i-Smartphone Circuit Card promises to unlock iPhone 3G

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Hong Kong based Gadget shop Brando just informed us that they now sell a small circuit card that supposedly unlocks the iPhone 3G and many other phones on the SIM card level.
The i-Smartphone 2008 sells for only $20.50. The thin-film card is put together with the SIM card you want to use the iPhone 3G on in the slot.
This sounds way too simple and low-cost that it is hard to believe that this would really unlock the iPhone 3G. Read more

Posted on Tue, 5 Aug 2008 05:41:51 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Softbank dramatically cuts monthly Fees for iPhone 3G in Japan

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Softbank reduces the monthly fees for the iPhone 3G in Japan. Softbank says that they want to reach a broader customer base with the new much lower rates.
The new monthly fee is 2,990 yen (~$27). It was 7,280 yen (~$67) before, which means Softbank cut the price by over 50%. The price-cut stems mostly from a reduced price of the data flat rate. Read more

Posted on Tue, 5 Aug 2008 03:43:21 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

iPhone 3G Production said to run red hot at Foxconn

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We know that the demand for the iPhone 3G is huge. TechCrunch reports that their sources tell them that Foxconn is now producing 800,000 iPhone 3G units per week for Apple.

Foxconn's facilities would be running above capacity to achieve that output. Over the course of 12 months Apple would be producing 40 million iPhone 3G devices at that pace. Read more

Posted on Mon, 4 Aug 2008 12:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Nullriver Netshare lets you use the iPhone 3G as Modem, if you can get it

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Nullriver developed an interesting App for the iPhone 3G that enables users to setup the iPhone 3G as modem for Macs and other PCs.

The problem is to get a hand on a copy of Netshare as the App appears and disappears from the iTunes App Store.
Tethering is not supported officially by AT&T and other carriers, which makes the Netshare App a threat to the big guys. Read more

Posted on Sat, 2 Aug 2008 14:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Belkin TuneCast Auto for iPhone 3G

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Many iPhone 3G buyers were disappointed to find when their new phones were home and ready to play that many of the accessories that worked with the original iPhone and iPods would not work with the 3G version. This meant that many iPhone 3G owners were left shopping for new accessories.

Belkin has announced that its TuneCast Auto for iPhone and iPod is now compatible with the iPhone 3G. Belkin says that the TuneCast Auto has now passed Apple's "Works with iPhone" program to ensure compatibility. Read more

Posted on Fri, 1 Aug 2008 13:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

iSkin revo2 Available for iPhone 3G

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As we expected the iPhone 3G is an insanely hot item right now as are accessories for the phone. One of the most popular accessory types for the iPhone 3G are protective cases to keep the iPhone looking new.

The latest case to be announced for the iPhone 3G is iSkin's revo2. We first saw the revo2 last year when the original iPhone was launched. The case fits the iPhone 3G snugly and protects from drops, shock, dirt, dust, and moisture. Read more

Posted on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:25:02 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

IVYSKIN Xylo iPhone 3G Cases Designed in USA

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Many Americans like to buy products that are designed and built in the USA. I guess if you can’t find a product that is both designed and built in the USA, one that is at least designed in America is better than nothing. IVYSKIN has announced its new line of cases for the iPhone 3G and says that its XyloT3 is the first touch-through cased for the phone designed in the US.

The case is curved to fit the design of the iPhone 3G perfectly and uses a hard screen cover that senses ultrasonic waves from a users finger and send the touch info to the screen of the iPhone. The company also has a XyloDuo case that is made from polysilicon. In addition to the cases a XyloReflect mirrored screen protector is available along with a SpyScreen to keep nosey folks from seeing the screen. Read more

Posted on Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:21:27 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

AT&T iPhone 3G Sales double that of iPhone

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AT&T said during their earnings call that the new iPhone 3G sold twice as many units in the first 12 days compared to the first generation iPhone a year ago.

AT&T had quite a good quarter not even including the iPhone 3G. AT&T's profit rose by 30% to $3.77 billion. Read more

Posted on Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:09:05 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Speck PixelSkin for iPhone 3G Now Shipping

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New iPhone 3G owners are looking for ways to keep their beloved devices looking good and working as intended from the get go. One of the first things typically added to the iPhone 3G is a case to protect the phone.

Speck’s has announced that its PixelSkin case is now available for the iPhone 3G. The case is lightweight and fits the iPhone snugly and features slightly thicker corners to protect the iPhone from bumps and drops. The case has a textured square pattern on it to help provide grip and the case still gives access to all ports as well. Read more

Posted on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:36:24 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

iPhone 3G back in Stock in some Apple Stores Tuesday

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Yesterday we reported that virtually all Apple Stores had no iPhone 3G inventory for Monday. The iPhone 3G availability indicator on the Apple site shows several stores across the nation that still have iPhone 3G phones available on Tuesday.
It looks like Apple still has some supply of the new iPhone in their warehouses or they have already received new shipments from Asia. Read more

Posted on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:45:30 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Radio NRI Stations on iPhone 3G

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Radio NRI announced today that two of its radio stations are now available on the iPhone 3G. The pair of live radio stations includes Bollywood & Beyond and Bollywood Classic Hits. The stations stream live and iPhone 3G users need to get a download to listen.

