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[Foob]

Just curious about this, but if there is a new model coming out in the next couple months, is there any option to trade in/upgrade?

I got my 3G in December, and while I don't really care if this isn't something I can do, it would be cool.

 

[LCfiner]

Just curious about this, but if there is a new model coming out in the next couple months, is there any option to trade in/upgrade?

I got my 3G in December, and while I don't really care if this isn't something I can do, it would be cool.

probably not, to be honest. you might be able to get upgrade pricing if you bitch enough to your carrier and call up retentions and threaten to leave, etc... (still unlikely)

but you're probably not gonna be able to get the new iPhone at the advertised prices if you just got one 6 months ago.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Man if that list were true that would be amazing. I doubt they all will be but still awesome.

 

[Phoenix]

Why? Look at your Iphone's screen while it's off. The smudges are so much more visible than when the screen is on. The backlight really helps with this, and OLED screens have no backlight. It's a potential issue because due to the nature of the device Iphones screen is always completely covered in smudges.

Well you have to ask yourself how often your screen is actually black or large portions of it are black. I would venture to guess that most of the time there is enough color on the screen that even without a backlight that you still wouldn't notice the smudges since your eyes will focus on the area of interest which should be filled with some sort of color. Its rare that even game developers use 'true' blacks, and if it becomes a problem I think you'll find that most of them simply remove true black as a major color from the palette.

 

[Phoenix]

Just curious about this, but if there is a new model coming out in the next couple months, is there any option to trade in/upgrade?

I got my 3G in December, and while I don't really care if this isn't something I can do, it would be cool.

I'm pretty sure AT&T is like the others in that they want you to have your contract for at least a year before they give you the option of having another subsidized contract extension.

 

[mrkgoo]

I don't think that's accurate about the antenna. It's behind the plastic.

From the website:

More wireless. Less space.
iPhone 3G delivers UMTS, HSDPA, GSM, Wi-Fi, EDGE, GPS, and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR in one compact device — using only two antennas. Clever iPhone engineering integrates those antennas into a few unexpected places: the metal ring around the camera, the audio jack, the metal screen bezel, and the iPhone circuitry itself. And intelligent iPhone power management technology gives you up to 5 hours of talk time over 3G networks.2 That’s some of the best in the business.

 

[smoothj]

Ok so I lost my iphone like 4 days ago

My girlfriend calls me today to let me know that one of her coworkers' sons is going to sell his iphone. She told me that the kid already went to ATT and they said its ok if he sells his phone since he's also cutting his service. He's going to sell me his iphone for $100(nice, hope it's 3g) and my question is this.. Can I unlock the phone and use it as a replacement for my phone(also on ATT)?

 

[scorcho]

Why would you need to unlock it to use it on ATT?

 

[layzie1989]

With this update I think its time for me to get an iphone

 

[smoothj]

Why would you need to unlock it to use it on ATT?

so all I need to do is activate it again through ATT?

 

[SuperPac]

She told me that the kid already went to ATT and they said its ok if he sells his phone since he's also cutting his service. He's going to sell me his iphone for $100(nice, hope it's 3g) and my question is this.. Can I unlock the phone and use it as a replacement for my phone(also on ATT)?

Somehow I doubt it's a 3G if AT&T told him that and if he's only gonna sell it for $100.

 

[smoothj]

well he was going to sell it for $175 but since its for my girlfriend(really me) its only $100. His mom said its the best one out, but she's and old filipino lady so I don't think she's too tech savy and knows what 3g is.

 

[Lord Error]

Well you have to ask yourself how often your screen is actually black or large portions of it are black. I would venture to guess that most of the time there is enough color on the screen that even without a backlight that you still wouldn't notice the smudges since your eyes will focus on the area of interest which should be filled with some sort of color. Its rare that even game developers use 'true' blacks, and if it becomes a problem I think you'll find that most of them simply remove true black as a major color from the palette.

Yeah, I figured the workaround would be to use dark grays, but it would be really funny if it comes to that.

 

[Tobor]

From the website:

That makes it sound like the antennas are ground to the metal in the phone, not that the bezel is an antenna. I mean, come on, the circuitry of the phone is an antenna? If that's true, what was the huge plastic ass on the 2G for?

 

[mrkgoo]

That makes it sound like the antennas are ground to the metal in the phone, not that the bezel is an antenna. I mean, come on, the circuitry of the phone is an antenna? If that's true, what was the huge plastic ass on the 2G for?

