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We've heard four many accounts now from varying Apple store and AT&T locations that employees are having problems while trying to activate phones through iTunes. From Atlanta, one camper reports:
AT&T's 3G footprint does not blanket the entire country--about the top 300 markets, expanding to 350 by the end of the year (and it's faster in some places than others). But the 3G coverage map that was on AT&T's site (neatly stitched together at Alley Insider) until this morning was from March (AT&T spokesman says he was mistaken, last update was in May). It just got updated with the actual current coverage zones (the blue splotches). Check it to see if the 3G fairy flew over your neighbourhood since then. [AT&T]
The iPhone 3G may be here, but what we're really excited about is the iPhone 2.0 software update. Only some people really need faster browsing and slightly better location services, but everyone can use the new features in the OS. Now that we've gotten chance to go through all that updated functionality--as well as a good chunk of apps, MobileMe and Exchange--we've only got one question left. Is iPhone 2.0 so good that you don't even need to upgrade to an iPhone 3G? It depends. But if I was forced to choose between an iPhone 3G barren of apps and the slower original with them, I'd go for the apps.
Last week we told you that the upcoming LG Chocolate 3 was going to be available July 14th: Verizon have just come up with the news that it'll be available a day earlier, July 13. They're pretty proud of the candybar phone's Verizon Rhapsody interlink, and the "all-in-one" nature of the gizmo as a PMP, mobile phone, GPS navigator, camera and car-stereo FM source. It'll be available in black or light blue, for US$129.99 after a US$50 mail-in rebate at Verizon Communications Stores (including Circuit City branches.) Press release below.
For a day now you've been able to manually update your iPhone firmware to version 2.0, by grabbing a download source and doing it yourself. Now you don't have to: It's available through iTunes 7.7.
Solar power is everywhere at the mo, maybe because it sounds more sci-fi than wind: which is the case with this new technology that turns windows into power sources. Clever bods at MIT have worked out how to use organic dye solar-concentrator coatings to collect light over a whole sheet of glass and "concentrate" it at the edges. This lets you have a much smaller (and hence cheaper) solar-electric cell mounted in the side of a window, more easily achieved than typical mirror-based concentrators. And by tuning the dyes (originally designed for lasers and OLEDs) to different wavelengths, and stacking them up, you get an even bigger power output. Clever stuff. [Physorg]
So we showed it to you briefly yesterday, but then MobileMe turned around and seemed to bite the Apple that made it, and has been unavailable until just now. Can we assume more technical hitches than its developers had anticipated? Yes, I think we can, particularly given Apple's "it's taking longer than expected" error message. But now it's up, and since the iPhone has already been on sale in some places for nearly a whole day, that can only be good news. Update: There's a getting started tour, which didn't appear to be there yesterday. Everything else works as anticipated. [Me.com]
Over at Pownce an enterprising person has taken it upon themselves to leak the touch 2.0 Firmware unofficially for you. And it'll let you upgrade your iPod touch to iPhone-like 2.0 goodness. Without Apple. We just tested it, and it works... screenshots below. But the download link has gone 404... that didn't last long, at that location, did it? Update: The official firmware is out now guys. [Pownce]
It's been a while since we've heard anything about memory maker Rambus, but the company has come back into the light to sue Nvidia for patent infringement. Rambus thinks that Nvidia's use of SDR, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, GDDR, and GDDR3 SDRAM in their products violates 17 (count 'em... 17!) patents that Rambus owns. Those chips sit inside all sorts of Nvidia gear, and apparently Rambus has been trying for a settlement for years. Now it's using the legal system to claim cash for the damages. Bad news for Nvidia, but Rambus is still apparently trying "to continue discussions with Nvidia to reach a negotiated settlement." I bet. [BusinessWire]
Posted by Nick Broughall at 4:59 PM on July 11, 2008
Posted by Nick Broughall at 3:37 PM on July 11, 2008
So apparently iPhone 3G stocks are in short supply. That sucks for pretty much everybody. Except for the person destined to win our iPhone 3G competition with iWorld Australia. The winner of that comp will take solace in the fact that while hundreds of people queued up in the middle of night in the depths of winter to purchase their iPhone, they were able to sit back and reap the rewards of Gizmodo competition goodness.
