iPhone's Bluetooth Bug Under Hackers' Microscope

Almost lost in the hubbub over the latest iPhone firmware update and whether it would "brick" unlocked phones was the fact that Apple patched 10 vulnerabilities.

Almost lost in the hubbub over Thursday's iPhone firmware update and whether it would "brick" unlocked phones was the fact that Apple Inc. patched 10 vulnerabilities -- twice the number of fixes issued since the phone's June debut.

The iPhone 1.1.1 update, which like previous upgrades is delivered through Apple's iTunes software, fixes seven flaws in the built-in Safari browser, two in the smart phone's Mail application and one in its use of Bluetooth, the short-range wireless technology.

The seven Safari vulnerabilities include several cross-site scripting (XSS) flaws, one that can disclose the URL of other viewed pages -- an online banking site, say -- and another that lets attackers execute malicious JavaScript in pages delivered by the SSL-encrypted HTTPS protocol. One of the Safari flaws, and an associated vulnerability in Mail, involve "tel:" links, which can be exploited by hackers to dial a number without the user confirming the call.

But it was the Bluetooth bug that got the attention of security researchers. Symantec's DeepSight threat network team pointed out the vulnerability in an advisory to customers Friday. "Reportedly, the Bluetooth flaw occurs when malicious Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) packets are handled; any attacker that is within Bluetooth range can exploit it remotely," wrote DeepSight analyst Anthony Roe in the alert. "Successful exploits are reported to allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code."

According to Apple's security advisory, the Bluetooth bug was discovered and reported by Kevin Mahaffey and John Hering of Flexillis Inc., a Los Angeles-based company that specializes in mobile security development and consulting. Flexillis may be best known for its reverse engineering of the exploit used to hack into several celebrities' T-Mobile cell phone accounts in 2005, include Paris Hilton and Vin Diesel.

The Bluetooth bug may prove to be dangerous to iPhones, Roe speculated, since the potential range of the technology is much greater than most people think. While Bluetooth's potential range -- and thus the maximum distance between attacker and victim -- is about 400 feet, "Several proof-of-concept Bluetooth antennas have intercepted Bluetooth signals at almost a mile," he said.

Roe also pointed out that HD Moore, the driving force behind the Metasploit penetration framework, had recently demonstrated that shellcode could be run on an iPhone. Moore, said Roe, proved that "exploiting security vulnerabilities affecting the iPhone is by no means out of reach."

In a post to his blog -- and to the Metasploit site -- on Wednesday, Moore said that because every process on the iPhone runs as root, and so has full privileges to the operating system, any exploit of an iPhone application vulnerability, such as Safari or Mail or Bluetooth, would result in a complete hijack of the device. Moore also announced that he would add iPhone support to Metasploit, which would make it much easier for hackers to access a vulnerable phone.

Moore acknowledged that he's looking at the Bluetooth vulnerability. "The Bluetooth SDP vulnerability is the only issue I am focusing on," he said in an e-mail Friday.

He also hinted that locating vulnerable iPhones wouldn't be a problem. "The Bluetooth MAC [media address control] address is always one less than the Wi-Fi interface's MAC address," he said. "Since the iPhone is always probing for or connected to its list of known access points, the presence of the iPhone and its Bluetooth MAC address can be determining by using a standard Wi-Fi sniffer.

"Once the Bluetooth MAC address is obtained, the SDP issue can be exploited by anyone within range of the Bluetooth chip, or within range of the attacker's antenna, which can be up to a mile away in some cases," he said.

If Moore manages to craft an exploit and add it to Metasploit, it's probable that criminal hackers will quickly follow. "Once we see something in Metasploit, we know it's likely we'll see it used in attacks," Alfred Huger, vice president of engineering with Symantec's security response group, said in a July interview.

Jarno Neimela, a senior researcher with F-Secure Corp., a Helsinki-based security vendor, also hit the alarm button, but for a different reason. In a posting to his company's blog Friday, Neimela pointed out that there's no security software available for the iPhone, thanks to Apple's decision to keep the device's inner workings a secret.

"The amount of technical information [available about the iPhone] makes it likely that sooner or later someone will create a worm or some other malware," Neimela said. "This will create an interesting problem for the security field as the iPhone is currently a closed system and it's not feasible to provide anti-virus or other third-party security solutions for it.

"So if someone were able to create a rapidly spreading worm on the iPhone, protecting users against it would be problematic."

