Our friends at 9to5Mac have torn down the Verizon iPhone and found a tasty surprise: it’s based on a GSM world phone-compatible chip!
The VZW iPhone is based on the Qualcomm MDM6600 chip, which is dual-mode GSM and CDMA compatible. That means the iPhone 5 will also surely be dual-mode, allowing Apple to ship one handset for both Verizon and AT&T, aw well as every other carrier outside the U.S.
9to5Mac: Verizon iPhone tear-down posted, reveals Qualcomm Gobi chip! (GSM Worldphone compatible!)
Motorola’s Super Bowl ad for its Xoom tablet — one of the first serious iPad contenders — is replete with Apple references: 1984, Lemmings, white earbuds. But where Apple’s TV ads for the iPad are practical and concrete, Motorola’s is cryptic and confused.
Reminds me of Palm’s weird, ethereal ads for the Pre, which bombed. It’s not good sign.
Plus, the device will reportedly cost $800 with a $20 per month data plan. There’s no WiFi-only model. From our hands-on at CES, the hardware looks OK, but we couldn’t test the software: Moto was showing an unfinished unit..
Apple’s upcoming iOS 4.3 update will have wireless syncing, Photobooth, and a Sports Training program.
It may also get QuickLook from OS X — the ability to quickly peek at a file or email attachment without launching any programs.
The new capabilities were discovered by programmer Chris Galzerano, who has been digging around in the iOS 4.3 SDK and firmware beta.
Here are the details:
UPDATE: Mark Gurman from 9to5Mac is skeptical about this information. PhotoBooth is right, he says, but has been known for weeks. QuickLook is for opening attachments in email; the Sports Trainer frameworks have been in iOS forever, and likely refer to Nike+; and the Wireless Syncing frameworks are likely part of regular MobileMe syncing.
If you’re like me, you probably can’t watch TV without a computer in your lap. And if you’re be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, there’s a pretty cool iPad app that will enhance the game — and the commercials.
The free Vualla Social TV Companion is a one-stop shop for all the online goodies surrounding the game.
Wanna talk smack on Twitter? It includes a Twitter client, as well as FaceBook and chat. There are news feeds from ESPN and other sources, Twitter updates from the locker room, Flickr photos from fans at the game, and instant replays (both plays and commercials) – plus a bunch more.
The idea is to have an easy way to do all the things we now do while watching TV (Twittering, checking the news). The company plans to roll out more apps for upcoming sports events as well as popular shows like American Idol and Glee. I think it looks pretty cool. Here’s a quick video tour I just got from Kevin Brown of Stage Two:
iLounge says it’s heard some juicy rumors about the iPad 2:
1. The iPad 2 is getting NFC (Near Field Communications), which will allow all kinds of cool wireless features. We’ve reported on a number of possible applications, including eWallets. iLounge’s source says Apple is working on several NFC-enabled accessories.
2. The iPad 2 may get a carbon fiber case instead of an aluminum. Or not. iLounge says carbon prototypes have been spotted but not be final production models.
3. Apple hasn’t yet abandoned the 7-inch iPad, even though Steve Jobs has said the form factor is “dead on arrival and swore Apple would never produce one.” According to iLounge, Apple has ordered components for a 7-inch device, but it could be for just prototypes.
As Verizon’s systems get crushed with customers eager to buy an iPhone 4, Apple has hinted that the iPhone 5 will be coming to the carrier in July.
Everyone knows that Apple will be refreshing the iPhone hardware this summer. But the big question about today’s Verizon launch is whether that carrier will get new hardware in less than six months. It seems likely. Apple is strongly rumored to be working on a dual-mode handset that works on both GSM and CDMA networks. But where does that leave VZW’s early adopters? How are they going to feel about buying a device made obsolete in a few months?
The New York Times columnist David Pogue asked Apple these questions. Here’s what Apple said:
Apple won’t say if there will be an iPhone 5 for Verizon this summer. (“Let’s put it this way: We’re not stupid,” is all an Apple rep would say.) But if it does, and you buy an iPhone 4 now, you’ll be stuck with an outdated phone in only five months.
To me, this reads like a tacit admission that the iPhone 5 will launch on Verizon and AT&T simultaneously this summer. Obviously Apple won’t pre-announce the iPhone 5 on VZW because no one that network will buy the iPhone 4 today.
As Apple says, “We’re not stupid.”
It looks like Nvidia’s fastest graphics cards could be headed for the Mac — courtesy of an unofficial hack.
The Russian hacker known as Netkas has hinted that he’s cracked Nvidia’s Fermi ROM, the firmware underlying its most powerful cards, which are currently Windows-only.
In a post titled “On the mac’s fermi ROM,” Netkas posted a winking smiley face — a hint that he’s cracked the drivers for Nvdia’s most powerful line of graphics cards.
Netkas is a highly regarded hacker, most famous for his Hackintosh EFI Bootloader hack, which allows generic PC hardware to run Mac OS X.
