Mobispine's iPhone MMS application... for the entire universe?

We heard yesterday that Telia customers might be getting an MMS app for their iPhones, and that it was being developed by the carrier themselves, with plans to launch in the next two months. Well, today we've gotten word that Mobispine is likely the developer of said application, and that they have plans to offer it to carriers all over planet Earth. Mobispine says that the app will be branded to each particular operator, and distributed via Apple's App Store, but we don't know when all of this is going to go down. Now we'd just like to meet the caveman owner of the iPhone pictured above who needed to be told (on November 15th!) that "Obama will be our next president."

[Thanks, Mike]

[waiownsyou @ Nov 20th 2008 2:13AM]

Watch it get rejected like that podcast-over-the-air application for supposedly being too close to the iPhone's functions. Apple will then release MMS support 5 years later.

Carriers need to bitch at Apple for not having MMS support but carriers will be (greedy) carriers, they're just happy they're saving bandwidth.

[Bdad @ Nov 20th 2008 7:11PM]

they dont really save on bandwidth since MMS either comes out of a bucket or is a certain amount per sent msg. What i dont get is how this app would work without being able to run in the back? Does someone have to call you before hand so you open the app and are able to receive the mms?

[nerdtalker @ Nov 20th 2008 2:21AM]

You're forgetting that they're totally charging you for it too since "texts" colloquially refer to SMS/MMS interchangeably.

[Evangelion @ Nov 20th 2008 3:14AM]

Maybe Apple thinks that MMS is a "Bag of Hurt."

[john @ Nov 20th 2008 3:42AM]

even if it does happen AT&T dont have the bandwidth to support it .....EVDO REV A WOOOOOO!

[Aaron @ Nov 20th 2008 4:11AM]

Of course Apple will reject it. They've clearly stated that nobody wants MMS. You're not allowed to think for yourself.

[Alan Zeino @ Nov 20th 2008 5:14AM]

No doubt this is Dev Program compatible, unless they have some sort of a deal with Apple to access more than the usual Cocoa Touch controls. Won't be anything useful, unless it's a jailbreak app.

[Alan Zeino @ Nov 20th 2008 5:15AM]

I doubt this is Dev Program compatible, unless they have some sort of a deal with Apple to access more than the usual Cocoa Touch controls. Won't be anything useful, unless it's a jailbreak app.

[)law( @ Nov 20th 2008 2:17AM]

I really do hope this is true. If it is it would make a nice early Christmas present. I just might even belive in Santa clause. Hopefully Old man Jobs won't grinch it up and throw it out of the store

[Jash Sayani @ Nov 20th 2008 12:49PM]

Forget about it! Its too good to be true...
If Apple wanted to add MMS, they would have done it long time back.. and would not have waited from 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.1, 2.1.....

.

[lowdef @ Nov 20th 2008 2:19AM]

Stacy Edwards tells the future.

[rTwelve @ Nov 20th 2008 2:32AM]

I'm more interested about the party....

[palehorse @ Nov 20th 2008 2:27AM]

I don't think Apple will reject it, but I do have a feeling that AT&T will not offer up the app for their network...

[speedgadget @ Nov 20th 2008 2:33AM]

Nice. I like when Engadget beats MacRumors to Apple fanboy news. You know, all those "news and rumors that you care about". really.

And I'm not talkin' lame AppleTV updates. Honestly, who cares?

[André @ Nov 20th 2008 4:49AM]

Funny thing, they have actually been discussing this in the forum since yesterday. http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=602500 ;)

[Curnsie @ Nov 20th 2008 6:55AM]

@speedgadget

uhhhhh I care!

Next time, don't read, just keep passing through stranger. That way your day will not be spoiled.

happy surfin.

[ubn2 @ Nov 20th 2008 2:36AM]

lets just apple doesnt make this app my avatars green guy...

[ubn2 @ Nov 20th 2008 2:39AM]

wtf happened to my avatar? oh well this picture is what im talking about http://www.frenchfriends.info/files/funny_soccer.jpg
oh dear god...

[ubn2 @ Nov 20th 2008 2:36AM]

lets just apple doesnt make this app my avatars green guy...

[ubn2 @ Nov 20th 2008 2:44AM]

I swear I didnt double post!
god and my avatar I want the coder for the comment system to be the green guy!

[Jakob @ Nov 20th 2008 3:54AM]

Lets just you away from this article go.

[Patriks7 @ Nov 20th 2008 5:14AM]

You're right, you quadruple posted..

[Kragmose @ Nov 20th 2008 6:56AM]

Four consecutive lowest ranked posts by the same user? I bet that's a mayan sign of the end of the world.

[Hung @ Nov 21st 2008 12:34AM]

Let's get one more consecutive highest ranked comment to cancel out the previous 4 consecutive lowest ranks.

[digitallysick @ Nov 20th 2008 2:47AM]

Apple will never let it fly, otherwise they would have included an MMS app . I can't wait for the reason of why they block it

[domoPod @ Nov 20th 2008 2:55AM]

i could see this getting rejected. apple doesnt seem to care about mms on they're iphones. i mean look at the sidekicks, did they add mms support? no but people still buy em because they're cool..

[James @ Nov 20th 2008 3:38AM]

Since when are sidekicks cool?

I thought they were used exclusively by douches promoting clubs and 13 year old girls to check their myspace's.

[jasondefaoite @ Nov 20th 2008 2:57AM]

MMS is a bag of hurt people!

[mercurysunblast @ Nov 20th 2008 3:21AM]

Aaand wtf does that mean?! I've seen "MMS is a bag of hurt people!" way too many times now. Am I missing some big joke?!

[Michael Scrip @ Nov 20th 2008 3:30AM]

> "Am I missing some big joke?!"

Yes. Apple's Steve Jobs called Blu-ray "a bag of hurt"

And the internets responded by calling anything undesirable a "a bag of hurt"

[Geir E @ Nov 20th 2008 3:31AM]

Steve Jobs called Blu-Ray 'a bag of hurt', thus spawned a new joke about anything they hesitate adding.

[Farris @ Nov 20th 2008 3:25AM]

"...plans to offer it to carriers all over planet Earth..."

No love for planet Mars?

[James @ Nov 20th 2008 3:40AM]

Nope they're prejudice against green people...and by that i mean aliens not people trying to save the earth.

[CJ @ Nov 20th 2008 7:29AM]

... Although, they're pretty insensitive to them too.

[Alex @ Nov 20th 2008 5:05AM]

MMS is garbage.... why on earth would you want MMS on your iPhone? YUCK! The quality sux and it is so so so limited.

I just helped a fried with her Nokia phone. She add the unlimited MMS and TEXT services (as a package) to her phone. This is through AT&T wireless. I went on to their website and I found a few things out about MMS that surprised me.

Using an iPhone/Blackberry, etc or computer with standard eMail; I can eMail to an MMS account. The AT&T format is (phone#)@mms.att.net. This will convert over to MMS. Mind you, pix size is limited. Video is a postage stamp sized 3gp format for about 3~5 seconds. (why even send it?) Audio appears to be WAV only. Most MMS phones don't have the processing power to handle much of anything, so pix are about it. Anything else is a hassle and a waste of time.

As I read more into the FAQ's; I was shocked to find out that her weenier Nokia could MMS to my eMail. Yes that's right. She just puts in my eMail address "[e-mail]" and away it goes. Her particular phone defaulted to numbers only in the address or send to line. I found out how to change that for text. It works. I'm shocked. I'm sure other providers have this too, like Rogers, Telstra, T Moble, etc.

iPhone users are not haters.... but it is like asking us to run window on our Macs..... some things shouldn't be done. So MMS compatibility exists right now.


Can someone tell me if the Crackberries have MMS on them? I don't ever remember hearing about them.


PEACE, LOVE, AND HAIR GREASE!

Alex

[munir @ Nov 20th 2008 5:11AM]

"crackberries" do have mms. every phone should...

[JZ @ Nov 20th 2008 5:26AM]

Shocked over basic functions? Odd, many functions people consider normal are considered by Jobs as not important. It doesn´t mean that they shouldnt be implemented. MMS is a basic function which can be nice as every other mobile supports it. Its rather crazy that you are dependend on others to develop basic functions for a mobile and with some luck these functions get blocked by the Appstore because they don´t "fit".
Also about running Windows on an Apple, should be done since the support from Apple isn´t there. I wouldnt mind using an Apple if I could use my A-cad/3ds/Ibis. Apple rigs are at release ussually the fastest and would be excellent for these purposes (except for the old graphics) but.. without Windows you can´t. So I agree, some things shouldn´t be done, but there is no other solution.

[Damo @ Nov 20th 2008 6:07AM]

See this is just being short minded

I'm going to assume you are USA based. In the USA and some other counties you can email an MMS message to a user however in countries like the UK specifically the O2 network they don't have an email to MMS gateway so this method simply wouldn't work. I love how you say it's a waste of time, MMS is not a waste of time it's a convenient way to send a picture, video or sound without the needing to go into email and quite frankly in Europe this is a handy feature considering every mobile phone here does MMS without a problem

It bores me that people and I'm not tarnishing all people from the USA with the same brush but anyone with a negative comment about MMS seems to reside that side of the Atlantic. Apple are marketing this phone worldwide but are limiting options to USA based customers. Clearly it's not difficult to do MMS and for most operators they charge MMS as just multiples of SMS, O2 I think charge an MMS as 3 or 4 SMS messages which is just clearly the equivalent of someone sending a large text message.

MMS in UK for example is already possible on the iphone via Swirly, however the hurdle we face is getting O2 to activate MMS on iphone accounts which is hit and miss depending who you speak to at O2, they don't activate be default purely because the app store doesn't have an application, I;m sure this is other operators rules so just to have an app in the appstore is sufficient enough

[Jakob @ Nov 20th 2008 7:31AM]

Damo you're so right. The Americans (again the one with the negative MMS comments) don't understand we actually use MMS. You can't tell all your friends just to send the message in another way. Apple just make that application already.

In Denmark all MMS and SMS gateways shut down many years ago.

[rob @ Nov 20th 2008 10:57AM]

MMS is garbage. But I would like to send/receive MMS from people that do not have iPhones that will never get iPhones.

[Hung @ Nov 21st 2008 12:38AM]

"...Rogers, Telstra, T Moble..."

Hey don't blame US (HAR HAR HAR, SEE WHAT I DID THAR?).

Sounds like that guy is from Canada.

[Alan Zeino @ Nov 20th 2008 5:15AM]

I doubt*

[whoami @ Nov 20th 2008 7:48AM]

In the next 2 Months, the iPhone is going to get MMS, and you will see why 2009 won't be like 2009.... or in other words, lets party like it's 1999!!!

[Sergio @ Nov 20th 2008 8:39AM]

hahahahaahhahahahahah
hahahahahahahhahahahaha
hahahahha

Sorry I cant help my self, this is on the border line of ridiculous and insanely funny.
aaaaaa you fruity guys are such a special breed!

[Dionte @ Nov 20th 2008 8:42AM]

Finally!!!!!! Such good news, I can't wait to be able to send and receive pictures like everyone else I know with a cell phone.

[Matt Hanson @ Nov 20th 2008 11:31AM]

TOO LITTLE - TOO LATE !!!

I'm jumping ship to the NEW Blackberry Storm.

See they know how to get it right by including ALL the BASIC features from day one and not holding back like you morons at apple who hold back all the basics just so you can sell us the next version with these features when these features have been around for years.

Example: 3G !! MMS, Video, option to turn off Predictive texting.............these are all basic features APPLE!!

Damn YOU!!

Just for that- I'm kicking my iphone out.

Not to mention Horrible........call quality, Major DROPPED CALLS and FAILED CALLS!!

I really wanted to like the Iphone and I do like it -----its just that you greedy basterds are apple are holding back on basic features to piss us off!!

[matt merritt @ Nov 20th 2008 1:17PM]

I'll buy it from you. It doesn't make that annoying noise when I push a button on the touch screen.

[Jash Sayani @ Nov 20th 2008 12:51PM]

FUCK The Carriers and Jailbreak your freaking iPhone !!!

[sean @ Nov 20th 2008 12:56PM]

When I bought a bluray DVD player I didn't expect or look for it to play VHS movies!
When I bought my iPhone I didn't expect it to support a multimedia system that is so unreliable and to be honest, just rubbish! Any picture I have ever been sent just looks rubbish!
The quality of pictures are good on the new phones, but once the image gets compressed for sending you have to ask yourself, why bother?

[k3n85 @ Nov 20th 2008 2:22PM]

This is where AT&T would have to work something out as well though, take a look at your AT&T bill for the iPhone data/text part ... currently says "Opt-Out MMS" as to what that really entails I'm not sure.

iPhone really is lacking in those "basics" when it comes to text messaging....
-Can't forward a text (Copy/Paste would help be a workaround)
-No individual time stamp
-MMS

Anyways ... we'll see what happens as Apple and AT&T go play the ignorant friend you need.