Ground to the metal/is the bezel, I don't know you could be right. It doesn't bug me either way. I guess in my memory I thought they said it was the antenna. Again, I have no idea. And yes, I knew about the plastic area for the 2G - and that the commonly accepted reason for the better reception in the 3G was supposedly due to the plastic back. Still, I think they never spoke of the antenna in the 2G version.

At any rate, I have no idea about radio technology, so just to reiterate, I have no idea what it means to 'be' an antenna or to ground one. I just read what is on the site (and yes I know they don't say 'is').

I have heard that it's not anything special, however, as most phones without an external antenna use similar techniques or something.

 

[Mar]

FM transmitter, but no receiver? Believe it or not, that would have been the one feature that would have made me upgrade my current iphone.

 

[mrkgoo]

FM transmitter, but no receiver? Believe it or not, that would have been the one feature that would have made me upgrade my current iphone.

I think an FM transmitter is a tough call. Seeing as they get flak from record companies even using their music as ringtones, let alone being able to broadcast.

Of course it's retarded for ringtones (i mean, what the hell, can't the phone play any song via the speakers?), but they may actually have a point for a transmitter.

 

[Barkley's Justice]

does anyone else think the whole app syncing thing should be re-considered?

case in point: sometimes i will sync my apps, right? and then delete an app from the phone. and then when i sync back to my computer, the apps i manually deleted from the phone are put back ONTO the phone.

i just feel like the phone should be the "master" platform, and any apps i delete manually should not be re-installed. it's so haphazard, in my opinion.

if i click "do not sync apps" in itunes, it tells me it's going to delete all my shit...

 

[Hellsing321]

does anyone else think the whole app syncing thing should be re-considered?

case in point: sometimes i will sync my apps, right? and then delete an app from the phone. and then when i sync back to my computer, the apps i manually deleted from the phone are put back ONTO the phone.

i just feel like the phone should be the "master" platform, and any apps i delete manually should not be re-installed. it's so haphazard, in my opinion.

if i click "do not sync apps" in itunes, it tells me it's going to delete all my shit...

When the phone is plugged in to iTunes just go into the apps tab on your phone and uncheck any app you don't want to sync to the phone. If you buy an app on the phone and sync it on iTunes it will ask you if you want to transfer the app to iTunes. If you say no the app will be deleted from the phone so always say yes unless you don't want to keep the app.

 

[mrkgoo]

I thought this must've been posted here ( I think they're a week old), but then again, it's just a mock-up, so maybe nobody cares. I did think these looked kinda nice, though:

I don't normally go for colours, as they may be more interesting at first, but you get bored.

 

[mrkgoo]

does anyone else think the whole app syncing thing should be re-considered?

case in point: sometimes i will sync my apps, right? and then delete an app from the phone. and then when i sync back to my computer, the apps i manually deleted from the phone are put back ONTO the phone.

i just feel like the phone should be the "master" platform, and any apps i delete manually should not be re-installed. it's so haphazard, in my opinion.

if i click "do not sync apps" in itunes, it tells me it's going to delete all my shit...

Odd. My phone does not do this. When I delete an app, the next time I sync, it stops checking it.

Try syncing 'selected apps only'.

 

[Pristine_Condition]

That makes it sound like the antennas are ground to the metal in the phone, not that the bezel is an antenna. I mean, come on, the circuitry of the phone is an antenna? If that's true, what was the huge plastic ass on the 2G for?

For the antenna.

But the antenna arrangement was changed from 2G to 3G. One has nothing to do with the other. They had to change the internals significantly to make room for all the 3G's new major features, like the 3G transceiver, GPS receiver, and their antennas.

The metal ring and bezel is used as an antenna. I didn't just make that up. I just didn't specify that it was on the 3G.

 

[VanMardigan]

Dammit, my wife is probably going to pick up a 16GB by Saturday. Her blackberry died, and without a huge leak or something, she's not going to hold out until June 8th or whenever they unveil the next one.

 

[elektrikluv]

Dammit, my wife is probably going to pick up a 16GB by Saturday. Her blackberry died, and without a huge leak or something, she's not going to hold out until June 8th or whenever they unveil the next one.

