iPhone on Sprint? Let the rumors begin!

An interesting tidbit from today's Verizon iPhone announcement, at a Q&A after the announcement, Apple  COO Tim Cook was asked if the CDMA version of the iPhone was exclusive to Verizon, to which he stated it was a multi-year deal with Verizon, but it was not exclusive. This means Apple could easily bring the iPhone to Sprint. Right? We'll see, since Apple hasn't exactly made the GSM version available on
T-Mobile, but now that it's clear AT&T's exclusivity agreement is over, anything's possible. Could our dream of the iPhone on every major carrier finally come true? Finger's crossed.

Skyfire browser app approved by Apple

Good news for those of you out there who like your video with a little bit of flash. Word is Apple has approved the Skyfire browser for it's iDevices. What makes Skyfire unique is it will transcode Flash to HTML5 on the fly, allowing you to consume all the Flash video content you want. There is one drawback however, you can't play Flash games, as they require interaction. But still, being able to get past those ugly blue blocks is pretty nice. Skyfire will be available in the App Store on Thursday for $2.99.



[Boy Genius Report]

Apple delays white iPhone 4 again...again

According to Reuters, Apple has again delayed the release of it's white iPhone 4, this time until spring 2011. An explanation wasn't given, but it's most likely the same manufacturing problems Apple has had from the start. Oh white iPhone 4, will we ever get to meet in person? Please at least come out before the iPhone 6, okay?

[Reuters]

Apple intros new MacBook Air

Apple just laid down the gauntlet for the ultraportable notebook category with it's introduction of the new MacBook Air. There's now an 11.6 inch version to go along with the 13 inch model. The design is relatively the same, but it's even thinner than it's predecessor, and the edges are sharper. We definitely appreciate the new design. The price will start at $999 for the 11 incher with 64 GB of storage, and going up to $1,599 for the 13 inch with 256 GB. We can't wait to get our hands on these puppies.

iOS 4.2 beta 2 ready for developers

iPad users should get a little excited about hearing this news, as it brings you one step closer to that sweet multitasking goodness iPhone users have been rubbing in your faces all this time. iOS 4.2 beta 2 has been posted by Apple for download by developers, and word is it's running pretty smooth right now. This update adds all sorts of goodies to the iPad, including a unified inbox, Game Center, plus the holy grail of multitasking, but it will also add some goodies like AirPrint and AirPlay for iPad and iPhone users. We're waiting with bated breath for this puppy to be available for the common man. 

Rumor: Factime coming to iChat and Windows?

According to Mac4Ever, which has been right on some previous Apple predictions, Apple will be making it's desktop IM client iChat FaceTime capable, as well as making FaceTime available on Windows. The move certainly makes sense to us, as it would certainly spur quicker adoption of the technology, and would give iOS users more options for making the calls. The Windows version seems a little odd to us, however iTunes and Safari are on Windows, so why not.

[Engadget]

Native Google Voice iOS app may be on the way

Yesterday, Apple posted official App Store review guidelines, which finally give developers a clearer understanding of what will and won't jive in the App Store. Some speculate that Apple did this to avoid a possible FCC probe after the Google Voice rejection fiasco last year. The good news is, there's really nothing in the guidelines that prohibits something like a Google Voice app, and according to Sean Kovacs, Apple has told him that he can resubmit his GV Mobile app and it will likely be approved. If you're a Google Voice user on an iOS device, you should be jumping up and down right now. We sure are. As of right now, there's no word from Google on an official Google Voice app.

iOS 4.1 is live

Announced at Apple's event last week, iOS 4.1 is now ready for you to download and consume. It's got a few goodies, including Game Center, iPhone 3G performance fixes, a proximity sensor fix for the iPhone 4, TV show rentals in iTunes, HDR photos, and the ability to upload HD videos to YouTube over Wi-Fi, along with some bug fixes. So go ahead and plug in your iOS device, it'll thank you for it.

A review of iTunes Ping

Having played around with Ping for a while, we're ready to make a judgement. Bottom line; it's a good idea, it needs a lot of work. It almost feels like a beta and not a finished product. We like the idea of a mix of Twitter and Facebook for music, but it's lacking in navigation and search options.

At Apple's press conference they touted the ability to connect Ping with Facebook to make searching for friends easier. For whatever reason, the capability is not in Ping, which severely cripples the experience. Trying to find friends on the service is a crapshoot, as you're limited to searching manually by name. That's the biggest drawback to Ping right now, it's too hard to be social.

Another thing we don't like is the navigation. When an artist posts a video or a picture, you have to scroll down through a list of all their updates to get to what you want, there's no option to see all their pictures and videos in one central location. Plus, the navigation buttons at the top are actually navigation buttons for the iTunes store. We feel there needs to be dedicated buttons for Ping while you're in Ping.

What we do like about the service is mainly the idea of the service right now. Ping makes it easy to follow what your favorite artists are doing, and also creates an easy way to see music recommendations and concerts. As time goes on and Apple improves navigation and people search, we're sure the service will take off, but at the moment it just feels like a half-baked idea.

New iPod touches FaceTime capable; get Retina display

Just as predicted, Apple added cameras to make the new iPod touch FaceTime capable. It also gets the same Retina display as the iPhone 4, the same A4 processor, and it can also record HD video. To sum it up, it's very much like an iPhone 4 without 3G connectivity. One thing we did notice is that there's no flash on the back camera, so don't expect to take great pictures in low light. One added feature gamers will love is the gyroscope from the iPhone 4, so now iPod touch users can enjoy Eliminate: GunRange with the same accuracy as their iPhone 4 friends.

The new iPod touch comes in three capacities, 8GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB, which will retail for $229, $299, and $399, respectively. All of them will start shipping next week.

