Apple CEO Steve Jobs told invited press in London on Tuesday that the iPhone will be available beginning November 9, 2007. Jobs also confirmed Apple’s mobile partner in the UK will be O2.
You will be disappointed if you were waiting for a 3G iPhone -- Apple said the UK iPhone would use the 2G EDGE network.
Macworld has a story that is being updated throughout the event.
The ability to summon playback controls without having to "slide to unlock" may be one new feature that you'll see on the iPod before on the iPhone, but it's not the only trump that the new product has. An eagle-eyed commenter over at MacUser pointed out to me that the iPod touch does not have a recessed headphone jack, à la the iPhone.
I checked the 360° QTVR model, and sure enough he's right. In fact, it took me a minute to find the headphone jack at all, because it's not on the top, like either the current iPhone or iPod model. Instead, Apple's moved the jack to the bottom of the unit, next to the dock-connector port, where it resides on the nano. I find myself wondering why they didn't do the same exact thing on the iPhone? Grrr.
By now you've heard the news. Town criers are shouting it from the rooftops. People passing in the streets are whispering to one another, and even the animals have sensed that something is amiss. But in case you've just emerged from some sort of ursine-like hibernation, allow me to tell you this: a teenager has managed to unlock the iPhone.
Seventeen year old George Hotz of Glen Rock, New Jersey is said to currently be using the iPhone on T-Mobile's network, with all features of the iPhone intact, save the Visual Voicemail that relies on AT&T's network. Hotz worked with a group of four others, some in the US and some elsewhere around the world to figure out the unlocking procedure.
Unfortunately, if you're planning on following Hotz's example (full instructions are posted on his blog), you'd better be handy with a soldering iron and not worried about potentially voiding your iPhone's warranty. Otherwise, looks like you may be better off waiting with the rest of us.
[Thanks to everybody who sent this in]
Since the iPhone's release, we've received several Bluetooth headsets for review. Today I tackle Apple's own $129 iPhone Bluetooth Headset, a svelte and stylish model that's likely the simplest on the market--in terms of both its ease of use and its functionality.
In the box
One thing to point out up front: Apple's $129 price tag gives you much more than just the headset. You also get Apple's $49 iPhone Dual Dock, which accommodates both the iPhone and the headset and, like the stock iPhone dock, lets you connect the iPhone to speakers and lets you use the iPhone's speakerphone while docked; and the $29 iPhone Bluetooth Travel Cable, a dock-connector cable that lets you charge your iPhone and the headset simultaneously. (When connected to your computer, the Dual Dock and Travel Cable also sync your iPhone.)
In other words, almost $80 worth of accessories--useful ones--are in the box. This makes the $129 price tag seem a bit more reasonable, but it also means you're not getting a "$129 headset." By that, I mean that the Apple Headset doesn't have the advanced features, such as noise-canceling technology, that many other headsets in this price range provide. You also don't get an AC adapter; Apple clearly intends for you to charge the headset, along with your iPhone, by connecting both to your computer or to the AC adapter included with the iPhone itself.
Continue reading "Review: Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset"
Earlier today, we published our "consenus" wish list for the iPhone. Based on an informal survey of iPhone users among the Macworld editorial staff, that list of 27 items represents the features that all, or nearly all, editors requested.
But it wasn't a comprehensive list by any means. Our full list was much, much longer--nearly 120 items in all--showing the diversity of opinion among even a group of people you would think has much in common. Over the next few days, I'll be covering the rest of that list, from those items that generated requests among multiple Macworld staffers to things that can (generously?) be described as one geek's annoyance.
In our first Wish List installment, I cover the hardware requests: those features that we realize are unlikely to change until at least the next iPhone model--unless Apple's hidden some hardware surprises inside.
Already covered: GPS support (6 editors), 3G networking (5).
Non-recessed headphone jack (3): As we've pointed out, the iPhone's headphone jack is recessed such that third-party headphones with thick plugs, or with short L-shaped plugs, won’t fit; you need an adapter, such as one from Belkin, RadTech, or Shure. We'd like to see a more compatible jack on future iPhones.
Camera flash (2): Many newer cameraphones include a useful--if basic--flash for illuminating subjects under low light conditions. A couple editors, including one of our photo buffs, would love to see such a component on the iPhone.
More storage capacity (2): Surprisingly, only two editors said they wanted an iPhone with more storage capacity. (Perhaps because the others are still using their iPods, as well?)
