Apple iPhone news

[MaxBuck]

... She got it for free when my parents bought this car (1978 Ford Mustang):

Not the best model year for the Mustang.

 

[jlb1705]

Nope, but still better than the K-Car looking ones they came out with right after that.

 

[jwinslow]

Dance puppets!

Motorola Backflip doesn't allow non-Market apps, proves AT&T doesn't get Android -- Engadget

Let's step into the time warp, shall we? Specifically, we'd like to go back to our interview of AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega at MWC last year when we asked him about the carrier's support for Android (or lack thereof):
...
A year later, enter the Motorola Backflip -- AT&T's very first Android device. Does it hold true to de la Vega's principles? Well, it depends on whose glasses you read the statements through. Yes, true, it definitely doesn't have "primarily Google apps on it" thanks to the carrier's questionable decision to remove Google search and replace it with Yahoo -- but as for giving "customers the choice of other applications," that's another matter altogether. It seems that Backflips are being shipped without the ability to turn on non-Market installations, meaning that AT&T has effectively locked you into getting all of your content through the walled garden. Add in the Yahoo debacle and the egregious amount of unremovable crapware they've left in ROM, and we start to wonder: why did AT&T bother partnering up with Android if they weren't going to take it seriously? Certainly doesn't bode well for the Mini 3 and the rest of the pack, now, does it?

AT&T Ditches Google For Yahoo Search on Motorola Backflip - Motorola backflip - Gizmodo

AT&T's first Android phone won't ship with Google Search. Instead, The Motorola Backflip's home screen will sport a Yahoo Search widget, and its browser will run Yahoo searches by default. Yep. I think that's what they call a burn. It'll be the first Android device of any kind with Yahoo as the main search engine, which makes sense: Android is Google's platform, so Google Search is a natural fit. But Android's also an open platform, which means that carriers can do with it what they please?including denying its creator a chunk of valuable search revenue.
AT&T's undisputed bread and butter is the iPhone, which means that appeasing Apple is high on their priority list. And it's hard to see what other advantage this move has for the carrier other than scoring a point in their patron's favor in the escalating Apple-Google feud.
There are four more AT&T Android phones on the horizon, and it'll be interesting to see how many of them follow this same track.

...cont'd

 

[OCBucksFan]

Heh, I was just reading this and about to post it. Looks like AT&T took an Android phone and set out to make it look bad.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

ATT Pricing Change (for the better)

From my wife:

AT&T Unlimited Plan Pricing Change
Just an fyi, AT&T has changed its' pricing plan for unlimited monthly minutes from $99.99 to $69.99. You do have to call to get the new pricing, but it does not effect the duration of your contract. Just a heads up to anyone out there using AT&T as your business/home office line.

Have not verified for myself as of yet, but a heads up regardless...

 

[MaxBuck]

My wife has unlimited voice-only on AT&T for $29.99 a month. When they've tried to jack up the rate, she says, "OK. I'll get back to you with who will be my new carrier so we can port the number." They then let her keep the old rate.

Pays to negotiate.

 

[OCBucksFan]

All Your Apps Are Belong to Apple: The iPhone Developer Program License Agreement | Electronic Frontier Foundation

App Store Only: Section 7.2 makes it clear that any applications developed using Apple's SDK may only be publicly distributed through the App Store, and that Apple can reject an app for any reason, even if it meets all the formal requirements disclosed by Apple. So if you use the SDK and your app is rejected by Apple, you're prohibited from distributing it through competing app stores like Cydia or Rock Your Phone.

Ban on Reverse Engineering: Section 2.6 prohibits any reverse engineering (including the kinds of reverse engineering for interoperability that courts have recognized as a fair use under copyright law), as well as anything that would "enable others" to reverse engineer, the SDK or iPhone OS.

No Tinkering with Any Apple Products: Section 3.2(e) is the "ban on jailbreaking" provision that received some attention when it was introduced last year. Surprisingly, however, it appears to prohibit developers from tinkering with any Apple software or technology, not just the iPhone, or "enabling others to do so." For example, this could mean that iPhone app developers are forbidden from making iPods interoperate with open source software, for example.

You will not, through use of the Apple Software, services or otherwise create any Application or other program that would disable, hack, or otherwise interfere with the Security Solution, or any security, digital signing, digital rights management, verification or authentication mechanisms implemented in or by the iPhone operating system software, iPod Touch operating system software, this Apple Software, any services or other Apple software or technology, or enable others to do so

Kill Your App Any Time: Section 8 makes it clear that Apple can "revoke the digital certificate of any of Your Applications at any time." Steve Jobs has confirmed that Apple can remotely disable apps, even after they have been installed by users. This contract provision would appear to allow that.

Steve Jobs is a control freak? You don't say...

 

[Dryden]

From my wife:

AT&T Unlimited Plan Pricing Change
Just an fyi, AT&T has changed its' pricing plan for unlimited monthly minutes from $99.99 to $69.99. You do have to call to get the new pricing, but it does not effect the duration of your contract. Just a heads up to anyone out there using AT&T as your business/home office line.

Have not verified for myself as of yet, but a heads up regardless...

Just checked online in my account manager and it does show that Nationwide Unlimited is now only $70, however, for the family talk plan it's an additional $50 per line, as opposed to $10 per line on the other limited/rated plans with rollover.

 

[Bleed S & G]

Awesome. Free money.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Attention Citizens of Buckeye Planet: The iphone is NO LONGER trendy. When I think iphone, I think some skanky Korean-American chick in way too high heels and a way too short miniskirt stumbling her way into a mediocre restaurant with her iphone plastered to her ear thinking that the dining room is going to be impressed.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Jesus, is he trying to give himself a reach-a-round?

 

[MaxBuck]

When I think iphone, I think some skanky Korean-American chick in way too high heels and a way too short miniskirt ...

What, precisely, is the problem here?

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

What, precisely, is the problem here?

Look, I understand why the Japanese (who were truly worthy adversaries) chose to turn Korea into one big labor camp/whorehouse for their soldiers. It's just that Koreans are not...well....ummm....they're not worthy adversaries. Take the stereotypical dumb--but exceedingly self-important--Asian chick who's really a 5 but thinks she's a 9 because of the AFS (Asian Fetish Syndrome), and I'll guarantee you that nine times out of ten, she's Korean. Slap an iphone on her ear, and she thinks she's a 9 and a half.

 

[OCBucksFan]

Attention Citizens of Buckeye Planet: The iphone is NO LONGER trendy. When I think iphone, I think some skanky Korean-American chick in way too high heels and a way too short miniskirt stumbling her way into a mediocre restaurant with her iphone plastered to her ear thinking that the dining room is going to be impressed.

I don't think it's about trendy or not, it's a great device, but Jobs is doing his best to fucking kill it. He has a market strategy in place, kids get the ipod touch, once they are old enough they want an iphone, and around the house there's the ipad, we'll see how that does.

The marketing is genius, but now he's starting to punish developers and instead of creating better products, he's going to sue the competition, it's bullshit tactics. 2 weeks ago I was like "this should be awesome, google and apple going at it, two very creative companies, boy the consumer is going to love this one"

Then... Apple pulls the chickenshit tactic of going after the smallest company they could, if they win that suit, they beat google without ever having to fight them.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Then... Apple pulls the chicken[censored] tactic of going after the smallest company they could, if they win that suit, they beat google without ever having to fight them.

So basically it's coming down to douchey, overly pretentious Steven Jobs vs. Skynet.

Somehow I'm pining for the quaint, Golden days of Bill Gates vs. IBM.