Stop the speculation, the wait is over. Just about a year to the date of the original iPhone launch, Apple, Inc. has taken the wraps off the iPhone 3G. The new iPhone 3G is even thinner than the previous model. As expected, the iPhone 3G includes support for the faster 3G network, GPS, with an all new black plastic back. The biggest surprise might be the battery life. The iPhone 3G has 300 hours of standby, 5 hours of 3G talk (8-10 hours of 2G talk), 7 hours of video and 24 hours of audio. Very impressive from a 3G phone.

The original iPhone changed the conception of what a mobile phone can do for you. In much the same way that Blackberry changed how business people used their phones, the iPhone has altered the definition of a phone. Sure, people could surf the internet and check email before the iPhone, but Apple made it easy and fun. Now, Apple has the complete mobile package; a phone, GPS, email, internet, 3G and the interface that ties it all together. Add in the App Store and you have a phone that is very hard to compete against.

After selling over 6 million first generation iPhones, Apple hopes the new iPhone 3G will sell that many by years end. And at $199 for the 8 GB version and $299 for a 16 GB (with a White back as an option) these will fly off the shelves.

With rumors running rampant that a new 3G iPhone is eminent, Samsung has quietly released what they believe is an iPhone killer. There have been others before, but the new Samsung 3G Instinct has the most promise of the bunch. Running on Sprint’s 3G “EV-DO Rev. A” data network the Instinct looks a lot like the iPhone, but has 3G, a replaceable battery, and haptic feedback for the touchscreen. The Instinct is due to be released in June and by that time there is no telling what form or features will grace the iPhone, but it’s good to see some competition that might actually be competition.

[via Yahoo]

Apple today unveiled the iPhone and iPod Touch Software Development Kit (SDK) and Microsoft Exchange support

Software developers finally get a look at the iPhone SDK roadmap to create applications for the phone. Over a year after the iPhone was introduced, and a couple of week late, Apple has given developers the tools they have been asking for. Starting today Apple will be open up the same APIs and tools that they use internally to build iPhone software. Now third-party developers can now begin to officially produce legitimate software, not iPhone software hacks. The SDK will rely on Apple’s Xcode development environment for Mac OS X, but optimized for the iPhone. So basically, if you can develop applications for the Mac then you should be able to do the same for the iPhone.

The full featured SDK gives developers full access to the iPhone’s core OS including graphics and networking. Apple created something called Interface Builder, that “Makes building your user interface as simple as drag-and-drop” plus debugging and analysis tools. What does this mean for the average iPhone user? It mean there will be a host of new software including everything from games and instant messaging to powerful business applications. The applications will be exclusively distributed through iTunes and the new AppStore, a new wireless store for iPhone applications. You can search applications right from your phone and then download them via Wi-Fi or through the cellular network. The same software developed with the SDK will also run on the iPod Touch including all the new enterprise additions.

Apple also introduced Microsoft Exchange support built right into iPhone, removing the greatest barrier for adoption of the iPhone into the corporate world. Apple has licensed ActiveSync with Exchange server from Microsoft. Built into the next software update, the iPhone will have access to push email, push contacts with global address book, live calendar events and remote wipe plus additional security. Although IT managers will inevitably find something to complain about, the list will have been reduced significantly, making the iPhone an almost unstoppable business tool.

The iPhone 2.0 software update that will make all this happen will not be available until June, but developers and companies will get a beta SDK starting today.

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]

Content Providers and Web Site Developers

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.

[via Apple]