iPhone 24×7

March 18th, 2008

AT&T Offering Refurb iPhones

AT&T is now offering 8GB Refurb iPhones though their website for $249.00. As with anything brought to you by AT&T there are restrictions. In this case, it’s 1 iPhone per a customer. It’s not like you’ll be using more then 1 at a time though, so shouldn’t be an issue unless you are reselling.

One other interesing point to note, when you buy the iPhone from AT&T you aren’t agreeing to a contact. All you are doing is buying a phone. It isn’t until you activate the iPhone in iTunes to you agree to a new 2-year contract.

If you don’t mind going refurb here is a great way  to save $150 dollars on an iPhone. Also, commenters in the MacRumors forums have said if you call AT&T you can get the 4GB refurb iPhone for $199 (not available online).

If you’ve been wanting an iPhone and price is the issue, AT&T may have the solution for you. (Can’t believe I just typed that)

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March 9th, 2008

3G iPhone in 2nd Quarter

The latest news in the 3G iPhone pipeline comes from Richard Gardner after meeting with several Taiwanese electronic companies.

Gardner is claiming a 3G iPhone could be arriving April to June 2008, 2nd Quarter of this year.

We have been hearing announcements since last year of the announcement of a 3G iPhone, and news from the pipeline shows that it is drawing nearer and nearer. My question remains in what else will be updated besides a 3G chipset.

This news also comes along side AT&T announcing an expansion in their 3G network to 350 cities in the U.S. by the year’s end.

Things certainly seem to be aligning for a 3G iPhone announcement.

See More:
Tech Trader Daily

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March 9th, 2008

iPhone Update 1.1.4

Apple released iPhone update 1.1.4 over the past month. This update wasn’t like past updates though. It didn’t include any new features, just “bug fixes.”

One important thing to point out is Flash is still missing from the iPhone. This is one of my biggest annoyances with the iPhone. It’s a complete Internet browsing experience…except for Flash. This isn’t only my compliant, but one of many in the iPhone community.

As far as third party reports, iToner 1.0.6 is said to still work, and ZiPhone as well as many other jailbreaking applications will work as well.

Expect developments in the short term as a beta of the SDK was recently released.

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March 9th, 2008

iPhone Comes to Ireland

Apple’s COO Tim Cook recently announced O2 would be carrying the iPhone in Ireland starting March 14.

The 8GB model will cost 399 Euro, and the 16GB model costing 499 Euro.  The rates are a bit more interesting. For 45 Euro per a month you get 175 minutes and 100 texts. For 65 Euro per a month it bumps to 350 minutes and 150 texts. Finally for 100 Euro per a month you max out at 700 minutes and 250 texts. Your probably asking “Where’s the data limits?” Unlike other countries O2 is only giving 1GB of data for each of the above plans. Which is on O2’s part disappointing. In the end this could actually hurt customers who use a large amount of data. Which isn’t to add in the fact the iPhone uses a large amount of data standard. Think about how often it checks your email, one of the many mobile Internet functions of the iPhone. In addition,Visual Voicemail isn’t supported.

This wasn’t the only think Cook said. He brought up Apple’s pursuit to expand the iPhone into new geological areas.

Many Canadians have been long hoping this would be them. However, I believe a Canadian iPhone launch might be a bit further off due to Rogers, the primary Canadian wireless carrier, dislike to offering an unlimited data plan.

See More:
Ireland iPhone Information

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March 9th, 2008

iPhone Leads…Again

ChangeWave research is reporting Apple’s iPhone has a 59% satisfaction rating within the Corporate community. This has them leading over RIM’s 47% with the iPhone only having 5% of the Corporate market.

This is a monumental testament again to the iPhone’s ease-of-use. I stress it a lot, but it’s true. People love the iPhone because it is designed with the customer in mind. The iPhone will only be moving more toward this in the future, especially for the Corporate community with the release of the iPhone 2.0 update in June. We’ll be talking about that shortly in another post.

I want to hear from you. What do you think of the iPhone’s ease-of-use, or does it even exist at all?

See More:
ChangeWave Article

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March 9th, 2008

Safari Pad

Would you ever have guessed the iPhone began as a R&D device called Safari Pad? John Markoff from the New York Times is reporting just that.

