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CUPERTINO, California —Apple on Thursday, March 06, previewed its iPhone 2.0 software, scheduled for release this June, and announced the immediate availability of a beta release of the software to selected developers and enterprise customers.

The iPhone 2.0 beta release includes both the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) as well as new enterprise features such as support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide secure, over-the-air push email, contacts and calendars as well as remote wipe, and the addition of Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to private corporate networks.

The iPhone SDK provides developers with a rich set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and tools to create innovative applications for iPhone and iPod touch. Starting today, anyone can download the beta iPhone SDK for free and run the iPhone Simulator on their Mac. Apple today also introduced its new iPhone Developer Program, giving developers everything they need to create native applications, and the new App Store, a breakthrough way for developers to wirelessly deliver their applications to iPhone and iPod touch users.

With the iPhone SDK, third party developers will be able to build native applications for the iPhone with a rich set of APIs, including programming interfaces for Core OS, Core Services, Media and Cocoa Touch technologies. The iPhone SDK will allow developers to create amazing applications that leverage the iPhone’s groundbreaking Multi-Touch user interface, animation technology, large storage, built-in three-axis accelerometer and geographical location technology to deliver truly innovative mobile applications.

Apple has licensed Exchange ActiveSync from Microsoft and is building it right into the iPhone, so that iPhone will connect out-of-the-box to Microsoft Exchange Servers 2003 and 2007 for secure over-the-air push email, contacts, calendars and global address lists. Built-in Exchange ActiveSync support also enables security features such as remote wipe, password policies and auto-discovery.

The iPhone 2.0 software supports Cisco IPsec VPN to ensure the highest level of IP-based encryption available for transmission of sensitive corporate data, as well as the ability to authenticate using digital certificates or password-based, multi-factor authentication. The addition of WPA2 Enterprise with 802.1x authentication enables enterprise customers to deploy iPhone and iPod touch with the latest standards for protection of Wi-Fi networks.

Pricing & Availability
Apple plans to release the final iPhone 2.0 software, including the iPhone SDK and new enterprise features, as a free software update for all iPhone customers by the end of June. Third party applications created for the iPhone will also run on the iPod touch, and iPod touch users will be required to purchase a software update to run these applications. The free beta iPhone SDK is available immediately worldwide and can be downloaded at developer.apple.com/iphone/program.  More at Apple.

Cupertino, Calif — Feb 05, `08 — Apple today added new models of the iPhone and iPod touch which have double the memory, doubling the amount of music, photos and videos that customers can carry with them wherever they go. The iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model for $499, joining the 8GB model for $399. iPod touch now comes in a 32GB model for $499, joining the 16GB model for $399 and the 8GB model for $299.

Both iPhone and iPod touch feature Apple’s revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface and pioneering software that allows users to find and enjoy all their music, videos, photos and more with just a touch of their finger. All iPhone and iPod touch models include the latest software enhancements announced last month including the ability to automatically find your location using the new Maps application; create Web Clips for your favorite websites; customize your home screen and watch movies from the new iTunes Movie Rentals. Both iPhone and iPod touch feature the world’s most advanced mobile web browser in the world with Safari and mobile applications including Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather and Notes.

Pricing & Availability The new 16GB iPhone is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $499 through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and AT&T retail and online stores. The 32GB iPod touch is available worldwide immediately for a suggested retail price of $499. More at Apple.

WASHINGTON — Feb 01, `08 — Although a major auction of prime public airwaves, the 700 MHz, is far from finished, there already appears to be a big winner: the US consumer.

A bid on the largest portion of public wireless airwaves, now being auctioned by the US government, reached $4.7 billion Thursday, surpassing a threshold price that would trigger so-called open-access rules that would allow any legal mobile device or software program to use those airwaves.

While bidding was anonymous, analysts speculated that Google and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, were the likely bidders on that swath, or about one-third of the total spectrum being auctioned.

Winners, however, will not be known until the entire auction by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission ends, a process that could take several more weeks. The auction began Jan. 24.

