Apple iOS 4.3 beta 1 Available to Developers Now

Apple released the Software Development Kit (SDK) for iOS 4.3 beta 1 to it's developer network.  iOS is the operating system based on Mac OS X, that runs the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Unfortunately at this time you need to be an Apple Developer in order to gain access to iOS 4.3 information.  If you are interested in being a developer, you really should have a programing background to understand some of the more technical aspects of the website, but by all means give it a try.

The following appear to be some new features in iOS 4.3:

• Mobile Hotspot - this will allow iPhone users to set up a mobile Wifi network to connect Wifi enabled devices to the cellular data stream on their iPhone.  This feature is reported to already be present in the Verizon iPhone.  Be aware that the cell provider (AT&T) will have to enable this feature and there is a reasonable chance the end user will have to pay an additional charge for this feature. This feature is certainly another effort to decrease the recent spike in Android phone sales as Android phones have had a mobile hotspot feature for some time now (since Android 2.2).
• Airplay Streaming for Video: allows 3rd party app developers to enable streaming of video from Apple TV. 
• New FaceTime Icon 
• Live Streaming Statistics
• iPad Specific:
• Orientation lock can be enable for the iPad switch.
• 4 and 5 Finger Multitouch Features: pinch to the home screen, swipe up to reveal multitasking tray, swipe left/right to switch apps.  See video below:

For end users the most important features are probable the the mobile Wifi hotspot and additional gestures on the iPad.

One big negative is that iOS 4.3 WILL NOT support the iPhone 3G.  Maybe its time to start running Android 2.3 on your iPhone 3G !

I am sure that soon enough, iOS 4.3 will be available to jailbroken iWhatever devices. Check back soon to with an update to let you know how to do so...

Simultaneous Data and Voice Will NOT Work on Verizon iPhone

To avoid disappointment or anger, be aware that voice and data will not work at the same time on the Verizon iPhone.  For example, if you are in the middle of talking to a person over the Verizon Wireless network, you cannot concurrently do a web search, receive map updates for GPS navigation, or even receive notification of your most recent e-mail.

To be clear, this is not a problem specific to the iPhone.  This effects all Verizon Wireless phones.  This is also not something new either.  Every Verizon Wireless customer has this problem with any phone on the Verizon Wireless network.  To be fair, Verizon does not intentionally block simultaneous voice and data. The problem is with the underlying 3G technology that Verizon uses called CDMA.

For most consumers, this simultaneous voice/data issue does not become a significant issue as there are very few times there is a need for voice and data at the same time.  One way to avoid this issue to use a SIP phone like Sipdroid for Android. SIP phones are Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phones that only use the data network of the CDMA technology.

It is also important to note that the simultaneous voice/data issue does not effect Verizon new 4G/LTE network. Maybe that is another reason to wait for a 4G/LTE version of the iPhone to work on Verizon Wireless.

iPhone 4 Launch Officially Announced by Verizon Wireless, No LTE / 4G

After years of wait and speculation, Verizon Wireless announced today at 11AM EST in the New York's Lincoln Center that it will be offering the world's most popular (for now) smart phone on the the largest mobile phone network in the US.

According to accounts of the announcement, the iPhone 4 will have the same specs as the AT&T model.  It looks like the antenna will be redesigned to be "optimized to work on the CDMA network", so hopefully there will not be an Antennagate like there was with the iPhone 4 launch on AT&T's network last year.

The Verizon/CDMA version of the iPhone will offer mobile hotspot wifi connections for up to 5 devices. There is sure to be an extra charge for the mobile hotspot feature, just as there is on current Verizon Wireless Android devices.

