The FCC has sent letters to Apple, AT&T, and Google regarding the recent rejection of the Google Voice iPhone app which was posted to the Apple app store. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what happened in this case. Google Voice is a VOIP app which uses the internet to allow for phone calls and checking voicemail as well as aggregating and forwarding calls from one number to another.
An iPhone user with an unlimited data plan could conceivably use zero call minutes if the user were to utilize Google Voice for all of their calls. Clearly this puts a dent in AT&T’s main cellular business model of selling both data and cell phone minutes. AT&T is Apple’s main iPhone sales channel and only authorized wireless voice and data provider. It is not clear at this point if AT&T and Apple colluded to reject the Google Voice app or even if it is illegal given current law that what has been done actually constitutes any mis grievance with the law, but it is clear that the FCC is concerned that Apple’s actions in rejecting the Google Voice app are contrary to what some are arguing as the FCCs new push for net neutrality.
Now that wireless carriers are getting into the data business, it seems some of the same rules which govern the wired network(DSL – internet) may be applied to wireless carriers as well. It is to early now to predict what will occur in this case, but we will keep track and report when more information is available.

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The iPhone is becoming a more and more powerful tool that will allow us to have a complete and immediate knowledge about everything that happens all around the world. Now, another useful application is available for those peole who would like to receive all their favorite newspapers directly on their iPhone. Thanks to the PageStreamer technology, in fact, it is possible to distribute large digital documents in an easy, economic and user friendly way by also providing publishers with an easy integration path with their current IT infrastructure.

Through this special technology 8080(the maker of Pagestreamer) offers a very useful solution to spread a complete mobile newspaper using just a PDF file. The system ensures that the content is visually pleasant and usable on the iPhone. Now publishers can distribute and sell their newspapers via the iPhone App Store. Moreover, it won't be necessary for users to lose time in downloading the full PDF file before they begin reading or buying newspapers. The adavantages for publishers are evident: they will be able of managing subscriptions, of studying download and usage statistics, monitoring relevant information about their audience understanding the exact geographic distributions of readers, the most interesting stories, the advertisement performance or usage hours.

Finally, another interesting thing is connected to the fact that 8080 offers also another special service: if required, users can listen a multilingual podcast version of each newspaper story, read aloud by a high quality synthetic voice, directly on the iPhone. If you would like to get more information you can visit the following website: http://www.pagestreamer.com/index.html.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2iyNWX4Ekc


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I purchased the new iPod nano, and it is the best MP3 player I have ever used. The large screen and classic Apple scroll wheel design make navigating songs a snap. What’s more the new gen 4 nano has a music ‘genius’ onboard.

The Genius feature lets you select a song, and will match that song with others that go well together with it. The first time I used it I thought to myself, “wow, I couldn’t have put together a better playlist!” The built in accelerometer is also a nice addition! If I want to re-shuffle my music, all I have to do is give the nano a quick shake and my music is re-randomized.

The accelerometer feature is great for the downloadable games as well giving a Wii-esk vibe to the new iPod nano. But that isn’t all, the new nano will also sync with your calendar and contacts list along with the standard issues such as your music library, photo gallery, movies, and more. The only feature missing that I would want to see in gen 5 is an FM tuner.
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Looks like at least for the time being, Windows will be the only platform for Google Chrome, but be rest assured Mac and Linux will soon follow.
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Google Launched a new, open-source web browser called Google Chrome. The have decided to make the browser's design elements become public via a comic book. A direct link to the comic book can be found here: http://books.google.com/books?id=8UsqHo ... frontcover
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If you are sick of getting to your local Apple store just to find out that they are out, you can now check the availability via Apple's website http://www.apple.com/retail/iphone/availability.php you may check availability after 9:00 PM every day to check if the phone will be in stock at your local store tomorrow.
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According to several developers, the iPhone SDK is being opened up to more developers. Originally around 25,000 developers applied to gain access to the SDK, but only around 4,000 were granted access. It seems that more are now being given access.
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Apple is showing nationwide(US) a new add that at first might have Apple detractors grinning until wham the end of the commercial comes. You have to see it to believe it! http://www.apple.com/iphone/gallery/ads/hallway/
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So you own an iPhone. You are watching a movie and want to set the iPhone down. Problem... when the iPhone is set down its screen faces straight up and with the glare is hard to see. A new inexpensive product has just been released which solves this problem. It is a laser cut 2 piece clear acrylic iPhone holder. The iPhone stand is less than $7 and breaks into 2 flat pieces so you can easily take it with you. Below are some pics. Availiable on Amazon.com




