CapMac iPhone SIG

Despite AT&T’s brag that the roll-out of HSPA 3G [high speed packet access] is underway – things are grim for 2G iPhones being affected by AT&T’s stealthy signal strength downgrade, delivering fewer bars in more places for some owners of Apple’s original Jesus phone.

The previously robust EDGE/2G 850 MHz band that offered superior indoor signal strength is being replaced by AT&T service on the weaker 1900 MHz band. According to company sources, AT&T has been quietly sacrificing 2G signal strength in an effort to speed up the build out of its next generation 3G network, until they migrate to the 4G LTE [long-term evolution] network in 2011.

Apparently the 2G iPhone is not the only handset being affected by the signal drop. Most AT&T BlackBerry and RAZR models are also feeling the pinch of reduced signal strength.

“While not directly telling customers to switch to iPhone 3G, the alternative for many 2G users will be to sit back and enjoy a horrible downgraded level of service at the same old price”. You can always upgrade with an increase in monthly fees adding $10 for data and $5 for text messages. The 3G upgrade will include a new two-year hostage plan that AT&T prefers to call a contract.

iPhone Blog’s Take:  AT&T is a master of bait-n-switch  – hold AT&T accountable for providing the level of service you contracted for. Complain to AT&T when you have problems, and complain to Apple too.  AT&T should put up the bars and service they promised – or pass the baton to someone else who cares.

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 2009 GDC Austin’s iPhone Games Summit has announced and is now accepting submissions.

Our September iPhone MeetUp on September 17th, will focus on iPhone games – local and visiting developers are encouraged to attend and show off their latest apps.

“I spent a month with an iPhone 3G and a BlackBerry 9000 Bold (the professional model that RIM recommended as the best to compare to an iPhone) to see how well each would fare in my daily grind. In doing so, I also had the chance to compare the two devices in depth: mail to mail, phone to phone, browser to browser, and thumb stroke to touch-tap. In short, I evaluated them based on everything from classic PDA functionality and usability to location-based services and availability of third-party apps,” Galen Gruman reports for InfoWorld.

“And how do they stack up? Frankly, I’ve concluded it’s time to bury the BlackBerry. A revolution in its time, thanks to its ability to provide instant, secure e-mail anywhere, the BlackBerry has become the Lotus Notes of the mobile world: It’s way past its prime,” Gruman reports.

“I was shocked to discover how bad an e-mail client the BlackBerry is compared to the iPhone. And the BlackBerry is terrible at the rest of what the iPhone excels at: being a phone, a Web browser, an applications platform, and a media presenter,” Gruman reports. “With its Windows 3-like UI, tiny screen, patched-together information structure, and two-handed operation, the BlackBerry is a Pinto in an era of Priuses.”

RIM’s “iPhone-copying attempts so far — the BlackBerry Storm and App World — reveal that RIM fundamentally doesn’t get it and is well on its way to becoming the Lotus Notes of mobile,” Gruman reports. “The BlackBerry is yesterday’s mobile messenger, way past its prime and heading toward retirement. The iPhone is light-years ahead of the BlackBerry on almost every count. RIM should be ashamed.”

Gruman reports, “Let me show you point by point why most people — most companies — should retire their BlackBerrys and adopt iPhones.”    [Full InfoWorld article]

Today, Apple kicked off their 2009 back-to-school promotion, offering a free 8GB iPod touch to students and educational staffers who purchase a qualifying Mac.

What does the promo offer?

The promotion offers a $229 online rebate that cancels out the price of an 8GB iPod touch. Customers who instead prefer an 8GB iPod nano, 16GB iPod nano, 120GB iPod classic, or 4GB iPod shuffle can elect to receive lesser rebates that will similarly compensate for the costs of those models.

Which Macs qualify?

Apple lists qualifying Mac systems as the MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Pro. The Mac mini and refurbished Macs do not qualify, nor do refurbished iPods.

Who is eligible?

Any employee of a public or private K-12 institution in the United States is eligible for the offer, as are school board members who are currently serving as elected or appointed members and PTA or PTO executives currently serving as elected or appointed officers.

Faculty and staff of Higher Education institutions; and students attending, or accepted into a Higher Education institution are similarly eligable.

Apple also announced this year that parents purchasing on behalf of their child, who is a student currently attending or accepted into a public or private Higher Education Institution in the United States, can partake in the offer.

When, where, and how do I participate?

In order to qualify for the offer, the iPod and Mac system must be purchased at the same time and appear on the same before September 8. The products must be purchased from the Apple Online Store for Education Individuals, an Apple Retail Store, Apple Telesales, or an Apple Authorized Campus Store located in the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.

“After you receive your Mac and iPod, submit your claim online by October 8, 2009,” Apple says. “Once your claim has been submitted, check your rebate status at any time.”

Full terms of the Apple back-to-school promo is posted online [PDF].

Some people send text with their iPhones, and some play games. The artist Jorge Colombo created this week’s cover for The New Yorker with his.

Mr. Colombo drew the June 1 cover scene, of a late-night gathering around a 42nd Street hot dog stand, entirely with the iPhone application Brushes. Because of the smears and washes of color required by the inexact medium, it comes off as dreamy, not sharp and technological.

“The best feature of it is that it doesn’t feel like something that was done digitally; quite the opposite,” said Françoise Mouly, the art editor for The New Yorker. “All too often the technology is directed in only one direction, which is to make things more tight, and this, what he did very well, is use this technology for something that is free flowing, and I think that’s what makes it so poetic and magical.”

