iOS Devices

Orange will do its best to scoop up O2’s remaining first-generation iPhone customers when it begins shipping the latest models of the Apple device in November – 2 years since the first UK customers signed-up for 18- or 24- month deals to receive the device.

O2 is currently brazening out the new increase in competition out, saying it has “no plans” for price cuts, but we think these will be inevitable.

Also in the UK, Carphone Warehouse, which has held retail rights to sell iPhone beside Apple and O2, is now locked in negotiations with all three confirmed carriers to maintain that relationship, though it seems competing mobile retailer, Phones4U, is also vying for the trade.

Don’t underestimate the importance of the iPhone to Carphone Warehouse – the company has credited the device for helping it build its market presence at the cost of Phones4U. It is now close to inking a deal to sell Vodafone’s version of the device.

However, Orange has already agreed to allow Phones4U to offer the device, and may move to a multi-tiered strategy, also offering its version iPhone through Carphone Warehouse.

Current expectation is that Orange will bring the iPhone to the UK market at a £100 discount against O2’s price – that’s a discount on overall cost of ownership, including device purchase and monthly cost.

Orange and O2 will be battling head to head over the Christmas period when thousands of iPhone contracts will come up for renewal. Orange will likely trumpet the effectiveness of its 3G coverage outside the UK’s major cities when compared to O2 while it tries to secure those new iPhone customers.

While this is a particularly British story, Apple executives are likely to be watching how the market plays with interest as they consider whether or not to extend the much-criticised exclusive deal with AT&T in the US. Market behaviours in the UK may offer management an insight into likely consequences of opening its device up to more US networks, following an extended period of carrier monoculture.

*UPDATE: Since this appeared speculation has begun, suggesting Apple may be "throttling" iPhone 3G and 3GS supplies to O2, which has apparently sold out on iPhone 3GS AND iPhone 3G online and in shops. Carphone Warehouse appears to have stock.

An O2 spokesperson said the network will "continue to see extremely high levels of demand for the iPhone which means it comes in and out of stock very quickly and will be why the website hasn’t had any since Monday."

 

Apple’s got a new support doc out today and it sheds some light on what’s going on behind the scenes of iTunes LP.  Firstly, to play an iTunes LP, you’ll need a 2GHz Dore 2 Duo or faster processor, so earlier model Minis and MacBooks need not apply.  PowerPC?  Pshaw (No).  On PCs, the same requirements apply.

Perhaps most interesting however, is the minimum screen requirements.  Apple states that the screen resolution has to be at least 1280×800 on both Mac or PC.  There are a lot of people out there running media centers on 720P screens that might not meet these requirements.

If the tablets are going to be able to access this type of content (and what are they good for if they can’t?), they’ll need to meet these video requirements as well.  Although we’ve said it before, let it be known that we’re saying it again:  We believe that the tablet will have at least 720P resolution, probably more like 1280×800.

A more common screen size for netbooks like the Dell Mini 10 is 1,366 x 768.  This is also a very distinct possibility.

Techcrunch brings us DVD John’s latest forray into advertising.  His last advertising adventure was buying the space on the San Francisco Flagship Apple Store.  Then he was called into court to testify against Apple in an iTunes monopoly suit.  This time around, his company has switched up the characters in the classic 1984 Superbowl ad….below. 

The ad closes with the statement that "on October 6th, doubleTwist brings you Choice".  What will DoubleTwist free us from?  BluRay DRM is our hope.

 

It turns out that New Yorker’s frequent complaints about AT&T’s iPhone service aren’t unfounded.  Some dude sent Gizmodo his Genius Bar adventure – he thought he had a faulty iPhone.

His iPhone was dropping calls left and right ("over 30%") so he brought it in to the Apple Store to have it evaluated.  The Apple technician ran some tests and found that his drop rate was "only" 22%.  That is apparantly a better than average result for iPhones in New York City.

Conclusion? 

"The problem is consistent with the service provided by AT&T."  Have fun…

We know it is MS, but we’re fans of this concept:

playMBX(‘video_uid=4c96d3b4191ce2c6c3&security_token=prod3.f6f48df43c519278&type=sd’);
http://player.motionbox.com/VideoPlayer.swf?‘ <!–

via Gizmodo.

