FaceTime over 3G network now possible on the iPhone 4

FaceTime can now be used on the 3G network!! Ok FaceTime is a video call function that was created for the iPhone 4 but it was originally supposed to work on Wi-Fi only.

Fring does what Apple could not and gives iPhone 4 users the power to make 3G FaceTime calls to another iPhone 4!

FEATURES

• fring calls over WiFi and 3G
• fring video calls over WiFi and 3G
• Instant Messaging
• Integrated dynamic friends list 
with real-time contact availability
• SIP integration
• Multiple Connection types
• Push notification support for fring, MSN Messenger®, Google Talk™, ICQ, SIP, Twitter, Yahoo!™ , AIM® communities

What's New In Version 3.2.0.5

2-way video on iPhone (for OS4). Over 3G and wifi, so you can see your friends wherever you are.

* Multitasking means you are always on and available to your friends. So you can keep fring open in the background, even as you use other iPhone services/apps.

* New Social Stream: Chronologically stream all your twitter, facebook, chats and call updates, all in one place.

* A Smarter address book: manage your buddy list, merge contacts.

Download is free here.

Apple Approves Flashlight Apps for the iPhone 4

Michael D'Ulisse of MoreBluSky submitted his flashlight application to the App Store the day following the iPhone 4's release. After a delay in approval he was told the app was "inappropriate use of hardware". He reached to VP Phil Schiller who promised to meet with the App Review department to discuss the situation. Today thirteen flashlight applications have already appeared in the App Store including MoreBluSky's Flashlight - For iPhone 4.

[slideshow]

iClarified.

Pictures of White iPhone 4 Leaked!

These are the leaked photos of the White iPhone4!!

Here’s the long waited white iPhone 4 with full packaging which Apple thinks it’s more challenging to manufacture.

For those of you who’ve waited this long for the white iPhone 4, you have to thank the Japanese for providing us a wholesome of pictures of the beautiful snowy white device.
Here are the pictures.

[slideshow]

Apple Analyzes your App Usage Data

According to reporters from Bloomberg, Apple Inc., with a storehouse of billions of music, movie and software downloads, is studying the buying habits of many of its 150 million iTunes users to show more appealing mobile ads.

Apple knows what you’ve downloaded, how much time you spend interacting with applications and knows even what you’ve downloaded, don’t like and deleted,” said Pasqua, whose clients include Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. She isn’t currently working with Apple on iAd campaigns.

Relying on the music, videos and apps that customers are downloading from its iTunes, App Store and iBooks helps Apple sketch a behavioral profile that can be paired with appropriate promotional messages. On its website, Apple says its “standard targeting options” include demographics, application preferences, music passions, movie genre interests, television genre interests and location.

Here is a short video of an iAd.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-_xa_m7MXU]

Professional Photo Shoot with the 3GS

Who says the 3GS 3.15MP camera can't be used for a Pro Photo Shoot?

Lee Morris from FStoppers.com is gonna prove you WRONG!

Today, I am going to prove to you that this isn't about having good camera equipment... and to prove this I am going to shoot an entire fashion shoot with the worst possible camera.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOoGjtSy7xY&feature=player_embedded]



Fstoppers.com

Cause of Antenna Issue on the iPhone 4 due to Clean hands?

A post-doctoral biochemistry fellow at a leading American university has told Wired that Apple likely missed the iPhone 4's reception issues due to cleanliness. It has got to do with the electrostatic charge on our hands, the easy fix? Coating the antenna strip with a thin layer of plastic.

Here is an email sent to Steve Jobs and 2 Apple staff:

Subject: HowToFix for minimal cost — hydrophobic organic thin film layer

Hi,

In truth, Apple’s explanation for iPhone 4 signal reception problem is inaccurate at best and disingenuous at worst. iPhone users are in some of the hottest and most humid parts of the country this summer and have salty, damp hands especially at events such as baseball games, barbecues, or other outdoor activities. having bare metal antennae purposely handled will absolutely short the signal. This problem will be difficult to reproduce in Apple’s labs because the engineers are required to wash their hands before touching devices, which also strips off the natural hand electrolytes that are ever-present in the field on a hot day.

