An iPhone 3G user has sued Apple alleging that the company offered the iOS 4 update to 3G owners knowing it would brick the phone. The suit is seeking class action status.

An exploit that allows the iPhone lock screen to be bypassed has been patched. The iOS 4.2 update fixes the hole making the iPhone secure again.

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]

The new iPhone 3Gs will be available in 2 version. It will be sold in US (AT&T), Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and UK from June 19th, with 16GB version priced at $199 and 32GB version priced at $299. By August, the new iPhone will eventually be available in 80 countries. As for the current iPhone users, the iPhone OS 3.0 software will be released on June 17 through the iTunes 8.2 or later.

Apple® today introduced the new iPhone™ 3G S, the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance—up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G—with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3G S includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS*, Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard and more. iPhone 3G S customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world where customers have already downloaded over one billion apps. iPhone 3G S offers twice the capacity for the same price with a 16GB model for just $199 and a new 32GB model for just $299.** And beginning today, iPhone 3G is available at the breakthrough price of just $99 for the 8GB model—a huge milestone for the high end smartphone market.

“iPhone 3G S is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet and we think people will love the incredible new features including autofocus camera, video recording and the freedom of voice control,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of WorldWide Product Marketing. “And with a breakthrough price of $99, we are thrilled to get iPhone 3G into the hands of even more users who want them.”

iPhone 3G S offers incredible speed and performance, on average up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G, so you can render web pages quicker and launch applications faster. iPhone 3G S takes advantage of the OpenGL ES 2.0 standard for stunning high-quality 3D graphics, making mobile gaming and other graphic intense applications better than ever. iPhone 3G S is not only faster, but with longer battery life you can watch more videos, listen to more music, browse the Internet or keep using your favorite apps even longer. The new iPhone 3G S also supports 7.2 Mbps HSDPA for faster networking speeds.***

iPhone 3G S features a new 3 megapixel autofocus camera that takes amazing pictures and video, making it easier than ever to capture, edit and share those moments instantly with family and friends. The new autofocus camera adjusts focus, exposure, color and contrast for the best possible image and includes an automatic macro focus for extra close up shots. With the new “tap to focus” feature, you simply touch the display to select an object or area of interest and the camera automatically re-adjusts focus and exposure. You can record incredible high-quality video clips and edit them right on your iPhone 3G S by simply trimming the start and stop points. With iPhone 3G S you can send photos and video by email or MMS and post them to MobileMe™ or YouTube with just one tap.

The voice control feature in iPhone 3G S offers hands free operation for both iPhone and iPod® functions. Simply speak the appropriate commands into the built-in microphone or headset microphone to dial by name or number. With voice control you can play your favorite music by artist, album or playlist and activate the Genius feature by saying “play more songs like this.” You can also tell iPhone to pause the music, play the next track, turn on shuffle or ask, “What’s playing right now?”

iPhone 3G S features a new built-in digital compass for instant navigation.**** The Compass app shows you which way you are headed and rotates as you change direction. You can orient yourself to true north or magnetic north, and iPhone’s built-in GPS automatically displays the coordinates of your current location. The new built-in digital compass is also integrated within Maps, so it automatically orients any map to the direction you are facing.

iPhone 3G S provides new accessibility features including VoiceOver, a screen reader that speaks what appears on the iPhone 3G S display, enabling visually impaired users to make calls, read email, browse web pages, play music and run applications. The new universal Zoom function magnifies the entire screen, and the White on Black feature reverses the colors on screen to provide higher contrast for people with low vision. iPhone 3G S also supports Mono Audio which combines left and right audio channels so that they can be heard in both earbuds for those with hearing loss in one ear.

iPhone 3G S includes the new iPhone OS 3.0 software with more than 100 new features including: Cut, Copy and Paste; MMS; Spotlight Search to search across iPhone or within Mail, Contacts, Calendar and iPod; landscape keyboard for Mail, Messages, Notes and Safari®; expanded parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and the ability to capture and send audio recordings on the go with the new Voice Memo app. iPhone 3.0 software also includes a new Find My iPhone feature that works together with MobileMe so you can locate your lost iPhone on a map, send a message that will appear on the screen or play a sound to help you find it even if your phone is set to silent. If you cannot find your iPhone, you can erase all data and content on your iPhone with the new Remote Wipe feature. New iTunes® features available with iPhone 3.0 software include wirelessly downloading movies, TV and audio programs as well as iTunes U so students can download learning materials on the go.

iPhone 3G S gives users access to the revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world with more than 50,000 applications. The App Store allows developers to reach tens of millions of iPhone and iPod touch® users around the world. To date, customers have downloaded more than one billion apps from the App Store. And with more than 1,000 new APIs available with the iPhone SDK, developers can create even more innovative applications using In-App Purchases, a new Maps API and Push Notifications.

iPhone 3G S also features built-in Nike + iPod support making it an incredible workout companion. Users simply place the optional Nike + iPod sensor ($19) in their Nike + shoe to seamlessly connect with iPhone 3G S to track miles run or sync with the latest generation gym equipment.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 3G S will be available in the US on June 19 for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and just $299 (US) for the new 32GB model in both Apple and AT&T’s retail and online stores, Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores. iPhone 3G S requires a new two year contract with AT&T for qualifying customers. iPhone OS 3.0 software will be available on June 17 as a free software update via iTunes 8.2 or later for all iPhone customers. iPod touch customers will be able to purchase a software update for $9.95 (US). Beginning June 8, iPhone 3G will be available for just $99 (US) for the 8GB model. New MobileMe features for iPhone require iPhone OS 3.0. MobileMe is available for an annual subscription price of $99 (US).

iPhone 3G S will also be available in more than 80 countries in the coming weeks.

…we’ve been told that the next-generation iPhone will come in six versions: two storage capacities each for 3G, enhanced 3G (“3.5G/3.75G”), and mainland China versions of the phone, which will have the same size and general design of the current model, but with a less scratchable matte plastic body. Each of the three versions has been made to match the telecom systems of specific countries, so users in one country shouldn’t expect to have the option between a “slow iPhone” and “fast iPhone.” As before, you’ll get capacity options and different colors.

[via SlashGear]

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]

According to SlashGear, that would certainly fit with the most recent specification tips for the upcoming third-generation smartphone, which predict that the iPhone will have double the processing power, together with video recording and editing capabilities.

Regarding upcoming iPhone’s graphics, according to MacRumours, another job listing reveals that Apple is also hiring for someone to deliver “cutting edge embedded video processing” and had “experience working on real-time media and networking applications (WiFi and cellular networks)”

[via SlashGear]

Through its very own Deep Throat–aka a source who is “closely connected to Apple’s hardware development team”–the Web site posted some details on just what the third-generation iPhone will offer. What’s more, it names Friday, July 17, as the release date.

We can’t verify anything right now, but some of the predictions make more sense than others. A July 17 release date is very plausible. Both the iPhone Classic and the iPhone 3G went on sale on Fridays (June 29, 2007, and July 11, 2008, respectively). Apple likes to respect tradition.

[via CNET]

The site writes:

Start here to get your new iPhone.

First, you’ll check your eligibility and pricing. Then, you’ll select your AT&T rate plan and choose the iPhone 3G model you want.
iPhone 3G 8GB1 in black — from $199*
iPhone 3G 16GB1 in black or white — from $299*

[via Engadget]

According to the poster (who said the next iPhone as a “repeat” in physical design), the new iPhone will contain the following features:

• 600MHz CPU Speed (up from 400MHz)
• 256MB RAM (up from 128MB)
• Digital compass and FM
• 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus
• 32GB size
• No major changes in battery, screen and external casing.

[Apple Insider, Mac Rumours]

With a score of 791 out of 1,000, Apple excelled in all areas including operating system, operation, features and design receiving 5/5 stars. However, it received a 2/5 for the battery category. LG and Samsung followed with scores of 772 and 759, respectively.

Also released today was the 2009 Wireless Traditional Mobile Phone Satisfaction Study which showed LG coming out on top with a 733 score. Sony Ericsson followed with a score of 712. Interestingly enough, those who still used traditional mobile phones remain mostly satisfied, even though they know smartphones carry additional feature sets.

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]

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’.