Say hello to the Motorola E790 Apple iTunes phone
posted Jul 3rd 2005 3:37PM
This is the moment you've been waiting for: obviously we can't tell you how we got 'em, but after months of pining away for this, we've finally scored some actual live shots of a cellphone running Apple's new iTunes Mobile software. It might just be an engineering or a production sample, and we can't guarantee whether this will actually be the first iTunes phone or not, but we do know that we're looking at a pearly white E790 and that synchronizes with iTunes 4.9 (and has the same autofill menu options as the iPod shuffle—see below). Not sure how much internal memory the phone has, but we do know that this sample shipped with a 128MB TransFlash card that sits opposite the SIM and under the battery and supposedly sounds every bit as good as a full-size iPod and has "excellent bass response".
[Big thanks to our anonymous tipster, wherever you are!]
Well it's a cool idea, but my god, it's UGLY! I'm not buying anything like that, I'm used to Apple design, not cludgy icky stuff like this!
"Ted" your comments are not needed here.
Surely it's all about the concept of having an itunes phone than the asthetics- we all know this will develop with time!
Everyone's expectations are not too high - you know why? The technology's already there. You're telling me you don't think you could attach cellphone and 7 megapixel camera capability to the iPod? That's a piece of cake- you already have the screen, the microprocessor, the storage medium, hell, the RAZR is like a quarter-inch thick without the screen, so where's the problem? Samsung just released their 7mp camera phone in asia, I fully expect Apple/Mot to come up with a phone/20 gig iPod/camera that fits within the existing iPod form factor, and costs 500 bucks. It should record video and have bluetooth as well. All of these things are features that existing devices with smaller footprints posess, and who ever heard of the hot new product taking a step backward in miniaturization?
Btw, http://images.google.com/images?q=iPhone&hl=nl&lr=&client=safari&rls=nl-nl&sa=N&tab=wi
Lots of Suggetions
User
I think it looks and sounds pretty sub-standard, i just upgraded to a HTC (Orange C550), it's got qvga screen (320x240), near on full media player so it's excellent for watching movies - and you can stick up to 2gig miniSD cards in it. Media player has existed on smartphones for years, Apple & Moto are making it sound like this is some kinda breakthru!
innit.
OK... Apple have grown up, people! They are now playing on many fronts. This is all about a standards battle and not about aesthetics. iTunes is the grand central station interface between the world of free music and multiple devices. ITMS is a smoke-screen for the record compnaies. This is just another step toward Apple exerting influence horizontally across many sectors. Apple isn't the boutique player any more, its the 400 pound Gorilla, so you can expect more lateral territory incursions... and they won't all be about "thinking different'.
All the information that the FCC has about the new iTunes phone.
https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=453695&fcc_id='IHDT56ES1'
if the phone is just a Motorola with iTunes, fine, but no reason for this massive build up, also I won't bother running to the shops, better off with a Sony Ericsson K750 or W800. They look good, and sync great.
If Apple are going to brand this phone, then it needs to be so much more - iCal, Address book, Safari favs, Mail, perfect syncing with your mac AND damn fine MP3 player... oh yeah, stick a camera on it too!
Please let it not be the above pic... PLEASE!!!!
Does anyone know how to upgrade the e398 firmware?
thai phone is soooooooo ugly i hate it there is nothing cool about this phone. this phone is for dumb people like alyn cause he is dumb for liking this phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 ha ha ha ha ha ha ah
This is very interesting mobile phone
Get a life! It's a phone! Go out and see the real world! Your entire life (i.e. PDA, phone, MP3, camera, etc) does not need to fit into your pocket in some super sexy medium. The whole idea is to have a few tunes to jam to while you're cruising around.
ok, will this also play video and be the solve our ipod video wants... would be great to have a flip phone also
Looks like a good start, but could showcase the new technology in a nicer phone, I had a phone that looked like that about 3 years ago! Come on design team, throw your software at the Razr and make an iRazr or something
It's the E398
Could this be the July 7th thing?
It's a modified version of the E398, but it's not exactly the same.
I really prefer this supposed iTunes phone : http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000920048558/ :s
hope they can add itunes to other phones..wonder what company the itunes phones will be under, t-mobile, verizon, cinular....
Isn't this the phone that they (Motorola) demoed iTunes on some time ago?
