AT&T releases Turn-by-Turn App for the US iPhone users.There are many new GPS apps being released in the App Store since 3.0 launch. The AT&T Navigator is free to download, but there’s subscription charges of $9.99 billed every month of usage.

AT&T Navigator was developed in partnership will TeleNav and includes some of the following features:

• voice-guided navigation
• automatic rerouting
• real-time traffic updates
• and more…

People might want to wait for TomTom’s Navigation app to be released which was announced this WWDC.

AT&T releases Turn-by-Turn App in the US App Store is a post from: The Apple Bites

During a tour of AT&T Foundry space in Plano, Texas the company exhibit its upcoming 4G Long Term Evolution Network to GigaOM.

AT&T expects to get ‘real-world’ speeds of around 28 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up. That is over double the speeds that Verizon has promised customers. AT&T also convey that in the last four quarters, it has recovered $125 billion in revenue, and billions of dollars in capital investments in its network.

I asked for a demo and got one. The speeds provided on the download side were about 28.87 Mbps, and were about 10.4 Mbps on the upload side. This compared to speeds of 3.77 on the download side and 1.21 Mbps on the upload for an iPhone capable of maxing out on AT&T’s 7.2 Mbps HSPA network. So it’s fast, but sharing those speeds with others on a cell tower will bring them down. For comparison, Verizon has promised customers speeds of 5-12 Mbps on the download side and speeds of up 5 Mbps on the upload side.

Apple is expected to update the iPhone with support for LTE, but still is unclear whether the technology will be ready by this year. Hope in the year end.

AT&T Exhibit LTE With ‘Real-World’ 28.8 Mbps download speeds is a post from: The Apple Bites

For those people who are planning to buy the next Apple iPhone can enquire from Verizon and AT&T site.

Verizon CFO Fran Shammo says the next generation iPhone will launch simultaneously on Verizon and AT&T and will offer global coverage, according to Reuters.

While Verizon has sold fewer iPhones than some analysts expected, Shammo said he was happy with sales of the “six-month-old phone” that only works in some countries.

When the next iPhone model launches Verizon will be able to offer it at the same time as AT&T. Verizon’s version will also work in as many countries as AT&T’s iPhone, which has global coverage, Shammo said.

If the next generation iPhone doesn’t support LTE, Verizon will have plenty of alternative devices for those who want a faster connection, as noted by Shammo.

“I think it’s a bigger issue for Apple than it is for us,” he said. “Depending on where Apple plays, that’s where we’ll sell.”

Many people are expecting that Apple will utilize a CDMA-GSM Qualcomm chip in the next iPhone; however, recent reports indicate that a satisfactory LTE chip will not be ready in time for this year.

Expect Next iPhone on Verizon & AT&T, Get Global Coverage is a post from: The Apple Bites

AT&T customer service revealed there will be no new iPhone released in June or July as mentioned by Apple to the Company.

According to a MacRumors forum member, “AT&T customer service represenataives says Apple has informed the company that there will be no new iPhone models released in June/July.”

The individual contacted AT&T to inquire about why his upgrade eligibility was pushed back for several months.

Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July timeframe, though there will be a newer version in the future. Unfortunately, we have not been given a release time for the new phone. We will release this information on our website when it is available to us.

To be true, customer services representatives don’t have access to this type of information: However sharing this kind of information is also worth.

Apple Notify AT&T that There will be no June/July iPhone Release is a post from: The Apple Bites

According to latest Survey by market research firm known as ChangeWave Research reports that AT&T iPhone users drop call rate are more than twice of Verizon iPhone 4 users.

You can see below, the percentage of dropped calls experienced by Verizon iPhone 4 users is only 1.8% compared to 4.8% experienced by AT&T iPhone 4 users.

AT&T iPhone drop call rate more than twice of Verizon iPhone is a post from: The Apple Bites

Here, AndroidCentral reports that the above screenshot is from AT&T’s database and reflects the prices customers pay when in mid-contract for phones.

Well, users if you have more than a year left on your contract and want to upgrade to an iPhone, then this is the price you pay. AT&T just raised that $50 for iPhone owners.

Should iPhone users switch to other carrier in act of AT&T prices going up? is a post from: The Apple Bites

On Sunday AT&T Inc. has made known that they have succeeded in obtaining a definitive agreement with Deutsche Telekom AG to purchase T-Mobile USA in a cash-and-stock deal valued at around $39 billion.

