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The iPhone’s software keyboard is not always kind to we, the booze addled. Opaquely blurred vision, a wildly pirouetting universe and fingers fraught with wild jactitations are not the most wieldy of typing instruments, and after that sixth beer of the evening — or, more accurately, that sixth Grey Goose chaser — it would be nice if the iPhone would step in and make an executive decision or too about what the heck it is we’re trying to say.

Enter BlindType, which I hereby rechristen BlindDrunkType. The software employs a wonderfully accurate prediction algorithm that can transform your rotgut-induced glossalia into prose worthy of H.L. Mencken.

It seems to work quite well, and might, perhaps, have saved my “boy’s night out” from the discovery of an inamorata convinced I was spending the evening with a slim volume of poetry instead of pounding back duck farts after my goodnight “I love you, dear” text was rendered as “Q BLORPX POTRZEBIE.”

They are making it for Android and the iPhone, but naturally, the iPhone version won’t work on anything besides jailbroken phones, although apparently, the developers are hoping it will “put pressure on Apple to finally allow [replacement software keyboards].” Fat chance, but I wish them luck.

Perhaps it took a little longer than expected, but promise of background VoIP via the Giant Blue S has finally been fulfilled: With the Skype app’s 2.0.1 update, it’ll now run in the background (on any iPhone updated to iOS4, of course). Launch it, leave it running, and it’ll function just like your AT&T account — as long as the incoming call is from a Skype account, or you’ve paid for a Skype online number.

It also means that you’ll be able to switch the screen off or mess around with other apps on your iPhone while gabbing away on Skype.

The update arrives barely a week after Fring users suddenly lost the ability to make calls with Fring using their Skype accounts.

T-Mobile USA is very close to getting the iPhone in the fall, ending Apple’s exclusive relationship with AT&T, according to a highly placed source at the wireless company.

Talks between Apple and T-Mobile are at an advanced stage, our source says, and it’s 80 percent likely that the iPhone will be coming to T-Mobile in Q3.

The source works at T-Mobile but asked not to be quoted directly and to remain anonymous because they aren’t authorized to talk to the press.

T-Mobile’s parent company, Deutsche Telekom, which carries the iPhone in Germany, was able to influence, the source said. T-Mobile USA is the fourth-largest U.S. carrier with 33.7 million customers.

Apple reported another blockbuster quarter thanks to record sales of iPhones and Macs, making the most money ever in company history: $15.7 billion.

Even more unbelievable, Apple is projecting $18 billion in revenue next quarter—and the company is known for lowballing estimates.

Apple is likely to equal Microsoft in annual revenues this year, and may even pass it’s long-time rival. Apple is on track to make more than $60 billion in revenue this year, which is almost equal to Microsoft’s $61.5 billion. Apple already surpassed Microsoft two months ago as the world’s most highly-valued tech company.

Apple sold boatloads of Macs and iPhones. The iPad is also a big hit: Apple has shifted 3.27 million iPads since launch. The only downside was iPod sales.

Here are the key numbers:

• Macs: 3.47 million Macs sold, the most ever in a single quarter, and 33% more than last year.
• iPhones: 8.4 million sold, up 61% year-over-year.
• iPods: 9.41 million sold, down 8% from the year-ago quarter.

In addition, Steve Jobs hinted at even more new products this year:

“It was a phenomenal quarter that exceeded our expectations all around, including the most successful product launch in Apple’s history with iPhone 4,” Steve Jobs said in a statement. “iPad is off to a terrific start, more people are buying Macs than ever before, and we have amazing new products still to come this year.”

Here’s the full press release:

It’s made big waves at the Japanese iTunes Store since its launch in March (not surprising as it was developed by Japanese developer Inforteria), and this morning Twitcal — an app that allows its users to import and update their calendars via tweets — has landed in app stores elsewhere.

The app looks pretty nifty: Just follow another user’s calendar, and your calendar is automatically updated anytime they make a change. Users-sans-Twitcal aren’t left out completely though, because the app can also send event notifications via email. As expected, Twitcal also syncs with Google Calendar and iCal.

Artist Xylo planted these fake iPhones to protest the working conditions at Foxconn, where electronics giants including Apple make their gadgets.

Defined by the artist as “street protest art about the iPhone prison death camps,” the outcry iPhones are made from a fine cement mixture, painted by hand and currently hanging around London.

The FCC has approved Apple’s Magic Trackpad, which means the device could be announced as early as this week.

A device known by the model number A1339 and described as a “Bluetooth Device” has just shown up in the FCC’s database. Given how quickly Apple has in the past announced devices that have just approved by the FCC, the Magic Trackpad could be officially launched within days.

The device would act as a big touch-sensitive trackpad for desktop computers, such as an iMac. It looks as though the device supports handwriting recognition, as well as the swipes and gestures found on the Magic Mouse and MacBook Pro trackpads.

Here are some more leaked photos of a prototype:

This basic black iPad case and carrier has a few tricks in its sleeve: Berlin company Bagjack designed it so that it props up your device as you wear it for hands-free access.

Hang the CircDisCover iPad Case over one shoulder and voila’: next time you’re at a trade fair or conference or standing in line at the airport, you can access your iPad — either horizontally or vertically — without having to prop it up somewhere or hunt and peck with one hand.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-ECt7X4bew

I know, I know: who wants to wear a man purse? You should: this simple, clean design can be worn right under the arm (think public transport, on your bike), on your wrist or  horizontally with a wide carrying strap like a regular computer case.

The only trouble with these kind of wear-it-20-different-ways type garments, at least for me, is that I probably learn to do two of them and never bother with the rest.  Still, once you figure out how to wear it in hands-free mode, you’re golden.

You can pre-order it in black, white or grey for €129 euros, here.

Via High Snobiety

Yesterday, Nokia made it clear they wanted nothing to do with Apple’s all-smartphones-suck-at-making-calls spiel made during a press conference on Friday (a breakdown of Apple’s test can be found on the company’s website, here). Blackberry maker Research In Motion followed with much stronger words, saying that “Apple’s claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation.”

Then just this morning, HTC appear to have made their position clear, telling the folks at Pocketlint HTC has only received complaints about the Droid Eris — which was one of the hapless phones demonstrated to have antenna issues by Jobs on Friday — from “approximately .016 percent of customers,” far below Apple’s claim of .55 percent of customers complaining about the iPhone 4.

While the comparison may or may not be all that significant, what’s certain is that Apple seems to have its competitors snarling at it. Expect the shouting match to get louder tomorrow.

[via Pocketlint, Gizmodo]

This is a guest column by Dan Burcaw, founder and CEO of Double Encore, which develops apps for iPhone (and now iPad). Dan is extremely passionate about why developers should work on iPhone apps instead of Android. Here he explains why Android developers don’t make money, and why Android apps will always be secondary to iPhone/iPad apps.

A few years ago, apps were novelties – a cute idea. Now there are over 250,000 of those cute ideas in the App Store alone – and the Android Market is catching up quickly.

Apps are like the Wild Wild West – and from a developer’s perspective, there’s definitely a shoot-out coming. Google vs. Apple. iPhone and iPad vs. Android. Who should you code for, and why? For that matter, as a consumer, which phone and apps should you choose?

On one hand, you’ve got Apple with the newly released iPad and iPhone – a well-established if tightly controlled platform. On the other, there’s the Shiny New Android platform, with its open-ended promise of apps and plenty of freedom – freedom of handset, freedom of carriers. It sounds like a developer’s paradise … which is in fact how Google markets it. But I predict that a year from now, developers and consumers alike are going to find the Android platform really disappointing.

Apple’s public relations problems with the iPhone 4 antenna reached critical mass last week when Consumer Reports said they could not recommend their readers purchase an iPhone 4 because of their issue. In many ways, then, yesterday’s press conference was a specific response to the well-respected consumer advocacy site.

So did Jobs change Consumer Reports’ mind on the issue? Nope.

Consumer Reports believes Apple’s offer of free cases is a good first step. However, Apple has indicated that this is not a long-term solution, it has guaranteed the offer only through September 30th, and has not extended it unequivocally to customers who bought cases from third-party vendors. We look forward to a long-term fix from Apple. As things currently stand, the iPhone 4 is still not one of our Recommended models.

If one thing was crystal clear from Steve Jobs’ remarks during today’s iPhone 4 Antenna Press Conference, it was that he blamed the tech press for “overblowing” the iPhone 4’s reception issues, and was downright contemptuous of tech journalists as a whole.

“I guess it’s just human nature that when you see someone get successful you want to tear it down…” Steve Jobs said at one point. “Sometimes I feel that in the search for eyeballs, [journalists] don’t care about what they leave in their wake.”

Fielding a question from Engadget about a recent New York Times report, Jobs further attacked tech writers. “Go talk to the Times, because you guys talk to yourselves a lot. They’re just making this stuff up.”

Even Steve’s parting shot was aimed at the credibility of the tech journalists. “Thanks for coming. I wish we could have done this [had the press conference] in the first 48 hours, but then you wouldn’t have had anything to write about.”

I’m certainly not here to defend the press against Jobs’ accusations of sensationalism. He may be right: the iPhone 4 Antenna Issue is the Amy Winehouse of tech right now. On the sensationalism of the press, I’d argue that the job of the journalist is not to report the status quo, but to report the exceptional. Over the past three weeks, the iPhone 4’s antenna issues have been an exceptional problem, and so we’ve covered it extensively.

But you know what else is exceptional? Apple and its products. And what Jobs has conveniently forgotten is that ever since he returned to Apple back in 1997, the tech press has collectively been the tireless advocate of both, and written about Apple’s excellence as the rule — not the exception — with every year that has passed.

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The iPhone 4 press conference offered some new (and unexpected?) declarations from Steve Jobs, including “Phones aren’t perfect. It’s a challenge for the entire industry” and “The iPhone 4 went through all of these tests. We KNEW that if you held it in a certain way, the bars would go down.”

After a presser that lasted nearly an hour and a half  and the promise to give free bumper cases, what’s your impression of how Apple handled the “antennagate” issue?

Vote and let us know your reasons in the comments below.

In a Q&A after the iPhone 4 Antenna Press Conference, Steve Jobs says that Apple is happy with the antenna design of the iPhone 4 and they won’t be redesigning it.

“We’re happy with the antenna design of iPhone 4… it’s better than 3gs in every way,” says Jobs. “Looking at the data, we don’t think we have a problem.”

Instead, he blames Apple accidentally painting a bullseye on the iPhone 4’s antenna design. “If we were to fault the iPhone 4, it’s that we waved a red flag in front of the bull by putting a “grip me here” mark on the iPhone 4,” by which he means the black lines marking the separation between antennas.

Steve Jobs is closing up the iPhone 4 Antenna Press Conference by re-asserting Apple’s love and commitment to its users.

“We love our users,” Jobs said. “We try very hard to surprise and delight them, and work our asses off doing it. But we have a blast doing it. What motivates us is for ours users to love our products and connect them with great apps and content.”

“When we fall short, we try harder,” Jobs says. “And when we succeed our users reward us by staying loyal. That’s what drives us. And when we have problems like this and people are criticizing us, we take it personally. Maybe we shouldn’t, but we do.”

“At the end of the day, we think we’ve gotten to the heart of the problem, and the heart is that smartphones have weak spots,” claims Jobs.

“But the data supports the fact that the iPhone 4 is the best smartphone in the world. There is no ‘Antennagate.’ There is simply a challenge for the entire smartphone industry to improve its antenna performance to where there’s no weak spots.”

Now that Apple’s iPhone 4 Antenna Fix is out of the bag — free cases, software update — Jobs is closing up the conference by covering some miscellaneous issues.

First, Jobs knows there’s a proximity sensor issue with the iPhone 4, and there will be software fix coming sometime soon.

Apple hasn’t forgotten the white iPhone 4 either. It’ll be shipping at the end of July.

Also coming at the end of July (specifically, July 30th?) The iPhone 4 will be rolled out to 17 more countries.

After laying all the data groundwork, Jobs has just announced what they will be doing about the iPhone 4 reception issues… perceived or no.

First of all, they just released iOS 4.0.1 which changes the signal display algorithm yesterday.

Second, free casesfor everyone: the bumpers solve the death grip issue, so now everyone will get one free of charge for every iPhone 4 through September 30th. In September, they’ll re-examine the issue and see if they have a better idea.

Apple will be mailing out the cases themselves, but since they can’t make enough bumpers themselves, they’ll be mailing out a selection of cases, some third-party.

Interested? You can apply for a free case next week. Pick your own case and they’ll mail it off.

Finally, still unhappy with the iPhone 4? You can still bring it back for any reason within 30 days for a full refund, no 10% restocking fee charged.

Retrevo created this handy flowchart predicting consumer reactions following Apple’s press conference.

Of the four types of people — two are Apple fans in varying degrees, one is a hater and the fourth doesn’t really care about tech — any one who rates themselves a fan (Campin-Tosh) won’t change their opinion one iota, even if Steve Jobs outs himself as recreational bunny torturer who financially backs the Westboro Baptist Church.

The AppleSofties — who like Apple products enough but want to keep options open — will likely “file for divorce” no matter what the Cupertino Company says.

Which apparently means that, uh, if you are a bit more committed to Apple products, you drank the koolaid and will pretty much tolerate anything.

What do you think, are the predictions accurate?

Via Retrevo

Yesterday’s iOS 4.0.1 changed the way the iPhone’s signal is displayed: previously, iOS corralled the upper 40% of the signal into the fifth service bar in the fifth signal bar, meaning you had to have less than 60% signal to drop below four bars. This exacerbated the perceived effect of the iPhone 4 “Death Grip” by causing more bars to drop when held “the wrong way” when there were four bars or less of signal, but also made the reception degradation invisible to people living in areas of excellent service because the fifth bar had so much wiggle room for signal degradation.

This is no longer the case. Anandtech has just done a comprehensive examination of the way iOS 4.0.1 displays its signal bars, and as predicted, they found that Apple is now translating signal strength into bars more accurately and with a higher dynamic range. In other words, you’ll require more signal to show higher bars than it once did. Or, as Anandtech puts it, “regardless of how tall the bars are, there are still going to be fewer of them virtually everywhere.”

Apple just released iOS 4.0.1 — the day before its big iPhone 4 press conference. The update fixes the signal dislay algorithm, which Apple has said is behind iPhone 4 reception issues.

So it seems likely that the 4.0.1 update — and this alone — will be the subject of tomorrow’s press conference. Steve Jobs will use the event to explain (slowly and carefully) how this bug update fixes the problem.

No recall, no free bumpers, no admission of a hardware issue.

Who do you guys think? Will the 4.0.1 update be the subject of tomorrow’s press conference?

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A wireless expert with ties to Apple’s senior antenna engineer says the company is in a pickle. It cannot fix the iPhone 4 antenna issue without completely redesigning the hardware.

Earl McCune, a leading RF expert — and former colleague of Apple’s Sr. Director of iPhone/iPod engineering, Ruben Caballero (who is in the news today) — says the iPhone’s antenna will have to be moved.

“The only way to solve the problem is to not have your hand within a wavelength of the phone — about a foot and a half away,” said McCune, a RF/wireless consultant, author and entrepreneur. “It’s the law of physics.”

McCune is the former boss of Apple’s top antenna engineer, Ruben Caballero. Last year, Caballero tried to warn Steve Jobs that the iPhone 4’s external antenna may drop calls.

Steve Wozniak loves his iPhone 4, but carries a back-up phone because of “death grip” antenna problems.

In a conversation with Dutch journalist Henk van Ess,  Woz says that he immediately noticed reception problems with the latest Apple smartphone.

Henk van Ess: How did you find out about the antenna problems?

Steve Wozniak: The first time I tried I was able to duplicate the problem. My wife was driving me to the airport and as soon as I got a short distance from my home, and no longer on wifi, I tried it by accessing a web page (using Safari on my iPhone 4) and observing the progress bar.

As the bar started to proceed I lightly (‘lightly’) touched a couple of fingers to the trouble area and the progress bar froze. When I lifted my fingers the progress bar continued it’s (sic) rapid progress. Putting my finger[s] back down halted the progress bar again. Lifting my fingers another time allowed the web page to finish loading.”

Did the iPhone 4’s slim design trump functionality? That’s the suggestion of a Bloomberg report claiming Apple CEO Steve Jobs overruled the objections of engineer Ruben Caballero about possible reception problems. The report, citing unnamed sources, comes ahead of a Friday news conference Apple has called possibly to address headline-grabbing issues about drop calls.

According to the Thursday report, senior Apple engineer Caballero in 2009 raised the possibility with Apple executives that a Jonathan Ive-design “may cause reception problems.” Just prior to the iPhone 4’s June 24 release, a carrier also raised the same concerns, Bloomberg reports.

After the iPhone 4’s bezel design was picked by Jobs and other Apple execs, Caballero, an antenna expert, told the company leaders it “might lead to dropped calls and presented a serious engineering challenge.” Since its introduction, Apple has tried to fend-off suggestions the design was causing dropped calls due to the way the iPhone was held. Earlier this week, Consumer Reports decided not to recommend the new iPhone based on its own tests confirming the reception issues.

Apple declined any comment on the story.

[9to5Mac and Bloomberg]

“Big” changes rumored for Apple’s approach to customer service at the retail level are bound to impress legions of the company’s newest consumers while raising the enmity of long-time customers and customer service employees alike.

New guidelines for handling on-site service requests and repair jobs at Apple’s retail stores are coming down the pike, according to a report Wednesday, as well as to communiques rumored to have recently hit Apple’s internal Retail News Network.

The gist of the company line is that walk-in customer service issues will soon be addressed in tandem with those presented by customers already holding scheduled Genius Bar appointments, and that as many repairs as can be done so will be queued for overnight turnaround — all without the hiring of additional staff to meet what is clearly growing retail traffic and demand for service interactions.

Not only will retail staff be expected to possess Genius-level understanding of the product line, they will also exhibit model habits of efficiency and productivity, according to the company’s plan.