iCall is a new app in development which will let you automatically switch your GSM calls to wiFi / VoIP (voice over IP). This would be great and save you from going over your day-time minutes, but it’s my guess that Apple won’t let iCall see the light of day in the App Store.
Apple just filed a patent that, among other things, could use bluetooth to help you find lost objects (from Apple Insider.)
Look’s like Android will be following in iPhone’s footsteps with a Google-sanctioned application store (read more at The Register).
Google demoed some cool features for Android at the latest Google IO (Wired link). One of the most interesting and crowd-pleasing live demo was the Google street-view application that used GPS and compass (???) information to give you a this-is-what-you-should-be-seeing view through your phone. Frankly, directional data (like from a compass) would be awesome to have access to in the iPhone…
AppleInsider has a piece on users of the latest build (5A292g as of this writing) are seeing prompts for “‘Maps’ would like to use your current location” and “‘Camera’ would like to use your current location” in the Maps and Camera applications (respectively). This strongly hints at some built in geotagging features in the near future… meanwhile, a queue has formed outside Apple’s flagship glass-cube store on 5th Avenue (NYC). Though it is close to 100% likely Steve will announce the new 3G iPhone on June 9th, there’s no guarantee it will be available for purchase on that day, so I sincerely hope these people are not camping out with 3G dreams dance in their heads.
Until there’s a proper utility to do so, here’s a hacky way of wiping your iPhone of your data.
Be careful about getting rid of your old phone when the new 3G model comes out. Turns out, it’s not that hard for the new owner to recover your data.
Jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches now have a new app: iSlsk. As rules aren’t part of the game for these developers, the iPhone can use the Edge networks when necessary for these bandwidth hogging apps. A shocker is that Edge works out to be only half as fast as WiFi… I would have thought it to perform much more poorly.
Read more at Wired.
This next release of the iPhone is going to really knock the phone market on its heels. There will (most likely) be:
So basically, the phone is going to be cheaper and far more awesome. Plus, Apple will be the sole distributor of iPhone software, so they’re going to be getting 30% of all software sales by 3rd parties. So, from this one phone, Apple will have these revenue streams:
I really respect Apple for not resting on its laurels. The iPod is, let’s face it, a fad. Rather than riding the iPod wave to its very end, they’ve used their momentum to catch the next big wave. With the shrinking of micro-processors, memory and power sources it was inevitable that devices would converge and we’d be listening to music through our phones.
…mobile TV? That’s the rumor mill churning in this latest Engadget post. I’ve heard other rumors about two cameras in the iPhone; one on the front for chatting (and easier vanity shots). Mobile TV, though? That sounds outrageous. It basically flies in the face of several logics. It would eat into the profits that Apple is getting from show purchases and rentals on iTunes. And would this be a direct data service or are they talking about putting in a UHF TV tuner? Please to also be adding radio and telegraphy thank you.
Update: At least they’re not bringing 500 channels of TV to your local accident-waiting-to-happen.