To enter, hit the link below, fill in your details and, come the end of July, you coud be the proud owner of a new iPhone 3G. And that's not bad.
[Win an iPhone]
The line outside of the Apple store on 59th street in NYC is definitely an event. There are about 100 people wrapped around the block, patiently waiting for the iPhone 3G. We'll be up all night checking out the scene and talking to the diehards who can't wait to get their hands on the new phone. We've got games, blankets, and provisions (liquid and food), so if you're in town, stop by and say "Hi". Otherwise, keep checking back to see all of the madness going on—you never know what could happen. Update: Greg Packer showed up!
Duncan Riley at The Inquisitr decided to share his iPhone unboxing with the world, but unlike the boring traditionalists who've done the same before, Duncan has a white one. There's not much new here, but it's nice to get a good clear view of the look and finish on the paler model.
I've thought for awhile that the key to selling the super cheap yet very underpowered sub-notebooks that are exploding all over the place would be carrier subsidisation, and now a carrier in Japan is taking the the idea and running with it, selling the Eee PC 701 for less than US$1 American with a data plan contract, much like how we get mobile phones. These devices often feature 4G—in this case with an external wireless modem—networking, which means you get an always-on Internet connection for your tiny laptop for less than US$65 a month. American carriers, are you paying attention? [JK On The Run, via Liliputing]
Many people have been waiting for the eve of the iPhone 3G's introduction to pounce on cheap first generation iPhones on eBay and Craigslist. These people are upset. For some reason, contrary to what you'd think, first generation iPhones are going for astronomical prices. Craigslist is full of people offering up to US$600 for 16GB iPhones and up to US$400 for 8GB models. The arrival of the app store might be part of it, and the fact that it'll be harder to get a 3G iPhone without contract, but $600 for a 16GB iPhone is crazy. Who wants to buy my iPod touch?
Some agency not called the National Pedestrian Walkway and Novelty Tour Commission apparently ran the Segway though a battery of crash tests, dummies and all. I'm sure that by now many people have experienced something resembling this test, so it was probably wise to run the Seg into a few things to make sure it wouldn't kill anyone. As expected, the effect is almost identical to a tall man sprinting full speed into another, face first. An alternative back story for this video: It's a performance art piece entitled "Dude, You Kissed My Eyeball." [YouTube]
Soon many of you are going to go absolutely nuts trying to track down an iPhone 3G at Apple's retail outlets across the country, and that sounds like fun, but what if you get to your local store and they're out of the model you wanted? That would ruin your iPhone day completely. Thankfully Apple's got a neat page of its site that works with the retail back-end that tells you what phones are in stock at which stores. Put in which state you're in and you can see if the 8GB, 16GB, or 16GB Black iPhone 3G is in stock at your local store, or, more likely, which store you have to drive to to find one. [Apple]
In a short and slightly poignant posting on his MSDN blog, a Microsoft systems engineer has announced that Windows 3.11 will be officially discontinued four months after XP's unceremonious removal from the consumer market. The secret to 3.11's 15-year lifespan was the embedded space, where it has dutifully provided a platform for countless low-horsepower cash registers and train schedule displays.
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 10:37 AM on July 11, 2008
That's it from Lara and I. Thanks for having me back for one night of passionate embrace with the gathered Sydney iPhone masses. From here out it'll be a lot easier to get your iPhone 3G, get your apps, and enjoy the love. Or avoid the heck out of it.
'Til next,
Shay
Posted by Nick Broughall at 10:32 AM on July 11, 2008
Are you sick of all the iPhone stories over the past 48 hours (I know I'm starting to get there)? Then why not enter our awesome comp to win a Nokia N78. Just hit the jump, answer the question in the comments section (of that post - not this one) and you could be calling your iPhone-toting mates on a phone that has never been linked to Jesus. Which is a good thing in my books...
[Nokia N78 comp on Giz]
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 10:26 AM on July 11, 2008
Lara Bingle, Bianca Dye, and Lote Tuqiri walked into a bar. They learned to use iPhones. They swanned about, looked the goods, and made it feel like a party. Vodafone may have been last out of the gates, with a crowd of something similar to Telstra (around 100 at doors open), but it offered a little more panache than the rest.
