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iPhone price cuts hitting Radio Shack, Target tomorrow?
Let the speculation begin! It may not be a sign of an iPhone refresh, but we've received multiple tips today about an imminent price drop for Apple's flagship smartphone. According to a pair of trusty tipsters, Radio Shack is prepping to cut the cost of AT&T's 16GB iPhone 4 to $169.99, with a two-year contract, from $199.99. The 32GB version will likewise take a $30 plunge at the Shack, ringing in at $269.99, and the price of the 8GB 3GS will drop to $19.99. Phone Arena is likewise reporting on Target slicing up the old Apple price tag, but lists varying numbers based on carrier. If all this talk turns out to be true, those prices should be ripe for the picking starting tomorrow. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iOS 4.3 code reveals new iPhone and iPad models, rumor mill suggests a dislike of the home button
History lesson, folks. If you dig far enough into iOS's code, you'll eventually come across iPhone3,1, which is the AT&T iPhone 4, and the analogous iPhone3,2 (i.e. Verizon iPhone). It's nothing we haven't seen before, but then along comes iOS 4.3 with a handful of new mystery identifiers to spurn speculation -- namely, two new-generation iPhones (4,1 and 4,2) and three iPads (2,1; 2,2; and 2,3). Speculate all you want, but there isn't much else at all we can say definitively here, but if we had to take a guess, it's the GSM and CDMA variants of the next-gen models (plus a WiFi-only iPad). It is interesting to note the lack of an "iPhone4,3" given the yet-to-be-revealed iPhone3,3 is still there -- will the last member ever see the light of day? Outside of iOS 4.3 but still very much related, BGR is claiming it's heard from sources that the next iPhone / iPad models will eschew the physical home button altogether in lieu of the new multi-finger gestures and that employees at Cupertino are already testing such devices. That seems a little more out there to us; five-finger pinch to home feels extremely clunky. The real takeaway here? We can finally have an iPhone rumor that doesn't involve wondering if it'll head to a new US carrier.
Rumor: Verizon iPhone to debut early next year
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will start manufacturing a Verizon-ready iPhone by the end of this year, with sales to start early 2011. Based on the iPhone 4, the new phone would leverage CDMA technology instead of the GSM 3G mobile technology used by AT&T. Wireless telecommunications company Qualcomm will provide a key chip for the new device. Sourced to "people briefed by Apple," the WSJ story is thin on details but is published on a reputable site that usually doesn't stick its neck out on unfounded items. If this report is grounded in truth, it indicates the end of AT&T's exclusivity deal with Apple and the possible opening of the device in the United States for even further carriers. This is a rumor we've heard several times before.
Mophie and Intuit partner to create Complete Card Solution for iPhone, try to make Square look square
Who knew that credit card processing would be the new hotness for smartphones? The Square mobile payment system has been making waves by letting small businesses receive credit card payment directly on their smartphones. Now, mophie and Intuit are looking to get in on the same action with their Complete Card Solution for iPhone. It's a $179 package that includes both mophie's card-swiping phone case and the 3.0 version of Intuit's GoPayment app. After a quick application users are said to be approved (or, erm, declined) within 15 minutes and can immediately start accepting payments. Full details, including just how much users will be forking over in fees, after the break.
Mysterious iPhone model found in app usage records?
O iPhone3,1, where art thou? Last time we spotted that signature, it was buried in lines of code as part of a beta OS 3.0 firmware build. Now according to data from analytics software inside iBART, the San Francisco-centric transportation app has been host to a new visitor with the aforementioned device identification number. As MacRumors points out, iPhone2,1 was originally spotted in October 2008 and later became the iPhone 3GS about eight months later. Not that it's necessarily the case Apple will keep to the same schedule -- nor should it come as a surprise that the company's maybe-kinda-sorta looking into a successor to its prized moneymaker -- but if you happen to be in the Bay Area and see someone quietly pulling out a sleek touchscreen, it might be in your best interest to make friends.
iPhone OS 3.0 firmware unearths new iPhones and new iPod touches?
We'd already heard that evidence of a new iPhone model was found buried in newer firmwares, but how about two new iPhone models -- along with a couple new iPod touches thrown in for good measure? It seems that a careful deconstruction of the beta 3.0 build provided to developers this week has uncovered the same product code "iPhone2,1" found before in addition to an even newer, awesomer "iPhone3,1." For the record, the iPhone 3G is identified as "iPhone1,2," so these alleged new models would be the first in the iPhone line to be blessed with major version number increments. Turning our attention to the iPod touch, the current model carries the "iPod2,1" designation, but models "iPod2,2" and "iPod3,1" have both been rooted out of the binary. June is widely speculated as the time that we'd be seeing new iPhone models -- right about the time that 3.0 is released to the general public -- so we don't have terribly long to wait to get this sorted out.
iPhone OS 3.0 hands-on!