This is not the "iphone" its just a Motorola phone with the software running. PLEASE DONT let this be the apple iphone PLEEEEAAAASEE !
Now the real question is, how long will it take people to hack this capability onto other Motorola phones?
I just picked up my e815 last week, would love to be able to plug it into iTunes =)
i'll stick with a Razr/iPod combo - that phone looks like shit.
Ok, well how quick will the battery run down?
I've only had my ipod for 6 months, but I'll probably end up with one of these before to long. (as long as it has bluetooth)
I loved the E398 specs... I would NOT mind THIS being the iphone...
NOT a moto-fan... but... if... then maybe...
Nice catch engadget!
As big of an Apple fan I am, this comes off as just being a complete gimmick. It might get interesting after the storage increases by a factor of 100.
Uhhh, Nice. but there is too little space for me to give up my 60gb ipod... While it would be nice to combine my cell phone and my iPod, my music collection is so large and I like to have at least a bit of it on my ipod, as I have over 300gb's of music
I dont like it.
Its a very "normal" and ugly phone.
Damm... I expected too much from this.
Does it have the normal sized headphone socket?
Something just occured to me. (i hope this is the case anyway).
The iTunes phone has to be tested on the network so perhaps all these phones being leaked are just protypes to they can be tested, with the real beautiful phone being kept very secret. These phones maybe the same inside so this could make sense. This would also explain why these shots may have leaked.
Posters above don't seem to grasp that the actual phone will probably not be this one; this model was used to test the software, I imagine. (At least, I have difficulties imagining Apple colloborating on a project entailing such ugly hardware.) Most likely the real Motorola phone with iTunes will be a flipphone or, even better, a slider. In any case, I'll take three.
"oh, i have over 300 gigs of music" -- get the eff outta here. how much could you POSSIBLY actually listen to? let's take a look at this... say each song on average is 5 mb. that would be what, 60 THOUSAND songs? and lets say each song on average is 4 minutes. that's FOUR THOUSAND hours of continuous music. you would go 5 1/2 months before hearing the same song again. of those 60K songs, how many would you actually listen to? i'd bet more than 1 in 3 songs is something you downloaded as a novelty or because "everybody else has it, so i should too" and you'd be skipping over every other song because deep down in your soul you know half your music collection is unbearable and you'd trade it all in a heartbeat to have david hasselhoff hold you in his arms.
I would like this if it was the final form of the first itune phone. I have a feeling if it looked like an iPod it'd increasingly become unusable. Phones do better with more buttons and ergronomics, not minimalistic shapes. The one thing tha tI don't like is the font height, it feels distorted. I was recently going to upgrade my phone, but I may just wait considering that this could replace the need to carry a pda/mp3 player as well as a phone just to have some tunes on-hand. Sure it's no 60gb iPod and it won't replace it, but then again the Shuffle wasn't a replacement either, just a smaller and more versatile mp3 player that didn't require the majority of your pocket space.
Here's a link to the phone in action with iTunes...
http://atomicmedia.net.nyud.net:8090/cowboy/itunes.mov
Geez!! You guys amaze me. The roumor was that an iTunes compatable phone was gonna come out not a phone with a design that would give you an erection. You guys were have been expecting too much.
Well, * FINALLY * !! and YEAH!!!! It has a built in camera!! (Check the icons in the menu.. it's a VIDEO ICON, not just a camera icon!!
I hope it also has a version of Safari Mobile onboard... would be the icing on the cake.. so far browsers have been so very disapointing on Cingular's phones..
un-wow. This thing looks absolutely identical to my E398, sans the music button. The 398 ships with a 64mb trans-flash, but apart from that I can't see the difference.
I guess this is just one of these coming iTunes compatible phone from Motorola...
"apple iphone"
God people/ Grow a brain. There is no Apple iPhone. Moto made the phone. Apple made the software. Moto and Apple merged the two. End of story.
for me this the really iphone,if the images show that,for me is,ilove it.
Jesus Christ, some of these posts indicate that the posters were actually waiting for an iPod with a phone attached to it. OF course you are dissapointed. Aim lower next time.
My Motorola E1000 plays music back (MP3 & WMA), it's also got a 128MB TF card in (opposite the SIM chip, under the battery)
What's the difference (other than the branding and supported formats)?
