Some iPhone Pictures

These are some iPhone Photos I came across...Real COOL

New Apple iPhone 3GLatest Review

Come the 11 of July, Apple iPhone the new 3G model will be released to the world in more countries than the original release. So what's the new iPhone like. And I came across a good review of the new iPhone and reproduced the review in this blog.

Newer, Faster, Cheaper iPhone 3G
Software and Online Store Will Widen Its Versatility, But There Are Hidden Costs

Apple Inc.’s iPhone has been the world’s most influential smart phone since its debut a year ago, widely hailed for its beauty and functionality. It was a true hand-held computer that raised the bar for all its competitors. But that first iPhone had two big drawbacks: It was expensive, and it couldn’t access the fastest cellular-phone networks.

On Friday, Apple is launching a second-generation iPhone, called the iPhone 3G, which addresses both of those problems, while retaining the look and feel of the first model’s hardware and software.

The base version of the new iPhone costs $199 — half the $399 price of its predecessor; the higher-capacity version is now $299, down from $499. Yet, this new iPhone is much, much faster at fetching data over cellphone networks because it uses a speedy cellular technology called 3G. And it now sports a GPS chip for better location sensing.

The company also is rolling out the second generation of its iPhone operating system, with some nice new features, including wireless synchronization with corporate email, calendars and address books. And there’s a new online store for third-party iPhone programs that Apple hopes will make the device usable for a wider variety of tasks, including gaming and productivity applications. This new software and store will also be available on older iPhones, through a free upgrade.

I’ve been testing the iPhone 3G for a couple of weeks, and have found that it mostly keeps its promises. In particular, I found that doing email and surfing the Internet typically was between three and five times as fast using AT&T’s 3G network as it was with the older AT&T network to which the first iPhone was limited.

Apple’s new iPhone operating system includes an ‘App store,’ where you can browse for, and download, third-party software.

The iPhone 3G is hardly the first phone to run on 3G networks, and it still costs more than some of its competitors. But overall, I found it to be a more capable version of an already excellent device. And now that it’s open to third-party programs, the iPhone has a chance to become a true computing platform with wide versatility.

There are two big hidden costs to the new iPhone’s faster speed and lower price tag. First, in my tests, the iPhone 3G’s battery was drained much more quickly in a typical day of use than the battery on the original iPhone, due to the higher power demands of 3G networks. This is an especially significant problem because, unlike most other smart phones, the iPhone has a sealed battery that can’t be replaced with a spare.

Second, Apple’s exclusive carrier in the U.S., AT&T Inc., has effectively negated the iPhone’s up-front price cut by jacking up its monthly fee for unlimited data use by $10. Over the course of the two-year contract you must sign to get the lower hardware prices, that adds $240, overwhelming the $200 savings on the phone itself. If you want text messaging, the cost rises further. With the first iPhone, 200 text messages a month came free. Now, 200 messages will cost $5 a month, or another $120 over the two-year contract.

The iPhone 3G still has a couple of features that made the first version unpalatable to some potential buyers. It uses a virtual on-screen keyboard instead of a physical one. While I find the virtual keyboard easy and accurate, not everyone does. Also, in the U.S. and in many other countries, the iPhone is still tied to a single exclusive carrier, whose coverage or rate plans may be unacceptable to some.

Here is a rundown of the changes in the new model.

Design: The new iPhone looks almost exactly like the old one. It is the same length and width, has the same big, vivid screen, and has the same number and layout of buttons. The main difference is the back, which is now plastic instead of mostly metal and curved instead of flat. It’s very slightly thicker in the middle, with tapered edges, and weighs a tiny bit less.

The new iPhone 3G (left) delivers much higher Internet download speeds over cellular networks than the original iPhone (right).

Like its predecessor, the iPhone 3G comes in two models distinguished only by storage capacity: 8 gigabytes and 16 gigabytes. The top model is available in black or white.

Apple has greatly improved the audio on the new iPhone. I found the speaker was much louder, for music and for the speakerphone. But the new phone produced an echo when used with the built-in Bluetooth system in my car. Also, the headphone jack is now flush with the case instead of recessed as on the first model, so it can accept any standard stereo earphones.

The camera, however, is still bare-bones. It can’t record video and has a resolution of just two megapixels. The power adapter is now tiny, at least in the U.S., but Apple no longer includes a dock for charging, just a cable.

Software: The basic software is similar. The biggest addition for some users will be full compatibility with Microsoft’s widely used Exchange ActiveSync service, which many corporations use. In my tests, I was able to connect the iPhone 3G to my company’s Exchange servers in a few minutes, and my corporate email, calendar and contacts were replicated on the phone. Any changes I made on the iPhone were reflected almost instantly in Microsoft Outlook on my company PC, and vice versa. Email was pushed to the phone as soon as it was received on the company’s servers.

One drawback: While you can have both personal and Exchange email accounts on the new iPhone, if you synchronize with Exchange calendars and contacts, your personal calendar and contacts are erased.

