After a groundswell of hype that the rumored BBC iPlayer for the iPhone might be some crazy, Apple co-developed, SDK-usin' piece of kit, the reality is just a little underwhelming. Fact is, yes, the BBC-only streaming app has migrated to the iPhone -- but it's built entirely on the handset's existing technology stack, prior to the SDK announcement. Ah well, it's probably just as well considering that the content available on the beta-quality player is limited at the moment, and let's be honest: they're gonna need 3G to really rock, anyway.

[Via TUAW]

XM radio not so much your thing? AT&T's starting to roll out another officially sanction choice for streaming radio on some of its devices through a new partnership with Pandora. Basically, users can access their personalized Pandora stations directly from their handset -- up to 100 of 'em -- and the carrier specifically mentions that users can enjoy those stations anywhere within its 3G network, suggesting that the streams are probably of a high enough quality to actually be worth listening to. Check it out now on Samsung's SYNC, A717, and A737, the Motorola V3xx and V9, and the LG Trax, CU400, and CU405 for $8.99 a month.

After all this time, and after all these complaints, could the solution to ugly cellphone masts have been as simple as a concrete radome? That is essentially all Ericsson's Tower Tube concept is: a glorified case for the ugly antennae that connect your daily calls. Apparently, construction of the radome releases 20% less CO2 than traditional steel structures, and the concrete is secure enough to not require extra site fencing, and will therefore occupy significantly less space than the masts we currently live alongside. Sounds like a win-win to us. Let's get 'em built!

[Via Just Amp]

Those who are contemplating some type of bizarre surgery to ensure your dear cellphone stays permanently attached to your person should probably hold off, as a couple of companies are teaming up to curb the oh-so-typical problem of misplacing one's handset. New Japan Radio Co. and Superwave Corporation have reportedly joined forces to "develop a chip that uses weak radio waves to communicate with mobile phones, paving the way for devices that tell users when a handset is misplaced." Supposedly, the chip would communicate with one's phone "every few seconds," and if you bolted from the subway sans your cellphone, a sound or vibration would apparently be there to alert you of your mistake. Hold tight folks, the firms have plans to distribute samples to manufacturers this October. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

[Image courtesy of GLIRC]

If you've found yourself tempted by other interesting DIY aerial photography rigs, but spent all your dough on the Nokia N95 instead, you may still be able to make a lifelong (or momentary) dream come true. A pioneering lad over at the N95 Blog has suggested that nearly unlimited high-resolution aerial photography can be yours if you're willing to strap your precious handset to an RC plane and get savvy with Pict'Earth software. The application allows users to create a theoretical Google Earth of their own if the existing imagery isn't up to snuff with their personal standards. Still, we'd have to mull this one over mighty hard before attaching such a valuable communicator to a potential death bed, but feel free to let us know how things go if you can muster the courage.

[Via AllAboutSymbian]

We've got Bluetooth headsets that cancel noise, amplify voices, and make you look good not entirely cockamamie, but Sound ID's latest iteration actually gives you one less reason to ever take it off. The minuscule earpiece sports compatibility with handsfree Bluetooth profiles, around eight hours of talk time and 72 hours of standby, auditory and visual low battery warnings, dual omni-directional silicon microphones, and a trio of modes to fit your situation. It also touts a NoiseNavigation feature that magnifies and cancels appropriate sounds automatically, and just in case you get tired of only hearing face-to-face conversations out of one ear, the "Environmental Mode" actually brings in ambient noise in order to make you forget about the critter hanging off your eyeglass holder. Notably, the $129.99 SM100 even features a One2One mode that enables "Bluetooth communication between two modules" without the use of a cellphone, which should definitely appease the anti-social social crowd.

