The iPod Touch: An iPhone Minus the Phone.

The iPod Touch: An iPhone minus the phone, and plus some welcome extras

Tests of Apple’s new iPod Touch confirm that it is indeed essentially an iPhone without the phone. You get the same generous, 3-in.-wide multi-touch screen, the same superb interface that seamlessly links a multifaceted media player with a powerful Web browser, and the same Internet access via Wi-Fi.

Shedding the phone allows the Touch to be few millimeters shorter and thinner than the iPhone and about a half-ounce lighter--just 4.2 ounces. Of course, it also deprives of you of being able to make calls, easily send-e-mails, or surf the Web on the cell network. But phone performance on the iPhone is only so-so anyway, and the phone is married to AT&T, whose middling performance we document in our most recent survey on cellular service providers.

The Touch costs $300 for our 8-gigabyte (GB) test model, which holds about 2,000 songs, or $400 for the 16 GB version--the largest capacity of any flash player on the market.

Source: ConsumerReports.org

iPhone Release in Canada

Canada is getting ready for the release of the iPhone just in time for the Christmas season. Even with the hefty price tag, I am sure Santa will be getting a lot of requests for this awesome piece of technology.

T-Mobile Now Selling Unlocked iPhone in Germany

T-Mobile is getting in on the iPhone Track. T-Mobile Germany is now releasing unlocked iPhones. It is even possible to get an unlocked iPhone without signing up with T-Mobile, and as announced on November 21, 2007, T-Mobile will be selling iPhones without a contract or SIM.
T-Mobile has been selling selling the iPhone in Germany for 399 euro and a lock in period of 2 years. This was done after months of testing and seeing that T-Mobile was the only wireless subscriber in Germany capable of handling the features on the iPhone.

T-Mobile’s policy was contested by Vodafone and they filed a case against T-Mobile because Vodafone believed that T-Mobile’s policy of marketing the iPhone on a contract was against German Law. As a result, T-Mobile was served a temporary injunction and was informed by the court that they had until November 21, 2007 to change their policies regarding the sale of the iPhone.

T-Mobile Germany has said that they will contest the injunction, but until the case is reviewed a couple of weeks from now, T-Mobile has no choice but to comply.

The Five Most Important Things about the iPhone!

1. The release

Released on June 29th in the U.S., the Apple iPhone will retail for $499 (4 GB) or $599 (8 GB) with a two-year AT&T contract. A steep price tag for many, but compared to other ground-breaking phones in recent years, it's not that bad.

2. The display

The iPhone's most important feature is a 3.5-inch, 320 x 480 pixels touch screen display, easily beating other multimedia smartphones currently on the market. Its recent surface upgrade from plastic to optical-quality glass, also makes it pretty much scratch-proof.

3. The user interface

The iPhone's second most important feature is its Mac OS X user interface, which obviously cannot be easily replicated by competitors. Apple will not open for third party developers though, which are left in the dark with Widgets only to develop. Combined with EDGE-only connectivity when being on the road, your Mac OS X themed travel application will load slowly, if it loads at all.

4. The iTunes support

If there's one thing every phone manufacturer has struggled with since the introduction of multimedia phones, it is multimedia management on the computer side. With iTunes support, the iPhone is easily filled up with top-notch multimedia content.

5. The YouTube support

Like SMS messaging was the mobile service for youth back in the 90's, photo and video sharing will easily become the mobile service for today's youth, as long as it's easily accessible. Smart move, Apple, but we're not convinced that EDGE connectivity (and Wi-Fi connectivity, for that matter) will provide smooth access.

These are the five most important things about the iPhone!

Source: Sindre Lia

Is China Ready for the Iphone?

Apple wants in on the world’s largest mobile market, China. At least that’s what China Mobile wants the world to know. With a 523 million subscriber base in mainland China alone, that’s a lot of iPhones.

If current talks gain any positive ground, that would bring Apple to a brand new market larger than the total population of Europe. But the question remains. Is China ready for the iPhone?

