iOS Devices

Erica Sadun has been doing some digging around and found an extra platform in the iPod/iPhone lineup.  Along with the current iPod Touch (N45), iPhone (M68) and a "simulator"- which means the SDK will likely contain a simulator), she found reference a currently unknown "N82".   Could this be the new 3G iPhone set to be released later this year?  Or perhaps this could be a reference to a new Apple Tablet or Mac Touch?  Or maybe Apple putting out a Touch OS release (no) for Nokia’s N82 Hardware?

Perhaps we’ll know on the 26th?

(Thank you Jesus for the image)

What exactly does soon mean?  Apple usually uses the sticky when it means a few hours…

http://developer.apple.com/iphone/maintenance.html

EDIT: Nope, the page is back up:

http://developer.apple.com/iphone/devcenter/

Yeah the rest of the world is rolling their collective eyes because they’ve had 3G for like 35 years or something… but AT&T has just announced a major expansion of their 3G network in the US.  Their announcement  means AT&T will roll out an additional 1,500 cell sites in the U.S. this year adding 80 more cities – which will bring the total to 350 markets in the US – and all of the top 100 cities.   Just about ubiquitous enough for Apple to do some kind of 3G deal with AT&T, not just in iPhone, but also in iPod, and Mac laptops as well. 

We are still sticking to our Mayish prediction of iPhone3G rollout – about a year after the the original announcement.  Also, this is about the timewhen Japan, who’s networks aren’t compatible with EDGE, and the rest of Asia should start seeing the iPhone.  Also expect the EDGE iPhones to take two price cuts of $100 each before then.  One to eliminate the 8Gb iPhone in 1-2 months.  Another for when the 3G model comes out to clear the EDGE iPhone inventory.  Apple isn’t doing $200 price drops anymore.

As far as we know Apple is also sticking with their exclusivity agreement with AT&T and not going anywhere else.

The talking heads at AT&T have this to say about catching the US up to Europe and Asia’s networks (take it for what it is worth):

"Fast wireless broadband is the foundation for a whole range of new and emerging applications that our customers are adopting, including everything from social networking to sending live video and large business files," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO for AT&T’s wireless unit. "With these aggressive initiatives, we’re expanding the scope and the speed of our 3G capabilities, connecting people with their world and enabling more customers to do more with their wireless devices, wherever they may be.

"We’re also planning for the future by establishing a clear path to a 4G network that will meet the needs of our customers for years to come," said de la Vega.

The deployment of HSUPA this year is the next step in the evolution of AT&T’s 3G network, with further enhancements and speed boosts expected in the near future. This year’s HSUPA deployment will complete the transition of the AT&T 3G network to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) standards, marking the only full transition by any wireless provider in the United States to this latest generation of wireless broadband capabilities.

As customer needs continue to evolve and grow in the future, AT&T’s global leadership in deployment of GSM technologies positions the company to continuously evolve its network to meet those needs. The evolution towards HSPA+ and LTE technologies will enable the company to continue to deliver higher speeds and capacity in the years to come.

"From the beginning, our wireless network has been designed with the future in mind," said de la Vega. "The capabilities of 3G standards will continue to expand over the next several years, enabling us to stay well ahead of our customers’ broadband needs. And looking even further into the future, our existing technologies provide the ideal platform for a smooth transition to next-generation platforms."

AT&T’s GSM technology also offers customers the largest international roaming footprint. AT&T devices work in 196 countries and regions — accounting for more than 90 percent of the planet. All GSM customers in those countries can roam on the AT&T network in the United States as well.

Edit: This is the third in a series of four articles on Battling iPhone’s GSM Buzz. A solution to this issue is described in the fourth installment.

Here is what I hope will be the final installment of my Battling iPhone’s GSM Buzz series. It has become somewhat of an abiding obsession to outfit my G5 workstation with speakers that don’t go rat-a-tat-tat every time my iPhone wants to talk to a cell tower. You readers have been very helpful with your suggestions, and I hope you’ve gotten some use out of my commentary (even if it’s only Schadenfreude or commiseration).

Martin started me off on a new angle, and I commenced a search for a pair of computer speakers that could make use of my G5’s optical audio out. I found them for a slight premium over my original budget of $100 in the Behringer MS40 Digital Monitor Speakers. American Musical Supply have them for $129 through Amazon. I also picked up an inexpensive digital optical cable from them, since they had free shipping on orders of $50 or more.

I have to say I was impressed with the service of AMS. I contacted Behringer directly about GSM buzz, and received no response. I repurposed my email to AMS and heard a reply within a day. They even responded to a follow-up. Here’s how it went:

Me:  

I was wondering if the digital coaxial and/or digital optical
interface of the Behringer MS20 and MS40 multimedia speakers does anything to alleviate interference from GSM  mobile phones (GSM Buzz). I currently have a Mac tower and a docked iPhone in my studio, and the phone has caused significant interference with all analog speakers I’ve tried. See discussions here and here.

I did see the below instructions from the manufacturer, and wondered if a GSM mobile phone counted as a high-frequency source. I also have 802.11 wifi at home, and wonder if that would interfere.

IMPORTANT NOTES CONCERNING INSTALLATION: The sound quality may diminish within the range of powerful broadcasting stations and high-frequency sources…

AMS:

Optical connections use light channeled through a fiberoptic cable and radio/cell phone transmissions should not affect it.  If you are experiencing gsm buzz you may want to check your cables and make sure they have sufficient shielding/insulation.  You may want to make sure the electrical outlets have proper grounding as well.

Well, this was the first I’d heard of checking the electrical outlets for proper grounding. As for the shielded cables, I could see this was leading to a recommendation that I drop another C-note on Monster-branded cables, and all I see on audiophile sites is hate for their price/quality quotient.

As for the Behringer MS40 digital monitors, I was willing to give optical a try. Especially if the risk was only $29.99 over my initial $100 budget (list, for what it’s worth, is $196.49). Sure, the MS20s (20 watt vs. 40 watt) were also on sale for $87.95, but I’m a sucker for the extra power. So I punched the purchase button on a Friday, and got the box the next Monday.

Speaking of which, I’ve been very impressed by how quickly Amazon (and now AMS) has delivered my packages to NYC (every time for free), and also how quickly my returns and refunds have been completed. Both the Klipsch and the M-Audio have been returned and refunded as I write this. Shipping and returning have all beat their time estimates by several days. It might be because I’m in a huge city, or it might be a case of underpromising and overdelivering. Either way, the lesson is that Super Saver shipping is quite sufficient, and all those inducements to pay extra for expedited shipping is usually a waste.

Okay, so this time the box was huge. My mailroom at work wrapped it with string so I could carry it to the train. I’m a big guy, and this tested my upper body strength. I switched carrying arms about a dozen times in the four blocks I had to walk. When I got home, I unpacked two substantial wooden cabinets, 11 inches tall, 9.625 inches deep, and almost 7 inches wide. That’s some serious desk real estate—I won’t deny it.

One thing I want to immediately point out about connecting optical cables to your mac is that the volume controls on the keyboard do not work unless you mute the sound entirely. The volume has to either be controlled through your apps or through the knob on the right speaker.  Maybe there’s some plugin I’m missing and one of you can set me straight.

I tested the speakers on a variety of music, and they’re awesome. All the detail I discovered in the M-Audio Studio Pro 3s was there and more. The high- and mid-frequency sounds are very much in the foreground, and while the bass is strong, it appears to reside more in the background. This is not to say there is a lack of bass here for a 2.0 system—quite to the contrary, it has the most of any I’ve tested—but I don’t want to get the inevitable hate mail about how subwoofers are the only way to get proper bass.

There is so much detail in the sound that I actually found myself nitpicking flaws in the music. On live classical tracks, you can hear the odd cough in the hall. On hip-hop tracks, you can hear where some samples don’t quite connect. I suppose that is because these are proper studio monitors, not consumer-grade "speakers" which may smooth-over some detail in service of a more balanced "mix."

You have to be careful with the volume on the MS40s. I never got any distortion, but they definitely "go to 11." The sound is so enveloping that you could actually endanger your hearing. I had some mild ringing in my ears after testing through my library for an hour or so. I don’t want chronic tinnitus, so I’ll be keeping the volume at a reasonable level from now on.

I heard no GSM buzz at all from the right speaker, which is the one that has the optical input. The left, however, didn’t take long. Here’s my next note to AMS: 

Me:

I’ve installed the MS 40 speakers, and the right speaker has no buzz. The RCA cable connecting the speaker appears to be cheaply made, and I am getting a little buzz on the left side. Can you recomme

nd a good shielded RCA cable in the 3′ range? What should I look for in a shielded RCA cable?

AMS:

I would suggest the following…
http://www.americanmusical.com/item–i-MON-I1001M.html

Argh. The dreaded Monster cable recco. I went over to Radioshack, because I didn’t want to pay shipping, and I picked up a shielded RCA cable. I demurred on the Monster for $30, and got a house brand "Gold Series" stereo audio cable for about $17. And it was a waste of time and money. No change in the buzz on the left. I may try the Monster, but I really don’t hold out any hope. If it really could make a difference, I’m sure one of you will weigh in.

Maybe there’s something to AMS’s "Properly-Grounded Outlet" hypothesis. I’ve got a couple of upcoming projects around the house for the local electrician, and I’ll make sure he takes a look. In the meantime, that first attribute of the MS40s that I told you about—the weight—is what will keep them on my desk. They’re too heavy to return. The buzz is certainly a lot less than the Klipsch or Logitech speakers, and maybe a new wall outlet will make everything all right in the end. Plus, my arms are tired.

OK – this has nothing to do with Apple – but it may be of some use to people outside the US.  We found over at Valleywag – they embedded MSNBC’s election coverage into the website.  Hey – MSNBC isn’t our favorite but embedding and allowing people all over the world to watch on the internet is OK by us.  It even works on Macs. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/22887506#22887506

..or you could get a Slingbox…

8Gb iPod Touch $300      8Gb iPhone – $400
16Gb iPod Touch $400    16Gb iPhone – $500
32Gb iPod Touch $500

It should be $100 for 8GB right?   Memory controllers and packaging design cost money – but for the most part on Apple iPhones and iPod Touches, the only difference is the RAM size.  To go from a 8Gb iPhone to a 16Gb iPhone – $100.  From a 8Gb iPod to a 16Gb iPod.  $100.

But to go from a 16Gb iPod to a 32GB iPod, 16GB of RAM,  it is also only $100.  How can they afford that?  It seems like quite a deal – even at $500.

Just an observation…

Apple today released the 32Gb iPod touch and the iPhone at 16Gb.  The sizes of the devices and the feature sets appear to be the same.  The prices for the higher capacities raise the bar to $499 for the top of the line for each model.

Check it

 Apple Press release:

Apple Adds New iPhone & iPod touch Models

CUPERTINO, California—February 5, 2008—Apple® today added new models of the iPhone™ and iPod® touch which have double the memory, doubling the amount of music, photos and videos that customers can carry with them wherever they go. The revolutionary iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model for $499, joining the 8GB model for $399. iPod touch now comes in a 32GB model for $499, joining the 16GB model for $399 and the 8GB model for $299.

“For some users, there’s never enough memory,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. “Now people can enjoy even more of their music, photos and videos on the most revolutionary mobile phone and best Wi-Fi mobile device in the world.”

Both iPhone and iPod touch feature Apple’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface and pioneering software that allows users to find and enjoy all their music, videos, photos and more with just a touch of their finger. All iPhone and iPod touch models include the latest software enhancements announced last month including the ability to automatically find your location using the new Maps application*; create Web Clips for your favorite websites; customize your home screen and watch movies from the new iTunes® Movie Rentals. Both iPhone and iPod touch feature the world’s most advanced mobile web browser in the world with Safari™ and great mobile applications including Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather and Notes.

Pricing & Availability The new 16GB iPhone is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and AT&T retail and online stores. The 32GB iPod touch is available worldwide immediately for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iTunes Movie Rentals are available in the US only. iPhone and iPod touch require a Mac® with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS® X 10.4.10 or later and iTunes 7.6; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) or later and iTunes 7.6.

*Availability and precision of Maps positioning features will vary depending on actual location.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Italy, Spain and Switzerland are next up in getting the iPhone officially from Apple according to a post by Macworld UK.

Spain Telefonica (parent company of  O2, the UK iPhone provider) and Telecom Italia Mobile for Italy are both said to be in the latter stages of a planned release..   Macity has reported that iPhone’s software already includes a piece of code (the TIM_Italy.bundle) that strongly suggests support for that network is already being built-in.

The announcements are going down next week in Barcelona at the World Mobile Congress (Feb 11-14) according to their sources.

A third publication, Le Temps, claims that Switzerland will also carry the iPhone on Swisscom by late February.  That is for the few people left in Europe who don’t already have a hacked iPhone.

Was that two SIM cards in there? Or just two SD cards? It’s no replacement for the original but sometimes these things spark the "what if?" ideas in our heads…

All of you holier-than-thou iPhone users that would never, ever, hack your sacred virgin iPhone, call out your high horse (whew), because a one click install has been developed for the 1.1.3 iPhone Jailbreak.

OK.  It’s not as easy as last time, when you could just happen over to http://jailbreakme.com and restart.  It is only a one click install if you are on hacked version 1.1.1 or 1.1.2.  And it involves downloading a 200mb file over wifi.  That’s at least 20 minutes of time.

If you are already on 1.1.3, it’s fairly straight forward to get down to 1.1.1.  Just follow a simple downgrade procedure.  Once you are downgraded – hit the lifehacker link.

Also, for you who’ve already been jailbroke, some of the apps need a rework to work with 1.1.3 because of the new "mobile" user that applications are running as and the new preferences location.

As always, use at your own risk.  Apple warranty will void (just like upgrading a hard drive on a laptop), kittens will die and Steve Jobs will cry.

via LifehaX0r

They were hacked.  There are a lot of people who use phones outside of AT&T, and the European carriers.  But, are 1/3 of Apple’s iPhones hacked?  Probably.

For the people who say that they are in the "channel", we have to wonder what they are referring to.  RoughlyDrafted points this out as well.    iPhones are only sold by Apple’s online store and retail and its telecom partners.  Not by Best Buy or Target or Circuit City.  Apple knows exactly what’s in its inventory.  It also knows what AT&T and the EU’s got on their shelves.

Frankly, we think Apple wants us to say it.  Yes, "one-third of iPhones are now hacked to work on non-sanctioned providers".  Apple had to make this deal with the mobile carriers to let them use their networks for a reasonable fee.  Apple agreed to lock the iPhone down enough so that people would be coerced into using the providers.  But Apple wants this phone in as many hands as possible.  The ten million mark is something they’d like to make come hell or high water.  They probably weren’t anticipating a recession to be thrown into the mix either.

So there are over 2 billion people in China and India.  Is it impossible to believe that 200,000 of them (1/10,000th)  snapped up iPhones?  Now add in a bunch of Canadians, Mexicans, Indonesians Australians and Europeans.  It isn’t hard to find hacked iPhones.  Just look at our Google ads!  It also isn’t illegal.

Is it really so hard to believe?

18 84 58 A6 D1 50 34 DF E3 86 F2 3B 61 D4 37 74

I was complimented by the salesperson at the 5th Avenue Apple Store for my preparation. I had brought the manuals of my Scientific Atlanta Cable box, my Sony 5.1 system, my Samsung HDTV, and a drawing of how I thought I would rout the cables. I wanted to buy an Apple TV, but I wanted to make sure I could integrate it with my system so I could have HD from the cable box and the ATV (My 5.1 system has a standard DVD player built in—for an essay on why BluRay and HDDVD are irrelevant, see, The Chums of Chance Embrace Digital Downloading at 720p, and Rejoice at the Advent of 1080i Two Years Later) and 5.1 sound from ATV, Cable, and the Sony box.

We figured out a way that I could use the optical output on the ATV to give me surround in my Video 2 port and how the cable box had a spare coaxial audio port that could do the same on Video 1. I’d need an HDMI cable (do not buy these at retail, if you don’t already know—you can save around 80% online) and that RCA coax, and I’d be ready. I was reaching for my Amex. Then I happened to mention that once I owned an ATV, I could move my Airport Express (which sits next to my cable box and cable modem) down to the basement so I can finally move my ugly and not-often-used brother laser printer out of my office.

That’s when the salesperson gave me a funny look and asked if I also wanted to get an Airport Extreme base station. I was confused. Why would I need an airport extreme base station if I already have an Apple TV? And then he dropped the bomb: The Apple TV, despite having an Ethernet input and a 802.11n card, is not a router.

What?? Why not? Doesn’t ATV already have all the appropriate hardware to be a router? I’m not an engineer, but how much money are we talking to make this box a router? Is it above a dollar?

So now, instead of expanding my wireless network by putting my Airport Express in the basement with my printer, I would need to keep the airport express and the ATV together in my TV hutch so the ATV can receive a signal from the AX, six inches away. My two computers (one is a MacBook) receive their internet connections from the AX now, which has allowed me to place the G5 tower where I won’t have to drill holes to rout cat5 cables. I know these last few sentences have been inelegant, but that’s my beef—Apple is the king of elegance. Wouldn’t adding routing capabilities to ATV make the box more, well, Apple-y?

In my situation, the answer is absolutely. I would gladly be an early adopter of ATV, even with it’s 720p petitHD spec, if it meant I could also use it as a router. I would do it just for the elegance alone. But without a router, my TV hutch starts to look like an IT office, with a million blinking lights and a Medusa’s coif of cables everywhere. Screw that. I’ll wait until ATV gets a router and 1080i.

Unless, dear Steve, there is a firmware update in the near future that will give me my wish? Let me know…

My personal fave:

Probably more because I am a Jasper Johns fan 1st and Google Maps fan 2nd.  Yes I tried to zoom in and "link to this page".  Creature of habit.

  Check Out the rest.

or the slideshow.

via Tidbits

Edit: This is the second in a series of four articles on Battling iPhone’s GSM Buzz. A solution to this issue is described in the fourth installment.

Oh, how I regret returning my M-Audio Studio Pro 3 Desktop monitors now.

This anonymous coward said:

I have Klipsch desktop speakers within 6" of my docked iPhone. Never a pop, click, hum, or buzz. (They sound great, too.)

This just goes to prove my theory that positive user reviews are always skewed. It’s natural that people want to give a favorable impression of the product they bought because they don’t want to feel like the fool who got taken in. I’m sorry, A.C., but the Klipsch have nothing on the M-Audio monitors. I’m listening to them as I write this, and later today, I’ll be boxing them up and returning them to Amazon too.

The high end is tinny and sharp and the bass is overwhelming, and unlike the M-Audios, there is no midrange. Those nuances that I heard for the first time with the M-Audios all disappeared in the Klipsch pair. I’m glad I tried the M-Audios first because I never would have known what I was missing.

And the Klipsch pair are not very loud at the limit. While the sound quality isn’t great on my cheapo pair of Logitech speakers, at least you can hear them clearly in the next room–they were even louder than the M-Audios, but the M-Audios made up for lower volume with better detail.

Another beef–the Klipsch pair have a large brick that is hardwired to the power cord. I really don’t like extra clutter under my desk…

But the worst thing about the Klipsch Groove PM20 2.0 Speaker System is the GSM buzz. I had my iPhone docked when I installed the speakers. I plugged the speaker cable into my sound card and then plugged the speakers into my surge protector. I immediately got the dreaded "bup, bup ba dup, bup ba dup, bup ba dup, bzzzzzzzzzzz" that I have heard in every 2.0 speaker set I’ve tried so far. And the buzz was louder, shriller, more constant, and way more annoying than with the M-Audio monitors.

As an aside, I want to point out that I often charge my iPhone with my old iPod firewire cable on the interim computer I’m using at work, which is an Intel iMac. The built-in iMac speakers have never had interference of any kind, and I’m pretty sure that’s because of the lack of external cables. I mentioned in the comments of the other piece that I did, in fact, purchase ferrite cores at Radioshack for the speaker cables, and they failed to prevent GSM buzz at all. I tried the two kinds of cores available at RS in multiple configurations, and nothing worked, so I returned them too.

