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Posts with tag Wwdc2008

WWDC 2008 coverage roundup: the iPhone 3G has landed


Holy crap, that's a lot of iPhone news. We've collected every meaningful detail below, and now we're pretty stoked to have our site back. Game on!

iPhone 3G
iPhone service stuff and AT&T
More after the break!

TomTom already has iPhone navigation software ready to roll


That sound you hear is the not-yet-released nüvifone trembling in fear, as TomTom has just announced that an iPhone-ready version of its famed navigation software is practically ready to rock 'n roll. More specifically, a TomTom spokesman was quoted as saying that its "navigation system runs on the iPhone already," and he made the statement hot on the heels of the iPhone 3G announcement. Sadly, he wouldn't disclose an estimated release date for the software, but it's safe to say that the TomTom touch could make Apple's darling a formidable nüvifone opponent.

[Via GPSReview]

iPhone 3G from AT&T: unlimited data for $30


We still don't have a clear answer from AT&T on whether messaging is included, but if not, the data pricing of $30 per month for unlimited 3G when tied to the iPhone 3G represents a $10 bump from what folks were paying for the 2.5G model. Business owners -- presumably expected to consume considerably more bits over the course of a month -- will be paying $45. Meanwhile, voice plan pricing will start from $39.95, and we're told more details will be available on exactly how it all breaks down when the device actually goes on sale.

The Lucky 22: countries receiving iPhone 3G on July 11th


While it's a given that the iPhone 3G is hitting the US on the 11th, the rest of our global readership was left scratching their collective heads wondering if they were part of the 22 "biggest markets" mentioned in the keynote. So here you go, the 22 countries scheduled to go live with the iPhone 3G on July 11th:
  • Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US.
$199 for 8G and $299 for the 16GB model... in the US at least and with a 2-year contract. The remaining 48 countries listed after the break will get theirs "later this year."

Sizing it up: iPhone 3G vs. the rest


We thought you'd like to see how the new iPhone 3G stacks up against the ol' EDGE-based iPhone, Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1, and HTC Touch Diamond and Touch Pro handsets. To QWERTY or not to QWERTY, that is the QWEstion.

iPhone 3G is finally official, starts at $199, available July 11th

http://www.engadget.com/media/2008/06/wwdc-keynote_190.jpg
It's been a long, leak-filled wait, but Apple finally took the wraps off its 3G iPhone. Thinner edges, full plastic back, flush headphone jack, and the iPhone 2.0 firmware -- Apple's taking a lot of the criticisms to heart from the first time around. Obviously 3G is at the forefront, but they're also making sure it's available all over internationally, works with enterprises, runs 3rd party apps... and does it all for cheaper. Apple claims its 3G speeds trounce the competition, with pageloads 36% faster than the N95 and Treo 750 -- and of course it completely trounces the old EDGE data. Battery life isn't getting put out to pasture though, with 300 hours of standby, 8-10 hours of 2G talk, 5 hours of 3G talk, 7 hours of video and 24 hours of audio. GPS is also a go. Apple is using A-GPS, which supplements regular satellite GPS data with info from cellular towers. WiFi data is also worked into the mix, which should give users a pretty solid lock on where the heck they are on this planet. Unfortunately, there's no front-facing cam, which syncs with what we were hearing, but is still a little disappointing. Apple hopes to launch in 70 countries this year. 8GB is available for $199, 16GB for $299 -- and the 16GB comes in white. Both pricepoints require a contract. Apple will be hitting the 22 biggest markets, including the US, on July 11th.

Other tidbits:
  • It's a teensy bit thicker.
  • A SIM ejector comes in the box, at last.
  • There's no dock included, just a USB power adapter.

iPhone 2.0 free in early July for all iPhone owners, $9.95 for iPod touch


Steve just ran through a bunch of features of iPhone 2.0, and while we saw most of them back in March, some of them were new, like being able to draw in Chinese characters. There's also new support for iWork documents and better Office doc support, as well as new abilities to save images from email to the photo library, and new contact search functions. There's also finally bulk delete and edit of email / SMS, and the App Store will be making it to 62 countries, up from 22 in March.