As token as celebrity appearances can be, these guys actually did seem to give some time to people in the queue, showing off the iPhones they had in hand.
Here Lara, Bianca (mid stroke), and Lote flank the first Vodafone iPhone owner, Dominic. All Brett Howell got was Fuzzy. Best caption wins a ROFLOL.
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 10:08 AM on July 11, 2008
Telstra was a sedate affair, but kudos to them for making it pure
business. They had plenty of staff in T[life], some queue space inside
the warm premises (it was frosty frosty out on George St with a nasty
ice wind to boot), plus flyers with the official plan details so you
could make up your mind in the 10 seconds before purchase. Actually,
they were taking the time to talk people through their current usage
patterns and which way they should lean... but couldn't tell how many
people were being told "20MB outta be enough for anyone" (remember that isn't even the LOWEST data plan).
However, there was no love given to the gathered queue, which by time of opening was around 80-100 strong. Given the icy conditions, it was a bit too "pure business" to show them absolutely no love -- doesn't compare well to the competition who were all treating queue members to warm drinks and tasty treats. There's a "leaving people out in the cold" allusion here I can't quite put my finger on...
Posted by Nick Broughall at 10:06 AM on July 11, 2008
The guys sitting 10th in the queue to pick up their iPhone 3G in Auckland last night weren't just Apple fans keen on getting the new handset first - they were a couple of New Zealand developers and their new app, Telegram, was among one of the first Staff Picks on the iTunes App Store.
Telegram has a simple concept at its heart - wouldn't it be cool if you could send short voice messages to other people as well as SMS and email. It's even cooler when you consider that typing on the iPhone, while simple, can be time consuming.
Once you've downloaded the app from the App Store, you just set up an account, and then look for other users with Telegram. You compose a message much like an SMS by entering a contact person, and you can add more information like an email with subjects or events. Then you record a voice message up to 30 seconds long and send it to them.
It works seamlessly, and for just $12.99, it's well worth checking out.
[Polar Bear Farm - Thanks Guy!]
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 9:43 AM on July 11, 2008
While our earlier predictions proved true that everyone queued up at Apple Store would be for Optus, they are selling phones on plans for all carriers -- and if you head in there for Vodafone or Telstra plans you can expect to jump a very large section of the queue.
In my quasi-lucid state of all night bleariness I failed to confirm Apple Store status on contract versus pre-paid sales, and as most sales across all stores right now are focused on contract and not pre-paid the chances are pretty slim you could loophole that one there.
But queue jumping? Yeah, should work nicely for many T and V folks.
Those lads over at ifixit promised us that they'd be the first to crack open the iPhone 3G. And pending any stories coming out about absurdly bad gadget-dropping experiences from outside Vodafone, it seems they've delivered. We'll be following ifixit this morning to get the first look. Read on to behold the inside of your iPhone 3G (so you don't give into that impulse to crack it open yourself).
AU: Huge shout out to Luke from iFixit who lined up in the Auckland cold just to pull his iPhone 3G apart. He was fourth through the doors... I just hope he managed to put it all back together.
You've probably seen the cool screen shots we've got all over Gizmodo today and wondered to yourself what tool we're using to make them. We're not using one, because the iPhone 2.0 software has a built-in screen capture shortcut. Hold the "home" button, then hit the "power/sleep" button, and presto, a capture of your screen is in your photos. This doesn't work in the 1.1.4 or earlier versions, so you'll need to upgrade, but chances are you already have.
This is why people get excited about iPhone apps. With Box Office, if you want to see a movie and don't know what's playing, you just open it up. It'll detect where you are, find theatres around you, and list movies playing by their RottenTomatoes score. Want to get tickets? Click on the time you want and it'll toss you to Fandango to buy them. You'll get the whole process done in no time. If they added streaming trailers in to this app somehow, it'd really be taken to the next level, but even as is it's one of our favourite apps so far that we'll definitely be using all the time.
The iPod touch 2.0 firmware is now 
We've got the iPhone 3G. Expect a lot more to come. [