The biggest piece of information from this launch announcement is the lack of LTE / 4G technology in the new Verizon iPhone 4.  4G/LTE is the new, very high speed wireless network that was launched by Verizon Wireless in December of 2010. LTE offers download speeds up to 100Mbps and upload speeds up to 50Mbps.  Real world data rates are between 7-32 Mbps going down and 1-12 Mbps shooting up.  Additionally, LTE also being adopted as a world wide standard by many wireless companies (including AT&T). In the future LTE phone will be true "world phones" and much more common than the specialized dual radio (CDMA and GSM) verzions of Verizon's current world phones.

Executives at the launch announcement suggested that incorporating LTE/4G would have forced design changes in the iPhone 4 that would have significantly delayed the launch of the iPhone on Verizon Wireless.  The decision was made to give consumers what they wanted (an iPhone on Verizon) with the 3G CDMA network technology earlier as opposed to more delays with the iPhone/4G/LTE.

According to the announcement, current Verizon Wireless customer will be able to pre-order the Verizon iPhone on February 3, 2011.  The rest of the world will be able to get one on February 10, 2011.  Currently, all Verizon iPhones will require a 2 year contract  Pricing will be $199 for the 16GB version, and $299 for the 32GB version.

So, if you absolutely must have a iPhone on the Verizon network, then by all means fight the crowds and wait time by ordering one on  2/3/11 or 2/10/11. Be careful though, because you will have to enter into a 2 year contract and 2 years is an eternity in mobile smartphone world.

I suggest that if you can be patient, that you wait just a few more months for the 4G/LTE version of the iPhone to on Verizon Wireless. ETA is pure speculation... for now.
 

Run Google's Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) on Your iPhone 3G

Thanks to the work of developer Nick Peck, owners of an iPhone 3G can run Google's Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) on their iPhone.  It requires a jailbroken iPhone 3G and a open sourced software called OpeniBoot.  Essentially the iPhone is set up to dual boot both Android 2.3 and iOS.  

Apparently Android 2.3 runs somewhat sluggish on the 3G (look at the video), but that may be because the 3G is over 2 years old and has much slower hardware compared to current Android and iPhone models.  Also consider that Android 2.3 has not yet been released for the myriad of Android phones on the market and will probably require a late model Android phone to avoid sluggish performance.

Although there is no time line announced, developers are working to port Android 2.3 to iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, which would definitely increase performance.

So how useful is this to the average iPhone user?  Probably not much at all.  This really only benefits iPhone users on a budget who are interested in trying out Android 2.3.  When comparing iOS to Android, besides what the kool-aid drinkers say, there really is not much difference in functionality between iOS and Android.  They are both excellent mobile platforms, offer thousands of quality apps to do everything from free Wifi phone calls to watching movies online.  The biggest difference to the average user between iOS and Android is really the user interface.

What is really notable is the conditions that allowed this to happen in the first place.  The fact that the key parts of the Android OS is released under open sourced licenses is what allowed developer Nick Peck to tweak Android to run on the closed iPhone/iOS environment.  Unless Apple changes they way they do business, I highly doubt you will see the reverse happening.

iPhone Finally Comes to Verizon

As it is being wildly reported from multiple sources, it looks like the iPhone is finally coming to Verizon.

You have probably heard this before, and been disappointed, but this time it is true.

The company that propelled the Droid line of phones into millions of its customers hands will make the announcement on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at an event in NYC.

When the iPhone becomes available on Verizon's network, it will for the first time allow consumers to have a choice in networks for the beloved iPhone.

What has been a long wait for many, will finally come true.  This will also benefit Apple as it has recently seen it's lead in smart phone sales nearly obliterated by the juggernaut that is the Android OS.

It will certainly make many current iPhone user happy as well, as millions will certainly abandon the spotty and sometimes unreliable AT&T network in favor of the nations largest network.

So for all those who have been waiting literally for years, your wait may be up very soon...

iPhone Holds on to the Lead in US Smartphone Market, But Android is Catching Up Fast

iPhone maintains the lead in the US smartphone marked at 28.6%.  BlackBerry countinues to slide to 26.1%.  Rounding out the third spot is Android at 25.8%.

