iPhone News Feeds

Thursday, May 1, 2008 — 1:37 a.m. — at my desk

Happy 1st of May everyone. There have been a bunch of rumors out tonight and one caught my eye — iPhones coming in different colors.

This particular rumor says black, white and red. I don’t buy the white because it seems as though Apple is moving away from white, although it’s always been my favorite.

So, that said, if Apple offers you three color choices when you buy your new iPhone, tell me which color you’d choose?

Thanks for calling.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 — 7:30 p.m. — at my desk

You know the ringtone … the simple one that’s at the end of just about every iPhone commercial? It’s nowhere to be found, it seems, and you can’t even buy it on iTunes.

But … if you have a Mac and iLife 08, you have it. You’ll find it at this path: /Library/Audio/Apple Loops/Apple/iLife Sound Effects/Work – Home/Cell Phone Ringing.aif

From there’s it’s actually pretty simple to get it into GarageBand (Mac only, again, sorry)

Thanks for calling.

Here’s what you need to do it:
*GarageBand 4.1.1 or later
*iTunes 7.5 or later
*iPhone with software version 1.1.2 or later

To create a custom ringtone
1. Set up a cycle region that covers the area you wish to use in the GarageBand song. Note: This area must be 40 seconds or less in length. A cycle region means you select the arrow icon next to the play icon, and that indicates a repeated loop. Once you select the region, you will be presented with a yellow bar that you can manipulate in length. It is this bar that contains your 40 seconds of ringtone.

2. Once the cycle area has been set, choose Share > Send Ringtone to iTunes. It takes about 5 seconds to move to iTunes, and iTunes automatically comes up to show you its done. Then you sync and voila! That’s it. It’s easy and the way ringtones should have been since the beginning.

Troubleshooting
*If there are any issues creating or syncing ringtones, here are some suggestions:
*If the Share — Send Ringtone to iTunes menu item in GarageBand is dimmed, make sure that you have iTunes 7.5 or later. If you have an earlier version, use Software Update to get the latest version.
*If you see an error message that indicates your ringtone was not copied when you synced your iPhone, make sure that the iPhone has software version 1.1.2 or later.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 — 7:21 p.m. — at my desk

Apple has one of those how-to articles in its support section that’s pretty darn useful if I do say so myself.

I get people asking me all the time about restoring their iPhones. This article covers restoring, backing up, syncing and when to do one over the other.

Much recommended reading here.

Thanks for calling.

Take one pretty generic spring-loaded PDA holder, one bicycle handlebar clip and some zeitgeist branding and you get the iPhone Bike Mount Holder.  Ostensibly an ideal way to both watch movies while cycling and to crash into cars and railings, USBfever are suggesting that it might be safer to just use it to play music during your eco-friendly, thigh-chafing commute.  They also claim the mount is “quakeproof”, which should be a reassuring fact when you’re catching air off of the speed bumps.

Of course, this isn’t just for the iPhone, they’ve just seized on that as the gadget-of-the-moment.  That doesn’t make it a bad accessory, per se, just a lazy one.  An iPhone-specific cradle could’ve recharged your cellphone via one of those generators that more usually powers a lamp.

If you’re still interested (and I suppose it’s safer than digging around in your bag or pocket whenever you want to change the track), it’s available now and priced at $14.99.  Alternatively, you could make your own.  eBay has plenty of PDA holders listed from $0.99, and you could salvage the mount from an old bike light.

[via Red Ferret Journal]

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 — 11:42 a.m. — on my couch

Part of my ritual every day is to look around the Internets to see what people are reporting about the iPhone. I read a lot of things that I’ve known, a lot of things that I’d never publish without getting confirmation from Apple and a lot of things that make me want to spit milk from my news they make me laugh so hard.

But inevitably, like clockwork, the iPhone well of information starts to dry up in cycles. Basically, people have said all they can said, speculated all they can speculate. Sometimes, it’s almost a relief to not have anything new to report … it gives time to just sit back and process all the information that’s out there.

To me, and hopefully to you, the speculation is part of the fun.

I liken it to a great movie or TV show. You know it’s coming. You read the reviews. You watch every extended trailer you can find. You set the DVR. You tell your kids not to make any plans or have any science fairs because there’s no way you are leaving the house. We’ve all done it.

Hopefully when you finally get to see the show that you are happy you did. You hope it lives up to the incredible hype and buzz surrounding it. Sometimes it does, other times not so much.

The iPhone is just like that … as is Apple. And someone out there is always trying to tell you a plot line or an ending that just isn’t true. In the end, unless someone has seen the show ahead of time, no one really knows what’s going to happen.