Higher-resolution camera (1): I also found it surprising--considering that the iPhone's $500-$600 price tag places it well within the range of Nokia's 5-megapixel N95 cameraphone--that only one editor wanted a more capable camera in the iPhone. (Disclosure: I was that one editor, and I just want to be able to stop carrying around my compact digicam.)
What wasn't requested: As interesting as what did make our list of hoped-for hardware changes is what didn’t: after a month of use, not a single editor requested a "real" keyboard. Based on conversations around the office (and the panel discussion on the next Macworld podcast, out soon), it appears most of us have been pleasantly surprised by the iPhone's onscreen keyboard--both by how well its predictive and corrective technologies work and by how fast we've been able to adjust to typing on a touchscreen.
At the risk of turning into iPhone Battery Central, here's something that might bring a ray of sunshine to the lives of those disappointed with the fact that the iPhone's battery is not user-replaceable. The first third-party battery replacement kit has hit the market, courtesy of Brando (no, not the godfather himself, the Hong Kong company with a penchant for making all things USB).
The kit, which goes for $20, consists of a battery, a pair of tools—read: a plastic shim and a little screwdriver—for cracking the iPhone open and installing the battery, and a list of instructions. Now, while you might be tempted to save a pretty penny over Apple's own battery replacements, this probably isn't a process you should be attempting unless you're supremely confident of your technical prowess (or willing to spend another $500 when you inadvertently brick your phone).
[via Gizmodo]
Own an iPhone and a BMW? And what kind of security do you have? I'm just...asking. Anyway, if you're interested in using your iPhone while in your car, BMW has confirmed that the handsfree system found in models made after October 2004 will be compatible with the iPhone.
Not only will you be able to use the BMW's built-in speakers for talking on the phone, but you can use the BMW's dash buttons to access the iPhone's address book. And the iPod connect features should work as well, meaning you can control your iPhone's music playback with the built-in controls as well.
My ten year old Honda Accord sadly has none of these bells and whistles, but my dad's got an Acura TL with the handsfree system: it worked great with my old phone, but I haven't had a chance to try it with the iPhone yet. Next time I'm over there, I'll have to give it a shot.
It's little surprise that so much of the talk about the iPhone's interface discusses the multi-touch screen. After all it's innovative and it's flashy, and those are two things we love. We've had hardware buttons for ages after all: there's nothing new there.
But it's worth taking a look at the physical buttons that Apple did put on the phone, if only because of the attention to design and detail that they paid to those elements.
At this point, some of you are rolling your eyes and thinking: "Seriously, you're going to talk about buttons?" That's right. I'm going to talk about buttons.
Continue reading "On the button"
Ahoy. Having spent most of the last week in an undisclosed location that lacked not only Wi-Fi but pretty much any shred of cell phone reception, I've been suffering from the dreaded "half-an-iPhone" syndrome: when showing off the iPhone to the a large number of relatives, I had to continually assure them that it was much cooler when you had access to the Internet.
Still, I did get a surprising amount of use out of one of the iPhone's features, and it's one that's been getting short shrift next to the phone, Internet, and iPod functionality: the camera. Yes, we know it's not the best camera, or even the best cameraphone, in the world—2 megapixels, no flash, no zoom—but this is the kind of implementation I'd dreamed of when I got my first cameraphone.
Taking pictures is easy. Hit the camera button, point and shoot. That's it. The lack of options here means simplicity more than anything. And in daytime photographs with enough light, the camera is perfectly fine. I even managed to snap a picture or two at night that exceeded my expectations. I took about 85 shots with my iPhone (despite the fact that I also had a real point-and-shoot camera with me).
But the best part of taking pictures is showing them off. We've waxed rhapsodic about the iPhone's gorgeous screen, and the two megapixel images look beautiful as you're flicking through them. Add in the pinch zoom and rotating to landscape, and you'll get plenty of "oohs" and "ahhs."
When you finally add Internet back in the mix, the results are even better. I snapped a shot of my cousin at a baseball game and emailed it to him from our seats. No more worrying about having to go home, remember to download the pictures into iPhoto, and then email them off. Done and done.
That said, there are still some shortcomings. It'd be nice if there was better Flickr integration, or the ability to send more than one image to a person in a single message, or picture messaging. But as with so many other features of the iPhone, Apple's already managed to transform the camera into something I'll actually use. The rest is icing.
