Out of the closest iPhone lover Paul Thurrott of the Supersite for Windows got his beige-boxy hands on pre-release version of the iPhone 2.0 software update and the pre-requisite iTunes 7.7 software, and ran the upgrade process through its paces.
This is it. We're in the home stretch. Third period power play, clock's all but run out, and Steve Jobs is cranking back for the slap shot. In 5 days we find out if Apple scores the go-ahead goal, the two-peat for smartphone (even gadget) of the year, or if they bounce it off the goal post with their mostly evolutionary, not so much revolutionary, next generation handset.
Yesterday we mentioned one big change: the fast 3G data chip. The other big change? GPS. (Global Positioning System).
What is this and why should it matter to you? Read on after the break!
Not evil twin to theiPhoneBlog.com Week in Review, not an invasion by Fake Steve, This Week in Smart Phone Schadenfreude brings you all the feel-better news you need about the smartphone world outside Apple’s current media dominator. (Who knew there was such a world? We were just as surprised! Inelegant, interface challenged, keyboardy, crashy, single-touchy place — best not to linger…). Join us as we mock review the big news from last week at our sister sites. Everybody loves sibling rivalry!
In this week's edition: Nothing. Sorry. No time. We're already lining up for the iPhone 3G. Dieter got here early, but the rest of us are way back, forced to climb over ever-growing mounds of junked Crackberries and WinMobs and about a million Centros -- ouch! Heckuva tailgate going on, though. Ballmer keeps breaking out the Monkey Boy while Colligan and Lazaridis take turns timing their virtual keyboarding.
So yeah, sorry. Zip this week. Zilch. But it's totally not our fault. We don't even think the sister sites have been updated. (We'd ask Kevin and Jennifer but they're off playing hacky-sack with Sergey and Larry.)
UPDATED: Okay, fine. The Commenterati have spoken. We'll scour the interwebs. We'll find something. You'll get your fix. Anything to stop from harshening our pre-launch mellow!
This is it. We're in the home stretch. Bottom of the 9th, basebands loaded with 3G, and Steve Jobs is at bat. In 7 days we find out if Apple scores a home run, the two-peat for smartphone (even gadget) of the year, or if they strike out with their mostly evolutionary, not so much revolutionary, next generation handset.
What's the difference? The big one -- at least this time around -- is in the name. 3G, which stands for 3rd generation, but not for the device itself -- for the 3rd generation cellular technology that powers it.
Read on after the break to find out just why 3G will make a big difference to you!
No, Tap Tap Revenge isn't the more evil, Dark Side, Sith'ier version of the famed iPhone game that multi-touch tapped its way into jailbroken hearts everywhere, it's just the new branding adopted by the new owners, Tapulous. Nate True, as famous for TTR as he was in the jailbreak community in general, stays on as developer, and has even added in double-tapper, two-player mode for good measure.
Coming soon to the App Store (we hope!)
Keep reading for Ngmoco and Rolando, after the break!
You knew it was coming, inevitable as the rise of Old Glory on July 4th -- the first iPhone 3G line up has begun at the NYC Apple Flagship Store!
Or should we say... Tailgate Party!
(iPhone launches are the Superbowl of consumer electronics, aren't they?)
The line began forming today, the Friday before the Friday of launch, just 1 week (and a few hours) before the first iPhone 3G goes on sale at 8am (and, if an AT&T estimate of 30 min. per activation is anywhere near accurate, likely 7 days and many hours before the second one will be up for sale!)
Geardiary reports there are almost a dozen people lined up already, with security being very obliging, and Apple Store employees playing nice.
Sure, Casey has his reasons not to upgrade, but I'm all over the latest/greatest. To help out, Apple has posted a great article to their Knowledge Base (KB) that explains the steps necessary to properly move all your data over from your original iPhone (2G) to a hawt new iPhone 3G. The summary reads:
Although it seems pretty clear that there's going to be a native chat client for the iPhone 2.0 that will support Google Talk (with background alerts to boot!), there may be those that have a religious injunction against installing applications. There may also be those who don't intend to upgrade because they don't want to mess around with losing either their unlocked or jailbroken status. Whatever your reason for not using a native app, Google's got ya covered with an all new interface for Google Talk, fully optimized for Mobile Safari.
At the rate Apple's Vice President of Design keeps winning awards for the iPhone, he's going to need a bigger mantle! Last time it was the unprecedented (and continued!) domination of the uber-elite Black Pencil, now it's the Mobile Data Association 2008 MDA Personal Achievement Award.
Thanks to reader, Adam R. who wrote in to let us know Australian rates have been revealed, and his Blackberry can now "go the way of the dodo".
First up is Optus who've announced both pre-paid and post-paid plans. Pre-paid Turbo Caps start at AUS$30 for an AUS$30 "mycredit", AUS$110 "mybonus", and AUS$30 "mytime money" -- but no "mydata". At AUS$100 you get 100/800/100 and Plus 1GB "mydata". On these plans, and 8GB iPhone 3G will run you AUS$729 and 16GB, AUS$849. Not confusing enough for non-Ozzies, plan rates weigh in at AUS$0.78/min. for national calls,AUS$0.35 per "Flagfall" call, and AUS$02.2/KB weekdays and AUS$1.1/KB for "iZoo Browsing".
Read on for Post-paid, Telestra's first statement, Canadian craziness, and some Swedish relief!
