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.
Unlimited calling plans seem to be all the rage these days, with every carrier provision subscribers with “all you can speak” plans. Now even iPhone users will soon be able to gab all they want, and not pay dearly for it in the next billing cycle. According to Engadget, AT&T will be soon offer a special iPhone bundled unlimited calling plan for the low price of just $119.99 a month. Not a bad deal I suppose, if you spend ever waking hour of your day with a cell phone symbiotically attached to your face.
China’s largest wireless carrier wants to bring iPhone to its customers. According to sources within China Mobile, the company is deeply interested in negotiating a deal with Apple, though no formal talks have yet taken place. I guess the Chinese have given up on trying to clone the iPhone after recent failed attempts.
China represents one of the worlds largest and fastest growing wireless markets. One that could prove very lucrative for Apple, and fill its coffers with lots of Yuan.
Put down your pint of Guinness and drop your Blarney stone. Apple struck a deal with O2 Ireland to bring iPhone to the land of shamrocks and bar fights. That confirmation comes straight from the horses mouth, depending on which end is speaking, in the form of an official announcement on O2’s website which lists iPhone’s availability on March 14. So there you have it.
Now how about making a nice pot of corned beef and cabbage for wee little Kent?
Yes, it seems The Boy Genius Report jumped the shark by misinterpreting some cryptically worded internal memo from AT&T as proof positive the company would soon be rolling out a tethering feature (and plan) for iPhone. Sadly, or not, it is not to be. Nope turns out that memo described nothing more the process of tethering iPhone to iTunes. Ironically that document was intended to clear up customer confusion and had precisely opposite effect. AT&T - Raising the bar.
Alright, you Aussies. Drop your didgeridoos and Kangaroos and get down from your gum trees, because iPhone is coming to your bush. What’s that you ask? Is Kent a few Kangaroos loose in the top paddock? Nope, and I haven’t been smoking any strange Aboriginal tobacco either.
T-Mobile says it will begin rolling out iPhones to customers sometime in the first half of this year, give or take. Abso-bloody-lutely they will, so start saving your zacks now. Now stop questioning my sanity unless you want to start a barney. Got it? Ta!
iPhone may soon come to the land of the rising sun. Word on the street is that NTT DoCoMo head honcho, Masao Nakamura, has been seen in public holding hands with a certain American wearing faded denim jeans and black mock turtleneck sweater. He confirms today that his company is actively engaged in talks with Apple, but shrugged off questions concerning terms or product release dates.
I’ll lay you odds that Apple won’t swindle the same lucrative revenue sharing margins out of NTT that they’ve managed to extract from other wireless carriers, like our very own AT&T. And unless this agreement concerns the upcoming 3G model, iPhone has zero chance of success in Japan, which is a much more tech savvy market that doesn’t look kindly on non-HSDPA phones.
Germans. You think you’re all so smart with your pickled cabbage, exotic sausages, fine Pilsners and now UNLOCKED iPhones? For just a few hundred Euros, you can waltz over to a computer, dock your iPhone, pay an unlocked premium fee through iTunes, and enjoy the privilege of using your iPhone on any wireless carrier you choose.
Well that’s all well and good, but just remember we Americans still poses the worlds most egomaniacal corporate CEO, Steve Jobs. Top that!
Bonjour! My name is Jacques. On behalf of the people of France I would just like to say Merci to you Americans for exporting the Suprême iPhone. We French are quite accustomed to pinching and making gestures with our fingers, so the iPhone will be as second nature to us, oui? However, our country already has too many elitist assholes, so you may keep Steve Jobs. Just give us the iPhone and we can forget the unpaid loans you still owe us from the American Revolution. Did you swine think we had forgotten that our King Louis financed your war of independence, and allowed your con man, Benjamin Franklin, to rob our national treasury! Give us iPhone, and we give your freedom… and I don’t mean fries, mon ami.
Someone has devised a clever yet altogether impractical way of getting 3G speeds on iPhone by pairing it with a Windows Mobile Smartphone equipped with HSDPA. Now, rather than go into details I’ll simply refer you to the the website to see and judge for yourself. And I won’t be putting this process to the test because my sole Windows Mobile device, a newly purchased AT&T Tilt, is being returned due to the fact it is an utter piece of bovine anal excrement.
For those who crave adventure and just love cramming radioactive gadgets in your pants, go for it. I won’t stop you.
Reuters reports that German mobile operator Deutsche Telekom has signed an exclusive agreement with Apple, bringing iPhone to the land of bier and lederhosen. The terms of the deal remain undisclosed, but according to one source an announcement from both sides will come as early as next week.
Neither company is offering comments at this time, but when asked by reporters whether a partnership had been reached, a press agent for T-Mobile clicked his heals together, raised one arm in solute, and shouted “Jawohl!”.
So there you have it. Willkommen zur Partei, Deutschland!
Syd from Alien Camel sends word that his company is offering free full IMAP email service to a select group of hardcore users that spend all day in their inbox, to test out their new service and provide feedback.
You must meet a specified list of requirements in order to join.
You must be willing to participate in providing us with feedback about our service. The feedback maybe requested via email, Instant Messaging, telephone call or by completing a web form.
You will need to be a registered and activated iPhone user. We will require your mobile phone number if you are selected as we will be sending out your confirmation code via SMS. If you don’t want to provide us with your mobie phone number please do not apply.
We will remind you to cancel your “free account” before the year is up or signup for a standard plan.
Your account must be active and used at least once a month, if not, we may close the account.
Nokia held a gala press event earlier today, proudly showcasing its newest line of consumer handsets and high-end smartphones, all very common and sporting the usual design flair we’ve come to love, and lament. But the true highlight of the show came during a special promotional video demonstrating upcoming technology Nokia has cooking in its labs. wink wink
An amazed audience looked on in stunned disbelief as the video revealed a slim device with full sized touchscreen - demonstrating nearly every feature of iPhone. Right down to gesture navigation and motion acumen identical to iPhone’s patented MultiTouch interface and accelerometer-driven screen reorientation.
Apparently the phone maker from Finland has run out of ideas and now looks to its competitors for inspiration. Great work, guys! What will you rip-off think of next?
Some hosers in Montreal successfully managed to get iPhones working on Canada’s Rogers wireless network, with a little help of the rather costly TurboSIM card method. Apparently these chaps are unaware of the 18 million and counting software unlock solutions that cost nothing, or they could have saved themselves the price of 200 maple leaves, eh?
Come on, Canada. The Israelis are making you look like chumps!
Financial Times reports that Apple has managed to secure exclusive contracts with several major European mobile operators in efforts to bring iPhone to France, Germany, and the UK, later this fall.
An official announcement outlining the details of the partnership will be made public at the end of this month, during the IFA trade fair in Berlin. Speculation is running high that T-Mobile, O2, and Orange will be Apple’s dance partners, though all three declined to comment (wink wink).
I’m just as happy to see iPhone move beyond US shores as much as any citizen of the world, but the part that drives a MacBook through my heart is the Euro model will include 3G support. weeping
The iPhone Blog merged with the Phone different site in May of 2008. Both sites were founded on a premise that comes one from one of Apple's old slogans: Think different. The iPhone Blog: for people who dare to phone different.
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