News

The dimensions of the next generation iPhone already made news when alleged photos of a 4G replacement touchscreen and digitizer were released. The newer version was 1/4 inch (6 mm) taller than its predecessor and appeared to have space at the top or even a cutout for a possible front-facing camera.

Now a video of the same part has hit YouTube, and the appearance of the replacement LCD and digitizer assembly looks very similar to the photos we've already seen. Soundtrack selection notwithstanding, this video clearly shows an elongated iPhone screen. That being said, Apple has been known to change specs on its products anytime before launch and will never let on before an official unveiling.

The furor over a Verizon Wireless compatible iPhone refuses to calm down. None other than the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported today that a CDMA-capable iPhone is indeed under development by Apple and will see release in the US this year. The Verizon iPhone will be one of two new models introduced during Apple's annual iPhone product line refresh this summer.

Apple (AAPL) and Verizon (VZ) jumped one percent after the news release, while AT&T shares (T) lost almost the same amount. AT&T is currently the exclusive carrier for Apple's iPhone in the US. Speculation and rumors have swirled around a Verizon version of the iPhone for months, if not years now.

According to a new report by AppleInsider, Apple is going ahead with plans to include an explicit category in iTunes for software titles. The issue of adult content on the App Store has received much attention lately after the removal of 5,000 apps deemed too low-brow for Apple's ever-shifting standards of decency.

Shortly afterwards, reports surfaced that Apple was working on an explicit category with parental controls. These categories were pulled by Apple and the rumors of plans for an adult section were debunked.

George Hotz (Geohot) continues to show off his iPhone hacking achievements with an untethered jailbreak. He announced the successful experiment on his blog along with posting a video of his iPhone rebooting.

According to Geohot, the entire project took 2.5 days to complete from start to finish. He refuses to set a release date, although the iPad release date of April 3rd is possible. The new jailbreak is supposedly just as easy to run as blackra1n, his previous one-click solution.

If the latest AdMob Mobile Metrics Report can be believed, roughly half of smartphones worldwide are running iPhone OS. The runner up this February is Android, with 24 percent. Symbian is in third place with 18 percent.

Although this is a serious achievement for Apple, the story gets more interesting when comparing the data to the same time period last year. iPhone has boosted its share by 17% over February 2009, while Symbian OS dropped a dramatic 25 percent.

The Apple iPhone has done it again. After winning the first touch screen battle earlier this year, a new robotic test by MOTO Development Group proves that when it comes to accuracy the iPhone can't be beat. For this test MOTO added two more devices to the lineup, the Palm Pre and BlackBerry Storm 2.

Google's Nexus one came in second place, with the Motorola Droid exhibiting the worst performance during the test. Two different sized robotic "fingers" were used at two different pressures to see which screens had the most accurate response. The iPhone showed a little bit of inaccuracy around the edges in the light pressure test, however it was light years ahead of the competition.

In mid-April AT&T Wireless subscribers will have the option of purchasing their own personal 3G cell phone tower. The MicroCell will run $149.99 and is fully compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The devices will be rolled out in different markets over the next few months.

The MicroCell is a solution for users who have little or no 3G coverage in their home and access to a broadband Internet connection. The device allows users to make calls and send text messages against their AT&T Wireless account using a 5,000 square foot personal 3G network.

Blacksn0w RC2 is now available for those looking to unlock their iPhones running firmware 3.1.3. Beware however, this will not work with the latest baseband version 05.12.07. If you've updated your iPhone to 3.1.3 using Apple's official firmware you are out of luck.

Those updating their jailbroken device to iPhone OS 3.1.3 using PwnageTool 3.1.5 have taken advantage of Apple's battery fixes without altering the baseband from its current unlockable version, 05.11.07. In this case you can now download blacksn0w RC2 from Cydia.

Next time you load up iTunes and enter the App Store, Apple will ask you to accept new terms and conditions. This happens pretty often, but the changes in question now include the ability to send "Gifts" of apps to your iPhone-toting friends and family.

Sending gifts with iTunes was previously limited to music and video only. The options when clicking on an iPhone app for purchase now read, Gift This App, Add to Wish List, Tell a Friend, Copy Link, Share on Facebook, Share on Twitter.

How can I jailbreak and unlock my iPhone? This used to be a simple question with very few answers. Now that there are so many different models floating around determining the answer is more complicated. Add in multiple combinations of baseband, firmware and boot loader on this hardware and figuring out which solution will work can become very confusing.

A new resource on the web seeks to change everything by organizing all known jailbreak and unlock solutions in one place, along with tutorials and other information. The iPhone & iTouch Jailbreak / Unlock Matrix has all of the answers you seek including a place for users to post comments.