Is that an actual date or a prediction. IMO...Apple will have to expand to TMobile and Sprint if they really want to bring in the bucks. If they only stick to AT&T, you're only tackling a 1/3 of the market (if that much).
Apple's contract with AT&T is supposed to go through 2009, so if you translate that as being December 31, 2009, then it won't be until 2010 that other carriers can get in on the iPhone action. Oddly enough, Verizon was Apple's first choice, but turned down the chance to be the exclusive seller of the iPhone.
That's my current provider. Excellent service, but a lousy selection of phones. How freakin' ironic. I'm actively looking to switch.
And it turns out Helio as a company isn't so evil after all...! Video Virus (including YouTube) is now free... nice when a company actually responds to customers! Also you can directly upload pictures to Flikster and movies to YouTube now http://www.heliocity.net/2007/video-virus-now-free/
Verizon was the logical first choice because their network is much better than AT&T's and they have about the same number of subscribers. It wasn't odd they turned Apple down because Jobs wanted terms that gave them (the handset manufacturer) unprecedented control. Verizon didn't feel comfortable ceding that much power.
I'm in the same situation. Long time Verizion customer. Hate that others get unlocked phones with all the features while I get a selection of phones with services turned off (like bluetooth syncing with my mac) so they can try to charge me for their photo/game/multimedia/download features I should be getting for free. If I didn't have a company furnished blackberry I would have an iPhone by now. My verizion contract is up and I still may get one but only once I can convince my company to pay for it or my wife agrees I can spend $600 on a phone.
http://www.tech.co.uk/gadgets/phone...one-coming-within-a-week?articleid=1733493879 Hackers are likely to unlock the Apple iPhone within the next week, according to reports today. It comes after hacker DVD Jon's announcement yesterday that he'd managed to bypass the Apple iPhone's activation process. "We believe it will be easy. We are privately aware many of the Apple iPhone engineers came from other handset manufacturers, and we understand their design techniques fairly well," said "gj", an anonymous hacker who is attempting to unlock the Apple iPhone. "Easy to us means inside one week," he told PC World magazine, offering an estimate of three to seven days. If hackers are successful, it would mean that you'd be able to use the Apple iPhone with other operators than AT&T , which has an exclusive deal to sell the Apple iPhone in the US. Activation process Hackers have already managed to crack the Apple iPhone activation process . It normally uses a software token that is sent from the Apple iPhone via iTunes to Apple, which approves it and returns it to the phone. iTunes then tells the phone to activate. Tools that allow users to activate their Apple iPhones without using iTunes have now been developed for both Windows and Mac OS X. Jon Lech Johansen, the hacker better known as DVD Jon, has found a way to activate the Apple iPhone without using iTunes. . "The [hacked] Apple iPhone does not have phone capability, but the Apple iPod and Wi-Fi work," Johansen wrote on his blog . Bypassing the activation process signifies an important step in the aim of unlocking the Apple iPhone. The activation process requires users to sign up for a two-year subscription with AT&T, and it is likely someone will find a way around this process soon. If that happens, it would allow Europeans to buy an iPhone now and use it on an alternative network. Since its launch last Friday, hackers and security researchers have been competing to discover vulnerabilites in the Apple iPhone handset.
The iPhone is great and all, but the real question is..... Will it Blend? <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qg1ckCkm8YI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qg1ckCkm8YI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN0929372220070710 Apple plans cheaper, Nano-based phone: JP Morgan Mon Jul 9, 2007 11:03PM BST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc. (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) plans to launch a cheaper version of the iPhone in the fourth quarter that could be based on the ultra-slim iPod Nano music player, according to a JP Morgan report. Kevin Chang, a JP Morgan analyst based in Taiwan, cited people in the supply channel he did not name and an application with the U.S Patent and Trademark office for his report dated July 8. Apple filed a patent application document dated July 5 that refers to a multifunctional handheld device with a circular touch pad control, similar to the Nano's scroll wheel. Photo Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined comment. Long lines of people turned out on June 29 when U.S. sales began for the iPhone, a mobile phone with a music player and Web browser. Analysts have estimated that sales in the first weekend were as high as 700,000 units. Chang said a way to follow up the iPhone with a cheaper version would be to convert the Nano into a phone and price it at $300 or lower. The iPhone sells for $500 and $600, depending on storage space. "We believe that iPod Nano will be converted into a phone because it's probably the only way for Apple to launch a lower end phone without severely cannibalizing iPod Nano," he said noting that the new phone could have "rather limited functionality." Another analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray said he expects Apple to bring out iPods that resemble iPhone, which features such as a touch-sensitive screen, later this year. Such products would help stop iPhone eating into iPod sales. "We believe the iPhone reveals much of what the iPod will soon be," Munster said in a note to clients, "iPods with some of the touchscreen features of the iPhone should lessen the impact of cannibalization."