Anyway, the solution is not a redesign of the phone, but rather an electrically insulating organic hydrophobic layer atop the bare metal. a variety of plastics will work, such as polyethers, polystyrenes, or nylons. you could even use the plastic labels ever-present on aluminum soda cans, which likewise have an electrically insulating effect when holding said cans. these plastic coatings can be very very thin films which do not ruin the aesthetics of the device, and would require a minimal change of your production line. More importantly, this coating in no way affects the ability to recycle the aluminum — the organic thin film layer will burn away cleanly during the aluminum remelt process. Phones that have already shipped could easily be coated with this new layer at any Apple retail store or with a simple kit you could send to your customers.

In summary, this is a problem of electrochemistry, and certainly NOT a problem of software design, nor one that can possibly be solved by a software update.

Apple needs to hire some chemists.

Best regards,
XXXXXXXXXX, Ph.D.

Wired.com

Get FREE iPhone 4 Silicon Case to Solve Your Antenna Issue

You got it right! A company is giving away FREE iPhone 4 silicon casing!!! All you need to do is to pay for the shipment costs!

Are you experiencing signal problems on your new iPhone 4? Or do you just need a simple case to keep your iPhone 4 protected from dings and bumps of everyday life?

Most of the nicer cases are currently on preorder with availability dates ranging from middle of July to September leaving your iPhone exposed to many objects around it that can scratch or damage it. We have the solution for you!

Introducing the LifeGrip silicone case – exclusively from Cases.com! Simple. Protective. Free!

The LifeGrip silicone case offers an enhanced grip and features a slim, sleek, form-fitted design that protects your phone from light shocks and/or drops. It provides openings for all your major functions including the front and back camera, headphone jack, vibrate/sound switch, speaker, microphone, and docking port. The home button is also protected by a soft push-through silicone.

With the recent hype about the "Death Grip" signal loss on the new iPhone 4, and since we believe you’ve invested enough money on your new purchase, we thought it would be a great idea to offer a complimentary case for your new iPhone 4. Pick one of the various colors we offer for absolutely free! All you pay for is about $3 First Class shipping (within the United States).

Cases.com

iTunes Cloud Capabilities in September Delayed?

iTunes Cloud is all about being able to streaming music and movies from Apple’s servers to your computers, devices, etc. Streaming music and movies from your home computers to your other computers, remote devices, etc. Wireless iTunes syncing with devices.

All this is set to be delayed due to external factors against iTunes. I would definitely like to have wireless sync for my devices! :D



According to "Apple sources" speaking in total anonymity and confidence, one of the most hotly anticipated iTunes upgrades may be on tap for late summer. As it stands, iTunes could finally get the cloud capability we've all been hoping for. The update, of course, wouldn't come as a shock to anyone as such a development has been widely anticipated for what seems like ages. But there are doubts about a September roll out. And not without good reason.

A Boy Genius Report (which started the whole iTunes cloud talk again) indicates that the new cloud capabilities for iTunes will be partitioned into three groups: (1) Streaming music and movies from Apple’s servers to your computers, devices, etc. (2) Streaming music and movies from your home computers to your other computers, remote devices, etc. (3) Wireless iTunes syncing with devices.

While that all sounds fine and good, our sources (and those also speaking with CNET) are holding off on pronouncing September as the definite launch time-frame for the iTunes revamp. Why? Because there are issues beyond Apple's control that could continue to delay the iTunes update. Apple, for example, still hasn't secured the licenses it will need from a variety of content providers, including the top four music labels in the US.

Although Apple is believed to have been working on the aforementioned major iTunes tweaks since it scooped up Lala last winter, it is quite possible, in fact, that Google's rumored and much talked about iTunes competitor (streaming music, with songs for download) could be released before iTunes gets the cloud capability that seems like a no-brainer to all who continue to wait for its arrival.

