Chad's News

At the WWDC last week, Apple made made several announcements about the iPhone. For current users there’s the upgrade to iPhone OS 3.0, which has many new features, including the following:

• Cut, copy, and paste
• Landscape keyboard
• Multimedia messaging service (MMS) (although you can’t use it yet because AT&T, the US carrier, doesn’t support it)
• Tethering (once again, not yet supported by AT&T)
• Voice recording

The OS will be available on June 17^th.

Then there’s the new iPhone 3G S, which is similar to the iPhone 3G but has twice the speed, four times the disk space, and almost double the battery life. Engadget has a side-by-side comparison, and Consumer reports has a good overview. The 3G S will be priced at $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB) for new and end-of-contract customers in the United States, and will go on sale June 19^th.

The real controversy over the iPhone 3G S, however, is what’s happening to existing iPhone owners. If you’re already in the middle of less than a year into an AT&T iPhone contract, the prices go up by $200 (there is a cheaper way to do this). Additionally, the current iPhone 3G is being reduced in price to $99. So if you recently purchased one at the higher price, too bad for you. (There was an available credit, but it expired on June 14^th.)

If you purchased a new 3G on or after May 9^th, you can trade it in for a 3G S for a small restocking fee. According to the Consumerist, “AT&T has extended its one-month price protections for recent 3G purchasers to May 9 so iPhone 3G users who bought their phones that day or later can still turn it in and get the new iPhone 3G S for the same price on June 19. To qualify for this extended return policy, customers will need to visit an AT&T retail store and pre-order iPhone 3G S between June 8 and by June 18.”

Thanks to Josh for suggesting this topic.

Update: AT&T has changed its upgrade pricing for current subscribers who are 11 months or more into their contract. And it turns out that I was wrong in the article above—it was previously possible to get the less expensive 3G S prices if you were a year or more into your current contract.

The Palm Pre is now available at stores. It has the potential to be a serious competitor to the iPhone. One significant difference is that the Pre has a physical keyboard. Price-wise it matches the iPhone, but I’m thinking the service plans may be the place to save money.

Thanks to Donna for this link.

Link: http://online.wsj.com/…

Update: Here’s an additional link detailing some of the downsides of the Palm Pre.

Myst is my all-time favorite computer game. It’s now available as an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch—with enhanced graphics to boot!

Link: http://osxreality.com/…
(via digg)

…because it seemed like a good idea. This is what happens when you let engineers define requirements. On a side note, this limit is the reason why Twitter messages max out at 140 characters.

Link: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/…
(via digg)

If you intend to travel outside of the United States, be very careful about using the Internet via a wireless carrier or cell phone. Planning ahead can save thousands of dollars. The linked article is not the first time I’ve read of something like this happening. Also, don’t believe the customer service representative when he/she claims your existing plan will be sufficient.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

The phone numbers 555-0100 through 555-0199 are reserved for fictional use in movies and such. But 555-2368 is still popular, even though it’s outside the allowed range. The linked article explains why.

Link: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/…

The creator of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, predicts mobile devices are the future of the web, especially in developing countries. Here at the Chad’s News network command center, we’re way ahead of the curve on this. Browse Chad’s News with a phone, and you’ll automatically be transferred to our mobile site.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/…

Cell phone companies are testing a new system whereby the user connects to the phone network via his/her internet connection. It costs less and gives better reception in the home. This seems like it could backfire, however, because the cost is really being transferred to the company providing the internet service.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

Apple’s iPhone App Store recently served up its 500 millionth download, nearly double the amount from just one month previously. Looks like Apple has another winner on its hands.

On a related note, here’s an article on how the iPhone’s touch screen works. Turns out it isn’t like the others.

Thanks to Josh for this topic.

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/…

Chad’s News has previously discussed the iPhone’s inability to display web pages that use Adobe Flash. Even though Apple’s products are overpriced, I usually recommend them because of superior user interfaces and stability—but this is one decision with which I disagree. Especially since one-third of all web pages use Flash. And Apple’s competitors are taking up the slack. According to the first linked article, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Google’s Android will both support Flash. The second linked article is an opinion piece on why Apple will never allow Flash on the iPhone. Of note is this: “Allowing Flash … would just be too dangerous for Apple, a company that enjoys exerting total dominance over its hardware and the software that runs on it.”

Link #1: http://www.mobilecrunch.com/…
(via Lifehacker)

Link #2: http://blog.wired.com/…
(via digg)

Back when I was in college and first learned about blue boxes, the phone company was in the process of changing out their switching systems—and the new equipment wasn’t vulnerable to the 2600 Hz tone. But I managed to get my share of free calls via other means, especially in the chaotic years immediately following the breakup of AT&T. The linked article is about the man who started it all, John Draper (also known as Captain Crunch).

Link: http://www.mentalfloss.com/…

The linked article is about a phone booth in the Mojave desert that became famous for its remoteness. People around the world would call, just to see if anyone would answer, and others would hang out by the phone, waiting to answer incoming calls.

Link: http://www.neatorama.com/…