iPhone 3G Generation: Some More Rumor

Posted on May 14, 2008
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Now the fuss about the new iPhone is hot as never before. With the release so close some companies try to guess the dimensions and specs of the device to be the first with accessories and thus get a competitive edge. Some of the rumors are credible while others are really hard to believe (like for instance the one where the 3G iPhone is considered to be a mini-version of the previous device).

But, nevertheless, there are some speculations that I personally think is worth paying attention to. I’ve collected the rumor I would more or less trust myself and now want to give it out to you.

1. Glossy Black Plastic iPhone

To my mind this speculation is the most credible of all. In this case plastic doesn’t stand for cheap, but rather for functional.

Let me explain why. Plastic back might be the indicator of a number of options and features:

The ability to swap SIM cards
SD slot. The device is expected to have GPS and SDK enabled applications. If a user has dozens of applications and associated data, the inbuilt 4 Gb will hardly be enough for him. So an SD slot seems a good solution.
The ability to swap the battery. With 3G, GPS and all other apps the battery life simply cannot be real long, so the possibility to swap it seems very convenient
GPS doesn’t give out high-quality performance through metal

So you see that the back aluminum shell might disappear forever, replaced by a slightly larger plastic one. But the silver bezel is likely to remain on the front. The front of the new model is likely to remain the same. The bottom speakers and mic might become bigger.

The screen of the model stays the same – 3.5”. They say that Apple is introducing a number of changes in the ear speaker. The camera is likely to remain the same and stay where it used to be.

As for the colors of the new device here it is possible that the new one will be added. Besides the glossy black and white iPhones we might get a red one. But all the color changes will be on the back, while the front will be the same – the same silver bezel with black material around the screen.

All the provided data has been collected by me over the Internet and I wouldn’t say that is 100% correct. After all, only Apple (plus a number of its key partners) knows what the new device will look like. So, it is a matter of a few weeks before we know if those third-party developers will come with the right accessories or we will have to wait for them much longer.

iPhone SDK: Downloading Games from Third-Party Developers

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iPhone SDK: Downloading Games from Third-Party Developers

Posted on May 14, 2008
Filed Under iPhone Software, iPhone Web Apps | Leave a Comment

If you ask me what is the major difference (and thus the major advantage) between the iPod and the iPhone I will definitely answer that it is the touchscreen. Well, yes, you can use the whole device as you control and that gives you great opportunities to play games on the device.

Windows and Palm Os enabled devices have had all the big game hits converted for them. Nowadays, the owners of the iPhone can get almost any game they have seen on their friend’s PDAs for the iPhone. All-time classic games like Zuma (a game where colored balls are shot using a stone frog) are available for iPhone aw well.

But there is at least one disputable issue. Which is better: to download full versions of games on the iPhone or play them online using the inbuilt browser?

The default iPhone browser is Safari. Using the browser you can not only surf the Internet on your iPhone or iTouch, but you have access to global game servers (it means that you can play java games). Out there one can find a great number of high-quality captivating java games, so all you need to do is find the right web-page. But this works only in case you have WLAN access, if you don’t – no games at all.

So, you should consider installing games on the iPhone instead of playing them online. Unless you spend a great deal of time online, you don’t play many games. There is another advantage of this method: if there is no WLAN access point nearby, you can launch the pre-installed game and enjoy it until the battery is flat.

Download Game Service for iPhone

It is obvious that to download games you can use the top download services (which besides games offer a great number of other downloads like video, music, ringtones, themes, wallpapers etc). But if you would like to concentrate on games, there are specialized sites that will offer a wide selection of games to you. As long as games for the iPhone are developed mostly by third-party companies you can check their sites for game updates. So, now you have at least 2 places to search through (download services and developer web-pages), but I want to introduce to you one more – forums. Looks through the threads about games and you might find some links and demo versions there.

Forums is a great place to look for games. Here you might find the games which you won’t be able to find anywhere else – for instance, emulator programs, developed by forums members etc. iPhone’s touchscreen might need some time to get used to, but there are always control buttons built into the screen interface. Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is that these games are usually made by iPhone enthusiasts and, as a rule, they turn out to be the most fascinating ones.