Welcome to my world. To our world. The iPhone is just that way. I would love to meet the people who truly have the inside information that some folks speak of. With the exception of a Far East supply company that might be making the pieces of the new iPhones, most of these people really don’t have this incredible access to iPhone secrets. Most of the people with this information are a floor below Steve Jobs and trust me, they aren’t talking.

Actually, I believe people speculate as though it’s fact because they convince themselves they are an authority … I think they wish that they were these super iPhone-in-the-know people that they just go with it and write as if they have the knowledge. Not too different than pretending to be someone else online and going with the flow so well that they almost start to convince themselves they are someone else.

I’m not being negative in any way … I’m just trying to put it in perspective.

So in conclusion, let’s speculate. Let’s research. Let’s discuss. But above all, let’s have fun. While we all want to know exact measurements and costs and figures about the new iPhone, I think we all can agree that a big part of the excitement is that announcement and that little bit of shock and awe and dare I say that litle bit of disappointment. It’s all part of the game.

What do you think? What’s your take on the speculation game?

Thanks for calling.

It seems that AT&T might be looking to make the new iPhone a little bit more affordable than the current iteration. Word on the streets is that AT&T could subsidize the new iPhone, and take up to $200 off the price of the unit. Many flocked to AT&T for the iPhone the first time, subsidized or not. Fast forward to now, with new iPhone, new features, and the possibility of the device being more affordable than the last, and AT&T could see an even greater number this time around.

We of course know that the new iPhone will come in 8GB and 16GB flavors. The source says that the devices will sell for $399 and $449, respectively. If the devices were sold at this rumored contract price, then they would sell for $199 and $249. Even at the most expensive, the new iPhone would be cheaper than the current one on this pricing scheme.

The source did not stop at this information either. They took the time to leak a few features of the new device. All the usuals were listed. GPS, etc. One thing that was said that conflicts with our earlier reports, is the new iPhone will be 2.5mm thinner than the current one. Since their sources are not confirmed, take that at face value.

[Via Fortune]

According to Fortune, AT&T’s going to further subsidize the iPhone down as much as $200, making the final retail price a scant $199 with two-year-contract. The rumor is that the $200 bonus will only be available in AT&T stores, not in Apple stores, so people buying and exporting or using it with T-Mobile will be paying the higher price. Current first-gen iPhone users probably won’t get this $200 subsidy when upgrading either, unless perhaps they renew for another 2 years. MORE »

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 — 5:05 p.m. — at my desk

Not sure how accurate it is, but Fortune has a good article about potential pricing on the next iPhone — and the number to look at here is $199 — as in $199 for an iPhone for people who sign a 2-year-contract.

You can read the whole thing here.

The best thing Apple and AT&T can do, my friends, is charge less for the next iPhone. Here’s why …

1. Apple will not only be trying to sell to new customers but also to people who already own iPhones. Asking people to spend $499 for a new phone when they just paid $399 or $499 could be a bitter pill.

2. The monthly cost to use the 3G iPhone, unless AT&T revamps its plans, will be more than what it costs now. I don’t know if I’d use the term significantly more, but any increase in cost in this day and age is something that’s going to make customers pause and think. Lowering the price of the phone might make it more tolerable to pay more in contract fees.

3. People have seen Apple lower the price of other things (Apple TV, etc.) I think that when people are paying monthly fees that they want to be given a little bit of a break up front and that they come to expect that break.

So we’ll see what happens, but it’s very exciting.

Feel free to discuss in the comments as always.

Thanks for calling.

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Goldstriker, who – depending on your taste in metal plating – either make the iPhone even more beautiful courtesy of precious metals or turn it into a gaudy, over-blinged embarrassment, have once again unleashed their electroplater and come up with the Solar Star edition.  Both the front bezel of the handset, and the Apple logo on the rear, are 24ct gold plated.  Meanwhile, the rest of the casing, including the antenna cover, is painted in the same Balloon White as you might find on a Lamborghini Gallardo.

That adds up to a white and gold cellphone, colors more usually found in the bathroom of a somewhat old-fashioned five star hotel.  Goldstriker do at least provide them updated to firmware 1.1.4 and unlocked for worldwide GSM use.  The iPhone itself is the 16GB version.

Personally, as with much of Goldstriker’s range, it’s not to my taste.  In fact I think Apple did a pretty good job with designing the iPhone as it is, and it doesn’t really need a 24ct makeover.  So that’s saved me £749.95 ($1,477).

[via iPhone Investigator - thanks Michelle!]