Although iPhone owners will be automatically notified in the next week that the new patches are ready to download and install, a large number of those who have modified or unlocked their phones will probably forgo the fixes, since the 1.1.1 update apparently also disables unlocked phones and wipes unauthorized third-party applications that have been added with various hacks.

Podcast: How robots may change digital photography

CNET News.com's Stephen Shankland has the story about a cool robotics project at one of the United States' elite technical universities guaranteed to appeal to camera enthusiasts.

Remember the Newton, Apple's much-maligned but cult-favorite personal digital assistant from the mid-1990s? Apple may wince at the memory but new reports suggest the company may be ready to give it another shot--with a twist, of course.

Ever wonder why boys are so rowdy? Or is it just your impression? Actually, researchers now say there's a valid scientific reason to explain their behavior.

Orange clinches French Apple iPhone deal

France Telecom's Orange will sell Apple's iPhone handsets in France from the end of November, Chief Executive Didier Lombard said during an industry event in Hanoi on Thursday.

A company spokeswoman confirmed Lombard had unveiled the long-expected deal for France, which follows similar deals earlier this week to bring iPhones to Germany via Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile and to Britain through Spanish-owned O2.

France Telecom said it was sure the unsubsidized phones, which combine Apple's popular iPod music player, a video player and a Web browser, would spur sales in France.

No further details were immediately available.

Innovative U.S. consumer electronics company Apple broke in the mobile phone industry by unveiling its iPhone in January, and has flouted European telecommunication conventions with its first European distribution deal. Most European mobile phone customers, who sign up for 18-month to two-year contracts with wireless-services operators, are not used to paying extra for the latest handsets.

Analysts also expect Apple to have demanded a 20 to 30 percent share of service and voice revenues generated by iPhones in return for exclusive sales deals with telecoms operators.

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The touch-screen phone will be sold for $558 in Germany and $538 in Britain, including tax, on top of the cost of the contract from November 9--in time for the key run-up to the Christmas shopping season.

iPhones flew off U.S. shelves when they first went on sale there amid much fanfare in late June.

But Apple slashed the price of its $599 model to $399 earlier this month, excluding tax, sending its stock tumbling on market concern that sales were slowing.

Nevertheless Apple--which is selling the handsets via top U.S. operator AT&T to U.S. customers willing to sign up for a two-year contract--has sold more than 1 million iPhones in the United States to date, beating its end-September target.

While many applaud Apple for its design creativity and its ability to create "status symbol" gadgets that consumers crave, others have complained the touch-screen device is cumbersome, that data speeds are too slow and battery life too short.

Vodafone: iPhone impact on Verizon was temporary

Verizon Wireless saw some subscribers defect to AT&T to get the iPhone but the impact was short-lived, said one of Verizon's parents, Vodafone Group, on Wednesday.

Vodafone Chief Executive Arun Sarin said on Wednesday that right after the iPhone was launched in late June, some Verizon Wireless customers moved, or ported, their numbers to AT&T.

"Porting ratios went negative but a month afterward porting ratios were back," he said, adding that a similar trend occurred when Apple cut the price of its iPhone to $399 from $599 earlier this month.

"Porting ratios go negative, then two weeks later were back to normal again," he said.

Vodafone owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. mobile service. Verizon Communications owns the remainder.

AT&T is the exclusive U.S. provider of the iPhone, which includes a music player and Web browser.

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Apple has signed deals to sell the iPhone through O2, owned by Telefonica, in the United Kingdom and with T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom, in Germany.

Sarin said he would be interested in talking to Apple about selling the phone when the company comes out with a high-speed wireless version.

"When an HSDPA iPhone is available, we would be interested in talking to Apple," he said.

Sarin said he believed the iPhone would increase the popularity of data services such as Web surfing, video downloading and social networking on cell phones.

Apple's battle against iPhone hackers takes a turn

Last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was in London and he said the company is in a "cat and mouse" game with hackers over the iPhone. Now the company is making good on its word to fight back--but will unsuspecting customers wind up as collateral damage? CNET News.com's Tom Krazit has the latest.

News.com's Declan McCullagh explains why Congress unexpectedly decided to punt on extending an Internet tax moratorium and what might happen next.

And who says IT folks are only about bits and bytes? According to a new poll, they're quite a horny collection.