Apple’s multitouch technology began life not as a cellphone, but as a notepad-sized skunkworks project internally dubbed Safari Pad, run by Tim Bucher, then Apple’s head of Macintosh hardware. To his credit, Mr. Jobs seized on the technology and morphed it into the iPhone.

This really sets out two major points to me.

First, Steve Jobs saw a product that would have been good and successful. Although, Steve Jobs had the insight to take the product farther. He saw potential and acted upon it. This is what he is such an asset to Apple, and Apple is such an innovative company. He took it and made it the great and very successful product it is today. I should also really point out the entire staff at Apple. Without them, Steve wouldn’t be anywhere close to the status we have elevated him to. Not to say that he isn’t a legend.

My second point is the iPhone/iPod Touch is a platform. This means in the future we can build on the technology. I have mentioned (as well as many other sources) of the possibility of a MacTouch. A bigger, more powerful version of the iPhone. Technologies such as these are catalysts for mobile computing.

I expect to see much more in this area from Apple very soon.

See More:
New York Times Article

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March 4th, 2008

Tethering on the iPhone

In the middle of last month a story leaked of the possibility of AT&T offering tethering, using a mobile devices Internet connection as an Internet connection for a computer, to iPhone customers.

The following script was leaked and allegedly meant to be read to iPhone customers.

“Mr/Mrs. Customer, I want to make you aware of an issue you will notice when tethering your new iPhone. The tethering process requires you to accept a new two-year agreement; however, I want to ensure you that AT&T is aware of this and that your agreement will not be extended. AT&T will reset your agreement date back to the date of your original iPhone activation or upgrade. This will be done within 48 hours of you completing the tethering process on your new iPhone; there is absolutely no action required by you to correct this. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

As of now, the use of the word tethering is in question.

However, the leaked script isn’t the real story. It’s the premiss to one of the long wanted features of many iPhone and even mobile device users.

Have you ever visited a relative in a rural town without Internet or even a nearby WiFi signal? Tethering has real promise to you, because, if allowed, as long as you picked up a decent EDGE (or EVDO for the CDMA folk) signal you could use the Internet off of your phone/mobile device for your computer’s Internet. That’s one of the many reasons why tethering is such a convient idea.

I have always been for AT&T and other carriers allowing tethering on their networks. You pay for the Internet, so why shouldn’t you be able to use it how you please. The carriers simply don’t agree, and will often forbid you from tethering within your contract. So, as you can see this change at this point isn’t too likely.

Although, if there is one feature that will really increase the image the iPhone in many people’s eyes, it’s tethering. No matter if your in business or just a normal end user, tethering could redefine our mobility in an already mobile world. Imagine having Internet on your computer anywhere with a cell phone signal.

What do you think about teathering, and do you believe carriers would ever allow it normally?

See More:
Electronista Article

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February 26th, 2008

Network Choices

Hi Matt,
For the first time since the iPhone came out I’m seriously considering getting one. However I have a few questions about networks, as I can’t and won’t pay for a crappy plan with AT&T. Given you write an iPhone blog, I thought you could answer them.

First off, can an iPhone work on Alltel? My family has a family plan with them, so if I could jailbreak the iPhone and add it to Alltel, that’d be the best.

Second, if it can’t work with Alltel, what other network (that it could work on) would offer the cheapest plan?

Thanks for answering these. I just have a feeling that the Apple store employees wouldn’t be to thrilled if I asked.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to buy one fairly soon I just need to find out about the networks

Thanks again,
Zach Kollegger

Hey Zach, I hope I can be of assistance to you .

To answer your first question, no the iPhone will not work on Alltel. The iPhone is a GSM, a standard on which phones communicate, phone. Alltel, however, uses CDMA technology. I am not going to go into the differences because that’s an entirely different story, but GSM phones don’t work on a CDMA network and vice-versa.

To answer your second question we need to look at national GSM carriers. Excluding MVNOs and the smaller national companies, you really have two choices: AT&T and T-Mobile.

For a base price of $59.99 a month, you can get 450 minutes, unlimited data, 200 SMSs, 5,000 night and weekend minutes, Rollover, and unlimited mobile-to-mobile from AT&T.

Since T-Mobile doesn’t carry the iPhone, you must customize a plan to match as close as possible. Starting at $29.99, you can get a base plan of 300 anytime minutes that doesn’t include myFaves, has no weeknights minutes, but it does have unlimited weekend minutes. However this plan doesn’t have SMS, so if we add that in at $4.99 for 400 SMSs were at $34.98. What about unlimited Internet? T-Mobile has a flat fee of $5.99 for unlimited Internet which brings us to $40.97. Then to match AT&T’s unlimited mobile-to-mobile we have to add in an additional $6.99 fee, which brings us to $47.96 a month.

Your going to find that for the additional $10.00 though AT&T you get 150 more minutes and Rollover. On top of the fact that your phone will be 100% compatible for all features, such as Visual Voicemail.

So, this is a personal choice. Which one would you rather pay for?

Zach, I wish you the best and hope you can get an iPhone. It’s an amazing device.

See More:
CDMA on Wikipedia
GSM on Wikipedia

Notice: The information above is provided for informational purposes only. Matt Pippen or iPhone 24×7 doesn’t endorse using the iPhone on any other carrier then those which legally carry it.

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February 11th, 2008

What Steve Jobs Might Say to Microsoft’s Bid on Yahoo

What might Steve Jobs think about Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo? Here’s a hint.

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer, has had his own experience of seeing Microsoft enter a market and overwhelm the original innovator (the Apple Macintosh) with a similar, competing product (Windows). Jobs regards the Web as “the defining social moment for computing.” He foresees all current mail-order commerce (15 percent of the retail economy), and more, shifting to the Web. He approves of the provocative fact that on the Web, the smallest company can look like the largest, and regards the Web as having “breathed a whole new generation of life into personal computing.” Steve Jobs is also both a perennial critic and partner of Microsoft and its monolithic tendencies: “The Web is incredibly exciting, because it is the fulfillment of a lot of our dreams, that the computer would ultimately not be primarily a device for computation, but metamorphosis into a device for communication. And with the Web that’s finally happening. And secondly, it’s exciting because Microsoft doesn’t own it, and therefore there is a tremendous amount of innovation happening.”

That quote is from Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet by Stephen Segaller.

Google has already come out and made a the statement on their blog as to why Microsoft acquiring Yahoo would be a very bad thing. To sum it up, if you think of massive sum of IMing and Email accounts Microsoft owns though MSN, and you were to add those to the substantial amount Microsoft would be gaining from Yahoo you will find Microsoft left with a large chunk of the Internet’s communications.

We’ve all seen what happened when Microsoft gained too much control over browsers or operating systems. I don’t think that needs too much more explanation.

Now to the quote, why does Steve Jobs think the Internet is exciting? “Because Microsoft doesn’t own it.” To take words out of Steve’s mouth, if Microsoft were to acquire Yahoo it could make a fundamental basis of the Internet crumble to pieces. Again, the reason the Internet is moving forward and innovating is because Microsoft (or any other single company such as Microsoft) doesn’t own it.

In my opinion, if Microsoft does acquire Yahoo it could very well mean some of today’s developing Internet companies and technologies could be trumped by Microsoft’s need to “make sure things are just right.” Even for the mobile device user, technologies that are moving us forward could be inhibited if Microsoft chose to make that level of influence.

My every hope is a company with the fundamentals of Google or Apple will acquire Yahoo and make good use of its resources. We all know Yahoo is on the decline and will be acquired by some company, but does it have to be Microsoft?

See More:
Reuters Story

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February 8th, 2008

iPhone: Now in 16GB!

This Tuesday Apple made a surprise move to upgrade the amount of storage in their iPhone and iPod Touch. You can now buy a 16GB version of the iPhone for $499; the 8GB will still be $399. In addition, the 32GB version of the iPod Touch is $499; the 16GB iPod Touch is still $399, and 8GB version remains at $299.

These updates are available immediately on the online Apple Store.

Many view the updates for one of two reasons. Some people think the reason for the increase is so the iPhone will be capable of holding more applications when the SDK comes out later this month. The other group think this is just part of Apple’s scheme to take their customers money at any point, though anyway they can.

I think the upgrades could have come at Macworld. It would have prevented a lot of customers that wanted to buy an iPhone and were waiting for a potential update from buying an “old” product. There’s nothing that could have kept Apple from releasing these updates at that time. Now customers who bought it on January 15th can’t even return it in the Apple “grace period”.

See More:
Apple Press Release

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