Please note the general trend of Android increasing at a much faster rate than either iPhone or BlackBerry.

Android may be third in overall US market share, but if the trends on this graph continues, that may change very quickly.

The graph below shows something a little more concerning for Apple.   Since July of 2010, Android phones have significantly outsold the iPhone by 13.9%. Blackberry did even worse, by trending toward a 21.9% deficit. If this trend continues, then Android will be the most popular smartphone in the US. This will probably occur before the end of the first quarter of 2011.

If I were Apple, I would get out of the contract with AT&T ASAP, and release a CDMA version of the iPhone as soon as possible.

This will help keep the iPhone ahead of the rise in Android popularity for a little longer and may take the steam out of Android's meteoric rise.

Verizon iPhone: Evidence or Speculation

According to iPhoneHacks  and pocketnow.com, it looks like Verizon is buying up iPhoneonVerizon.com and iPhoneforVerizon.com. A quick check to those domains reveals websites that don't seem to come from the multi billion dollar company.  A simple Whois search reveals:

iPhoneonVerizon.com

Registrant:

        Verizon Trademark Services LLC

        Verizon Trademark Services LLC

        1320 North Court House Road

         Arlington VA 22201

        US

        domainlegalcontact@verizon.com +1.7033513164 Fax: +1

    Domain Name: iphoneonverizon.com

        Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com

        Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com

        Registrar Homepage: http://www.markmonitor.com

    Administrative Contact:

        Domain Administrator

        Verizon Trademark Services LLC

        1320 North Court House Road

         Arlington VA 22201

        US

        domainlegalcontact@verizon.com +1.7033513164 Fax: +1.7033513669

    Technical Contact, Zone Contact:

        Domain Technician

        Verizon

        1320 North Court House Road

         Arlington VA 22201

        US

        sysmgr@verizon.com +1.7033513164 Fax: +1.7033513669

    Created on..............: 2007-01-09.

    Expires on..............: 2013-01-09.

    Record last updated on..: 2010-12-09.

and for iPhoneforVerizon.com

Registrant:
        Verizon Trademark Services LLC
        Verizon Trademark Services LLC
        1320 North Court House Road
         Arlington VA 22201
        US
        domainlegalcontact@verizon.com +1.7033513164 Fax: +1.
    Domain Name: iphoneforverizon.com

        Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
        Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com
        Registrar Homepage: http://www.markmonitor.com

    Administrative Contact:
        Domain Administrator
        Verizon Trademark Services LLC
        1320 North Court House Road
         Arlington VA 22201
        US
        domainlegalcontact@verizon.com +1.7033513164 Fax: +1.7033513669
    Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
        Domain Technician
        Verizon
        1320 North Court House Road
         Arlington VA 22201
        US
        sysmgr@verizon.com +1.7033513164 Fax: +1.7033513669

    Created on..............: 2007-02-28.
    Expires on..............: 2011-02-28.
    Record last updated on..: 2010-05-16.

This doesn't of course mean anything about WHEN the iPhone will appear on Verizon, but it at least offers some evidence that it will eventually show up....

Google's Free Cr-48 Netbook Running Windows 7, Mac OS X, and Ubuntu

A few weeks ago Google opened a test program for their new Chrome browser based Chrome OS.  They gave away Cr-48 netbooks for their beta test of their Chrome OS.  Now a few people have decided to hack it to allow you to run Ubuntu, Windows 7, even Mac OS X.  Here is how:

Ubuntu

Windows 7

Mac OS X

Enjoy.

Chromium OS Vanilla Nightly Builds

Looking to test drive Google's latest new OS?  If you have a 2 GB USB and some moderate computer skills, you can have it up and running in about 20 minutes.  Thanks to Hexxeh, nightly builds are available.

Just download, "burn" to a 2 GB or larger USB drive, and reboot from the USB and you will be test driving the next great OS from Google.

Install guides are available for Windows, Mac and Linux.