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This is the age of communications and cellphone is most common electronic communication device seen today. Cell phones have come through some great advancements of technology. Many manufacturers and vendors are trying to produce cutting edge piece technology. For instance converged devices are focus of motorola cell phone advancements. Whereas different enhanced application like camera and TV over IP are integrated in samsung cell phone . On the other hand nextel cell phones are coming hard after moving over CDMA and with its G4 network.
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Finally fast 3G support coming to iPhone in 2008. One major concern with the 3G support is that the chipsets which support 3G use much more power than the 2.5G chipsets thereby reducing the battery life of the iPhone. Also 3G chipsets are much more expensive than 2.5G chipsets so the $599 iPhone is likely to be back soon. More information coming soon.


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I have a friend who runs a laser engraving company . He is reporting that many of his customers who are trying to order iPhones and iPods are being limited by apple to only 5 devices per day. Bulk orders are seemingly being rejected by apple. This isn’t Apple insider information or a report from a purchasing director at a large retail store, simply an observation. Why else would Apple be limiting the rate at which its products are purchased?
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According to the infamous environmental group Greenpeace, "If Apple really wants to reinvent the phone, it needs to design out ALL hazardous substances and materials from its handsets and peripherals” (Greenpeace). So what Greenpeace is really saying is that they dislike technology. All cellular phones and for that matter nearly every piece of electronic equipment contains some hazardous substances.

From my research, I have found that Apple is one of the good guys. They recycle more computers than nearly any other computer manufacturer. They actively encourage their customers to recycle their computers and handsets. Furthermore, Apple has committed itself to using less of the toxic materiels that Greenpeace has particular problems with including chlorinated plastic polyvinyl chloride and "brominated flame retardants". Presumably this material was added to the iPhone to ensure that when a lithium battery inside of an iPhone fails, that the phone does not burst into flames thereby preventing the possibility of maiming of the user or worse.

If Greenpeace really wants to make a dent on the environment maybe they should open a line of Greenpeace PC and Electronic Recycling stores. Or if that is to much to ask, maybe Greenpeace could get the word out that all electronics contain what they would consider hazardous materials and should be disposed of at a facility capable of properly recycling and disposing/neutralizing such materials.

So Greenpeace, butt out of Apple’s business. They along with Dell are one of the good guys in pioneering the use of environmentally friendly materials and more importantly in pioneering environmentally friendly practices such as PC recycling.




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APPLE has made a bit of an error when the trying to flog its Iphone in France.

According to French newspapers, Jobs' Mob forgot that it is harder to screw over consumers in the EU in the same way it can in the United States.

Although Apple says it has a deal with Orange, negotiations with the French telco are running aground because they do not want the same bizarre lock-ins which have been seen over the pond.

French consumer laws specifically prohibit the dependent sale of a product and a service which means that Orange will have to sell the Iphone with and without subscription. Apple is not happy with that and, since it has refused to let Orange flog a subsidised Iphone as part of a package, there is little reason for anyone to sign up for an Orange deal.

Orange insists that it has got a contract signed and there is a chance that it will be able to flog the Iphone before Christmas. However Apple is not happy about the way that things are going.

France could be the only place in the world where the Iphone has to be sold unlocked and some Apple executives think this is a bad idea.

There is a badly translated version of the French press stories here .

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See ebay auction for details or Contact Us .
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I just love that title!

found it on ( reddit )
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Bloggers and hackers aren't the only ones sticking it to iPhone maker Apple Inc. for its closed minded approach to user-customization of the touch-screen handsets -- Nokia has taken advantage of the situation by launching a print and web campaign dubbed "Open to anything."

"We believe the best devices have no limits. That's why we've left the Nokia Nseries open," the Finland-based handset maker wrote on its new "Open to anything" website. "Open to applications. Open to widgets. Open to anything. So go ahead and load it up. What it does is up to you."