The new iPhone and upgraded older iPhones also will be able to use a new Apple consumer service, MobileMe, which offers synchronized push email, calendars, photos and contacts.

There are other improvements. You can now delete multiple emails at once, set parental controls and search your contacts. You can also save photos in emails or from Web sites. You can also now open Microsoft PowerPoint files sent as attachments, though I found in my tests that opening larger PowerPoint files crashed the phone.

Some software features missing from the first iPhone are still AWOL on the new one. There’s no copy and paste function, no universal search, no instant messaging and no MMS for sending photos quickly between phones.

Network: Like the old iPhone, the new one can perform Internet tasks using either Wi-Fi wireless networking or the cellphone networks. But the addition of 3G cellular capability makes the new model more useful for Web surfing, email and other data tasks when you’re not in Wi-Fi range. In my tests, in Washington and New York, I got data speeds mostly ranging between 200 and 500 kilobits per second. By comparison, the original iPhone, tested in the same spots at the same time, mostly got cellular data speeds between 70 and 150 kbps on AT&T’s old EDGE network. The new iPhone typically was between three and five times as fast as the old one.

While AT&T now has 3G networks in 280 U.S. cities, and aims to be in 350 by year end, it is converting its cellphone towers gradually, so not all areas of included cities have 3G coverage. The new iPhone falls back to EDGE speeds when 3G isn’t present.

One side benefit to 3G is that in some areas, voice coverage improves. At my neighborhood shopping center, where the first iPhone got little or no AT&T service, the iPhone 3G registered strong coverage. But I still found that calls regularly broke up on some major streets. In New York City, riding in a taxi along the Hudson, one important call was dropped three times on the new iPhone. Finally, I borrowed a cheap Verizon phone and got perfect reception.

Battery life: Apple claims that over 3G, the new iPhone can get five hours of talk time, or five hours of Internet use. Talk time is twice as long on the older EDGE network, and Internet time is an hour better with Wi-Fi.

I ran my own battery tests using the phone’s 3G capability. Although I left the Wi-Fi function on, I didn’t connect it to a network, so the phone had to rely on 3G. In my test of voice calling, I got 4 hours and 27 minutes, short of Apple’s maximum claim and nearly three hours less than what I recorded in the same test last year on the original iPhone. In my test of Internet use over 3G, I got 5 hours and 49 minutes, better than Apple’s claim, but far short of the nine hours I got using Wi-Fi in last year’s tests.

More important, in daily use, I found the battery indicator on the new 3G model slipping below 20% by early afternoon or midafternoon on some days, and it entirely ran out of juice on one day. I overcame this problem by learning to use Wi-Fi instead of 3G whenever possible, turning down the screen brightness and even turning off 3G altogether, which the phone permits.

The iPhone 3G’s battery life is comparable to, or better than, that of some other 3G competitors. But they have replaceable batteries. The iPhone doesn’t.

Third-party software: If things go as Apple hopes, third-party software could be the biggest attraction to the new iPhone 3G, and to upgraded older iPhones. By some estimates, there will be hundreds of these programs, some free and some paid, almost immediately.

Apple didn’t supply me with programs for testing, but I managed to try several on older devices upgraded to the new operating system. I tested a game that used the phone’s motion sensors to control the action, and I tested several programs from America Online, including AOL Instant Messenger; AOL Radio, which streams music from the Internet; and AOL’s Truveo video search engine. All worked very well.

Among the programs Apple has publicly previewed were a sales automation program from Salesforce.com, a game called Super Monkey Ball from Sega and a program for bidding on eBay. Also made public were a news reader from the Associated Press, a program for following live games from Major League Baseball and several programs for doctors, including the Epocrates drug reference.

Bottom line: If you’ve been waiting to buy an iPhone until it dropped in price, or ran on faster cell networks, you might want to take the plunge, if you can live with the higher service costs and the weaker battery life. The same goes for those with existing iPhones who love the device but crave faster cellular data speeds. But if you already own an iPhone, and can usually use Wi-Fi for data, you probably should hold off and get the free software upgrade before deciding whether it’s worth getting the new hardware.

Find all of Walt Mossberg’s columns and videos online, free, at the All Things Digital Web site, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com.

Apple iPhone Killer?

This news item seems interesting. Will this Samsung Instinct be the Apple iPhone killer or just a lot of hot air? Well I always believed time will tell.

News Source :- http://sprintconnection.kansascity.com/?q=node/653

Sprint counters $199 Apple iPhone with $129.99 Samsung Instinct

So Dan Hesse and Steve Jobs are sitting around the wireless industry’s high-stakes poker table.

“I’ll see your $199 iPhone,” Hesse says to the man in the black turtleneck from Apple. “And I’ll raise you a $129 Instinct.”

Very interesting.

Sprint Nextel finally unveiled the price for the soon-to-be-launched phone touted as a potential iPhone killer.