Will I be repurchasing the M-Audio pair? No. As good as the sound was, they still didn’t live up to the reason I was shopping for new computer speakers in the first place: to overcome the GSM buzz from my docked iPhone. Anonymous Jim claims he has no GSM buzz with his USB connected speakers, and I’m interested to hear other people’s impressions of that interface.

I’m not sure a lot of speaker manufacturers are going to scramble to fix this issue because the inevitable solution is the ascendancy of UMTS and the death of GSM. Perhaps we should focus our disappointment on Apple, for rushing this phone to market on an inferior network. I personally doubt there will be any UMTS/3G iPhone for another four and a half years, until the initial contract with the Death Star is over, but I’ve been wrong before. Discuss amongst yourselves.

The big boys of personal technology have gotten their reviews out.  Of course,  Walt’s is usually the best.  We always take these reviews with a grain of salt because the the access to early products from Apple may inspire more favorable reviews than would otherwise be given.  I also did a blog post on Computerworld of my pre-firsthand thoughts (wait for Rev2).  Other big sites have gotten early releases and have gained some more information.  Most notably, Ed Baig from USA Today.  Gizmodo.   Engadget.  Macworld.  Newsweek.  NYTimes.

http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/452319854

Update: Mac version released

It’s really not much of news anymore since it usually happens within  a few weeks of a iPhone software update,  but iPhone software 1.1.3 is hacked.  Word on the street is that this version has some interesting updates.  Applications run as user "Mobile" instead of "root" and Preferences are no longer stored in var/root.  Obviosly the sign of a maturing operating system.

The current hack as of right now is only on an upgrade from 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 and only on Windows computers but usually these things get sorted out in short order.  Again, excellent work by the dev team – splinter group this time.

From TUAW:

A splinter dev team has just released its 1.1.3 jailbreak. This jailbreak, as discussed in our earlier post provides a "soft upgrade" path for jailbroken 1.1.1 and 1.1.2 users. (See that post for many of the technical details.) For right now, this jailbreak is limited to Windows users only, with a Mac release expected shortly. This does not jailbreak the iPod touch–iPhone only for now.

A special edition of Nate True’s iBrickr software will prepare the image used for the update and a second installer portion will flash the phone. Smxy repository maintainer, Shaun Erickson has packed up this second portion of the jailbreak, which will be available via Installer.app.

iPhone hacker NerveGas raised concerns as to whether this release would illegally distribute Apple software. Nate assures me that he merely uses a diff (differences) file between the 1.1.3 firmware as provided and the jailbroken 1.1.3 firmware. NerveGas asked me to mention that this release is not canon and distributed against his wishes and against the wishes of some of the dev/elite team. From what I understand, the dev team was behind this release until shortly before Nate took it live. NerveGas’s copyright concerns divided the team, splitting opinions on whether it should go live just at the wire.

Huge kudos for this jailbreak go primarily to the awesome iPhone hackers "planetbeing" and _Fred, who were the first to jailbreak. Other amazing developers include Zibri, netkas, NerveGas, asap18, bgm, Bugout, bushing, chris_, dinopio, drudge, gray, MuscleNerd, natetrue, pr3d4t0r, roxfan, Turbo, Zf[strike], np101137, pumpkin, and kroo, along with many contributors who wish to remain anonymous.

We know your valentine hates the Product (Red) iPods and the whole charity thing in general so Apple has thrown you a bone.  Pink iPods. 

Apple will even gift wrap them and do all of the delivery work.  More time to watch the football game and play with gadgets.

Sorry – just kidding hun.

Or you could get your valentine a hackable iPod touch at a large discount.

Nothing revolutionary here.  Apple is releasing their iPhone for business.  Pretty much same pricing as before, same features.  The big difference?  Now IT won’t have to do that extra bit of paperwork to get you hooked up.  You know – now they can call their AT&T rep and say "gimme 100 iPhones!"  It is just that easy (right).

Well, don’t just sit there..call the help desk and chat them up about it!  Also, if you use Lotus Notes at your place of employ (yuk!), expect that there will be more iPhone luvin coming your way.

From AT&T’s Pricing page:

A few things you and your corporate-liable employees should know about purchasing and activating iPhone. For more information on iPhone activations for Individual Responsibility Users, please visit www.att.com/iphone.

iPhone. Only on AT&T.
AT&T and Apple have an exclusive relationship that combines a revolutionary phone with the largest digital wireless voice and data network in the nation1.

Rate Plans
To use iPhone as a business customer, you’ll need to sign up for a 2-year service agreement or a renewed 2-year service agreement if you’re an existing AT&T wireless customer. New Corporate Responsibility Users and other corporate-liable users (CRUs) must activate an eligible voice service plan for iPhone and an Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone. If you’re an existing CRU with iPhone-eligible voice service and you want to keep your current voice plan, you just need to add an Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone. (This will replace your current data plan.)

Enterprise Data Plans for iPhone include Visual Voicemail, unlimited data with both email and web – for use in the U.S. – plus a specific number of SMS text messages. You can browse the Internet and send email as often as you like with our being charged additional fees.

Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone 200    Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone 1500    Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone Unlimited
SMS    200    1500    Unlimited
Domestic Data (web/email)    Unlimited    Unlimited    Unlimited
Visual Voicemail    Yes    Yes    Yes
MRC2    $45    $55    $65
For a limited time, qualified customers save $25 per month on Enterprise Data Plans for iPhone. Additional restrictions apply. 3

If you travel internationally, a Data Global Add-On for iPhone may be purchased in addition to an Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone.

AT&T offers these iPhone International traveling tips to help you keep control of data usage

* View rates, overage charges, and a list of the 29 countries.

Activation
You activate your iPhone in a whole new way – using iTunes right on your computer. All you need is a PC or a Mac, access to the Internet and an email address.

Service and Support
AT&T does not support Warranty Exchange of iPhone or Apple branded accessories. iPhone and Apple branded accessories are covered by a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. For warranty service or support, customers may choose one of the following options:

Visit www.apple.com/support/iphone
Go to a local Apple Retail store
Call 1-800-APL-CARE
iPhone is not eligible for AT&T Wireless Phone Insurance.

You can return your iPhone within 14 days for a full refund, but there is a 10% restocking fee if the box has been opened.

1 Coverage not available in all areas. AT&T covers 273 million people.

2 All plans require a 2-year AT&T service agreement, an activation fee, and may be subject to an AT&T credit approval.

3 Limited time offer. Qualified Corporate Responsibility Users and other corporate-liable users who activate an Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone by March 31, 2008 may be eligible to receive a service credit in the amount of $25 per month through December 31, 2008. To receive the recurring monthly credit, qualified users must maintain and be active on both an Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone and an eligible voice service plan at the time each such credit is applied or the credit will be forfeited. It may take up to two (2) billing cycles after activation for the first monthly credit to appear on qualified invoices. Offer not available to Individual Responsibility Users.

YEP – JUST WENT OFFICIAL

The business I work for has an AT&T account and we have been bugging them about iPhone’s release for business accounts since it was released.  Finally, with news of the supposed release next week, our CEO went into the store and talked to our business account manager.  He told me that the manager showed him a memo stating that iPhone’s business plan included a Summer roll-out.  Not only this, but that the business account must have more than 100 phones enrolled.

This leads me to believe that Apple is waiting for a 3G iPhone release before making it an option for business/corporate accounts.

I hope this is not true, but this came straight from our AT&T store yesterday afternoon.

Edit: Boy Genius also got a similar tip from a reader.   This coincides with our Mayish prediction of iPhone 3G release.

Probably to make up for the fact that Version 1.1.3 iPod touches will be hitting the shelves with the five extra applications on them, Amazon and some others are selling their iPods with version 1.1.1-1.1.2 software at all time low prices. 

$258.99 for the 8Gb and $358.99 for the 16Gb

As the hacking with 1.3 is progressing along nicely – but is not definite, it might make sense to pick one of these up now – if you are into that sort of thing.

Or you can sign a petition (like that is going to work) to get Apple to give it to you for free.  They have taken the "buy now" link (iTunes Link) down so maybe you are in luck.

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