Missouri School of Journalism’s iPhone “requirement” a clever interpretation of financial aid rules

Here’s an interesting new mandate for all of Missouri School of Journalism’s incoming freshman: equip themselves with iPhones and iPod touches. Actually, let’s go ahead and clarify what “mandate” means here, as associate dean Brian Brooks has stated that no one will a be punished for not buying / owning one. While noting the audio recording and playback capabilities were motivation for this decision, he explains the reason it’s classified as a requirement is because it lets students include it in their financial need estimate — wholly beneficial when you’re figuring out scholarships and loans. It doens’t look like there’ll be any direct discounts from U of M, however, unlike some other schools with similar initiatives. It’s a clever loophole, to be sure, but we’d wager there’s more than a few undergraduates who are none too pleased at the Apple favoritism, and to be honest, we love nothing more right now than imagining a large group of S60 and Zune supporters gathering in a field for frisbee, picnic, and lots of protesting.

[Via Macworld]

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Missouri School of Journalism’s iPhone “requirement” a clever interpretation of financial aid rules originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 May 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile provides support, good vibes to its iPhone-using clientele

Despite not being its official US carrier, T-Mobile still seems to wanna maintain an amicable relationship with all those who came over with an iPhone in tow. According to a report by The Consumerist, a recent update to the carrier’s voicemail system caused some of the smartphones, including Apple’s touchscreens, became unusable, with a volley of blank text messages dated from the future arriving instead. Those who contacted customer service were called later to acknowledge the issue and offered an one month service credit. Said the rep, “T-Mobile, though they do not offer the iPhone, and that they are committed to supporting users on their network who have them” — not too surprising a stance, but a kind gesture for sure. The problem has since been fixed, and everyone lived happily ever after.

[Via iLounge]

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T-Mobile provides support, good vibes to its iPhone-using clientele originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 May 2009 03:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 now available

Looks like Apple’s just released iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5, a little over one week after its last revision. That’s about half the time they’ve put between the previous updates — seems the boys in Cupertino are really starting to churn these things out. You know the drill by now, we don’t know yet what the update entails, but we’ll tell you when we find out. Oh, and just like last time, it appears iTunes 8.2 is required.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Update: We can confirm that MMS “support” can no longer be turned on in Settings (in quotes because we could never get it working in previous betas anyhow), and we’re hearing that trickery that allowed tethering to be enabled with the previous iTunes 8.2 build has been patched. Aww, you’re no fun, Apple… thanks, Rene!

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iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 now available originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 May 2009 23:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone OS 3.0’s parental controls to assuage some app submission woes?

Here’s something that should help Trent reach a level of moderate contentment. Although we already knew that Apple was expanding its parental controls with iPhone OS 3.0 into the realm of TV shows, movies and App Store apps, a report today about the rejection of Makayama’s Newspaper(s) app provides a good example at the ramifications of such alterations. According to iLounge, it was rejected due to a picture of a topless woman under the section for UK-based tabloid The Sun. The accompanying letter suggested a resubmission once 3.0 (and subsequently the parental controls) go public, which we take to mean that the questionable content will suddenly be okay for the App Store once it’s behind the appropriate age gate. We won’t know for sure until everything falls into place, but sounds like this is one part of the submission approval process that’ll soon end up much less frustrating for developers.

[Via 9 to 5 Mac]

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iPhone OS 3.0’s parental controls to assuage some app submission woes? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 May 2009 20:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple prototyping “iPhone lite” and MacBook Mini / media pad for Verizon?

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s reports of Apple and Verizon dealings comes some tantalizing, but still unconfirmed, new details from BusinessWeek. According to the publication, the gang in Cupertino has prototyped two devices for the carrier. The first one is a smaller, less expensive device that’s been dubbed as “iPhone lite” by someone who’s apparently seen it in person. The other is called a “media pad” (Joggler, anyone?) for music, photos, HD video, and placing calls over WiFi. Details are scant beyond that, and while that pad sounds a lot like an iPod touch to us, we can’t help but wonder if it has something to do with those 10-inch displays that Quanta’s rumored to be manufacturing. Don’t put too much stock into this, as the reports could end up being all for naught, but one thing’s for sure: you can bet the suits at AT&T are keeping a very, very close eye on this. In other, even sketchier and likely unrelated rumors, a listing for “MacBookMini” has popped up in Adium’s statistics. While we wouldn’t normally think anything of this — as TUAW correctly notes, anyone can edit their computer IDs — it was from these pages that we first heard the name MacBook Air. Chances are this is nothing, but with all this talk of 10-inch screens and media pads, it kind of makes you wonder.

