As Chase explains, “the best camera” refers to the fact that whatever image-capturing equipment you have on you is the best at the time; for many people, that means their iPhone, iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS.  With The Best Camera app, you can take photos, add effects (see below) and then share them on the social site, via your Facebook and Twitter page, via email, or simply save them into your camera roll, all from within the one application.

Chase has also published a book intended to show off exactly what’s possible from the iPhone’s camera, and with tips as to how to make the most of it.  The application can be downloaded here [iTunes link] while the book is available from Amazon.

Overview:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lotlwm38OM[/youtube]

The Best Camera app walkthrough:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvV4V59bVXs[/youtube]

Now, the Dev Team can use the same sort of technique as used in redsn0w to update ultrasn0w for Apple’s latest smartphone.  The team believe that the iPhone 3GS’ bootrom was finalized in roughly August 2008, so the emergence of 24Kpwn earlier in 2009 did not affect it.

The Team are now working on integrating the new technique into ultrasn0w, which they’ve warned will “take some time”.  Once that’s done, however, it will be possible to both jailbreak and unlock the iPhone 3GS.

It’s also possible to edit existing schedules, whether they have been initiated from the iPhone app or on the DVR itself.  Should you not have enough free space, existing stored content can be remotely deleted.

AT&T recently boosted the connection speed for their U-verse subscribers, together with adding more flexibility in controlling recordings and downloading movie content.  The company has been discussing an iPhone app for U-verse since September last year.

Press Release: 

 

New iPhone and iPod touch Application From AT&T Lets Customers Schedule U-verse TV DVR Recordings On The Go
 
DALLAS, June 25, 2009 — AT&T U-verseSM TV customers can now use a free application from the Apple App Store to make scheduling and managing recordings on their DVR even easier when they’re away from home. The U-verse TV Mobile Remote Access App for iPhone and iPod touch lets customers record their content from virtually anywhere and is another example of U-verse TV applications and DVR enhancements that have been rolled out to customers at no extra charge.
 
“This is the perfect example of how AT&T is bringing services together to deliver a better experience for customers,” said Jeff Weber, vice president of video services for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “With AT&T U-verse, you get DVR capabilities you can’t find from any other provider, and this app gives users the freedom to schedule their DVR from their iPhone or iPod touch.”
 
The app allows users to easily search U-verse TV program listings from the full program guide, view descriptions of selected programs, schedule program or series recordings, manage or edit scheduled recordings, and delete stored DVR content.
 
The Mobile Remote Access App is available for free from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.
 
The launch of the new U-verse TV Mobile Remote Access App follows several DVR enhancements that are currently being rolled out to U-verse TV customers, including an exclusive new Total Home DVR feature that allows customers to schedule and delete recordings from any U-verse receiver in the home — all from a single DVR.
 
AT&T U-verse was one of the first providers to introduce Web Remote Access to the DVR in November 2006, and it brought three-screen DVR access to all U-verse TV customers with Mobile Remote Access to the DVR in April 2007. In 2008, AT&T launched AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR, allowing all U-verse DVR customers to watch standard and High Definition recorded shows from a single DVR on any connected TV in the home.
 
U-verse TV customers can also enjoy several other integrated applications, including personalized, on-screen weather, sports, traffic and stock information via AT&T U-bar; local and national weather forecasts with Weather On Demand; the ability to view personal photos on your TV that you have uploaded to flickr.com; and more.
 
AT&T U-verse customers enjoy quadruple-play integration, enhanced features and greater value, all made possible by IP technology. AT&T U-verse TV ranked “Highest in Residential Television Service Satisfaction in the North Central, South, and West Regions,” according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction StudySM.DALLAS, June 25, 2009 — AT&T U-verseSM TV customers can now use a free application from the Apple App Store to make scheduling and managing recordings on their DVR even easier when they’re away from home. The U-verse TV Mobile Remote Access App for iPhone and iPod touch lets customers record their content from virtually anywhere and is another example of U-verse TV applications and DVR enhancements that have been rolled out to customers at no extra charge.

“This is the perfect example of how AT&T is bringing services together to deliver a better experience for customers,” said Jeff Weber, vice president of video services for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “With AT&T U-verse, you get DVR capabilities you can’t find from any other provider, and this app gives users the freedom to schedule their DVR from their iPhone or iPod touch.”

The app allows users to easily search U-verse TV program listings from the full program guide, view descriptions of selected programs, schedule program or series recordings, manage or edit scheduled recordings, and delete stored DVR content.

