MacRumors

The iPhone Blog reports that in the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware, users are being told that may not re-download applications over-the-air without being charged. The dialog box (shown above), however, does indicate that users may still re-download applications for free through their computer.

This is a distinct change from how things currently work. In the current version of the operating system, iPhones and iPod Touches may re-download applications both over-the-air and on their computer without charge.

Update: While we first speculated that the reason behind the move is likely to prevent the illegal sharing of applications in the 3.0 firmware, further testing indicates that the results are sporadic. So, we're not sure the reasoning behind the change, but it should be clearer when 3.0 is released.

Yesterday's claimed leak of the next generation iPhone has generated a lot of attention, resulting in the original site (UMPCFever) going down from the traffic. One 9to5Mac reader provides an manual translation of the entry which provides a bit more detail and insight behind the story. The fully translated entry with a mirror of the original pictures has been organized here and is much easier to follow. It starts:

It's already 3am, and I totally cannot sleep. 'Cuz I just came home after meeting a friend from the U.S. This friend brought me something, and it's not H1N1. Instead, it is a item that will be under the world's spotlights -- a third generation iPhone prototype. This friend is a mysterious person. Even this 3rd Gen iPhone is also very mysterious. He said one can only take fuzzy snapshots of it, and not clear shots. 'Cuz it's still not officially released. So, in regards to the fuzzy photos below, I apologize!

Also, since this is a prototype, the styling of the phone absolutely cannot be disclosed. And there is also a high likelihood that the final product will differ in look. So, there will not be any photos here that compare the old and new iPhone in terms of appearance.

The following images show a comparison of photos taken with the current iPhone (left) and the new iPhone (right), meant to demonstrate the superiority of the Auto-Focus camera in the new iPhone.

The article also describes the built-in compass funtionality: "Upon press of a button, the direction is immediately displayed. It will be very useful when travel or mountain hiking." The rest of the screenshots seem to depict features that have been known to be coming in iPhone 3.0. The compass interface, however, has not been previously seen, nor has the auto-focus "square" depicted here.

A few items we neglected to post from the past week include a new flickr gallery that depicts screenshots from the latest Snow Leopard build (10A354) as well as a Chinese handwriting recognition video (embedded below). The flickr poster writes:

Anything I didn't snap a shot of was because it didn't seem like anything had changed.

Some additional observations:
- Initial setup now warns you if you don't choose a password hint.
- Time Machine menu bar icon is now grayed-out if Time Machine is not configured.
- Clean Up icons command in the Finder now "slides" icons into place instead of them just moving instantly. It's a neat visual effect.
- There is no QuickTime preference pane, and no preferences within the application itself. I theorize that Apple is going to do away with QuickTime Pro entirely.
- Quick Look now works from Open and Save dialogs.

The poster of the images also claims that Snow Leopard will be released in October with the rumored "marble" interface, but that may simply be based on circulating rumors, than on any particular inside knowledge.

Some images highlights include QuickTime Player, QuickTime Share to iTunes, split Terminal, Screen Recording, Scanner Sharing, Text Replacement and much more.

Meanwhile, this YouTube video shows the trackpad handwriting recognition found in the latest build of Snow Leopard:

A Chinese-language blog UMPCFever posted what it claims are the first photos of the next generation iPhone in action. According to the rough automated translation these images show the new iPhone but as it is a prototype the external design may change is not therefore not featured.

According to the report, the new iPhone does contain an autofocus camera that is uses an on-screen square that can be moved by the tap of a finger to chose the object of focus. Also shown is the long rumored digital compass as well as compass software (pictured above). Those features seem to be specific to the next generation iPhone, though the site also demos MMS and Copy/Paste with Images.

We've never heard of any reports from UMPCFever, so we can't judge their credibility, but the features shown seem consistent with circulating rumors as well as leaked video recording interface found in the Beta 3.0 software.

BoyGeniusReport publishes the first hands on review of the upcoming Palm Pre. Palm has been especially secretive about allowing media access to their device, so this represents one of the most detailed looks of the device.