[Via TUAW; image courtesy of Frunny]

Read – BusinessWeek
Read – Adium stats

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Apple prototyping “iPhone lite” and MacBook Mini / media pad for Verizon? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler’s Peapod EV lets iPod double as ignition key

That unassuming iPod dock we saw in Chrysler GEM’s Peapod prototype? Turns out it’s got a pretty interesting little trick, allowing your iPhone / iPod double as the ignition key. According to the EV’s brochure, the company’s got an app that makes all the magic work, and if you wish to start your car in an old-school manner, keys are still a viable option. Sure, it’s not the first example of car-phone integration we’ve come across, it’s a welcome addition to the oddly-shaped neighborhood whip that’s going beyond concept phase into production this October.

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Chrysler’s Peapod EV lets iPod double as ignition key originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keepin’ it real fake, part CXCIX: NokiPhone N3000i dual slider is one part N95, two parts iPhone, and six parts win

Combining two pretty great ideas in a way that is all kinds of illegal in the US, the China-produced NokiPhone N3000i looks to be a pretty straightforward iPhone ripoff with bonus N95-esque dual slider capabilities. The GSM smartphone’s got 3.2-inch QVGA screen, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, dual SIM support, microSD slot, and video recording capabilities. Price of admission is $129 right now, which according to chinagrabber is a hefty discount from its $400 MSRP. Your move, NOKLA.

[Via PMP Today]

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Keepin’ it real fake, part CXCIX: NokiPhone N3000i dual slider is one part N95, two parts iPhone, and six parts win originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are these the companies inside the next iPhone?

Are these the companies inside the next iPhone?

With the Pre’s launch date looming it’s nearly time for Apple to launch its counter-attack, and today we have what appears to be further confirmation of component orders for the so-called iPhone 3.0. DigiTimes is claiming to have a nearly comprehensive rundown of component suppliers for Apple’s next-gen hotness, again indicating Samsung will be providing the memory, but also saying that a CSR chip will continue to handle Bluetooth duties, a 3.2 megapixel OmniVision sensor will tackle image-capture duties, and going on to list over a dozen other suppliers you may or may not have heard of — though sadly failing to identify a CPU maker. All these companies are supposedly ramping up to begin shipments in May for a mid-2009 release, with a target of 5 million units for launch. However, while many of these names line up with rumors we’ve heard already, with no sources named and none of these suppliers able to comment, you might want to hit up your local source of salt for a grain or two.

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Are these the companies inside the next iPhone? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China Unicom still not confirmed as Chinese iPhone provider

China Unicom still not confirmed as Chinese iPhone provider

Remember how last week China Unicom brazenly threw up product images for the iPhone and a few other smartphones, implying that in the very near future it would be providing service to them? Well, funny story: turns out the company’s chairman, Chang Xiaobing, is now saying negotiations are actually still ongoing with Apple and that the two have a good bit of wheeling and dealing left to do. What could they possibly still be discussing? According to Barron’s, the debates focus on two primary issues: a Chinese law banning WiFi use in mobile phones; and Unicom’s insistence on installing its own software on the iPhone, including some sort of *gasp* non-iTunes media player. How long now until these issues are resolved? Barron’s is citing research firm Wedge Partners, who indicates it may not be until the end of the year. Better stick with those gray-market imports, folks.

Read — Negotiations still under way
Read — Barron’s

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China Unicom still not confirmed as Chinese iPhone provider originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is the iPhone hotter than we think?

Is the iPhone hotter than we think?

It’s hard to call two incidents of some occurrence around the world a trend, but, when those incidents both involve an electrical device catching fire spontaneously, it creates a situation that’s hard to ignore — especially when that device is the iPhone. On Saturday, Italian blogger Tim Colbourne was charging his 3G handset and, after three hours, it sparked and caught fire at the base. Tim did a little investigation and found a case of a Swedish handset doing the same thing back in 2008, making us a little concerned that there could be more melted chargers out there. Apple replaced that earlier phone after something of a fight, and while we’re hoping they’ll be a little friendlier here, we’re also hoping this gives Cupertino another bit of incentive to go ahead and switch over to micro-USB already. All the cool kids are doing it, and you don’t see their cables catching fire — usually.

[Via Cult of Mac]

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Is the iPhone hotter than we think? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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