OtterBox is feeling charitable (not to anyone who hates pink gadget accessories, mind you) by launching a pink version of their Defender iPhone cases to raise money for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade…

Mophie has received the coveted “Works With iPhone” badge for its Juice Pack Battery Extender, making it an official accessory for keeping your iPhone alive that bit longer. In fact, it boasts up to 8 hours additional talk time, 24 hours audio playback, 7 hours of video playback, and 6 hours of Internet playback, plus 250 hours of standby time…

It seems clear that O2’s recent iPhone price cut has done the trick of clearing out stock. Visit the O2 Store’s iPhone page and you’ll be greeted with a splash page that simply reads “8GB and 16GB iPhone: iPhone no longer available”…

DJ Nitrogen has announced its new Ringtone Lab for the iPhone, which claims it’s possible to legally share ringtone creations with other users of the software. That’s because, instead of sharing the actual audio files, users create a “ringtone recipe” which contains the data that defines the ringtone - start, stop, fade, etc. Other users can only use ringtone data for the music tracks they already own…

Orange today announced a new agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Orange customers in Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and Orange’s African markets later this year. -From Press Release

It seems to be the common consensus across the internet that they are talking about the 3G iPhone. Many of these markets already have iPhones being sold in them, so it is very likely that yes that is what they are talking about. The press release does not say explicitly 3G iPhone, new iPhone, or any other alias we know it by.

[Via SlashPhone]

Obama and Lindsay Lohan are far from the only people rocking the iPhone lately — a new site called “Coolspotters” claims to track brands and the celebrities that use them, and the iPhone is pretty cool lately. 32 celebrities have been spotted — everyone from Mike Tyson to Heidi Klum to Rose McGowan (pictured, though that really could be anyone, couldn’t it?). In fact, the Apple iPhone is actually the most popular product on the site right now — one spot above something called the Omnipeace t-shirt (yes, but does it have a multitouch screen?), and two spots above the MacBook Air.

Because everyone knows you need a site to tell you that what you own is cool, right? Of course, they are cheating a little bit — I don’t think the fact that Steve Jobs is using something necessarily makes it cool. Otherwise, we’d all have seen celebs toting around Newtons.

Still, if seeing celebs use the same product you have is your thing, the iPhone’s got you covered there, too. Can’t say it influenced my purchase much, but good to see that the rich and famous are catching on to what’s been TUAW’s favorite tech-cessory for a while.

[via Kottke]

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It’s a big day for the Psystar Open Computer — the quasi-Mac clone based on PC hardware and a cracked version of Mac OS X. ZDNet today published their comparison of the Open Computer with a Mac mini, and all three flavors of MacBook.

The results? The Open Computer fares pretty well against all of its Mac cousins. It scored nearly 147 with Xbench 1.3.

It beats the Mac mini, its closest price competitor, by nearly 50 percent. The Open Computer outperforms even a MacBook Pro (with a 2.4GHz Penryn processor) by 10 points. Not too shabby at all, if you can stand the sound of a jet airplane on your desk (Just kidding. Apparently the noise isn’t too bad).

ZDNet promises results using GeekBench soon. UPDATE: the GeekBench results are here, and the Open Computer still leads most of the Macs, but by a narrower margin. The MacBook Pro, though, edged out the Psystar 3327 to 3244.

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Here at iPhonic we really love our surveys. Yep, we love nothing better than coming up with questions, wading through your responses, chuckling at your witty replies (well, sometimes) and generally finding out what you really think. So here’s a really good survey that has sent our excitement levels soaring. We have teamed up with Visual Networking experts Cisco to undertake some research into how you engage with online video.

Nothing spectacular has been updated in Apple’s fifth iPhone SDK beta, released today. It’s a bug-fixing exercise, with support for the latest iPhone OS. No doubt you have plenty of broadband bandwidth to download all these updates. iPhone Developer page

Here at iPhonic we really love our surveys. Yep, we love nothing better than coming up with questions, wading through your responses, chuckling at your witty replies (well, sometimes) and generally finding out what you really think. So here’s a really good survey that has sent our excitement levels soaring. We have teamed up with Visual Networking experts Cisco to undertake some research into how you engage with online video.

In what has to be one of the most obscure iPhone-related rumours yet, Apple Insider has published a snippet of a job advertisement from Research In Motion (makers of the BlackBerry): “As part of a newly-created team, you’ll influence the development and design of BlackBerry software. This is a very confidential brand new team and a senior position within RIM so I can’t provide too many details. I guess you can figure out what it might be about though.”…

Apparently we’re going to see some competition in several countries around the iPhone, let’s see if it makes the price going down…

Tags:australia belgium iphone italy orange Switzerland vodafoneaustralia, belgium, iphone, italy, orange, Switzerland, vodafone

Over 200,000 developers have signed up for the iPhone SDK beta so far, according to Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer. That’s just over a month after the 100,000 download milestone was reached…

Klipsch has announced three new pairs of headphones in its Custom Series. The Custom-3, Custom-2, and Custom-1 models boast great comfort and sound, offering a personalised fit thanks to their Contour Ear Gels which ensure sound isolation, reduced ear fatigue, and high audio performance…

Intel says that the whole mess stemmed from a poor German to English translation of the article, posted in a German language version of ZDNet. It is interesting though, that the original article we saw posted yesterday from the source, is different than the one that has been posted now.

“Intel knows nothing over future products of other manufacturers and can therefore over it also nothing say,” -Mike Cato, Intel Spokesman

Hopefully the quote sounded a lot better in German than the translated version shown here. It is an interesting story, as other sources attending the same event, that heard the German Intel manager speak, did not say he said anything about the iPhone. Others, say they did though. It is a messy rumor, and the only way we are going to know for sure is when WWDC rolls around.

[Via Apple2.0 Fortune Blog]

This is of course falling in line with the rumored date we know now, which is June 9th. This is of course referring to Apple’s WWDC event that is being held that day. O2 was still shy about the exact date that the new iPhone would come out, saying instead “that is more of a question for Apple”. Well we know Apple is not going to tell until they have to, so looks like we still have to wait if we want something more solid.

According to O2, they will have the exclusive rights to sell the new iPhone in the U.K. and Ireland. O2 is already Apple’s partner for selling the device in those areas, so it is not a surprise O2 gets this one too. O2 is currently sold out of iPhone’s, which has prompted many rumors the newer iPhone could be dropping on their network shorty.

[Via Guardian UK]

Developers and others hoping to get in are not fully out of luck, they will just have to wait till after the event to get all the news and video clips they crave. It will not be too painful though, as they are supposed to have details and videos on the Developer site “immediately” after the event concludes. Some clips will be free, and others will require a paid for developer account.

WWDC is to be held June 9th through June 13th, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Apple is expected to unveil the long awaited 3G iPhone there, and if we are lucky, there are rumors of a mystery device showing up. Remember to keep it locked on iPhone Buzz June 9th for all the latest from WWDC, and our live coverage of the event.

[Via MacNN]

Buying a new Mac is often a complicated business. Sure, there are only a few models to choose from, but do you need a laptop or a desktop? Can you get away with a consumer machine, or do you need to spend the money and get one of Apple’s pro offerings? These are not easy questions to answer, but there have long been some simple ‘rules’ of Mac buying. Macworld takes a look at the current Mac landscape and offers up some updates for those rules of yore.

Take a look at the article, and you might find that the Mac you think you need isn’t the Mac that you really need.

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Up until a few years ago, I had a 12″ PowerBook G4 that I absolutely loved. It was truly portable (although the screen was a bit on the small side for me), relatively fast, and lightweight. Many of my consulting clients have asked if Apple had plans to replace the 12″ PowerBook with a MacBook or MacBook Pro in the same form factor, but I’ve pointed them towards the 13″ MacBook or MacBook Air instead.

There’s still a vocal group of former PowerBook G4 users who would like to see Apple come out with a new MacBook Pro — complete with SuperDrive, Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and Multi-Touch trackpad — in that tiny 12″ PowerBook case. If you’re in their camp, visit and participate in the MBP12.com forum and add your voice to the people clamoring for a small, powerful MacBook Pro.

Do you think a 12″ MacBook Pro would be a winner in the market? Take our poll!

