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May 25

John Mayer Cheats On Apple With Blackberry Bold

Jes s has been doing a rash of John Mayer / Apple stories lately, for I don’t really know what reason, but you guys seem to care about it a lot more than I do. Here’s another: a Blackberry Bold, which is an interesting sign in terms of taste making and trendsetting by the guy who usually chooses all things Apple.

John’s close to Cupertino, gets things like the Macbook Air early and has played the closing music at a keynote. So I wonder what they think about his latest blog post and I wonder if this is a good sign for the Bold. (Blackberry has more or less banned all blogs from their media plans, so I still haven’t had enough exposure to tell you what I think, but maybe John will write a song or something in his next album.) God, I can’t believe I just wrote this post. [Honeyee]

May 25

Apple seeks expert in WiMAX; impromptu 5th Ave. lineup; more
Apple is on the hunt for an engineer familiar with WiMAX, Ultra-wideband, and other next-generation wireless technologies. Meanwhile, confusion reigned on Thursday as a lineup appeared at the Fifth Avenue store without warning, Oppenheimer Funds has…

May 25

AT&T to Complete Their 3G Network in June

This isn’t huge news that will change your life, but AT&T is aiming to have the first round of their HSPA 3G network complete by the end of June. The company is addressing their network’s upload speed, bringing High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) in to complement the existing High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) in their last six markets.

Their HSPA network will then be finalized, bringing 1.4 Mbps (Down) and 800 Kbps (Up) to all users in its range. AT&T’s next move will be offering HSPA in more markets. By the end of June, HSPA will be in 275 US markets. But by the end of the year, AT&T plans for that number to grow to 350. [AT&T via Phone Scoop]

May 25

TimeCapsule
TimeCapsule is a great looking backup application which allows you to save various states of applications in your iPhone. Here’s some of the apps it works with so far: AddressBook s contacts, Call History, Calendar, Installer s sources (restore may not work due to permission problem in some firmwares, refer to FAQs for solution), Map s bookmarks & […]

May 25

Regional Carriers Want the iPhone, Tell FCC to Ban Phone Exclusives

iphonepleze.jpgThe wireless industry is essentially at the saturation point, so exclusive phones matter more than ever, especially ones like the iPhone for AT&T or the touchscreen Blackberry Thunder for Verizon, phones that really drive people to particular carriers. So it’s no wonder the Rural Cellular Association (repping smaller regional carriers) is petitioning the FCC to ban exclusive deals, which obviously push people out of smaller local carriers to the established juggernauts, since it can take months or years for trickle down. The iPhone is at the center of the complaint.

Basically, the peg is that most people in Vermont can’t get an iPhone, since AT&T only has roaming coverage there, and none of the carriers in the area can offer it. While it sounds like a nice, egalitarian thing the gov’t could latch onto, the petition will probably fail.

As big as FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is on promoting competition, it’s really only particular kinds of competition, and this doesn’t really fall into the rubric. Moreover, this isn’t the first time this kind of petition has been filed, and it’s been smacked down every time before. Sorry, Green Mountain Staters and boondocks-dwellers, you’re probably not going to get an iPhone till iPhone 4 or 5, when that AT&T exclusive finally runs out. [WSJ via Silicon Alley Insider]

May 25

Geniuses at AT&T Rush Out a Package with Only a Plastic Bag Inside

We’ve shown you irresponsible shipping before, but this one takes the cake. Brett from TUAW ordered a refurbed 16GB iPhone. He got (and was charged) for two by accident. OK, that’s annoying enough. But the next day he received another package from AT&T. It was shipped 2-day via DHL. Inside? One empty plastic bag, complete with an invoice for “75011 MISC iPhone PPA BAG … $0.00.”

attpackingslip.jpgSeriously, how does this happen? I know a lot of shipping is automated these days, but was there not a single person along the way who noticed that a package was going out with only a bag inside? Rush, no less! And how many times do things like this happen? It’s probably not an isolated incident if a writer from a prominent Apple blog happened to be on the receiving end of it. If you’re wondering where all those surcharges on your AT&T bill are going to, consider it a “We’re a poorly run company” tax to pay for garbage like this. [TUAW]

May 25

AT&T making out like bandit on iPhone

Filed under: iPhone

Apparently AT&T is making out pretty well on this whole iPhone thing. According to a Rubicon Consulting study (NYT link, registration required) of 460 iPhone users about half (47%) switched to AT&T to get the iPhone and agreed to pay an average of $19 more per month to use the iPhone over their previous cell. Those numbers are just about right in my case from when I traded in my Treo on Sprint.

What about you guys? How many of you switched to get an iPhone and how much more are you paying per month than you were before?

[via iPhone Central]

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May 25

Report puts 3G iPhone on store shelves by mid-June
Consumers holding out for the next-generation of Apple Inc.’s iPhone won’t have to wait till the end of June to call one their own, according to a new report which places widespread availability closer to the middle of the month. Citing a “reliabl…

May 25

Vegas Hearts
The card game of hearts, for your iPhone or iPod touch.http://www.tictacwhoa.com/hearts.html

May 25

iControlpad for iPhone Gives You Real Buttons
Trying to break records on your iPhone? Can’t manage to do it with the touchscreen? Well jailbreak nation, it looks like there is a solution—iControlpad! Though the image above is just a prototype, it takes obvious visual cues from the PSP, just take a look at the button layout and form factor. Supposedly, it works via […]

May 25

SpoofApp
SpoofApp is an iPhone caller ID spoofing, voice changing, and call recording application. It is a for-pay, by minute priced app which requires a subscription. Developer’s Site