Chinese mobile subscribers are not used to having locked in contracts, much less long term contract obligations. The iPhone is network locked everywhere else. In the United States, AT&T has exclusive rights to the iPhone. Elsewhere in Europe, the iPhone is locked to France’s Orange, T-Mobile in Germany and O2 in the UK. For China, it’s either China Mobile or the slightly smaller China Unicom based in Taiwan.

Although Apple usually gets its way, dealing with the Chinese nation state may be an entirely different thing. Apple has already announced plans of making the iPhone available in Asia by 2008.

What makes the iPhone so enticing?

Cell phones have become a part of daily life, and many people feel lost without them. But there's a new cell phone on the market that has had people everywhere buzzing. What makes the iPhone so phenomenal and so enticing is that it's a mobile phone that has touchscreen keyboard, but it's also an iPod that has a powerful internet browser -- all in a very cool package. "This is going to be the gadget for any technology lover," says AuWerter. Many expect this product to change the cell phone business overnight.

The drawback: The iPhone will be sold to AT&T customers only. The company has exclusive access to this phone for five years. So if you're currently under contract with another cellular provider, that may mean an early termination fee, which can run as high as $200. Add in the fact that the iPhone will cost a minimum of $400-600. "The switch is not a cheap proposition," says AuWerter.

Given the hype surrounding the iPhone, you may want to wait to get one. As with any new technology, the conventional wisdom is that unless you're the type who has to be the first kid on the block to have a new toy, you're better off waiting for any potential kinks to be worked out. "If you can resist the temptation, wait about three months or so before you make the purchase," says AuWerter.

iPhone Questions and Answers. What can the iPhone Do?

Q. Will iPhone work with my PC and Microsoft Windows?
A. Yes. iPhone works with Windows XP Home or Professional (SP2), and Windows Vista.

Q. Can I use my iPhone internationally?
A. iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone and will work around the world. Before you travel, make sure that international dialing and roaming are enabled through AT&T and that the places you’re going offer GSM coverage.

Q. What email systems does iPhone support?
A. iPhone supports the most popular email standards — IMAP and POP3. Check with your email provider to make sure the provider uses these standards. iPhone works with most popular email services, including Yahoo! Mail, Google Gmail, AOL, and .Mac Mail. Yahoo! Mail supports “push” email and can automatically deliver new email messages to your iPhone.

Q.What kind of security features does iPhone offer?
A. You can protect access to information on your iPhone with a four-digit password, which is then required whenever iPhone is turned on or wakes from sleep. For secure Internet access, iPhone supports industry-standard Wi-Fi security and virtual private networking (VPN).

Q. How do I charge my new iPhone?
A. Like an iPod, your iPhone charges using the included USB 2.0 cable connected to your computer or to the included USB Power Adapter.

Q. When does iPhone sync my contacts and calendar?
A. iPhone syncs your contacts and calendar whenever you connect iPhone to your computer.


Q. Can I view regular websites on iPhone or just mobile websites?
A. With the Safari web browser on iPhone, you can surf websites just as you do on your personal computer. You’re not limited to mobile WAP sites.


Q. Can I surf the web on iPhone without a Wi-Fi connection?
A. Yes. When a Wi-Fi connection is not available, you can access the Internet using AT&T’s EDGE data network.


Q. How does iPhone send and receive email?
A. iPhone sends and receives email over Wi-Fi and EDGE wireless networks.


Q. Can I send and receive email from more than one account?
A. Yes. You can send and receive email from multiple email accounts on your iPhone.

Q. What types of email attachments can I view on iPhone?
A. iPhone displays most picture attachments (JPEG, GIF, and TIFF) in-line with the text in email messages. iPhone can also view PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel email attachments.

Q. Can I “unlock” iPhone and use it with another wireless carrier?
A. AT&T is the exclusive wireless carrier for iPhone in the United States. If you currently use another wireless carrier, you can choose to transfer your number when you activate your AT&T account.



All of the above iPhone questions and answers were provided by Apple.