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iPhone OS 4.0 to finally allow tethering
It turns out that the long-awaited tethering option on the iPhone (in the US anyway) is just around the corner. MacRumors discovered that there is a new configuration page for setting up Internet tethering via the iPhone inside of the latest beta of iPhone OS 4.0. The feature isn't actually enabled yet; as you can see in the picture, you'll need to call AT&T to set up the service (which, of course, will come with an additional charge). But the framework is in the latest version of the iPhone OS, so when that version gets released, presumably sometime next month when the new version of the iPhone is rumored to arrive. As you can see in the picture, we're talking about a 3G connection. I find it hard, if not impossible, to believe that this will work over my 1G iPhone's EDGE connection. Since we already know that some features of OS 4.0 won't be working on anything other than the 3GS, it's likely that there will be limitations on the number of phones out there that can actually use this service. Of course, the beta is still being tested; it's not an official release, and obviously, the service isn't set up yet, so don't throw out your various Wi-Fi or EV-DO subscriptions prematurely. However, it seems like we're closer than ever to an official tethering solution from AT&T. [via Engadget]
3G technology: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow
Cellular technology has been evolving since its invention. With the first cellular telephone networks, developed by Bell Labs and AT&T, cellular technology began to make leaps forward in ease of use, voice quality, and data communication. The miracle of technology we know today as the cellular phone was made possible by a steady stream of innovation that continues on into the future. The history of cellular technology starts at Bell Labs in the 1960's and 70's where they began to iron out the details on what a commercial cellular network would be. A cellular network is a network of base stations, or antennas, that form large pockets (cells) of radio signal coverage that overlap. With a technology called "handover," if you made a call using one base station, and you then moved out of that base station's range and into another base station's area, your call could be "handed over" to the base station that was closer to your location. These base stations allowed you to make calls to other cellular phones or to wired landline phones. Over the years, the evolution of cell phone technology has been broken up into "generations." It started with the first generation (1G), and it continues to the upcoming fourth generation (4G). In the beginning, cell phones weren't much more than huge walkie-talkies. Over time, though, they evolved into the data powerhouses that we carry around in our pockets.
Want a 1st generation iPod? They're still available from the Apple Store
In 2001, the same year the Game Boy Advance was introduced, Apple brought the iPod to us (and not to universal enthusiasm, either). When I was doing some Google searching last night on Apple model numbers, I found something quite strange. Who knew that there were first-generation iPods still for sale on store.apple.com! This is the very first iPod model, introduced in 2001. I don't know how they ended up there, or why they're selling them, but they're shipping "within 24 hours" and are available for $129.00. Remember, this is the model with the "scroll wheel," it's not touch sensitive, and you have to physically turn it with your thumb or finger. Note that the image Apple is using on the store is actually for a third-generation iPod, but the product description and model number are for the first-gen. Also, these iPods are refurbished, they're not brand new. It includes a 5GB iPod (for Mac only, the Windows-compatible versions came later) w/rechargeable lithium battery, original scroll wheel, headphones, an Apple iPod Power Adapter, an Apple FireWire Cable (2 meters), a Manual (iPod Getting Started), CD-ROM Disc w/iTunes (version unknown, but let's take a guess and say "old"), and a One Year Limited Warranty that by rights should have expired eight years ago. Are you going to take the plunge? Will it look good next to your G3 iMac? If you do or don't, feel free to leave a comment below! Update: Before this post was written, I did order the 5GB iPod linked on this page, but it looks like they will now send me a 10GB 2nd generation iPod instead for some reason. We are also getting reports of confusion as people try to order over the phone. Plus, there's a brand new 1GB iPod shuffle available. %Gallery-70602% Update 2: It must be random nostalgia day in Cupertino, because tipster Will V. sent us a list of more old iPods supposedly for sale. Check them out on the next page. Update 3: I just got an email from Apple stating that this iPod is no longer available. Update 4: I just got refunded by Apple for this iPod. Case closed.
Blast from the Past: What the new iPods ain't got
Newer isn't always better. Ask any wine connoisseur or violin player. I recently googled across this article over at the Apple Blog on why new iPods aren't quite as good as old iPods. Sure there are a lot of great reasons to buy new. It was iPod video support that finally convinced me to buy. Eddie Hargreaves writes that early iPods had a lot going for them too, with features recently phased out such as A/C power adapters included in the box, FireWire support, and carrying cases, among others. I personally prefer having my modern batteries and video capability (currently about 80% of my iPod's tiny 30GB hard drive is used for video) and I long ago picked up a cheap A/C-USB power adapter. Still, an included wired remote would have been nice and I wouldn't have minded playing around with the original extra feedback click settings.
My first iPod didn't have a halo back then
In light of the iPod's 5th birthday, I figured it would be fun to join Scott in some reminiscing about the early days of my first little white music player. I remember seeing them when the 10 and 20GB models completed the 1st/2nd gen lineup, and I knew that thing would rock my world. I had already been trying out other MP3 players at the time, and I hated all of them. The last one I remember before scraping together cash for a 5GB iPod was a Rio (from Creative, I think?), and I hated that thing too. Getting music onto the device was a chore, and flash memory cards were mind-numbingly expensive (I think it took SD cards). The Rio's interface was an exercise in walking barefoot on broken glass, and the moment I saw the iPod I knew someone had finally done it right. After tearing the couch apart for that last penny to cover tax (and after a month of saving some cash by eating nothing but Ramen noodles), I rode my bike as fast as I could down to the University bookstore I was part-timing it at (I wasn't in school at the time), because I could get the discount there which made all the difference. The funny thing is: when I brought that 1st gen iPod home, I wasn't plugging it into a Mac - I had a Windows XP box (funny: 5 years ago, same ol' WinXP). While the original iPods were *officially* just made for a Mac (or so most of us remember), I picked up one of the first Mac+PC versions, so I was using Musicmatch and - I hope you're sitting down for this - an unofficial plugin for Windows Media Player. This admittedly blasphemous configuration worked decently, though it certainly didn't hold much of a candle to the integration of the dynamic iTunes+iPod duo that Apple finally brought to Windows. Fortunately, this iPod helped convince me to hop onto the Mac OS X train before that happened.I'd like to consider myself one of the early benefactors of the 'iPod halo effect.' While I was using crappy software on Windows to manage my first iPod, I started (finally) getting curious about the company that made such an impressive little device. After all, I was in the middle of a design undergrad (I had to take time off to get in-state tuition in CO, and btw: that's a PITA), and the next semester a fellow classmate sat me down for a crash course in all things Apple and Mac OS X (and I was finally more open to learning about them). When the forces of the iPod halo effect and Mac OS X united, I once again embarked on a Ramen diet, this time of epic proportions. My destination? A RevA 12-inch PowerBook - my first Mac - for which many pennies were sacrificed.So this blogger has that original 5GB iPod and a classmate or two to thank for making the switch to greener OS pastures. Of course, I can also bring incredible amounts of music along in my pocket now too, which isn't half bad either. It's been a fun musical roller-coaster, complete with scratches, too many wacky accessories to count, and a deeper understanding of my music library that just can't stop - won't stop - growing. Thanks, 1G iPod.