Can't she buy a crappy phone until June? You can get phones for like £30 or something. My phone is really old and falling apart, no screen, no battery cover, but I'm still holding out :lol

 

[VanMardigan]

Can't she buy a crappy phone until June? You can get phones for like £30 or something. My phone is really old and falling apart, no screen, no battery cover, but I'm still holding out :lol

I guess I could do that if she wants to, but she wants an iPhone really bad. She's always borrowing mine and she waited patiently for her 2 year contract to expire. I've had the iPhone for almost a year now and she's been waiting for hers. I do feel bad that she has to wait, and for mostly selfish reasons, since she doesn't really need any of the rumored features like extra space and better camera and stuff. The only thing that would bother her if its they unveil multi-colored ones like the mock ups above. If a pink iPhone comes out, that would make her feel bad, not a 32GB model at the same price. :lol

 

[Barrett2]

Can someone recommend a finance app that organizes checking account & credit card account info into a simple & basic presentation, letting me make payments via iPhone?

 

[Pristine_Condition]

Dammit, my wife is probably going to pick up a 16GB by Saturday. Her blackberry died, and without a huge leak or something, she's not going to hold out until June 8th or whenever they unveil the next one.

Well, even if they unveil some new hardware, that doesn't mean she'd be able to get one that day. When the 3G was announced, it didn't come out until a month later. If it were just a matter of waiting two weeks, that would be one thing, but waiting six weeks without a phone is another thing entirely.

That's a tough one though. I sympathize.

 

[Manics]

Well, even if they unveil some new hardware, that doesn't mean she'd be able to get one that day. When the 3G was announced, it didn't come out until a month later. If it were just a matter of waiting two weeks, that would be one thing, but waiting six weeks without a phone is another thing entirely.

That's a tough one though. I sympathize.

Heard a rumour date thrown around that the new iPhone will be in stores July 17th

 

[elektrikluv]

I guess I could do that if she wants to, but she wants an iPhone really bad. She's always borrowing mine and she waited patiently for her 2 year contract to expire. I've had the iPhone for almost a year now and she's been waiting for hers. I do feel bad that she has to wait, and for mostly selfish reasons, since she doesn't really need any of the rumored features like extra space and better camera and stuff. The only thing that would bother her if its they unveil multi-colored ones like the mock ups above. If a pink iPhone comes out, that would make her feel bad, not a 32GB model at the same price. :lol

I've been the same! Eagerly anticipating an iPhone for over a year, always borrowing my boyfriend's etc, but I definitely am not tempted to get the current model as it'd really annoy me when the new one came out! I mean I don't desperately need the nicer camera and whatever other hidden treats they have in store (as Apple always do), but it would still be nice to have the best one, considering it is so near! If she's waited this long, I'm sure she could do with a crap phone for a month or so. But obviously if she absolutely cannot live without an iPhone for a moment longer then there will be no stopping her!

 

[ckohler]

Women lusting after technology is hot. I'm just sayin'.

I (a man) still have my day 1 original iPhone and am eagerly anticipating the next. I reluctantly skipped the 3G. The main feature I want in the next iPhone is a better camera with video recording. Everything else will be icing on the cake.

 

[Blackhead]

VanMardigan, you should have let her use your phone for the last month

Can someone recommend a finance app that organizes checking account & credit card account info into a simple & basic presentation, letting me make payments via iPhone?

Mint

 

[infiniteloop]

Can someone recommend a finance app that organizes checking account & credit card account info into a simple & basic presentation, letting me make payments via iPhone?

I'd like this too. I have Mint but it doesn't let me do payments.

 

[tmdorsey]

Well he can't make payments from Mint. You could use Mint to see info about your checking and credit cards and probably just look and see if the the credit card has an app or iphone formatted site to pay from.

 

[LCfiner]

Can someone recommend a finance app that organizes checking account & credit card account info into a simple & basic presentation, letting me make payments via iPhone?

I was under the impression that banks would need to make these apps if you wanted to make payments.

 

[Xeke]

I was under the impression that banks would need to make these apps if you wanted to make payments.

Yeah I can't imagine they'd let third party banking apps fly if they let you make payments.

 

[Tobor]

I use the Mobile Banking app from AT&T. Not all banks are supported, but my bank, Suntrust, is. Check your bank's website.

I can check balances in each account, transfer funds, and make payments. It rocks.

I think BoA has it's own app as well.

EDIT: here's a link:

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/ringtones-downloads/mobile-banking/

 

[Barrett2]

Holy crap, Mint is amazing! It just alerted me I have spent $60 more this month on groceries than I normally do! That is some Skynet shit right there. :lol

 

[Phoenix]

I guess I could do that if she wants to, but she wants an iPhone really bad. She's always borrowing mine and she waited patiently for her 2 year contract to expire. I've had the iPhone for almost a year now and she's been waiting for hers. I do feel bad that she has to wait, and for mostly selfish reasons, since she doesn't really need any of the rumored features like extra space and better camera and stuff. The only thing that would bother her if its they unveil multi-colored ones like the mock ups above. If a pink iPhone comes out, that would make her feel bad, not a 32GB model at the same price. :lol

'

Then be a good and responsible husband and let her have yours now, then you go and get a new one when the next version comes out

 

[Mar]

Women lusting after technology is hot. I'm just sayin'.

I (a man)

 

[VOOK]

Have they added the ability to tap on phone numbers in the calendar yet? Often when on the way to an appointment or late I might need to phone that contact, at the moment it doesn't do this.

 

[Barrett2]

Curious; what are people's Top 5 most used / useful apps?

I am sure there are incredible apps out there I am not aware of, but it seems like when you look at sites to find the "best" apps you get a lot of groupthink. Im' sure Urbanspoon and Shazam are nice and all... but they also seem like the thing everyone has on their iPhone but nobody actually uses. I want apps I will actually put to use.

So far; here are my favorites. I need more suggestions!

- Mint
- Twitterrific
- GeoDefense
- MLB At Bat
- Morningstar Financial

 

[Solideliquid]

Top 5

Calendar (sync w/mobile me)
iPod
Weatherbug Elite
Facebook
Peggle

...and...

neogaf (webapp)
Toki Tori
Myst
Fandango
FML
App Store/iTunes Store
Safari
SMS app

 

[LCfiner]

I'll leave out the Apple apps and webapps or else it would just be ipod, calendar, safari, mail and neogaf.

Netnewswire
Twitteriffic 2.0 (great upgrade. sorry Tweetie)
Facebook
Weathereye (weathernetwork canada)
Now Playing (movie showtimes)
Shovel (digg story reader)
NY Times
Jaadu VNC
Groceries (sophiestication apps)

 

[Eaten By A Grue]

Top 5
- Facebook
- AP Mobile News
- iRentMovie (Netflix)
- BeejiveIM
- The Weather Channel

 

[Juice]

Gruber's statement that the 50% CPU clock increase is backed by a massive, superfast architecture upgrade heartens me.

Each app I've written is very XML-heavy, and (as you testing MobileGAF know) slowest after downloading a page, not while. This means on the new iPhone I should expect it to be hella fast and not much of a concern anymore.

Requiring a lot of CPU: never a bad idea in the long run
Requiring a lot of bandwidth: always a bad idea in the long run

 

[Tobor]

Top 5(in no particular order)

Tweetie
Ambiance
Deliveries
Air Mouse
Mobile Banking

 

[Terrell]

Curious; what are people's Top 5 most used / useful apps?

Facebook
BeejiveIM
Currency (handy for knowing when to buy stuff from across the border)
Cha-Ching touch
Trism (good time-waster while on public transit)

 

[Fafnir]

My Top 5 used:

Kindle
NeoGAF
BofA
iSpadez
Mobile News

 

[StrikerObi]

Top 5

- Tweetie
- Facebook
- WeatherBug Elite

Those three I use on a daily basis. The other two I use kinda often, maybe once a week at the most. The iPhone is mostly a Twitter expensive ass client for me, lol.

- Some sort of game (Peggle right now)
- Google Mobile

 

[Dilbert]

Yeah, Gruber's predictions have me jazzed. It all sounds plausible and exciting...although no big surprise since he thinks (and listens) before shooting his mouth off.

As for top five most used apps which didn't come on the phone itself:

Byline -- fantastic Google Reader client that supports online and offline RSS. The only app on my front page which isn't OG. (I keep my front page more or less stock, minus the YouTube app which is worthless to me. The other unused space is for the Google mobile web page bookmark.)
Instapaper -- fantastic offline reader for text-heavy webpages that contain articles you want to read later. The full paid version is great since a) I want to support the developer and b) it adds tilt-scrolling, which is awesome.
Photogene and CameraBag -- both augment the built-in Camera app in important ways. Photogene is basically a lightweight Photoshop app that allows you to improve/crop/caption photos which often don't come out well as taken. CameraBag solves the poor camera PQ in a different way, by giving you a variety of vintage photo filters that give your snapshots a cooler look. Both were inexpensive.
Quordy -- there are a ton of terrific games on the iPhone, but the one I've played the most is this clone of Boggle. It implements the original dice (so your boards are actually playable, unlike that shitfest Wurdle), allows you to play friends via email, and has the equivalent of achievements in the latest version.

Best web page bookmarks: Google, Gmail, Google Talk, ESPN, AA.com