To retain the open-access conditions on that spectrum, a minimum $4.6 billion bid was required. The commission is selling a spectrum that is being freed as part of the switch to digital television in February 2009. The airwaves are considered especially valuable because the frequencies travel long distances and can easily pass through walls.

The rules, advocated by Google and a coalition of consumer and public interest groups, will help pry open traditionally closed wireless networks that prevent people from taking their phones with them when switching providers.

Google, AT&T and Verizon Communications are among 214 qualified bidders for nearly 1,100 licenses to pieces of the spectrum that vary from a nationwide swath to regional slivers.

Because of strict rules to prevent collusion, bidders won’t be identified until the auction ends, and companies are forbidden from commenting on their activity. Based on the limited bidding information available, Verizon is probably the high bidder on the open-access chunk, but Google is also a possibility, said Blair Levin, an analyst at brokerage Stifel, Nicolaus & Co.

“The amount of activity that we’ve already seen occurring demonstrates just how significant the interest is in this piece of spectrum,” FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin said.

“The openness requirement is important both in terms of the innovation it will lead to on the edges of the network and the ability of consumers to take advantage of that innovation,” Martin further added during a briefing with reporters yesterday.

Seoul, S Korea — Dec 31, `07 — LG.Philips LCD announced today that it will showcase its newest line-up of public displays at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2008 in Las Vegas.

LG.Philips LCD’s innovative new technologies for public displays center on increasing interactivity and viewability.

Multi-touch interface capabilities create a never-before-seen level of interactivity by allowing users to manipulate objects on screen, using both hands at once and even offering the precision necessary to recognize handwriting.

Another technology, transflective backlights, tackles one of the key challenges in developing public displays: readability in all lighting conditions, including direct sunlight.

LG.Philips LCD’s public display products featured at CES 2008 include:

52-inch Multi-touch Screen – World’s Largest Multi-touch Display
LG.Philips LCD’s 52-inch multi-touch panel for public and interactive displays is not only the world’s largest, it is also one of the most responsive, able to recognize input from either a touch of a finger or more precise writing instruments. It uses an infrared image sensor that gives it the ability to recognize two separate touch points as well as gestures. It boasts some of the industry’s highest specifications, with a 90 Hz touch response time, 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution and a light transmission rate of 95 to 100 percent.

47-Inch Triple View LCD – World’s Largest and Highest Resolution Triple View Display
LG.Philips LCD’s 47-inch Triple View LCD features Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, can reproduce 1.07 billion colors and has a brightness of 250 nits. This display is an ideal solution for applications such as store directories and advertising at shopping malls. By splitting the light from the panel into separate paths, it is able to show three completely different images to people standing at different angles relative to the display.

47-inch Double-sided LCD for Public Displays
LG.Philips LCD’s 47-inch Double-sided LCD is two-sided display that uses a single backlight. At only 70 mm thick, it is 30 percent thinner than conventional models, but its luminance of 500 nits equals that of regular panels.

42-inch Transflective LCD for Outdoor Use
LG.Philips LCD’s 42-inch transflective display for outdoor use boasts an impressive 1,500 cd/m2 luminance in outdoor light, greatly improving daytime readability. The display is equally effective at night, relying on the power of its backlight. By adopting a special transflective technology, LG.Philips LCD has developed a backlight that greatly enhances the viewability of an LCD panel during all times of the day.

84-inch Multi-vision Multi-touch LCD for Interactive Public Displays
LG.Philips LCD’s flagship multi-touch display is an 84-inch model created by conjoining four 42-inch panels in a two-by-two array. This acts as a single enormous display with multi-touch capabilities across its entire surface. A screen bezel width of only 15mm, which is 40 percent smaller than the average bezel, adds to the panel’s seamless look and feel. The display also has Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, an omni-directional 180-degree viewing angle and impressive 500 cd/m2 brightness. More at LG.Philips LCD.

“One place. One password.
Do you have to visit one site for a bill and another for your balance? Sign in with a single password and bring your checking, savings and credit card accounts together all in one place — plus your bill reminders! Get an instant view of where you’re at financially plus what’s coming up — anytime, from any computer or device with a Web connection.

With totally, wholly, completely Web-based Quicken Online you can quickly and easily see your most up-to-date account info automatically when you sign in — no matter whether you’re using Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox, or other popular Web browsers. Quicken Online is even compatible with Web-enabled mobile phones like the iPhone for true on-the-go access.”

Says Intuit about Quicken Online, which launches on January 8.

Dec 18, `07 — Intuit is looking to boost Quicken personal finance software sales by offering it as a service for $3 a month that can run on iPhone, Reuters reports.

Intuit has designed the product to appeal to younger consumers, people who may have used online banking for most of their adult lives, but do not use software to track those transactions. “Our first mission is to make sure we are solving the needs of people who are not currently using a personal finance solution,” Intuit senior vice president Rick Jensen told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. More at Reuters.

On Wednesday, Dec 12, Google Mobile released new iPhone interface for Picasa. After you go to Picasa on your iPhone and log in, you can quickly see all your albums that you’ve uploaded to Picasa Web.

If you click on any of the albums, you can get a full view of your picture with comments from your friends. Or you can click on Slideshow, sit back and watch the pictures scroll. You can also search for photos in your album or through community photos. Finally, you can view your friends’ albums through favorites.

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch go to http://picasaweb.google.com and check it out. More at Google Mobile Blog.

Finally Dell has released details of its first Tablet PC, Dell Latitude XT, which will have multi touch capabilities at a later date.

Dell Latitude XT Specs:

- Intel Core 2 Duo 1.2GHz ULV processor U7600 or Core 2 Solo 1.06GHz ULV processor U2100
- Vista Business (32-bit or 64-bit); Vista Ultimate (32-bit) or Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005
- 12.1″ 1280 x 800 WXGA  Display; Optional LED-backlit Display
- Multi Touch - Capacitive Touch Screen
- Integrated ATI Radeon X1250 UMA Adapter
- Memory up to 3GB
- 40 or 80GB 1.8″ 4200 RPM / 120GB 1.8″ 5400 RPM Hard Drive OR 32 or 64GB Solid State Disk (SSD) Drive options
- 802.11a/b/g/n; HSDPA or EV-DO rev A; Bluetooth 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet
- ExpressCard54 and SD slots, 1394, VGA and USB 2.0
- Scroll Wheel, Biometric Reader, TPM 1.2, Super Low Profile Power Adapter
- Up to 5 Hrs Battery life with standard 43WH pack or up to 9 Hrs with extended 45WH pack
- Weighs 3.57 lbs, 1-inch thick
- Starts at $2500

More at Direct2Dell here and details and video about Multi-Touch Capacitive Touch Screen here.

Dec 07, ‘07 — iPhone Dev Team has released the code for anySIM iPhone unlocking tool on Google Code today.

In their words, “You may know anySIM, the most popular and free unlock solution for Apple’s iPhone. Because of the public request and to archive a constant code quality, we now opensourced it!

The source will go online at firday, the 7th of december. Anybody is welcome to contribute patchs to the software on the proper way. You will be able to submit potential changes to the tree via svn by than. We are looking forward to your contribution!

Feel free to join IRC as well at irc.osx86.hu”

More at iPhone Dev Team

Mountain View, CA –Marketwire–Dec 06, ‘07 — JAJAH today released version 2.0 of its calling application for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. In addition to saving on international calls, users will have an iPhone style dial pad, iPhone address book and full calling functionally with the device.

Hand-in-hand with JAJAH’s developer community, the enhanced application enables users to make ultra-low cost international calls directly from the iPhone and iPod touch. The application combines the best of both worlds: The reliability and quality of a standard landline or cell phone while profiting from the cost savings of Internet telephony.

Apple users have modified the application on top of the JAJAH platform to make it look exactly like any other phone call on an iPhone device! There is no need to install an application so users globally can use the service without any jailbreaks. This new JAJAH Web app is available from today at http://iphone.jajah.com

Users can access the application at jajah.com/iphone. To place an international call, users simply use the Web apps dial pad or click a name in their address book and JAJAH connects the call right away. To sign up for the JAJAH iPhone service, visit Jajah.