Jobs recently roiled the world of mobile phones with his announcement that at least one version of the new generation of faster iPhones would sell for $199, a drastic drop from the first version that emerged a year ago.

Industry watchers since have been keeping a close eye on news from Sprint about pricing for its Samsung Instinct. Some analysts speculated Sprint would have to match the iPhone pricing to keep the race competitive.

Sprint executives promised that their price would be competitive, but offered few details.

This morning the announcement finally came: The Instinct will go for $129.99 with a two-year contract after a $100 rebate.

The Instinct will be available starting Friday through Sprint retail stores, Sprint’s Web site, Sprint telesales and Best Buy, which is Sprint’s exclusive retail partner for the Instinct until Aug. 28.

Instinct has been winning a fair amount of good reviews and it was named “Best in Show” at this spring’s CTIA Wireless 2008 event.

What do you think?

With a bet of $129.99 for Instinct pricing will Hesse and Sprint win the wireless jackpot over Jobs, Apple, AT&T and the iPhone?

Apple's 3G iPhone in Singapore by SingTel

Rumours no more, Apple's latest iPhone ie the 3G iPhone will be in Singapore, Courtesy of SingTel. It will be offering Apple's latest iPhone which will goes on sales on July 11 in 22 countries and regions, expanding to 70 by year-end. The price is as low as $199, much cheaper when the iPhone was first released.

Here is the news take.

SingTel to bring Apple's 3G iPhone to Singapore

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Telecommunications said on Tuesday it will offer Apple Inc's latest iPhone that runs on third-generation mobile technology in Singapore later this year.

SingTel did not provide a date for the release or pricing for the new iPhone.

StarHub, the city-state's second-largest telecoms firm, said SingTel's iPhone deal would not be exclusive.

"We expect all three operators in Singapore to have the iPhone by the end of the year. Smart consumers will know that the best deals will arrive when all three operators are marketing the phone," a StarHub spokeswoman told Reuters in an email.

MobileOne Ltd is the smallest operator, holding about a third of the domestic market.

SingTel said last month that its mobile associates -- Bharti Airtel Ltd, Globe Telecom Inc and Australian unit Optus -- will also bring Apple's iPhone to India, Australia and the Philippines later this year.

Apple on Monday unveiled the long-awaited 3G iPhone that will sell for as low as $199 in the United States -- half the current entry-level price -- as it targets the mass market.

The new phone offers faster Internet access and improved e-mail features for business users. The new device will go on sale on July 11 in 22 countries and regions, expanding to 70 by year-end.

News Source :- http://www.reuters.com/article/CMPTRS/idUSSIN13535120080610

Apple iPhone In Singapore ?

Some time in March 2008, there's a rumour that the famous Apple iPhone will be available in Singapore sometime in 2008 through SingTel. Here is the news report I managed to locate.

SingTel to Offer iPhone in Singapore?
Neither Apple nor the local operator will comment, but the word is the handsets are finally coming. Whether they'll be 3G equipped is still a question

According to a Channel NewsAsia report online, SingTel may have won the rights to distributing Apple's iPhone in Singapore, and may launch it officially in September.

The report quotes sources as saying SingTel has "more or less sealed the deal", and that retailers expect the device to be priced at around S$690 (US$496) when it launches.

Both SingTel and Apple declined to comment when contacted.

SingTel's Group CEO Chua Sock Khoong previously confirmed SingTel was in talks with Apple, and expressed confidence in winning exclusive rights to distributing the iPhone.

Since the iPhone's launch last year, an estimated 10,000 sets have been bought and had their software cracked to be used in Singapore, according to reports online.

The iPhone has also drawn criticism for its lack of 3G functionality. Users in the United States on AT&T's EDGE network--regarded colloquially as "2.5G", as EDGE delivers faster speeds than GPRS but is slower than 3G--have complained about slow surfing speeds; should the device launch in Singapore without 3G, users will have to use the even slower GPRS network for mobile surfing.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak too, reportedly expressed disappointment at the device's lack of 3G functionality.

As such, it has been speculated that the iPhone model arriving in Singapore has to be 3G-enabled for it to gain traction. But an analyst doesn't see it as a necessary cog in the wheel.

Aloysius Choong, IDC senior analyst for personal systems, told ZDNet Asia in an interview that user studies have shown consumers are more interested in attributes such as design and branding.

"The consumer emphasis on having 3G isn't very high...it is probably more to the operator's benefit than the consumers," said Choong, elaborating that the local operator interest would lie in data revenues.

Should the non-3G enabled model arrive, it may affect the subsidy plan on the handsets offered by the operators, Choong added.

Moreover, SingTel's ultimate mobile interest is in driving use of its HSDPA networks, he said.

"You could argue that [the iPhone] may help that cause by 'conditioning' users to use the Internet on their mobiles," Choong noted.

News Source :-
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz