iphone 3g

The rumors that Wal-mart would be joining in on the Apple iPhone 3G craze seem to be shaping up into more fact than fiction thanks to the latest leak by BGR.  According to the details submitted by anonymous tipsters 2,500 Wal-marts and a select group of 69 Sam’s Club locations will begin selling the iPhone 3G on December 28th.  No pricing information is available at this time, but we can expect this to remain under wraps to not deteir would-be buyers to put a hold on their holiday plans.

Wal-Mart Internal Memo

We are pleased to announce that Wal-Mart has reached agreement with Apple to offer iPhone 3G in Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart-managed Sam’s Club* Connection Centers nationwide beginning December 28, 2008. AT&T will support Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club with the activation process for iPhone 3G, and we need all National Retail employees engaged to ensure a successful launch.

*NOTE: This product launch DOES NOT apply to SC Kiosks within Sam’s Club managed by Radio Shack.

Wal-Mart has communicated the following launch plans and execution timeline to their employees:

• iPhone 3G will be available in-store only beginning 12/28/08
• New and existing customers in good standing can purchase iPhone 3G with a 2 year contract
• iPhone 3G transactions only will be processed through POS.com, not the kiosk

Execution Timeline:

• 12/2 – 12/5: AT&T / Wal-Mart MEM Classroom Training for Store Leads
• 12/3 – 12/19: AT&T In-Store Training
• 12/6 – 12/27: AT&T In-Store Refresher Training
• 12/28: Nationwide Launch
• 12/28 – 12/30: Wal-Mart and AT&T War Room Support

Via BGR

Google’s search-by-voice application is finally available for the iPhone via the App Store.  With an announcement on Friday, the widespread excitement quickly turned into disappointment as the application failed to make its debut in the App Store.  My friends the delay is well worth the wait and we predict the program to top free iPhone app lists before week’s end.

So how does the app work?  The app is very simple by allowing users to speak into the iPhone to submit queries to Google’s search engine.  Standard search results, movie show times, addresses and other information are retrieved and displayed as you would see search results when using the normal web browser to search Google.  While the voice detection feature performs very well with the exception of complex phrases, the app does not allow the capability to call a contact hands-free.  If you were looking for the complete voice detection software, you will still need to download Say Who for your voice dialing, but hopefully we’ll see additional functionality in the form of a software update.

Google Mobile App for iPhone

The need to jailbreak your iPhone to stream television, music and video has ended now that Orb has released their official application to the AppStore.  Although the Orb app might fall victim to Apple and At&t’s rejection policies to the likes of Cast Catcher and Net Share, at the moment we have the green light.  For just $10 you can now stream video from a Windows PC to your iPhone with the pay-version of Orb.

Orb can deliver any video or audio that’s stored on the the PC, YouTube content and, most important, live television if you have a TV tuner installed on your PC. This places Orb squarely in competition with Slingbox, which provides a similar level of functionality but does not yet have a native iPhone application. With the appropriate tuner, Orb delivers on the “live TV anywhere” promise brought to various other mobile phones by Slingbox.

We have been long-time fans of Orb and have religiously used the software to stream to our Windows Mobile Phones.  Unlike Windows Mobile where the streaming is completed with the built-in Windows Media Player, the need for a standalone iPhone app has turned this previously free solution into a nominal fee.  We are going to hold off on making this purchase until Apple and At&t have enough time to reach a verdict on whether it falls under the guidelines of their terms and conditions.  In the meantime, there is also a free version of the software for download in case you’d like to see the performance over 3G.

Note: Orb is currently working on a version of its application for Mac and Linux computers, but at the moment a Windows PC is required (Vista or Media Center is ideal).

All anti-Apple readers please skip to the next article because J.D. Power and Associates have just released their findings from their 2008 Business Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study.  Between August and September almost 1,400 respondents were asked to rate smartphones for ease of operation, operating system, physical design, handset features and battery aspects. Here are their results:

Apple - 778 (5/5 stars)
RIM (BlackBerry) - 703 (4/5 stars)
Samsung - 701 (4/5 stars)
Industry Average - 681 **
HTC - 676 (3/5 stars)
Motorola - 659 (3/5 stars)
Palm (Treo) - 644 (2/5 stars)

The Apple iPhone received perfect rankings in four of the five categories with the exception of “battery aspects” in which it only scored 2/5 stars.  In case you are wondering which manufacturer walked away with 5/5 stars for battery that would be none other than Canadian smartphone manufacturer RIM (Research in Motion).

