Mobile News and Mobile Info

For owners of the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the iOS 4 update will help supercharge the older model iPhones until an owner is ready to trade up to the iPhone 4. The upgrade also changes the iPhone 4′s signal software. The iOS 4 update brings a host of new features.

Smart folders allow apps to be clustered together with other similar apps in a single folder. The change helps to clear up the home screen, which previously may have been cluttered with too many apps. Up to 2,160 apps can be managed in the smart folders. Smart folders provide a chance to categorize all of the apps, without losing access to any of them.

Originally, wallpapers could only be set on the lock screen. With iOS 4, iPhone owners will also be able to customize their home screens as well. Both the lock screen and the home screen are able to have their own wallpapers. The wallpapers bring a little bit more personalization to each iPhone. Read the rest of this entry »

This iPhone 4G Diamond Edition has the girls’ best friend on them, and it will cost the user a huge sum of money to the tune of $19,500. By the way, it comes with a case made of ostrich feet. That’s right, the feet of the world’s biggest bird.

If you have an iPhone 4, got tons of money, and want to show off, how would you do that?

Now, that Apple has sold 1.7 million of darn things in a single weekend, soon everyone and their grandma will be carrying iPhone 4 around.

Don’t worry, luxury phone maker Gresso is rushing to the rescue. They  will be ready to customize your iPhone 4 with 200 year old African Blackwood for a case, and 18 karat gold for an Apple logo soon.

Only at $3000-3500 a pop.

Greeso plans to launch two versions of their customized iPhones – both for ladies and men. Female African Blackwood iPhone 4 and 3GS will come with “dainty engraving and Swarovski crystals incrustation”, and cost $3500, while male versions will be more strict and cheaper by $500.

Gresso iPhone 3GS will start shipping in July, and they plan to have iPhone 4 ready for market in December.

Apple’s iPhone 4 will be launched in the US and a few other markets on June 25 (this Friday). If you’re wondering where in the US you will be able to find it besides AT&T and Apple stores, one of the answers includes Walmart.

According to Engadget, the American retailer has already received some iPhone 4 units.

The photo below, showing an iPhone 4 box, was allegedly taken in a Walmart store. And, although Verizon might get the new iPhone later this year, that box seen in the back, with CDMA written on it, has nothing to do with Apple’s smartphone (it packs LG C290C phones).

iPhone 4 drop 536×714 iPhone 4 Gets Early Drop TestA cell phone repair shop got some parts for Apple’s iPhone 4  early, and decided to see how tough it was. Taking into account that there’s no circuit board inside, the casing handled 2 drops from 3.5 feet onto concrete, shattering on the third. In a separate test, the iPhone 4 handled 6-7 drops before breaking, and in yet another it broke on the first drop when it was face-down.

There is apparently a video floating around of the new glass plating on the front and back of the iPhone 4 bending, but flexibility doesn’t necessarily translate to shock absorption, and the glass on both sides is actually raised above the bezel rather than being flush with it on previous iPhones, making it even more vulnerable than older devices.

Here’s how Apple  describes the new glass:

All the breakthrough technology in iPhone 4 is situated between two glossy panels of aluminosilicate glass — the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains. Chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, the glass is ultradurable and more scratch resistant than ever. It’s also recyclable.

Sounds to me like being stiffer and harder would only make the screen even more prone to shattering, but the tester reported that it managed the scratch test extremely well – keys, razors, and screwdrivers didn’t leave a mark. Not like Apple would sell you a protective screen if you wanted one anyway; you’re better off getting one of those new bumpers.

Steve Jobs announced the 4th version of the iPhone at a keynote at WWDC.

Steve was pretty happy about it. He talked about the many features such as the Retina Display. This multi-touch screen has four times as many pixels compared to the previous iPhone display.

Of course, we already knew about the stainless steel frame, black glass, and additional front facing camera from that whole Gizmodo leak a while ago.

So, if you want it, you will need to wait until June 24th. The 16GB version is $199, and the 32GB is about $299.

Apple has announced the fourth generation iPhone, which is not called iPhone 4G, and neither iPhone HD, but simply iPhone 4.

Steve Jobs says that iPhone 4 represents “the biggest leap since the original iPhone.” The new handset looks a lot like that leaked prototype we’ve seen many times until now.

It’s 9.4mm thick (“24% thinner than the iPhone 3G”), and it comes with a 3.5 inch so-called “Retina Display”, which features “326 pixels per inch” – that’s 960 x 640 pixels. “There has never been a display like this on a phone” says Steve Jobs, adding that the IPS technology used by the new display is “quite a bit better than OLED.” No mention of Samsung’s Super AMOLED display, though.

Here are some of the new features the iPhone 4 has:

• iPhone OS 4 – which has been renamed to “iOS 4″ for some reason
• 3-axis gyroscope (great for gaming)
• 5MP camera with LED flash, tap to focus and “backside illuminated sensor” which should make photos taken in low-light conditions look better
• HD video recording (720p at 30fps)
• Front-facing camera for video calling (video calling will be made via an app called FaceTime; sadly, it will work only via Wi-Fi this year, but Apple is working with carriers to make it available via 3G, too)

• Better battery – up to 300 hours of stand-by time
• iMovie (available for $4.99 in App Store)
• Netflix (available for free later in the summer)
• iBooks (like on the iPad)
• iAds – “to help developers make money”

The new iPhone will be available starting June 24 in 5 countries (US, UK, France, Germany and Japan). Pre-orders start on June 15. iPhone 3GS now costs $99.

iPhone OS 4 aka iOS4 will be made available starting June 21 to iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPod touch owners, for free.