Multiple Carriers Confirmed for Singapore, India, Philippines and Australia iPhone Hosting
May 12, 2008 9:00 AM
Chris Barylick

Today, wireless carrier Optus confirmed that Apple's iPhone to Australia, Singapore, India and the Philippines will be hosted and carried by multiple parties via the following announcement on its web site:

Optus, SingTel, Bharti Airtel and Globe to bring iPhone to the region
12 May 2008

Optus, SingTel, Bharti Airtel and Globe today announced that they have signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Singapore, India, the Philippines and Australia later this year.

More information will be released at a later date.

Stay tuned to the PowerPage for further details as well as a roundup of the carrier packages that will be offered to subscribers.

If you've had experience with any of these carriers, please share your thoughts over in the comments or forums.

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Category: iPhone
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Rumor: 2.6 GHz MacBook Promo Reference Found on Apple Web Site
May 12, 2008 8:30 AM
Chris Barylick

This might be too good to be true (it probably is), but according to the guys at Engadget, the following image was found on Apple's Hot News promotional web site.

As of now, the current MacBook laptop maxes out at 2.4 GHz.

2.6 GHz would be more than welcome, even if this number is just a typo.

Let us know if you think this is real or just a typo over in the comments or forums.

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Category: MacBook
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Additional 3G Settings Discovered in Latest Version of iPhone 2.0 Beta
May 12, 2008 8:00 AM
Chris Barylick

Adding to the rumors that Apple's next generation iPhone handset will include 3G support, an inactive preference dialog found in the fifth public beta of the iPhone 2.0 software may provide yet more evidence towards this end.

Per a blog post dated Saturday, independent developer Chronic Productions noted the discovery of several 3G-related code strings in the latest iPhone 2.0 software beta.

The post also included the following screenshot:

The screenshot points to a unique feature in which users should be able to disable 3G access in favor of extending the iPhone's battery life.

Stay tuned for more news as this story develops and let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.

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Category: iPhone
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Through The Wash: The World's Most Entertaining Train Wreck
May 10, 2008 11:55 AM
Chris Barylick

Back in October, we posted an article asking for an iPhone to send through the washer and dryer cycles of a conventional washing machine in order to perform a video review of how well it survived.

Some of you posted testimonials as to how well your own iPhones had survived their sudsy journeys.

Others asked if we had lost our minds.

And you were right to do so.

In the several months since then, I took it upon myself to follow through on an idea that Jason called "the world's most entertaining train wreck." Through The Wash has launched and, with the help of several friends from the D.C. stand up comedy scene, we've begun to hash out video reviews (including outtakes) as to which consumer electronics survive their journeys through the washer and dryer cycles.

To date, we've tested the following:
-A Nintendo Wii remote.
-Apple iPod headphones.
-An iPod Shuffle.
-An SD card.
-A Flash drive.

Future reviews will probably include the following:
-A Nintendo DS.
-A Nintendo DS game.
-A Sony PSP game.
-And, the big kahuna...a first generation iPhone.

This isn't news as much as it is entertainment, but when was the last time you left your iPod in the blender?

With that in mind, check out the sample below (warning: mild NSFW language), visit the site, let us know what you think and if you have any suggestions, let us know in the comments or forums.

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Category: Announcement
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Parallels Desktop for Mac Beta Build 5600 Released
May 9, 2008 10:24 AM
Chris Barylick

On Wednesday, virtualization software maker Parallels released a public beta of Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0 build 5600. The new build adds the following fixes and changes:
-Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 with the Boot Camp support - added.
-Microsoft Windows XP SP3 with the Boot Camp support - added.
-Kernel panic on Mac Book Air - fixed.
-Accidental Mac OS X high CPU usage and bad responsiveness ("IPI stat: rescheduled X CPUs out of Y" issue) - fixed.
-Kernel panic when switching on CPUs using CPUPalette - fixed.
-SmartSelect: ability to use user-defined Shared Folders instead of using All Mac disks or Home folder - added.

Shared Folders improvement:
- Improved transfer speed for SmartSelect.
- Inability to copy folders with a custom icon - fixed.
- Sharing support for removable drives - added.
-Accidental inability to mount Windows disk on the Mac desktop - fixed.
-Incorrect installation of MacFUSE - fixed.

Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to run and retails for US$79.99.

Let us know how the build works for you in the comments or forums.

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Category: Software
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NBC Offers Shows for iPhone, iPod Touch Streaming
May 9, 2008 9:35 AM
Chris Barylick

This week, broadcaster NBC began making selected shows available for streaming to the iPhone and iPod touch devices.

The move, which sidesteps Apple's iTunes Store, moves around price flexibility issues the network had experienced with Apple.

According to 9 to 5 Mac, the shows, which are available for streaming over the Internet via the NBC web site, are ad-free, streamed in a QuickTime format and include hits such as "The Office".

Not a bad thing, but I still miss "Battlestar Galactica" on the iTunes Store.

Let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.

