Tag: iPhone (Page 12 of 19)

      AT&T Upgrades Should Alleviate iPhone Headaches

      June 24, 2009 /

      iPhone call failed.Yesterday, AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel told Gearlog that his company is upgrading their 3G services to include the 850MHz spectrum. As it stands, most 3G services run at 1900MHz and the spectrum is getting congested. The upgrades should alleviate some of that congestion.

      This is good news for all of the new 3GS owners this week, but particularly those in cities like New York and San Francisco, where iPhone saturation is highest, along with network strain. The 850MHz frequency is a lower band, allowing it to travel further and penetrate walls more easily than 1900MHz.

      Along with a more reliable signal in cities, AT&T customers could see 3G hitting previously EDGE-only service areas, though it probably won’t extend service areas by much. AT&T is also starting to upgrade to HSDPA, which is supposed to double the download speeds of their current network.

      It’s nice to see AT&T trying to keep up with the influx of iPhone traffic, but it still feels like just that. Keeping up. And barely. Hopefully these changes will add enough stability to keep people happy until HSDPA provides a stronger backbone for the nation’s only iPhone provider.

      iPhone, Mobile

      Wireless iPhone Charger: Hemorrhoid Included

      June 24, 2009 /

      WildCharge iPhone Skin.One of the more gimmicky advantages (unless, of course, you build it into your BMW) of the Palm Pre over the iPhone is wireless charging via Palm’s Touchstone dock. Just slap your Pre on there and by magnetic magic (and a whole lot of heat) you get a fresh battery.

      WildCharge wants to give iPhone users that same functionality with their WildCharger iPhone Skin. You may remember the WildCharger from days gone by, when the Motorola RAZR was the phone to have. On phones (like the RAZR) that allow you to remove the battery, it’s kinda cool. There are no funky connections required.

      But the iPhone has a built-in battery, one that can’t be removed or replaced with third party units. In order for the WildCharger to work, you need the WildCharge iPhone Skin, a $34.99 silicone sleeve that adds one big pimple to the ass end of your sleek little phone. The full kit (skin + charge pad) will run you $79.99.

      The WildCharger isn’t a bad idea if you’ve got multiple supported devices. For me, it would only support my iPhone, and frankly I don’t mind plugging it (the iPhone) in all that much. I certainly don’t $80 mind it, and if it means a little tip hanging off the end of my phone you likely won’t see me trying one. Not even for a minute. Not even just to see how it feels.

      Apple, iPhone

      Jobs Gets “Excellent Prognosis,” No Special Treatment

      June 24, 2009 /

      Steve Jobs looking healthy.After having a liver transplant Steve Jobs is reported to have an “excellent prognosis” by the medical institute responsible for the operation. Nice to hear some good news surrounding a pancreatic cancer survivor, even if he is one with the means to pay for the very best in medical care.

      The Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute also issued a statement with the prognosis claiming Jobs received his liver because he was “the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time a donor organ became available.” This was no doubt released to allay concerns that Jobs may have seen special treatment because of status.

      Good news for Jobs means good news for Apple, whose stock dropped some 10 points when the CEO announced his leave of absence in January. There had been speculation about his health leading up to the announcement, though Jobs claimed it was a hormone imbalance until he finally had to leave.

      Despite his absence, Apple stock has continued to blow up, surging 60% this year alone. Hopefully we’ll see Jobs taunting handicapped grandmothers in his Cupertino parking lot soon.

      Apple, News

      AT&T Navigator Comes To The iPhone

      June 23, 2009 /

      AT&T Navigator.Being that TomTom showed off their turn by turn navigation system at WWDC, and being that AT&T has hardly mentioned their Navigator app in recent memory, it seems odd that AT&T would be the first to release a turn by turn navigation app.

      They were, though, in a free app download today. Don’t let free fool you. The app will add a $10 charge to your AT&T bill.

      The application was developed specifically for the iPhone 3GS but it will work with OS 3.0 on other iPhones. The app gives you turn-by-turn navigation, updates traffic information and will let you search by your location for the cheapest gas.

      AT&T may have made a smart play here, giving them the early adopters. I’ll be interested to see whether other turn-by-turns run for a similar monthly fee.

      Apple, Apps

      AT&T Won’t Charge Extra For MMS If You Have An SMS Bundle

      June 23, 2009 /

      iPhone SMS.The only way I can think of AT&T making the wait for MMS worse would be charging customers extra for the service when it finally goes live. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be doing that…to everyone.

      In the AT&T iPhone 3GS FAQ PDF the company states in plain language that MMS is coming soon “at no extra cost to customers with a text messaging bundle.”

      That plain language leaves some room for interpretation, though. AT&T says they won’t charge you extra for the service, as in no extra fee for sending the messages. But how will they count against your SMS bundle count? If, say, you have the 200 messages plan, which costs $5 under AT&T, will each MMS count as one message, or will they dock your total more for sending videos of your son barfing on the dog?

      For now I’ll hope they don’t turn their MMS policy into a “credit” system, whereby they can alter how many credits you get charged per message. We already know that texting plans are a racket. Going to credits could send furious texters into a frenzy.

      Apple, iPhone, Mobile

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