The service requires the free AOL Radio player from the App Store and allows users to listen on the phone or their PC. Both of the available stations are direct from India and Radio NRI says that both stations have English speaking RJs, apparently the same thing as DJs. Read more

Posted on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:56:47 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

iPhone 3G virtually sold out in Apple Stores

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On Saturday I reported that Europe has no more iPhone 3G stock and that this situation could last into October based on a German magazine report. On Saturday it looked like Apple was still managing to get their stores restocked each day with new iPhones, but for Monday almost all Apple Stores will have no iPhone 3G inventory.

Update:
iPhone 3G back in stock Tuesday in some Apple Stores

As you know, you can check next day's inventory of the new iPhone on the Apple site in the evening. Read more

Posted on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:22:59 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Weekly Top 10: iPhone 3G, E3 2008, Intel Centrino 2

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Despite activation problems the iPhone 3G sold over 1 million over the first weekend. The App Store proved to be a big hit, but there are reports that the iPhone 2.0 software has issues that call for a new firmware soon.
The video game industry gathered this week in LA for the E3 2008. The announcements mostly focused on upcoming games and movie download services. The Xbox 360 will feature Netflix and Sony launched already their own Video Store on the Playstation Network.
The Xbox 360 gets a new cool looking 3D dashboard and 3D avatars. Nintendo announced a little accessory dubbed MotionPlus. There is hope that the E3 2009 will be more exciting again.

See also our latest Gadget Videos. Read more

Posted on Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Europe without new iPhone 3G Stock until October

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German magazine Focus reports that the iPhone 3G is completely sold out across Europe and that new inventory would not arrive until October. This would mean that iPhone fans would have to spend the summer without the new iPhone 3G if they did not pick one up yet.

The magazine says that they got the information about the dramatic iPhone 3G shortage from a manager at Apple. Read more

Posted on Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:39:57 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

iPhone 3G unlocking is harder than expected after all

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In early June we reported that the unlocking of the iPhone 3G will be harder to do than the original iPhone. Then came the announcement by the iPhone Dev Team that their upcoming PwnageTool 2.0 would unlock the iPhone 3G.

Now the group has published the details about the capabilities of the first version of PwnageTool 2.0 and iPhone 3G unlocking is not amongst them.
Read more

Posted on Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:35:54 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Macally Launches Cases for iPhone 3G

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Despite all the launch problems, the iPhone 3G is here, which means that tons of accessories for the phone are here as well. Macally has launched a line of cases for the iPhone 3G that includes a Bella leather case for $19.99 that comes in colors to match the black or white phone.

Other cases include the Metro at $19.99, MClip and IceCase at $19.99 each, MCase slip on case for $19.99, MSuit for $12.99, a privacy screen protector for $9.99 and a mirror finish screen protector for $9.99. Macally also has other accessories for the iPhone 3G. Read more

Posted on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:19:44 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

T-Mobile sold 15,000 iPhone 3G on first Day

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T-Mobile announced iPhone 3G sales numbers from the launch day in Germany. 15,000 customers picked up an iPhone 3G on the first day.

Apple announced earlier today that they have sold 1m iPhone 3G devices world-wide over the weekend. Read more

Posted on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:05:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Apple sells 1,000,000 iPhone 3G in first Weekend

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Apple today announced it sold its one millionth iPhone 3G on Sunday, just three days after its launch on Friday, July 11th.

"iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. "It took 74 days to sell the first one million original iPhones, so the new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start around the world."

The new iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone plus 3G networking that is twice as fast, built-in GPS for expanded location-based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs over 800 third party applications available through the new App Store. Read more

Posted on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:05:43 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Yellow iPhone 3G Screens can be fixed

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Early iPhone 3G customers reported that the iPhone 3G screen has a yellowish hue that was different to the original iPhone screen.

Apple said that they configured the screen with a more natural and warmer color temperature. Now it looks like Apple was not really happy with the screen setting as a new firmware iPhone 3G update 5A347 is reducing the yellow tint of the screen. Read more

Posted on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:03:09 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

How to optimize iPhone 3G Battery Life

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The iPhone 3G has been in customer hands since last Friday. You might already get frustrated by the short battery life of the iPhone 3G, but do not fret Apple has published a "few commonsense pointers" to extend the iPhone 3G battery life.
Apple recommends switching off 3G, especially when 3G coverage is spotty. To disable 3G, from the Home screen choose Settings > General > Network and set Enable 3G to Off. Read more

Posted on Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:21:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Trouble in iPhone 3G Hacking Land

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We reported yesterday that the iPhone Dev Team will publish their PwnageTool 2.0 iPhone 3G unlocking tool soon. Today the group posted a lengthy blog post that gives some insight into the dynamics of releasing a hacking tool.

The post was triggered by an announcement of George Hotz (alias geohot) who basically said he would release an iPhone 3G unlocking tool called yiPhone if the iPhone Dev Team would not release their tool soon. Read more

Posted on Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:45:04 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr