through a software update on that day.

We know that iPhone users will embrace MMS. The unique capabilities and high usage of the iPhone’s multimedia capabilities required us to work on our network MMS architecture to carry the expected record volumes of MMS traffic and ensure an excellent experience from Day One. We appreciate your patience as we work toward that end.

We’re riding the leading edge of smartphone growth that’s resulted in an explosion of traffic over the AT&T network. Wireless use on our network has grown an average of 350 percent year-over-year for the past two years, and is projected to continue at a rapid pace in 2009 and beyond. The volume of smartphone data traffic the AT&T network is handling is unmatched in the wireless industry. We want you to know that we’re working relentlessly to innovate and invest in our network to anticipate this growth in usage and to stay ahead of the anticipated growth in data demand, new devices and applications for years to come.

We thank you for your business and look forward to keeping you updated on our initiatives.

Apple Changing US iPhone Carrier?

Apple According to a recent article by AppleInsider, there is evidence that the iPhone might be available through other carriers, besides AT&T, within a year!

Gene Munster, senior research analyst with Piper Jaffray, predicts that Apple will announce new carriers in the summer of 2010. [Read more…]

8GB iPhone 3GS Confirmed?

##ICON_NAME## Last week, I wrote about a rumor that strongly indicated the release of an 8GB iPhone 3GS. Well, it seems that the guys over at MacRumors have confirmed this rumor. Apparently, on Roger’s website, there is now a comparison of the iPhone 3GS that includes an 8GB version of the phone. So I guess that the leaked Rogers internal memo from last week was the real deal!

Read full post HERE. [Read more…]

An 8GB iPhone 3GS Coming Soon?

Apple The guys over at the BoyGenuisReport say that they have had a few tips recently indicating that Apple is gearing up to release an 8GB iPhone 3GS. It seems Rogers in Canada is “in the process of shipping iPhone 3GS 8GB flavor handsets to stores.” I’m not big into unconfirmed tips and what not but, it seems the they do have a few images that are slightly more convincing.

The info in the image (which apparently looks to be some sort of memo) says:

Rogers has now launched the iPhone 3GS in 8GB Black (120080). Effective immediately, this will be ordere… (120050). In order to complete a smooth transition over to the new piece, inventory levels of the 3G version v… out of stock of an 8GB model. Please keep in mind that we are aiming to reduce our inventory levels signific… model and would ask that as you receive the new SKU that you continue to sell out of the older version prior…

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this strategy, please email…

Thank you all ahead of time for your help in making this a smooth and easy transition.

Transition du Rogers 8GB vers le 3GS

8gb3gs 8gb3gs2

See full article HERE.

iPhone SMS Bug Released Today – Leaves all iPhones Vulnerable to Attack

SMS Bug According to Forbes, today two researchers Charlie Miller and Collin Mulliner plan on releasing a bug in the iPhone SMS during the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas. The bug is said to allow a person to take over an iPhone via SMS.

“Using a flaw they’ve found in the iPhone’s handling of text messages, the researchers say they’ll demonstrate how to send a series of mostly invisible SMS bursts that can give a hacker complete power over any of the smart phone’s functions. That includes dialing the phone, visiting Web sites, turning on the device’s camera and microphone and, most importantly, sending more text messages to further propagate a mass-gadget hijacking.” [Read more…]

Wall Street Journal Interviews iPhone Hacker

##ICON_NAME## I know, many of you have probably already read this article but, it’s an interesting read so I have to post it. The Wall Street Journal decided to interview one of the iPhone hackers, Ari Weinstein (I think that is a cover name!). Ari is not a member of the Dev-Team but is instead a member of the Chronic Dev Team (the people behind the purplera1n jailbreak). I will admit that the article gets a little confusing toward the end when they try to describe who is part of what Dev Team. Below is a snippet of the article. You can read the full article HERE. [Read more…]

Screenshots From iPhone 3GS

So I went to our local AT&T store and they had the iPhone 3GS out on display already. I took the liberty to take some screenshots and email them to myself :) The device is definitely faster and the autofocus on the camera rocked. The video looked really nice as well. Can’t wait to get mine tomorrow!

Video of the iPhone 3GS [Brasil]

appleThis was out yesterday but I forgot to post it. Nice video of the new iPhone 3GS.

I’m Eligible for $199 iPhone!

attGreat news for those of us who were supposed to pay $399 for the iPhone 3GS 16 GB. As of today, you may also be eligible. As you can see from the text message below, Yesterday I was not eligible, but today I am. Remember, you can call *639# on your iPhone and you will get a text message reply with eligibility info or visit AT&T’s website here. Also, here’s what the website shows me when I check eligibility:

iphone-3g-s-eligible

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AT&T Open Letter: iPhone 3GS Upgrade Eligibility Update

AT&TAT&T has changed it pricing for the iPhone 3GS for some customers. Please read the following press release for more info. Also, call *639# on your iPhone and you will get a text message reply with eligibility info. This info may not be accurate until tomorrow or Friday. Here’s what mine said as of today, Wednesday:

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[Read more…]