Update: It looks like it runs Windows 7 underneath – which means Intel Chips (not ARM) and is scheduled for release in mid 2010.  This is interesting because Microsoft is taking the ‘slim the desktop OS’ approach, while it seems Apple is taking the ‘beef up the iPod OS’ approach.

 

 

http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1910868&fullscreen=1

iLounge has the latest Apple tablet rumors today.  Nothing too out of the ordinary except they’ve said it will be announced on or before January 19th, 2010 (why that date? – what’s so special about it?) and it should ship in the May-June timeframe.  This obviously correlates to the iPhone announcement/hype/launch timeframe in 2007.

The similarities don’t end there.  Apple’s tablet configs are said to be "two different variations: one with 3G networking capabilities, and one without 3G networking capabilities. Think of the 3G version as a bigscreen iPhone 3GS, and the non-3G version as a bigscreen iPod touch." 

They go on to speculate that the screen resolution will be 720P and its primary purpose will be media absorption (ebooks, music, movies, gaming, etc.)

"It is designed to expand the iPhone and iPod touch media concept to its next potential level: as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines, plus all of the media, gaming, app, and web functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch.

It is not meant to compete with netbooks. It’s an iPhone OS media player and light communication device."

Damn.

Elgato has introduced an App for streaming TV recordings from a Mac to an iPhone or iPod touch, EyeTV for iPhone.

The software means users of the Elgato EyeTV TV tuner family of devices can view their show recordings wherever they are around their home using a WiFi network. Better still, they can also control their TV tuner, setting it up for remote recording, scheduling as well as providing a TV guide.

The app connects to any Mac running the latest version of Elgato’s software, EyeTV 3.2, and will automatically locate a Mac on the local network using Bonjour.

The software also supports remote streaming, accessing your remote Mac using free locator utility, ‘My EyeTV’, which was made available within EyeTV 3.2. This automatically sets up any router that supports UPnP or NAT-PMP protocols.

EyeTV requires the iPhone Software Update or later and EyeTV 3.2 or higher.
 

Vodafone this morning will confirm it has reached a deal to carry the iPhone in the UK, following a similar confirmation from Orange yesterday. Both networks will vie for iPhone customers with O2, which now loses its exclusive deal for the device in the UK market.

The carrier has reached a deal to sell the iPhone in the UK and Ireland from "early 2010", reports claim.

With three carriers now confirming they will be selling the device in the UK, and given that T-Mobile has also been discussed as a possible iPhone vendor, increased competition between the networks should eventually translate into good news for consumers.

"There will be a price war," said Steven Hartley, analyst at technology research house Ovum told the Telegraph. "Research shows that in every country where there is more than one operator selling it, it is cheaper.

"It could be very disruptive, but it depends how Orange play it. If they get really aggressive O2 will have to respond and a full-on price war could start."

The analyst expects the monthly tariff for the device to fall by up to £5 per month, given the increased competition. Orange has already said it intends charging less than O2 does for the device.

Virgin Mobile is also thought to be attempting to clinch a supply deal for the UK market.

In vaguely related news, China Unicom has confirmed it will make the iPhone available in China starting this Thursday.

According to iLounge, Apple has begun to allow Made For iPod and Works With iPhone-certified developers to include automatic application download prompts.  If the devices are connected to the Internet via Wifi or WWAN, the user can just plug in the accessory, then download the necessary software to get the devices to work.

A similar feature works for printers in Snow Leopard (and numerous other desktop OS functions).  Plug the printer in and the OS goes out to the Internet to get the software it needs to work.  Now this type of functionality has been brought to iPhone.

This functionality was introduced in iPhone OS 3.0 but this is the first time iLounge has seen it in action.  They go thru the steps of installation of the Griffin iTrip Controller in screenshots below.

European regulators continue to examine claims of exploding iPhones in Europe, warning today that the product could be withdrawn from sale should investigators find proof the devices can be dangerous.

