According to Wired's Gadget Lab, the problems with the iPhone's 3G performance is all about the network. This is based on a (decidedly) unscientific study of 4,200 iPhone 3G users around the world, which they published on Monday. Besides the fact that this spreads the sample in any particular area pretty thin, worldwide as the survey was, there's one thing I would love to see that wasn't done with this survey. More on that later.
On Friday, Apple's iPhone went on sale in 21 other countries, including India and Poland as iPhone 3G Rollout Phase II began. While demand for the iPhone 3G has been loud and clear in many countries so far (unlike 3G service on the device), the iPhone isn't quite such a hot commodity in the newly launched set countries.
There's something definitely wrong with the iPhone's 3G reception. The evidence is undeniable, and as it's scattered across the globe, it sure can't be completely blamed on AT&T, much as we might want to.
If you have an AT&T Premier account, through your work or other means, anyway. Yep, although AT&T and Apple aren't going to sell it online to everyone, as they did with the original iPhone, you can order it through AT&T, if you don't mind waiting 7 - 10 business days for delivery (of course, this also means you don't have to stand in line).
I have a question: why are all these researchers and carriers who believe they have pinpointed the iPhone's 3G reception problem in Europe (forcing me to use translation software, too)?
While there's no answer to that question, a Swedish scientist seems to think he has the answer to poor 3G performance on the iPhone 3G: poor signal sensitivity.
The finger-pointing has begun. Much has been made over the iPhone's 3G connectivity issues on AT&T's network, and some (including me) have pointed to the fact that AT&T's 3G network performance isn't exactly stellar. Of course, that doesn't mean it's still not an Apple issue.
T-Mobile, on the other hand, made no bones about it: the issue lies with the iPhone 3G itself, either in software or hardware.
It's baaaaack! NetShare, Nullriver's iPhone tethering application which allows users to turn their iPhone into a modem to use with their PC or laptop, after appearing and disappearing, is back in the App Store (click above to enlarge).
Copy & Paste functionality is one of the most desired iPhone features, and as such, software developers Proximi may have struck gold with MagicPad, which they recently submitted for inclusion to the App Store.
Monday at an FCC hearing held at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh entitled "Broadband and the Digital Future," AT&T Senior Federal Regulatory Vice President Robert Quinn spoke and outlined a plan for instituting tiered service, starting in October. But wait, it's not what you're thinking!
As hackers get more sophisticated, the time it takes them to unlock devices such as the iPhone becomes shorter and shorter. Much as with DRM on CDs and DVDs, the question must be asked: are companies like AT&T and Apple simply hurting honest consumers in their quest to hang onto a monopoly?
Yes, Virginia, there is cellular phone news that doesn't involve the iPhone. That doesn't mean I won't mention it at least once - or twice.
AT&T and Palm have lowered the price of the Centro to $69.99.
I commented on this earlier - I was concerned that the in-store activation would take a long time, or worse, totally fail. Looking at how complex it was going to be, it seemed obvious. And now real-life experiences show I was right.
For some reason, Apple felt it necessary to remind us on Thursday that the iPhone 3G launches on Friday (via a press release). At the same time, however, iTunes 7.7 became available, and you can already access the App Store using it.
Canadian wireless carrier Rogers has been criticized over the service plans it announced for the iPhone 3G (and that's putting it mildly). On Wednesday they announced a new data plan that can be added to existing voice plans, with 6 GB of data for $30. While not unlimited, it's significantly better than the 2 GB maximum plan previously announced.
There are tons of coffee shops and cafes offering free wi-fi, and Starbucks has been feeling a little green with envy over all those people sitting there surfing the web - and buying nothing. Still, on Tuesday, Starbucks began offering free wi-fi, with limits.
Import Genius seems to think that some mysteriously labeled containers may be the first evidence of shipments of the 3G iPhone into the U.S. According to Import Genius, it's seen a "major spike" since mid March in ocean containers marked with a mysterious new label: "electric computers."
Apple's WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC), which runs from June 9 - 13, nearly a month away, is already sold out. Amazingly, it's never sold out before. Now why is a ticket to this year's WWDC so hot?
You know that AT&T has hotspots all over, especially now that they have them at Starbucks in addition to McDonald's and Barnes & Noble. While starting on Thursday, folks with AT&T DSL already get free use of these sites, so do those with AT&T's favorite smartphone: the iPhone.
An 18-year-old Greensburg, Pennsyvania man has been charged with raping a his girlfriend's 5-month-old baby girl. The baby had been left in the care of Scott Wade Smith while the mother was in class at her high school.
Finally, iPhone owners no longer have to mope around with a feeling of shame and embarrassment in their hearts: AT&T has blessed them with an "unlimited" calling plan.