The Mobile Remote Access App is available for free from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

The launch of the new U-verse TV Mobile Remote Access App follows several DVR enhancements that are currently being rolled out to U-verse TV customers, including an exclusive new Total Home DVR feature that allows customers to schedule and delete recordings from any U-verse receiver in the home — all from a single DVR.

AT&T U-verse was one of the first providers to introduce Web Remote Access to the DVR in November 2006, and it brought three-screen DVR access to all U-verse TV customers with Mobile Remote Access to the DVR in April 2007. In 2008, AT&T launched AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR, allowing all U-verse DVR customers to watch standard and High Definition recorded shows from a single DVR on any connected TV in the home.

U-verse TV customers can also enjoy several other integrated applications, including personalized, on-screen weather, sports, traffic and stock information via AT&T U-bar; local and national weather forecasts with Weather On Demand; the ability to view personal photos on your TV that you have uploaded to flickr.com; and more.

AT&T U-verse customers enjoy quadruple-play integration, enhanced features and greater value, all made possible by IP technology. AT&T U-verse TV ranked “Highest in Residential Television Service Satisfaction in the North Central, South, and West Regions,” according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction StudySM.

Physically the iPhone 3G S may not look much different to the iPhone 3G, but that “Speed” moniker certainly does make a difference when you turn it on.  It’s too early to quantify exactly how much faster the 3G S is over previous models, but what we can tell is that everyday tasks – such as flicking through homescreens, navigating message-filled inboxes and browsing long contacts lists – are now significantly quicker.  We’ve only had a short time to download a few of the more graphically-intense games, but they look visually more impressive too, no doubt thanks to the new PowerVR SGX video chipset.

Elsewhere, the camera – freshly updated to 3-megapixels – is a little faster to snap a frame, and comes with touch-focus selection.  That’s not a new thing in smartphones generally, but it works well with the iPhone 3G S’ huge preview window.  Shots themselves err on the side of over-exposure, both in stills and the new video recording, and Apple to continue to refuse any sort of manual control.  What you do get is the ability to trim video clips on-device before syncing with iTunes, sending via MMS/email, or uploading to YouTube or MobileMe.

The trimming system is easy to use, but our first impression is that it’s very basic.  There’s no way to merge or join clips, only chop off the beginning or end of them, and – more importantly – there’s no way to copy the video and leave the raw file intact.  Still, on-screen the playback quality looks great, certainly better than we’ve seen on other video-capable devices.

For the rest our our first-impressions, head over to SlashGear where we’ll have live photos and video throughout the day.  We’ll be putting together our full review, too, so if you have any questions you’d like answered, leave us a note in the comments!

[vms 5b314a80bdcb024f8e42]

The lines may be less impressive than in previous years, but we’ve a feeling that’s down to many people pre-ordering for home delivery.  Apple changed their tactics for 2009, switching back to allowing individual iTunes activation at home rather than demanding buyers stop by an Apple or AT&T store.

Later on this morning we’ll be meeting with an Apple VP to discuss the launch and talk about what makes the iPhone 3G S special.  Plus we’ll have our own hands-on first impressions with the smartphone, together with live photos and video.  Keep reading iPhone Buzz!

As well as the listings, there are comparison shots with existing parts for the iPhone 3G.  While there’s no telling whether the parts are legitimate, the site – China Ontrade – does have a wide range of original factory components not only for the iPhone 3G but for various cellphone brands, MacBooks and Nintendo.

Close examination of the bezel suggests that the iPhone’s speaker has been pushed further up toward the top of the handset, either because the screen now occupies more room or, perhaps more likely, to make space for a front-facing camera to be used for video calls.  There’s no sign of any OLED panels, as had been tipped for inclusion in the new iPhone Video.

[via Gizmodo]

Recently there has been much made of ongoing rumors that Apple is preparing to announce a new iPhone, the third-generation model, at the WWDC 2009 keynote on June 8th.  That device is expected to launch on July 17th.  Confusingly, there seems to be no sign that the 8GB iPhone 3G is EOL; one possibility is that Apple intend to continue selling it alongside the new device, as an entry-level model.

Earlier on today, a listing for the “iPhone 32GB” was spotted on T-Mobile Austria’s “coming soon” page.  The placeholder has since been removed by the carrier.

The App Store reviewer, finding that The Kama Sutra was accessible, then rejected the software under Apple’s “inappropriate sexual content” clause of the iPhone SDK agreement.  However the same text is viewable online, through the iPhone’s Safari browser, as a downloadable ebook through Amazon’s Kindle app for iPhone, and bought as an audio book through iTunes.