Motorola have got to be kidding me? this phone in no way exudes charm and the feeling of 'i got to have this phone!' please do not let this be the final product.
My Motorola E1000 plays music back (MP3 & WMA), it's also got a 128MB TF card in (opposite the SIM chip, under the battery)
What's the difference (other than the branding and supported formats)?
if im not mistaken Transflash also comes in 256mb
also, songs arent 5megabytes, only compressed, i guess u might as well compress them on a phone because in CD quality ud get like 2 songs on 128megabytes, but the thing i dont get... "as good quality sound as iPod" i dont have an iPod, but ive used them at Apple, Bestbuy, and Bose and the sound quality is really dissapointing, the ONLY thing keeping me from buying it, because i really like the podcast idea, and theyre cheaper and cheaper every 4 months
I don't believe the first iTunes phone would have no apple logo on it, unless it's going to be a motorola phone with iTunes software, in which case make ALL their phones iTunes compatible???? I'll really be interested to see where this ends up.
Looks like its running on the same OS thats on everyother Motorola phone though.. absoloutly terrible - i dont think they've ever heard of user friendly.
I agree that the phone indicated here isn't likely to be one of the actual phones. Apple would not agree to bind their IP to such pedestrian ID. Apple has more control over the process than this indicates, Steve isn't bashful when it comes to saying what he thinks.
Argh every time there is another one of these "is it the iPod phone" posts i get more frustrated... half of you are missing the point... IF you NEED many GB, 1+ megapixel camera, several days or more of battery life, perfect sound quality, windows mobile or whatever PDA software, and a million other features, buy a backpack / MANPURSE and fill it up with an iPod, digital camera, whatever beautiful / easy to use phone you like and your PDA.
If, instead, you want to stick one device in your pocket that'll do everything above well enough to get by in everyday life, stop complaining every time a phone comes out that doesn't sound like your iPod, take pictures like your Nikon, look like your Razr, and hold as much data as your desktop.
And i'm not even going to go in to how there'll be 50 "OMG i can't believe this thing is $499 with a two year contract" comments when the details come out. Man people... get a grip...
If Apple can pack a gig into a Shuffle, the will sure as hell have more than 128mb in this "iTunes" compatible phone.
I couldn't say it better Andrew Stone (#36). Every time these crybabies whine about everything. "only one megapixel! this is nothing but a piece of junk..." "its ugly omg, oh ohhh i crapped my pants" "what happened to the 120gb video ipod that was coming out today, this sucks" "wheres the shuffle screen, why should i shuffle songs if i dont know what the name is, the artist, and what the album art looks like, omg apple is gayer than gay homos"
Cause yea, if it was a new phone design, Apple'd have let it leak this poorly. Not f'in likely. Patience, I have a good feeling we'll be revolutionized shortly.
Just noticed this... its a fake.
Look at the alignment on the right, then at the lower picture, there is a big spacing gap between the first photo and the second, I doubt the screen re-synched itself between photos.
Lame.
I think its a great first step. They need to have at least a 1GB phone and some way to have long battery life for the phone. Maybe make it so when you get to a certain level audio doesn't work but you can still make calls.
You guys are TOTALLY missing the point. ****iTunes Mobile is a software solution, NOT a hardware solution**** For those of you criticizing the design of the phone: you are missing the point. This phone (e398) has been around for a while now. That's not the news ("It has a video icon!", "I don't like silver!") OMG did you like just get the internet yesterday!?
The point is that you'll be able to download and install the iTunes Mobile application onto any phone (of minimum spec, by which I mean mp3 playback capability, ie. the later Nokias, SE K700 and above, and newer motos... NOT THE OLD SCHOOL T610-class phones that are still hanging around, esp. in the US).
The news about iTunes Mobile is that *every* modern phone becomes an extension of iTunes and the iTunes Music Store (where the dollars are)... you tie people into the platform, you keep the hardware independent (after all, new phones are released practically daily). There is no such thing as an Apple Phone and there probably never will be. Get over it. All your phones are belong to us.
This is a piece of sht. The phone has to look much better for people to buy it. I will probably get the Nokia N91, which come with a 4GB HDD. I don't really get what the big deal is with the itunes phone, it nothing speacial, it just a phone that lets you play mp3's.
ive had my e398 that is basically the same thing as this, minus the itunes button and itunes java app (which is probably all it is).. now that this phone is going to be going mainstream in the states soon.. i'm going to be switching to a v635 so i have something different than every spoiled little 6th grader who gets a new toy every day.. btw.. heres a pic of the phone that i'll be throwing in the desk drawer to collect dust once my v635 gets here next week http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/dumshiet/e398/e398.jpg
I would rather have the a flip phone with an SD slot for an iTunes phone. Withy my current phone which has an exposed face I find that the buttons get pressed accidentally too often when I stick it in my pocket.
Going to trade in my phone and service in August to become part of the shared family plan the rest of my family is using through Sprint so I doubt any iTunes phone will be an option.
Whats the big deal? Its a phone that plays mp3s which happens to use the iTunes interface (yawn). Who, outside of apple-fan-boys, would be interested in this. Its only more Apple marketing ppl.
RPLY to 43:
Well Sprint is now part of nextel and most of Nextel's phones are Moto so you probably have a chance of getting the iTunes phone or an iTunes compatable phone
just get a lifedrive and a cheap cell phone. free with contract + life drive (cheap on pricegrabber or ebay)= everything you want the ipod phone to be in two small packages.
Stop calling it the "iTunes Phone". It's the "iPod Phone".
Aren't the iTunes 4.9 package screenshot clear enough???
I just don't see this taking a year to develop. Basic Java software from Apple, a new button from Motorola. Nothing that would take any amount of time. There will be other hardware announced soon...
Wait! This ISN'T the Apple iPhone!?! I Thought it'd look cooler!
Haha, all your heads are going to exploid. This is hilarious.
If this is really it, it had better have some tight wireless iPhoto and iCal integration to make up for the also-ran design.
While my initial impression of the device is governed solely by its outward appearance, it's success as a convergence device, bringing together telephone and portable music features, will depend almost entirely upon it's playback quality and storage capacity. From the Engadget article, the phone uses transflash which, according to Sansdisk, is based on miniSD. If miniSD is limited to 1GB, it's a fairly safe bet that the iTunes Phone will not exceed 1GB in storage.
Also, to the commenter who pointed out that the iTunes portable software is the key, I can only partially agree. Sony-Ericcson won't likely support iTunes; it would directly compete against any similar future attempt on Sony's part. While Nokia may be up for grabs, it seems to me that they've long made a point of "doing their own thing" and not going out of their way to work with third parties on their software.
I've now had two happy years of only carrying one device, an xdaii running Windows mobile. The SD slot makes it pretty easy to carry enough tunes to get me through the day as well as a few ebooks for reading on the train. When I sync the phone with the puter it loads a random selection of video content and music from my library along with a big heap of news services. There's a CF backpack for it, so if I'm away for a few days I can fill a microdrive with a couple of films, a few dozen albums, and some extra books to keep myself amused.
Oh, hang on though...128mb AND syncs with iTunes...oh well in that case I take it all back, that's so gonna kick ass.
I agree with James - too small of memory. I have 2 terabytes of songs. However, it is just the same song copied many, many times.
The sync with iTunes is nice. All this waiting...sheesh.
~Technologic~
Yawn. How anticlimactic if this is indeed the handset. I mean yeah, it was only going to be iTunes SOFTware running on some Moto handset, but you'd think Moto would at least debut a hot new design. The only advantage this iTunes software has is that it will play the protected AAC files that you buy from the iTunes Music Store.
Well, I've got a Samsung A800 that has a TransFlash slot. And it work with any MP3 or AAC including protected ones, thanks to JHymn. So someone want to tell me the point of the "iTunes mobile software"?
Also, that iTunes icon on the Moto menu screen looks hella fake. Not the actual icon (although it seems a bit squished), but the style is just so completely different from Moto's usual crap UI that even Moto's crap UI design team had to be thinking they've sunk to a new low...
To Evan - "While Nokia may be up for grabs, it seems to me that they've long made a point of "doing their own thing" and not going out of their way to work with third parties on their software."
I would remind you that Nokia chose to use Safari's WebKit for HTML rendering on their Series 60 phones - perhaps they are, ahem, changing their tune? :)
I am disapointed in the design, Apple is based on design and this phone looks like a mid 90's phone...
To top it off the memory included for this phone is outrageous, i had a siemens mp3 phone 3 years ago and it had 128mb? come on lets get the 1 gig+ ....
I kinda like the looks of the phone, now if they could just get that crappy itunes software off it I'd consider buying it.
Now if they really wanted it to fly off the shelves, they should build an iPod razr, with quad band, 2 GB memory, or 60 GB if they can squeeze in a hard drive, java and symbian compatibility to kill off Nokia, 16 hours or more battery, mp3 or AAC ringtones, wifi with VoIP support included. email client, browser.
If they do all that, I would even get rid of my laptop.
Hey check this out!
1.) Open iTunes 4.9 and open preferences. watch the podcast icon
2.)Now go to System Preferences and change your display colors to 256
3.)Go back to iTunes and look for the podcast icon in iTunes preferences. (It has changed to a motorola phone icon)
You guys are never allowed to complain about anyone else's photo watermarking again.
Since this syncs with iTunes 4.9, will it also support podcasts? With a big enough TransFlash card, that could be useful. (BTW, it would be even nicer to see someone release a BREW iPodder for Verizon's EVDO phones. That might actually make their MP3 playback functions worthwhile.)
to #61, wow that actually worked :O
(on my iMac G5)
I really hope this ISN'T the handset. But more realistically, I hope whatever it is, Australia gets it! :(
Jeffrey: Nice pun. ;)
You guys are TOTALLY missing the point. ****iTunes Mobile is a software solution, NOT a hardware solution**** For those of you criticizing the design of the phone: you are missing the point. This phone (e398) has been around for a while now. That's not the news ("It has a video icon!", "I don't like silver!") OMG did you like just get the internet yesterday!?
The point is that you'll be able to download and install the iTunes Mobile application onto any phone (of minimum spec, by which I mean mp3 playback capability, ie. the later Nokias, SE K700 and above, and newer motos... NOT THE OLD SCHOOL T610-class phones that are still hanging around, esp. in the US).
The news about iTunes Mobile is that *every* modern phone becomes an extension of iTunes and the iTunes Music Store (where the dollars are)... you tie people into the platform, you keep the hardware independent (after all, new phones are released practically daily). There is no such thing as an Apple Phone and there probably never will be. Get over it. All your phones are belong to us.
to 61 (Don Veto): yeah, maybe it could even do our work FOR US!!!
now let's be realistic here. if you want something w/ a 60gb hdd, wifi, internet capabilities, et al, in the size of a razr, you're either cracked out of your mind or you're aware of an underground technology that nobody else has ever heard of...
and looking at that technology you're hoping for (let's just call it heavily unprecedented for the sake of understatement) in that size, you'd be paying out the wazoo.
so could they knock nokia off the market? with the probable costs, i doubt it...
maybe they'll have an upgrade system, so if you really want to waste your money on a cell phone of that caliber, you CAN, but you can still get a stripped down model for less money... but that leaves the option for those of us who aren't millionaires to wait until we get home to surf the web...
the concept is so extreme that only someone from consumer america could come up with it as far as i'm concerned...
look at it this way: you'd pay well to get a laptop with those features. hoping to get them in the size of a razr is something of a pipe dream.
oh. i almost forgot.
GO NOMAD!!!
;) -aaron
This IS Motorola's iTunes mobile phone. First, the e398 has always been called the MTV phone as its quite good for listening to music (it has stereo speakers), although the software sucks big time, slow, no aac support ect. And this phone is a cheap phone which actually comes with removable storage. A 256mb Transflash card is avaliable now, and isn't that expensive either.
The problem with the E398 is that it has no video camera, even though it has a good still camera, and the space needed. So im glad to see a video icon.
And when this comes out anyone with a E398 can update the firmware to get an iTunes phone too, yipee!
(oh and to answer someone earlier, it does not have a regular sized headphone jack)
Moto should let Proekt do some work on a better iTunes phone design, seeing as their #1 Consept Phone (that's the name mind you) a few years back had subtle references with the iPod menu, touch-sensitive controls and a power switch reminiscent of the iPod's hold switch, a perfect contender.
Even if it is fake, I have a feeling all this hype and waiting will only add dissapointment when the real thing comes.
It's crap and a fake - Apart from looking really shit this cannot be the iPod phone. Everyone knows the iPhone - iTone whatever the name will be must have a scroll wheel. Can you imagine trying to scroll through a few hundred songs, or one thousand on that little finger button. I dont think so.
