iPhone News

Gadgets have become a common aspect of our lives. It can be a style statement or something that we need desperately to free ourselves from excessive hassles of our professional lives. Not to forget the fact that these gadgets have also become the most essential factor when it comes to entertainment on this day. Undeniably- these gadgets are in huge number all around us.

The iPhone is in the modern times the most hyped about gizmo amongst the mass. The release of the iPhone in USA and some parts of Europe: has brought in a dawn of the new era in terms of human technology. Though satirically different from the typical Artificial Intelligence theory- this highly equipped smart phone aims at conjugating all parts of the world under the stream of connectivity.


Interview of Steve Jobs by CNBC



Steve Jobs Keynote in 60 seconds

iPhone Problems

It's one thing to get your hands on an iPhone, as folks camped out in front of Apple stores around the country will do by the weekend. But there's no choice about the carrier: you only get AT&T (formerly Cingular) on an iPhone. And so far, the early reviews have not been kind to the mobile service and especially its cellular data network ("Pokey," says the Wall Street Journal; "excruciatingly slow," says the New York Times. A spokesman for AT&T said the company disagreed with those characterizations). Before the reviews emerged, AT&T tried to play down the speed issue and play up the new experience provided by Apple's so-far well-received iPhone software. "It's not just the speed of the uplink," says Carlton Hill, an AT&T Vice-President. "It's about the processor speed on a device and the application design that enhance the customer experience. There are a lot of ways to have an optimized data experience." And the iPhone's web capacities are said to improve dramatically when it can sync up with local Wi-Fi networks — if so, it would be a juxtaposition that may make the AT&T connection feel even slower.

ONE: VOICE MAIL

Consumers are tired of wading through eight messages to hear the one they need (an inconvenience the iPhone is said to solve). And they are frustrated that carriers erase old messages and tightly cap your inbox. With data storage costs dropping, why can't you keep your messages, or download them to your computer? Imagine if Yahoo! let you keep just 30 or 40 email messages at a time. (Instead they offer unlimited, free email storage). "People treat voice mail like toxic waste," says Craig Walker, CEO and founder of GrandCentral, a startup that offers unlimited voice-mail storage. "They feel like they have to delete every single message. But what if they want to save something?" says Walker. "I have 10,000 emails in my inbox, which is incredibly valuable. I can go back and find an old message. People should be able to do the same thing with voice mail." Consumers have long been able to save e-mails, forward them at will and access them in whatever order they want, so why is voice-mail stuck in the dark ages? The carriers haven't improved voice-mail because it's harder to market service features than, say, sexy phones that work exclusively on one network.

TWO: FEE CREEP
After shelling out $40 or $50 a month for a basic calling plan, carriers pinch consumers for additional bucks over and over again. Starting with an activation fee and ending with a cancellation fee if you decide to switch carriers or want to cancel your service, consumers are squeezed for dozens of add-on charges. For ring tones, video services, text messages, and just about any specialty service that comes along to provide a convenience, dollars are tacked on to your bill. Apple and AT&T are taking a step away from that fee-squeezing model by offering all-in packages that include data, video and text messaging. They start at $60 a month, though, and climb to $100 for 1,350 monthly minutes of calling. That means that if you get the $600 model and choose the top minutes package, you're going to shell out more than $3000 over the course of the required two-year contract. Oh, and you'll still have to pay $36 for activation.

THREE: WALLED GARDENS
The carriers continue to block access to their networks by mobile startups even as these innovators offer new ways to watch and share video, trade pictures, and use phones in new ways. "They control the industry but strangle innovation," says mobile industry consultant Chetan Sharma. They limit the things you can do with your phone. They want you to pay them for picture messaging, so they restrict independent providers of that type of service. They want you to buy ringtones from them, so they cut off growth and innovation in that mini-industry. They would prefer you to buy music and video from them as well, and they would rather you not call internationally without using their high rates. All of this means that consumers are consistently cut off from inventive startups. The carriers control billing for add-ons, and service providers selling ringtones, music, video, etc are so new that they need the carriers' help to gain a foothold. When the carriers do open up to partners, they often demand a 50% of revenue, far exceeding the below 20% share carriers get in other countries.

FOUR: SLOW INNOVATION
The mobile carriers have maintained unchallenged dominance over their markets — and their customers. That's allowed them to preserve their potpourri of fees and to go slow on innovation, thus the stale approach to voice-mail and other services. Google recently proposed an auction system that would enable new players to buy into the wireless spectrum, an idea that could open the door to the sort of competition in the mobile world that enabled the high-speed access offered by better Internet Service Providers to topple AOL's old stranglehold on its customers. The carriers argue that they have continued to innovate: "Over the last five years," says Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Brenda Raney, "wireless phones have gone from simple calling devices to multifaceted device entertainment and productivity tools, because of broadband-like technology." But American carriers have a long way to go. Phone service in the U.S. remains several steps behind Europe and Asia.

FIVE: SERVICE FAILURES
The leading Web merchants have set a high standard for quick response times and satisfaction guarantees. Consumers want to be listened to when they e-mail or call customer service. They hate waiting for 20 minutes on hold and they despise droning voice-mail menus with seven options, none of which is a real human on the other end of the line. If the carriers don't step up their service, Google and other Web giants may find alternative routes for getting mobile services into the hands of consumers. Daniel Doutol, co-founder of SpinVox, an innovative voice-messaging startup, says it's just a matter of time before companies like Google and Yahoo! compete more directly with the carriers. Both portals, like Apple, have fiercely loyal fans. About 55% of those asked in a survey by Equs Group, a market research firm, said they would happily buy a Google or Yahoo-branded phone. It's a lucrative market: by 2010, about as many people will have a cell phone as a toothbrush.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is great at playing the countercultural icon. He's a college dropout who once backpacked around India looking for spiritual enlightenment, and he takes only $1 a year in salary. There are righteous battles to fight, and with Macs and iTunes and iPhones, Jobs fights them, taking on the entrenched megaliths that try to dictate our tastes in computers and music and mobile phones.

But don't let the black mock turtleneck and denim trousers fool you. More than anything else, Jobs is a canny CEO who knows how to sell product. Steve Wozniak was the technical genius behind the first Apple computer; Jobs saw the marketability. He now presides over a company with $24 billion in annual sales and 22,000 employees. Jobs, 53, is revered by tech and design geeks, but the world's business-school students may have the most to learn from him. Apple's stock has shot up more than 70% over the past year, thanks to Jobs' strategy of focusing on his most profitable customers and coming up with new things to sell them—the ultra-thin MacBook Air most recently—rather than just chasing more market share.

Jobs may be a celebrity CEO, but he doesn't jump out of airplanes or traipse around Africa with bundles of cash. He is always in character and always on message, so much so that when late-night TV parodies him, he's invariably rolling out some new iProduct . Jobs gets called mercurial, egomaniacal, a micromanager. If that sounds a little like a CEO doing his job, maybe that's because he is—and a mighty fine one.

iPhone Accessories

About the iPhone Bluetooth Headset
Enjoy wireless convenience and crystal-clear audio when talking on your iPhone. The iPhone Bluetooth Headset features a single button that lets you make and receive phone calls simply and intuitively. And the innovative design is sure to turn a few heads.
Features

• Up to 5.5 hours of talk time; up to 72 hours of standby time
• Lightweight earpiece for a secure, comfortable fit in left or right ear
• Convenient autopairing with iPhone
• Stylish anodized aluminum casing

Specifications

• Weight: 0.23 ounce / 6.5 grams
• Dimensions: 2.0 x 0.5 x 0.2 inches / 50.1 x 12.3 x 5.0 mm
• Talk time: Up to 5.5 hours*
• Standby time: Up to 72 hours*
• Range: Up to 33 feet / 10 meters
• Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion
• Charging time: Around 1.5 hours
• User interface: Single button and bi-color LED
• Wearing style: Right or left ear
• Supported profiles: Hands-free in Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

Altec Lansing T612 Digital Speaker System for iPhone

Altec Lansing's T612 digital speaker system is the perfect complement for your iPhone. In addition to its striking good looks, the T612 delivers delightfully clear sound with satisfyingly deep bass. And if you get a call while listening, the music pauses automatically. Then once you've completed your conversation and re-docked the iPhone, the music resumes playing exactly where it left off.To ensure superior sound quality, the T612 includes internal GSM shielding to keep its speakers from picking up potential intermittent noises emitted by iPhone or other mobile devices. It also provides powerful neodymium speakers and XdB bass-enhancement technology.

Features

• Digital amplification for powerful sound from a compact system
• Full spectrum of pure, distinct sound delivered by four specially engineered neodymium speakers
• Surprisingly deep bass without a subwoofer thanks to XdB bass-enhancement technology
• Wireless remote and built-in controls for speaker functions and iPhone music playback (play, forward, back, volume, bass, treble, and stand-by)
• Universal dock to charge iPhone and iPod
• Auxiliary-in jack for connecting older iPod models and other audio devices such as CD players
• Elegant, wall-mountable design
• Composite video output so you can play your videos on most TVs (cable not included)
• Headphone jack for private listening

Specifications

• Sound pressure level (SPL): 100 dB
• Total continuous power: 60 W RMS
• System response: 60Hz to 20kHz (-10 dB)
• Signal to noise ratio: >70 dB at 1kHz input
• Drivers: Two 3-in. full range drivers and two silkdome 1-in. tweeters
• The T612 comes equipped with a wireless remote for maximum convenience and control.
• It offers power on/off, volume up/down, track back/forward, play/pause, and separate bass and treble controls.

iPhone Price

The price of an 8GB iPhone just got lower, and the 4GB iPhone is on its way out, according to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. He announced the 8GB iPhone's new price will be $399, down $200 from its original $599 price. Well now, how does that make those of us early adopters who dropped $600 on the first ones feel? Hmm.

Apple Sets iPhone Price at $399 for this Holiday Season
SAN FRANCISCO—September 5, 2007—Apple® today announced that it is on track to sell its one millionth iPhone™ before the end of September, and to make iPhone affordable for even more customers this holiday season, it is lowering the price of the most popular iPhone model with 8GB of storage from $599 to just $399.

"The surveys are in and iPhone customer satisfaction scores are higher than we've ever seen for any Apple product," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We've clearly got a breakthrough product and we want to make it affordable for even more customers as we enter this holiday season."

The 8GB iPhone is available immediately for $399 in the US through Apple's retail and online stores and AT&T retail stores. The iPhone 4GB model will be sold while supplies last.

This press release contains a forward-looking statement about the Company's expected iPhone sales that involves risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ. These risks and uncertainties include those found in the Company's public reports filed with the SEC, including the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2006, and its Forms 10-Q for the quarters ended December 30, 2006, March 31, 2007 and June 30, 2007. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.

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 this year with its revolutionary iPhone.

iPhone Features

Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do — again.

Get instant access to whatever you need. The Home screen takes you to iPhone applications and Web Clips with a single tap — even when you’re on a call. And no two Home screens are alike. That’s because you can customize yours with whatever applications and Web Clips you choose.

Customize your Home screen.
Arrange the icons on your Home screen any way you want. Even move them to another Home screen. Create up to nine Home screens for quick access to your Web Clips and any applications you download from the App Store.
Add Web Clips.
If you check the same websites every day, create Web Clips and access them directly from your Home screen with a single tap.
Go home.
No matter where you are on iPhone, one click of the Home button takes you to the Home screen. And you can go back to what you were doing at any time.

With iPhone, making a call is as simple as tapping a name or number. All your contacts appear in a list you scroll through with a flick of your finger. And Visual Voicemail plays your messages in any order you want, just like email.

Tap into calls.

Tap any phone number in Contacts, Favorites, an email, an SMS text message — or almost any other application — to make a call. If you have a lot of contacts, use the search feature to quickly find specific names. iPhone also makes it easy to talk to more than one person at the same time. With a tap, you can switch between calls or create a conference call.
Make contact.

Building your iPhone address book is simple. Contacts sync via iTunes each time you connect iPhone to your computer. You can even add contact information directly from Maps and SMS messages with just a few taps.

Answer in a pinch.

The stereo headset that comes with iPhone features a high-performance microphone — fitted with a windscreen for added clarity — that also serves as a Send/End button you pinch to answer or end calls.
See your voicemail.

Listen to your fourth voicemail message without listening to the three before it. Visual Voicemail shows you a list of all your messages — and who they’re from — so you can play them in any order you please.

Get push contacts for enterprise.

With support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, iPhone gives you push contacts and lets you access your company’s Global Address List.

Email on iPhone looks and works just like email on your computer. With support for popular email servers and providers — including MobileMe, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo! Mail, Google Gmail, and AOL — and most industry-standard IMAP or POP mail systems, iPhone puts email in your pocket.

See it all.
iPhone supports rich HTML email, so images and photos appear alongside text. And you see email attachments in their original format, not as stripped-down versions. Rotate, zoom, and pan in more than a dozen standard file and image formats, including PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; and also view iWork attachments.

Send fast.
iPhone recognizes email addresses in different applications. If you run across an email address on a web page or a map listing, for example, just tap it and iPhone opens a new message with the address already in it.

Type smart.
The intelligent iPhone keyboard with built-in dictionary predicts and suggests words as you type, making it fast and easy to write email.

Get push email for enterprise.
Receive and respond to work email fast on iPhone. New support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync gives you push email that arrives automatically.

iPhone features Safari — the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device. And with 3G and Wi-Fi, you can browse the real Internet really fast. iPhone also syncs your bookmarks from your PC or Mac and has Google and Yahoo! search built in.

Browse anywhere.
Access the web with Safari whether you’re connecting via EDGE, faster 3G, or even faster Wi-Fi. iPhone automatically connects you to the fastest network available.
Zoom with a view.
Get a closer look at any web page by zooming in and out with a tap or a pinch. View websites in portrait or landscape mode: Rotate iPhone 90 degrees and the website rotates, too.
Clip it.
If you check a website frequently — a favorite newspaper, blog, or sports site — why not create a Home screen icon for it? Make a Web Clip with Safari, and your favorite sites are always just a tap away.

With its beautiful 3.5-inch widescreen display and Multi-Touch controls, iPhone is also one amazing iPod. Browse your music in Cover Flow and watch widescreen video with the touch of a finger.

Touch your music.
Scroll through songs, artists, albums, and playlists with a flick. Browse your music library by album artwork using Cover Flow. Even view song lyrics that you’ve added to your library in iTunes. Get a call while listening to music? A pinch of the microphone on your iPhone headset pauses the tune and answers the call.
Watch in widescreen.
iPhone brings you a video experience unlike any other portable device. Watch TV shows and movies from the iTunes Store on the 3.5-inch widescreen display. Just tap to bring up video controls whenever you need them.
Sync it all.
Audio and video from your iTunes library sync to your iPhone when you connect it to your computer. Choose what you want to sync and iTunes does the rest.
With a chat-style view and an intelligent Multi-Touch keyboard that predicts and suggests words as you type, iPhone texts smarter than any smartphone.

Text like you chat.
SMS messages appear on your iPhone as an ongoing chat, so it’s easy to pick up a conversation where you left off. Scroll through conversations with a flick, or scroll to the top and tap the Call button to talk live.
Type right.
Text with speed and accuracy on the predictive Multi-Touch keyboard. As you type, iPhone suggests corrections. It also features a built-in dictionary and even learns words you use often.
Get together.
Save time by sending an SMS message to more than one person at the same time. Add as many recipients as you want.