Now you have a number of guidelines on how to choose and where to find games online – have a pleasant time playing them!

iPhone Downloads: How to Convert DVD Movies to iPhone on Mac OS

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Apple Shows Innovative Leopard & iPhone SDK Development Platforms

Posted on May 14, 2008
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Apple today announced that the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will begin on Monday June 9, 2008 in San Francisco to showcase two innovative development platforms for the world’s advanced mobile systems OS X Leopard and OS X iPhone.

WWDC 2008 will give nearly 150 information sessions and labs to cover in-depth the innovative techs of OS X iPhone and OS X Leopard. The conference will introduce the first iPhone track with exploration of the OS X iPhone 2.0 software capabilities, including the the App Store and iPhone SDK.

The iPhone track lets mobile developers work with Apple engineers and create revolutionary iPhone’s Multi-Touch user interface applications, as well as animation technology, iPhone SDK, rich set of programming interfaces for Core Services, Core OS, geographical location technology and built-in three axis accelerometer in order to deliver amazing innovative mobile applications.

The conference will include:

presentation sessions to provide an analytical look at OS X iPhone, OS X Leopard and other new tools and technologies, for instance the Cocoa Touch, iPhone SDK, Interface Builder, Xcode and many others
Practical sessions to show Apple’s own coding strategies and techniques
Tech labs for one-on-one work with major Apple engineers
Special events, like the Apple Design Awards, Welcome Reception, Stump the Experts and Lunchtime Speakers.

Let’s recall that Apple made the PC in the 70s with the Apple II and reinvented Macintosh PC in the 80s. Today’s OS X operating system and iLife show the results of hard work and creative attitude. Apple’s iPod portable music, iTunes online store, various media players, and now its revolutionary iPhone have colorized our life.

You can visit Apple’s WWDC website for complete session details and registration here

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Latest 3G Rumors Due To iPhone Shortages

Posted on May 13, 2008
Filed Under iPhone General | 1 Comment

It is evident that Apple’s iPhone retails have been cut down, arousing speculation over a new version of the mobile device with the support for faster 3G wireless technology.

Last week O2, the iPhone’s service provider in the U.K., announced that they sold out all iPhones. U.S. customers recognized similar shortages. This Monday Natalie Kerris, Apple spokeswoman, confirmed that they are currently out of stock.

Most U.S. stores have run out of iPhones, however some AT&T stores have both 8GB and 16GB iPhones available.The U.K iPhones are out of stock everywhere. During an April conference call for Apple’s second-quarter income the fact that the company’s U.S. stores experienced an inventory shortfall during the previous month was acknowledged. The reason was higher than forecasted post-holiday shopping rates.

The main assumption of the iPhone shortage on the Internet is that Apple prepares the release of a new version of the phone in the next few weeks. Not once did AT&T give hints that a 3G iPhone is coming soon, “I mean months” claimed during April’s CTIA Conference.

Interestingly, this Monday Apple declined to comment about its plans to integrate further into Europe and Asia. Also in recent weeks India, Australia, and Italy have announced deals with Apple. Many countries Apple is entering into have more widespread 3G coverage than in the most U.S. cities.

The Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is held in June annually, where opening keynote is delivered and the iPhone will be a major focus. But what is the point to make such a long gap between the disappearance of the current iPhone and potential arrival of a new iPhone!

Market research experts presume either a deliberate sell-off before another device is introduced or component shortages.

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iPhone Downloads: How to Convert DVD Movies to iPhone on Mac OS

Posted on May 12, 2008
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In the previous entry I’ve described the process of ripping DVD movies into the formats readable by iPhone. This entry will deal with the same procedure, but this time for Mac OS computers.

Let me remind file formats supported by the iPhone:

1. H.264 video (max 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second), Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio max 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats;

2. H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats;

3. MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

So, here you are, converting DVD movie to iPhone on Mac OS:

As was mentioned in the previous entry, the software I was using is DVD to iPhone Converter. It provides you with the possibilities to get the video you like such as minimal size video, high quality video. With the great number of settings you can customize almost everything.

At the same time you can rip parts of videos (setting “start time” and “end time”).

1. Get DVD and Video to iPhone Converter Suite for Mac (you can get it here)