View Poll

[Via christopherprice.net]

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Just Mobile’s Xtand is a stylish aluminium stand for the iPhone with a look not unlike the stands Apple use on their newer all-in-one iMacs. It even has the circular hole at the back for feeding through cables and keeping them neat…

I’m sure this little application, requiring a jailbroken iPhone, will suit some that want to make their handset less efficient to use for the sake of going back in time a few decades…

Aliph has released an updated version of its Jawbone noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset, 50% smaller than the original and featuring “NoiseAssassin” technology which can separate speech from ambient noise, and Voice Activity Sensor to detect very accurately when the person is talking and capture the frequencies of his or her speech…

As part of an Intel event for the 40th birthday of the semiconductor company at Munich’s BMW World, Germany managing director Hannes Schwaderer confirmed today what has long been a rumor on the Internet: namely, that there is an iPhone with Intel’s new Atom chip. The device is slightly larger than the current version, Schwaderer said. That is not, however, because of the Intel chip, but because of the larger display used in the new iPhone. - Hannes Schwaderer, Germany Manager, Intel

There you have it, a slightly larger device that will accommodate a larger screen. It is rumored that the device will have a 720×480 multi touch display. This matches the description in the rumor about Steve Jobs announcing such a device at WWDC this year, which kicks off on June 9th. We also expect to see the 3G iPhone during the conference as well.

[Via Mac Rumors]

According to the report one of the first carriers to get the new iPhone will be Swisscom, which would explain the early preparation. The rumor continues to speculate that there will be a 32GB version of the iPhone, whats more they even have some rumored price points. The 16GB 3G iPhone will sell for $627, and the 32GB 3G iPhone for $760. Again, this is not confirmed.

According to the report, the 16GB model will only be available in silver. The 32GB color will come in white, black, and silver. This is perhaps an incentive for subscriber to purchase the more expensive model. The new iPhone will be on sale in 118 Swisscom shops, and in Apple stores, including Geneva and Zurich. According to the report, the device will ship in June.

[Via 9 to 5 Mac]

Yesterday, I wrote about AT&T’s new $20/month unlimited data feature pack. Today, my daughter was home sick from school. Why is that important? Because we gave her a cheap AT&T Pay As You Go phone, which she uses to keep in touch when her bus is late or if she needs to contact us for some reason. Pay As You Go plus idle phone = Data Plan Experimentation!

Read on for details…

Continue reading TUAW Hands On: Trying out the $20/month contract-free unlimited data iPhone

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While I’m not a hard-core professional illustrator or cartoonist, I do use vector design tools almost every day. Designing logos, playing with type, and creating quick layouts are things every vector design tool should do well.

Adobe Illustrator CS3, of course, is the 800-pound gorilla in this field, and it’s my tool of choice. But there are plenty of people who don’t need the extensive functionality that Illustrator provides. Plus, Illustrator is something of a resource hog (right now, it’s using 176MB of real memory and 1.21GB of virtual memory on my system).

Today, I’m going to review four leaner, lower-cost (or free) options from four high-powered indie Mac developers: DrawBerry, EazyDraw, Lineform, and VectorDesigner. Unlike Illustrator, all of these use Mac OS X’s built-in Core Image foundation, which makes them very easy to compare to each other.

It’s high noon for vector apps, after the jump.

Continue reading TUAW Faceoff: Low-cost vector design apps

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TUAW reader Eric F sent in a note letting us know that “Safari Adblock allows you to watch Hulu programming completely commercial free!” I gave it a try. I downloaded a copy of Adblock from its SourceForge repository, installed it, activated it, and fired up Hulu. A nearly complete episode of Buffy later, I can confirm that I wasn’t shown commercials.

I haven’t give this enough of a test obviously, to be able to say decisively one way or another — especially since I don’t regularly use Hulu — but the news is promising enough that I thought I’d share. Let us know in the comments if this solution works for you.

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And here is an interesting pie chart showing that US iPhone users surf on Internet with Edge much more than I thought, around 46%. So it means that the iPhone is a real “mobile” Internet device, even without Wifi available.

Tags:country france iphone uk UScountry, france, iphone, uk, US

Mophie, fresh out of being awarded “Works with iPhone” status for its battery pack, has updated its Apple-friendly line of Radura hard cases, made from a polycarbonate material and allowing full access to controls and touchscreen…

Mophie, fresh out of being awarded “Works with iPhone” status for its battery pack, has updated its Apple-friendly line of Radura hard cases, made from a polycarbonate material and allowing full access to controls and touchscreen…

Tags:apple iphone Swisscom Switzerlandapple, iphone, Swisscom, Switzerland

It makes perfect sense - how else is the 3G iPhone going to keep up with the Jones ala LG Vu if Mobile TV was left out? The large display of the iPhone combined with AT&T’s fast 3G network makes it a perfect device for watching TV on the go.