Via Cnet

One of the biggest complaints for iPhone and iPhone 3G users has been the lack of tethering capabilities on their devices.  Earlier this year NetShare was pulled from the App Store for offering tethering functionality  because it apparently violated the terms and conditions of the developer program. 

At&t Mobility CEO, De la Vega, made the comments during a conversation with TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington at the Web 2.0 Summit on Thursday. “Tethering” an iPhone to a laptop, and using the iPhone’s mobile data connection to get online, is a service that iPhone users have wanted for some time but that AT&T was reluctant to provide, perhaps because it feared that a huge influx of traffic could overwhelm its network.

The news from the Web 2.0 Summit coincides with earlier news from Gizmodo when Steve Jobs sent an email confirming Apple and At&t were working on a tethering plan.  Unfortunately NetShare never had much of a chance to win over the App Store, but NullRiver software, the company that sold NetShare still claims that their product did not violate any terms and conditions of the developer program.

In other At&t news from the Web 2.0 Summit, De la Vegas had some comments on the future of Android within carrier.  ”De la Vega said AT&T continues to look at Google’s Android operating system but is not prepared to make any moves to carry any Android phones. He said the platform is still evolving and needs to open up even more to offer a wider array of non-Google applications.”  At this point it is unclear when and if At&t will unit Android with its devices, but the heavy dependence on Google web apps is probably a major factor.

Via Cnet

Here in the states our major complaints with the iPhone 3G revolve around a lack of picture messaging and slow 3G speeds for the most part, but our friends in Japan have a much higher expectation: a TV tuner.  In order to fill the void for the iPhone 3G’s lacking tuner, Softbank has announced a new external 1Seg TV Tuner with additional battery (both for the iPhone and tuner itself).  The gadget is plugged in via the iPhone’s proprietary port to recharge the battery, or WiFi for TV mode.  If you live in Japan and a 1Seg TV Tuner is a must-have addition to your iPhone 3G, you now have a solution.  Just don’t let us find you complaining about the added bulk.

Via akihabaranews

Way back when in February we first heard news that Starbucks would be ending their WiFi agreement with T-mobile USA and starting a partnership with At&t Wireless. Well friends the day has finally come for those of you with iPhones hoping to join in on some Hi-Speed Web Browsing, free. The next time you find yourself in your neighborhood Starbucks simply enabled WiFi on your iPhone and select attwifi from the list of available networks. Enter your 10-digit mobile phone number and check the box to agree to the Acceptable Use Policy and tap “continue”. You will then receive a text message from At&t with a secure link to the At&t WiFi hotspot (text message is free), and simply open the link for 24-hour access to the At&t WiFi hotspot.

At&t iPhone Free WiFi Step-by-Step

• enable WiFi on your iPhone
• Enter your 10-digit mobile number and check the box to agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. Tap “continue.”
• You will receive a text message from AT&T with a secure link to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. You will not be charged for the text message.
• Open the text message and tap on the link for 24-hour access to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. 

A mysterious iPhone-esque device was just spotted at the 2008 China International Information and Communication Exhibition.  The device has been named the Cool 9000, but much of the device is still a mystery at this point.  What we can confirm at this point is the device runs the Windows CE platform and features an interface that has been heavily influenced by the iPhone.  Not only does the interface share basic cosmetic similarities but the dial-up interface, picture browsing and even the web browser are almost identical.  

The Cool 9000 features a 4.2-inch screen, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, Opera browser, flash player, fingerprint identification and a strong battery capable of watching 8 hours of continuous video playback.  There will be two versions of the Cool 9000, but at this point it is unclear which frequencies will be supported for 3G connectivity.

Via CNMO.com

Earlier today CNET senior editor Bonnie Cha and her right-hand man Brian Tong put the iPhone 3G up against the T-mobile G1 for a 3G speed test.  While 3G speed always depends on the number of users on the network and signal quality, a real world test is always worth a thousand words.

Final results: iPhone 3G 30 seconds, T-mobile G1 22 seconds, G1 wins!  We’d love to hear what our readers are experiencing in their own speed tests so go ahead and submit your time to load Cnet.com and location for coverage comparison in the comments (G1 or iPhone 3G).