Splashdata - the company that has given unto the smartphone-and-pda-user world such iconic titles as SplashID, SplashShopper, and SplashMoney on numerous popular platforms - has jumped head-first into the iPhone world with two of the three aforementioned apps in the iTunes App Store. Both SplashShopper and SplashID are currently available for purchase and download, each at $9.99.
SplashMoney, their popular money management app, is soon to follow, according to Kevin Doel of TalonPR. Keep checking the App Store because SplashMoney could arrive as soon as tomorrow. Following it’s release, you can find a full review right here on TiPB.
The Smartphone Experts 2-in-1 Earphones w/ Handsfree for iPhone, available here for only $7.95 at your friendly neighborhood Phone different Store, prove that you don’t have to pay big bucks for top drawer functionality. These earphones just may be the ticket if you’re on a budget. Keep reading for my review!
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One year ago today people were lining up outside Apple Stores. Woz was handing out snacks. El Jobso was making surprise cameos. Scoble was screaming. Leo was chatting up the Google devs. Mossberg was flaunting his demo. Colbert was begging for his. Vloggers were vlogging and boy-oh-boy bloggers were blogging. The mainstream media was going gaga. Mike was live at the Mall of America. Dieter was right here, online, keeping us all up to date.
It was launch day USA. The original iPhone. 2G. Premium priced. Industry changing. Handset revolutionizing. Universe denting.
Now, with the iPhone 3G all but upon us, everyone here at theiPhoneBlog.com would like to wish the focus of our obsession, and all the techies at Apple behind it, a very happy birthday.
Ah, the loss of innocence. From Nerf football to Nerf rocket launcher. From lego robot to military mecha. From humble revolutionary phone to… the next Skynet?
Well, the first tiny step at least, as architects of the impending Matrix enterprising developers Rodrigo Guiterrez and Jeff Craighead have gotten full Pakbot control via the iPhone over WiFi, including live streaming video.
Speaking of video, check theirs out after the break! (Before John Conner gets to them ‘natch).
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Going along with our own Blackberry vs iPhone comparison and Crackberry’s 10 Reasons Why the iPhone is NO Blackberry , we realized we should cover some basic reasons why people should ‘switch’ over to TiPb’s favorite toy. With Palm fading into obscurity and Windows Mobile feature strapped and overextended, RIM and Apple have become perhaps the two most relevant phone makers today. Which begs the question, which one should you pick?
I’ll offer you ten reasons why you should leave your Blackberry behind and choose to phone different*
*In this article, I am using the Curve as the measuring stick for all things ‘Blackberry’
Read on for the rest of the article!
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What happens when your Sister Site, CrackBerry.com, manages to score a BlackBerry Bold on eBay? What happens after they do their hands-on images, videos, and walkthroughs, that is? What happens is they start sending the beast around the the office. So here we have a full gallery comparing the iPhone and the BlackBerry Bold. Head to head images comparing size, UI, web browser (though that one’s not quite fair since the Bold’s web browser ain’t anywhere near complete yet), and of course media capabilities.
Also after the break, a video walkthrough of the two devices. We’ve made fun of RIM’s claim that the Bold isn’t an iClone and now that I’m looking at the two devices side by side on my desk, that fun-making is half-true. Yes, they’re different, but the metallic bezel around the edge of a glossy black face sure says “iPhone” to me.
More thoughts and comparisons after the break. What are you waiting for? Read on!
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We’re number 7! We’re number 7! (OMG 7!!11)
During their Q1 Press Conference Call this week, Rogers Mobile announced that they had finally (finally!) finalized a deal to bring the iPhone to Canada:
“We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can’t tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned.”
This would make Canada the 7th country to officially announce an iPhone deal, after the US, UK, Germany, France, Ireland, and Austria. (Whether they launch 7th will be another matter…)
Now, I can’t say Phone Different bringing attention to this matter just last week played any role in the big announcement (El Jobso, are you reading us right now?), but it is quite a coincidence, n’est ce pas? 
In any event, if this pans out, I’ll be ecstatic. Heck, I might even sing! (mercifully after the break…)
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Friday at The iPhone Blog means two things - free wallpaper and Kent isn’t wearing pants. Fortunately you only have to see the wallpaper. Behold and download after the break.
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Ever wish you could keep prying eyes away from your iPhone? Always paranoid that strangers can read all your sensitive e-mails, bank account information, and stock portfolios? Well here’s the solution: the Case-mate Universal Privacy Screen Pro for iPhone ($19.95). It prevents those snoopy people from peering over your shoulder and keeps your information private by offering a viewing angle of 45 degrees.
Read on for the rest of the review!
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Apple is rumored to be in talks with Orange, France’s exclusive iPhone carrier, to cut pricing on iPhone in hopes of stimulating sales in that country. Since it first marched down the Champs Elysées four months ago, iPhone has been greeted with as much acceptance by French consumers as bad Camembert cheese - selling just over 100,000 units in that period. That’s owing to the fact the French iPhone, much like its fat pasty American counterpart, lacks 3G wireless.
Europe enjoys greater 3G buildout than North America’s wireless infrastructure, so its absence in iPhone makes it even less desirable than leftover onion soup. Naturally the French have thumbed their already erect noses at Apple’s wonder device, and said “Merde!” to iPhone. But with the imminent arrival of a 3G model drawing nigh, this won’t be an issue for much longer.
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Engadget, via typically credible Italian newspaper La Repubblica, reports that a 3G iPhone will be coming soon to Telecom Italia, and what’s more: without carrier or contract lock-in.
Ch-ch-ch-che?
First, a quick look at our scoreboard, if this be true:
| |
Europe |
North Am. |
South Am |
Asia |
Africa |
Oceania |
Antarctica |
| 2.5G |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 3G |
1? |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Next, Apple Insider brings some details:
[A] formal agreement on the matter was signed last week when Franco Bernabè, chief executive officer of TIM’s parent company Telecom Italia, met with Steve Jobs at Apple’s Cupertino-based headquarters. Under the terms of the deal, TIM will reportedly receive a several month exclusive on sales of a 3G iPhone through its retail shops [...] Apple is also reported to have agreed to terms by which the new iPhone will be sold at a higher price than in other European countries, but without a carrier lock and two-year service agreement.
Apple Insider further notes that, given the high percentage of pay-as-you-go plans in Italy, this unprecedented arrangement would give both the carrier and customers multo-flexibility in selling units and either using them on TIM, or with other providers, with plans or with pre-purchased bundles/minutes.
No comment, of course, from either Cupertino or Roma, but we’ve repeatedly repeated Apple COO Tim Cook’s comments on being open to other business models, and this particular one is very intriguing to say the least.
How does the idea of a contract-free 3G iPhone coming soon (albeit to Italy) grab you?
According to GWcheck it is:
Novell is committed to providing a solution that allows users access to their email, calendar and contacts on the iPhone. As the SDK was just released, we are still working out the details and will announce more specific plans when appropriate.
There has been speculation from other sources about Lotus Notes working on the iPhone as well.
There are still plenty of organizations out there that do not use Microsoft Exchange. Those that don’t, typically use RIM’s BlackBerry Enterprise Server solution. It will be nice to see either RIM jump on board the iPhone bandwagon (I don’t see that happening) or companies like Novell working with other visionaries to bring their services to Apple’s iPhone.
The iPod observer has a great shot of what could be the “back” of Apple’s 3G iPhone. With the inventory running low across the country, could this be the next iteration? Will we know soon?
The iPhone is going on a year old and it would make sense for there to be a product refresh soon. But we are not even to the 12-month anniversary yet. What does Steve Jobs have up his sleeve?
I think the black back looks great. It appears to be “soft touch” and not a painted aluminum. It also does not appear to be a Colorware painted iPhone either. Could their be other product enhancements such as a front facing camera too? I think we need a shot of the iPhone from the front to be sure…
You’re out with a friend on Wednesday night and hear that, because of the “big game”, the season finale of NBC’s The Office will be airing later that same night instead of the next as usual.
Panic? Try to rush home? Call your mom and beg her to record it? Hope you can download it off the torrents without getting sued into oblivion?
Nope. You just whip out your trusty iPhone, touch your way through a simple, elegant interface and — boom! — EDGE/Wi-Fi sync a new recording schedule back to the DVR-equipped Apple TV in your living room.
When you get home, The Office is recorded and waiting to watch on the big screen. And if you’re too tired to finish watching it, you can just shift the content right back to your iPhone (or MacBook Air, or any other iTunes savvy device) and watch it on your way to work the next day.
Sounds like magic, doesn’t it? Not according to one of Apple’s latest patent filings…
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The folks at Mozilla are still fuming mad over Safari-gate. The developers behind the popular open source browser Firefox stated flatly that no efforts will be made to port Firefox to iPhone, blaming Apple’s Gestapo-like restrictive software license.
So this means I can’t look forward to a browser that consumes half my memory and grinds to a halt on AJAX-heavy websites? Tragic.
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