Hell yeah! It’s the first images of the next generation iPhone in the wild! The more I’m learning from the handful of [blurry] pictures that have just posted on a Hong Kong blog, the more I’m convinced they are the real deal: the magnetic compass, autofocus camera, video recording capability, MMS capability, CPU log/activity, along with some other new features from OS 3.0 running on current iPhone 3G hardware…

[UMPCFever]

Parts purportedly for the next-generation iPhone have appeared for sale on a Chinese wholesale site.  Both screen bezels and LCD panels for the the third-gen iPhone are listed, with shipping expected to begin “within 5 to 12 working days”. 

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.

[via Gizmodo]

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The 2009 GDC Austin’s iPhone Games Summit has announced and is now accepting submissions, following a similar call for the Indie Games Summit earlier this week.

The inaugural iPhone Games Summit (September 15-16) at the 2009 GDC Austin will bring together top game developers from around the world to share ideas, best practices and discuss the future of this revolutionary platform.  A full two-day program will highlight the best of iPhone development, with an entire first day discussing the business, marketing, and key design tenets behind successful iPhone game development. The second day will provide overviews and deep dives into technical aspects of developing on iPhone, from app optimization and touch interface lessons through iPhone OS 3.0 features, Objective-C tips, and much more.

The speakers for the summit include local Austin-area iPhone developer Brian Greenstone, founder and president of Enigmo creator Pangea Software, as well as Snappy Touch’s Noel Llopis, a Game Developer magazine columnist and creator of notable iPhone app Flower Garden.

[via GameSetWatch]

It’s a good news for art lovers. Portuguese illustrator Jorge Colombo has created the art for June 1st cover of The New Yorker Magazine with iPhone app Brushes, helping the magazine make a quantum leap forward from it’s first issue released on February 17, 1925.

The original finger painting for the cover is made by Colombo in about an hour standing with his iPhone outside Madame Tussuad’s Wax Museum in Times Square.

Jorge uses the iPhone app Brushes to create works of art he calls iSketches, focused on the city of New York which he now sells online as limited edition prints. Though Colombo has worked for many years as a professional Illustrator, graphic designer and photographer, it’s his ultra-modern iPhone paintings that have delivered him into a period of personal renaissance. Colombo’s iPhone paintings carry a distinct impressionist style, passionately romanticizing New York City landscapes and architecture like a possessed lover.

[via iPhoneSavior]

Vodafone has finally launched visual voicemail service for their iPhone 3G customers in Australia, allowing iPhone 3G users to see who has left a message and when they left it. Yeah, visual voicemail is one of cool features of original iPhone that somehow never made it out here in Australia –even with the iPhone 3G– until Tuesday May 26th.

According to Vodafone Australia, all Vodafone iPhone 3G customers will have access to the Visual Voicemail application by close of business Friday 29 May 2009. “Over the next few days, Vodafone will proactively notify customers via a TXT message, alerting them to this new service.”

To activate this feature, just synchronise your iPhone, checking for updates in iTunes, download the latest software update and then turning the phone off and on.

[via MacTalk Australia]

New technology called Virtual Assistant is coming to iPhone, helping consumers complete tasks in their online lives — booking dinner reservations, buying movie tickets, getting local information, etc. Siri, the name of the mobile virtual assistant application, will introduce its first public version this week.

On a TechCrunch’s guest post, Nova Spivack, CEO of of Radar Networks, the company behind Twine, wrote:

On the iPhone you simply launch Siri and then proceed to interact using a familiar “chat” interface. You make requests or state goals to Siri, and then Siri comes back with answers, questions or suggested actions.

You can type to Siri in natural language and it does a pretty solid job of parsing your requests. But more impressive is that you can simply push the talk button on your phone and speak to Siri and it understands you. No need to type. It works surprisingly well. I also like the visual interface – Siri illustrates the progress of each dialogue with nicely illustrated cartoon speech balloons. It’s super easy to follow the conversation.