ModMyi

Is the iPhone4 Graphics the Best?

PCMag set out to compare the displays of popular smartphones to determine which performed the best.



They compared the Apple iPhone 4, Motorola Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible and HTC EVO in terms of brightness, contrast, color depth, and color accuracy. The Droid X and HTC EVO use a traditional TFT LCDs, the iPhone 4 uses an IPS LCD, and the Droid Incredible is AMOLED.

Brightness:



Contrast:



Colour Depth:



Colour Accuracy:



Full story iClarified, PCmag.

iPhone3GS: New Bootrom Jailbroken on iOS4!

Some dude by the nick of AKi_nG was able to boot his iPhone 3GS with Cydia (which means his 3GS is Jailbroken) inside! I know plenty out there are waiting for such miracle to happen and yes it's happening soon!!

Things to note:

- You need to have been Jailbroken on OS 3.1.2 with SHSH blobs saved.
- It's a tethered Jailbreak only for the new bootroms.
- It has NOT been released yet.

Visit my site more often to be updated of this Jailbreak for the iPhone3GS new bootrom tethered Jailbreak.

Too good to be true? Take a look at the video below!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWc_d2C5TME]

Why Apple's iPhone 4 Update Won't Fix Your Reception Problem

This graphic shows why some people experience the iPhone 4 signal drop problems while others haven't been able to reproduce it. It also explains why Apple's incoming software update—which promises more accurate signal bars—won't fix the antenna problem.



Experiencing this transmission/reception loss, however, depends on the strength of the signal itself:

• If your signal-to-noise ratio is perfect—like when you have a clear line of sight with a cell tower that is not overloaded—a typical 19.8dB attenuation will leave you with a healthy data transmission. In this case, the interference will not cause any problems to your normal usage of the iPhone 4. Your web pages will load normally and your calls will work just fine.

• However, you can experience the transmission and reception problems when you're working with a moderate quality signal. Since no wireless network provides us with optimal transmission absolutely everywhere, every iPhone 4 user is likely to encounter such problems at some point. In these cases, depending on the signal-to-noise ratio level, the attenuation caused by your hand may make your iPhone 4's signal health drop into dangerous areas, causing data loss and voice quality degradation.

Read the full story at Gizmodo.

Apple: iPhone 4 Reception Problem Is Explained by "Incorrect Signal Display"

Apple claims that the iPhone 4 reception problem doesn't exist. They say that the "dramatic drop in [signal] bars" is explained by an erroneous signal display. However, they don't address the data and voice degradation caused by their design.

A message from Apple:

CUPERTINO, Calif., July 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ —

Dear iPhone 4 Users,

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple's history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don't know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T's recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone's bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same- the iPhone 4's wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Apple



Gizmodo

Pressure Sensitive Drawing on the iPad

Ten One Design has released a demo video showing pressure sensitive drawing on the iPad.

The video shows how pen pressure can be used to change the width of a line. Palm rejection capabilities are also demonstrated.

Unfortunately this capability requires use of private APIs which Apple does not allow. They are hopeful that these APIs will soon become public and are planning to release a free software library so anyone can incorporate pressure sensitivity into their app.



iClarified. Ten1Design.

Tapulous Acquired By Disney

Tapulous, an iPhone gaming startup founded by Bart Decrem, has reportedly been acquired by Disney.

Tapulous has been acquired by Disney. The iPhone gaming startup with several hits on its hands was founded by Bart Decrem, who will join Disney as a senior VP. COO Andrew Lacy is also joining Disney as a senior VP. Disney is very interested in social and mobile gaming, having recently invested in Playdom’s $33 million round.

Tapulous blog post by Decrem confirming the deal.

Today, we announced that we are joining Disney. We will be a key part of Disney Interactive Media Group, spearheading their drive to be the leader in mobile entertainment.