Given the hacker’s reputation, it is “certain that he has found a way,” says HardMac, which follows graphics hacks closely. Hardmac reckons Netkas was able to adapt the ROM of Nvidia’s Quadro FX 4000, which has Mac drivers.
HardMac is hoping to see Mac ROM for Nvidia’s GTX 580, the most powerful Fermi card available.
There’s a thriving hacking underground that unofficially adapts Mac drivers for Windows PC cards, which are usually much cheaper than their Mac counterparts.
The early Verizon iPhone reviews are in, and it’s basically the same story across reviewers: calls are better, but data downloads not so.
The VZW iPhone is a great phone, Wired.com reports, but data isn’t as speedy as AT&T’s.
WIRED It’s a better phone, period. More likely to pull a signal, even indoors — this could change the way we converse at bars. Hot-spotting is well-integrated and very easy to use. Has a whiter, slightly better-looking display.
TIRED Slow data transfers compared to the AT&T iPhone. Sluggish app installs take away from the App Store’s instant gratification. Video streams are compressed more heavily, so Netflix and YouTube are uglier. No simultaneous voice and data transmissions thanks to the limitations of CDMA.
Meanwhile, David Pogue at the NYT says: “…the Verizon iPhone is nearly the same as AT&T’s iPhone 4 — but it doesn’t drop calls.”
And Pogue brings up a good point about the VZW network buckling under the rush on new iPhones:
Consider, too, that if surveys are any indication, Verizon can expect an enormous stampede of new iPhone customers. Last time this happened — to AT&T — the weight of all those bandwidth-sucking iPhones swamped the network, causing interruptions that persist to this day. The same thing might happen to Verizon.
Verizon swears that it’s prepared for the onslaught. Then again, that’s what AT&T said, too.
The Verizon iPhone goes on pre-sale at 3am tomorrow. First deliveries are expected on Feb. 10.
Engadget did some speed tests and found AT&T’s network was significantly faster. Here’s the results:
I think performer/journalist Mike Daisey has very important things to things to say about Apple, the electronics industry, and modern industrial production.
Go see his hilarious but upsetting one-man show at Berkeley Rep, or watch this great TechCrunch interview:
The 150-year-old catalog giant Hammacher Schlemmer has released a classy iPhone stand that turns your device into a desktop handset.
Hammacher’s iPhone Desktop Handset looks good for cradling under your chin, and definitely does away with iPhone 4 proximity sensor issues.
Seems like old-school handsets are making a comeback. The handset is reminiscent of the iFusion Smartstation office phone/dock that premiered at Macworld last week. But the Hammacher handset plugs into the headphone jack instead of working via Bluetooth.
The Hammacher handset is $60, which seems a bit steep, but is cheaper than the $200 rotary-style iRetrofone Base.
Via Laughing Squid and Ubergizmo.
Confirming our exclusive report back in October, Woz says the white iPhone 4 weas delayed because of light leakage into the camera, ruining photos.
But not to worry, the white iPhone 4 is coming soon Woz told the Engadget Show last night.
Rumors suggest Apple has fixed the light leakage issue with new paint, and the white iPhone 4 has recently been showing up in inventory systems at AT&T and Best Buy.
Via VentureBeat.
Proving that fact is always more interesting than fiction, ad man Steve Hayden remembers the making of Apple’s 1984 ad in AdWeek this week.
Marking the 27th anniversary, Hayden describes the utterly chaotic process behind the making of what’s been called “the best TV commercial ever.” Everyone hated it, and no one wanted it to run except Steve Wozniak, who offered to pay half the costs himself.
The first version of the spot was more Jetsons than Metropolis. The intention was to remove people’s fears of technology at a time when owning your own computer made about as much sense as owning your own cruise missile. We wanted to democratize technology, telling people that the power was now literally in their hands.
AdWeek: ‘1984’: As Good as It Gets
Back in 1984, Apple introduced the Mac with its famous 1984 Superbowl ad. Now Motorola is invoking some of the same ideas to promote its Xoom tablet, but this time, Apple is Big Brother.
Motorola’s new Superbowl Ad , “Goodbye 1984,” says that 2011 looks a lot like 1984:
One authority. One design. One way to work.
It’s time for more choices. It’s time to explore. It’s time to live a free life.
Learn more about Motorola XOOM: https://moto.ly/xoom
The ad is pretty bare-bones, and it’s not clear whether it will run during the Superbowl or is just a teaser or a trial balloon.
Funny how often Apple is compared to Big Brother these days. Over the weekend, The New York Times invoked Microsoft in its heyday with its market-crushing “platform” — a position Apple finds itself in now, says the Times.
Here’s Motorola’s ad below, and Apple’s original 1984, just for comparison purposes.
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — They call themselves the “Kickstarter Kids.”
They’re the group of entrepreneurs backed by Kickstarter, the group funding website — and there were a bunch of them at Macworld.
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — Here’s a surprising statistic from Macworld 2011: about 40% of show goers don’t have a smartphone.
That was the number given to me at a meetup on the show’s last night. It was from someone who ran a competition all week in one of the booths. To win a prize, entrants had to download an app to their smartphone — and about 40% didn’t have a device that could download apps.
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — Down on the show floor, I ran into podcaster Tim Chaten, who was using an iPod touch to record video.
Chaten had his iPod touch mounted in a home-made camera rig, complete with an external microphone.
It looks like a pretty good setup for shooting quick and easy videos.
Here’s how he put it together:
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — Here at Macworld, people are raving about the iStreamer, a small metal box that turns your iPhone or iPad into a high-fidelity audio source by connecting it to your home stereo.
Columnist Jeff Yang has a great piece on how Steve Jobs used his extreme focus to make Apple into the new Sony.
There’s tons of great stuff in here. It’s a very well-informed piece.
Here’s Yang talking about how Jobs’ study of Zen has influenced his approach to design, which I’ve never seen discussed before:
The Best App Ever is… Angry Birds, according to the 148Apps website.
On Thursday here at Macworld, the hyper-popular game won the top Best App Ever category in 148App’s third annual Best App Ever awards. The $4.99 game also won the top spot in six other categories. The awards attracted about 500,000 votes for the 609 final nominees.
Angry Birds dominated Apple’s top iTunes download charts for most of most of last year (12 million downloads), and is storming the charts on Android, PlayStation Portable, Windows and is proposed on several other platforms.
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — The biggest booth at Macworld used to be Apple’s. Until 2009, when Apple pulled out, the first thing attendees would see was Apple’s giant booth.
That spot is now occupied by, of all things, Sanho Corp., maker of the HyperMac line of external battery packs. The company is best known for being sued by Apple. Apple filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Sanho for using its MagSafe connector in the HyperMac batteries.
HyperMac’s booth is front and center of the show hall. It is draped in a couple of big banners, giving it by far the biggest presence at this show, which is made up mostly of small companies in small booths.
Getting sued by Apple must be good for business.
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — The corridors are crowded, the booths are hopping and the registration desk is doing brisk business.
Against expectations, Macworld 2011 is doing pretty well on opening day. Of course, there are a few caveats:
But against the odds, Macworld looks prettty healthy this morning. Macworld isn’t dead! Long live Macworld!
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — If there’s one thing we’re hearing over and over at Macworld this year, it’s the word “enterprise.” There’s a lot of companies getting ready for a huge wave of iOS deployments by enterprise in 2011.
One company ready to jump on the enterprise bandwagon is FileMaker, whose FileMaker Go iOS app allows FileMaker databases to run on the iPad or iPhone. That means businesses can make custom database apps — everything from email clients to iTunes clones — without going through Apple.
“A lot of people think they have to develop their own app to do something but its not necessarily necessary to do an app,” said FileMaker spokesman Kevin Mallon. “If you’ve got FileMaker Pro, you’ve got an app.”
According to FileMaker, its database software is currently the only way enterprise can get custom apps on the iPhone or iPad without coding a custom solution and submitting it through the App Store.
The pharmaceutical company Merck, for example, created an iOS app to share the company lexicon of drug names, special acronyms and competing drug companies’ names and terms.
“You don’t have to be a serious programmer to do an app,” said Mallon. “It’s dead easy.”
SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — The world was supposed to go paperless decades ago, but we’re still swamped with paper. You can take pictures of business cards and receipts every now and again, but for serious paper junkies, something like Fujitsu’s ScanSnap S1100 Mobile Scanner may fit the bill.
The ScanSnap S1100 is claimed to be the smallest scanner in the world. Powered by USB, the sheet-feed scanner can suck up everything from receipts to multi-page AT&T phone bills.
Launched at CES earlier this month and being shown at Macworld this week, the ScanSnap S1100 can scan directly into desktop software like iPhoto and Word, or cloud-based apps like Google Docs and Evernote. The scanner costs $199.
Business isn’t usually this cool, but who wouldn’t want this iPhone-dock-cum-desk-phone? Just plug in your iPhone, and it becomes your office phone.
Brand new at Macworld 2011, Altigen’s $169 iFusion Smartstation iPhone dock features a Bluetooth speakerphone and receiver that you can cradle under your chin, Don Draper style.
Paired with the company’s PBX app which provides eneterprise-level phone management features, it allows your iPhone to replace your office phone as well as your home phone. Bye bye landlines.
This is pretty amazing. Hacker Apoc269 has somehow figured out how to make 3D icons on the iPhone’s home screen — and without glasses.
Check out the video. The icons appear to be 3D when the iPhone’s screen is rotated and looked at from diffferent angles. Very cool.
Coming soon via Cydia, Apoc269 says. So get jailbreaking now.