The campaign, which was accompanied by the posting of similarly-worded bills in New York City this past weekend, is an obvious response to the latest iPhone update on Thursday. As Apple had warned, the software patch disabled versions of the Apple handset that had been "unlocked" to operate on wireless carries other than AT&T, while adding a couple of new features like the Wi-Fi iTunes Music Store.

In addition, however, the update wreaked havoc on a number unmodified iPhones and those iPhones which had been only modified to run third-party software applications but had otherwise remained locked to the Apple-approved carrier. Users who reached out to Apple for help in reactivating those phones were turned away (video) in the same manner as those users who had unlocked the devices against Apple's stated policy.

The Cupertino-based firm's harsh stance was met with considerable outrage because, unlike unlocking, users who had installed third-party applications simply to increase the usefulness of their pricey handsets -- in addition to those who had done nothing at all -- were suddenly being informed that they had voided their warranty on the handset as a whole and were on their own in attempting to somehow reactivate those phones.

The matter is complicated by a number of factors, primarily what is now being perceived by some as a poor job on Apple's part to convey its stance on third-party applications to iPhone users earlier in the handset's lifecycle. Recent comments from an Apple executive even made it appear as if the company was taking an indifferent stance to the development and installation such third-party apps. Additionally, Apple's public warning seemed only to target unlockers rather than those installing applications.

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The iPhone V1.1.1 update, which shipped Thursday, is a giant patch, fixing issues with its mail service, Bluetooth and seven bugs in Safari.

By Sharon Gaudin
InformationWeek
September 28, 2007 10:09 AM


Apple came out with an iPhone software update on Thursday that patches 10 security bugs that could enable a hacker to remotely execute malicious code, reveal e-mail credentials or even make a call without the user's consent. In some cases, however, where the user has tinkered with the guts of the iPhone, the software update has rendered the phone unusable.
The update -- iPhone V1.1.1 -- patches one bug in Bluetooth, two in the device's mail service, and seven in its Safari browser. The U.S.-CERT is "strongly encouraging" users to review the advisory and follow best practices in determining what updates should be applied.

The fixes come out amid a lot of brouhaha in the research and hacker communities about software for sale that would enable the smartphone to work on any service provider with a standard GSM SIM card. Just this past Monday, though, Apple warned users that unlocking the programs used to connect the device to cellular networks other than AT&T (NYSE: T)'s causes "irreparable damage." The company also warned that the modifications would probably cause the iPhone to be inoperable when the updates were released.

It's not yet clear what the total affect will be from the fixes on unlocked devices, though reports are surfacing online that the update has disabled at least some unlocked iPhones. It's being reported on Gizmodo that the software update may make unlocked iPhones unusable.

"For those who have "unlocked" their iPhones, there were stories in the press over the last week that a future update would turn the unlocked iPhones into expensive paperweights," wrote Jim Clausing, a handler with the Internet Storm Center, on their daily blog. "It is unclear at present if this update is the one that does it or not (probably not based on the descriptions of the updates included)."


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Using mobile phones for more than 10 years gives a consistent pattern of increased risk for at least two different types of brain tumors. This was the conclusion of a summary that reviewed sixteen other research studies from seven countries – USA, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.(1)

Cell Phones Are Like Radios

Cell phones are more like radios than traditional telephones in your home. They emit low levels of radiofrequency energy (RF) in the microwave range while being used. They also emit very low levels of RF when in the stand-by mode. Using a cell phone can place the radiation antenna close to the user’s brain and this can lead to the absorption of comparatively large amounts of electromagnetic energy.

There has been an on-going debate about the safety of cell phones for many years. While, not surprisingly, the cell phone industry and various health authorities have assured users that the technology is safe, recent research has suggested otherwise.

Researchers at the Department of Oncology, University Hospital in Sweden reviewed sixteen published studies that looked at cell phone use and the rate of brain cancers. They concluded that:

“For both acoustic neuroma and glioma (two types of brain cancer), overall risk was increased in the whole group, but significantly increased for ipsilateral exposure (tumor on the same side of the brain as cell phone exposure)…These results are certainly of biological relevance, as the highest risk was found for tumors in the most exposed area of the brain, using a latency period that is relevant in carcinogenesis.”

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