BoyGeniusReport breaks down the review into Screen, Keyboard, Size, Feel, OS, Multimedia, Battery Life, Browser, and Apps. Some aspects were difficult to test at this early stage including Apps, Multimedia and Battery life. The site gave the phone high marks for the operating system and screen but found both the keyboard and feel of the device to be poor. Specifically, the physical keyboard which distinguishes itself from the iPhone's soft keyboard was described as disappointing:

It's really not good. My hands aren't that big (I can type faster than you could ever dream on a BlackBerry, iPhone or E71) and my thumb literally takes up 3 or 4 keys on the keyboard. There's less space in between each key than say, a BlackBerry Curve 8300 keyboard, and the texture takes some time to get used to.
....
You can't compete with RIM in the keyboard area and you can't compete with Apple in the soft-keyboard area, so how are people going to enjoy using your product when the data entry isn't perfection?

Still, the reviewer was enthusiastic about the OS and expects the device to be successful.

AppleInsider reports that Apple has begun internal training of its AppleCare staff to prepare for the deployment of wireless movie and TV downloads in the forthcoming iPhone OS 3.0. The report comes on the heels of a blog entry posted last week showing screenshots of a testing version of the iTunes Store download pages.

Now however, AppleInsider has learned from people familiar with Apple's training program that new self-guided training materials being distributed to familiarize AppleCare agents with the features of iPhone 3.0 software "definitely covered" the ability to directly download movies and TV shows on the device itself, rather than just syncing video content through iTunes.

Those people noted that the advanced training was unique, saying that "Apple never puts out product training this far ahead of a product launch. This training material is roughly 6 weeks early, they said, having arrived in the form of a single training module on Tuesday.

AppleInsider speculates that wireless movie and TV downloads may initially be limited to Wi-Fi due to bandwidth constraints on AT&T's cellular network. Similar restrictions were initially placed on wireless song downloads from the iTunes Store, although Apple expanded availability of the downloads to cellular networks as part of changes announced at Macworld Expo 2009.

The news broke yesterday that Palm's anticipated Pre phone will seamlessly sync with iTunes for both Mac and Windows, allowing users to transfer non copy-protected content to the new Palm phone. While there has been speculation on how this had been accomplished, Jon Johansen explains in a blog post what Palm must have done, and why he believes it won't last.

According to Johansen, the Palm Pre must be specifically presenting itself as an Apple iPod to trick iTunes into syncing data with it. This is why iTunes displays "Syncing iPod" rather than "Syncing Pre" during the demos.

So how is Palm doing this? Its pretty simple, really. Well start with the most basic question that doesnt even involve the Pre: To a PC, whats the difference between an iPod and a Kingston memory stick? The iPod has a specific USB Vendor Id that identifies it as being an Apple product and a USB Product Id that identifies it as being a specific iPod model.

Aside from transmitting Apple-specific Vendor Ids and Product Ids, the Palm Pre must also be responding to custom USB commands sent by iTunes to gather information about the device. Johansen also believes that there will likely be enough differences in the implementation that Apple will be able to break this compatibility with the next iTunes release.

Johansen, of course, is intimately familiar with media/device syncing as he is the co-founder of doubleTwist, a free alternative media syncing application for both Mac and PC. We covered doubleTwist's Mac beta launch back in February. Johansen conveniently points out that they will be offering Pre sync support in doubleTwist.

Gizmodo posted this hands on video of the upcoming Zune HD which is positioned to compete directly against the Apple iPod Touch.

According to the gadget site, the Zune HD is "tighter and more physically beautiful than the iPod Touch and it's got a better UI". Engadget also had some hands on time with the unit and found it has "a nice, solid feel, with good heft to it and a surprisingly thin profile." The OLED screen was described as "stunning".

The existence of the Zune HD was confirmed yesterday and is due for launch later this year.

