Device Arena

Apple Inc, which helped spawn the PDA market with its Newton MessagePad line in the early ’90s, plans to give the concept another go with a modern day reincarnation of the old fan favorite based on the company’s new mutli-touch technology, AppleInsider has learned.

For Apple, the ongoing project represents its second stab at reinventing the PDA since the Newton met its fate in the late 90’s — the first of which never saw the light of day and is only known to have existed based on a one-off comment from chief executive Steve Jobs over three years ago.

Speaking at the 2004 edition of the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference, Jobs stated that he was proud not only of the products Apple had released in recent years, but also the products the company had decided not to ship.

When asked by an audience member to elaborate, Jobs said simply, “an Apple PDA.”

It appears that Jobs and Co. never gave up hope, and instead returned to the drawing board. For the past 18 months, well-respected sources tell AppleInsider, a small team of Apple engineers have been at it again, this time tapping the company’s revolutionary multi-touch technology as a foundation.

During that time, sources have observed the project slip in and out of limbo, as Apple struggled to meet its self-imposed June, 2007 launch date for the iPhone. In at least two instances, the company pulled software engineers off the project to assist in the completion of the iPhone software, only to return those same engineers to the their original task months later.

With the initial iPhone now out the door and two successive models well underway in Apple’s labs, it’s believed to be full steam ahead for the modern day Newton project. Like iPhone and the iPod touch, the new device runs an embedded version of Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard operating system.

Externally, the mutil-touch PDA has been described by sources as an ultra-thin “slate” akin to the iPhone, about 1.5 times the size and sporting an approximate 720×480 high-resolution display that comprises almost the entire surface of the unit. The device is further believed to leverage multi-touch concepts which have yet to gain widespread adoption in Apple’s existing multi-touch products — the iPhone and iPod touch — like drag-and-drop and copy-and-paste.

Artist rendition showing approximate size ratio to existing Apple handhelds | Artwork by audiopollution.

More broadly characterized as Apple’s answer to the ultra-mobile PC, the next-gen device is believed to be tracking for a release sometime in the first half of 2008. Assuming the project remains clear of roadblocks, sources believe it could make an inaugural appearance during Jobs’ Macworld keynote in January alongside some new Mac offerings. Still, manufacturing ramp and availability would seem unlikely until closer to mid-year, those same sources say.

As AppleInsider has hinted, the next-gen PDA will signal the advent of a fifth core business segment (fourth if you discount Apple TV) for Apple, but at the same time represent just smidgen of what’s to come from the company’s new multi-touch platform, which has already proven to be a game-changer.

AppleInsider

Welcome to the real world, Apollo IM. The little IM app that could has just graduated to Version 1.0 status, bringing a host of improvements along with it. In addition to AIM, the program now supports MSN and ICQ. It also allows for multiple simultaneous logins. Yes! It’s still not the sexiest looking iPhone application out there, but in terms of functionality, it is now rock solid in terms of stability, and in usability.

The buddy list is now sectioned off by account and aliased buddy names are now supported, too. The true shame here is that there’s no guarantee that this, or any other iPhone application, will continue to work following the impending 1.03 / 1.1.1 firmware update. 1.02 for life.

The Boy Genius Report

Apple said on Monday that programs available on the Internet that allow the iPhone to be used with other service providers besides AT&T’s Cingular network can irreparably damage the device.

Apple, which also makes the Mac computer, the iPod digital music player and runs the iTunes online store, said once an Apple-supplied software update is installed on the iPhone, it “will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable.”

Since the iPhone’s introduction at the end of June, Apple has said it expects to sell 1 million units by the end of this month. In the first two days it was on sale, Apple said it sold 270,000 of the gadgets.

“We are not doing anything proactively to disable iPhones that have been hacked or unlocked,” Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of worldwide product marking told Reuters.

Asked how widespread the practice of downloading unlocking software, he replied, “We do not know.”

The Cupertino, California-based company also said an iPhone that fails to work because of the installation of the unlocking software is not covered under the warranty.

Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update later this week, the company said in a statement. In the United States, is the only authorized service provider for the iPhone.

“Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones,” the company said.

There are a number of unlocking software programs on the Internet, and, at least two of them, iUnlock and Anysim, can cause the iPhone to stop working once its software is updated, Schiller said. “There may be others, but we don’t know all of them,” he said.

Apple sharply cut the price of the iPhone earlier this month and revamped its full iPod line, adding a model that can browse the Web and buy songs wirelessly.

He declined to comment on the company’s financial performance so far in the quarter or its expectations for sales in the holiday sales period at the end of the year.