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Warner Bros. Digital Entertainment said it plans to release 40 iPhone applications by the end of the year,  seeking a new positioning as a major distributor of applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Warner has  released about 15 apps so far, including one for its upcoming film “Terminator Salvation”.

Most Warner apps sell for 99 cents, but Bohn said consumers are willing to pay more if they see value in the app. “The Terminator: Salvation Graphic Novel” app sells for $3.99 and Bohn said Warner is considering price points of $5.99, $7.99 and up for future apps.

Warner Digital Distribution director of worldwide marketing Stephanie Bohn said the studio is positioning itself as an end-to-end app distributor and, to some extent, trying to help developers in developing their apps and businesses. It’s difficult for developers to have a direct call into Apple, Bohn said, but “we spend time talking with them weekly, if not daily.”

[via MocoNews]

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According to iLounge’s tipster, the next-generation iPhone will come in six versions –three models each with two storage options: (1) standard 3G; (2) “enhanced 3G” (HSPA); and (3) China version. In term of its size and design, still similar as the current model.

…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]

A user on MacTalk forum has just discovered Apple’s icon for the next generation iPhone, but –as revealed by the screenshot below–  it looks pretty much the same as the icon for the current iPhone 3G.

A MacTalk.com.au forum thread reveals that the unreleased “iPhone2,1″ model that has been previously referenced actually includes its own icon within the iPhone 3.0 SDK. The icon, however, appears identical to the iPhone1,2 model which represents the current iPhone 3G.

[via MacRumors]

A university in Japan is using iPhone to help monitoring their students and staff, giving them a free iPhone plus a basic monthly service. The university will also send test and homework assignments through the iPhone.

About 550 students and staff at Japan’s Aoyama Gakuin University will be getting free iPhones through SoftBank as part of the school’s Mobile & Net Society Education and Training program. Aoyama Gakuin University will use the iPhone’s GPS hardware to help administrators determine if a student is on campus and whether or not they’ve actually been going to class.

[Mainichi Daily via IntoMobile]

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Apple will begin to allow downloads of movies and TV shows through the iPhone, according to the hottest rumor –complete with supposed screenshots– revealed just before a week-end.

The blogger wrote:

This revelation, (again at least to me) comes by way of an advertisement in the new ad supported version of the app Twitterfon released on 5/15/09. Three ads, stumbled upon by a geeky friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of the powerful arms of the Apple legal department, scrolling across the top of the app were for ‘iTunes Movies’, ‘iTunes TV’ and ‘iTunes Movie Rentals’.

Unsubstantiated rumor? I don’t know, though on-device downloads would be nice. Currently, the only way to get video on an iPhone is by downloading it via iTunes on your computer and syncing with your device.

[via Open Salon]

Vodafone retail staff have been alerted that the iPhone 3G 16GB has apparently been classified as End Of Life (EOL), with stock accordingly limited.  The news comes courtesy of supplier Brighthand, who warn that there is only “a few weeks stock available” of the Apple smartphone.

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.

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Everything can be used as a clue for the next gen iPhone –this time is Apple job listing: “The successful candidate will have excellent understanding and knowledge of processor architecture, specifically ARM and its vector unit NEON. Additional Intel SSE or PowerPC AltiVec is also very helpful. Being able to use processor micro-architecture to write and deliver fast routines is an essential attribute.”

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]

Awesome. Google has added labels to Gmail for iPhone, allowing users to use color-coded tags to manage their inbox. The new Gmail for mobile supports iPhone/iPod Touch OS 2.2.1 or above.

To label an email, select a message then tap ‘Label as…” from the drop-down menu on the Floaty Bar. In the pop-up menu, select the label(s) you would like to use and tap ‘Apply’. Please note, you can add and remove existing labels to your emails in Gmail for mobile, but labels can only be created, renamed and deleted in the desktop version.

[via Google Mobile Blog]

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