EU Commissioner for Consumer Protection Meglena Kuneva issued a warning today that iPhones will be pulled from store shelves if it turns out recent screen explosions are hardware-based problems.

The investigation is now in the hands of independent lab experts, who are working to discover if there’s a problem with the iPhone.

"I don’t need (Apple)’s permission to stop goods entering the market," Meglena Kuneva told reporters in Brussels. "If goods are dangerous, then we will order a recall."

"We are checking with labs to see if there is a problem with the phone, with their batteries or if there has been misuse of the device," she added Kuneva. "We need to have 100 percent certainty from one member state that these goods are dangerous.

"(But) if I receive from the French authorities information that they are dangerous, I will act in the interests of the consumer. I will ask my network for a recall of the product as we did with the Italian (Senseo) coffee machines. There, it was proven that they burned the hands of consumers."

Apple allegedly maintains the few reported incidents of exploding iPhones are freak incidents, arguing that users have caused the built-in lithium ion batteries to overheat.

The investigation continues.

The good news?  VideoLAN, the multi-purpose, cross platform, open source video encoder/decoder was updated this week to a 64-bit version 1.02 (yes we’re aware of Perian).  Download the 64-bit version here.  While you shouldn’t expect to see too much speed improvement or CPU optimization from the new code, the upgrade does improve overall performance and plugs a few security holes. Note from the site:

After almost 2 months and 27 million downloads of VLC 1.0.1, the VLC team is proud to present the third version of the Goldeneye branch of VLC: 1.0.2!

This version introduces many fixes, notably for SSA decoding, v4l2, MacOS interface, ogg/theora, x264 modules and security issues. It also introduces the port to 64bits for Mac OS platform and 2 new languages (Kazakh and Croatian).
Because of the security issues, we strongly recommand everybody to update its version of VLC.

[also version 1.0.0 and on doesn’t support Tiger]

The bad news? 

If you rip DVDs with Handbrake, the upgrade will ‘break’ the application’s ability to use VLC for decoding DVDs, effectively rendering the program useless.  Fortunately, there is a 64-bit beta snapshot available to those willing to try out some beta software (Use the GUI interface – GIT version).  While it was able to rip a DVD for us (and a bit speedier we might add), it popped up the following warning which might dissuade more than a few software adventurers:

After all of that, however, we were able to burn an encryped DVD by cancelling the scan.  Our testing so far has been limited, we’d love to hear how it has been going for you out there.

China Unicom will begin selling the iPhone in China from next month – but the steep price tag it’s charging has set expectations of massive sales in the country back.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s KT Corp. continues in talks with Apple for release of the device in that country, but hasn’t set a ship date or price at this time, Reuters informs.

Back in China, China Unicom’s stock fell 5 per cent to a near three-week low after the carrier said it will begin selling iPhone in China next month. The stock decline was attributed to the high cost the carrier expects to charge, 5,000 Yuan, approximately $732.50, far higher than analysts had hoped for.

The high price tag could damage Apple’s chances of seizing a good slice of the world’s largest mobile market. Price is seen to have depressed iPhone sales in both India and Russia already, both territories industry observers had potentially seen as strong markets for the device. Once again, in both these markets, prohibitive prices have dampened actual take-up of the device.

With an estimated 15.8 per cent of the 140 million-strong Russian population living under the poverty line and an average per capita GDP of $15,800, the $1,000 Apple originally wanted to charge was just too high for the product to get the street appeal it has managed to generate elsewhere.
 

We’re not sure what to say about this guy.  At first, not fans AT ALL. Certainly not as good as the last guy.  But dare we say it sticks in our heads?  Like "Co-stanza"

via FakeSteve

 

Plug in your iPhone to your computer. If you are on AT&T’s network, you should see the following message. MMS is just an update away. (Don’t forget to restart – and this kills free tethering btw)

Ha!

 

via Pocket-Lint

Holy augmented reality, clever Japanese developers are putting together an iPhone-based technology for cyclists that uses a heads-up display to help them get to where they’re going as they hit the road.