From PARC, the mobile phone as tour guide

reporter's notebook PALO ALTO, Calif.--Imagine you find yourself in a city you don't know very well.

Maybe you are on vacation, or on business travel, or just exploring an area of your own city you aren't familiar with. It's a sunny afternoon and you think to yourself, "Wouldn't it be nice to have a gelato?" Or a little later in the day, you find yourself hankering for a margarita, but you don't know where to get one.

Today, most people wandering foreign streets in search of something ask someone passing by. If you have a particular store in mind and your mobile phone is Web data-enabled, you can use the Internet and an online map. But if you don't know exactly what you want, there's no real guide.

Palo Alto Research Center, or PARC--the Xerox subsidiary that was the birthplace of the computer mouse, the graphical user interface and Ethernet--has developed a mobile application that offers up information that would be useful to a wanderer--things like shops, restaurants and event listings based on your location (via the GPS device in the phone) and the time of day, as well as your preferences and past behavior.

The leisure city guide system will be commercialized by Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) in Japan, with trials scheduled to start in the spring and general availability in that country in spring 2009. There's no word on whether the principals plan to bring it to the U.S.

I got a demonstration of the software, code-named "Magitti," at a press event here on Thursday, and I must say it looks very cool. (The code name is derived from two early design concepts, a magic scope and a digital graffiti system.)

"It predicts the likely activity," said Bo Begole, a co-leader on the project. For example, coffee shops might be displayed in the morning hours, stores throughout the day, and restaurants, bars and movies at night.

The more you interact with it--showing preference for things and rating them--the more it learns about your personal tastes, and its suggestions reflect that. It uses collaborative filtering to recommend things that others with similar tastes like and allows people to input their own ratings and reviews.

The system also can detect clues to your activities in e-mails and text messages. That may sound creepy to some people, but is it any more creepy than the prospect of getting ads served up based on the context of your e-mails a la Gmail? What about getting ads on your phone based on your location, or even based on conversations you've had, which start-up Pudding Media will be doing?

The analysis of personal communications happens on the handset and not on servers at the company, Begole said. In addition, Japan has some of the strictest consumer privacy protection regulations in the world, he added.

But back to the demonstration. The PARC developers, a delegation from DNP, myself and a few others stepped out onto a sidewalk in downtown Palo Alto armed with mobile phones running the Windows Mobile operating system.

The interface was easy to understand, with large touch-screen "buttons" that you stroke with your thumb to navigate. The experience is similar to that of the Apple iPhone, but this interface isn't nearly as slick. Another difference is that you can use one hand to operate this system, something many people say you can't do with the iPhone.

At around 11:30 a.m. Pacific time, the system offered up a host of lunchtime restaurants located nearby, a home furnishings store (in case I felt like shopping) and a gym (in case I felt like sweating). It was easy to expand or limit the distance of suggestions and the type of cuisine, say.

The system will not offer up any merchants who are closed for business at that particular hour, so when we accidentally changed the clock to 4 a.m., the system displayed no listings. It was downtown Palo Alto, after all.

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From my personal cell phone I sent the test device a text message saying "Fancy Thai?" After the test device received the message, the system suggested local Thai restaurants, including one with Bangkok in the name, recognizing that as a city in Thailand.

There were times when our efforts to use the system were thwarted by a slowdown in the T-Mobile cellular network, but in Japan users shouldn't have that problem. And I was informed that sometimes the GPS system is a bit off, positioning the location of the device further down the street than it really is.

We tried to filter the restaurant suggestions so that the pricier ones would appear at the top and the network slowed down, delaying the results. I remarked that DNP could install a "budget" filter that blocks expensive stores. "That's a feature, not a bug," a PARC employee joked.

As much as I can now use my mobile phone to get directions and maps and locate the nearest Starbucks, I can't get a bunch of suggestions of things I might want to do given that I have a few hours to waste on a lazy Sunday afternoon in Monterey, Calif. But actually, doesn't everybody know that the place to go is the Monterey Bay Aquarium?

A cell phone without borders

It's amazing the way the Internet keeps toppling traditional businesses. Telegrams have gone away. Music CD sales are tanking. Newspapers are hurting.

One especially lucrative business, however, has somehow escaped the Internet's notice so far: international cell phone calls.

That's about to change. Early next month, a small company called Cubic Telecom will release what it is calling the first global mobile phone.

But first, some background. Cell phones from T-Mobile and AT&T rely on the same type of network (called GSM) that most of the rest of the world uses. In theory, then, you can take these phones to other countries and make calls as usual. (Most Verizon and Sprint phones work only in the United States.)

Unfortunately, international roaming runs from $1 to $5 a minute. A 20-minute call home from the Bahamas on a T-Mobile phone will set you back $60. The same call home from Russia on an AT&T cell phone will cost a cool $100.

Sure, you could always rent a phone or use a phone card when you travel--but then nobody knows how to reach you.

It costs a lot to dial overseas from here, too. Verizon charges $1.50 a minute for calls to most countries. AT&T's rates can be truly Dr. Seussian--like $2.52 to Greece, $2.80 to Iraq and $3.65 to Australia. That's per minute. Make one 20-minute call to New Zealand, and you owe $75 to AT&T.

Now, most carriers offer special international plans: you pay more a month, you get slightly lower roaming rates. But even they can't touch the appeal of Cubic's cell phone. It makes calls to or from any of 214 countries--for 50 percent to 90 percent off what the big carriers would charge.

On this phone, a 20-minute call from the Bahamas costs $5.80 (that's 90 percent off T-Mobile's rate). The Cubic price from Russia is 49 cents a minute (90 percent lower than AT&T).

And there's no monthly fee and no commitment for any of this. It works like a prepaid phone, where you put some money in your account and use it up as you talk.

At this point, the appropriate world traveler's response ought to be involuntary drooling, but there's more to the story. Most of it is more good news, but also more complexity.

For example, consider this: at the MaxRoam.com site from Cubic, you can request local phone numbers in up to 50 cities at no charge. Now you can have a Paris number, a London number and a Mexico City number that your friends overseas can use to call your cell phone.

No longer must you hand out a series of international phone numbers for each trip you make, or expect your colleagues in the United States to pay $50 a pop to reach you.

Cubic points out that this feature alone is a life-changer for people who have moved, for example, to the United States from overseas. Their family back home can keep in touch for the price of a local call.

I signed up for numbers in Paris, London and Barcelona, and then asked friends in those cities to call me. They dialed local numbers, and my phone rang in New York--very slick. Voice quality was typical of Internet calls: perfectly understandable, but slightly muffled, with a quarter-second to one-second voice delay.

Even that's not the end of this phone's possibilities. For a flat $42 a month, you can turn on its unlimited Wi-Fi calling option. It lets you receive unlimited unmetered calls to any number in the world from Internet hot spots, or make them for a penny a minute. Either way, you have little fear of racking up your bill.

This works on hot spots that require a password, but not ones that require a Web page log-in. And in contrast to the new HotSpot@Home phones from T-Mobile, which seamlessly hand off calls between Wi-Fi and the cellular network as you move, the Cubic phone drops the call when you leave the hot spot.

NEXT >>>

Apple's Options for Stopping Open Source iPhone Use

Although Apple's Steve Jobs has declared war on iPhone hackers, no one knows for certain how he plans to stop them.

The major reason that Apple wants to stop hackers from creating new open source programs for its iPhone, some analysts say, is that it has signed exclusivity agreements in various countries with service providers such as AT&T, T-Mobile and O2. Because Apple wants these companies to have incentives to continue developing exclusive applications for the iPhone, they say, Apple must make an effort to stop open source use.

"The open source applications are probably affecting AT&T more than they're affecting Apple," says Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, a division scientist at BBN Technologies. "I would imagine there's an exclusivity clause somewhere in the contract with AT&T, at least for a particular period of time, primarily so people couldn't go to other carriers."

While Apple isn't going to passively watch while others develop open-source programs for its devices, it isn't clear how aggressively the company plans to go after hackers. Steve Jobs called the back-and-forth battle between Apple and hackers a "a cat-and-mouse game" where "people will try to break in, and it's our job to stop them breaking in," but he didn't give specific details on what the company planned to do.

Dan Steinberg, the president of the Quebec-based firm Synthesis: Law and Technology, says that the effort Apple puts into stopping hackers will correlate directly with how much open source applications hurt both its bottom line and the bottom lines of its partners.

"We don't know if they're going to pay lip service to this or if they're going to go hardcore," he says. "To know that, you'd have to know their business model, and you'd have to know the details of the deals they've made with various cell phone companies."