Mr. Colombo bought his iPhone in February, and the $4.99 Brushes application soon after, and said the portability and accessibility of the medium appealed to him. He began the scene by beginning with the buildings’ structure, then layering on the taxis, neon lights, hot-dog stand and people. (A video of the process is available at newyorker.com )

It “made it easy for me to sketch without having to carry all my pens and brushes and notepads with me, and I like the fact that I am drawing with a set of tools that anybody can have easily in their pocket,” he said. There is one other advantage of the phone, too: no one notices he is drawing. Mr. Colombo said he stood on 42nd Street for about an hour with no interruptions.

“It gives him an anonymity in the big city that an artist with the easel wouldn’t have,” Ms. Mouly said.

“Absolutely nobody can tell I am drawing,” Mr. Colombo said. “In fact, once I was doing the drawing at some place, and my wife was around, and they asked her why did I have to work so hard? I seemed to be always on my iPhone sending messages.”

[From NYTimes Sunday edition by Stephanie Clifford]

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey, Verizon Wireless received the highest customer-satisfaction rating of all the US wireless carriers. This is Verizon’s sixth consecutive year with the top rank.

The company scored above the industry average and recorded a three-percent improvement over last year. The carrier has also achieved strong customer loyalty with the lowest customer turnover rate for the past 18 quarters, reaching an industry low of 1.47 percent in the first quarter of 2009.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index survey is produced four times annually, as a result of collaborative effort between the Stephen M. Ross Business School at the University of Michigan, the American Society for Quality and the CFI Group.

Wondering where AT&T, iPhone’s exclusive carrier finished?  Almost dead last.  Apple iPhone users deserve better.

Cheaper iPhone data plans may be coming, according to AT&T Mobility’s Ralph de la Vega, but the details are still being hammered out. Speaking this week at the Reuters Global Technology Summit in New York, de la Vega spoke noted that the company is looking for ways to “stimulate additional demand” by considering tiered data options.

“Right now we continue to study what is the best thing that is available, not just from an iPhone point of view,” de la Vega said. Reduced-price data plans might offer a “more limited” surfing experience, according to Reuters, similar to the company’s offering of 200MB of data for $40 per month for netbook users in Atlanta and in Philadelphia. de la Vega denied that the company was planning to sell an iPhone without a data plan, however, pointing out that the company makes its money by selling data services, not by selling iPhones.

Reports are that AT&T plans to drop the entry level iPhone plan from $69 per month to $59—a prediction based on leads given to BusinessWeek. With de la Vega’s confirmation that AT&T is considering the measure, expect more details soon.

iPhone Blog’s Take: Tiered data plans with caps – are politely – legalized thievery. AT&T’s outrageous charges for SMS messaging are a good example.  AT&T wants to lure you into paying a little less – GET A LOT LESS – and get billed out the wazoo for overages above your contracted data plan.  AT&T is good at bait and switch.  If they wanted to be fair – SMS messaging would be free with every data plan – like it was with the original iPhone.  But AT&T is too greedy for that.  Face it, iPhone is a cash cow – and with possible carrier competition coming – why not fleece customers while they can?

Ted Landau shared iPhone wisdom and wit tonight at the CapMac iPhone SIG.  And four lucky winners took home Ted’s latest book ‘Take Control of Your iPhone’.

As summer travel season approaches, Ted shared some tips for taking your iPhone overseas, and was kind enough to share links to his original articles:

Traveling with my iPhone (and MacBook Pro) in Japan

Taking Your iPhone Overseas

Ted’s Mac Observer Articles

Thanks again Ted, hope we see you here in Austin next year for SXSW!

The latest data from research firm Gartner shows that Apple’s share of global smartphone market more than doubled on a year-over-year basis during the first quarter of the year –growing from 5.3 percent to 10.8 percent. In terms of units sold, iPhone jumped from 1.7 million to 3.9 million.

Global mobile phone sales totaled 269.1 million units in 1Q of 2009, a 9.4 percent decrease; while smartphone sales surpassed 36.4 million units, a 12.7 percent increase from the same period last year.

More details at our iPhone Meetup this Thursday, May 21st, from 7:00 – 9:00 pm  at BB Rover’s Cafe & Pub – 12101 Jollyville Road; Austin, TX 78759.  Special guest will be Macworld Magazine’s Ted Landau  [via iChat].

Apple’s new iPhone will be available July 17 and will have a bunch of new features, including video recording and editing, a digital compass, turn-by-turn directions, and better battery life, according to an obscure blog called iPhone Apps.

The blog claims to have been contacted by a “reputable source,” who is “closely connected to Apple’s hardware development team.”    While rumors are interesting and fun – there may be several kernels of truth herein.   For your entertainment, I’ve posted the specs listed – which if rumor turns to fact – could lead to a very busy summer for Apple:

* 32GB and 16GB to replace current capacities

* $199 and $299 price-points to be maintained

* 3.2 Megapixel camera

* Video recording & editing capabilities

* Ability to send a picture & video via MMS

* Discontinuation of the metal band surrounding the edge of the device

* OLED screen

* 1.5X The battery life

* Double the RAM and processing power

* Built-in FM transmitter

* Apple logo on the back to light up

* Rubber-tread backing

* Sleeker design

* Built-in compass

* Revolutionary combination of the camera, GPS, compass, and Google maps to identify photo and inform about photo locations.

* Turn by turn directions

* July 17th, 2009 release date

Join us at our iPhone SIG meetup this Thursday, May 21st at BB Rovers for more…