Deutsche Telekom also says that the agreement has been instantly accepted by the Boards of Directors of both companies.

Breaking News: AT&T to acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 billion is a post from: The Apple Bites

AT&T is providing you amazing offers on original iPad. They have cut the prices on the 3rd gen 3G iPad.

AT&T has cut $100 off the price on 16GB, 32GB iPads and $200 off the 64 GB version.

Go and grab the first gen 3G iPad before the offer end or before the carrier
ran out of stock.

Amazing discount from AT&T on 1st Gen 3G iPad is a post from: The Apple Bites

AT&T is flowing in the line of promotion for iPad 2 by giving users one free month of 2GB data. The usual charge for 2GB plan is $25. If you had already brought your iPad from AT&T then you can drop by the nearest AT&T store to get the data offer.

AT&T: Free 2GB data for iPad 2 owners is a post from: The Apple Bites

Orders for ipad 2 at Apple online store has went up from 3-5 days on Friday morning to about 3-4 weeks on Saturday afternoon. If you act fast then you might get your order faster from AT&T.

AppleInsider reports that the carrier is already shipping iPad 2 models ordered on Friday, and some could arrive on Monday.

You can get an iPad 2 faster from AT&T is a post from: The Apple Bites

Apple iPad 2 is now on sale at popular retail chains across the country like Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Verizon, AT&T and Apple Store.

Long lines awaited those who decided they wanted iPad 2 in their hands today and now those lines have started to move. People who has decided that they wanted Pad 2 in their hands today were welcome with a long line.

Customer can buy online at apple.com and att.com. Unfortunately for them, Apple’s estimated shipping time for iPad 2 is 2-3 weeks. AT&T had an estimated wait of “3-5 business days” as of a couple hours ago, but now they too are showing a 2-3 week waiting period before your iPad 2 ships.

iPad 2 now on sale at popular retail chain is a post from: The Apple Bites

Thinking to own an iPad 2 with Wi-Fi+3G in the US, then it is important to remember that the only option is to select the model that back AT&T’s network or Verizon’s CDMA network.

Quote:
“Verizon was retailing the original iPad along with AT&T and here the original iPad with Wi-Fi+3G only supported AT&T’s network so Verizon had to offer the MiFi mobile hotspot with the original iPad with Wi-Fi only model for 3G data.”

Verizon, is currently offering unlimited data for its iPhone 4 plan, but will only offer tiered plans for the iPad 2.

iPad 2: Which one should I take, AT&T or Verizon? is a post from: The Apple Bites

There is a great news for all the user who don’t want to switch to a more expensive tiered plan upgrade to coming Apple iPad 2 because AT&T says that if you had already signed up for their unlimited data plan when you bought the first iPad then you can keep it when you upgrade to the iPad 2.

AT&T is currently charging $25 per month for 2 GB of data, plus an additional 1 GB for $10 in case of overage. The alternate plan offers 250 GB for $14.99 per month, plus another 250 GB for $14.99.

First iPad customers can upgrade unlimited plan to iPad 2 is a post from: The Apple Bites

According to NEW YORK, Consumer Reports’ has made headlines with its decision not to support iPhone4 because of the earlier grip antenna problem that plagues AT&T’s iPhone 4. Now the same magazine has made the wrong call. Here, Tests show that Verizon’s version is significantly improved over its rival’s.

According to Gadget analysis group AnandTech was the first to diagnosis iPhone 4 antenna issue. They cover a thorough test of the new Verizon iPhone 4 and found that the “death grip” problem has been mitigated.

Verizon iPhone clear death grip problem is a post from: The Apple Bites

According to the latest News, AT&T committed to sell a contract-free Apple iPhone 3G, although they will not allow users pre-pay service but in a other way round the customers will still require a standard monthly plan. Now both the 8GB and 16GB version of the handset will be on offer, priced at $599 and $699 respectively.

It is also known that AT&T will begin selling the handsets by next Thursday.

AT&T committed to contract-free Apple iPhone 3G is a post from: The Apple Bites

AT&T the exclusive provider of the iPhone since its launch in 2007 has revealed that that the company has not gone through any event regarding subscriber losses after losing its iPhone U.S. exclusivity to Verizon Wireless last month. As told by AT&T executive.