One of the options open to Apple is to file lawsuits against hackers under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which was passed in 1998 to ban the use of any devices that can be used to circumvent digital rights management systems. The DMCA has been invoked in several high-profile cases, including YouTube's defense against a threatened Viacom suit for the copyrighted video clips that its users had posted online, and the Motion Picture Association of America's suit against 321 Studios for developing encryption-busting DVD copying software.

Seth David Schoen, a staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, thinks that fear of being prosecuted under the DMCA has proven effective in keeping several hobbyist open source developers from sharing their innovations on the Web.

One of the enduring problems here, as in many of the fields of technology now living under the DMCA's shadow, is the gap between what hobbyists know how to accomplish and what others are willing to commercialize to bring to a wider audience," he says. "In many cases there are great advances and features enabled by hobbyist reverse engineering that might be brought to a larger audience but for the fear of legal liability."

But Steinberg says that while the DMCA might be useful for prosecuting hackers in the United States, he adds that it will be of little help going after hackers in other countries. The most likely tool Apple will use, he says, will be a continuous stream of software upgrades that will block the hackers from adding new open source applications from their iPhones.

Zatko also sees Apple using software upgrades to thwart hackers. While he doesn't think such upgrades can stop hackers altogether, he does think that they could slow hobbyist hackers up enough to make them less willing to put in the time to develop software.

"When they come out with a new update for the iPhone, it's initially problematic for people who want to put their own software on it," he says. "Apple can push out updates as quickly as they want. If they pushed one out once every 12 weeks with modifications, it would force hackers to spend more time and effort to develop new applications."

Charles Miller, the principal security analyst for Independent Security Evaluators, says that Apple's software upgrades would not prevent hackers from cracking the codes and continuing to develop their own applications for their devices, and that any software upgrades the company deploys will only "throw a few more hurdles" in the hackers' way. Furthermore, he thinks that companies such as Apple may not be as opposed to open source applications as they claim publicly.

"Personally, I think a lot of these companies have to fight this because of agreements with companies like AT&T," he says. "But they also want their users to think this is a really cool device, and being able to add code and write things for it makes [iPhone users] really happy."

Another technique that Apple could use to stop hacking, say Miller and Zatko, would be to create different hardware for new iPhones that would have the phone's BIOS filter out any codes that aren't trusted by the system. This would create significantly greater problems for hackers and would also, says Zatko, "drive up the price of the original iPhones on eBay."

But whether Apple decides to sue open source developers, to change its hardware or software, or to enact some combination thereof, Schoen doesn't think most iPhone customers will be turned off by the company's actions.

"Most Apple customers seem relatively content with Apple's highly integrated business models," he says. "One interesting problem is... iPhone owners might sympathize more with Apple than with outside developers who want to directly help make the iPhone more useful and capable."

New SecuBox 1.3 to Prevent Data Theft from Windows Mobile Smartphones and PDAs

(PRLEAP.COM) London, UK – September 23, 2007 – Aiko Solutions today released SecuBox 1.3, a powerful solution for encrypting sensitive information carried on Windows Mobile smartphones and PDAs. SecuBox 1.3 offers full smartphone compatibility, secure deletion methods and industry class encryption that effectively guard against data theft and unauthorized access.

SecuBox provides a secure and convenient storage for all important and business critical files, including Pocket Word, Excel documents and all other types of files. Data written to this storage are transparently encrypted with strong AES 256-bit encryption. In case Windows Mobile device or SD card is lost or stolen, SecuBox users can be sure no one reads their sensitive information.

SecuBox encryption technology will not only secure sensitive data, but will also prolong the life of PDA flash memory cards. When a Windows Mobile application intensively writes data to the encrypted storage volume, SecuBox optimizes the write process, thus reducing wear and tear on the memory card.

Now users can completely erase sensitive files they no longer need. Traditional deletion only removes the file name from the file system directory leaving the data in place. SecuBox makes sure that the removed file cannot be restored by any means. The wiping methods used in SecuBox to permanently erase data on the storage media are implemented in compliance with the US Department of Defense DoD5220.22-M specification.

SecuBox runs under Windows Mobile 2002/2003/2003SE/2005, Windows Mobile 5/6 Pocket PC and Smarpthone editions and Windows Smartphone 2002/2003/2003 SE. All owners of Pocket PCs, smartphones and Pocket PC phones running these operating systems can benefit from SecuBox data protection.