Dec 05, ‘07 — Mobile phone company Orange has said 20% of customers who have bought iPhones from it in France have opted for unlocked ones, NOT the half, as earlier reported, BBC News correcting the story now.

Orange sold the popular Apple product for €399 euros ($585) with a two-year contract, or €749 euros without one. Elsewhere, mobile companies only sell iPhones to customers who take out network contracts with them.

Orange sold 30,000 iPhones in the first five days, 20% of which were unlocked so they could be used on any network. Orange says that 48% of people buying the phones were new customers for the network. More at BBC News.

Dec 05, ‘07 — Today, Google announced the release of a new iPhone application that integrates its multiple services into a single interface, making it easy for iPhone users to find, use and switch between Google search, Gmail, Calendar, Reader, and more.

To use the application, iPhone users simply point their web browser to Google.com.

To accomplish this, Google is taking advantage of browser technologies (like AJAX) that made Gmail and Google Maps possible on the desktop. In supporting these advances in web technology, the iPhone’s Safari browser not only delivers an excellent mobile Internet experience; it enabled our product and engineering teams to create an optimal Google experience on a mobile device.

Google’s overall goal is to provide users with access to information, wherever they are. This commitment is device-independent, and we are working to develop new mobile technologies that are faster, easier to use, and available on more devices.

A recent example is My Location, a Google Maps for mobile feature that shows users their location directly on the map with or without GPS. To see the full range of mobile products and services available from Google, visit mobile.google.com.

More at Google, Google Mobile.

Dec 05, ‘07 — Orange has said half of customers who have bought iPhones from it in France have opted for unlocked ones, BBC reports.

Orange sold the popular Apple product for €399 euros ($585) with a two-year contract, or €749 euros without one. Elsewhere, mobile companies only sell iPhones to customers who take out network contracts with them.

Orange sold 30,000 iPhones in the first five days, 52% of which were unlocked so they could be used on any network.

On Tuesday, a German court overturned an injunction that had forced T-Mobile to sell unlocked phones. In the two weeks that the injunction was in place, T-Mobile sold unlocked iPhones for €999 euros, compared with €399 euros for a phone with a two-year contract.

More at BBCNews.

Paris, France — Dec 05, 07 — Just 5 days after the full commercial launch, Orange has already sold 30,000 iPhones, thus confirming the strong appeal of this new type of mobile, available since 29 November in 680 Orange points of sale in France.

* 48% of iPhone sales lead to a new Orange line subscription
* 80% of customers sign up for a dedicated “Orange for iPhone” plan at the same time

“This is a very good score, especially as one in two iPhone purchases is accompanied by a new Orange line subscription”, said Louis-Pierre Wenes, Executive Director in charge of France operations. “This confirms that the iPhone will make an active contribution to the acquisition of new customers”, he added. More at FranceTelecom.

Boston — Dec 04, ‘07 — SAP said on Tuesday that new software for sales-force automation that it is hailing as one of the most user-friendly products to date would be compatible with iPhone, reports Reuters.

SAP, the world’s biggest maker of business management software, will include the program as part of new sales-force automation software that it is launching this month.

SAP is breaking with precedent by introducing versions of the new software that are compatible with the iPhone ahead of ones for mobile devices that businesses traditionally use. These include Research in Motion’s Blackberry, Palm’s Treo and devices that run on Windows Mobile from Microsoft.

The iPhone software, part of a new sales-force automation suite from SAP, uses a Web-based interface with drag-and-drop tools similar to ones available on Google. More at Reuters.

HAMBURG, Germany — Dec 04, ‘07 — Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile can sell iPhones with a T-Mobile contract and may continue to offer the device with a locked SIM card, a German court ruled on Tuesday, reversing a lower court’s decision that said an unlocked version must be sold in Europe’s biggest economy.

Rival Vodafone had obtained a temporary court injunction preventing T-Mobile from locking the iPhone’s SIM card — thus preventing it from being used on other networks — and offering it only in combination with a T-Mobile contract.