According to Ralph de la Vega, “AT&T’s head of consumer and mobility businesses has said that they are not surprises by any of this gesture, and also added that everything is pretty much within their expectations.”

Verizon wireless on tuesday announced that they will eliminate its standard $30 unlimited monthly data plan and adopt data caps, thus becoming the latest wireless provider to move away from unlimited data plans.

We are not surprised by iPhone defection: AT&T is a post from: The Apple Bites

The second hacker Andrew Auernheimer charged outing an AT&T security breach that exposed over 120,000 iPad 3G customers’ personal data was released on bail yesterday after he had been held behind bars since mid-January.

Andrew and Daniel Spitler, both in their mid-20s and members of the Goatse Security group, were each charged with a count of fraud and a count of conspiracy to access a computer without authorization.

Both of them were charged seven months after vulnerability was discovered by researchers at Goatse security, who wrote a script that harvested iPad 3G owners’ ICC-IDs (or integrated circuit card identifier, used to identify SIM cards to a network) and email addresses through exploiting a hole on AT&T’s website.

Second hacker charged with AT&T data thief released is a post from: The Apple Bites

AT&T has been quietly accumulating smartphone units to add to their war chest in anticipation of the iPhone being made available through Verizon in the near future. Bloomberg reports:

“AT&T Inc., facing the possible loss of its hold on the iPhone, is adding handsets at an accelerating clip and retraining store staff to help reduce reliance on its top-selling smartphone during the holidays. AT&T clearly has tried to diversify them away from the iPhone, and that’s probably the right strategy since they’ve relied so heavily on the iPhone these past few years […] that handset strategy could shelter them from some customer losses.”

AT&T has additionally been revamping many of their retail outlets and giving alternate smartphones to their staff in order to be less dependent on the iPhone in a post-exclusivity world. Is AT&T right to anguish or just smart to prepare? Sound off in the comments below!

Is AT&T getting ready to loss iPhone exclusivity? is a post from: The Apple Bites

Now both AT&T and Verizon have now released their quarterly earning statements, and it turns out AT&T (driven primarily by 5.2 million iPhone activations) signed up 2.6 million net subscribers to Verizon’s 0.9 million.

That means Droid doesn’t bring subscribers the way iPhone 4 does and that’s actually terrific news considering Verizon in a position of capability is not something any Android or iPhone lover would want to see. Perhaps that will boost Big Red to let Droid be a little more Android.

Well to be frank, the issue is encouraging as Verizon moving towards iPhone 4 in 2011.

Is Verizon turning to iPhone considering Droid lesser subscribers? is a post from: The Apple Bites

AT&T released some pretty impressive numbers today with 5.2 million iPhone activations in Q3 2010. The iPhone obviously contributes a significant portion of AT&T’s smartphone sales, or what they are referring to as “integrated devices”. AT&T additionally claims that by 80% of postpaid activations (contract lines) were integrated devices. Around 8 million integrated devices were sold in total. Since the iPhone can only be sold with a contract, it’s safe to assume those 5.2 million iPhones were a portion of that 8 million. That means that around 65% of AT&T’s smartphone activations were iPhones. That’s tremendous. It additionally tops AT&T’s previous record for iPhones activated in a quarter, which was 3.2 million.

AT&T relies heavily on iPhone sales to boost their margins and bottom line when it comes to smartphone sales and input plan sales. Whether another carrier in the US should start carrying the iPhone, which could hit AT&T

A lot of citizens that are tied into family plans and business accounts are probably less likely to migrate due to the cost of ETFs and migrating. Users that are out of contract or on individual line plans may be more prone to jump ship. I’m personally one who thinks not as many folks will leave when they realize how much it’ll cost them. AT&T’s got them for a year or two.

What do you guys think?

AT&T Q3 2010 financial results shows 5.2 million iPhone activations is a post from: The Apple Bites

Steve Jobs, the chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. has congratulated Stan Sigman, the former CEO of Cingular and then AT&T Mobility, on being inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame.
Jobs and Sigman have a special relationship dating back to 2005 when they first started talking about bringing the iPhone to market.

