iphone

The next time you catch crap from your tool buddies for carrying such a gadget-geeky cell, tell them to kiss your iPhone-carrying ass. Then point them here to see how handy Apple’s finest can be in the hands of a Toolmonger. I’ve found dozens of shop-friendly uses for my phone. Launch the gallery here to see five.

When Google squelched rumors of the all-powerful “G-phone” last November, we admit we were a bit bummed. Instead of an inexpensive smartphone that would free us from our carrier overlords, Google had been working on software—an open-source, mobile operating system called Android. Great name, but will unlocking cellphone code really change things for consumers?

Miner says that more than 750,000 developers have downloaded the tool required to write an Android-based program, four times as many as accessed the iPhone’s tightly regulated kit. That means Android users could have far more mobile applications to choose from. But we still don’t know how those apps will stack up next to Apple’s. Android-equipped phones—set to go on sale this summer—should be less expensive than the iPhone, since manufacturers won’t have to pay licensing fees for the software. But instead of getting free, ad-subsidized service, like Google’s e-mail, you’ll still shell out to carriers. Which makes us wonder: Is this really so new, or just another offering in the crowded mobile market? We spoke with Rich Miner, head of Google’s mobile-platform division, for some clarity.

One of the bigger announcements at the Steve Job's keynote presentation today was the new App Store—a native application on the iPhone that will allow users to purchase, download and install third-party software for their phones. It's the only place iPhone owners can get the software, and most of the keynote today was dedicated to highlighting programs already created using the software developers kit.

Fitting for a programmers conference, this Apple keynote focused on software—and the announcement of a new iPhone felt almost like an afterthought. Nearly an hour of the keynote was dedicated to a parade of developers who had built iPhone programs using the software developers kit (SDK). But is it really as easy to write iPhone apps as Apple says it is?

Well, the official announcement is in—and it's exactly what we were all expecting. The new iPhone, equipped with 3G, GPS, and a much slimmer price, will be available for purchase in 22 countries (including the US) starting July 11.

It's official. The iPhone has gotten a birthday facelift, and the juicy details are all in line with the rumors we've been hearing all month—3G, GPS, an integrated app store, and a glossy new plastic back in black or old-school Apple white. Perhaps most surprising is a substantial price drop—down to $199 for the 8GB version and $299 for the 16GB (price drops were hinted at, but no amounts). Here's what else Apple campers will be dreaming about when they pitch their tents prior to the July 11 launch date.

At this very moment, Steve Jobs is on stage in San Francisco where he is expected to unveil the next version of the iPhone. High-speed 3G data connectivity, on-board GPS and a fully developed application store are all likely to be in the cards.

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Its the time of year when a boys fancy turns to speculating about the new iPhone, or what Ill call JesusPhone 2: The Resurrection. Though Apple is of course tight-lipped about when its due to hit streets, or if it even exists for that matter, anecdotal reports are trickling in from sources both solid and shady about chipsets, design, features, and so-on. General consensus is itll grace planet Earth sometime in June, on or around the Apple developers conference. In preparation for that momentous event, Ill guide you on a tour of hopes, dreams and predictions for JP2. And then—you guessed it—Im going to poop all over them.

We're back from this weekend's Maker Faire, the third-annual event in San Mateo, CA . Our friends at Make continue to up the ante, bringing DIYers from far and wide to show off their projects at the ultimate geek county fair.

Italians have better coffee, better food, shorter workdays. And now their iPhones are going to be cooler than ours, too? That's unfair. But according to La Repubblica, a daily newspaper in Rome, Telecom Italia has signed a non-exclusive deal to distribute a new, 3G-compatible iPhone. It will be unlocked, and won't come with a two-year contract.

The days of lugging around and pulling out hefty guide books could be nearing an end: The eyePhone, a program currently being developed in Europe, uses a combination of satellite information, object-recognition software and Internet data to provide information on landmarks in a scene captured through a mobile phone's lens.

A few enterprising gamers have managed to port the popular shooter game Quake 3 onto the iPhone and iPod Touch. A YouTube video recently put into circulation shows how they've taken advantage of the devices' built-in accelerometers and touch-screen capability. Basically, you move around by tilting the iPhone or iPod, and tap the screen to blast bad guys. They've set it up so that multi-player games are possible, too.

Apples flagship store in San Francisco is out of iPhones? Online orders will take five to seven business days? Retail stores around the country are reportedly running extremely low or, in many cases, just plain out of iPhones. This shortage may simply be due to Apples shortsighted estimate of demand. But many believe it to be an early indication that they're trying to clear product to make way for a (clouds part, sun shines, choir sings) 3G iPhone.

At this point we've known for a while that the much-talked-about gPhone isn't actually going to be a single device, but a whole slew of them running Google's Android platform, but that doesn't mean the buzz is dying out. Now CNET says there's a new race heating up, as Google and Apple vie for the attention of independent software developers.

The Financial Times reported yesterday that Apple is considering a plan to give people free access to its library of tunes if they pay more for their iPods or iPhones.