T-Mobile had appealed that injunction, which led to the new ruling, and the wireless operator unveiled an unlocked version of the phone priced at $1,465 (€999), more than twice the $585 (€399) price of a phone sold in combination with a two-year T-Mobile contract.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif — November 30, 2007 — Google announced today that it will apply to participate in the Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming auction of wireless spectrum in the 700 megahertz (MHz) band.

As part of the nationally mandated transition to digital television, the 700 MHz spectrum auction — which begins January 24, 2008 — will free up spectrum airwaves for more efficient wireless Internet service for consumers.

Advocacy by public interest groups and Google earlier this year helped ensure that regardless of which bidders win a key portion of the spectrum up for auction (the so-called “C Block”), they will be required to allow their users to download any software application they want on their mobile device, and to use any mobile devices they would like on that wireless network.

The winner must ensure these rights for consumers if the reserve price of $4.6 billion for the C Block is met at auction.

“We believe it’s important to put our money where our principles are,” said Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google. “Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today’s wireless world. No matter which bidder ultimately prevails, the real winners of this auction are American consumers who likely will see more choices than ever before in how they access the Internet.”

Schmidt also praised the leadership of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and his fellow commissioners for adopting the new rights for consumers earlier this year.

Google’s formal application to participate in the 700 MHz auction will be filed with the FCC on Monday, December 3, 2007 — the required first step in the auction process. Google’s application does not include any partners.More at Google.

Bidding separately instead of assembling a coalition does not rule out Google later signing up partners if it wins the bidding, said a source familiar with the company’s strategy. But the FCC has “anti-collusion” rules that prevent deal-making between potential bidders during the auction period.

The auction is expected to take several weeks, or even months, of daily, back-and-forth bidding, with the identities of the bidders kept secret. Big spectrum bidders typically draw up elaborate strategies, often with input from game-theory experts.

FCC officials hope the company’s participation will mean a possible new player in the wireless business and boost the amount of money the government can bring in from the auction.

Nov 29, ‘07 — Staff at the UK’s biggest mobile phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse, have been caught misleading customers about Apple’s popular iPhone handset, undercover researchers from BBC One’s Watchdog found staff made false claims about what would happen if a phone was stolen and had not been insured.

This was in the hope customers would take out the store’s own insurance. The firm said there could be “some element of confusion among an isolated number of sales consultants”.

The findings come just a year after Carphone Warehouse was fined £245,000 by the Financial Services Authority for breaking the rules on selling insurance.

Viewers complained to Watchdog that they had been told if they lost their iPhone, they would have to buy an entirely new 18 month contract - at a minimum cost of £630, which is obviously not true.

Staff at the stores receive commission on all insurance and phones they sell. More at BBCNews.

Nov 29, ‘07 — Apple will introduce a 3G version of the iPhone next year, Crayton Harrison of Bloomberg is reporting on AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson’s comments at a meeting of the Churchill Club in Santa Clara, California

He furtherwrites, “”You’ll have it next year,” Stephenson said in response to a question about when the 3G iPhone would debut. He said he didn’t know how much more the new version will cost than the existing model, which sells for $399. Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs “will dictate what the price of the phone is,” he said

Jobs said in September that the iPhone’s battery life would be too short if it supported faster networks. The handset has eight hours of battery life, and 3G chips are “real power hogs,” he said at a news conference in London. “We’ve got to see the battery lives for 3G get back up into the five-plus-hour range,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll see that late next year.”" More at Bloomberg.

Paris — Nov 28, ‘07 — Apple’s much-hyped iPhone went on sale in France on Wednesday at 12 select stores here, including mobile carrier Orange’s new boutique on Paris’ most famous avenue, the Champs-Elysees.

Didier Lombard, head of Orange parent France Telecom, said he hopes to sell as many as 100,000 of the handset by the end of the year, despite its high price tag. It goes on sale nationwide on Thursday.

Europe has presented two challenges to Apple’s strategy of offering iPhones through a single mobile operator for each region.