“Thank you for submitting Eucalyptus — classic books, to go. to the App Store. We’ve reviewed Eucalyptus — classic books, to go. and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains inappropriate sexual content and is in violation of Section 3.3.12 from the iPhone SDK Agreement which states:

“Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.”" Apple rejection letter

Eucalyptus’ author has now resubmitted the app, with a block on viewing The Kama Sutra.  Apple’s parental controls make make the app submission and approval process more straightforward, but the seemingly mixed messages their software reviewers are delivering will be harder to navigate.

[via Boing Boing]

Clicking on the “Details” button leads to a page with no information about the handset. 

A new iPhone announcement has been tipped to take place on June 8th, at the WWDC 2009 keynote in San Francisco.  Among the expected changes are more storage capacity, as hinted at by this listing, plus a faster processor and a higher-resolution camera (3.2-megapixels compared to 2-megapixels on the iPhone 3G).  More battery life has also been suggested, perhaps as a side-product of Apple switching to an OLED touchscreen.

Update: The placeholder has now been removed by the carrier.

[via Engadget]

The Juice Pack Air promises to double your iPhone 3G’s runtime, as well as offering the protection of a hard case.  Despite that, it’s only 0.75-inches thick, and adds just 20-percent more weight.  Check out our review of the Mophie Juice Pack Air here.

To enter, and stand a chance of winning a Juice Pack Air worth $79.99, leave a comment in this post telling us about the time you drained your iPhone 3G’s battery the quickest.  We’ll pick one comment at random after the closing date – May 18th at 12pm central time – and that person will take away a Mophie Juice Pack Air!  If you want more chances to win, we’re also giving them away at SlashGear and PhoneMag.

Terms and Conditions

Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18.  Family members of Mophie and R3 Media are not permitted to enter.  Competition entries are only accepted via the specified comments section; entries left in the comments of any other post will not be recognized.  Entries should be submitted before 12pm central time on May 18th; one entry per person.

The winner will be announced on this site and contacted via email; they will be expected to respond within 48 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected.  Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.  Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, R3 Media.  Prize consists of a one Mophie Juice Pack Air.  There is no cash alternative.

While USA Today suggest a CDMA iPhone would be the likely result, Apple’s recent financial conference call would seem to debunk that.  During the call, COO Tim Cook dismissed talk of a CDMA iPhone because the CDMA standard is predominantly a US specification.  Instead, Apple want “one phone for the whole world”.

What that could indicate, therefore, is a LTE (Long Term Evolution) iPhone, just in time to spearhead Verizon’s new LTE network set to launch in 2010.  LTE has been adopted by not only Verizon but other US carriers – including AT&T – as well as networks worldwide, in keeping with Apple’s “one phone” intentions.  What remains to be seen is how AT&T might react to the possibility of a super-fast new iPhone bypassing their exclusivity.

That standby mode means the iPhone 3G can be left in the case, but reserve battery power kept back for when a user knows they’ll specifically need it.  An included USB cable and sync-through technology means the Mophie Juice Pack Air will both recharge itself and synchronize/charge the iPhone without requiring its removal from the case. 

• Standby Time: Up to 270 hours
• Talk Time: Up to 4.5 hours (3G) Up to 9 hours (2G)
• Internet Use: Up to 4.5 hours (3G) Up to 5.4 Hours (Wi-Fi)
• Audio Playback: Up to 20 hours
• Video Playback: Up to 6 hours

The Mophie Juice Pack  Air is available in Apple stores and from Apple.com online worldwide, priced at $79.95.  Black, white and purple color options are on offer; you can also buy the battery-case direct from Mophie themselves.

Press Release:

Mophie Announces Worldwide Availability of Juice Pack Air Accessory at Apple Stores and Apple.com

World’s Thinnest ‘Works with iPhone’ External Battery/Protective Case almost doubles iPhone 3G battery life and offers the full protection of a hard-shell case in a low-profile design

Los Angeles, CA., – April 21, 2009 – mStation | mophie today announced the immediate availability of Juice Pack Air, currently the world’s thinnest Apple-certified external battery for iPhone 3G. The rechargeable 1200 mAH battery, integrated into an ultra-thin case, is now available worldwide at Apple retail stores and Apple.com for $79.95 in black, white, and purple.

