Digg’s Kevin Rose has a solid (but far from perfect) track record when it comes to Apple rumors, and he just drove the nerds of SXSWi crazy with his latest gaze into the crystal ball: he says the iPhone 3.0 will have copy and paste. Kev says that the interface is much like the magnifying glass — you use two fingers to select the text you want, and then you can cut or copy. Sure, that’s great, but we think the bigger news is that Rose says 3.0 won’t have support for background apps — which makes his claim that that 3.0 will bring the iPhone “up to speed with the Palm Pre” a little suspect. We’ll find out what’s what in just a few days, but in the meantime check the video of Rose after the break.

Continue reading iPhone 3.0 to have copy and paste, Pre-like features — but no background apps

Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone 3.0 to have copy and paste, Pre-like features — but no background apps originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My, my — now isn’t this something? Shortly after narrowly avoiding a dastardly collision with bankruptcy, Sirius XM is looking to connect itself with profitable enterprises in an attempt to build market share and regain interest from budget-conscience consumers. Just weeks after hearing that the sat radio company could be preparing a few Sirius / DirecTV bundles, CFO David Frear has now confirmed on a recent earnings call that the outfit is indeed developing an iPhone / iPod touch app. It’s interesting to think that a satellite radio firm could be warming to delivering more content via the internet, but it’s the apparent diversion from being a standalone offering that has us even more intrigued. It should be interesting to see how the pricing model works with this forthcoming app — will users be able to get an iPhone subscription only? Will it be tossed in gratis with traditional subscriptions? So many questions, not enough patience.

[Image courtesy of SiriusBuzz]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

Sirius XM developing iPhone / iPod touch streaming radio app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone OS 3.0 is coming, preview on March 17th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple can be slow to act on user outcry at times, but it looks like the curious, discouraging case of Tweetie 1.3’s App Store denial has come to a quick and painless resolution. There’s no telling if it was the shouting proles that moved Apple to act, or perhaps a spoonfull of common sense — Tweetie was apparently rejected on the grounds that it let people read swear words on the internet — but whatever might have happened behind closed doors in Cupertino, Tweetie 1.3 is at last free to roam on the App Store, according to a Tweet from Tweetie developer Loren Brichter. Now all we need for eternal happiness is a clearly defined set of guidelines for App Store approval, a consistent appeals process, and some Nutella.

[Via The iPhone Blog]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Tweetie 1.3 approved — what are we supposed to do with this wagon full of torches and pitchforks? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Apple_rejects_Twitter_client_for_dirty_words_on_Twitter’; Apple’s just reached a whole new level of stupidity in App Store approval shenanigans: the Tweetie 1.3 update was just rejected for displaying “offensive language” in its Twitter trend search view. Right, not for offensive language in the app itself, but for offensive language on Twitter – an insanely strict new standard that could conceivably be used to reject each and every iPhone Twitter client out there. (And if you haven’t noticed, there are quite a few iPhone Twitter clients.) Hell, Apple might as well reject the next versions of Safari and Mail, since they can display dirty words too — and let’s not forget the awful things people are doing with Notes and the camera. Better lock it down.

Look, Apple — this is a nadir. Rejecting a Twitter client for Twitter’s content is simply indefensible, and it’s a sign that the App Store approval “process” is broken beyond repair. It’s time to drop the seemingly-random black-box approach — which has earned nothing but well-deserved scorn — open up, establish consistent, easy-to-understand rules with a well-defined appeals process, and actually work with innovative developers like Tweetie’s Loren Brichter to push your platform forward in the face of newly-stiff competition. The massive popularity of the iPhone and the App Store may prevent a mass exodus, but the best devs are going to leave if they feel jerked around, and we doubt a store full of fart apps and misogynistic jiggle apps is really the vision you had for your platform. Think about it.

[via The iPhone Blog]

Filed under: Cellphones

Apple stupidly rejects Tweetie 1.3 for foul language in Twitter trends originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading iPhone prototype caught on video

Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone prototype caught on video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the world waits for a tried-and-true navigation app from Apple, XRoad is taking advantage of the situation by offering up its G-Map app in the interim. Kicking Tires decided to take the new software for a spin, and while the map quality took a pretty harsh beating, the overall offering was highly praised. More specifically, not every street name was present during testing, meaning that you had to rely implicitly on the turn-by-turn instructions if you weren’t familiar with your surroundings. Outside of that, however, it seemed to nail all the important points. Accuracy, routing, ease of use and design were all smiled upon, and it seems critics gave the street name snafu a bit of a break with the hope of future updates solving the issues. If you’re still a touch hesitant to drop your hard-earned cash, give that read link a gentle tap.