Buy music over the air from the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store on iPhone. Find a Wi-Fi hot spot and tap the iTunes button. Then take your pick from more than 6 million songs.

Buy on the fly.
Browse New Releases, What’s Hot, and Genres. Take a look at Top Songs and Top Albums. Or find exactly what you’re looking for with a quick search. Play a 30-second preview of any song, then tap once to buy it. Your music starts downloading instantly, and you can keep tabs on its progress by tapping the Downloads button.
Sync it back.
When you connect iPhone to your computer, the music you bought on the go syncs to your iTunes library. If you’ve only partially downloaded a song to iPhone, your computer completes the download automatically.

iPhone keeps you entertained with a YouTube application that opens right from the Home screen, so you can watch YouTube wherever you are. Videos load fast over 3G or Wi-Fi. Find a video you like? Bookmark it or share it with a friend.

Watch what you want.
Explore Featured, Most Viewed, Most Recent, and Top Rated videos. Or search for the video you want with a keyword search. Once you find what you’re looking for, bookmark it to watch later.
Share from anywhere.
Email your favorite videos to your favorite people. Tap the Share button on any YouTube video detail page and iPhone creates an email with the video link already in it.

With a built-in camera and an advanced photo application, iPhone is the most photo-friendly phone ever. It takes snapshots, automatically syncs photos with your PC or Mac, displays albums with the flick of a finger, and posts pictures directly to a MobileMe Gallery.

Snap photos.

The iPhone camera snaps shots with a tap. Photos you take appear in the Camera Roll, and they sync back to your computer the next time you connect. iPhone even geotags your photos with information about where they were taken.

Sync photos.

iPhone uses iTunes to sync the photos you have in iPhoto on a Mac or Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Photoshop Album on a PC. All the photos on your computer sync to your iPhone, so you can look at them — and share them — anywhere you go.

Share photos.

Show thousands of photos from the palm of your hand. Rotate iPhone to see a photo in landscape. Pinch to zoom in or out. Drag to reposition. Email a photo to a friend, set it as your wallpaper, or share it in a MobileMe Gallery.
Save photos.

If you run across a great image on the web — or get one in an email — save it to your photo library on iPhone. From there, it acts just like any other photo: You can set it as your wallpaper, share it on the web, or pass it on.

Apple - iPhone 3G

iPod Phone
It was the big Apple iPhone 3G/2.0 announcement on Monday, with everyone hanging by their bare fingernails waiting for Steve Jobs to proclaim the next iPhone goodies from Apple. Rumors ranged from colored iPhone models to video chat. The biggest news was a price reduction, offering the current iPhone model at $199, and the sale of iPhones in 70-some international markets. Here's my take on Apple's iPhone 3G phone and iPhone 2.0 software announcements.

Category: Playing Catch Up, or Welcome to 2007, iPhone

• Exchange Active Sync / Push Email - A fundamental must for business, technical and everyday users who want an iPhone that works with their company's Microsoft Exchange server. No new news here. Everybody knew it was a big limitation of the iPhone, and we knew it would be part of this announcement based on Jobs' preview.
• 3G network. 2.8x faster than EDGE on the iPhone. Now users won't hesitate bringing out their iPhones around other smartphone users for fear of being subject to yet another web page download speed test. Nuf' said.
• GPS - And GPS wasn't in the original iPhone, because? Another must have feature for every mobile device that wants to claim it's more than a phone.
• Microsoft Office and iWork document viewing: Now, look at those attachments, like you wanted to in 2007.
• Remote wipe capability. That's another must have for any business user, and should be for every other user for that matter who cares about not having their personal or business data stolen on a lost iPhone.
• VPN and WPA WiFi support.