Sigman said, “Steve called me at home late one evening,”. “We had just introduced a Motorola phone that had iTunes on it and Steve had a vision of doing more with the device than that.”

After the talks the duo decided to partner on the iPhone but at that time they were without prototype. Sigman said. “Steve and I had not seen a phone — we just had confidence in our respective organizations that we could do this. It was a big gamble, but I had that much faith in Steve Jobs. He told me what he could do and I believed him, and history will show that was a good decision.”

That’s was how the pair came together and work wonder with their products.

Steve Jobs acknowledges Stan Sigman into Wireless Hall of Fame is a post from: The Apple Bites

Now Apple’s iPad will be available with very less price compared to its counterpart.
Yes, Apple came with a plan which will help you to get the iPad with 3G services in much less price compared to the Dell’s Streak and Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Let us see how other tablet cost higher. With a two-year AT&T contract, Dell’s 5-inch tablet starts at $300 and for the data plan its $55 per month deal: 450 voice minutes for $40; and 200MB data for $15, which accumulate to around $1620 ($1320 for the 3G plan; and $300 for the tablet ) for two years of Dell Streak usage.
And now how the iPad cost low compared to the Streak, lets see the equation. The 16GB iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G costs $629, AT&T charges $15 per month for 250MB of data, So over two years, the least you’d pay for an iPad with 3G service is $989. Thus if you avail the services of iPad you will have a profit of $ 631 than Streak.
So, it’s clear that iPad Wi-Fi with 3G services comes in cheapest price than the existing tablets.

Thanks, PCWorld.com

Apple a bargain brand, came with the least price iPad ever is a post from: The Apple Bites

One is the media (Verizon) and other is the medium (Apple) are holding talks for future perspective. As far as I remember it’s not for the first time though.

Again a report appeared stating “

Apple is thinking to expand the iPhone to another carrier in the U.S. next year to maintain high growth, as the company’s smartphone nears saturation on the AT&T network “, Wall Street Journal report.

Talks are in progress for “SVDO” iPhone which would allow both voice and data at the same time, something not possible with a traditional CDMA phone on Verizon’s network.

If you go through various business magazines you will come across a number of rumors or articles pointing toward a January 2011 launch for a CDMA iPhone available on the largest wireless network in the U.S., Verizon.

Let see how the talks between the biggest companies in their respective field make best out of it in near future. Though we agree business dealings doesn’t happen over one night.

Thanks, AppleInsider.com

Apple and Verizon talking for mission 2011. is a post from: The Apple Bites

We recently heard how the Apple’s iAd was a major success in the mobile advertising platform and about its early adopters. A report by businessinsider on iAds said that the iAds were trickling out at a faster pace these days.

Recently we saw a new iAd for Citibank, now there are two more ads circulating in Apple’s iAd network. The two new iAds released recently include AT&T, the iPhone’s exclusive wireless carrier, and “The Switch,” a new movie from Miramax starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman.

The AT&T ad focuses on the carrier’s new $15-per-month Data Plus plan, carrying the tag line “Now your entire family can afford the mobile internet. The company also pushes its Wi-Fi hotspots, available to its cellular data customers free of charge.

The iAd for “The Switch” offers a variety of features, including a tool for finding nearby theaters showing the film, trailers and commercials, a photo gallery, character bios, and a humorous “quiz” to help users decide whether they are ready to be parents. The ad also features a mini-game called “Build a Baby”, which lets users assemble various combinations of hair, eyes, and mouths to create unique “baby” faces.

Via: businessinsider

Two new Apple iAds: “The Switch” Movie and AT&T is a post from: The Apple Bites

I always prefer device which provides better options so that I can switch to another network which offer better service but our comrade of iPhone 4 users in US seems to have lesser option without AT&T.

According to the Apple website, it appears like US users no longer have the option to purchase an iPhone at no commitment pricing. In the US, AT&T is the exclusive carrier. A lot of users prefer to purchase a phone at no commitment price and unlock it for use on T-Mobile. The AT&T websites still seems to be offering the no commitment price for the iPhone. Apparently you must purchase a no commitment iPhone in store. To be frank still I didn’t able to grasp what AT&T trying to convey through this.

AT&T states that they have not made any policy changes on their end so is that just the new reality for Apple in a post Jailbreakme.com world. There are so many factories offering unlocked iPhone 4 in most countries outside the US now and even you can buy online. In USA there is still a big concern about unlocked iPhone 4 because you still need AT&T carriers.

I guess very soon we can hear some change in AT&T policy towards its users. Sorry guys there are not so many options that your iPhone can be happy without AT&T.

http://applecontrol.com/apple-no-longer-offering-no-contract-pricing-for-iphone-in-the-us

Apple, no contract offer for iPhone in the US is a post from: The Apple Bites

Boy Genius Report (BGR) claimed that a source from apple had revealed something interesting to them regarding the iOS 4 code, thus showing that new iPhone and iPad models may be set to begin field testing. The relevant code is said to allow carriers to test the devices without requiring manual activation through iTunes as is required for retail units.

 BGR said “Way deep down within iOS 4 is a pretty intriguing block of code. Our source says that the code queries the device, and if the device is a CDMA iPhone or iPad 2, the device will auto-activate, thus bypassing the need for iTunes. We’re told this block of code has appeared every year consecutively before a major iPhone / device release, removed right before launch.”

These code names are not new, as they first appeared several months ago in iPhone OS 3.2 released for the iPad. However their presence in an “unreleased hardware” portion of code dealing with auto-activation does appear to be new, and the source claims that this presages field testing of the devices.

But the software presence or evidence of Apple’s future devices tends to appear very early in the development process, as in the case of the iPhone 4. Evidence of field testing of the iPhone 4 appeared by late November 2009, more than six months before its public launch. Combined with claims that a CDMA-based iPhone 4 is in “engineering verification test” stage, this new evidence of software support for field usage of the new hardware continues to point to possible product releases sometime early next year and not any sooner.

Courtesy: boygeniusreport.com

Expect new iPhone and iPad models anytime next year is a post from: The Apple Bites

Rumors are going on that Apple is planning to order a large number of CDMA chipsets. Apple has got in line to buy millions of Qualcomm chipsets because production activities to be run is expected sometime in December. The early request has started as millions of chips require months to prepare for the supply.

They have also planned to have internal insulators to prevent contact from bridging the antenna, which will also prevent earlier controversy arisen due to iPhone 4 antennae problem and that the design would be same as iPhone4.

At present all iPhone are GSM and Apple would need to start up a new separate production unit to run in order to accommodate CDMA plans. So, if Apple goes according to the plan it can attract a major chunk of customers who are not comfortable with the present AT&T plans and others who are actively avoiding the same keeping in mind about the network problem and lack of quality support issues.

Undoubtedly after this news Verizon will show its inclination towards fixing iPhone into its pocket. All the best Verizon, hope you succeed this time.

Apple gearing up for CDMA iPhones but AT&T and Verizon already primed [Wink] is a post from: The Apple Bites

According to AT&T in a newly published SEC, it shows that its exclusivity term with iPhone is coming to an end. But the wireless Chief Ralph de la Vega sees no such defection from AT&T. As over 80 percent of customers are engaged into corporate or family plans and that switching to another carrier would be difficult as it would involve moving the entire AT&T.

Apple has recently confirmed its original deal with AT&T was to be ended in 2012. Rumors are going on that the deals can be shortened either to switch to subsidized pricing in return. Apple is worried that if it happen it can lose strong base in San Francisco Bay area and other regions where AT&T 3G service are much lesser as compare to other service.

Thanks [electronista.com]

AT&T at the risk of losing iPhone [exclusive] is a post from: The Apple Bites

The all new iPhone looks amazing, the feel of the WWDC event would not be over until I have one. Apple has no compromises regarding the eye-appeal factor would always be a 100 percent.

The refreshing deviation from the 3GS to the new one seems great with the addition of video calling, micro SIM, improved battery life and various other improvements. So now you just need decide which one to buy the black or the white one, 16GB or 32GB and a revision regarding what AT&T has in store for us. Nonetheless, I will put forth all the above details and my take too. Just tried to make life simple, a small move. Please feel free to drop in your reactions and comments.

Color Availability:
I am sure you must be knowing this even if you aren’t an Apple fanatic. The iPhone4 is available in two colors – White and Black but not to forget that each color has two different storage capacities (16GB and 32GB). The prices will be different for both storage capacities.

Price:
The prices are $199 for the 16GB and $299 for the 32GB. U.S people need to bond with the folks at AT&T into a two year contract to get an iPhone but if you hate AT&T then you should be ready to pay more.

Price without AT&T contract:
For the 16GB the price is $599 and for the 32GB the price is $699, heavy one?

Wireless Data Plans:
Existing iPhone users need not upgrade to a new plan but there are three different data plans for a new iPhone user which are as follows:

Data Plus: Pay $15 per month and get 200MB
Data Pro: Pay $25 per month and get 2GB
Tethering: Add tethering to the data pro plan for $20 per month. (Data Pro Plan mandatory)

Unlimited Data Plan:
Sadly the unlimited data plan is no longer available but if you under this plan this the same will run until the lapse of contract for a price of $30 per month and this cannot be renewed anymore.

A word of caution: Phone upgrade eligibility:
Before proceeding with anything else just check your contract eligibility and the respective fees to be paid. This applies to 3G and 3GS users who upgrade in 2010 because after 2010 the price would mount to $399 and $499

Our Take:
Statistics reveal that 98% of smartphone users use less than 2GB a month on an average so now you just need to figure out three things, Color, storage capacity and lastly data usage which will result in iPhone4 in your hands
For more detailed information follow AT&T links mentioned below and if you are missing WWDC event then we have a video below which shows the event (iPhone4 release) wrapped in a video of 5 minutes.

AT&T data plans
AT&T newsroom
Complete iPhone4 Keynote

I want the new iPhone. Price? is a post from: The Apple Bites

While Apple is going places to increase their global smartphone market share by launching iPhone in newer markets; the newest one coming up in China soon, it seems there is a very simple alternative to drastically up the market share just inside US – by opening up to more carriers. This is according to a study by Morgan Stanley’s Kathryn Huberty.

According to Kathryn, the current market share of iPhone in the six markets which are still exclusive is around 4%. By merely opening up the network in these six markets, the market share here could be pushed up to 10%. In US alone, Kathryn expects the market share to rise from the current 4.9% to 12.2% by partnering with more carriers like Verizon.

This report comes as no surprise. We have already heard rumors that Apple might add new carriers in the US within a year. While the technology, brand and aesthetics of iPhone has been a huge pull among the customers, the network that the phone is locked to has been a deterrent in equal measure. AT&T has not been able to cope up with the increasing load on their capacity caused by customers in the high iPhone density areas like New York and San Francisco and have told us that they’re working hard to address the problem. Recently, Apple even confessed to users facing 30% dropped calls on an average in New York City.

Some of our readers from Boston and New York City commented in our earlier article that they had observed high percentage of dropped calls on AT&T while others from the East Bay, California seemed to have faced no such problems at all. That makes us wonder if opening up the iPhone to other carriers alone will help Apple double their market share in the US.

Do you know of anyone who has stayed away from the iPhone just because of issues with AT&T?

To Double iPhone’s Market Share in US, Apple Simply Has to Unlock the iPhone is a post from: The Apple Bites

We just got the information from a Twitter user – Adam, that the AT&T MMS Carrier Update is out on iTunes!

Apple has issued a support article explaining the process for activating MMS. You should update to iPhone OS 3.1 if you have not already done so, and then click the “Update Settings” button on the pop-up window notifying them that a new carrier settings file is available.

AT&T MMS Update Out is a post from: The Apple Bites

With AT&T’s announcement on bringing MMS to the iPhone on September 25th, they’ve now released a video clip “Seth the Blogger Guy” explaining the data drama in the past several years and also how AT&T has been working (they say so) to expand its infrastructure to handle the pressure on its network. Blogger Guy shows the (not-so) steps AT&T has undertaken for the launch of MMS on the iPhone.

We’ve been working for months to prepare the radio access controllers in our network to support this launch. That means calibrating base stations all over the country, and frankly that’s a very time-consuming process. MMS for the iPhone will be coming on September 25th. We wanted to make sure that when MMS for the iPhone launches, the experience was great. We wanted to get it right.

They tell in the video clip about the investments AT&T has made in its network, totaling $38 billion over the past two years, to increase capacity and deploy coverage based on the 850 MHz spectrum, which offers improved capacity and in-building coverage. Finally, Seth points to AT&T’s ongoing work to deploy technology to improve data transfer speeds and the expansion of 3G to additional markets.

AT&T’s Video-Clip Explaining MMS Launch Delay is a post from: The Apple Bites

Till now, you are more than aware of the unlocking iPhone methods that you can find on “the market”. The good news is that it is possible, the bad news is that you need to have a jailbroken devices in order to unlock your iPhone.

Some people would kill for an unlocked iPhone, but they are too scared to jailbreak their device. Well, it seems to be possible and here is the success story of the guys at TheAppleBlog :

In June, while over 1 million early adopters in the U.S. picked up their brand new iPhone 3GS devices, I was anxiously waiting for the official launch in my current country of residence, Finland. I picked up my iPhone 3GS in Helsinki just two weeks ago, when it was finally launched by Sonera.

Regarding Sonera, think of it as a less-repugnant version of AT&T. As the exclusive distributor of the iPhone over in Finland, Sonera has turned out to be a somewhat benevolent carrier. The carrier’s unlimited data plan is reasonably priced, and home hacking your iPhone to tether to your Macbook is positively encouraged.

And now I’ve discovered that Sonera is also happy to lend a helping hand in unlocking your old iPhone 3G. When the 3G was released last year, Sonera customers had to sign up for a two-year contract. When upgrading to the iPhone 3GS, those same customers are given the option to pay off the remainder of their original 3G contract. Paying off the contract, and thus completing the two years prematurely, entitles the customer to have their iPhone 3G unlocked.

The helpful assistant at the Sonera store made a note of my IMEI number and then passed it onto his boss — after that there’s a special piece of software that only his boss is authorized to use. This mystical application submits the IMEI to Apple, which in turn authorizes the device for unlocking.

I was advised that when the iPhone 3G was next synced with iTunes, it would be unlocked. Minutes later, back at home, I connected the iPhone 3G to iTunes and received a new carrier settings update. After downloading and installing the update, Apple’s official iPhone unlock screen appeared.

Going the legit route was a much more painless process than using a proxy SIM or the Dev Team’s unofficial unlock. Also worth noting is that, unlike some of the illicit approaches, this unlock is permanent: I’ll be able to keep updating the iPhone’s OS without losing the ability to use any carrier SIM in the device.
It was a surprisingly quick, easy and free unlock for me, although I’d be very interested to find out if any of our readers around the world have had similar success in unlocking their iPhones.

Legally Unlock Your iPhone is a post from: The Apple Bites

A Rogers Wireless iPhone compression website confirms to sweet rumor and alleged screenshots of the company’s internal retail software revealing a 8 GB iPhone 3GS model. Now, this “iPhone Comparison” tab on Rogers’ iPhone 3GS page contains a chart listing the features of the iPhone 3G and 3GS, noting near the bottom that the 3GS is available in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB capacities.

Yes Yes Yes, 3GS 8GB is on the Way! is a post from: The Apple Bites

AT&T is the most hated cell phone carrier on the planet earth, or so it seems everywhere you look. With the new iPhone OS 3.0 Apple announced iPhone MMS and tethering compatibility.

Everybody was excited until AT&T said that they will not offer this services until “later this summer” . Boo-hoo. So, people were mad, but finally got used to the fact that they have to wait for the official release of this services. Got used to it, until they start to wonder when the hell will this happen, what exactly does “later this summer” means.

The information i just got from my AT&T ninja , seems to be the same as “later this summer” . He told me that AT&T will enable MMS for its users once the new iPhone firmware 3.1 will be released . Released date for the new firmware is not certain, all we know is that it will be released towards the end of August or early September.

AT&T Rumor: MMS Coming With iPhone Firmware 3.1 is a post from: The Apple Bites

When Apple announced that they had sold 5.2 million iPhones in Q3 2009, it was quite obvious that it would have a positive impact on AT&T’s results which is the exclusive carrier for Apple’s iPhone in the US.

AT&T has just announced that it activated a record breaking 2.4 million new iPhones during the second quarter ending June 30, 2009 which was one of the highlights of their results along with strong wireless growth.

More than 2.4 million iPhone activations in the second quarter, reflecting a record-setting iPhone 3GS launch.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today reported second-quarter results highlighted by strong wireless growth, including a substantial step up in retail postpaid subscriber additions and continued robust growth in wireless data revenues. Results also included double-digit growth in IP-based revenues from AT&T U-verse services and advanced business offerings.

