Archive for January, 2008
January 30, 2008
UK Apple partner O2, who hold the exclusivity contract on the British version of the iPhone, have today announced a refresh of their iPhone-specific monthly tariffs that could see users with up to three times the amount of included voice minutes and SMS text messages as before. While the two entry-level packages - priced at £35 ($69) and £45 ($89) - will not change in price, subscribers on the cheapest tariff, say, will receive 600 minutes rather than 200.
O2 has also axed the current high-end tariff, which was priced at £55 ($109), and replaced it with a “top tier” plan that costs a whopping £75 ($149) a month. It includes the same unlimited data as the cheaper bundles, and gives users 3,000 included minutes and 500 text messages.
The iPhone handset itself remains £269 ($533) with a minimum 18-month contract. While critics have suggested that the price cuts are related to unexpectedly poor sales performance of the cellphone in Europe, O2 insisted that it remained their “fastest selling” device and “an unbeatable proposition”
via Guardian
January 30, 2008
Jeremy Horwitz at iLounge has written a comprehensive guide for integrating the iPhone with you car, from a budget-friendly rig to the ultimate set-up.
The problem, of course, is that there’s no single device, cable or solution that will manage calls, music, and charge your iPhone’s battery simultaneously. I’m using a set-up similar to Jeremy’s budget solution — a cheap mount holds the iPhone in place, an audio cable connects it to my stereo’s audio in port and a Belkin charger keeps the battery going.
Of course, I’ve still got to pick the thing up and disconnect the audio cable to place or receive a call (still legal where I live). I know that a Bluetooth headset would eliminate that issue, but I don’t want to have to buy one more thing to accessorize my iPhone.
Jeremy’s “Optimal Solution” eliminates a lot of the stuff with a Contour Design / Bluetrek SurfaceSound Compact, which is a nifty hands-free solution for mobile phones (though quite pricey). If price is not a concern, check it out. As for the rest of us, have you got your iPhone set up in your car? Share your solutions below.
January 30, 2008
The latest Demo conference has the usual array of new or enhanced products. Webware is covering most of the more consumer demos. I’ve found a few products that focus on ease of use that stood out on the first day session (more Demo 08 coverage here).
Demo 08 host Chris Shipley and stage crew open the […]
January 30, 2008
Green Plug introduced a universal power supply technology for consumer electronics devices at Demo 08. The “universal” appellation means that the power supply works at both the AC input and at DC output voltages, according to company CTO Gus Pabon (his last job was as Senior Power System Technologist for Apples […]
January 30, 2008
SpeakLike introduced a Web chat application at Demo 08 that translates languages in real time. Currently available for English, Simplified Chinese and Spanish, SpeakLike aims to improved the speed and reduce the cost for translation services, according to CEO Sanford Cohen.
SpeakLike employs machine translation as well as a human assist. As you type text, […]
January 30, 2008
Yahoo’s fourth quarter results Tuesday were better than expected, but the company’s outlook for 2008 disappointed. Meanwhile, Yahoo didn’t deliver layoffs as many prognosticators were expecting, but CEO Jerry Yang said a workforce review and a targeted “jobs realignment” will begin in February.
First the good news (relative to expectations): Yahoo’s fourth quarter net income was […]
January 29, 2008
Updated with more information on listing fees: eBay on Tuesday said that it is cutting listing fees, boosting selling standards and dangling carrots in front of sellers to move more volume. The effort is new CEO John Donahoe’s first move in an effort to boost eBay’s growth.
Donahoe, technically president and CEO elect until March 31, […]
January 29, 2008
Sprint Nextel and Clearwire are reportedly in talks to form a joint venture that would build a WiMax network.
According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), the joint venture could be partially funded by Intel, Google and Best Buy.
In other words, there’s a concerted effort to save WiMax and push the technology forward. But the […]
January 29, 2008
Sun’s Blackbox, the data center in a shipping container, has gained customers and earned a less compelling new name, the Sun Modular Datacenter S20 or Sun MD. Starting at $559,000, the container can be deployed in about three weeks and can hit 18 TFlops and provide up to 3 petabytes of storage, according to the […]
January 29, 2008
eBay on Tuesday said that it is cutting listing fees, boosting selling standards and dangling carrots in front of sellers to move more volume. The effort is new CEO John Donahoe’s first move in an effort to boost eBay’s growth.
Donahoe, technically president and CEO elect until March 31, unveiled the changes, which are designed to […]
January 29, 2008
There is a writer (in fact there are several) who’s fond of giving away digital versions of his books. Yep. He distributes his intellectual property, the sweat of his brow, as if it were flu germs. And he rails against the short-sightedness of evil media dinosaurs (like the record companies) who don’t understand the fundamental […]
January 29, 2008
Several readers have reported that, after installing the iPhone software/firmware 1.1.3 update, SMS (text) messages are displayed out of order. That is, a conversation intended to appear thusly:
- User1: Hi
- User2: How are you?
- User1: Fine.
instead appears thusly:
- User1: Hi
- User1: Fine.
- User2: How are you?
Apple has now acknowledged this issue in a Knowledge Base article, which says the problem may be “occurring because messages are being sent in quick succession (more common if the messages consist of only a few short words).”
Potential fixes
- Set your iPhone to official time If you are in the United States, go to time.gov and check the current, official time, then set your iPhone to that time in “Settings” (as close to the minute change as you can).
- Use network time Apple’s suggested fix is as follows: “Make sure iPhone is setup to receive the network time. Choose General > Date & Time and turn Set Automatically to ON. (Note that in some locations, network time may not be available and in some cases, you may not see this option).” However, Apple admits that this solution may not work in all cases.
- Restart Some users have reported that powering off their iPhones (by holding down the sleep/wake button until the slider appears, turning the unit off, then back on) resolves this issue.
January 29, 2008
Notable headlines:
Mary Jo Foley: What are hot buttons for Microsoft on the programming-language futures front? Microsoft to push Office 2003 SP3 to users in February
Don’t be fooled: Windows 7 hasn’t slipped to 2011
Paula Rooney: Firefox 3 beta 3 code freeze
Heather Clancy: Imagine having just one power supply for all your portable gadgets
Janice Chen: Is the […]
January 29, 2008
It’s Jailbreak day here on CrunchGear, as another app has just been released, and it’s the easiest to use yet, as it’s an over the air updater for previously Jailbroken iPod Touches and iPhones, and the best part is you can do it without a computer at all.
If you’re iPhone or Touch isn’t jailbroken yet, this isn’t for you. But if you’re using a 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 Jailbroken handheld, this is the easiest yet. Using the installer.app you’ve already installed, you can now update your system software to 1.1.3.
A word of caution, not all current third-party apps work with 1.1.3, such as Summerboard, but it, as well as most others, should have compatible updates very soon. Hit the jump to get started.
In all, the update takes about 45 minutes, but it’s a painless 45 minutes that you can use to do other things, like read CrunchGear.
You’ll need a decent Wi-Fi connection for your iPhone or iPod Touch. The faster the connection, the faster it’ll upgrade.
To start, make sure that installer.app and the BSD subsystem are up to date. If they are, back out to the settings menu and make sure your autolock is disabled.Then, in installer.ap, simply add http://ijailbreak.com/repo.plist to the sources list in Installer (Sources -> Edit -> Add -> http://ijailbreak.com/repo.plist), then refresh your sources. Go back to the installable packages list and you should have a category called “iJailBreakMobile”. From there, choose the 1.1.1 installer or the 1.1.2 installer, based on which firmware you’re running. This will put a new icon on your device, called iJailbreak. Run it.
You’ll be asked to make sure a few things are set up, and if they are, it’ll start the download process. This part can take awhile, as it’s downloading the real 1.1.3 firmware from Apple.
Just let it run. At times, it’ll look like it’s giving an error or freezing, but it’s supposed to look like that. If successful, which it should be if you’ve followed our instructions, it’ll reboot into 1.1.3, ready to go. If not, you’ll reboot to wherever you were at before, so you can give it another go.
When it’s done, you’ll want to go to the installer app again and install “iPod Touch Software Upgrade” if you’re on a Touch, as I am. It’ll install a new program called iJailbreak that looks just like the last one. Hit it to reboot with all the new apps (Mail, Maps, etc.) and the “wiggly icon” arrangement thing.
When you’re all done, you’ll also want to run the app called “Remove 1.1.3 Upgrade Data” if you’re upgrading for 1.1.1, as the application is left on your device when it’s done, and it takes up space on your device that you’d love to have back.
You could thank me for showing you this, but the thanks should go to AriX of iJailBreak dot com, the mind who put this all together. Feel free to make a donation to the man if it works for you.
via http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/01/28/exclusive-ijailbreak-mobile-released-upgrade-your-jailbroken-ipod-touch-iphone-over-the-air/
January 29, 2008
Ed note: Katie had her own reasons for stopping her column, but things ended amicably between us. This is a previously unpublished iTunes mix from Katie which will serve as her last post. - arn.
Katie’s iPhone Mix - Songs I love put into a playlist for easy iPhone in-car listening.
1. When Your Mind’s Made Up - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
2. The Bitch is Back - Elton John
3. No Hay Manera (Jason Roberts Remix) - Akwid
4. Hell Yes - Beck
5. Swollen Summer - The Bravery
6. Novotel - Adam Green
7. There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You - Ben Folds
8. Mess - Ben Folds Five
9. I’m Lookin for Someone to Love - Buddy Holly & The Crickets
10. Don’t Tell Mama - Original Broadway Cast
11. Boys Keep Swinging - David Bowie
12. Bruised - The Bens
13. Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
14. Ding Don Song (Almighty Mix) - Gunther & the Sunshine Girls & The Sunshine Girls
15. Kate - Ben Folds Five
16. Improper Dancing - Electric Six
17. The Strangest Secret In the World - London Elektricity
18. Work Song - Nellie McKay
19. Songs of Love - Ben Folds
via http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2008/01/28/katies-iphone-mix/