In the past few weeks, Apple and telecommunications service providers in Europe have been announcing deals to provide service for the iPhone, which handles phone calls, surfs the Internet, and sends instant messages and e-mail.

The rise came after Citigroup raised its share-price target for the company. In extended trade, the stock eased by 8 cents. So far this year, the stock is up about 73%.

CNBC

Following news that Orange has been chosen as Apple’s carrier for the iPhone in France, Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Research, said that Apple’s ability to find carrier partners has been “very impressive.” Orange’s ability to accommodate Wi-Fi for the iPhone was clearly one of the selection factors for Apple.

Apple is partnering with Orange. That exclusive, and potentially flavorful, partnership for the iPhone launch in France was announced Thursday by Orange Chief Executive Didier Lombard, according to a Reuters news report.
A spokesperson for the company has confirmed to the news service that Lombard announced the deal-signing at an industry event in Hanoi. No formal announcement has yet been posted on the Web sites of Apple, Orange, or Orange’s parent company, France Telecom. A formal announcement is expected at the Apple Expo in Paris on Monday.

Orange Joins T-Mobile, O2

Earlier this week, Apple announced deals for carrier partnerships in the United Kingdom with O2 and in Germany with Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile. Both of those launches are scheduled for November 9, but the launch date in France has not yet been released. According to some reports on the Web, the French launch will be November 29. Pricing has not yet been released.

Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with industry research firm Jupiter Research, said that Apple’s ability to find carrier partners to “do what it takes to be part of this ecosystem” has been “very impressive.”

But he cautioned that European users, in France and elsewhere, have some different expectations of mobile phone usage. Subsidies of phone purchases by carriers are common, for instance, although Orange has told news outlets that it won’t subsidize the iPhone.

Text messaging is also more widespread there. “Users will have to adjust to the lack of a physical keyboard” on the iPhone, he noted.

3G, EDGE, Wi-Fi

Another difference in Europe is a wider use of 3G. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has said that 3G impacts the device’s battery life, and won’t be available on the iPhone until at least next year. Wi-Fi networks can be used by the iPhone when available. Otherwise, the device relies on the slower EDGE for data transfers.

The selected carrier’s ability to accommodate Wi-Fi was clearly one of the selection factors. France Telecom reportedly has about 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots. In Germany, T-Mobile has about 8,600, and, with a worldwide total of about 20,000, was described by Apple as “the biggest Wi-Fi provider in the world.”

In the UK, carrier O2 will need to spend millions of pounds to upgrade its network so that 30 percent of it can handle EDGE, according the Times Online, and a deal was struck with the Cloud for access to 7,500 Wi-Fi hotspots there.

But there are also other challenges for Apple in Europe. For instance, this launch is taking place after hackers have come up with ways to unlock the iPhone and make it usable on other networks. Some observers have suggested that the door could now be open to widespread illegal use, but others note that Apple has at least one ace up its sleeve - iTunes.

The online music service is becoming a central portal for iPhone activation and other communications with the customer, as well as providing one of the major values of the combined media player/phone/Internet viewer. The hacks are not expected to outlive firmware iPhone updates delivered through iTunes.

NewsFactor

Apple® and T-Mobile today announced that T-Mobile, the leading network operator in Germany, will be the exclusive German carrier of Apple’s revolutionary iPhone™ when it makes its debut in Germany on November 9. iPhone combines three devices into one—a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod®, and the best mobile Internet device ever—all based on Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers. Apple sold its one millionth iPhone just 74 days after it went on sale in the U.S. on June 29.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with T-Mobile to bring the iPhone to Germany,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Customer response to iPhone in the US has been incredible, and we can’t wait to introduce T-Mobile customers to the most revolutionary mobile device on the planet.”

“We are convinced that we can get our customers excited about experiencing the mobile internet with the iPhone,” said Hamid Akhavan, CEO, T-Mobile International. “I am proud that Apple and T-Mobile have become partners. The best mobile device currently on the market will soon be operating on the best network in the country.”

In addition to all the revolutionary features that made iPhone so popular in the US, iPhone users in Germany will have access to Apple’s latest music offerings on iPhone including the recently launched iTunes® Wi-Fi Music Store. The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store offers customers the ability to browse, search, preview, purchase and download songs and albums from iTunes over the built-in Wi-Fi on their iPhone. No computer is required and when the customer connects their iPhone back with the PC or Mac, their music automatically syncs back into their iTunes library.

The T-Mobile network will also support iPhone’s unique Visual Voicemail feature, which enables users to immediately randomly access those messages that interest them most.

