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Cingular Ties, Several More iPhone Models? And More Details...

Thursday January 11, 2007 11:42 pm PST by Arnold Kim
PCMag, MobileBurn, and TelephonyOnline reported on comments on the Apple iPhone from Glenn Lurie, Cingular's president of national distribution. Cingular, of course, is the exclusive provider for the Apple iPhone in the U.S. and this deal has been said to last until 2009. As part of the branding, the "Cingular" word will appear on the iPhone screen, but will not appear on the body of the phone itself.

Of particular interest, Cingular's exclusivity contract "covers 'all models' of the iPhone, including several other devices in the works that may be 'coming out very quickly'". Unfortunately, the exact details surrounding the quote were unavailable, but appears to be related to the possibility of future 3G implementation on the iPhone -- a feature which Steve Jobs stated during the keynote was on the roadmap for future models.

Other details include:

- 2 year contract required, applies for existing customers as well
- Apple is taking additional efforts to prevent the unlocking of the phones
- Apple and Cingular will share tech support responsibilities
- Cingular hinted at possible iPhone specific data plans
- Likely a 1 year warranty

Meanwhile, there's a battle for the rights to Apple's phone in the UK. The contenders include O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile.

MacWelt.de published answers to questions (translation) from Apple Germany about the iPhone. And iLounge was able to have some hands on time with the iPhone. Some things revealed in these reports:

- iTunes songs can not be set as ringtones
- As reported, battery is not user replaceable
- Gestures / Scrolling interface has brief learning curve
- Screen appears resistant to smudges
- No Voice over IP support
- No wireless iTunes downloads/purchases
Also, in case you missed it, Apple has posted (iTunes) the Macworld San Francisco 2007 keynote in video podcast format on the iTunes Store.


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