iPhone News Feeds

Monday, March 31, 2008 — 11:47 p.m. — at my desk

Just read a fascinating article over at my favorite international Web site — the CBC — and think there’s something potentially exciting in it.

We talk about how Rogers is the only game in town in Canada and how Canadians are almost held hostage to high data rates and the lack of an official iPhone.

But what if AT&T — or T-Mobile — was going to change the cellular landscape in Canada?

According to the article, either firm may be backing an auction application lodged earlier this month by unknown company Niagara Networks. The company, which has no operations in Canada, surprised the industry when it appeared on a list of applicants for the wireless spectrum auction that begins May 27.

The CBC says that Niagara has applied to bid on all the spectrum being auctioned and that requires $881 milliion in credit. Observers say a company would need the backing of a major company in order to achieve so much credit.

And, AT&T said they wouldn’t comment. T-Mobile said the same. Verizon and Sprint flatly said it wasn’t them involved.

So this is a case where one has to ask … is a no comment the same as a no?

If there’s a truth to this story and it’s AT&T or T-Mobile — it’s likely one and not both — that are interested in putting one foot into Canada’s strange wireless landscape, then Rogers may lose the upper hand it currently holds as the only major GSM provider in the country.

AT&T actually used to own part of Rogers once upon a time but decided to get out of Canada. I like Canada. I say AT&T should come back and visit, bring the iPhone and become the national savior for iPhone users.

Check out the article for yourself and feel free to post your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for calling.

Evidence for a 3G iPhone is mounting at an alarming rate. First there is the next iPhone firmware which won’t be released until the WWDC, which supports the idea that there is likely to be a new version of the iPhone hardware released to coincide with the new firmware.

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Monday, March 31, 2008 — 2:17 p.m. — at my desk

According to Gizmodo, the 2.0 iPhone software will feature a standalone contacts application. This is obviously something that many of us have been asking for and now puts the iPhone on par with the iPod touch.

You can read the full article at Gizmodo here.

This goes back to the one thing I mentioned in earlier posts — what you’ve seen so far in terms of the new software isn’t necessarily what you are going to get. There will likely be surprises — and perhaps shockers in terms of features you see now not making the cut. That happens a lot on the Mac OS — there are still some features that have been talked about that haven’t seen the light of day.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for calling.

Sturdy-jawed tech tyke and PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster has been stirring up rumors again with his latest prediction that Apple will launch a “budget” iPhone at the beginning of 2009, priced between $200 and $300, as part of a rapid expansion plan designed to drive sales over the next two year.  Expecting the lower-cost model to hit stores by the end of January 2009, Munster suggests that by that point Apple will have three distinct smartphones in the iPhone range, one of which will be the 3G iPhone and another the company’s attempt to move beyond the $400 price point.  It’s possible that this higher-cost iPhone could be the much-rumored iPhone-style tablet, although Munster did not suggest that in his report.

“The iPhone is the driver with the greatest potential.  We believe the iPhone will replace the iPod as a driver of significant growth for the company” Gene Munster, analyst, PiperJaffray

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Monday, March 31, 2008 — 11:40 a.m. — on my couch

No matter my general feeling about analysts and their predictions, today’s information from Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray brings up a very good point.

He’s reporting that Apple will soon have more than one model of iPhone. 2 or 3. One possibly even low-cost and that this would boost total sales exponentially in 2009.

He’s right about one very important thing … Apple is NOT a one-model company. Not really in anything they sell. It makes sense that there’s one basic iPhone and iPod touch — except for the memory — because both products are new.

But look at where the iPod was in the beginning. There was one. And now there are … well, there are a lot. And there have to be. Because people willing pay several hundred dollars should get big storage and people who only want to spend $49 should be able to enjoy an iPod too.

Now I’m not saying we’ll have a $49 iPhone anytime soon, but I am saying that the days of 1 iPhone will quickly come to an end. Whether we have 3 iPhones that look identical with different insides (3G, no 3G, etc.), or we have an iPhone nano, soon there will be a line to choose from.

And then … oh boy are we going to have to make a choice. For a while, I had every model of iPod. I don’t now. I stopped a few years ago when I realized I didn’t need that many. But right now … the thought of there being an iPhone model out there that I don’t own makes me stomach hurt.

Obviously, your individual needs and financial aspirations will be your driving factor. But what do you see? Do you see yourself with just one iPhone? Do you see yourself with a collection of iPhones? You can’t use more than one at a time — at least not now — more on that down the road — but maybe you still want to own a piece of everything.

Exciting. Very exciting to think about.

Thanks for calling.

Monday, March 31, 2008 — 10 a.m. — on my couch

There’s Hot Pockets (filled with delicious fillings and cheese) and then there’s Life. In your pocket.

I was talking with a good friend of mine last night and he was asking me stuff about what’s next for the iPhone.

And sure, we know there’s 3G and the SDK, but that doesn’t answer the burning and bigger question — what’s really next?