French consumer law requires Orange to sell handsets that are “unlocked” and able to work on any carrier, which Orange will do. And Germany’s Deutsche Telekom is selling an unlocked phone via its T-Mobile unit after a Hamburg court ordered it to, in response to a challenge from rival Vodafone Group PLC.

Orange will offer the unlocked iPhone for €649 euros ($956) to which the user will have to add €100 euros if another operator is used, the head of Orange France told Le Figaro newspaper.

In Germany where the iPhone was launched three weeks ago T-Mobile offers the device without a contract for €999 euros.

Orange confirmed it had agreed to share revenue from iPhone subscriptions with Apple in return for its exclusivity agreement but declined to comment on analysts estimates that Apple’s cut could be around 25 percent.

AT&T sells the 8-gigabyte iPhone for $399 in the United States, having slashed the price by a third about 10 weeks after its debut. Consumers in Britain, where the iPhone is sold by exclusively by O2 — pay about $556.

STOCKHOLM — Nov 28, ‘07 — Nokia could experience delays or holdups in its smartphone strategy if rival Apple goes on the defensive to protect its intellectual property rights regarding the touch-screen iPhone, says Steve Goldstein of Marketwatch.

He further writes, “”I think Apple will likely view Nokia as infringing on its user interface patents,” said London-based Nomura analyst Richard Windsor Wednesday. “But I don’t see this being the same scale of (the) legal battle Nokia has with Qualcomm IWindsor said. He said Nokia is likely working on an overhaul of its s60 platform, to be ready in the second half of 2008, a move that will feature touch.

He said Apple claims to have filed at least 200 patents relating to the touch screen user interface on the iPhone and is likely to protect them. He said Apple and Nokia would be more likely to end up in an agreement in 2009 rather than slugging it out in the courts.” More at MarketWatch.

Nov 26, ‘07 — Electronista is claiming that some developers are gaining early access to Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch software developer kit, citing “reliable sources”.

Last month Steve Jobs announced in an open letter that an iPhone/iPod touch SDK would be released in February 2008.

Eelctronista further writes, “A handful of companies are said to be getting rough versions of the tools to help code more advanced applications than would be possible with the current web-only solution. Exact details of what the kit allows are unknown, though it is confirmed that it produces native programs and somewhat resembles Google’s OpenSocial in that it mediates between the programmer and the iPhone operating system.

Although treated as a welcome development, the SDK will not be the same as writing a Mac OS X application and has its clear limits, people familiar with the matter say.

The group of companies has only received its development tools within the past two weeks and is allegedly unable to provide a timetable for when finished software will be ready, though it should be well ahead of the community at large, which only receives the SDK in February.” More at Eletronista.

Nov 25, ‘07 — Alexander Wolfe of TheInformationWeek writes on British iPhone buyers’ uproar over reception problems they’re experiencing on the network of O2, Apple’s exclusive service provider in England.

The issue has come to light on Apple’s own discussions forum, in a thread entitled, “UK 02 - poor signal strength/reception problems.”

The O2 reception thread started on the Apple forum less than two days after the iPhone went on sale in England at midnight on Friday, Nov 9, by user “lawlbaker2″ on Nov. 11, and is still going strong, with 104 messages posted as of Nov 25.

Thread starter First post from “lawbaker2“

“My iphone can barely pick up even the slightest signal, although on occasion can pick up 3 ars, only for it to drop out again. I have two other 02 phones, a Sony Erricson and a Nokia n95 with no reception problems at all. Is anyone experiencing same problem with their iphone, I would like to hear from you.”

Another post from “lawbaker2″ with pictures, showing almost no reception while undocked and a side by side comparison with Nokia N95:

“I have taken some photos to show what happens to the iphone signal when connected to the dock. Apple are looking into it, but for now, connected to the dock and on speakerphone, calls are crystal. I hope this info and photos help those who are struggling to understand why they are unable to use their iphone as intended.”

