iPhone News Digest - Friday, August 24, 2007
Next up for the iPhone ... video games?
Used Cell Phone, Anyone?
Apple's iPhone Learning Curve
Does the iPhone's Touchscreen Keypad Slow You Down?
The 300-Page iPhone Bill to Disappear
How To Verify iPhone Hardware Is Working Correctly
iPhone: Default Email Client Error Message During Sync
Review: Rival Phones No Match For iPhone
Look Out For The iPhone Tax
Killer Apps for Mobile Phones
Next up for the iPhone ... video games?
Reuters' Scott Hillis reports:
Your iPhone should be an ideal device for playing video games.
After all, it has a gloriously large touch-sensitive screen and sensors that can detect when it's being tilted: a mash-up of the best features of Nintendo's DS handheld and Wii home console.
But games for Apple's iPhone are off to a slow start as the company concentrates instead on making sure the device's primary features of voice, music and Web browsing run smoothly.
"Apple wants to be focused on making sure the thing works as a core device," said Travis Boatman, vice president of worldwide studios for the mobile division of Electronic Arts Inc. "The first few iPods didn't support games but eventually they did."
Those of you with an IPhone can already play a number of games, but the first batch of titles has been mainly those that were hastily adapted to fit the screen's format.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2007-08-23-iphone-games_N.htm?csp=34
Used Cell Phone, Anyone?
BusinessWeek's Olga Kharif reports:
Haven't yet purchased a $599 iPhone? You're in luck. You can now buy the gadget directly from Apple for $100 less—that is, if you don't mind getting used goods.
Apple on Aug. 19 began selling refurbished versions of the music-playing mobile phone, which originally hit store shelves June 29. The consumer electronics maker joins a small but growing number of mobile-phone suppliers that are certifying, providing warranty support for, and selling used handsets in the U.S.
While Apple already sells refurbished Macintosh computers and iPod music players in the U.S., cell-phone makers and wireless carriers in general have been reluctant to offer used goods in this country. Until recently, used phone collectors have mainly shipped those goods to refurbishers overseas.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2007/tc20070822_318612.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily
Apple's iPhone Learning Curve
BusinessWeek's Arik Hesseldahl reports:
Whenever anything complex is manufactured in large quantities, there's bound to be a certain amount of failure.
When the product being manufactured is as complex as an iPhone, where there are a scores of components, each of them complex in their own right and subject to their own potential failures, then the mathematical likelihood of a glitch in the final product increases.
What's important about bugs or glitches in any new product, annoying as they may be, is what the manufacturer learns from each individual episode and what's done about it to ensure that it doesn't recur. Henry Ford called failure an opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2007/tc20070822_235729.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily
Does the iPhone's Touchscreen Keypad Slow You Down?
The Guardian's Bobbie Johnson says:
Yes, but perhaps it's not as bad as a new study suggests. The net was aflame this week after one study from the US suggested that typing on the iPhone takes twice as long as on more traditional handsets.
User Centric, an American consultancy that looks at usability, attracted lots of attention by claiming that the buttonless touchscreen interface was seriously hampering those used to their old phone's ordinary keypads.
The impact was clear: "For Qwerty users, texting was fast and accurate," said Jen Allen, a usability specialist with the company. "But when they switched to the iPhone, they were frustrated with the touch-sensitive keyboard."
For the full report visit here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/23/guardianweeklytechnologysection.apple
The 300-Page iPhone Bill to Disappear
PC World's Melissa J. Perenson reports:
A week after the brouhaha of the 300-page iPhone bill and other customer complaints, AT&T Wireless has announced its new plan for handling iPhone billing.
AT&T notified users yesterday via text message of the change. IPhone users received the following text: "We are simplying your paper bill, removing itemized detail. To view all detail, go to att.com/mywireless. Still need full paper bill? Call 611."...
Now, AT&T is changing the default billing option for iPhone users. If you're a new customer and want the detailed bill, you will be charged $1.99 a month per phone line. Likewise, current iPhone customers who make changes to their existing account after September 28 will be charged $1.99 for the detailed bill.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136338-pg,1/article.html
How To Verify iPhone Hardware Is Working Correctly
A new Apple Knowledge Base article says:
If you have issues with your iPhone, try these tips first.
Will not power on
Unable to make or receive calls
Display image issues
Display does not go into wide-screen mode
Touchscreen not working
Camera is not functioning
iPhone will not lock when answering calls
iPhone will not lock or unlock
Will not go into airplane mode
No cell signal strength anywhere
Battery does not charge from the iPhone charger
Battery life seems short
Third-party accessory not working
SIM card not detected by iPhone
Low microphone volume
Can't hear through the receiver and speaker phone and can't be heard
Sound from receiver is muffled or too low
No sound through stereo headset
No sound from the speaker phone
My issues is still not resolved. What do I do next?
For full details, visit:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305689
iPhone: Default Email Client Error Message During Sync
A new Apple Knowledge Base article says:
Issue or symptom.
When syncing iPhone, you may receive an error message that states:
"Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill the messaging request. Please run Microsoft Office Outlook and set it as the default mail client."
Products affected
• iPhone
• Microsoft Windows XP
• Microsoft Windows Vista
Solution
The solution is to set your default email client in the Control Panel
For full details, visit:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306330
Review: Rival Phones No Match For iPhone
AP's Peter Svensson says:
The iPhone makes me mad.
Not, mind you, at the iPhone itself, but mad at cell-phone manufacturers who have saddled us for years with interfaces that lure us into labyrinths of menus.
The buttons that are supposed to guide us through this maze do different things on every screen: a single button can mean "Back" on one screen, "Cancel" on another, "Exit" on a third.
The iPhone has one button on its face. It always does the same thing: takes you to the top menu, where icons representing all functions of the phone — music player, Internet browser and more — are laid out in a clear manner. Wham, you're out of the labyrinth.
This makes me mad, because this isn't just the way it should be done, it's the way it always should have been done. This became clear to me as I set out to look at the iPhone along with two other top-of-the-line phones, the Nokia N95 and Helio's Ocean.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070823/ap_on_hi_te/tech_test_luxury_phones
Look Out For The iPhone Tax
Seekinf Alpha reports:
Paul Callahan submits: Financial Times recently reported that Apple has signed several deals in Europe: T-Mobile Germany, Orange France, and O2 UK. Apparently, the mobile operators have agreed to fork over as much as 10% of the revenues resulting from the use of the iPhones on their networks.
Round one definitely goes to Apple in this boxing match. This is a brilliant move. Nothing is harder for mobile operators to do, than giving up a piece of their revenue per user. Not sure this is true? Take a read through any mobile operators quarterly earnings slides and see how they crow about increasing average revenue per user [ARPU].
For the full report visit here:
http://ce.seekingalpha.com/article/45400?source=feed
Killer Apps for Mobile Phones
PCMag's Molly K. McLaughlin reports:
In a recent column, cell phone guru Sascha Segan attacked the idea that cell phones are mere frivolous gadgets, maintaining these devices are indeed true portable PCs complete with processors, color displays, networking and audio subsystems. He went on further to argue that mobile phones are capable of running all sorts of extremely useful applications. It's true, your cell phone is not just a voice communicator, and it can do so much more than you may realize. We've reviewed many third-party mobile applications available for download, all of which serve to keep you connected, get work done, or entertain while you're on the go. Here's are some of our favorites.....
You can check it out at:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2174201,00.asp
Charles W. Moore