Apple intros new iPod Nano

Although it took no one by surprise, Apple updated the iPod Nano today, finally ditching the clickwheel in favor of a (very) small multitouch screen. Fans of the Nano's fatboy form factor will likely be pleased, as the new Nano basically looks like the fatboy chopped in half. It does gain a clip in the back, which will no doubt make people that are more active than me happy.

As for the new interface, it's very similar to iOS devices, with different homescreens you can swipe between with room for four apps on each screen. You can also drag apps to rearrange them. It does not have access to the App Store, so you'll be stuck with it's built in apps, but it does still have the FM radio, genius playlists, and VoiceOver. It does, however lose the video camera from the last generation, which is on the iPod touch instead.

The new Nano comes in two capacities, 8GB and 16GB, with 8 costing $149 and 16GB costing $179, and they'll be shipping in one week.

iPod Classic lives to see another day

Despite naysayers, Apple's trusty workhorse is still alive, in spite of newer, flashier products. The Classic stands as Apple's last Hard drive-based iPod, and still has the most capacity of any iPods. Having owned an older iPod, I'm rooting for the Classic to stay alive as long as it can, if for nothing else but nostalgia. Sure, the new iPod touch can make FaceTime calls, but can it hold as much information as a laptop could five years ago? I don't think so.

Notes from today's Apple keynote

Well the big day has finally arrived, and Apple didn't disappoint, revamping many of it's products and confirming many rumors that have been floating around the internets lately. If you've recently gotten a credit card and were looking for an excuse to use it, Apple looks to be more than happy to oblige you. Here are some highlights from the day.

Don't forget, Apple event tomorrow

Just in case you forgot, here's a little reminder. Apple's holding it's now-annual music event tomorrow, and the fun starts at 1PM Eastern. We'll probably see new iPods, maybe a new Apple TV, and who knows what else. Maybe unicorns!

The App Store reaches 250,00 apps

Good news for fans of choice when it comes to fart apps; data compiled by 148 apps shows that there are now 252,227 apps available for you to peruse. This beats the next closest competitor, the Android Market, by over 125,00, and blows RIM out of the water with it's 9,000. At this rate Apple will be at a billion by Tuesday.

[Electronista]

Netflix brings streaming video app to iPhone and iPod touch

Just as promised, Netflix just upgraded their streaming video app to add iPhone and iPod touch support. Users will be able to see recommended movies, browse by genre and search, plus (most importantly) watch movies directly on the device. You can also view your instant queue, but at the moment you can't edit it, only add a movie to it, but you can move new movies to the top of the queue.

In testing the app, it works seamlessly on 3G, and even better when you're on Wi-Fi, movies loaded fast, in our testing they started playing even faster than videos in the YouTube app. The app works like the iPad version too, after exiting the app, you can start your movie right where you left off, and other movies that you've started to watch but haven't finished will show how much is left and you can pick up from where you left off as well. All in all, we personally love it.


Netflix iPhone App Video from Netflix on Vimeo.

Apple holding music-related event on September 1

While previous rumors had the event pegged for Sept. 7, Apple busted out invitations for it's annual September iPod event and the event is set for Sept. 1. There have been numerous rumors about what we'll be seeing, but most likely Apple will show off an iPod touch that's FaceTime capable. We'll probably also be seeing a revamped Apple TV, but who knows, Apple usually has some tricks up it's sleeve. The event starts at 1PM ET.

[Engadget]

Apple patent shows Mac OS X and iOS living in harmony

It's been rumored for a while that Apple would ditch OS X for their full-fledged computers and go with a version of iOS instead. According to this Apple patent though, Apple could be going with both systems, and the idea in the patent looks pretty good to us.

It would work like this, you'd have an iMac that works like normal. The trick is the iMac has an accelerometer that switches it into iOS mode when you tilt the screen back far enough.

This patent seems to solve the problem of making iOS work on the desktop. For your regular work; word processing, graphic design, etc., you'd us the iMac in OS X mode. Then for games, reading, and widgets, you'd tilt it back to go into iOS mode. 

The patent also details how it would work on a Macbook, instead of tilting the screen, it would lie flat with the screen facing up, similar to convertible tablets out there already.

Seems like a pretty good idea to us. Personally I'd love to play some Angry Birds on a giant iMac screen.

[Patently Apple]

Multifl0w for iPhone does multitasking prettier than Apple

Usually with jailbreaking, someone will hack a way to do something on an iPhone, then later down the road Apple creates a better and prettier way to do said thing. Well this time, the reverse is actually true. In iOS 4.0, Apple finally added the long-requested multitasking feature, and did so in a unique and good looking way. But this time, instead of Apple's solution being the final word, someone out there has actually improved upon it. Multifl0w handles multitasking on the iPhone similar to Exposé. When you activate it, it will bring up all the open apps with thumbnails that you can move around or close with the familiar red button. In a video demonstrating it, everything looks smooth, with no lag. Another nice thing about Multifl0w is that you can choose how to want to activate it, by pressing and holding on the home button, shaking the phone, you can even activate it through a headset.

As you probably suspected, your iPhone has to be jailbroken to get Multifl0w, which is a $4.99 app in the Cydia store. Check out Multifl0w in action with a techno-plagued video below.



[Multifl0w]

Grooveshark app pulled from App Store

After receiving a complaint from Universal Music Group, Apple has pulled the streaming music app Grooveshark from the App Store. Grooveshark, a popular streaming music site, has been involved in a lawsuit with UMG since January, and as long as the lawsuit is going on, Apple is unlikely to let the app back in the store. The app is still available for Android, Blackberry, webOS, and Nokia devices, so don't worry if you use the app on one of those platforms, but if you have an iPhone, you might have to resort to jailbreaking to get your Grooveshark back on.

[TUAW]