User “Charles Duffy” writes:

“I am having the same problem - live in central London and cannot get a signal. Called o2 on Sunday and they said that it could take up to 24 hours to delevlop a full signal (??). Went to work in Luton on Monday and same problem. Called o2 and after some basic checks they are confident that it is a problem with the phone reception. Try your bluetooth connection - it is unlikely to work - the phone cannot detect any signal. The o2 guy told me that there is a 14 day EXCHANGE policy on any faulty iPhones (I also believe you are entitled to a 14 day cooling off period with this type of new contract). I got the impression that mine was not the first call on this issue. Will try to replace tomorrow.

DO NOT ACCEPT a repair! Your product is simply not fit for purpose and this overrules and of their terms or conditions.

User “Pukster” writes:

“I’ve been on o2 for years and all my sony erricson phones have never suffered from lack of signal strength but the iPhone, i’ve got the same issues as the rest of you and i live innercity! lol”

User “Ian Stubbs” writes on dock boosting signal:

“The cradle boosts the signal without the cable attached. Plugging the cable into the iPhone without the cradle does not affect the signal. Hence the cradle is boosting the signal, not the cable. “

Mr. Wolfe further adds, “Lest someone paint these Apple forum denizens as cranks, a further indication that perhaps the problems extend beyond a small group of users comes from the fact that there are also two threads on the customer forums of UK iPhone service provider O2. (The threads, here and here, are much, much shorter and less current than the Apple Discussions postings.)” More at TheInformationWeek, Apple Discussions: Topic : UK 02 (poor signal strength/reception problems)

And just in case of Apple removing the thread, I’m posting a Screenshots for the backup as mentioned by Mr. Wolfe, Click on thumbnails to see larger, readable images.

Nov 21, ‘07 — Apple has been forced to release a version of the iPhone in Germany that is not locked into a specific network or contract, scuppering its exclusive deal with Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile.

Following a preliminary injunction, T-Mobile said that it would sell an unlocked phone for $1465 ( €999 ) until a final decision is reached. It will continue to offer iPhones locked into a two-year contract for $585 ( €399 ). Its announcement comes after rival Vodafone went to a German court to challenge T-Mobile’s exclusive tie-up with the iPhone in Germany.

Vodafone Deutschland won the injunction barring T-Mobile from offering the iPhone exclusively with a so-called SIM lock that stops users from switching the device to any other operator’s network, and with a minimum two year contract.

There is no indication that the case could be replicated in the UK. A Vodafone spokesman said: “This is particular to Germany. The regulatory situation is very different from the UK, so we won’t be doing it here.”

The case is due to come before the courts in around two weeks time, when Vodafone will push for Apple to sell unlocked iPhones at the same, or a similar price as the phone locked into the T-Mobile contract.

Apple has offered the iPhone exclusively to one operator in each of the countries that it has launched, in a bid to secure a percentage of phone usage revenues from the mobile operators.

Nov 20, ‘07 — It sounds like Apple is updating the iPhone and adding what iPhone shoud’ve come out with in first place, 3G. Unwired View is reporting / speculating on Vodafone getting exclusive right to 3G iPhone in the spring of ‘08, citing Italian site Morse.it

“Italian site Morse.it reports that Vodafone has signed an agreement with Apple for the exclusive distribution rights to 3G iPhone UMTS. The UMTS iPhone 3G will be launched next spring, simultaneously in all countries where Vodafone operates.

The new 3G UMTS iPhone should be announced after Christmas, or early next year (Macworld Expo?), so as not to negatively impact Christmas sales of the current generation iPhone.”

Unwired View further cites an article from theRegister.co.uk and another article from Morse.it from the past week corroborating the story. More here.

Taipei, Taiwan — Nov 19, ‘07 – Dell will soon launch a 12.1-inch notebook featuring touch panel technology with the panel being sourced from AU Optronics (AUO) with Chi Ling Technology, an affiliate of the Chi Mei Group, being in charge of assembling LCD panels with touch screen panels, Digitimes is reporting citing chinese daily, Economic Daily News.

Digitimes further writes, “The new 12.1-inch notebook uses a touch panel solution from Israel-based N-trig, according to the paper. Instead of adopting capacitive or resistive touch panel technology, the Dell notebook uses a battery-free electrostatic pen, the paper added.” Digitimes.