Computerworld digs up evidence that the 13" Aluminum MacBook appears to have gotten a quiet screen upgrade as of late April. The blog post references findings by MacRumors forum members fuz10n and hellfire88. Hellfire88 had access to both a Unibody MacBook from November as well as one of the newer ones and posted comparison shots. The two screen model numbers are 9C89 and 9CA5 respectively.

It can be hard to see the differences in the photos, but the user also describes them in day to day use:

I personally see a difference in person when I use them both, but others may not. The newer one seems to have much deeper blacks and better contrast. I'm not sure its as good as the screens in the uMBP's but IMHO its definately a "step-up" from the original uMB screens.

Computerworld reports that the new screens are similar to, if not exactly the same, as the screens found in the MacBook Air. Retail Apple Stores that have been checked seem to still have the original (worse screen) units on display.

A few times a year, MacRumors partners with MacUpdate to promote their Mac application bundle deal. Their latest bundle delivers at least 11 Mac applications for $49.99 (a $521.71 value if all purchased separately) including:

- TechTool Pro 5 ($98.00) - comprehensive Mac tool to check the health of your RAM, hard drives, repair problems and optimize performance
- Parallels Desktop 4 ($79.99) - virtualization for the Mac that allows you to run Windows alongside Mac OS X.
- Circus Ponies Notebook 3 ($49.95)- an organizer to take notes with audio annotations, track tasks, collate ideas, clippings, photos
- NetBarrier X5 ($49.95)- firewall and intrusion detection software
- DVDRemaster Pro 5 ($49.99)- backup DVDs, convert DVD movies for use on the iPod, iPhone and AppleTV
- Multiplex ($35.00) - DVD management and playback system
- RipIt ($18.99)- Copy DVDs to your hard drive
- MoneyWell ($49.99) - Finance management software with direct connect banking, envelope budgeting, transaction and cash flow management
- Paperless ($44.95) - manage your receipts and document collections
- Posterino ($24.95)- Use your photos to create posters, postcards, photo frames, greeting cards and more.
- BetterZip ($19.95) - better .zip compression management

Bonus Apps for first 20,000 Buyers

- Jets'n'Guns Gold ($29.95) - save the world in this side scrolling shooter
- CuteClips 3 ($15.00) - clipboard manager

This $49.99 bundle sale lasts for two weeks and does not include any "locked" items. All items are available immediately and even includes the two bonus applications for the first 20,000 bundle purchasers.

MacRumors is a promotional partner with MacUpdate. Bundle sales through these links benefit MacRumors financially, and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.

One MacRumors reader Carniphage posted a photoshop rendition of what the next generation iPhone might look like using the leaked bezel image.

The bezel appeared at parts supplier ChinaOnTrade and shows the speaker for the iPhone at a much higher position than the current iPhone. It also shifts the color of the surrounding border from silver to black.

Fortune reports that the forthcoming Palm Pre is able to sync with iTunes on Macs, appearing in iTunes' device list just like an iPhone or iPod with the only limitation on syncing being its inability to handle older, copy-protected tracks from the iTunes Store. Although not mentioned in the report, the Pre would also presumably be incompatible with movies and other videos from the iTunes Store, as such content continues to be copy-protected.

Plug a Pre into a Mac and it syncs, seamlessly, with Apple's (AAPL) iTunes.

In fact, the iTunes Store treats the Pre just as it would an iPod or an iPhone with one exception: it can't handle old copy-protected songs.

Third party programs that perform the same service for various non-Apple MP3 players -- including the Palm Treo and 700p -- have been available for some time. But team Pre has apparently built the necessary code right into the devices firmware.

The Palm Pre, scheduled to launch early next month, is regarded as the most worthy competitor yet to the iPhone and has been the source of much attention both for its features and for the device's connections to Apple. Former Apple executives John Rubinstein and Fred Anderson, as well as a number of other former Apple employees, have played key roles in rebuilding Palm, which has staked its future on its new "webOS" platform. The Pre is the first Palm device to be based on the new platform.