The Scalar T3-A display connects to your iPhone to grab mapping data which it them shows in a visual display held at the corner of your eye. This display is retractable, though we’re not sure of the iPhone position – the contraption currently requires the device be mounted on the top of the helmet. (Oh, and also lets you receive phone calls hands-free, which we don’t really recommend any cyclist do on a busy high street).

That positioning means your iPhone is exposed to the elements and is in easy reach of any passing taller vehicles. No protection has been developed for this system yet, but as it’s a prototype, we don’t expect this salient point to be missed out. No final shipping details have been announced.

The system joins a range of augmented reality apps currently wending their way to Apple’s mobile platform.

In recent months we’ve seen the debut of the NY Subway Map system which uses augmented reality tech to help you find the nearest subway. This then developed itself into Bionic Eye, which we told you about earlier this week, helping you find fast food joints, hotels, WiFi hotspots and more.

And earlier this month we let you know about the Vuzix video eyeglasses featuring a see through video technology which enables you to see what’s going on around you while also using applications such as Google Maps.

We’ve waxed eloquent on this before, and Starbucks is in the vanguard in making this a reality – your iPhone will become your wallet. This video is proof.

Starbucks introduced new iPhone apps this week, one of which enables you to pay for your coffee using your Apple device. Sure, this is early days, and sure, the system’s only being tested in 16 locations in the US, but it is a step in the direction.

At the beginning of the video, the reporter is asked, “so, why pay for your coffee with your iPhone,” to which he responds, “because the iPhone is cool”. C’mon, there’s a better reason: you can protect your iPhone with a PIN access code, so if you lose it or it is stolen, a miscreant will have to figure out how to break that code…

Now, we know there’s ways to do this, but it will take any miscreant time. That’s precious time in which you can get to a computer (Mac or PC) in a local office, friend’s place or internet cafe, log onto your .Mac account and wipe the phone. You don’t need to wait for the bank to cancel your credit or payment card and propagate that information. You can kill fraud on your account faster on your own.

We know this is the tip of the iceberg, we know there’s been moves – for years – to nurture some kind of a cashless society. Ignoring the political meanings of that (someone somewhere profits in some way by you not carrying cash, think, for example, of the impact on grey market economies and taxation), but once systems like this become established on mobile platforms, that notion will become more possible.

Rest assured Apple’s already considering this idea. After all, it already holds the account details of 100 million iTunes customers, as Apple CEO Steve Jobs observed earlier this month.

Tie those accounts up to payment processing systems and 100 million people would feasibly be able to use their iPhone (or iPod touch) to pay for goods and services at any participating outlet.

And in case Apple doesn’t intend becoming a bank, there’s a hubbub of activity around the concept of bringing payment systems to the platform. Banks, retailers (such as Starbucks) and sundry development companies are attempting to pull together an elegant – and secure -system for such transactions.

Even Apple’s iFund partners are interested in this evolution. Representatives from the venture capital fund handling the $100 million iPhone developer ‘iFund’, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, took a look at yet another such solution, which is being developed by Billing Solutions last year.

Working in the other direction, various apps already exist which enable retailers to use their iPhone to take credit card payments.

 

The EU preparing to pass new laws that will limit the maximum volume of iPods, iPhones and other MP3 players to an even lower extent than the current volume limitations.

Meglena Kuneva, the European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, will unveil an EU mandate for all firms producing personal music devices.

It will state that in future all devices will have a built-in default level, said to be around 80 decibels. That’s 20 decibels lower than the 100 decibel maximum demanded by the EU be set on iPods which already ship in Europe.

As per usual, this new law is designed “for your protection”. Specifically, to protect hearing, following many warnings from multitudinous deafness charities, and recent evidence from a scientific committee which claimed up to 10 per cent of personal music player users risk permanent hearing loss by listening daily at high volume settings for five years.

The plans will be unveiled at a joint briefing by Commissioner Kuvena and the deaf charity RNID.

The announcement is expected to be made next week.

Bionic Eye(iTunes link) is the reincarnation of Nearest Subway, that cool augmented reality app we showed you back in July.  Not only does it have a new name, it does a lot more.  Fast food, Subways, Hotels, Wifi hotspots and more are all mapped out and included.  You’ll need an iPhone 3GS to play, more details below.

It is available for $.99 in the iTunes store for the US, the UK, France and Tokyo.  Yes, we’ve already bought it.

Bionic Eye covers all US cities.

 

Bionic Eye is a new application specifically developed for the iPhone 3GS that enables you to visualize Points of Interest (POI) located in your nearby environment in the US, thanks to a unique Augmented Reality functionality using the iPhone camera.

 

POI databases include restaurants, WiFi hotspots, subway stations (New York Subway, Washington Metro, Chicago L Rapid Transit), etc. Over 100.000 POI are already included in this application. Elements located at a distance less than 1km (0,621miles) only will be displayed on the screen.

 

Fast Food (POI)

– Mcdonald’s

– Subway

– Taco Bell

– Burger King

– KFC

– Wendy’s

– Johnny Rockets

– Arby’s

– Carl’s Jr

– Panda Express

– Hardee’s

– Fatburger

 

Restaurants (POI)

– Domino’s Pizza

– Pizza Hut

– Hooters

– The Cheesecake Factory

– Hard Rock Café

– Chili’s Grill & Bar

 

Coffee, Pastry & Ice Cream (POI)

– Starbucks

– Ben & Jerry’s

– Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

 

Leisure (POI)

– WiFi

– Tourist locations

– Apple Store

 

Accommodation (POI)

– Holiday Inn

– Best Western

– Marriott

– Hilton

– Ramada

– Super 8

– Motel 6

 

Subway stations (POI) (available via in-app purchase)

– New York Subway

– Washington Metro

– Chicago L Rapid Transit

 

The Augmented Reality functionality is only available to iPhone 3GS users. Bionic Eye works fine with all other iPhone / iPod Touch models via Google Map system within the application.

 

– Vertical position: 360-degree view of all POI nearby your location, updated in real time as you walk in the streets. 

 

– Horizontal position: List of all nearest POI. When a POI is selected, a blue arrow (compass) is displayed to show the direction and the distance to that POI.

 

– The application is fully compatible with Google Map. It is possible to locate the nearest POI from your position on Google Map within the application.

 

We are already working on a new update of Bionic Eye to reduce loading time. Indeed, the application includes a lot of POI covering all US cities, they are accessible without any network connection, so this may take a few seconds to load. Of course, the new update will be free for Bionic Eye users. Thank you for your comprehension.

 

Thank you for taking the time to report any bugs or to request an enhancement to Bionic Eye Application. Feedback is very important to us. We will do our best to answer queries. Email us at support@presselite.com

 

 

AT&T is at Red Alert as management and technical staff scurry in an attempt to make Friday’s iPhone MMS messaging roll-out as flawless as possible, as the company seeks to answer network critics.

The carrier knows that having had months in which US customers haven’t enjoyed the same facility as iPhone owners outside of the country, users won’t take kindly to any network flakiness – the company has had plenty of time to get it right, after all.

DSL Reports cites sources who say AT&T expect a flood of iPhone users sending pictures and video clips will generate a 40% rise in network traffic load in the first few days, and the carrier is rushing to beef-up its infrastructure in preparation. Some users started seeing MMS functionality working last week.

From the report: “Starting at 10AM Eastern (on the 25), AT&T will send out a mass text to a group of iPhone users telling them that MMS now works on their phone," says one source familiar with AT&T’s MMS plans. "They will keep doing groups of phones on the hour throughout the day" assuming all goes well, says the source.

“AT&T is "very" nervous about the launch and is requesting their MMS aggregator partners provide hourly updates on any message delays or problems. AT&T and its MMS partners are already seeing "record traffic during peak hours of the night" with just the users selected for testing.”

The iPhone in Korea story grew yesterday on news the device has been approved for use in the country, this morning we learn that mobile carrier KT will launch the device there in November, once it has finalised pricing discussions with Apple.

Critics warn that price may be the decision-maker as to whether the iPhone is a success there, as it may also be in China, where iPhone is expected to ship next month.