Archive for May 20th, 2008
WinPwn 1.0 RC1 Released
This iphone unlocker will not downgrade your baseband unlike ziphone. if you have unlocked your iphone using ziphone, you can upgrade your baseband back to 4.6.
[WinPwn 1.0.0.1 RC1 (Rapidshare)]
[WinPwn 1.0.0.1 RC1 (local mirror)]
New Apple iPhone Web Applications Directory
One featured application was a Facebook tool that connects the iPhone to the users’ friends’ pages to upload photos, or send and receive messages. Other software listed include a Sudoku puzzle game, MovieTickets.com to buy tickets to movies, mobile dictionaries for language translation from and to English, French, Spanish and German. More apps include Weatherbug for checking your local weather or the weather anywhere in the world.
Apple has launched a new Web software apps feature that includes a Facebook application that connects the iPhone to friends’ pages and allows the user to upload and share photos and messages
iPhone patents forecast GPS, games…and an MVNO?
With the iPhone 2.0 buzz continuing to escalate, mobile phone blog Dial-a-Phone reports that patents filed by Apple in recent weeks suggest the device will include GPS capabilities and gaming among its core functions. United States Patent Application 20080113614, filed by Apple on May 15, 2008 and titled “Personal media devices with wireless communication,” details communications between WiFi-enabled handsets: “Such communication provides users of personal media devices with access to several WiFi oriented applications,” the patent reads. “For example, in one embodiment a personal media device may wirelessly download subscription assets (e.g., podcast) as they become available. In another embodiment, content specific or local to a merchant may be provided to personal media devices that are in wireless communication with a wireless router affiliated with the merchant. For example, if the merchant is a restaurant, the merchant may provide a menu to the personal media device and the user may place an order on his or her media device by selecting items on the menu.”
On April 17, Apple filed two patents: Number 20080088858, titled “System and Method for Processing Images Using Predetermined Tone Reproduction Curves,” outlines a new image processing method and system suggesting enhanced iPhone camera capabilities, while patent number 20080088602, for a “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,” details configurable user inputs based on how the product is to be used, with functionality modes including “PDA, mobile phone, music player, camera, video player, game player, handtop, Internet terminal, GPS receiver, and remote control.”
A week earlier, Apple filed patent number 20080085707, “Dynamic Carrier Selection,” which is summarized thusly: “The mobile device may not be associated with a particular home network operator. Bids can be received from multiple network operators for rates at which communication services using each network operator can be obtained. Preferences among the network operators can be determined using the received bids, and the preferences are used to select the network operator.” In other words, expect the long-dormant Apple MVNO rumors to resume in force.
Napster now iPhone compatible
New full-track download service will work with Apple’s iPod, iPhone and any other mobile handset.
Napster is looking to take on Apple at its own game by finally offering a full-track music download service and making compatible with free iPhone and iPod.
The company says music downloaded from the currently US-only service ($0.99 per track) will be automatically synced with a user’s existing iTunes library, from which it can be transferred to an iPhone in the normal fashion.
Or any other kind of phone for that matter, so watch out Nokia Music Store.
This is possible because the six million songs available from Napster (from all for major labels) come in MP3 format with no copy protection.
Most songs available from iTunes use Apple’s fairplay DRM (with the exception of EMI tracks) and as such can only be played on Apple devices.
Speaking at the unveiling of its new full-track service yesterday, Napster CEO Chris Gorog said: “We’re now moving from under the DRM cloud. Now consumers can use Napster with any device.”
Napster has previously only offered music as part of unlimited monthly streaming model – it had 760,000 subscribers as of March 31.
More than four billion songs have been sold through iTunes since its launch in 2003.
BBC iPlayer user numbers grow 27% in one month
LONDON – The BBC’s iPlayer was used by an average of 1.4m people per week in April, up 27%, with ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘The Apprentice’ dominating the programmes downloaded.
April’s figure has nearly double the 750,000 users recorded during the online player’s first full month of operation in January.
The total number of requests for downloads and streams of BBC programmes in April was 21m, rising from 17.2m in March and 11.2m in January.
According to BBC data, there are slightly more users in the 35-54-year-old category than the 16-34 category. The former group contained 43% of users and the latter 37%, while the over-55s contained 21%.
The list of the top 20 most requested programmes was dominated by ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘The Apprentice’ from BBC One, but six BBC Three programmes also featured.
Among the BBC Three programmes was an episode of comedy series ‘Gavin and Stacey’, which received around 250,000 requests for download or streaming in the week it won the Bafta Audience Award for Programme of the Year.
next iPhone could be free with O2 contract
O2 could decide to heavily subsidise the next generation iPhone and give it free to new customers according to some underground gossiping/speculation reported by a few UK-based technology websites.
The Telefonica-owned mobile service provider has been impressed by the public reaction to a surprise £100 cut to the 8GB iPhone last month, a move that promptly emptied any remaining stocks online and instore.
O2 could possibly raise the price of its monthly 18-month contract or, like T-Mobile, introduce longer 24-month contracts which would reduce the cost of acquiring new customers.
Apple’s exclusive partner in the US, AT&T, is also apparently considering giving away free or heavily subsidised iPhones in order to capture new customers.
It would be interesting to see whether O2 and AT&T extend any offer to their existing customers who are locked in long contracts.
This, combined with the fact that Apple will be selling the iPhone in more territories, almost certainly mean that Apple will smash the 10 million iPhone 2008 target it set itself last year. But remember www.iphone3Gfree.co.uk offer the iphone free and no contract, why buy an iphone when you can get it free?
3G iPhone Release Date Confirmed?
Gizmodo is reporting that sources close to the 3G iPhone launch have confirmed that it will be announced at Apple’s WWDC on June 9th and will be available worldwide right after the launch.
The sources also claim the pricing policies surrounding the new 3G iPhone will differ from the current pricing strategy. The 3G iPhone will not have a fixed price point. Further details were not available. The report also included a June 18th release date for in Spain in conjunction with the launch of the Telefonica mega-store. Other European countries will have similar launch schedules.
3G iPhone is out next month
Gizmodo claims, that source close to them confirmed the free iPhone announce date. As previously suspected iPhone will indeed be announced during WWDC keynote, on June 9. The device should ship shortly afterwards.
Of course in different countries ship dates will vary. It is said that Spain will receive the device on June 18th, by Telefonica.
Same source tells that iPhone will not be sold at the same fixed price as it is now. The launch should also bring new sales policies.
Be aware though, that the final word comes from Apple, and everything else is just a rumour.