MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

iPhone Alley posts a suggestion on how to convert an upgrade ineligible AT&T account into an upgrade eligible one to take advantage of the discounted iPhone 3G pricing. At the heart of the matter is that existing AT&T customers who recently bought a subsidized phone from AT&T may not be eligible to purchase the subsidized ($199/$299) iPhone 3G. Instead, these upgrade ineligible AT&T...

Apple Japan has posted a Japanese version of the iPhone 3G Guided Tour. No new information, but is surprisingly interesting to watch even if you don't understand the language. At one point the Chinese character recognition is demonstrated when they are showing off the international...

Engadget reports that a line has already formed at the 5th Avenue Apple Store. The motivation behind lining up so early doesn't seem to be to try be the first to get the iPhone 3G. Instead, it appears they simply want to break a world record for standing in line. In fact, based on the interview, I'm not even sure they know much about the iPhone. Besides, Apple Retail stores have not yet...

Google announced a new version of Google Talk optimized for the iPhone. The web-based chat client allows you to instant message with others. - Chat with your Google Talk contacts in real time. Send and receive instant messages in chat sessions with your contacts. - View and search for your Google Talk contacts. See the availability and status message of your contacts and change your own status ...

Apple has published a knowledge base article detailing steps for existing iPhone owners to take in upgrading to the iPhone 3G. Apple walks through the backup and restoration process which will require iTunes 7.7 for the iPhone 3G. One new bit of information for U.S. customers is the fact that you will not move your existing iPhone SIM card to the new iPhone. Instead, the iPhone 3G's SIM...

One forum user posted for help getting his new iPhone activated through iTunes. As it turns out, the iPhone was purchased in China just last week. After some photos of the phone were posted, it was clear that the phone is a very convincing knock-off of the actual iPhone. The packaging appears authentic, and at first glance the phone itself looks pretty similar. The proportions are slightly...

Gizmodo posts a brief video walkthrough of some of the new features found on the 2.0 firmware. According to the site, testing has not revealed any obvious errors, though content filtering is not yet working. The App Store, of course, is also not yet online. Apple is expected to release the 2.0 Firmware update on July 11th as a free update to current iPhone...

AT&T confirmed another tidbit that many assumed true, but again it's nice to hear the official word. Despite suggestions that the unsubsidized iPhone 3G ($599, $699) would be "decoupled" from AT&T, a spokesperson has

Tidbits confirms what most people expected, but it's nice to get confirmation from AT&T. The current 2G iPhone plans will continue to be available for people who want to start up new service plans with someone's old phone. If you get an original iPhone (in sale, trade, or hand-me down) and decide to initiate new mobile phone service with AT&T, you will be charged the same rates as before. This ...

A new video teaser of upcoming iPhone game Rolando has been posted at TouchArcade. Few details are provided, but the game is described as a physics-based platform/puzzler which has been designed from the ground up for the iPhone. The Youtube Video is impressive. The game will be the first official game from Handcircus. The developer is hoping to deliver it by late July/early August....

One new feature shown in the iPhone 2.0 guided tour is the ability to independently turn on Wi-fi after you've switched your iPhone into "Airplane mode". Normally, with Airplane mode, the iPhone turns off both its cellular and Wi-fi transmissions to prevent any inteference with the plane's navigation system. The ...

tclary spotted the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) client on the App Store during the Guided Tour posted today. The AIM client will provide iChat compatible instant messaging for the iPhone and iPod Touch. AOL first demoed the app during the original iPhone SDK launch event, but have made no further announcements since that...

Apple's iPhone 3G will be encased in environmentally-friendly packaging according to a Dutch blog and translated by The Register. The report suggests that Apple has contracted Dutch company PaperFoam to create the insert which holds the iPhone. The insert would be 100% recyclable and made from natural resources, either potato starch or Tapioca starch. The company has been previously...

The Boy Genius Report suggests that the iPhone 3G may be made available for purchase in Best Buy and Radio Shack retail stores in the U.S. While the report stresses that this is an unconfirmed rumor, they do claim that their source has a good track record. There is no word on whether the iPhone 3G would be available in these stores on the July 11th launch date or if there would be a delay...

Telstra announced that they will be offering the iPhone 3G in Australia. Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, Maps with GPS, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in onea revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a...

iPhoneinCanada.ca posts a memo that reportedly describes some of the iPhone 3G activation process for Rogers stores in Canada. Specifically, they point to an "activation only" version of iTunes which is being offered as a beta download from Apple.com: To ensure customers can leave with a fully functional iPhone, it must be first be "unbricked". This process involves using the tether (a USB cable: ...

Macsimumnews provides a tip on how to send and receive unlimited SMS messages from your iPhone (assuming you have an unlimited data plan). The steps are as follows: 1. Create a new email message. 2. In the To: box, type 10digitnumber@teleflip.com. (1235551234@teleflip.com) 3. Type a message and click send. 4. The message will be sent to the cell phone with the number in the To: box 5. All...

China Mobile says that talks geared towards bring Apple's iPhone to mainland China have cleared a big hurdle, according to Reuters. But there is no timetable for when China Mobile would bring the iPhone to mainland China, a spokeswoman said. "Apple is no longer insisting on a revenue-sharing policy, so the biggest hurdle for China Mobile to bring in the iPhone has been cleared, but there are...