That statement has been retracted... http://www.tuaw.com/2007/07/10/jp-morgan-retracts-now-says-no-to-near-term-nano-iphone/
no expansion slot, no gps capability, no stereo bluetooth. Good luck trying to load the REAL INTERNET over an EDGE connection. There is a reason why there are mobile versions of web sites. So that it loads faster. It's slick but it's overpriced.
My phone is much cooler and practical... I can put full movies on it in 3gp format, MP3, etc... 2.0 MP camera w/video... Memory Stick DUO (now available in 8 gig!)... Has a "music only mode" for travel on planes, etc... Comes with great ear buds, and the movies play through the walkman option. Only fall back is screen size... I guess. But my wife and I already watched "Fletch" on it the other day. A 2.27 GB dvd movie reduced to 66 MB for the phone... It's great. No I don't sell these, but I've bragged on it before, I will again. My Opera Mini Browser lets me search and post here easily too... so, hey it's a keeper! Oh yea.. here it is... QUAD banded to work on any GSM service if unlocked... btw (pic is link to review)
did you write this article DrofDunk?? http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5012783.html July 31, 2007, 12:01PM Computing A month of use, and iPhone's not as cool By DWIGHT SILVERMAN Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Even before you could buy one, the word on the iPhone was that it might be the Holy Grail of wireless devices. It was so highly praised that some took to calling it the "Jesus Phone." The early reviews were almost fawning. Oh sure, they said, the iPhone has a few flaws, but hey! Look at the big, button-free screen! The cool Google Maps application! See how Web pages look like they should on it! And how, when you turn it sideways, pictures and Web pages rotate! And how you can use touch to move from photo to photo! And it's a great iPod, too! Yeah, those other reviews were pretty breathless. Well, it's time to get a grip, kids, because this is not going to be one of those reviews. The iPhone is a very different device, and when you first start working with it, there's definitely an OMG! effect. Its most in-your-face feature is its Cool Factor, which is what you'd expect, since this is from Apple. I wrote about this in an earlier column about Apple's brilliant marketing of the iPhone (see www.chron.com/iphonemarketing). Yet there's quite a difference between being wowed by previously unseen features and using and relying on a device like the iPhone day to day. For some folks, its core features — which are slick on the surface — may be adequate. But if you're someone who relies heavily on a portable device for business e-mail and even creation of content, you're going to be frustrated. I lived with the iPhone for about a month, and as an experiment, I carried both it and my Samsung BlackJack, my own PDA. My goal was to see which device I preferred for which tasks. For example, when I wanted to access the Web online, or check e-mail, which would I reach for first? I started out using the iPhone more, because using it was an adventure. But by the end of my experiment, I was back to using the BlackJack for most serious tasks. While the iPhone is indeed a very cool device, and there's a lot about it to like — see the aforementioned earlier reviews for a litany of them — I think its shortcomings are major. Here's where I think the iPhone falls down: • E-mail. If your company uses Microsoft Exchange for its e-mail (and many do), you can forget about using the iPhone to get your business mail unless your systems folks are willing to turn on an older e-mail feature called IMAP. Many system administrators won't do this (including those at the Chronicle), leaving users in the lurch. I had to use the Web-based version, but the iPhone's Safari browser didn't get along with it (more on that later). And even if I had been able to get business e-mail, the iPhone's e-mail application is pretty to look at but frustrating to use. You can't batch-delete e-mails. The iPhone has no cut/paste capability, which makes sending examples of things found on the Web impossible. And its e-mail isn't of the "push" variety, that comes at you in near real-time. It checks e-mail every 15 minutes or so and has no easy way to alert you of something new. • Web browsing. The iPhone's Safari browser is one of its strengths, but it's also a big weakness. Yes, it displays most Web pages better than any other hand-held device browser. But Safari is notorious among Web developers for its glitches in the way it handles coding such as Javascript. For example, I was unable to edit or compose in chron.com's blogging software — Movable Type, a popular platform — because scroll bars for the composition windows were missing. When I tried to write an e-mail in our Outlook Web Access page, I saw the text, but it was often blank for recipients. Web pages must be designed a certain way for Safari's cool zoom feature to work properly, but many out there aren't. As a result, when I zoomed in, I often had to do a lot of side scrolling to read it, or use the iPhone's two-fingered "pinch" motion to reduce the size of the page. That got old quickly. • Connectivity. The iPhone can connect to the Internet two ways: using Wi-Fi or AT&T's Edge data network. If you can get to Wi-Fi with the iPhone, you'll want to do it, even if you have to beg, borrow or steal, because the Edge network is incredibly slow. I gave up on trying to look at most Web pages when Wi-Fi wasn't available; it was too painful. In addition, the iPhone has Bluetooth capabilities for connecting other devices wirelessly, but there's only one thing that it will pair with — a headset for hands-free talking. I've got a Bluetooth Apple keyboard, which would help with the next issue on my list of gripes, but the iPhone wouldn't see it. • Virtual keyboard. One of the iPhone's most vaunted features is its virtual onscreen keyboard. It's also been its most criticized. As you tap letters on the screen, the keys enlarge, helping you to hit them more accurately ... at least, in theory. While I got a little better over time, I never could get as fast on it as I am on my BlackJack. And the iPhone's feature that predicts what word you're trying to type is nowhere near as good as the T9 found in most other smart phones. • Memory. The iPhone comes with two memory capacities: 4 and 8 gigabytes. That's not a lot of memory for a $500 or $600 device, respectively. My video iPod has a 20-GB hard drive, and I've got about 14 GB of music on it. If I want to bring my complete music collection with me, I've got to tote both my iPhone and my iPod. Sorry, but for $600, I should be able to cram it all in one device. There are other deficiencies, from the ability to use your own music as custom ringtones (you can't even buy new ringtones) to its recessed headphone jack that won't work with most car adapters and non-Apple headsets; to its sealed, send-it-in-to-Apple-for-replacement battery. Some shortcomings could be fixed by software upgrades, but the key word there is "could." I'm not sure I'd want to spend $600 betting on the outcome. If you weren't one of the early possessors, but you're considering buying one, wait for the next version. The iPhone has a lot of potential, and it will surely influence what other phone manufacturers do. But for now, you're better off using something else if you're serious about getting your data on the go. dwight.silverman@chron.com http://blogs.chron.com/techblog
Wow, I remember reading Silverman's articles in the Chronic when I was much younger... nice to see he's still around. Most of what he says was known during the testing phase of the phone. I actually love the look of the phone, but I hate its practicality in terms of it being on a slow network and trying to do more on that network, the fact it doesn't have a keyboard with tactile feedback, and other stuff I've said in the past. It's a cool phone... I just don't think it's worth the price they're asking for it, that's all. And of course, as always, I've hated the Apple ad boys and their "pseudo-truth in advertising". And yes, I still own their stock...
The review was hilarious and actually made a lot of good phones. I think the lack of buttons is a huge mistake for Apple. I can easily write emails/text messages without looking at my keypad with my BlackBerry. I don't see how it would be possible to do so with the iPhone.
Sorry to bump this old thread, but didn't want to create a new one on the subject: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/08/24/iphone.unlocked.ap/index.html?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail Teen untethers iPhone from AT&T NEW YORK (AP) -- A teenager in New Jersey has broken the lock that ties Apple's iPhone to AT&T's wireless network, freeing the most hyped cell phone ever for use on the networks of other carriers, including overseas ones. art.iphone.hand.afp.gi.jpg The New Jersey teen collaborated online with four other people to develop the unlocking process. George Hotz, 17, confirmed Friday that he had unlocked an iPhone and was using it on T-Mobile's network, the only major U.S. carrier apart from San Antonio-based AT&T that is compatible with the iPhone's cellular technology. While the possibility of switching from AT&T to T-Mobile may not be a major development for U.S. consumers, it opens up the iPhone for use on the networks of overseas carriers. "That's the big thing," said Hotz, in a phone interview from his home in Glen Rock. The phone, which combines an innovative touch-screen interface with the media-playing abilities of the iPod, is sold only in the U.S. AT&T Inc. spokesman Mark Siegel said the company had no comment, and referred questions to Apple. A call to Apple was not immediately returned. Hotz said the companies had not been in touch with him. The hack, which Hotz posted Thursday on his blog, is complicated and requires skill with both soldering and software. It takes about two hours to perform. Since the details are public, it seems likely that a small industry may spring up to buy U.S. iPhones, unlock them and send them overseas. "That's exactly, like, what I don't want," Hotz said. "I don't want people making money off this." He said he wished he could make the instructions simpler, so users could modify the phones themselves. "But that's the simplest I could make them," Hotz said. The modification leaves the iPhone's many functions, including a built-in camera and the ability to access Wi-Fi networks, intact. The only thing that won't work is the "visual voicemail" feature, which shows voice messages as if they were incoming e-mail. Hotz collaborated online with four other people, two of them in Russia, to develop the unlocking process. "Then there are two guys who I think are somewhere U.S.-side," Hotz said. He knows them only by their online handles. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. -------------------- Here is his blog: http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/
Terry Daidone, the founder of Certicell contacted me this morning, and offered to make a trade for the iPhone. I traded it for a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones. _____ From the blog -- not a bad trade.
