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Apple Skin Case 520 turn iPod Touch to iPhone

   
Click here to download:
Apple_Skin_Case_520_turn_iPod_.zip (143 KB)

Now the iPod Touch owner can be 'modified' their iPod Touch, so that could be used to make calls like the iPhone. All you need is a casing. Interestingly, this casing using a SIM card to make calls. This is different from previous ways of using the SIP protocol-based applications or VOIP.

This iPod Touch casing is Apple Skin Case 520 or Apple Peel 520 is basically a communication module. In addition to having the SIM card slot, the casing is also equipped with 800 mAh batteries and antennas are located on the lower right corner. Apple Peel 520 made by a Chinese company named Yosion.

[via engadget]

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Filed under  //  cellphone   China   gadget   iPhone   Mobile  
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Posted 2 days ago by Oki Rosgani 

20 thousand iPhones on XL Axiata already

I was at the Kompas Editor's Choice iPad app official launch event at XXI Plaza Senayan last week courtesy of Eddy Taslim who is in charge of Kompas.com, the Indonesian daily's online presence. In attendance were some of Kompas' agencies and other partners among which was mobile network provider, XL Axiata.

Sure, it was an iPad event but XL revealed some interesting numbers regarding iPhone usage on their networks. Yes, iPhone is still currently the sole domain of Telkomsel in Indonesia but since July 2009, the company has unlocked all of its iPhones via software update, this means the handsets can be used with any GSM network in the world without having to use Telkomsel's roaming service.

Telkomsel revealed at the Indonesian 3GS launch last February that they sold 30 thousand iPhone 3Gs in 2009. This year we estimate that they have sold upwards of 15 thousand 3GS models should the sell rate is maintained. Of course, there are also thousands (perhaps tens of thousands) of privately imported iPhones from various other countries.

What XL revealed at the event was that there were roughly 20 thousand iPhones actively using XL's network as of June 2010 and on average they use about 100 MB of data per month. 

Handono Warih, General Manager of Sales at XL Axiata proudly declared to the audience's amusement that even without going through the trouble of securing official iPhone distribution deal, the network managed to capture a significant portion of iPhone users in Indonesia

The chart they used to present the data is by no means fully representative, I mean they piled the original iPhone in one bar and the 3G in another but split the 3GS into two, but the numbers were there.

It is surprising that on average, XL iPhone customers only use 100MB per month. Many fellow iPhone users use upwards of 300MB per month and I personally use more than 400MB per month even with wireless internet at home. Most of my non-home use are on the road where almost every Jakartan spend at least 2 hours stuck in traffic every day.

It would be more interesting if they can profile who these iPhone users are and perhaps more importantly how they manage their data usage. XL offers a mobile internet package of 1GB with a throttled speed to 128Kbps if that limit has been reached and even further down to 64Kbps if it passes, if I recall correctly, 2GB in a single month.

Rumors flew several weeks ago that XL was in talks to distribute iPhone 4 in Indonesia but Mr. Warih said that, "It's all still in the dark."

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Filed under  //  apple   broadband   indonesia   internet   iphone   xl  
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Posted 3 days ago by Aulia Masna 

iPhone 4 to be available in Asia this Friday with dazzling prices

As announced, Apple extends the availability of iPhone 4 to another 17 countries this Friday on July 30, among them are Asia Pacific countries, like Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. The phone will be available both through online store and standard retail stores. The suggested retail price is surprisingly affordable, if compared to previous iPhone 3GS prices.

It is stated that the suggested price for 16GB variant is SG$888 (US$651), while SG$1048 (US$768) is the price for 32GB. Those are unlocked and contract-free scheme with no pre-order required. The list is completed with iPhone 3GS 8GB that offered at SG$748 (US$548). Maybe we'll be getting contract-bound prices in coming days. iPhone is offered by all operators in Singapore -- SingTel, StarHub, and M1. 

In Hong Kong, the price is somewhat similar. We obtain information that the 16GB variant will be sold at HK$4988 (US$642), while the 32GB price is still unknown. iPhone 4 is the next edition iPhone, brought several new features including video call via Wi-Fi with FaceTime, crystal bright Retina Display, 5 megapixels camera, and latest iOS4 with multitasking.

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Filed under  //  Asia   Asia Pacific   australia   Hong Kong   iphone   iPhone 4   New Zealand   price   Singapore  
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Posted 5 days ago by Amir Karimuddin 

iPhone 4 Update: Case Program app and delay on White model

The following action of event last week has been made. As part of Case Program, Apple has created Case Program app, can be downloaded from App Store, for those in need for free bumper. Consumers who have purchased iPhone 4 before July 23 is required to submit their claim within 30 days of the purchase, or as late as August 22. 

The Case Program will be continued until September 30. I assume Oct 1 is the date where Apple will launch patch (iOS 4.1?) that ultimately overcome problem related with attenuation. The term and condition itself refers exclusively to USA condition, as the country where attenuation problem hit critically -- well, not that many eventually, according to Jobs.
 
In the contrary, bad news for those dreaming of having white version of iPhone 4. The white model will not be available in near future and now promised to be delivered later this year due to inability of manufacturers to produce as schedule. Ars Technica and Engadget have made speculation over what happen behind the closed door, but we could only guessing. The black model, however, will not be affected. 

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Filed under  //  Case Program   Case Program app   delay   iPhone   iPhone 4   white model  
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Posted 8 days ago by Amir Karimuddin 

Malaysia's Maxis and DiGi open "interest form" for iPhone 4

Both Malaysian operators, Maxis and DiGi, open "interest form" for iPhone 4, letting consumer know when the iPhone 4 is finally available. The list won't be considered as pre-order, so when the time is due consumers need to re-register. Malaysia is not yet listed in upcoming listed countries of iPhone 4, but according to previous experience with 3G and 3GS, it won' take long after Singapore's release. No pricing scheme is revealed. 

The iPhone 4 is scheduled to be unveiled in Singapore this July, along with its sibling, iPad. The iPhone 4 features include video call via Wi-Fi using FaceTime, crystal bright retina display, HD video recording, and multitasking. 

With two operators join bandwagon to sell iPhone, only Celcom that has not. There's speculation that Celcom will eventually follow its competitors. We'll see.

[via]

   
Click here to download:
Malaysias_Maxis_and_DiGi_open_.zip (71 KB)

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Filed under  //  DiGi   iPhone   iPhone 4   Malaysia   Maxis  
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Posted 10 days ago by Amir Karimuddin 

Free iPhone 4 bumpers as temporary fix

Apple CEO Steve Jobs took to the stage earlier today to talk about the hotly debated issue surrounding iPhone 4's antenna reception. He noted several things that may surprise not only those in attendance but also executives of other smart phone manufacturers. He showed in videos how other phones such as the BlackBerry Bold 9700, HTC's Droid Eris and the Samsung Omnia 2 also show the same signal attenuation issue when their respective antennas are being covered by hand or gripped tightly. RIM and Nokia were quick to respond to the statements made by Jobs at the press conference.

In tackling the problem, Apple's temporary solution is to give away iPhone 4 bumpers and 3rd party cases to iPhone 4 owners. Those who have bought an iPhone 4 are eligible for a free bumper or case and those who have bought a bumper will have their money refunded in full. Anyone else who buys an iPhone 4 between now and September 30 is also entitled to a free bumper or case.

The third party cases are included in the offer because Jobs claimed that Apple can't make the bumpers fast enough to meet the demand. If you have bought a third party case for your iPhone 4 you are not eligible for a refund but you are still entitled to a free bumper from Apple. No doubt in a few days, there's very likely going to be more iPhone 4 bumpers on eBay from those who are looking to make a quick buck.

If you go to the Apple Online Store, you'll find that the bumpers are no longer available for sale but Apple will provide details on how to claim your free bumper soon.

After September 30 Apple will evaluate the situation and see whether they have managed to provide a more permanent solution.

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Filed under  //  apple   iphone   iphone 4   signal  
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Posted 14 days ago by Aulia Masna 

3 million iPhone 4s sold, 86 countries by September, down from 88?

 

During the press conference held earlier this morning, Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the opportunity to reveal some numbers regarding the iPhone 4. Since June 24 when it went on sale in the US, UK, France, Germany, and Japan, Apple has sold over three million iPhone 4s, that's 22 days. As previously announced, 1.7 million of which were sold in the first three days. iPhone 4 is Apple's most popular and fastest selling product to date.

By the numbers
Apple received around 5 calls in every thousand calls to AppleCare asking about antenna issue, thats roughly 15,000 calls. Out of more than three million iPhone 4 customers. So far only 1.7 percent of iPhone 4s were returned to AT&T in the US, much lower than 6 percent return rate for iPhone 3GS when it was released last year.

Countries
While initially Apple was planning to release the iPhone 4 in 18 more countries by the end of this month, Jobs said South Korea has been removed from the list due to government approval taking longer than expected. The rest of the 17 countries will start selling iPhone 4 on July 30. The countries are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
  
In addition, 24 more countries will get the phone in August (possibly 25 if South Korea gets pushed to August) and 40 in September which makes 86 countries by the end of September. Previously Apple claimed 88 countries will be selling iPhone 4s within that time period but the calculation only showed 87. Somebody made a mistake in either adding up the numbers or they forgot to include another country in there. Regardless, full distribution of iPhone 4 should be completed by September.

White iPhone 4
At the end of July Apple will also start selling white iPhone 4s in limited quanitities. It seems to be having manufacturing issues up to now but Apple is going to ramp up production as soon as possible.

The 30 minute presentation can be viewed online from Apple's newly published Antenna page. It's not yet available as a podcast from Apple's keynote feed in iTunes Store and there's no word on whether it will even be a podcast

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Filed under  //  apple   iphone   iphone 4  
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Posted 14 days ago by Aulia Masna 

Apple released iOS 4.0.1 for iPhone 3G and newer

Hot on the heels of announcing iOS 4.1 beta and ahead of the press conference to be held in less than 24 hours, Apple has released iOS 4.0.1 for owners of iPhone 3G, 3GS, and iPhone 4. There's not much in this update other than the change that Apple made in calculating network signal strength and how it displays them as bars. As Steve Jobs promised, the lower bars are significantly taller. While taller bars don't necessarily mean better reception (who's Apple kidding here, really?), the signal ranges that those bars represent actually changed. You can check out this post on AnandTech for a more technical and visual explanation as to the difference compared to the older method.

Posted above is how the signal strength is mapped according to iOS 4 and older versus iOS 4.0.1 and 4.1 beta as well as Android. You can see how Apple has greatly changed the representation of bars with respect to signal strength. Except for the fifth bar, the bars now represent much broader values. It also explains how the phone manages to maintain phone calls and data access even though there's only one bar thanks to the more sensitive antennas. AnandTech's Brian Klug found that he was still able to maintain phone calls at one bar at -121 dBm.

While signal attenuation cannot be addressed through a software update, at least now you don't get the shock of going from five bars right down to one.

Even though the update only takes care of one issue, you'll still have to download iOS 4.0.1 in its entirety which is about half a gigabyte for iPhone 4. Or you could wait for iOS 4.1 which should be coming in a few weeks or months.

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Filed under  //  android   apple   ios   iphone   signal  
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Posted 15 days ago by Aulia Masna 

iPhone 4 unlocked

 
Earlier today @planetbeing posted on Twitter that he's managed to get AT&T's iPhone 4 unlocked and he provided pictures to prove it. One was a picture of the second page of his home screen showing Bell as the network ID as he is in Canada where Apple has yet to release the iPhone 4, and the second picture shows Cydia running in full Retina Display resolution.
 
At the moment the unlock is yet to be made public and there's no word as to when it will be given that the jailbreak for iPhone 4 isn't out yet either. It may be some weeks, a month, or even after Apple releases the first update to iOS 4 because with every update Apple can aways shut down or fix the code that was exploited to allow for the jailbreak.
 
On a sidenote, George Hotz, the original iPhone jailbreaker apparently has decided to quit and locked his blog. He seems to be tired of people nagging him for more and more hacks every time there's a new iPhone or OS out.

[update] for the skeptics out there, apparently you can roam to Bell's HSPA network using AT&T 's iPhone 4, so until we see a public unlock, this remains a wish

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Filed under  //  iphone  
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Posted 18 days ago by Aulia Masna 

The iOS is so simple and consistent, a two year old can use it well

Rene Ritchie on The iPhone Blog:

When speaking of the iPhone and the iPad, Apple SVP of design — and again, how many hardware/software companies have an executive level designer? — said he did everything possible to get the device itself out of the user’s way. It’s just a screen. Apple’s software designers have done a little of the same. But maintaining consistency to such a a consistent degree, a significant part of the OS gets out of the user’s way as well and only the content is left.

Just for fun I passed around a few non-iPhone devices to co-workers, all smart techies. It took them a while to do even basic things like turn them on, unlock them, find Wi-Fi and add the password… 

In stark contrast I’ve mention numerous time how I’ve given iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads to children as young as one and half and they’ve been able to unlock them and launch the apps they wanted to launch. At two and half they could use it well.

My own two and a half year old is adept at using the iPhone and the iPad, two devices in completely different classes. She knows how to power them on, unlock the screen, and find the app she wants. She's been using the iPhone since she was seven months old. By the time she stopped chewing on it and understood that it's not a teether, she began looking for games to play on it. After understanding how iOS 3 works, it took her seconds to figure out that I had hidden all her games in a specific folder once she got her hands on the iPhone 4.

Her favorite apps are Angry Birds, AniMatch, Let's Golf (she can't play it but is fascinated at the intro video), Flight Control, Creamy Ice, Harbor Master, Sky Babes, and the Toy Story book iPad app. Aside from Let's Golf, she's quick to figure out how to play those games.

Thanks to the consistency and simplicity of the iOS interface, there's very little learning curve beyond reading ability and motor skills. Apple has done very well to get the device out of the way and get the user to start using apps.

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Filed under  //  apple   apps   interface   iOS   iphone  
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Posted 18 days ago by Aulia Masna