I have two areas that I would like to concentrate on now.

When I was talking to my friend via IM, I wrote the following: Life. In your pocket. And I then wrote … that could eventually be Apple’s slogan for the iPhone. Life. In your pocket. You’ll see why in a second.

3G’s march around the globe
3G may not be everywhere, but neither is EDGE/GPRS … and Apple knows this because Apple is obviously coordinating with new countries all the time to bring in the iPhone.

So rather than agreeing to work with Apple on an outdated network, it’s safe to assume that at least some countries are waiting for the 3G iPhone before moving forward. Japan, for example, had nearly 30 million 3G subscribers in 2005. Several networks there have actually made complete switches from 2G to 3G networks so EDGE isn’t even an option there.

I think that once Apple announces the 3G iPhone, whenever it is, that you’ll see a bunch of countries get on board. I know that sounds obvious, but I think that’s the main reason why the rollout is so slow …

The above statement doesn’t go for Canada … that’s a whole different problem, sadly.

.mac syncing and Wi-Fi
So back to Life. In your pocket.

I love the way the iPhone syncs. The dock is cool. But I don’t think this is the way Apple should think different — and think for the future.

I think Apple needs to do 2 very important things to bring the Life. In your pocket slogan to life. (1).mac syncing and (2) Syncing over Wi-Fi.

Just imagine for a second. If Apple opened up .mac syncing in the next iPhone and created a way to sync via Wi-Fi, you’d never have a reason to take everything you need with you. You wouldn’t necessarily need to keep it on your iPhone, but you could keep it on .mac and download it onto your iPhone anywhere there’s a hotspot.

I can just see the ads now. Life. In your pocket. This would really be the first step in allowing it to happen. That along with the capability to pair a wireless bluetooth keyboard with your iPhone and we’re good to go.

What do you think …. are you buying the whole Life. In your pocket idea?

Let me know. Thanks for calling.

Arch iPhone hacker Zibri has announced version 3.0 of his nifty ZiPhone unlocking software, with a number of usability and problem-fix tweaks.  Still a free download for anybody unhappy with their iPhone being tied to one carrier, ZiPhone now takes care of problems with WiFi functionality after unlocking, allows for customised plugins and adds an embedded app installer. 

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Sunday, March 30, 2008 — 10:32 p.m. — at my desk

Tonight, as I was reading everything in the Chicago Tribune over the weekend, I came across a very interesting column by always entertaining columnist Mary Schmich.

Her column, Envisioning what 2040 holds for city, is a look at what students from Whitney Young High School in Chicago think the world and Chicago will be like in 2040.

And while there are some great and intriguing answers, like sewage will be used as household fuel. there’s one that obviously stood out to the staff’s iPhone blogger:

And almost no one, they said, will use the phone for speaking. Even now, they think it’s strange to see people talk on the phone instead of text.

You know, I can’t say I disagree.

I have the cheapest amount of minutes possible on an AT&T-iPhone plan and I have plenty (read: a boatload) of Rollover Minutes. It’s because I text much more than I talk, and I still don’t go over about 500 texts.

I think it’s safe to say that our cell phones will be drastically different that what we use today, but as far as talking on them … I would agree with the kids in this case.

What do you think? What do you envision for the iPhone of 2040?

Thanks for calling.

Sunday, March 30, 2008 — 8:52 p.m. — at my desk

Change is inevitable, so I’ve been thinking and re-evaluating the best way to use Twitter on this site.

And while I’ll still use it as a breaking news vehicle, it’s important that I use it to its full potential.

So, starting now, you’ll see a new addition to the right rail (pictured) inviting you (read as: asking you) to Tweet what you see on my blog.

The idea is simple … if every single person who uses Twitter shares what they see on the blog with all of the people they know on Twitter, my audience grows. But my audience growing isn’t about numbers … my audience growing means a bigger and more vibrant iPhone community and that’s all I’ve ever really wanted from this blog.

Tweeting to someone else via iPTIB could not be easier. You literally click on the link, sign into Twitter and you are good to go. You do need a Twitter account, so I suggest you sign up if you don’t have one – it’s just a great thing to have even without this blog.

Hopefully, the people who check it out on your recommendation tell their friends and everyone ends up coming back for more.

Other things I’m thinking about include sending all posts to Twitter. That way, all of the people in the Twitter Army can share with their Twitter friends and that’s just one more way we can grow the community. Although I’m already hearing that that might be overkill, so I’ll be thinking long and hard before making such a drastic change.

Let me know your thoughts on this please, as your opinion means a lot of course.

Thanks for calling.

Mac OS X version of “Pwnage Tool” has been delayed until sometime next week. Apparently, legal inquiries were made to the DevTeam about the validity and legality of the contents of the tools. I knew these guys were way too arrogant for their own good. So it looks like Apple has the upper hand at the moment, and if they have any say in the matter, Pwnage will grounded permanently.

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