Category: Fixing What Needed Fixing, or again, Welcome to 2007, iPhone

• Contact Search - Finding contacts when you had a large number of contacts was difficult. Nice to have that fixed as this was another gotcha for business users with lots of contacts.
• Photo Saving - Now save photo attachments sent via email to the photo library. Nice.
• Email bulk move and delete.
• Redesigned headphone jack. No more clunky adapter.
• Improved battery life. The iPhone's first battery design was uncharacteristically decent. iPhone 3G's battery supports 300 hrs of standby time, 10 hrs of 2G talk time, and 5 hrs of 3G talk time.

Category: Raising The Bar, Today and In The Future

• Location based apps and services. Jobs hinted that the future is about location, location, location. I happen to believe this as well, though I believe voice interface is also the future of mobile applications (something the iPhone still very much lacks.)
• Becoming the "platform": iPhone SDK. Location & social mapping apps like Loop. Easy blogging apps like the TypePad client. eBay app.

Category: What's Still Missing

• Copy and Paste, from the people who brought you copy and paste. Wasn't it the Mac and Lisa that brought the concept of cut/copy/paste out of the Xerox labs and into the hands of computer users all over the world? Thought so. How'd that get left off the iPhone 1.0 and 2.0 software versions. That one's hard to fathom.
• Voice command interface. As much as Apple has raised the bar in the visual department, it's severely lacking a voice command and voice record app interface. I happen to believe that voice interface is just as important or more so than visual interfaces for mobile devices. Try looking up a contact on the iPhone while driving down the highway at 75mph. On second thought, save several lives, and don't. Wait until you have voice command and record interface for the iPhone.
• iPhone used as a tethered broadband data modem. All that data capacity makes my laptop salivate, but with no way to tether the iPhone as a modem, paying ATT all that money for unlimited broadband data access seems like a crime. Shouldn't we get carbon credits or something?
• ATT is still the only US authorized carrier. And ATT's taking steps to help keep it that way (see below.) That's like having a new pair of Nike shoes with the laces inseparably tied together. A limitation in Apple's quest to sell 10m iPhones units this year. Bummer.A 32GB iPhone. When 16GBs just isn't not enough. Can you say, memory hungry apps waiting gobble up your phone's storage memory? Expect a repeat of what happened when the iPods supported video content - whoosh, where'd all that memory go? Time to shell out more dough to the Apple Store when our iPhone's 8 and 16GB capacity isn't enough. How's that for planned obsolescence and more revenue for Apple.Bluetooth? Sure like to use something other than the white Apple corded earphones. Many business users rely on their Bluetooth headsets, much to the chagrin of those around them.

Category: Big Brother Apple, ATT Death Star

• Hand over the 2-year contract, then we'll hand over the iPhone. That's ATT's new policy to prevent unlocked iPhones from showing up on other carriers' networks. I guess that's why they call the ATT globe logo, the "death star".
• Will we see more iBricks? Will Apple penalize customers who download and install applications not approved through the iStore (a.k.a. AppStore)? Can I get an amen for a user replaceable battery? Amen! Might we have expandable memory (SD, flash, etc., etc.)? There's no sign of relief from the "no upgrades allowed", big brother ways of Apple.
• More closed, locked in hardware from Apple. Now there's a guaranteed upgrade revenue stream for Jobs and more money out of our pockets for ya. And people complain about Microsoft soaking it to their customers. More reasons why Apple really is like 1984.

Category: And we needed that because?

• Scientific Calculator - For the pocket protector scientist in all of us. Dang, now I really am going to have to pack up my slide rule and nifty holster. Balancing our checkbooks will now be infinitely easier. This one was a real puzzler to most. I suspect this was enhanced because of Apple's deep roots in education. &

Apple's sold 2.8 million devices so far this year. With the stated goal of 10 million by years end, and the delay until July for shipping units, it could be a stretch for Apple to meet its own stated goals. Maybe the iPhone price cuts will give Apple that needed boost to make their numbers.