iPhone

Microsoft's phone news at CES

As one of my colleagues put it the other day, Microsoft killed the rumors that it's building a Zune phone, but it didn't drive a silver stake through their heart and bury them at a crossroads at midnight. In other words, until Microsoft makes some kind of phone-related announcement, misinformed analysts and news outlets will continue to speculate that there's going to be a Microsoft-built Zune phone, and Microsoft spokespeople will continue going on the record with vehement denials.

This is getting silly. I've been saying since February that the most likely course of action for … Read more

iPhone 3G now with in-home activation

When the iPhone 3G went on sale exactly five months ago, AT&T and Apple ended the in-home activation process that customers enjoyed with the original version. Though AT&T and Apple may have thwarted some iPhone unlockers, rule-abiding customers weren't happy about being forced to visit an Apple or AT&T store to buy the phone.

On Thursday, however, AT&T had a change of heart. You now can buy the iPhone 3G on AT&T's site (Apple will still make you come into the store) and have it delivered right to … Read more

Pastebud to bring cut and paste to iPhone

A new Web service called Pastebud will soon let iPhone users copy and paste text from Safari into e-mail messages and between Web pages.

Since the iPhone was launched 18 months ago, many users have complained about its lack of cut and paste capabilities. Users were once again disappointed when the iPhone 3G debuted in July with that same omission.

Third parties have tried to create applications to add cutting and pasting to the iPhone, but most have failed. One such application called OpenClip, seemed promising earlier this year. But Apple's iPhone 2.1 software, released in late summer, … Read more

iPhone app Truphone enables calls via carriers

Correction: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized the state of the U.S. iPhone 3G's SIM card. It can be removed, but AT&T does not provide an unlock code so that another carrier's SIM card will work on the phone.

Truphone, which has an App Store application that enables iPhone and iPod Touch users to make cheap international phone calls via a Wi-Fi connection, now can be used by iPhone users to make cheap calls from anywhere.

Previously, Truphone, which launched as a free application in Apple's App Store in July, worked only when … Read more

New bundles would make Sonos unstoppable

I've been a fan of the Sonos Multi-Room Music System ever since I saw it in action at a neighbor's house a couple summers ago. There's no other solution that gives you such easy access to so much music in so many places in your house, whether that music is stored on your computer or delivered via partnerships with Internet music providers like Last.fm (owned by CBS, which also owns CNET), Pandora, or Rhapsody.

Recently, Sonos sent me a system to test out with their new free iPhone controller (more about that later), and I came … Read more

Apple branching out in 2009?

Familiar Apple rumors are making the rounds again this week as Macworld looms in the distance, one month away.

Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research put out a research note Monday morning spotted by D: All Things Digital saying that Apple plans to release something from "a completely new device category" next year. He fails to explain exactly what such a product might encompass, but speculates that it will be based around a processor designed by the former P.A. Semi engineering team.

As a result, the usual rumors (Mac tablet, iPhone Nano, iKindle) are under discussion within … Read more

Google's search ads arrive on iPhone, G1

The iPhone and T-Mobile G1 come with pretty much full-fledged Web browsers, and Google now is according them that status by showing search ads on the phones.

Advertisers bidding for search ads through Google's AdWords service now can choose to have ad campaigns run exclusively on iPhones and the T-Mobile G1, the first phone with Google's Android operating system, which also has a robust browser. Alexandra Kenin, product marketing manager for Google's mobile ads team, announced the move on the company's Google Mobile Blog Monday.

By using the "iPhones and other mobile devices with full … Read more

Wal-Mart workers spill the beans on iPhone launch

The iPhone is coming to Wal-Mart Stores, though when and for how much is still unclear.

Four electronics department managers at Wal-Mart stores in Delaware, New Jersey, and New York said Monday that they were already training employees to sell Apple iPhones. Two department managers, who didn't want their names used in this story, said the phones are expected to go on sale on December 28. Bloomberg News reported Sunday that a Wal-Mart employee in Stockton, Calif., expects to start selling iPhones on December 15.

Department managers on the East Coast also said they expect to be selling both … Read more

iPhone sold through Wal-Mart this month?

After rumors surfaced last week regarding a $99 iPhone sold through retail giant Wal-Mart, Bloomberg has apparently partially confirmed the speculation, citing "two store representatives saying the world's largest retailer will carry two models of the Web-surfing handset this month."

The store will reportedly start selling iPhones on December 15, just in time for the holidays. No mention of a $99 model was made, with store representatives allegedly confirming only 8GB and 16GB models and the standard $199 and $299 prices, respectively.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas.

Apple App Store tops 10,000 applications

Apple has announced catalog and download numbers for iPhone applications in the form of a full-page ad that ran in Friday's edition of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

The ad, which can be seen after the page break, boasts that more than 300 million applications have been downloaded from a catalog that now tops 10,000 different apps. That information confirms recent reports on the total number of available programs. Still missing, however, is any sort of breakdown on how many of those 300 million downloads were free versus paid applications.

As Apple pointed out in an e-mail to CNET News, the App Store launched in early July with just 500 applications, and has reached the 10,000 benchmark in less than half a year. … Read more