May 25

iPhone Windows Vista Skin Makes Steve Jobs Cry Tears of Blood

vistaiphone.jpg Best, worst or most hilarious iPhone skin ever? VistaPerfection 2.0 is a complete Windows Vista skin for the iPhone with over 90 icons, wallpapers, a dock, sound effects and everything else Vista like the Sidebar and Start menu. I’m not sure why anyone would do this to their iPhone, but be warned, since it’s not on Installer yet (soon), the process ain’t exactly painless, requiring jailbreak, SSH access and SummerBoard. Full instructions at the link—send us pictures if you’re ballsy enough to do this. It’s not so we can laugh at you, honest.[Modmyifone via Just Another iPhone Blog via Technabob]

May 25

Geniuses at AT&T Rush Out a Package with Only a Plastic Bag Inside

We’ve shown you irresponsible shipping before, but this one takes the cake. Brett from TUAW ordered a refurbed 16GB iPhone. He got (and was charged) for two by accident. OK, that’s annoying enough. But the next day he received another package from AT&T. It was shipped 2-day via DHL. Inside? One empty plastic bag, complete with an invoice for “75011 MISC iPhone PPA BAG … $0.00.”

attpackingslip.jpgSeriously, how does this happen? I know a lot of shipping is automated these days, but was there not a single person along the way who noticed that a package was going out with only a bag inside? Rush, no less! And how many times do things like this happen? It’s probably not an isolated incident if a writer from a prominent Apple blog happened to be on the receiving end of it. If you’re wondering where all those surcharges on your AT&T bill are going to, consider it a “We’re a poorly run company” tax to pay for garbage like this. [TUAW]

May 25

Updated Napster DRM-Free Store

ViewMedia.jpegNapster announced the transition to all DRM-free MP3s several months back, but now their 6 million song catalog is fully up and running. Now compatible with iPods/iPhones, Napster even claims that their inventory is “50% larger than any other MP3 store,” though we’re a little confused on the math since iTunes offers “more than 6 million [songs]” themselves. Most of Napster’s catalog will be available at 256kbps bitrate, and they claim to be the first store to offer 100% MP3-formatted tracks. Anyone gonna give the service (another) go?

UPDATE: Ahh, we get it. Largest “MP3 store,” not digital music store. Nice catch, commenters!

Napster Launches World’s Largest MP3 Store Featuring 6 Million Tracks

Songs Purchased at Napster Now Compatible With iPod and iPhone
LOS ANGELES —(Business Wire)— May. 20, 2008 Napster (Nasdaq:NAPS), the pioneer of digital music, today announced the launch of the world’s largest and most comprehensive MP3 store at http://www.napster.com/store.

Napster’s download store is more than 50% larger than any other MP3 store and boasts not only the largest major label MP3 catalog in the industry, but also the largest library of independent music available anywhere. All Napster download sales in the U.S. will now be in the user-friendly, DRM-free MP3 format, which is compatible with virtually any MP3 player or music phone including the iPod and the iPhone. Napster is the first music subscription service featuring major label content to offer 100% of its catalog in the MP3 format for download sales.

“Music fans have spoken and it’s clear they need the convenience, ease of use and broad interoperability of the DRM-free MP3 format, and they want to be able to find both major label artists and independent music all in one place. Napster is delighted to deliver all of this and more with the world’s largest MP3 catalog,” said Napster’s Chairman and CEO Chris Gorog. “Our new MP3 store, together with our award-winning ‘all you can eat’ music subscription service, provides the most comprehensive and exciting music experience available. Virtually any portable device in the world can now be used to enjoy tracks purchased at Napster, which is an important breakthrough for our company.”

Pricing for download sales will remain at 99 cents for single MP3 tracks and $9.95 for most MP3 albums, Napster confirmed. The vast majority of the MP3 catalog, including all major label content, is available at a high-quality 256kbps bitrate, and downloaded tracks include high-resolution album art. Consumers can visit and browse the download store with no obligation or commitment, and can also choose to subscribe to Napster’s on-demand streaming service, which is web-based and can be accessed from any Internet-connected computer without downloading software.

“Our goal is to enrich your life with music, in ways that are personalized to you,” said Chief Operating Officer Christopher Allen. “Napster now offers a truly complete and synergistic digital music destination, where music lovers can not only discover and listen to music, but also buy and own everything they want in MP3 format, which works on any music player. The combination offers consumers the best of both worlds.”

Napster gives music fans the freedom of choice to discover, experience, and buy music on their own terms. With its web-based, open, innovative products and services, Napster gives consumers the ability to enjoy music across their desktop, living room, portable music player, and mobile phone.

“Developing online music services into true go-to consumer music destinations depends in large part on reducing hurdles to adoption,” said Susan Kevorkian, IDC’s Consumer Markets program director, “By offering millions of high quality, MP3-encoded DRM-free tracks from all of the major labels as well as independents, this service is well-positioned to appeal to the broad spectrum of music lovers, including iPod and iPhone owners.”

May 25

Rumor Smashed: AT&T’s iPhone Black Reference Just Placeholder Text

An AT&T spokesperson just told us that the iPhone Black dropdown reference on the AT&T Wireless website is just a temporary placeholder. The spokesperson says that it was used over the weekend for a “scheduled catalog update,” distinguishing the various iPhone models (4GB, 8GB and 16GB). Sorry dudes, the 3G iPhone is probably not called the iPhone Black. Unless, of course, the spokesperson was just covering AT&T’s butt, which could always be possible.