Appletell

There are Apple rumors, and then there are Apple rumors. Some fade into the ether, some linger for what seems like years until...well, until they come to pass. The latest of these is the rumor that Apple will be announcing iPhones for Verizon Wireless in 2009, perhaps as early as Macworld 2009 (guess they won’t be needing those reasons why Verizon is better than the iPhone).

9to5Mac reports that:

We’ve fielded a couple of tips (some more sketchy than others) about EVDO iPhones floating around Cupertino in the past, but today’s tipster seems a little bit more sure of himself.  Besides having some Verizon insider credentials, he seems to know way too much about Verizon-Apple politics. According to him, Apple will be announcing iPhones for Verizon Wireless in 2009, perhaps as early Macworld 2009. Negotiations between Apple and Verizon are ongoing but they expect to hammer out agreements by the end of the year.

Ah, so the tipster seems to “… know way too much about Verizon-Apple politics.” Must be true, then, eh? You sold me.

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It’s not in-home activation, but it’s as close as you’re likely to get for the foreseeable future. Apple has updated their website to include an option to make it easier than ever to buy an iPhone 3G.

The process begins online at the new page and ends at an Apple Store. It’s a four step process.

1. Enter your billing information.
2. Review eligibility and pricing.
3. Select your AT&T rate plan.*

The fourth step isn’t numbered as such, but you’ll have to pick an Apple Retail Store and a time to finalize your purchase.

Like I said, this isn’t in-home activation. It’s actually the opposite.  But anything that can speed along the process is good news to me. Now you won’t have to wait for your information to be processed in the store since you can do all of that ahead of time.

Product [iPhone]

Inventory numbers on the 8GB iPhones are extremely low according to retail sources (via AppleInsider). Now what do you think could be causing this shortage?

Apple often tries to clear out their inventories before launching new products, or upgrades. So, why would Apple let the 8GB model run dry when they only have 8GB and 16GB models to choose from? Either there’s really just a shortage of this model, or Apple is likely prepping for a larger capacity iPhone.

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It looks like Apple and AT&T will have to answer to the strong hand of the law again. Seems as though some people dislike the iPhone enough to sue over it. In the latest round of iPhone lawsuits, William Gillis has filed suit against both companies, citing network performance as grounds.

Details after the break.

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What’s the deal with the iPhone 3G? I mean, I updated it and I’m still dropping calls like U.S. Olympic batons!

Bad Seinfeld jokes aside, Roughly Drafted has some information from “a source close to AT&T” as to why you may have updated your iPhone 3G and still don’t have your reception problems fixed.

Check it out after the break.

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For those of you who’s life isn’t necessarily contained within the borders of the US, and who want to take full advantage of the new iPhone 3G, read on. 

AT&T has officially announced international plans for the iPhone 3G, intended to accompany the existing 20 and 50MB International options. The old plans cost $25 and $60 per month, respectively. The new plans, with 100MB and 200MB options, cover data costs in almost 70 countries, including the biggies such as Canada, France, Mexico, China, India, Germany and Japan. If you are interested in the 100MB option, it will set you back $120 per month, whereas the 200MB option weighs in at an even $200. 

More after the break.

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Gizmodo has posted an interesting list supposedly from Verizon about their talking points regarding the iPhone 3G.

Jump past the break to find out why they feel they’ve got more to offer than the iPhone 3G.

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Western Sweden’s largest newspaper, Göteborgs-Posten (or The Gothenburg Post for us American’s who have no idea how to pronounce words with dots above them), says there is nothing wrong with the antenna inside of the iPhone 3G. They were curious to check out just how well the antenna actually performs, so they did.

They used a testing chamber made by a company called Bluetest. The chambers are used by cell phone manufacturers to see how well phones receive and transmit data under certain circumstances without actually needing to go into the field.

Check out their findings after the break.

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GigaOm is reporting on some recent issues with the iPhone 3G. Om, and others, have been complaining about what they call poor 3G reception with the new iPhone. Om quotes Richard Windsor, an analyst with Nomura Securities, who has a possible explanation.

We believe that these issues are typical of an immature chipset and radio protocol stack where we are almost certain Infineon is the 3G supplier.

Details after the break.

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Yeah, I didn’t think so. Not in the U.S., anyway, says Apple; at least, not without jail breaking your little friend. Though, for a minute there, it seemed Apple was cool with the idea of using your iPhone’s 3G or EDGE data connection over a SOCKS5 proxy.

Late Thursday night I was doing my usual routine—browsing the App Store for new programs that I just can’t live without—when I found myself in dire need of a reality check. Nullriver released a straightforwardly named program to the App Store, NetShare. NetShare creates an ad-hoc WiFi network with your iPhone, allowing you to connect wirelessly to a computer and use the iPhone’s EDGE or 3G data connection.

Jump past the break to learn more.

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