“Since debuting the Juice Pack Air last month, we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from around the world” says Ross Howe, sales and product development director for mStation | mophie. “The Juice Pack Air is an intuitive, ergonomic solution that provides added protection and external battery support in a low profile design. We think it’s poised to be one of the most essential iPhone 3G accessories ever introduced to the market.”

Juice Pack Air features an innovative “standby mode” that allows users to control when they want to take advantage of additional battery support versus simply using it as a protective case. The integrated 4 LED charge status indicates how much power is remaining in the external battery. Unique pass-through design allows users to simultaneously charge their Juice Pack Air and sync their iPhone 3G with iTunes via the included USB cable.

Additional battery time provided by Juice Pack Air:
o Standby Time: Up to 270 hours
o Talk Time: Up to 4.5 hours (3G) Up to 9 hours (2G)
o Internet Use: Up to 4.5 hours (3G) Up to 5.4 Hours (Wi-Fi)
o Audio Playback: Up to 20 hours
o Video Playback: Up to 6 hours

For more information on the Juice Pack Air, please visit http://www.mophie.com/products/juice-pack-
air

The current iPhone 3G uses the Broadcom BCM4325, which has an FM receiver.  However Apple have locked down its functionality; currently it will only receive short-range FM transmissions from the Nike+ exercise peripheral.  Of course, there’s no telling whether Apple will similarly lock down the FM capabilities of the iPhone 3.1; many third-party accessory manufacturers, who already offer a broad range of FM transmitters, will likely be hoping they do.

As for the WiFi n functionality, the newer Broadcom chip supports all manner of MIMO dual-antenna signal boosting and better reception.  There’s also a shared Bluetooth and WiFi receive signal path which should save power and space but not at the cost of signal strength.

[via 9to5 Mac]

According to the report, OmniVision will also be supplying Apple with a 5-megapixel CMOS image sensor for use in a product set for release later in 2009.  No details have been given about the nature of this product, which could be a further iPhone iteration or the much-rumored Apple MID.

The report is, obviously, uncorroborated by Apple themselves, and as with any iPhone supplier rumor should be taken with a pinch of salt.  However it is fair to assume that the camera will be one of the main areas of change for the next-gen iPhone, which is expected to be announced in June this year.

While 3D content for the iPhone is limited, the iWear range of headsets are also useful for watching iPhone and iPod content on a “larger” display.  Battery powered, the headsets include an in-line remote and headphones, and can be used with other AV sources with the included adapter cables.

The Vuzix “Works with iPhone” Apple Certified Cable will be bundled with the Vuzix iWear AV230XL, which SlashGear reviewed back in January.  It’ll also be available as an optional upgrade for other models and existing owners, priced at $39.95.

Press Release:

Vuzix announces ‘Works with iPhone’ Apple Certified Cable with 3-D Support for Complete Line of AV Video Eyewear

Rochester, NY – April 2nd, 2009 – Vuzix Corporation, the leader in video eyewear for the consumer, defense and low vision assist markets, is thrilled to announce Apple iPhone® compatibility. Every “Works with iPhone” product is designed for optimal connectivity with the iPhone® and is certified by Vuzix to meet Apple performance standards. Additionally, the cable is the first on the market that supports 3-D video in the following formats:

• Side by Side
• Interlaced
• All 3 Major Anaglyph Modes

The cable will be available bundled with the Vuzix iWear® AV230XL and available as an upgrade for all current Vuzix Video Eyewear customers for only $39.95. Vuzix’ ability to allow the consumer to upgrade their video eyewear ensures users have the latest technology without having to repurchase a whole new product.

“The iPhone® compatibility combined with the recent announcements of the Wrap 920AV and the Augmented Reality Accessory Kit keep Vuzix at the forefront of the mobile video and 3-D revolutions,” said Vuzix CEO, Paul Travers. “As our products become increasingly more affordable, extensively available and highly compatible with a broad range of content types and mobile devices, the widespread adoption of Vuzix Video Eyewear is inevitable. We are excited to officially extend this compatibility to iPhone® enthusiasts worldwide,” added Travers.

Vuzix continues to set the standard for innovative and high-quality Video Eyewear products. The iWear® VR920 is the world’s best-selling virtual reality system while the iWear AV310 Widescreen boasts the world’s first 16:9 widescreen Video Eyewear. The AV230XL is designed for the everyday consumer and features the convenience of AA-battery power and a sub-$200 price point. The latest edition to the Video Eyewear family, the Wrap 920AV raises the bar once again with a true ‘sunglass look’.