[Thanks, Ronald]

Filed under: Cellphones

XRoad G-Map iPhone navigation map gets reviewed, patted on the back originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, so we’ll go ahead and crush a few dreams up front — there’s nothing here that proves this isn’t some funky KIRF iPhone or just an ad hoc or jailbroken app making things look completely funkadelic. Now that our skepticism is out in the open, we’ll be honest and say we really, really hope this is legitimate. According to the eBay description, this here iPhone prototype was constructed a few months prior to the real iPhone’s release, and it actually powers on, makes calls and receives SMSs. It sports a totally beta plastic matte screen, and the software is obviously pre-release. Oh, and the best part? The auction winner also scores a second beta phone that won’t turn on (yet), but we’re sure the right tweaker could fix it up into the most amazing secondary phone the world has ever seen. Forget all that bad economic news you’ve been hearing — you best bring the bring the bank if you’re thinking seriously about claiming this.

[Via iLounge]

Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone prototype surfaces on eBay, aims to fetch a pretty penny originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like the jailbroken iPhone app scene is about to get seriously interesting — not only is Cydia is going from package repository to full-fledged app store, a new jailbreaking service called Rock Your Phone is set to launch, and there’s a planned adults-only app store. Details are light on the others, but the Cydia Store will offer developers a distribution alternative to Apple’s official App Store unencumbered by that pesky SDK agreement and approval process — are you ready for commercial fart apps with direct hardware access? Of course, users will have to jailbreak their phones for the Cydia Store or any of its wares to run, and that’s slightly controversial at the moment, given Apple’s opposition to the EFF’s proposal to exempt jailbreaking from the DMCA. It’s up in the air how the legal situation will play out, but honestly, we can’t say we’re surprised that devs locked out of Apple’s store are finding ways to compete — the iPhone app market is entirely too lucrative to ignore. We’ll see how Apple responds when the Cydia Store and these others go live; we can’t help but feel the winning move would be to relax the SDK restrictions and get all these devs playing on the same team.

[Via iLounge]

Filed under: Cellphones

Cydia developer planning independent iPhone App Store, others planning jailbreak service, adult app store originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roger McNamee, founding partner of the Palm-rescuing investment firm Elevation Partners, has had some interesting things to say about what to expect from the Pre. Now, though, he’s really out done himself with what he has to say about the iPhone. In an interview with Bloomberg, McNamee (aka “Chubby Wombat Moonalice” when playing bass) predicted that the Pre will bring the downfall of Apple’s wunder-handset, saying:

June 29, 2009, is the two-year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone. Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later. Think about it — if you bought the first iPhone, you bought it because you wanted the coolest product on the market. Your two-year contract has just expired. Look around. Tell me what they’re going to buy.

We don’t know the future, but we can sure tell you what we’re not buying right now. And besides, we don’t know too many early adopter types that could resist the siren call of 3G halfway through their existing iPhone contract, thereby re-upping their contract for another few millenia. That should be plenty enough time for Apple to whip up something new… or at least for Roger to get a haircut.

[Via Daring Fireball]

Filed under: Cellphones

CE-Oh no he didn’t! Part LIX: Elevation’s McNamee predicts death to iPhone on June 29 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPod docks come in all shapes and sizes, and while Sony’s last attempt would be hard to miss in most rooms, this latest one is rather more subdued and sophisticated. It’s the CMT-Z100iR, naturally compatible with the iPod, iPod Touch, and iPhone, but also sporting the ability to play CDs through a top-mounted slot-loader. It can even play tunes from other MP3 players through its USB port, if you’re so inclined, and while its pair of 20 watt speakers probably won’t shake the walls, they should suffice for filling your minimalist retreat with the groovy beats of the Future Sound of London. No firm price or availability details yet.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Sony’s obelisk-inspired CMT-Z100iR iPod dock is full of modernist styling, stars originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While most of Hama’s CeBIT booth consisted of random USB drives, cases and other sorts of low-rate accessories, this particular low-rate accessory grabbed our hearts and wouldn’t let go. The absurdly titled Game Wheel Speed-X is evidently geared to work with Apple’s latest iPod touch, though we reckon an iPhone 3G should slide right in without too much effort. Clearly, this aims to be a Wii Wheel for your favorite Apple handheld, though we have to wonder how many individuals plan on carrying this ridiculously large piece of plastic around with their touch. Actually, we don’t have to wonder. Jump past the break for a couple of video demonstrations.

Continue reading Video: Hama’s iPod touch racing wheel exemplifies overkill

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Peripherals

Video: Hama’s iPod touch racing wheel exemplifies overkill originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, Amazon could pit the Kindle squarely against phone- and PDA-based e-book apps, but why not play both sides? The company had previously mentioned its desire to embrace non-Kindle devices in its digital delivery ecosystem, and the first fruits of that labor have now hit the iPhone App Store. The uncreatively-named Kindle for iPhone allows you access to all of your Kindle content right from the comfort of your iPhone or iPod touch, and if you have the good fortune of owning an honest-to-goodness Kindle, Whispersync will kick in to keep your location synchronized between readers. It’s a huge win for owners of both devices, considering that the Kindle’s still just a little bit big to be carrying everywhere you go, but your phone — well, if you don’t have that everywhere you go, you’re just plain weird. [Warning: iTunes link]

[Via The iPhone Blog]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Amazon’s Kindle for iPhone hits the App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a recent Vogue interview, Melinda Gates confided that she’s battled some iPhone envy in her day: “Every now and then I look at my friends and say ‘Ooh, I wouldn’t mind having that iPhone’.” It’s just too bad for her that Apple is forbidden fruit in the Gates household. “There are very few things that are on the banned list in our household. But iPods and iPhones are two things we don’t get for our kids,” said Melinda. Stay strong, Mrs. Gates, we’re hearing good things about Windows Mobile 7. Oh, and we made up that part about Africa.

Filed under: Cellphones

Melinda Gates secretly pines for iPhone, actually doesn’t even like Africa originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXXXV: the world-renowned GiPhone F5

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXXXV: the world-renowned GiPhone F5 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did you put down Rolando after a mere 10 minutes of play time, never to touch it again? You’re a cold, soulless person with nary a fun bone in your body, but you may not be alone. Pinch Media, whose analytics engine can be used to track the performance of participating iPhone apps, has found that merely 30 percent of people purchasing iPhone apps use them the next day, and free apps clock in at a miserable 20 percent. Over the long run, loyal users dwindle to just a single percent of downloaders — and this is where it gets strange: free apps get used a whopping 6.6 times as often as paid apps, which may not bode well for devs looking to make a decent living off the App Store, Windows Marketplace, Ovi Store, Android Market, and the million other mobile software store initiatives coming up over the next year. It’s likely a testament to the fact that your average free app is simpler (and possibly more indispensable day in and day out) than your average paid app — which means we should all be paying $15 for tip calculators and $25 for speed dialers.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

App Store stats suggest humans have attention span of gnats originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The GPS circuitry in the iPhone 3G could be used to do more — a lot more, in fact — than it currently does, and it looks like Apple might have an eye on an angle most people wouldn’t have considered (in other words, something other than turn-by-turn). Digging through iPhoto ’09’s innermost sanctums has apparently revealed references to some sort of asynchronous geotagging capability, whereby selecting locations from an app on the phone (or iPod touch, as the case may be) could be transferred directly to iPhoto and associated with events — perfect for shooting with, say, a real camera while toting your phone in your pocket. Of course, the capability is purely vestigial for now — no announcement has been made, and there’s no way for users to access this directly — so Apple could’ve spiked it or has it queued up for a future firmware update. Time will tell.

[Via iLounge and Ars Technica]

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras, GPS, Handhelds

Apple to use iPhone’s GPS to geotag locationless photos? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not that we’ve never seen a jailbroken iPhone get cozy with a keyboard before, but this is just a match made in heaven. Not according to those who matter in Cupertino, mind you, but since when have you renegade hackers cared about those folks? The video waiting down in the read link shows off an Apple Bluetooth keyboard interacting with an iPhone 3G, but it seems that you’ll have to wait a bit longer before the general public gets instructions / files / etc. in order to replicate.

[Thanks, Ralf]

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals

Video: Apple’s iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard get together, have a good ole time originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were thinking offline Gmail on your desktop was the greatest thing since sliced bread, prepare yourselves people. If an MWC keynote from Google’s VP of engineering, Vic Gundotra, is any indication, the same functionality might be coming soon to an iPhone / Android phone near you. Amongst other things, the souped up web app boasts an overhauled interface, supports labels, and of course, offline access. Despite our own hunch that Google’s just using black magic and voodoo to make this happen, Gundotra claims that it’s all made possible through HTML5 standards — AppCache being the biggie. This development certainly opens the doors to more offline-enabled web apps in the future — Docs, anyone?. Of course, we know Apple has a thing about people messing with its own apps, so it’s probably going to take some time / knee-breaking to get them to come around, but for some reason, we don’t think it’ll take as long with Android. There’s a demo video available after the break, and please, try to contain yourselves.

Continue reading Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone, Android at MWC

Filed under: Cellphones

Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone, Android at MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Usually, it’s Apple who has the problem with a potential app. Now, it’s The Man taking issue with one that Cupertino deemed fit for distribution. Nevada gaming officials have been tipped off a card counting application that can be installed on the iPhone and iPod touch, which would obviously give Blackjack gamers an upper-hand over the system. According to control board member Randy Sayre, using a device to “aid in the counting of cards is considered a felony under Nevada laws governing cheating,” and considering that the program can even be used in “stealth mode,” it could be easy to miss unless you’re really on the lookout. Of course, it’s up to individual casinos to determine their policies on cellphones, but if you were planning to counter this recession by racking up on ten straight 21s this weekend, you might want to seriously consider the consequences first.

[Via TUAW]

Filed under: Cellphones

Card counting iPhone app frowned upon in Vegas originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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