Apple issued a press release earlier today stating that Jobs will kick off WWDC 2008 as expected. The slogan “A landmark event. In more ways than one.” Lets see, Apple already announced and showed off iPhone OS X along with Mac OS X leopard. So it is unlikely he’ll say or do much there. That leaves me to wonder if Jobs will briefly introduce the 3G iPhone and then quickly jump to introducing a new iTablet running OSX Leopard. Make sure to join iPhone Buzz if you want to know the second Jobs make the announcements on Monday June 8!

The conference, which runs for five days in total, will feature in-depth sessions and hands-on labs for developers working with the OS X iPhone 2.0 software. It will also cover the technicalities of the iPhone SDK and the App Store. Apple’s own engineers will be on hand to jeer at the less capable show coders where they’ve gone wrong.

Meanwhile OS X Leopard developers will have their own coding sessions and technology labs. In fact they’re welcome to bring in their own code for advice, including interface design and implementation, application frameworks, security, localization and networking. Registration is open now.

\Jays, a Swedish designer and manufacturer of portable media accessories, has created a new stereo music adapter which enables any standard pair of headphones to be used with the iPhone’s recessed headphone jack. m-JAYS iPhone is a combined stereo handset / music adapter which can be used with any earphones, including the Jay’s range — d-JAYS, j-JAYS and premium q-JAYS…

Today in 1983, “Beat It” by Michael Jackson may have topped the charts, but a slight bug in the *dir() library was found only a few days ago by OpenBSD developer Marc Balmer (no rela — oh, wait). OS News has the entire amusing tale of the bug in BSD (the UNIX foundation of Mac OS X) that’s been alive and kicking for nearly 25 years. Balmer contacted Marshall Kirk McKusick, the original developer of the *dir() library, who confirmed the error.

Thankfully, the fix was simple, but Balmer kidded, “[s]orry that it took us almost 25 years to fix it.”

Thanks, Cameron!

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That was quick. Just yesterday I wrote about the rumored addition of HBO shows to the iTunes Store and today they show up on iTunes. The following HBO shows are now available on iTunes, though some of the episodes cost more than $1.99:

• The Wire
• Flight of the Conchords
• Rome
• The Sopranos
• Sex and the City
• Deadwood

Episodes of the Sopranos, Rome, and Deadwood all cost $2.99 while the rest of the series are priced at the typical $1.99. Looks like Apple is a little more open to flexible pricing on television shows than they used to be.

Thanks, howie.

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Canadian owners of first-, second- or third-generation iPods may want to keep an eye on their email boxes (provided that they purchased said iPod(s) before June 24th, 2004). The Montreal Gazette is reporting that up to 80,000 Canadians (including 11,310 Québécois) could be eligible for a $45 credit from Apple as the result of two class action lawsuits. The suit involved the iPod battery’s dramatic decrease in capacity after two years of use.

Though the deal is still tentative, it is expected to be finalized by a Montreal court on May 26th.

[Via iPodNN]

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“With Radura, we’ve achieved a really great balance of, simple, clear design and strong protection” says Ross Howe, Sales and Product Development Director for mStation/mophie. “Now, owners of all types of iPods and iPhones have a strong, sensible case that offers maximum protection, without sacrificing the unique aesthetics of Apple’s products”

The mophie Relo Radura is available now online and in stores at an MSRP of $20. For more information on mStation or mophie, please visit www.mstation.com or www.mophie.com

[Thanks Matt!]

“This new version is designed to offer many of the same features as the desktop, while making it quick and easy to act on items. If you’ve used list view, then it should be familiar to you. Scan the titles for an item that interests you, tap and it expands in place. Starring, sharing, and keeping unread are done in place, so you never have to leave the list view or refresh the page. We think it’s a very fast way to power through your reading list.” - Google Reader Blog

The application looks to bring a more desktop like Google Reader experience to the mobile Safari browser. To access the new Google Reader, just visit http://www.google.com/reader/i/ on your iPhone or iPod Touch. The service is still in beta and you will not be redirected to that page just by visiting Reader, so bookmark it for future use.

[Via Google Reader Blog]