As part of Disney Interactive Media Group, we’ll develop more games, more quickly and with the resources of the world’s leading entertainment company. We will continue to develop apps that live at the intersection of music and gaming, but we’ll also push into new and exciting areas of mobile social entertainment.

iClarified. TechCrunch.

Apple Turns on iAds for iOS4 Devices

Not sure what are iAds about? Take a look at the video below.

The initial launch of iAds rich media ads, featuring advertising from some of the world's leading brands, will begin July 1. At launch, we’ll roll out in North America and ramp up the number of ads served in the weeks and months ahead. For developers outside of North America, iAds will be rolled out in a few months.

Apple Issues iPhone 4 Exchange Fix via Profile Update

If you noticed after updating to iOS4 that you are unable to sync with your company's Microsoft Exchange Server, here's why.

Symptoms

Immediately after updating to iOS 4, some users may notice that Exchange ActiveSync Mail, Contacts, or Calendars do not sync, or sync very slowly. In addition, some Exchange Server administrators may notice their servers running slowly.

Products Affected

• iPod touch.


• iPhone 3G.


• iPhone 4


• iPhone 3GS

Resolution

To work around this issue, users should install a configuration profile from Apple that increases the amount of time the iOS 4 device will wait for the Exchange Server to respond to its sync requests. For best results, the profile should be installed on as many iOS 4 devices at your company as possible.

To install the profile:

1. Use Safari on your iOS 4 device to download the configuration profile. It may be easiest to read this article with your iPhone or iPod touch and tap the download link there, but you may also email the attachment to another email account on your iOS 4 device, and tap the attachment to open it.


2. Tap Install to install the profile, and enter your passcode if prompted.


3. A warning message will appear because the profile is not signed. Tap Install Now.


4. Tap Done to complete the installation, then power off your device and power it back on.


5. Wait for your Exchange data to finish syncing.

After installation, the profile will be listed under Settings > General > Profile.

Apple. 9to5mac.

Apple iTunes Wireless Syncing!

Wireless Syncing, commonly know as Cloud Sync might be available to iTunes in the coming future, according to BGR's reliable source.

One of our reliable Apple sources has just filled us in on some of the company’s iTunes plans, and they’re exciting. We have been told iTunes will be getting a huge cloud capability that many people have been asking for (and logically thought would happen sooner or later). These new capabilities are broken down into three groups:

1. Streaming music and movies from Apple’s servers to your computers, devices, etc.


2. Streaming music and movies from your home computers to your other computers, remote devices, etc.


3. Wireless iTunes syncing with devices.

BGR

Glimpse of the iPhone4!

I managed to get some pictures of the iPhone4 for real! It's photos taken from a good friend of mine, thanks! It's an imported model from UK, unlocked so you can actually use it right here in Singapore. If you really can't wait to get the iPhone4 before anyone else, you can actually buy it from him I think.. (Free Advert for you TW! xD)

Not sure of the price but i think you can contact him here:
14, Scotts Road
#02-98, Far East Plaza
Singapore 228213
Tel: 67333747

Here are some shots courtesy of Tan Teck Wee.

[slideshow]

iOS4 Compatible Apps Appearing All Over iTunes!

More apps are being upgraded to support iOS4 features and iPhone4 hi-res images. You can simply check out these apps in your iTunes.

Here are some apps which Apple have approved for iOS4. Enjoy!

FaceBook app Supports iOS4 & iPhone4

FaceBook is not able to do Fast App Switching and hi-res for iPhone4.

Facebook for iPhone makes it easy to stay connected and share information with friends. Use your iPhone to start a conversation with Facebook Chat, check your friends' latest photos and status updates, look up a phone number, or upload your own mobile photos to Facebook while on the go.

What's New In Version 3.1.4

- Updated for iOS 4: Fast App Switching, high-resolution icons
- Korean and Russian localizations
- Minor bug fixes

FaceBook app is free for download.