On a conference call in January just weeks after the Pre's announcement, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook made a number of forceful comments announcing Apple's intent to vigorously defend its iPhone intellectual property. While stopping short of calling out Palm for the Pre's implementation of multi-touch technology, which is similar in many ways to the iPhone's, Cook's comments were widely viewed as a veiled threat toward Palm.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment to Fortune about the Pre's ability to sync with iTunes, and it remains to be seen whether Apple will take legal or technical action to address the issue.

iPhone Ticker first reported on new "Apple iPhone 3Gen 2009" parts listed for sale at parts supplier ChinaOnTrade.

It can be hard to tell exactly what has changed from just the single part, but iLounge breaks down the changes that they see:

Notably, the bezels appear to show a repositioned and redesigned ear speaker, now significantly higher above the display than the present speaker, and ringed with metal, a change that may make room for additional front-mounted sensor or camera hardware. Also changed is the bezels color, which has shifted from the prior silver in all iPhone and iPhone 3G models to a nearly black metallic color reminiscent of the backs of later fifth-generation iPod U2 Special Edition models.

The lack of a silver rim could indicate some minor changes to the appearance of the next generation iPhone, though the legitimacy of the parts remain up for debate.

AT&T today announced its plans for deployment of HSPA 7.2 3G wireless technology topping out at 7.2 Mbps, doubling the speed of AT&T's current offerings and serving as an intermediate step to the deployment of LTE (4G) several years down the road. AT&T plans to begin rolling out the improvements later this year and will take until 2011 to fully deploy the necessary equipment. LTE trials are scheduled for 2010 with deployment to begin in 2011.

The upgrade to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology is part of AT&T's plan for continued investments to deliver the nation's best mobile broadband experience the ideal combination of speed, coverage and best device line-up. AT&T today has the nation's fastest 3G network and has attracted more than twice the number of smartphone users than any other competitor.

With its network built on the 3G UMTS technology that is commonly deployed throughout the world, AT&T can boost the speed of its mobile broadband network and offer a wide variety of devices to take advantage of it well in advance of 2011-2012, when most industry observers expect 4G LTE networks and device availability to scale. AT&T plans to begin LTE trials in 2010, with deployment beginning in 2011.

As part of and alongside its move to HSPA 7.2, AT&T announced a series of initiatives that it is planning to undertake this year:

- Near-Doubling Radio Frequency Capacity. In 2008 and 2009 to date, high-quality 850 MHz spectrum has been deployed in more than half of AT&Ts 3G network footprint to improve overall coverage and in-building reception, with additional markets planned for later in the year.
- More Bandwidth to Cell Sites. We are adding fiber-optic connectivity and additional capacity to thousands of cell sites across the country this year, expanding the critical connections that deliver traffic from a cell site into the global IP backbone network. These upgrades will support the higher mobile broadband speeds enabled by both HSPA 7.2 and LTE.
- More Cell Sites. Deployment of about 2,100 new cell sites across the country.
- Wi-Fi Integration. Many AT&T smartphones will be able to switch seamlessly between 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. AT&T customers with qualifying smartphone and 3G LaptopConnect plans have access to the nations largest Wi-Fi network more than 20,000 hotspots, including locations in all 50 states at no additional charge. AT&Ts global Wi-Fi footprint covers more than 90,000 hotspots, and AT&T also can create permanent or temporary extended Wi-Fi zones in areas with high 3G network use, like a grouping of hotels or a festival.
- MicroCells. Customer trials leading toward general availability of AT&T 3G MicroCell offerings, which utilize femtocells to enhance in-building wireless coverage.

AT&T's announcement makes official statements made last month by AT&T executive Scott McElroy regarding the move to 7.2 Mbps 3G, although it does not address the possibility of 21 Mbps HSPA+ raised in the previous report.

A number of rumors over the past few months, including some as recently as yesterday, have pointed to the inclusion of support for the new 7.2 Mbps "3.5G" standard in the next-generation iPhone rumored for release within the next few months.