Hasta La Gadget!

Word from the land of Yao is that Foxconn has begun mass production of a 3G-enabled iPhone 3GS-looking device that lacks WiFi functionality, though it’s being suggested that these may actually lack a WiFi module altogether as opposed to the software lock we’d heard about earlier. The phone (read: iPhone) in question is said to be the same as the one Apple recently sent to the China Telecommunication Technology Labs for testing, which points to the handset making its long-awaited Chinese debut in the near future. Of course, rumors of this happening have been surging and receding for years now, and even these “undisclosed sources” provide no insight as to which carrier will scoop the prized contract. The great will they or won’t they discussions continue, though if these things are actually being produced, it means one of two things: the world’s most populated nation is about to get its iPhone fix, or the world at large is about to receive another stash of iPhone KIRFs.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

Filed under: Cellphones

WiFi-less iPhones roll off assembly line — and into Chinese pockets? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The other day, whilst sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, awaiting the inevitable bad news to come down the pipeline (you’re dead, you’re dying, no that rash can’t be treated), I attempted to do something daring with my iPhone 3GS. I attempted to work. I say attempted, because what dawned on me — separated from my laptop, a netbook, or any viable computing system — was that I couldn’t really get much of my work done on Apple’s bundle of joy. It wasn’t the first time I tried to get work done on my phone, but it was one of the first times that I really thought about how frustrating the experience is. What follows is my heartbreaking tale of staggering lameness. Or staggering tale of heartbreaking lameness. Your pick.

Continue reading Editorial: Taking the iPhone 3GS off the job market

Filed under: Cellphones

Editorial: Taking the iPhone 3GS off the job market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Augmented reality applications to this point could be best categorized as tantalizing to the mind, but otherwise pointless. Thankfully, it seems as if that’s no longer the case. AcrossAir, a nascent app builder for the iPhone, has conjured up a slickly executed digital guidance application that augments video with real-time distance and directions to the nearest subway station. With the iPhone 3GS pimping an improved camera, inbuilt compass and GPS, we had a hunch that it wouldn’t be long before someone slammed them all together and gave commuters and tourists alike a reason to smile. Presently only capable of serving up directions in London, this app should find plenty of user interest that will hopefully drive its development for other metropolises around the world. Click through to check it out for yourself, and expect to see it ready for download as soon as someone (or something) at Cupertino decides to start approving live video programs. Any day now, Apple…

[Via Tokyo-Genki]

Continue reading Video: Nearest Tube iPhone app augments reality with directions

Filed under: Cellphones

Video: Nearest Tube iPhone app augments reality with directions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Factron folks have been doing their custom case thing with various Apple products for some time now, but they’ve truly outdone themselves with their new iPhone case, which not only boasts some stylish, rangefinder camera-esque looks, but a complete set of interchangeable (presumably functional) lenses. Those include fish eye, wide-angle, and close-up lenses, which range in price from $15 to $55, while the case itself will set you back a full $200. Quite a bit to pay for a case, to be sure, but a veritable bargain compared to the $800 that some of the group’s previous cases have fetched. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look.

[Via Engadget Polska]

Gallery: Factron iPhone case packs interchangeable camera lenses, built-in excess

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

Factron iPhone case packs interchangeable camera lenses, built-in excess originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Don’t worry, everybody, your iPhone baking itself to a crisp is no cause for panic, now that Apple has found the culprit: the weather and your heartless negligence. Apparently you’ve been leaving your brand new iPhone 3GS in a hot car, and the warm sensation you feel any time you hold the phone has nothing to do with beefed up processors or inadequate cooling. Phew, glad that’s all sorted and now nobody will have any problems with self-destructive iPhones they paid hundreds of dollars for. Besides, it serves you right.

Meanwhile, hapless Samsas Traum has found a problem of his own (pictured) that’s sure to be blamed on some other act of god in the near future by Apple’s spin team: the oleophobic coating is getting rubbed right off his screen. Apparently he has a bit of a fondness for a certain “Flick Fishing” app, which explains the highly localized nature of his oleophobic destruction. We haven’t heard many other reports of a similar nature, but we’ll keep an eye out for telltale Tap Tap Revenge markings on the iPhones of our rhythm-addled loved ones.

[Thanks, Rafa]

Read – Apple blames overheating iPhones on the weather
Read – Oleophobic coating wearing off fast

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Apple blames hot iPhones on the weather, others find oleophobic screen to be fleeting? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments