Technology News: iPhone

The Gphone That Could Catch My Eye
November 20, 2009

So far, I haven't seen a compelling competitor to my iPhone -- at least, for me personally -- and this includes the new Motorola Droid. It's nice enough, but is it so much better that I'd leave the iPhone? Definitely not, and that includes some Droid widescreen envy. But what about the rumored Google phone?

Verizon Weaves AT&T-Bashing Witticisms Into Legal Doc
November 17, 2009

Verizon has filed a response to the lawsuit AT&T brought against its snarky "We've Got a Map for That" advertising campaign. Unlike typical legal briefs, the carrier's filing is replete with witty rejoinders and sarcasm, echoing the ridiculing tone of the ads at the center of the dispute.

What's Apple's Game Plan?
November 17, 2009

Last year, Apple began marketing its iPod touch as the "funnest iPod ever," a nod to the significant popularity of the game applications available on the iPhone/iPod touch App Store. Games designed by third-party developers have been big sellers for the platform, and now Apple itself looks like it wants in on more of the fun -- it's advertising for an in-house game developer.

Apple's House Rules Won't Be the Death of App Development
November 13, 2009

So Facebook developer Joe Hewitt tweets that he's ditching the super-popular Facebook iPhone app, and TechCrunch, clearly sensing there's more to the story here, reaches out to learn why. "My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple's policies," Hewitt told TechCrunch.

Apple's Mobile Machines: New Lands, New Carriers ... New Products?
November 11, 2009

The iPhone has launched with relatively weak sales in China, and the situation echoed what the handset faced in India, where the device was launched in August of 2008. There is little demand for the iPhone in India, ccording to BusinessWeek. The problem is perhaps structural. Apple appears to be going into developing nations with the same mindset as it has in the United States.

New Worm Gives Jailbroken iPhones the Ol' Rickroll
November 10, 2009

Although it apparently causes no actual harm besides a trivial annoyance, a worm that hits jailbroken iPhones has security researches worried. The so-called Ikee worm was discovered by security researchers recently. It installs a picture of pop singer Rick Astley and displays the message "Ikee is never going to give you up" on victims' iPhones.

Steve Jobs Conquers the Decade - Now What?
November 07, 2009

Now that Fortune has named Apple CEO Steve Jobs CEO of the decade, where will he go from here? Throughout his career, Jobs has typically led the market, bringing out products that consumers didn't know they wanted until they saw them -- products like the iPhone and iPod touch, for instance. He will probably continue doing so, but in the future he may delegate more responsibilities.

Droid Lurches to Life
November 06, 2009

Today is the day of the Droid. The Motorola smartphone touches down today in what's shaping up to be one of the biggest handset launches in recent memory. Of course Verizon is going all-in as far as advertising is concerned, but there's more to the Droid's story than a marketing campaign.

Let's Give the iPhone Hackers a Big Round of Applause
November 06, 2009

I'm the kind of guy who rarely bothers to hack my devices. By "hack," I mean use the hacks and instructions of those who are much more intrepid than I. Tinkering with a device that I shelled out hundreds of dollars for, if not more, isn't something I take lightly. If I break it, I've not only lost usage of the device, I'm out of the money, too. If I had a bigger bank account, I might be more cavalier about it all.

AT&T Sees Red Over Verizon's Map Slap
November 04, 2009

AT&T Wireless has filed suit against Verizon over the latter's latest ad campaign. That campaign, which claims Verizon has five times more U.S. 3G wireless network coverage than AT&T, shows two maps of the United States side by side, one with each company's coverage. The map purporting to show AT&T's 3G coverage has large areas of white space, implying a lack of overall coverage in those areas, AT&T said.

Nokia's Apple Attack: All for One and One for All
November 04, 2009

The reason commonly given for the creation of technology standards is to enable a more open, seamless process for licensing and adoption. However, in its lawsuit filed recently against iPhone maker Apple, Nokia is attempting an interesting spin on this definition, which may very well reflect reality.

The iPhone's China Syndrome
November 04, 2009

The iPhone went on sale last week in China, and it landed more or less with a thud. Cupertino's carrier partner in that country, China Unicom, announced on Tuesday that only 5,000 customers had purchased the phone thus far. At this rate, the handset may have trouble meeting sales expectations. China Unicom had pledged to sell 1 million iPhones per year.

Did Apple Take the Slow Boat to China?
November 02, 2009

When Apple officially released its iPhone in China last week, it presented Chinese consumers with what could be a difficult decision: Pay more for the official device --which currently lacks WiFi -- or obtain a cheaper, WiFi-enabled device from the gray market.

Lack of WiFi Puts Damper on iPhone's China Debut
October 30, 2009

Apple's iPhone is making its long-awaited formal debut in the world's most populous mobile phone market, without a key feature and at higher prices than widely available black market models. Apple's local service provider, China Unicom, hopes the iPhone will give it an edge against giant rival China Mobile, the world's biggest phone company by subscribers.

What the iPhone Needs to Keep the Android Hordes at Bay
October 30, 2009

A couple of days ago, a friend was trying to key my email address into his aging feature flip cellphone. He was muttering about how painful the process was and how stupid the phone was, and he remarked that he was getting a new phone for his birthday -- can't wait. Me, being the tech-curious guy I am, asked him what he wanted. "I don't know," he asked. "What do you recommend?"

Song Sift Solves a Problem for Picky Podsters
October 29, 2009

It's been about a decade since the first practical MP3 players started popping up, and 10 years is plenty of time to collect a positively bloated library of digital music. Perhaps you got in at the ground floor with Napster in '99 and loaded up on free tunes before the music industry decided to do something about it. Maybe you remain a proud pirate, Bay or no Bay.