By the end of 2007, T-Mobile will be the only network operator in Germany to offer EDGE throughout its entire GSM network. EDGE accelerates the mobile data transfer rate to over 220 Kilobits per second, which makes it almost four times as fast as ISDN in fixed-line networks. With EDGE, the German market leader offers its customers 100 percent broadband – anywhere and at any time. With 20,000 HotSpots worldwide, T-Mobile is the biggest Wi-Fi provider in the world. Of those HotSpots, 8,600 are in Germany, where HotSpot users can achieve download speeds of up to 11 megabytes per second.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone is scheduled to go on sale on November 9 and will be sold in Germany through Telekom Shops of Deutsche Telekom and the T-Mobile web shop. iPhone requires a new 2-year T-Mobile tariff and will be available in an 8GB model for ?399 including V.A.T. and will work with either a PC or Mac.

iPhone activation will require an Internet connection; an iTunes Store account or a major credit card; the latest version of iTunes available at www.itunes.de and a PC or Mac with a USB 2.0 port and one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later; or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate Edition.

The Apple iPhone: some call it a hype, others think the device is far “over-hyped”. It doesn’t matter, not earlier in human history has a device received so much media attention as the Apple iPhone. After the Apple iPhone reached the market in the United States in July, Europe was screaming for the iPhone and it is now finally coming. Today Apple and O2 fficially announced to bring the Apple iPhone on the Great Britain markat at the ninth of November, this in combination with the network O2.

Apple offers the Apple iPhone with O2 for 269 pounds, which is not even 400 euro. It will come with new call packages which vary from 35 to 55 euro. In order to become the owner of an iPhone customers will have to sign for a contract with a minimum of one and a half year.

The Apple iPhone, as it is sold in the United States, literally flies to the European continent. The expectation that Apple would come with a 3G version of the device for Europe eventually turned out to be dream because the device that comes with an O2 subscription is just the same as the one that is sold in the United States. This means that customers will only be able to make data connections with the slow GPRS (with speeds up to 43.2 Kbit/s) or with the EDGE network. O2 has a limited EDGE network in Great Britain and that is why faster connections with the EDGE network will not always be possible. Due to this, many clients will have to reach the internet and e-mail box with help of the slow GPRS and this could break the European success of the iPhone.

Start shot has sounded
The start shot has sounded with the Apple iPhone for Great Britain. The expectation is that the rest of Europe will soon follow. Rumour goes that Orange would launch the device on the French market at the 29th of November. The expectation is also that T-Mobile will bring the device to several countries. Deutsche Telekom, head company of T-Mobile, will have a press conference in Berlin tomorrow where they will probably announce the iPhone with T-Mobile.

The question about how users will reach the internet and e-mail with the device is interresting. A lot of European countries do not even offer an EDGE network anymore. So, all hopes are focussed on a 3G variant of the Apple iPhone, which could possibly be launched in Berlin tomorrow.

Mobile Phone Helpdesk

Apple finally announced officially the carrier which will sell exclusively the Euro iPhone in the UK - it comes as no surprise that O2 will be cashing on this deal since rumors about that have been going on for quite some time now. Steve Jobs was unwilling to comment on the selected carriers for the rest of the European countries just now. Let us remind you that it’s expected that T-Mobile will sell iPhone in Germany, and Orange in France.

What is more important than the choice of carriers is that Apple has shed some light on the EuroPhone specs for the first time. The European iPhone will see no hardware changes in comparison to the US one. After all the critical reviewes out there, one would easily think that Apple would try harder this time and would make a take two on the iPhone. But unfortunately, it won’t kick in 3G and the camera will remain a 2 megapixel one - obviously we expected to see some changes in vain. According to Steve Jobs Wi-Fi and EDGE are the only protocols which will deliver high-speed data transfers to the device. The European iPhone 8GB will be sold for GBP 269 incl. VAT or around EUR 390 which makes it a good deal more expensive than the American version (USD 399). The future O2 customers will sign an 18-month contract (plans start from GBP 35) with unlimited data rates but with a twist - the data transfers are quoted as unlimited but with a fair usage agreement clause which will limit the data transfers for up to estimated 1400 internet pages per day - go figure! Further on O2 has made a deal with Cloud as a free Wi-Fi internet provider for the iPhone owners (7500 hot spots throughout the country). The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store will also hit UK really soon.

New European owners will have to go through the same iTunes procedure in order to activate their iPhone full functionality. Still, no native third-party applications will be allowed and the only thing the iPhone is left with is web applications.

Another interesting piece of news is also that from 1st October O2 will be offering unlimited data packages to all of their customers. The European iPhone itself will hit the shelves as of November 9 and Carphone Warehouse will also be involved as a distributor.

GSMArena