The new iPhone model Q380 is out and the Chinese all want it. The only problem is that Apple does not make a model Q380 of their popular smartphone. It is a fake and apparently not everybody in China thinks so. The Epoch Times has a very interesting read on the world of counterfeit mobile phones and in particular the iPhone.
To meet iPhone demand, an underground factory produces a lot of fake iPhones under the CECT name. These phones cost between 600 to 2,000 yuan (approximately US$72.50 to $241.50).Recently, a gentleman from Hong Kong bought what he thought was the latest iPhone, model Q380, which was strongly recommended by an electronics store salesperson in Shenzhen. The salesperson claimed it was the latest official model, costing 680 yuan (approximately US$82.00), and could be returned within 3 months if it was broken. The gentleman found the sound too loud after buying it. He checked the official website, only to find that he had been cheated because apparently there was no official model for the so-called iPhone Q380.
Frankly I’m surprised this story was so entertaining to me, given that fact that so much fake stuff comes out of China. But I just love the fact that the man in the story is not happy with how loud the sound is but I apparently can’t get the sound loud enough.[via The Epoch Times]
Now that the iPhone 1.1.3 software update is out, and you can add Safari Web Clips to your home screen on the iPhone and Touch, don’t let your visitors settle for the generic icon that Safari will stick in there. Here are drop dead simple instructions on how to add your own web site icon or logo to your visitors iPhone or Touch.
1.) Fire up Photoshop and create a shiny new graphic at 114 x 114 px (technically the size is 57 x 57 px, but this size worked best for our icon)
2.) Save the file as a 8 bit PNG with the name apple-touch-icon.png
3.) Upload the file to the root directory of your web server. That’s it! Safari will re-size larger images and automatically add the glass look so it fits right in with your visitors other icons.
Check out this iPhone parody commercial with director David Lynch. He seems, well, a little pissed off. I guess he can’t appreciate the cinematic experience that watching a movie on a 3-inch screen brings. Curious as to where the clip came from. Seems like some sort of real interview. He references watching movies on your ‘telephone’, though not specifically an iPhone of Touch. Pretty funny though. I guess I won’t tell him I’m watching Blue Velvet right now, and yes, it’s on my iPhone, curmudgeon. Brief NSFW language fyi.
Apple iPhone owners will soon be getting a major firmware update packed full of new stuff. The iPhone Firmware 1.1.3 update isn’t officially out yet, but here’s a lengthly preview video showing some of the new features and capabilities the update may provide. The video details some cool new features like a customizable home screen. You can rearrange the order of the icons by dragging them with your finger and even move them in and out of the iPhone dock. Also shown is the ability to add a bookmark from Safari directly to the home screen and send SMS to multiple recipients. Google maps on the iPhone also received some new features like the ability to view maps in Hybrid mode (aerial view with street markups),add manual locations and a poor man’s GPS called Locate Me. While not a true GPS solution, Locate Me can show your current position (albeit a very wide area) on the map.
According to MacScoop, the 1.1.3 update video out there may not be the final features that iPhone user will get and that copy n paste may also be included. This has been one of the most requested features missing and even had a parody video on how it would be done. iPhone Copy and Paste from lonelysandwich on Vimeo.
The Japanese love their cell phones, but not an iPhone; since it hasn’t made it to the far east. But that may all change sooner rather than later. Tech.co.uk is reporting that Apple is in serious talks to bring the iPhone to Japan and it won’t be like the current model either. That’s because Japan does not have a slow Edge network like the iPhone is married to here in the U.S. and Europe. No, the Japanese know their gadgets, especially cell phones and they only demand the best.
Word on the street has Apple in talks with NTT DoCoMo, the biggest network in terms of subscribers, and Softbank Mobile, the third biggest in Japan, over the terms of any deal. While there’s little doubt DoCoMo is favourite – 53 million customers to Softbank’s 17 million – the smaller firm could yet pull a swift one and surprise us all.The key to the talks will inevitably be Apple’s business model, wherein it reaps a chunk of whatever iPhone users spend each and every month on top of whatever the hardware itself costs.
This means a 3G iPhone would be needed to enter the Japanese market and succeed. Hopefully this means an iPhone using the faster network will be here sooner that we think.
Time Magazine has named the iPhone number one in its annual top 10 gadgets list.
The iPhone changed the way we think about how mobile media devices should look, feel and perform. The design is exceptional inside and out: It’s got a slick glass-and-stainless steel case and an elegant touch screen loaded with eye candy. It’s an iPod and a 2-megapixel camera.
Phones account for three out of the top five spots. Numbers two through nine are the Nikon Coolpix S51c at number two. The Netgear SPH200W Wi-Fi Skype Phone, Palm Centro, Sony Handycam HDR-CX7, Samsung P2, Toshiba Portégé R500-S5004 laptop, FlyTech Dragonfly, Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive and the Belkin N1 Vision Wi-Fi Router at number nine.