It's got to have a bigger screen, a hard disk too and it should be white!
It also has to have some kind of Apple design finesse, it has about as much style as an 80's Volvo! Apple is about innovation.
No way Steve jobs or Jon Ive would ever consider flogging this tripe and call it an Apple product.
You can even see the edges if you look hard enough where they have brushed and edited the screen in photoshop to make it look genuine!
looks fine....
the phone looks good to me
the phone looks awful to me
What's that piece of crap? :S
First Intel processors, now crap phone, oh my God!
Look it's the iPhone!
Everyone squeal with excitement!
http://www.spymac.com/upload/gallery/f_1/user_16905/medium/upload_428691.jpg
So... Let's see. You walk around with a phone to your ear and you listen to music, is that it? Like, all day? Meh. Not for me...
Bah, it should have looked like this one:
http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/review/htc-magician-en.shtml
The HTC Magician/QTek s100/Imate JAM PDA Phone
Just change the sides for white plastic and put inside a reduced version of OSX...
Permanent4,
We always have and will complain about people who watermark stock/public press photos. Always. It's completely ridiculous to assume photos in the public domain as your own, and shows great disdain for the community of journalists. Otherwise, when we complain about the way people watermark their own pics it's typically only because the way it's done. And under all but the most unique of circumstances (such as the exclusive Engadget-only photos of an important new device such as the iTunes phone) we will continue not to watermark our own images.
Best,
Ryan
So... Let's see. You walk around with a phone to your ear and you listen to music, is that it? Like, all day? Meh. Not for me...
---------
This will undoubtedly come with Apple's signature white earbuds. Funny post though.
Looks like a Photoshopped version of the E398. Kind of hard to believe considering I can make the razor into a iTunes phone on Photoshop and wouldn't be hard.
Apple may well be making an announcement that some or all Motorola phones can play iTunes, and this phone may well be capable of playing iTunes, but it will never have Apple's name on it. The design is not Apple's -- good or bad -- and everything Apple releases looks like Apple.
I would love an actual Apple iTunes Phone. My current phone is a Nokia 6600. The phone has great reception and a lot of functionality, but it's SLOW and the menus are long and confusing. To change the hot keys, I need to select menu-tools-settings-phone-standby mode-selection key-choice. Even if I remember the pattern to everything, it still takes a long time. If an Apple iTunes Phone has as good an interface as the iPod, I'd buy it in a second.
Can't beat Motorolas Razor series, now if iTunes software came with that I would go crazy.
To Richard:
I am curious about that "fact" that iTunes Mobile will be able to be downloaded on to any phone. Yet, this Motorola has been a "deal" with Apple since the beginning. Why wouldn't Apple just put out the iTunes Mobile application for specific platforms/phones if this was not exclusive to Motorola?
Well, iTunes on your phone is all well and good, but I'd love it if Apple were to put some of that 'Apple magic' into the rest of the phone interface... that's just the standard Moto OS (shudder) with iTunes grafted on. And that font! I'll wait for something a bit more Lucida Grande ^_^.
Okay, was I the only one to notice on the video that there was between 768MB and 1024MB (1GB) of memory on this phone? Maybe I'm the only one who can read French?
-Aaron-
What is wrong with you people?, like some other posters have already stated...
Why is everyone disapointed that this phone is very un-Appleish, in design, looks, UI ?
It's been stated over and over; and over.
This is a M-O-T-O-R-O-L-A cell phone; with iTunes capabilities.
Would you expect your Toyota Corolla to look, roar, smell, feel like a 60's Dodge Charger just because you hung some fuzzy dice from the rear view mirror?
This phone and those to come is just Joe Smo's cell phone that can play music and are too stupid to buy an iPod. Ooooo-Ahhh. It will sell anyways. It's not an Apple phone, it's not the iPhone,.....It's a Motorola phone.
Nokia just adopted Apples WebCore for their upcoming cell phones.
This doesnt mean that now Nokia will be the; iPhone.
It means that Apple is smart. You can't beat the cell companies; but you can join them and get your technology recognized with their products.
Then,..later,..
Wham! you come around them and have them take it up the Tradesman entrance with your own; iPhone via satelite. Someday..just not today.