Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple, iPhone

What makes up a rumor? The common recipe starts with some truth or factual information, adds a healthy dose of hearsay, and then gets topped off with a 'pinch of this and a dash of that.' Then someone else starts with that entire rumor as their 'factual information', and adds to it from there. Pretty soon, you've got 100 different flavors in the wild, and some of them don't even taste remotely like the original dish.

The recent storm of rumors surrounding the iPhone 3G S turned out exactly the same way. Several of them shared some common elements, such as a better camera, video editing, and a compass. But beyond that, the features were anyone's guess, especially when it came to the physical appearance of the device. When Apple broke the news that the appearance was identical to the existing 3G, I really had to wonder: how many times have we seen someone using the new iPhone, and not even noticed?

And then there was the name: iPhone Video, or iPhone 3GS? Just plain 'iPhone'? Whatever the case, it is a given that the name would reflect one of the most important aspects of the device. After all, the iPhone 3G takes its name from its 3G radio, and the 4th-generationsorry, 5th or 5.5 gen iPod were oft referred to as the "iPod Video" due to their video capabilities. So it stood to reason that if the most obvious feature of the new phone would be video recording (and possibly editing) capabilities, it could easily be called the 'iPhone Video'.

What is interesting, though, is that Apple instead chose to name it 'iPhone 3G S', stating that the 'S' stands for faster speed. But even a quick perusal of the specs on Apple's website will tell you that speed is far from the only improvement over the original 3G. Of course, there are the obvious features that Apple pointed out: video recording & editing, an auto-focus camera, voice control and dialing, and a digital compass, just to name a few. But what about all the other features listed on the website. How do they compare to the iPhone 3G?

Read on for a head-to-head comparison of the new features...

Continue reading iPhone 3G S In Depth: Why the 'S' means more than 'Speed'

iPhone 3G S In Depth: Why the 'S' means more than 'Speed' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone 3G S In Depth: Why the 'S' means more than 'Speed' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple previously invited developers to help test the upcoming iPhone 3.0 Push Notification service using AP (Associated Press). Now they’re ready for some IM action, and have prepared a special, 7-day build of AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) to put push through its paces:

As a developer actively working with iPhone OS, we would like your help in a private test of the Apple Push Notification service. For this test, we have selected AOL’s AIM Developer Preview for iPhone OS 3.0 to create a high-volume test environment for our server.

Of course, as with most everything iPhone 3.0-related, at least news of the test didn’t stay private for long.

For a sampling of some of the screenshots we’ve received, check out the gallery after the break!

[Thanks to Rikimaru, and all the anonymous tipsters!)

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Push Notification Testing Round 2: AIM

T-Mobile Netherlands (via Wired) has let slip the formerly elusive specs for the iPhone 3G S:

• 256MB of RAM
• 600Mhz CPU

Anandtech (via Macrumors) gives further info:

Although unannounced, the iPhone 3GS uses (again) a Samsung SoC but this time instead of the ARM11 + MBX-Lite combo it’s got a Cortex A8 and PowerVR SGX; just like the [Palm] Pre.

So add that to the fast PowerVR SGX graphics core, and — to quote Steve Jobs — it’s a screamer!

Update: Apple Insider has a great run down of the technology inside the chipsets.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3G S Speeds and Feeds Revealed: 256MB RAM, 600Mhz CPU

Filed under: Software, iPhone

We're getting tips from multiple sources that Apple has invited a group of iPhone developers to test drive AOL's updated Instant Messenger app for the iPhone -- complete with push notification -- in an effort to see how Apple's servers will handle the traffic. The invitation included the following:

"As a developer actively working with iPhone OS, we would like your help in a private test of the Apple Push Notification service. For this test, we have selected AOL's AIM Developer Preview for iPhone OS 3.0 to create a high-volume test environment for our servers."

Apple invites iPhone devs to test AIM/push notification originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple invites iPhone devs to test AIM/push notification originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MacHeist and TouchArcade are co-hosting an iPhone app launch party at this year's WWDC. The event to be held tonight will provide some demos and previews of some upcoming iPhone apps and games and will be streamed live starting at around 9:30 p.m. P...

Jon Rubinstein will become chairman and CEO of Palm, and Ed Colligan will leave the company.

Apple today invited a number of its iPhone OS 3.0 beta users to participate in a second high-volume test of Apple's Push Notifications system. This round of testing will use a developer preview of AOL's AIM instant messaging application and is sched...

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Recently I spent a few days in Paris, France. I travel light: One bag (pro tip: Roll your clothes), one jacket and one hat. I love getting my necessities down to a single carry-on bag. What I hate is all the paper. Airline confirmation receipts, bus schedules, relevant correspondence from family and friends, etc. Not to mention lists of restaurants to try, sights to see, etc.

This time I went nearly paper-free (I'm sticking with paper boarding passes for international flights, although iPhone scanning has been done and is now officially supported by some carriers), thanks to my iPhone and 2 applications. Here's how I did it.

Tracking flights

Of course, the first thing I've got to do is line up all of my flights. I typically go from Boston to Newark when I'm traveling internationally, which means there are several connecting flights to manage with Flight Update and Evernote.

Flight Update [App Store link] is among my top 5 iPhone apps. Here's how it works and why I love it. First, add a trip and then add your flights. You can designate a preferred airline if there's one you use often. Enter your flight number and date (or search by route if you prefer) and Flight Update fills in an incredible amount of data as if by magic.

You'll get airtime, departing and arriving airport, terminal, distance, scheduled meals and so much more. It even identifies the type of plane and offers a color-coded seating chart (the colors rate the seats by desirability). You can even search for alternate flights should a problem arise.

What I really love about Flight Update is that it consistently beats the airport at dispensing timely information. For example, the flight I took from Newark, New Jersey to Boston, MA this past Monday was listed as delayed on my iPhone before the announcement was made at the gate. When the delay was later lifted (thank goodness), my iPhone let me know before the airport did. That's awesome. At $4.99US, you simply can't beat Flight Update. Every iPhone-toting traveler ought to own it.

Eliminating paper

With Flight Tracker handling the airplanes, I turned to Evernote [App Store link] to handle the paper. This is straightforward: I made a notebook called "Paris" and filled it with:

• Confirmation codes for each flight, including the original emails as PDFs
  
• Hotel information
• Correspondence from family members I'd be traveling with
• Special instructions

With each one tagged "Paris," I simply created a saved search. Here's how. First, enter your search term. Next, click the little blue arrow, scroll down and select "Save Search." From then on, you can access all documents that meet your criteria (in my case, a single tag) by hitting the bookmark button. In fact, I just left it there for the duration of my trip.

When I checked in at the airport kiosk, I simply grabbed my confirmation number from Evernote. Same with the hotel. When I found the restaurants and other points of interest that I wanted to explore, I snapped a photo note and applied the "Paris" tag. Back at the hotel, everything was sent to the Evernote servers via the free WiFi.

This has been said before, but Evernote (free from the App Store, basic and premium plans available) is awesome. Human beings have short term memory, long term memory and now, Evernote.

Keep in mind

Going paperless isn't without risk. There's a good chance that your airport will have a lousy cell signal and no free WiFi. Having to pony up $5 or so just to get a code is a hassle if you forgot to sync before leaving the house. Additionally, not all ticket agents are tolerant of kids these days with their fancy smart phones, and may give you an odd look (or a hard time) when you say, "I don't have the printout, but I have my iPhone!" Hence my hesitation to abandon paper boarding passes.

Finally, Evernote displays PDFs as attachments, meaning you can't view them without an internet connection. If you think that might be an issue, copy and paste the text itself into a note.

In the end I had a very enjoyable travel experience with just a small bag, my wallet and my iPhone. Here's a huge thank you to the developers of Flight Tracker and Evernote. Your apps are awesome.

As noted by our commenters below, you may also get a travel boost out of the Tripit app, which Steve reviewed not long ago.

De-clutter: How I used my iPhone and Evernote to travel light originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

De-clutter: How I used my iPhone and Evernote to travel light originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has announced the winners of their Apple design Awards for 2009. The winners for iPhone apps are: Tweetie [$3.99 | App Store] from atebits, Topple 2 [$2.99 | App Store] from ngmoco:), MLB.com At Bat [$9.99 | App Store] from MLB.com, and Postage [$2.99 | App Store] by RougeSheep. The award for best iPhone Student App was given to Wooden Labyrinth 3D [$3.99 | App Store] by Elias Pietil. Best iPhone OS 3.0 Beta App went to Accuterra by Intermap Technologies. Congratulations to the winners!

Filed under: iPhone

It's no secret that in addition to the initial price for the iPhone, that there's also months upon months of service plans to pay as well. BillShrink.com gave us some perspective yesterday, showing just how much of an Apple tax we really do pay for the iPhone.

In a very easy-to-read infographic, the site pits the entry level iPhone 3G S against the Palm Pre and Android G1 to see what you exactly get and how much you're paying for it when you sign up with the exclusive US carrier for each device (AT&T, Sprint or T-Mobile respectively).

The winner, when it comes to storage space and features, is the iPhone 3G S. But, it's also showing that the Android G1 isn't that bad of a deal either. Its 3.2MP camera just squeaks by the iPhone and it has both a lower subsidized cost and price without contract.

But where Apple really loses is the overall cost of ownership. By far, the cheapest phone to own over a two-year period is the Palm Pre, which clocks in at $2,400. The cost calculated is based off of a service plan with two years of unlimited voice, data, and messaging services. The Android G1 follows with $3,240 and finally the iPhone 3G S at $3,600 -- not including tax for any of them.

Edit: There was some confusion on the back-end of TUAW about whether or not those numbers are for the service plans alone, or if they include the initial cost of the handset. As originally stated, the final totals in the graphic DO NOT include the cost of the headset. For example, the iPhone plan is $99.99+$30+$20 x 24 months = $3599.96 -- rounds to $3600, that matches what's in the graphic. The same holds true for the Android G1 and Palm Pre as well.

We know the iPhone isn't cheap, but Billshrink shows the numbers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We know the iPhone isn't cheap, but Billshrink shows the numbers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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