iPhone for iTalia?

Another one for the huge 3G rumor collection, but we all love a nice rumor. One of the most respected Italian newspapers, La Repubblica, or as Engadget call it, The Wall Street Journal with red sauce is reporting that the 3G iPhone will release in Italy shortly on Telecom Italia without a revenue sharing deal and without long-term exclusivity. If this is true, this could open up a worlwide market for the iPhone. Many countries who hoped to have the iPhone carrier free and on 3G could be rejoicing all over the world if this was true. However, it is reported that with no revenue going to apple, there could be a price increase for the iPhone itself. Will we see the 3G iPhone this year? Only time will tell.

Apple bringing us Instant Messaging?

With all the buzz going around about the new 2.0 firmware for the iPhone, one of the apps that many people feel is missing from the iPhone is the ability to use a program like iChat or AIM to provide instant messaging. Well it seems that Apple has indeed been looking into integrating this feature into the iPhone. It appears that a patent was granted to Apple in March that was filed back in August of last year (see, Apple does listen to their followers customers). From the looks of patent drawings shown here, the instant messaging app will look pretty similar to the SMS app currently on the iPhone. There are reports that this service could be used as a substitute for MMS (multi media messaging) which the current iPhone is lacking.

If you just can’t wait until Apple gets it right, then go jailbreak your iPhone and install Fring. It already works with MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, Twitter, Yahoo!, AIM and allows for VOIP calling and chatting with Skype. It’s nice to see that there are companies out there that are not going to wait around for Apple to figure things out.

[Via: Appleinsider]

ViPR = Visual pattern recognition

This would be a helpful app if you saw a music album that you wanted to check out but you weren’t going to be in front of a computer for a while. Just snap a picture and be directed to your iTunes store and listen to a few samples. I’m sure Apple will love this.

Video Review #39: Mobile.Brando FM Transmitter

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Low price, easy to use, doubles as a car charger
Lows: Like most FM transmitters, not the cleanest audio quality
Verdict: If you’re looking for an affordable solution to listening to music in your car, then go to mobile.brando.

You can purchase this product directly from Mobile.Brando
They also have a large selection of replacement parts for your iPhone as well.

Review: Overboard Waterproof Case & Earphones

Rating: 9 out of 10
Also I forgot to mention that it comes with a lanyard.
You can purchase this product from their website for $49.99!
Note: This case is not specifically designed for use with the iPhone, but obviously it can be used with an iPhone.

Logic3 Jivebox Review

I have another great speaker system from Logic3 up for review today . The Jivebox not only provides excellent sound quality but also looks absolutely amazing.

Pros: Great quality speakers, cool lighting, includes a Dock!!!!!

Cons: A little expensive in my opinion

Click here to view the Image Gallery on Flickr. Read the rest of the review after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »

Nokia’s iPhone clone

New 32GB iPhone for Australia in June?

Ok, I’ll just start out this whole post by saying this is just a rumor and could have been carefully orchestrated to see how fast the news would spread. But let’s be honest, we love rumors, even if we don’t know their validity we still salivate over the juicy details. So I was checking out MacRumors yesterday and apparently someone found some images that seemed like ad pieces for new product releases in June. Among the images were a new aluminum MacBook, a New iMac style MacBook Pro with the glossy black trim around the screen, and also that the iPhone would be available in Australia and in 32GB format. I’m glad I snapped this screen shot of the ad because MacRumors promptly removed the posting a few hours later. This gives me the impression that Apple saw the posting and had them take it down because it just might be true. Who knows, but 32 GB would be a nice jump in space on the iPhone. This rumor also makes me wonder if this is only update in June for the iPhone and there will be no 3G version coming out. Only time will tell.

VOIP for the iPhone with Fring

Besides VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), Fring also allows you to send instant messages with support for Skype, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, Twitter, Yahoo! & AIM. Pretty darn cool if you ask me. Currently you can only run it if you have a jailbroken iPhone, but this could change in June with the App Store. I think I’ll give it a shot and shoot my own video.

April Contest

April’s contest is going to be an easy one. All you have to do post a comment here telling us which iPhone accessory you’d like us to review. Of course, if you suggest a product we’ve already reviewed then that suggestion won’t count. We’ll pick a name at random and the winner will receive 3 cases/accessories of their choosing which are listed below, plus the Scosche Bluetooth Speakerphone & the iTool. You can comment as many times as you want but it’ll only count once for an entry. As usual, if you live outside the United States, you’ll be responsible for the shipping charges. What are you waiting for, get started!

1. Case-Mate Signature Case
2. iFrogz Wrapz
3. Tekkeon Flip Case
4. Proporta Aluminum-Lined Wallet Case
5. Tekkeon Wallet Case
6. Proporta Alu-Leather Edge Case
7. Pro.Fit UltiMount V2 & miCradle
8. Proporta Alu-Crystal Case
9. Proporta Sheepskin Flip Case