[Via Slashphone]

Alpine's got a fine streak going with regard to integrating consumer electronics into its snazzy head units, and now it's continuing the trend by offering up a do-it-all Bluetooth Interface Module. The KCE-300BT accessory acts as a bantam liaison between your Bluetooth-enabled handset and that brand new Ai-NET-compatible stereo, giving users the ability to hold handsfree conversations sans wires or complicated installations, and also allowing A2DP / AVRCP-compliant mobiles to stream tunes and control playback functions. Co-developed with Motorola to work specifically with Alpine's 2007 lineup of Ai-NET head units, it's possible this module would actually work with other BT-enabled units not manufactured by Alpine, but we're not so sure we'd press our luck. Anyways, the interface also allows users to peep caller ID information, missed / dialed calls, and on certain high-end units, you can even scroll through your address book, which we're certain is exactly what everyone around you on the freeway hopes you're eyes are glued to. Regardless, Alpine's KCE-300BT can add another dash of utility to your otherwise average in-dash media player next month for a (slightly steep) $220.

[Via BlueTomorrow]

ClearChannel, purveyor of all things terrestrial radio, think they see the writing on the wall when it comes to mobile streaming -- and they don't intend to get left out of the fun. A fairly far-reaching deal with Cingular announced this week gives customers the option to download radio broadcasts from ClearChannel stations for $2.99 a month, while streaming adds another 99 cents to the bill. Only New York's WHTZ-FM is available initially, but plans are in the works for "up to 100" additional stations to launch in the next year. The download plan gives folks access to interviews and features, but it looks like the closest they'll be offering to music will come in the form of a list of the last 10 titles and artists that graced the airwaves. And if you thought $2.99 was enough to buy you out of advertising, think again -- "sponsor announcements" will be part and parcel with the service.

[Via MocoNews]

Previously, we'd mentioned three crucial details about HTC's rumored Artemis: it'd lack 3G, the d-pad would be replaced or augmented by a trackball, and GPS would be on-board. Newfound specs appear to confirm what we'd known thus far, and now we have a possible rendering of the device to fuel the fire. All the new deets seem believable enough; we'll apparently get 128MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM, quad-band GSM / EDGE, 802.11b / g, a 2-megapixel shooter, MicroSD expansion, and an FM radio when she drops sometime this quarter. A little more exciting than the Oxygen, if we do say so ourselves.

[Via phoneArena]

Motorola knows what a pain it can be to hire a consultant every time you need to get your Feng Shui-on at a new location, so they're trying to patent a method for measuring chi levels right from your cellphone. In order to provide the user with the greatest amount of must-have qi, phones equipped with this tech would use nearly every available sensor -- and one dedicated one -- to develop an accurate overview of the environment: the camera is used for evalulating color saturation and spacial relationships, the GPS reciever for determining proximity to "undesirable" sites, the microphone for gauging ambient noise levels, and even the radio for measuring AM/FM transmission strength from the nearest towers. Since no Feng Shui reading would be possible without knowing which direction the main wall of the building faces, the Moto patent also calls for the inclusion of a "three-dimensional Hall-effect sensor" that would measure the strength of electromagnetic fields to deliver digital compass readings. While this all seems a bit complicated, software would take care of most of the hard work, essentially allowing the user to snap a few photos and sit back as the phone's sophisticated chi engine leads him/her to a harmonious balance.

[Via Unwired View]

Motorola, which has been shedding non-core businesses for years (including its semiconductor business, which was spun off to become Freescale in 2004) will scrap another of its classic lines, the company's automotive electronics arm, which includes sensors, telematics and safety-related electronics. The division will go to Continental AG, a German company best known in the US for its tires. The sale further focuses Motorola's business on cellphones and other communications technologies such as cable modems, two-way radios and set-top boxes. The move takes Motorola out of the automotive industry for the first time since 1930, when the company created the first successful car radio (hence the name "Motorola"). Of course, Moto's been out of that sector for years, and most car owners are unlikely to notice that the current divestiture has even happened, since most of the assets being sold are related to behind-the-scenes systems that don't include heavy consumer branding.