smartech

It was back in March, when we first reported that Sling wants to have an iphone application, and we’re glad to relize it’s actually happening, as the company announces that the long awaited app is ready to be released and will be demonstrated in San Francisco moments before the software will get to Apple app Store. Still no pricing info, but the full press release is after the break.

Update1: Regretfully, older SlingBox devices won’t be able to stream any TV content directly to iPhone machines (except Slingbox PRO). That means, if you happen to have one of those first editions, you’ll have to shell out extra money and upgrade to Slingbox SOLO or Slingbox PRO-HD in order to enjoy a complete mobility via handhelds, and not just because of technical issues, but more of a greediness from the company itself. We do hope this weird desicion will eventually end up somewhere in the history pages of “failed-to-be-executed”.

Update2: May 12th 2009 – Regretfully, AT&T has issued an official statement, claiming it’d pull the plug out of Sling’s 3G streaming capability, which was integrated into the iPhone with the SlingPlayer. According to the company, this application -

“which would use large amounts of wireless network capacity, could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network. The application does not run on our 3G wireless network. Applications like this, which redirect a TV signal to a personal computer, are specifically prohibited under our terms of service. We consider smartphones like the iPhone to be personal computers in that they have the same hardware and software attributes as PCs.”

That said, users will be able to use WiFi connectivity in order to log into any web site that lets them view videos. In simple words, 3G – Out, WiFi – In. Now, it’s up to you to search one of the 20,000 hotspots AT&T has deployed across the US, in places like Starbucks, McDonalds, airports, etc.

[via engadget]

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Good news from Cupertino, as apple announces that EMI Music’s digital catalog (and some other major labels like Virgin, Sony BMG, American Recording) will be available for purchase DRM-free from the iTunes Store in May. The tracks will be offered at higher quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for just $1.29 per song with an option for second tier songs for only $0.69. The meaning is that you will be able to transfer your non-protected songs to other computers freely, as we are talking about 8 million DRM-Free songs to be available for a purchase from now on. Additionaly, iTunes users, will be able to upgrade their entire previously purchased EMI content to the higher quality DRM-free versions for just 30 cents ($0.30) a song. The rest of the songs will be offered in the same versions as today, 128 kbps AAC encoding with DRM at the same price of 99 cents ($0.99) per song. If that’s not enough, Apple has also announced that music store downloads are available over 3G connectivity (without the need for a WiFi around)with the same price and sound quality, which means your new iPhone is capable of downloading iTunes tracks directly – Kudos !

[Apple]

Finally, after 6 months of expectations, Dev-Team has managed to completely unlock the iPhone 3G, which means your device will be fully open to any sim card from any carrier. The hack isn’t out yet, but the Dev-Team promises to launch it by the end of the year, so hold your breath two more weeks for the final release. Mind you, in order to use the hack and jailbreak the phone, you’d need to have 2.11.07 broadband or any earlier version installed inside. In any case, the application is currently being packaged into a user-friendly PwnageTool / QuickPwn software, to make your life easier when the time comes. Stay tuned !

Update: the team have officialy released the software. To unlock your 3G iphone with the yellowsn0w app follow the steps in here after updating the latest firmware.  

[Dev-Team]

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We had a good feeling, this is going to happen, and we’re glad to see it live, as a group of developers has announced the release of the Linux 2.6 kernel, that was transformed into an iphone platform, allowing first and second generation iPhone users to load the alternative system to their devices. Truth to be told, it’s just the first stages, and many drivers are still missing, but if you’re a Linux avid, there’s nothing to stop you from doing so. Checkout the demo video, or head to the link below for more info.

[via linuxoniphone]

As expected, now that firmware update 2.2 has been officially released, you get a chance to jailbreak your iPhone/iPod Touch devices with the new Pwnage and QuickPwn tools that DevTeam has just unveiled. Mind you, if you wish to unlock your 3G handheld, somewhere in the future, the team has ordered to use Pwnage tool ONLY, so pay attention to the instructions during the jailbreaking process.

Apple has finally released firmware update 2.2, available for downloading via your iTunes software, right away. The new 246MB update brings some neat stuff to your iphone/ipod devices, including Google Street View, over-the-air podcast downloads (which lets you listen to podcast, either through wifi connection or 3G network), public transit and walking directions, more stabilized Safari browser and even the ability to share your location via email. In addition, you get some Bug fixes, together with toggling auto-text correction function, better sound quality in Visual Voicemail messages and a new App rating feature, that allows you to rank any Apple’s App Store application, once you delete it.  Stay tuned !

