After not one, but two rounds of distribution to developers, it looks like v2.2 of the iPhone firmware might be ready for release.
According to information obtained by iPhoneHellas, we’ll have our hands on this oft-discussed and much leaked software update come November 21st - just 10 days from now. The leak didn’t indicate anything new in the firmware that we haven’t already heard about, so anybody still hoping for copy and paste in v2.2 might to just give up - and by “give up”, we mean start nagging louder so we see it in 2.3.
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In a move that’s a bit removed from the standard procedure we’ve come to know from Nokia (and every other mobile company, for that matter), the Nokia E63 has made its first authorized debut by way of review units shipped out from Nokia’s WOM World blogger relations group. That’s right: the device hasn’t even been announced yet, and a few lucky bloggers out there are already pawing at it in the comfort of their own home.
While companies will occasionally send review stuff out a bit early if the device’s shelf date is particularly close to the announcement day, there’s usually an embargo in place to keep us from talking about it until after it’s been formally announced. As long as none of the folks who are posting about this are breaking embargo to do so, it looks like Nokia may be toying with the protocol a bit to shave down some of the more trivial aspects. Sounds good to us!
[Via Symbian Guru, Pic via Rob's Digital Life]
If we piece together a couple of Verizon sources, the BlackBerry Storm will launch on November 17, 2008 for $219 with a two-year contract. None of this is of course confirmed through VZW, but it seems to fit the timetable and price point.
Verizon needs to get this BlackBerry out before the holidays as some suits will want to treat themselves to a new CrackBerry as a stocking stuffer. Plus, Verizon does not have a true iPhone killer yet and while the Storm will not slay the king, it’s the closest thing on the market so the price must be close to the iP3G’s $199 entry price.
Once again, none of this is confirmed but Verizon must be close to releasing this BlackBerry. What are they waiting for?
ZDNet - Release date
HoFo via Eng - Price
I haven’t run into any surfers with iPhones, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. Today, Oakley (the guys that make those hideous Thump sunglasses) and Surfline announced their free app: Surf Report.
There’s only one other surf-forecasting app, GreenRoom Surf Forecasts, available today and it costs $2.99. It’s limited to spots in California, but you can get a seven-day forecast whereas Surf Report only provides up to three days. However, Oakley’s app is free and you can’t beat that. Read the rest of this entry »
If a picture of four dudes holding the phone while each demonstrates a different awkward facial expression doesn’t make you want the LG Edge (LG-SH470), nothing will.
Actually, even if it does make you want the phone, you’re probably out of luck. Unless you live in Korea or select parts of Europe, this one won’t be part of your local lineup. Don’t be too crushed, though - besides an LED touchpad and some slim stylings, it’s all pretty standard. When I’m running out of features to list after just ‘LED touchpad’, ‘2.2″ LCD’ and ‘2 megapixel camera’, you know it’s a model you’ll probably never hear of again.
After an early product leak and a much-appreciated name change, the Quickfire has made its way to the shelves of your local AT&T spot.
Packing a touchscreen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3G, a 1.3 megapixel cam, and a form factor not unlike that of the Danger Sidekick series, this one comes in at a pocket-friendly $99 on a two-year contract. For those looking for a solid texting device who don’t mind the proprietary operating system, the Quickfire probably won’t do you wrong.
When it comes to charging for mobile apps, payments usually have to go through either the carriers or one of the emerging mobile app platforms such as Apple or Google’s Android. The problem with charging for an iPhone app through iTunes is that Apple takes 30 percent. A startup called Billing Revolution wants to charge about one tenth as much for a seamless, mobile one-click shopping experience. Already available on other phones, Billing Revolution is announcing availability today for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android apps.
Once a consumer signs up to pay for things through Billing Revolution, he is presented with an Amazon-like one-click payment option no matter what app is using it. (Didn’t Amazon patent that?). Billing Revolution charges a 3.5 percent transaction fee plus 50 cents per transaction.
That pretty much kills any app developer using it for micro-transactions. Nobody is going to sell a digital song for $1.00 if they need to pay Billing Revolution 53.5 cents. But it could become an option for larger purchases, and as a way to charge for premium subscriptions for apps that build adoption with a lighter-weight free version.
It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 might almost be here. BGR has some shots of Best Buy’s internal stock showing a December 7th in-stock date and an unlocked selling price of $799. That’s a lot of coin, so we can only assume that it’ll be the greatest phone in the history of cellular telephony, right?
When the economy takes a hit, so do cell phone sales. Last quarter, mobile phone sales in the U.S. dropped 15 percent to 32 million units, according to market research firm NPD Group. But in hard times, the strongest brands also take share. And that is exactly what Apple did.
The 6.9 million iPhones it sold last quarter catapulted the $200 device into the top spot among all cell phones, even beating out the much cheaper and still-popular Motorola Razr. (Yes, they still sell that thing. They just don’t make any money off of it.)
Here are the top five phones sold last quarter, according to the NPD Group:
1. Apple iPhone 3G
2. Motorola RAZR V3 (all models)
3. RIM Blackberry Curve (all models)
4. LG Rumor
5. LG enV2
Note that the BlackBerry Curve is No.3. Who says expensive smart phones are only for geeks? Everybody is getting one.
AT&T bought Centennial Communications Corp for $944 million today in order improve AT&T’s coverage in the Midwest, Southeast, and Puerto Rico.
The purchase will add 1.1 million customers to AT&T’s 74.9 million base. The move follows Verizon’s purchase of Alltel last week.
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