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Category: iPhone
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PowerPage Podcast Episode 77
May 9, 2008 9:00 AM
Jason D. O'Grady

Episode 77 of the PowerPage Podcast is now available. You can either download it from the iTunes Store or directly (1'12:29, 33.9MB, AAC).

Your panel: Jason O'Grady, Rob Parker and Youngmoo Kim.

Topics include: A detailed look at Jason's Psystar Open Computer, Apple leads Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey and your hosts play "What's on your and your Mac?"

What's on your Mac?:

Rob

• Visual Hub 1.33 ($23.32) - Bridges the gap between numerous complicated video formatting standards. 1.33 has better support for AppleTV's latest (2.0) software.
• Parking Log - an addictive game for jailbroken iPhones where you navigate the beetle out of the parking lot.

Youngmoo

• Filemark Maker - Filemarks let you store high res images, text files, and PDFs on an iPhone. Filemarks store your file’s data inside a bookmark. When you want to view your file, you open the bookmark in Safari on the iPhone and you can view it, whether your phone is online or offline.

Jason

• Snowflake from Blue Microphones (US$59) The first professional portable USB mic.
• Chumby (US$179) A killer Internet appliance with a touchscreen and WiFi Internet access.
• Twitterific (US$15) Twitter client from IconFactory.

Subscribe to the PowerPage Podcast directly in iTunes or add the Podcast RSS feed to the newsreader of your choice.

PowerPage Podcast theme music: Springtime in Vienna by The Tragically Hip. Pick up their new release - World Container on iTunes.

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Category: Podcast
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MacBook Pro Users Reporting Vertical Lines on Screen After Waking
May 9, 2008 8:53 AM
Chris Barylick

A number of users are reporting an occurrence of an ongoing display issue that appears to be primarily affecting Penryn-based MacBook Pro laptops. According to MacFixIt, the problem manifests itself in the form of alternating light and dark vertical bands which appear on the screen when the notebook wakes from sleep.

The problem is easily resolved on a temporary basis but occurs repeatedly for most of the users reporting the issue:

One account on the Apple Discussions board from user "Atomic Wedgie" reads as follows:

"...every so often, when I wake the MBP (Penryn) from sleep, I see alternating bands of light and dark vertical "stripes" along the screen. It looks as if half the LED backlights did not activate."

The issue doesn't appear to be related to Mac OS X's graphics drivers, as the issue does not manifest itself when the notebook is booted into Windows under Boot Camp.

Reports have indicated that Apple is aware of the problem and working on a fix, which may be released as part of the anticipated Mac OS X 10.5.3 update or as its own firmware update.

Fixes for the problem include the following:

-Press control-shift-eject, which forces the display to turn off and reset. This has been the most straightforward fix so far.
-Put the computer to sleep (From the apple menu or close the lid), wait for the computer to sleep, and then open the lid or press a keyboard button to wake it from sleep.
-Restart the computer.

If you've seen this on your end or discovered another fix or workaround, let us know over in the comments or forums.

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Category: MacBook Pro
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AT&T Yanks Free iPhone Wi-Fi Location Information From Web Site
May 9, 2008 8:15 AM
Chris Barylick

Mere hours from posting information that indicated where iPhone owners could go to receive free access from AT&T's public wireless hotspots, the company has removed all references to the service from its web site.

According to Macworld UK and Computerworld, AT&T had posted a new "Access to AT&T WiFi hot spots" section on their web site which included details regarding the complimentary Wi-Fi access in all of its iPhone subscriber planes.

The description, prior to removal, went as follows:"Unlimited Data (e-mail and web), 200 SMS text messages and access to AT&T's more than 17,000 WiFi hot spots, including Starbucks all for use in the US. Wi-Fi available at US company operated Starbucks locations equipped with a hot spot [emphasis added]."

Per the article, an AT&T customer service representative was unable to explain the change during a 15-minute telephone conversation, during which he repeatedly left the line to query his manager.

AT&T Spokesman Mark Siegel has issued a blanket "no comment" statement when asked about the Wi-Fi information on the company's home page.

Stay tuned for more information as this develops and we're taking bets as to whether will offer a service in which they come over and kick your cat in the comments or forums.

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Category: iPhone
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O2, Carphone Warehouse State More 16 GB iPhones En Route
May 9, 2008 8:03 AM
Chris Barylick

Following up on yesterday's story regarding the shortage of 8 and 16 gigabyte iPhones in the UK market, Register Hardware has stated that outfits O2 and Carphone Warehouse will continue to offer the 16 gigabyte model.

Carphone Warehouse has states that it is currently reviewing the 16 gigabyte iPhone stock situation and has announced that more units are already available at its assorted retail locations. Wireless carrier O2 has issued a similar statement citing that some of its stores already have 16 gigabyte units in stock.

Both the 16GB and 8GB models are available from Apple's UK online store and ship in 24 hours.

If you're on the other side of the pond and can offer any insight into the iPhone shortage, let us know in the comments or forums.

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Category: iPhone
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