Do you feel reluctant standing in another long tiresome queue to buy an iPhone 3G? It seems Apple has decided to end this torture by announcing a new online tool that can assist potential customers shorten the process. From now on, you can go online and type-in all the billing forms, including name, address, payment details, etc, choose your desirable plan and schedule the time and date you wish to get to any nearby Apple store, in order to collect the merchandise and complete the activation. Regretfully, you get no home delivery and still bound to a 2 years contract, but Apple’s intention is affirmative.

[Apple]

Following recent announcement, Apple has officially released firmware update 2.1, to fight those irritating bugs and unbearable crashes that took all over the place, leaving so many customers desperate and confused. The new 2.1 update is reported to be much stabilized than its predecessor, fixing so many bugs that made your applications crash and improving the flaky battery life, to work much longer than it used to. In addition, El Jobso has promised to minimize those failing drop calls and substantially improve iTunes’ backup speed, along with a better email usability, so lets hope he can keep his word.

To get version 2.1 installed, you can hook your iphone to iTunes 8, choosing “check for update”, to download the entire 237.8mb file and install it. You can download it RIGHT NOW from here.

[Apple]

Apple has officialy confirmed the release of a 2nd generation iPod Touch player, to hit the stores right away with the same 3.5-inch widescreen display,  802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connection, a built-in speaker and the amazing integrated accelerometer that turns your device into an interactive machine. The new Touch boasts a thinner chrome budy design with those curvy tapered edges, that can be found in the new iPhone 3G. It has external volume controls (finally) and runs the latest 2.1software with the App store inside and those Genius playlist menus, to automatically create smart playlists and save them for a repeatable use. You get 3 different versions to choose from, including an 8GB player to set you back for $229, 16GB for $299, and 32GB for $399. Battery life can deliver up to 36 hours of music or 6 hours of video. Another big addon, is the Nike+ receiver, to be used as your workout companion, once you place the optional Nike + iPod sensor ($19 US) in your Nike + shoe.

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It’s been four months since Snapture released their first revolutionary iPhone camera application with the abilities to capture up to three frames in a row, take self photos, take photos in different sizes, get a digital zoom, toggle Auto rotation and more. Now we hear that Snapture steps up with the new Snapture 2.0 version, adding features like self timer, 4 color modes, a clean UI, and multi-touch gesture zoom, all for free, in case you have a jailbroken device. You can also go Premium for $7.99 and get free-ads application with the ability to view, enlarge and delete recent pictures directly on the viewfinder, thanks to the QuickView system. Checkout the video after the break.

[Snapture]

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Apple has released firmware update 2.0.2 for iphone and ipod touch devices,  available for downloading via your iTunes, only two weeks after introducing the 2.0.1 version to the world. The new update weights around 250MB and presumably, fixes some of the bugs that have been reported by users. So far, no one can point out which of the bugs were fixed, but it seems to be targeting iPhone 3G phones. The overall feeling is that there’s sort of improvement, so stay tuned for more news and reports to come.

Dev Team has released their latest version of the iPhone jailbreaking utility, the Pwnage 2.0.2, including Cydia and Installer 4 beta. Still, no unlock for the iPhone 3G, only activating and jailbreaking. Yet, you can download other applications and patiently wait for the final version to be released. You can get the tool in here or here or here. Meanwhile WinPwn 2.0.0.4 has been released for the iPhone 2.0.1 firmware as well and it includes Installer support. You can get it here.

[via Dev Team]

Apple has just released firmware version 2.0.1 for iphone and ipod touch devices, available for downloading through your iTunes, 3 weeks after introducing the 2.0 buggy edition. The new update weights 250MB(!) and presumabley, blocks your jailbroken handsets, but not for long, we’re still waiting for Dev-Team to officialy release their ultimate software solution. Meanwhile, if you like your unlocked applications, you should patiently wait, otherwise, in-plan users can update their phone without any problems. Stay tuned for more bug fixing updates and other related news.

Update1: it seems the 3G network browsing works much faster than previous version. Checkout the video after the break.

Update2: several iPhone 3G users are reporting carrier error on both Windows and Mac OS X versions. In this case, restore to the previous 2.0 firmware.

[via slashgear]

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Windows OS users, this is your day, as Pwnage 2.0 version for your PC (AKA: WinPwn 2.0) has been released, allowing iPhone 1st Gen, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch users to jailbreak their devices and unlock their sim cards if necessary. Although it was already available, for early adopters, only 24 hours after the official Dev-Team Mac release, this one is much easier, especially with the ability to make your jailbroken handset – Sim Free – in one click. Mind you, this is only a preliminary version and it might have some bugs, so stay cautious while updating your device.

You can download the software from here or here or here.

read the instructions after the break.

Update: There are new versions available in here.

[via WinPwn]

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After days of expectations, Dev Team has finally released a software-based jailbreak for firmware update 2.0, installed on iPhone 3G, iPhone 1st Gen and iPod Touch devices. Although it is only Mac users compatible, Dev Team has promised to release PC friendly version in the near future, along with iphone 3G full unlocking version [You can download the jailbreaking software from here or here or here]. The new Pwnage 2.0 jailbreak can do the following:

iPhone 3G – Only activate and jailbreak, no unlock yet (no sim free).

iPhone 1st Gen (With firmware 2.0 installe.d) -  activate, jailbreak and unlock.

iPod Touch (With firmware 2.0 installed) – activate and jailbreak.

Mind you, there are plenty of people trying to get this one so be patient as you download those 19.7MB. Full instractions can be found in here.

Update1: that was fast! Jailbreak 2.0, now available for Windows OS users. You can get full instructions in here or here.

Update2: 24 hours later and there’s a new update that fixes some of the bugs from the first version. You can get it in here or here.

[via Dev-Team]

If you wanted to learn more about the main components that assemble your new iPhone 3G, the chips, the amps, the processors and the involved manufacturing companies, this is your chance to take a look at one the most detailed inside-views, as the guys from research firm Semiconductor Insights dissected the stellar handset into pieces, showing us who has done what. From the picture below, we understand that Infineon provides many of the components, including the GPS chip, the baseband chip, UMTS transceiver and the power management chip. In addition, we can see the  application processor, provided by Samsung and the power amplifiers, provided by Triquint and Skyworks, as Marvell brings the Bluetooth and the WIFI components while Toshiba is responsible for the internal flash memory of your phone. The rest stays the same as the first generation, with Samsung to supply the ARM11processor architecture, Wolfson the audio decoder chip, Broadcom the touchscreen controller, National Semiconductor’s MPL the display interface, etc. Hit the jump to checkout more pictures and to see the videos. To get a bigger view just click in here.

[via Semiconductor Insights]

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iPhone 3G has been launched couple days ago and we can already hear complaints of short battery life, caused by excessive 3G network and GPS usage. To solve this problem and let long distance travelers enjoy better and longer battery performance with their new handset, we’re glad to find the announcement of the Dexim BluePack extended battery solution, coming up on August and already available for pre-order. This new lithium ion battery for iPhone 3G provides a capacity of 1,200mAh, offering 36 additional hours for music, 7 additional hours for video, and 3.5 for communication, once charged via the USB connection. To get one for $79.72, hit the link below. There’s another picture after the break.

[via geekstuff4u]

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Today, After tons of rumors, speculations and some unsuccessful mockups, Apple is finally releasing the new iPhone second generation – known as the iPhone 3G, across 22 countries, on 8:00 AM local time. The new iPhone 2 will have a 3G HSDPA connection which will allow users to surf the web, download emails, get directions, and watch videos 2.4 x times faster than previous model and 36% faster than the Nokia N95 and Palm Treo 750 devices in pageloads (according to Apple).

The second biggest thing, other than moving to 3G network, is the built-in GPS navigation system that was added to the new iPhone 3G. GPS technology and iPhone software come together to bring users mobile phone mapping, enabling fast fix on your location, track your progress as you go, help you get from point A to point B, by using GPS-based iPhone maps and A-GPS technology, which assists getting the signals from GPS satellites, Wi-Fi hot spots, and cellular towers. Once you get the signal, a GPS blue indicator will turn on, so you will be able to start using the relevant applications. However, GPS on iPhone is active only when you need it. iPhone powers the GPS unit on and off quickly and automatically, so it won’t adversely affect the battery life. With the new technology, assimilated inside the handset, you will be able to get from the App store some cool applications that will let you take a photo with the camera, for example, and iPhone will geotag it with GPS location information. Another neat application is the Loopt, that will let you use location feeds to help you find friends on the go, within your range, wherever you are. Moreover, you will be able to receive live traffic information, indicating traffic speed along your route in easy-to-read green, red, and yellow highlights.

As for look and specifications, the new iPhone 3G has a nice rounded sleeky design with a curved glossy back, coming in black or white flavors. It has the same good old 3.5-inch multi-touchscreen, identical 2 megapixel camera at the back (no front camera for video chats) and a flush 3.5mm headphone jack. Battery life presents substantial improvement, with 300 hours of standby, 5 hours of 3G talk, 8-10 hours of 2G talk, 7 hours of video and 24 hours of audio. Dimensions pretty much stay the same, although the new iPhone 3G is a little bit thicker, with 12.3 mm or 0.48 inches. However, we hear that it is hard to feel this extra inch difference and the sleeky arched design makes it much more comfortable in your hands.

You can find the complete keynote video here.

To learn more about the 22 countries to launch the new iPhone 3G and to see full specs and tips, just hit the jump and move forward, after the break.

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