Welcome to From the Forums. If you are curious as to what all of the hot topics are on the TiPb forums, this is the place to be. In order to create any new threads of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now.

Our first thread of the day includes a poll and comes to us from cobra302 – Glass up or down? Are you one of the brave few who actually set their iPhone face down?

Like c0mpguru mentions in the following thread, MMS is finally coming to your iPhone on September 25th. Most of you should be excited judging from the anger and outrage from this long delay but we want to know have your feelings changed what so ever toward AT&T?

So you are having an issue with your iPhone and need some help? Perhaps you have some time to kill and feel like helping others with their iPhone issues? If you answered yes to either of these questions then please stop by and visit our dedicated iPhone Help forum.

See you on the forums!

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

From the Forums: Glass Up or Down, MMS, AT&T, iPhone Help

Could the long-rumored cameras being added to the iPod touch, iPod nano, and even iPod classic have hit a snag, leading to a delay that might affect Apple’s “It’s only rock and roll but we like it” special music event planned for Wednesday?

AppleInsider, citing a “person with a strong track record in predicting Apple’s upcoming product launches” (PWASTRIPAUPL), is rumoring just that:

the iPod maker experienced technical problems with the cameras months ago. The person said that it was uncertain whether the new hardware, which has been widely expected to debut at Wednesday’s “Only rock and roll” media-centric event, would make the cut for early September.

Since the iPod touch is so similar to the iPhone, unless Apple is trying to cram the cam into too thin an enclosure, we have a hard time seeing the problem in that SKU. Whether or not the rumor is accurate, whether or not it effects all the of the iPods or just iPod nano and iPod classic, and whether or not Apple delays announcing the new iPods or simply announces them as “shipping in the future” are all, of course, unknown.

With so much of the music events — and holiday shopping season — relying on the iPod lineup, however, it’s hard to imagine them letting things slip much, if at all.

What say you?

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

Rumor: iPod Cameras Delayed

Apple has finished their investigation in the case of the exploding iPhones/Pods and the results are not shocking – the battery malfunction theory has been rejected. It was first rumored that defective batteries were more than likely the cause of the devices going boom but as it turns out, excess force was the reason – according to Apple.

“The iPhones with broken glass that we have analysed to date show that in all cases the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone.”

With 26 million iPhones and 200 million iPods sold to date, Apple claims there are zero confirmed battery overheating incidents for iPhone 3GS and the number of reports of overheating they have investigated are in the single digits.

So are you buying what Apple is selling? Could these isolated incidents actually be due to excessive force in every case or could there still be something up with those batteries? What do you think?

[Via Mac Daily News}

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

Apple to Exploding iPhones: Screen Pressure not Battery to Blame

Numerous press reports are claiming that iPhones and iPods are “exploding” — well, three isolated devices, at least so far. Apple is said to be investigating these reports and have no answers as of now.

“These are isolated incidents and… there is not a general problem, For the cases which have been reported in the media, Apple [is] trying to get more information on the details of the incidents and will do tests as necessary to investigate the possible cause.”

It was last August that we reported on the iPod fires that were taking place. Three recent claims in the past few months have sparked this new investigation:

• we had a teenager in France who claims his girlfriend’s iPhone blew up and sent glass flying
• an 11 year old girl who claimed her iPod “made a hissing noise and went pop”
• and on August 2, a Dutch man who claimed his iPhone 3G went up in flames and burned his car seat.

Thankfully no one was injured in any of the above incidents. With the millions of iPods and iPhones sold to date and only a very few being proven “faulty” this is nothing you should be too concerned about. In fact US Consumer Product Safety Commission claims that a total of 15 Apple devices since 2001 have been recorded as faulty, while none included any serious injury.

[Via Ars Technica]

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

Apple Investigates: “Exploding” iPhones and iPods

Looks like Wednesday, September 9 might just be this year’s date for Apple’s annual iPod and iTunes event, where it’s widely expected we’ll see the third generation iPod touch (with video camera?), iTunes 9 (with Blu-Ray and “social” integration?), as well as other refreshes to Apple’s music-themed lineup.

Now, TiPb thought it would be September 8, because Apple almost always drops product on Tuesdays, like last year’s Let’s Rock event (and it still might this year, the above is only a rumor from a source), but we’re not going to read anything into it if it is a Wednesday this time around either.

All Things Digital also says, however, there’s one big ticked item we won’t be seeing:

The event will be held in San Francisco–most likely at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where it has occurred in years past–and is expected to showcase upgrades to the iPod line and an update to iTunes that may involve some sort of social element. Our sources insist it will not involve any discussion whatsoever of the tablet Apple is reportedly developing.

Still remaining, however, is the other great unknown — will Steve Jobs take the stage once again, or leave things to the Tim Cook/Phil Schiller/Greg Jozwiak team that filled in during his leave of absence earlier in the year?

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

Apple iPod/iTunes Event Scheduled for Sept. 9?

MediaMemo reports that multiple music industry sources have been informed that Apple’s annual Special Music Event, typically involving iPod and iTunes, will take place the second week of September — and since Apple usually holds these events on Tuesdays, that would make September 8 the day to watch.

Widely expected to be seen at the event is Apple’s third generation iPod touch, rumored to be getting a camera like it’s big iPhone brother, and perhaps the same “S stands for Speed” performance chipset. Chatter has also spread about the iPod nano getting a camera, as well as iTunes 9 speculation involving app organizing, Blu-Ray support, and social network integration. And let’s not forgot iPhone 3.1 we saw iPhone 2.1 last year, after all).

The two biggest mysteries will, of course, be whether or not Apple chooses to debut their near-deafeningly rumored iTablet at the event, or hold off for another event (annual MacBook event perhaps?) or next year, and whether or not a newly returned Steve Jobs takes once again to the keynote stage.

TiPb will, as always, provide ongoing coverage leading up to, during, and post event. (We can’t wait either!)

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

Apple Special Music/iPod/iTunes/(iTablet?) Event Taking Place Sept. 8?

So much iPhone news came today that it’s tough to keep track of it all. One thing we wanted to make sure didn’t get lost in the shuffle was the iPod Touch news that came out today. Specifically, the iPhone 3.0 software will come to the iPod Touch for a $10 upgrade fee and will include an “unlock” to give the iPod Touch the Bluetooth functionality that’s being added in iPhone 3.0.

Wait, what? Yes, the iPod Touch (at least the 2nd gen version) does indeed have a Bluetooth chip in it. We don’t know exactly where or how the thing is hidden away inside, but Apple came clean today and said they could ‘unlock’ it. Longtime readers may remember that back in September this very issue raised its head and the verdict was that, well, we didn’t think it was there. The deal is that modern devices like Smartphone and the iPod Touch often cram multiple radios and other functionality into a single chip. Back in September it looked as though the chip on the iPod Touch could support Bluetooth but that, well, it was more likely that it was there for Nike+’s “proprietary 802.11 protocol.” So rumor smashed — incorrectly.

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

iPod Touch (2nd Gen) DOES Have Bluetooth, Gets iPhone 3.0 for $10

Apple Store goes down, Apple Store comes up with just what we expected: a new revision of the iPod Shuffle. It’s got 4 gigs of storage, comes in silver and black, and an all new feature: VoiceOver.

The new Shuffle is half the size of the previous — a feat achieved by removing nearly all of the controls off the device itself and onto the headphone cable. Only the Off/Repeat/Shuffle switch stays on device. In other words — don’t plan on using your own headphones with the Shuffle. While that’s a bit of a downer, the upside is that the headphone controls are very thoughtfully laid-out and easy to hit without looking.

VoiceOver and how the controls work — after the break!

VoiceOver is pretty darn clever. It actually gets created on your PC or Mac and then synced over to the Shuffle with your music. The upshot is that Apple has managed to add the feature without having to ask too much of the little device. The voice you hear will therefore depend on what type of computer you sync to.

Back to controls: the are three buttons. Volume up and down is pretty obvious, then there’s the middle button. A single click starts and stops music, a double click advances tracks. Holding down the middle button activates VoiceOver, which reads title and artist. Holding it down even longer activates a beep and then the Shuffle reads through your playlists, you can click to select the one you want.

In all, it’s a pretty neat little iPod, available now (ships within a week), for $79. Unclear is whether or not the feature is going to be made available to other iPods or the iPhone. Given that the heavy lifting of creating VoiceOver happens on the computer instead of the iPod, it seems like a no-brainer. It might be a little more dicey with the iPhone and iPod Touch, though, since you’re able to download music directly.

Any iPhone owners out there thinking of supplementing their Apple music phone with an Apple music gadget?

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

Apple Updates Shuffle: 4GB, VoiceOver

So Macworld 2009 has come and gone. Sad, yes we all know. Although, that does not mean all of the special deals that were going on at the show are gone! One of discounts still floating around comes to us from RichardSolo.

Are you someone who has issues with your iPhone not having enough battery life to last you a full day? Well here is a option that you may be interested in. Enter the RichardSolo 1800, battery back up. From now until January 30th, enter coupon code ‘Macworld’ at checkout and you will get $20 off your very own RichardSolo 1800 which retails for a cool $69.99.

Now we’re introducing our newest backup battery, using Apple’s proprietary connector: the rechargeable RichardSolo 1800 Battery — just snap it on and it begins to charge instantly. It is certified both “Works with iPhone” and “Made for iPod”, and for both the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G.

For full details of this handy device be sure to keep an eye out for Rene’s review coming soon!

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

RichardSolo Macworld Discount Still Valid

For those of you waiting for Apple’s new headphones, the patience you have displayed for the past 3 months has paid off. The day is finally here and you can now place your order.

Hear every detail of your music every time you tune in with the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic. They offer pro audio performance and impressive sound isolation, and convenient buttons let you adjust the volume and control music and video playback.

The Apple store is claiming the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic will begin shipping within 7-10 business days and will run you $79. The earphones with remote and mic carry a 3-4 week wait and have a price tag of $29. And with that 3-4 week wait, don’t expect these before the holidays.

Place your order today!

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

Apple’s New In-Ear Headphones Now Available to Order