We're not saying how, but we got hooked up with the beta of iPhone OS 3.0. Overall, things feel about the same until you flick left that extra time and hit the Spotlight screen, which works just as advertised. It's definitely a beta, though: it's laggy all around and some things don't work, like taking a photo directly in the MMS app. We took some quick snaps, check 'em out below and let us know what you want to see in the video!Update: Added a few snaps of the landscape keyboard in Messages and Mail, anything else?
2G iPod touch to have Bluetooth capability unlocked by iPhone OS 3.0
Looks like that Bluetooth chip in the iPod touch 2G we've always thought was for Nike+ suddenly got a lot more useful: Apple's Greg Joswiak said that Bluetooth can be "unlocked" on the device during the iPhone OS 3.0 Q&A session. That's two years of rumors put to rest, right there, and a solid move, seeing as three of the major 3.0 features are A2DP, wireless accessory control and peer-to-peer connections over Bluetooth. Any touch owners feeling more inclined to drop the $9.95 now?
Apple previews iPhone OS 3.0, adds copy and paste, Spotlight search, plenty more
As promised, Apple just debuted its upcoming iPhone OS 3.0. Much of the news seemed developer-centric, but there are certainly plenty of consumer implications down the road, along with long-awaited functions like copy and paste, A2DP, MMS and universal Spotlight search. Improvements include:App and developer functionality (more here) Peer-to-peer connectivity over Bluetooth for gaming and other info-swapping. Paid apps will have the potential to be subscription fee-based, and can include optional paid content that can be bought from right inside the app. Developers can now build apps that call out to Google Maps, and can also finally bring Apple-blessed turn-by-turn to the phone. Devs can also connect with hardware accessories over in their apps now, such as a blood pressure monitor -- or perhaps a keyboard? Connectivity works through the dock connector or over Bluetooth. Long-promised push functionality will at last be included, but apps won't run in the background. Developers can add streaming video and audio to their apps, along with in-game voice use. General functionality Cut, copy and paste. At last! You can shake the phone to undo and redo the action, and it works with both text and photos, allowing Mail to send multiple photos at a time. (more here) MMS, along with forward and delete for multiple messages. (more here) A2DP stereo Bluetooth. Unlocked Bluetooth functionality on 2G iPod touch. (more here) Spotlight has been added to a new home screen page to the left of existing pages, allowing for universal search on the phone. (more here) Tethering is built into 3.0, and Apple will work with carriers on that -- who will have the last say on its implementation, most likely. App Store will be available in 77 countries. Parental controls for TV shows, movies and App Store apps. Auto-login for WiFi hotspots. Apple apps A new app called Voice Memos which lets you record notes and reminders. A revised Stocks app, with news stories and a landscape view. Landscape view available for Mail, Text and Notes. CalDAV support has been added to Calendar, along with subscriptions support in the .ics format. Apple's major apps have all been expanded with search functionality. Note syncing to Mac and PC. YouTube account support. Form auto-fill. Phishing protection. Shake the shuffle iPod playback. A developer beta of OS 3.0 is available today, and the 3.0 update will be coming to consumers this summer as a free update to all iPhone 3G customers. It'll also work for 1st gen iPhone owners, though they won't receive A2DP or MMS due to hardware limitations. iPod touch owners will be able to update for $9.95, just like last time.
iPhone 3.0 features new homescreen with Spotlight search
Apple's making a big deal out of search on iPhone OS 3.0, and it's all being wrapped up in a new Spotlight search homescreen. A flick to the left from the first screen of apps brings it up, and from there you can search contacts, mail metadata (but not message content), calendars, media, and more. Definitely nice if you've ever struggled to quickly access something on the iPhone in the past, but again, we can't help but wonder why it took so long to get here.
Monsoon brings HAVA Player for Apple's iPhone
Early last year, Monsoon Multimedia announced that the HAVA Mobile Player would be coming to S60 handsets; here at CES, we've learned that the same software is headed to Apple's iPhone. For those unaware, HAVA Player for iPhone allows HAVA customers to view and control their home television and services, including satellite and TiVo, from anywhere in the world. An on-screen remote enables users to change channels, browse the EPG and pause / view recorded shows from most any cable / satellite DVR in real time. Furthermore, iPhone users can also export their HAVA DVR recordings to iTunes (pictured after the break) to watch later, but those looking to take advantage will have to wait until sometime next quarter. Ah well, at least it'll be free. Full release is after the break.