Looking through the gallery now live on Apple's site, there are some other changes as well: the Maps app now has a slightly different "peel back" icon, there's a new 3G icon (obviously), and the calendar app has been redesigned, probably to work better with MobileMe.

Firmware 2.0 will hit in July free for iPhone owners (we'd say July 11, when the 3G iPhone launches, is a good bet) and the price has dropped to $9.95 for iPod touch owners -- still high, but better than the $19.95 we heard in March.

eBay, TypePad, others showcase iPhone apps at WWDC


Now that developers have had a fair crack at the iPhone SDK for a few months, plenty of companies were ready today to showcase their wares alongside Stevie. Among them:
  • eBay. Pretty much everything you'd need to do from a desktop browser can be done through eBay's iPhone app: bidding, searching for items, My eBay (so you can see how the sale of your old iPhone's going), watching items, and the like. It's free, but since you're giving eBay money every time you make a transaction, we'd expect it to be.
  • Loopt. Already a staple on a couple carriers, Loopt's location-based services allow friends to keep tabs on one another. It'll be free at the launch of the App Store.
  • TypePad. Following some of Six Apart's other moblogging efforts, the iPhone version of its TypePad client will allow realtime uploading of photos taken with the iPhone's cam. It'll also be free.
  • Associated Press. It seems the AP wants to turn us all into unpaid correspondents, offering an app that will allow users to upload footage.
  • Band. A collection of virtual instruments for creating music from scratch right on the iPhone. Probably not the most effective platform for creating songs if we had to guess, but hey, cool nonetheless!
  • MLB.com. Video baseball highlights, real-times stats and scores.

Sega, Pangea, Digital Legends show off $9.99 iPhone games


We saw an early demo of Sega's Super Monkey Ball back at the iPhone SDK event in March, but it looks like the real thing is ready for WWDC, with some 110 stages and all four classic monkeys, including Baby. We just caught a quick run-through during the keynote, but the graphics look unbelievable compared to anything we've seen on a cellphone before -- easily DS-quality graphics.

Also demoing games was Pangea, whose Brian Greenstone showed off Enigmo and Cro-Mag Rally, a racing game that uses the iPhone itself as the steering wheel, via the accelerometer. Again, the graphics were high-quality, and gameplay was described as "totally playable" with just a minimum of porting effort -- three days for each game.

Finally, Digital Legends Entertainment demoed a God of War-type game that they had developed in only two weeks that featured graphics somewhere between the DS and PSP. It'll be ready sometime in September.

Pricing for all three games was set at $9.99 to start -- high for a cellphone game, sure, but super competitive with other portables.

Pre-WWDC iPhone rumor roundup: AT&T out of stock, subsidized pricing, last minute size changes


As we inch towards the towering precipice of WWDC 2008, rumors swirling around Apple's next iteration of the iPhone are being deposited onto the interblogs at an alarming rate. The latest set comes in three distinct flavors, the first of which recalls an earlier story that telcos would be offering subsidies for long-term contract signers. According to separate sources, Spain's Telefonica and the UK's O2 would offer the 3G iPhone at discounted rates (as low as €100) for those willing to put pen to paper, while some are claiming that O2 might also offer a "free" upgrade to the new phone for existing users. In other pot-stirring news, iDealsChina is reporting that the phone will suddenly be 2.0mm shorter and 0.5mm thinner than previously spec'd by Griffin in its new casing molds, thus causing all kinds of trouble for the accessory-maker... and people with big hands. Finally, we can safely report that AT&T has run out of stock of the device online (finally joining Apple). The site claims it's a "temporary" situation -- one which we suspect will be rectified by the appearance of a new model. Time to get in that line?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Telefonica to be sole distributor of 3G iPhone in Spain for 100 euro
Read - Rumour: O2 plans free iPhone 3G upgrade and pay-as-you-go
Read - iPhone 3G last minute size change!
Read - AT&T iPhone page




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