iOS Devices

This morning we

At the introduction of the iPhone, Steve Jobs touted that new device as a “Widescreen iPod”, “Revolutionary Mobile Phone” and “Breakthrough Internet Communications Device”. 

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I believe the same type of convergence thinking is going into the tablet.  It can’t just be a “Kindle-killer” eBook reader.  It can’t just be a “Media Pad”.  It can’t be only a Nintendo DS or PSP competitor.   It can’t just be a small NetBook-sized MacBook either.  It has to be all of these things.  At the same time.  Say it together:

  “The best eBook reader.  The best Netbook.  And the best portable media player and gaming device”

Repeat.

We know Apple.  The device will be impossibly thin

We already know the Apple tablet has e-book reader makers scared. In just the past few days, Amazon has cut a better deal with publishers, offered up an SDK and even given their best customers an opportunity to get a free Kindle. That isn’t a good poker face to say the least. But, should netbook makers be afraid?

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Vodafone has already sold 100,000 units of the Apple iPhone 3G and 3GS since launch in the UK – that

Since the day the iPhone was introduced critics have slammed the Apple device for its lack of a QWERTY keyboard – but the iPhone

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Yesterday YouTube introduced an experimental version of an HTML5-supported player. HTML5 is the new web standard that adds many new features to your web browser, notably support for video and audio playback within the browser itself. Now Vimeo has launched its own HTML5 experiment.

This means that users with an HTML5 compatible browser (right now: Safari or Chrome), and support for the proper audio and video codecs can watch a video without needing to download a browser plugin. However, the HTML5 player only works on Vimeo.com right now, embed code (as above) remains Flash.

Vimeo

FoxNews is saying that AT&T and Verizon both will be carrying separate versions of the tablet but neither has finalized the deal with Apple yet

iLounge today posts some new tablet details:

The first tidbit is that the tablet will have dual 30-pin dock connectors to allow docking in portrait and landscape mode.  Good for watching video!

Next, iLounge says that the back is aluminum and has a long black stripe of plastic so the antenna signal isn’t blocked.  Sound familiar?  

They go on to talk prices and subsidies offered by carries since it will likely have a 3G radio. The thought of another carrier plan is just too depressing to talk about.

Is this thing really going to be a big iPhone?

For those paranoid Android iPhone users out there, there is the worst-named iPhone app ever: iTrust ($.99)  (via)

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The latest Apple-related U.S. Patent and Trademark Office publishing reveals a design for a solar powered portable device (i.e. an iPod or iPhone), an improvement on a previous 2008 patent filing.

As described, such a device would host built-in rigid solar panels on its front and back with which to collect power. In the filing the entire front and rear of the device would be covered with the cells.

The system includes circuits to monitor the battery’s state, choosing whether to recharge using external solar power or to store solar energy for later use.

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Digitimes today informs us that Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology will be making the Apple tablet battery.  That’s a pretty good indication that Apple isn’t using ‘off the shelf’ technology because those are the same two suppliers that supply the specially designed batteries for Apple’s MacBook.

Taiwan-based notebook battery makers Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology are expected to share orders from Apple for its tablet PC, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report. The two companies are also battery suppliers for Apple’s MacBooks, the paper noted. 

For the kids, Nickelodeon today announced the availability of new apps for the iPhone and iPod touch based on some of its most popular television properties and proprietary websites.

“iCarly: Sam’s Remote” and “Go, Diego, Go: Musical Missions” join recently launched Nickelodeon apps including “SpongeBob Tickler”, “SpongeBob Jellyfish Jam”, AddictingGames “The World’s Hardest Game” and “iParkIt”, “Shockwave Daily Jigsaw to Go” and “Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom.” 

The company also confirmed it has experienced 4.5 million downloads of its apps worldwide since the launch of its first app in February 2009.

New app “iCarly: Sam’s Remote” allows users to turn their iPhone or iPod touch into Sam’s remote, and includes iconic sound effects from the show like Sam’s insults voiced by Jennette McCurdy animations and more. 

In “Go, Diego, Go: Musical Missions”, users can play along with Diego as he uses music to rescue the shy animals of the world. 

The new Nickelodeon apps are available for $1.99 each from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch.

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Square Enix is bringing versions of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II to the iPhone and iPod touch.

The publisher hasn’t revealed any info on the mobile ports, but screens suggest these will be based on the existing PSP versions, featuring redrawn graphics and character art, exclusive all-new dungeons and an updated camera view.

No word yet on release dates are to be announced.

According to CNET, Apple is speaking to recording companies on the possibility of a free streaming music service.  Apple didn’t reveal much, but much like what was reported yesterday, the idea is that people would upload their music to Apple’s servers and it would be available to them anywhere in the world on any device.

The service would be framed to the recording industry as a “value add that could help stimulate sales” according to their sources and would be available as early as this Spring.

The issue appears to be whether the licensing for music changes when users are able to store them in the cloud.  MP3 founder Michael Richardson says consumers shouldn’t have to pay the labels any extra to store their music in the Cloud.  But he’s currently being sued by EMI for doing just that.

Robertson said he expects to see an “upload” button on iTunes as part of a future update.

Interesting.  That would allow you to upload your own music to the iTunes “Cloud”.  But, that doesn’t seem to mesh with what Apple is telling the Recording Industry.  Clearly what Apple is after, at least in the first stage, is an upsell feature that gives you an option of making a song purchased available anywhere.   Just newly purchased songs.  Not songs you’ve ripped off of CDs years ago. 

Google this week will open another front on its war with Apple. This time, it takes aim at iTunes Movie rentals. Like most Google projects, it starts innocent enough, by only offering movies from the Sundance Film festival and from other independent filmmakers.

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BGR has another vague one today about how AT&T’s busybodies are scrambling to upgrade their network to meet the demand of some new, data-hungry device.   Obviously they are looking at Apple’s event next week.

AT&T has apparently been meeting individually with regional executives to inform them of some changes to the AT&T network. What have we heard? Well, for starters, they seem to be focused on prepping the network to compensate for unannounced devices and also future devices that will use