Progress in these areas and solid cost management largely offset economic pressures and increased volume-based acquisition costs associated with the company’s highly successful iPhone 3GS launch to drive financial results that were generally in line with the first quarter of 2009.

Though AT&T has mentioned an increase in acquisition cost associated with Apple’s iPhone which impacted company’s earnings and margins, its net positive for AT&T as they make roughly $95 a month from each iPhone customer vs. about only $59 from the average non-iPhone customer i.e. 1.6 times from an iPhone customer.

Let’s hope AT&T enables the MMS and Tethering feature that’s available in iPhone OS 3.0 but currently disabled in the US (and some other countries) in this quarter to bring some cheer to AT&T’s iPhone customers.

As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

AT&T Activated Record Breaking 2.4 million new iPhones in Q2 2009 is a post from: The Apple Bites

AppleInsider claims that the Apple Tablet will be here in 2010—similar to the rumors we’ve already heard—but that it’s coming at a price that’s not too unreasonable.

It is expected to retail for somewhere between the cost of a high-end iPhone and Apple’s most affordable Mac notebook.

This would means – under $999 and over $299. They also said that it’ll be 3G enabled, that it’ll be around 10-inches and be shaped like a large iPod Touch and they said Apple is not going to subsidize this with AT&T, which means rumors of Verizon being the partner this time seems true!

Apple Tablet May Be Coming in 2010, Pricing Details Rumored is a post from: The Apple Bites

For all iPhone users who miss SMS delivery notification, here is a simple trick to make it work on your iPhone.

Just enter these special characters before your message and you will get notification as soon as it gets delivered.

• *0#
• #
• !
• *not#
• *N#
• ##

Since this is a feature of the cell carrier, this trick will work on other phones as well. The carrier will also strip out the special characters when it delivers the message to the recipient.

If you know codes of other carriers, please mention it in the comments. Thanks!

iPhone SMS Delivery Notification Codes is a post from: The Apple Bites

Apple has seeded developers of their iPhone Developer Program with beta version of iPhone OS 3.1 (build number is 7C97D) and iPhone SDK.

Apple hasn’t provided much details about the improvements expected in iPhone OS 3.1 but developers have already stumbled upon some interesting changes in the latest iPhone OS.
According to developers following changes in iPhone OS 3.1:

* Non-destructive video editing means trimming a clip no longer saves over the original video but gives you the option to “Save as copy…”
* Voice Control now works over Bluetooth
* iPhone vibrates when moving icons
* Updated AT&T profile to 4.2
* Updated modem firmware to 5.08.01
* Improvements to OpenGL and Quartz.
* APIs to allow third party apps to access videos and edit them.

There are also reports that MMS feature is enabled for AT&T users but it does not work as for some reason it hangs and fails before MMS goes out.

The iPhone Dev team has also warned users who are interested in unlocking their iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS should avoid updating their iPhone with iPhone OS 3.1 (including iPhone OS 3.1 beta) until they release tools to update firmware without updating the baseband. They have also clarified that the warning does not apply to first generation iPhone users as it uses BootNeuter for the unlock, not Ultrasn0w.

iPhone OS 3.1 Beta released is a post from: The Apple Bites

The US Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation is studying deals like AT&T’s exclusivity for the iPhone, and how that balances business freedoms, technology innovation, consumer competition, and the effects on smaller, rural carriers.

In response to AT&T retail sales and services president, Paul Roth’s assertion that exclusivity provides more innovation, lower cost, and more choice, PC World quotes Senator John Kerry’s response:

“I accept the benefits you articulated but I’m having a difficult time trying to envision why an innovator, given the size of the market and the number of outlets, is not going to innovate to produce a product that is equally competitive [to an exclusive phone] … because it wants to appeal across different providers,”

This exchange followed on the heels of the committee sending a joint letter to the FCC, which according to InformationWeek asked for a determination as to whether “exclusivity agreements are restricting consumer choice”.

We know a lot of you want your iPhone on Verizon already, but should Apple and AT&T be allowed to come to whatever agreements each sees fit, or is there a roll for government to limit that for the good of consumers who’s interests may diverge at times from corporations?

US Government Looking Into AT&T iPhone Exclusivity is a post from: The Apple Bites