Pricing and Availability
SecuBox is currently available in English and Japanese languages. Aiko Solutions offers a fully-functional 30 day trial at no cost, and it can be downloaded from http://www.aikosolutions.com/. A single-user license can be securely purchased online at only USD $39.95. Volume discounts and academic pricing available.

About Aiko Solutions
Aiko Solutions provides reliable and convenient encryption solutions for PDAs and smartphones, protecting against the risks associated with data theft and unauthorized access. The company relies on proven highly secure industry standard encryption algorithms and develops software that easily integrates in business processes and secures digital assets. For more information please visit www.aikosolutions.com.

Is Skybus offering better service?

Skybus, the only passenger airline to fly in and out of Pease International Tradeport, is angling to broaden its service in and out of the Seacoast airport.

Latest reports have Skybus initiating the thought for changes in a Sept. 6 memo to the Pease Development Authority.

Skybus has been flying in and out of Pease for Florida — by way of Columbus, Ohio — since May.

It sounds like an interesting way to get to Florida from New Hampshire and Southern Maine — by an extremely circuitous route.

Portsmouth to Ft. Lauderdale by way of Columbus? It sounds like the equivalent of driving from Dover to Keene with a stop in Laconia.

We're familiar with flying nondirect. If we want to get to Seattle, Wash., from Manchester we're likely to change planes in Detroit — but all the while going in our intended direction.

Would you fly to Alaska by way of Rio de Janeiro? Probably not.

Give the PDA credit for being aggressive in its courtship of broadened and more direct service.

While Skybus' memo showed interest in doing something more with Pease, it seems the interest is nebulous.

Dick Green, the executive director of the PDA, told the agency's board of directors Thursday he hopes Skybus will make Portsmouth what they call a "focus city." He added, however, the airline is talking with officials from four to six flight locations about becoming "focus" cities, but the company would not say whether Portsmouth is a candidate.

There have been times over the past 15 years that we've been critical of the PDA and its management. This is not one of those times. The PDA board and its staff are working hard to make Portsmouth a player in air travel — an airport that is a viable alternative to the madness of Logan International Airport in Boston.

Like in so many other fields, airports are about location, location and location.

Portsmouth is on the center-edge of a semi-circle. While the traffic in and around Boston is an experience few people want to repeatedly experience, it is not an uncomfortable bus ride of less than two hours to Logan for foreign and long-run domestic flights. Manchester-Boston Airport has become one of the most important regional airports in the Northeast, only an hour away, from the Seacoast; an airport you can arrive at with the ease of travel and inexpensive parking when you get there. Portland Jetport has similar attributes. Multiple airlines fly in and out of Manchester and Portland every day of the week from early morning well into the evening.

At the same time, as the region continues to grow — in population and commercial/industrial development — feeder airports such as Pease will become more valuable, even if they are of a one-airline nature.

Thursday, the PDA extended it current agreement with Skybus for another 12 months. It also agreed to waive passenger handling, landing, parking and other fees. It's a $90,000 package of good faith shown to Skybus.

Thursday also saw the PDA appropriate $143,000 for the design of an airport plan in two phases and through 2010.

"We as an airport want to be in a position to say to Skybus that we can accommodate these airplanes and their plans," said Dick Green. We trust the PDA will also be thinking beyond its relationship with Skybus, keeping in mind, few things are forever.

Radiologists get a dedicated RSNA channel on Medicexchange

(PRLEAP.COM) Medicexchange is launching a dedicated RSNA 2007 online community with highlights including product launches, expert interviews, plus industry and clinical analysis. The community is intended to be the focal point of breaking news and information during RSNA 2007, November 25-30, McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois –- which over 60,000 medical imaging professionals are due to attend.

The community includes sections for posters and papers, displays of scientific material, company interviews, video interviews, product information and photos from RSNA. Medical companies can submit their press releases directly to the Medicexchange editorial team for immediate release online.

The aim is to give professionals the very best coverage of this year’s RSNA event, says Medicexchange CEO Adam Boyse. "To make sure medical imaging professionals can stay in touch with the latest industry and clinical analysis in the run up to RSNA we’ve launched this dedicated section of Medicexchange. At RSNA itself our editorial team and clinical specialists will be posting up latest research news and the inside track on new technologies as they happen."

The latest information from RSNA can be delivered straight to laptop or PDA through specific RSNA RSS feeds that visitors can subscribe to, one each for both industry and clinical news, in the run up to and during RSNA.

The RSNA community is the latest community offered to Medicexchange visitors, following the successful launch of the largest online medical imaging jobs portal earlier in the summer.

Medicexchange will also be celebrating its first birthday at RSNA in the South Building, Hall A, booth #5715, with free internet access to read RSNA coverage as it happens and daily competitions and gifts.

About This Release
If you have any questions regarding information in these press releases please contact the organization listed in the press release. Issuers of press releases and not PR Leap are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Preflight check: Communication

What, if anything, are airlines doing to ease the pain of flying? When you tally up their efforts, the sum seems to be not enough given almost daily horror stories. I queried 11 carriers by e-mail and phone as to what they were doing to help their passengers. Two carriers — AirTran and Midwest — did not respond. Here's what the nine carriers who responded had to say:

Alaska Airlines. Customers now get an e-mail 24 hours before their flight with a link to check in online. The e-mail also provides weather information and flight details. Passengers also can sign up for "flight alerts," which provide information on any flight changes via phone, text or e-mail.

American Airlines. "We're using e-mail alerts and text messages to notify passengers ahead of time when there are issues with their flights," a spokeswoman said. Her best advice: Remember that you can check in 24 hours before your flight online to reduce the airport hassle factor.
Continental Airlines. Customers who can't make their original connecting flights are automatically rebooked on the next available flight. This information is sent to the customer's e-mail address or cellphone number on file (given at the time of reservation).

Delta Air Lines. The carrier has added additional upgraded kiosks that allow customers to perform ticket changes. Delta also said it is upgrading its baggage infrastructure and tracking systems.

JetBlue Airways. Customers can use their BlackBerry, PDA or Web-enabled cell phone to visit mobile.jetblue.com to check flight status and weather alerts.

Northwest Airlines. The carrier uses its Automated Flight Rebooking system to help ensure quick re-accommodation and contact customers by e-mail, PDA or phone regarding the status of their flights.

Southwest Airlines. A new alert system keeps the carrier aware of aircraft that are excessively delayed on the tarmac, prior to departure or after landing. A customer communication team reaches out by snail mail to passengers whose flights were delayed with a full explanation for the delay, an apology and, depending on the severity of the delay, anything from a gift certificate that can be used toward another trip to a free ticket.

United Airlines. Chicago's hometown airline says it has added extra, more sophisticated self-service kiosks beyond TSA security at O'Hare and other airports so passengers whose trips were disrupted can see if they were rebooked, or rebook themselves, foregoing the need to stand in line at a customer service counter. The carrier also is working on a system to inform its employees and customers of flight problems accurately and quickly.

US Airways. It hired more than 1,000 employees systemwide and is replacing 600 old (pre-merger with America West) check-in kiosks with new more-efficient ones, primarily along the East Coast .

That's what the airlines said. But here's another point of view.

"Anything and everything the airlines claim to have done to make things easier is simply eyewash," e-mailed Joe Brancatelli, an airline critic and expert who produces Joesentme.com, a Web site for business travelers. "For example, airlines will tell you that they have added more check-in kiosks. But they don't say that they have reduced staff by a cumulative 17 percent since 2003" (from government statistics).

Airlines, he said, "have scheduled perhaps 20-30 percent more flights than the system can handle in good weather. So we get a little bad weather and on-time drops to 50 percent."

Brancatelli also faulted airlines for their lack of truth telling. "United Airlines had a computer meltdown in June — the system literally turned off for two hours. When the computers came back on, everyone who knows anything about airlines knew that United was going to be a mess for the rest of the day." Asked for three things airlines can do to ease the pain of travel, David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, replied: "1. Information. 2. Information. 3. Information."

"Most passengers would benefit from up-to-date, correct information on the status of their flight," Stempler said in an e-mail.

"With correct information, passengers are best able to plan and make decisions about what to do — like canceling the trip, rescheduling to another flight or staying with the existing flight." He explained that so much of what happens with air travel is on the macro level — weather, air traffic control delays, airport and gate limitations — factors outside the control of the airlines. Yet other delays and cancellations are offshoots of the macro-level events, like late-arriving crews or airplanes, as well as mechanical or other problems.

That the antiquated radar-based air traffic control system in the U.S. is clogged is an understatement. Countries such as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom are using next-generation precise satellite systems that permit much less than the normal 3 miles separation between planes, explained David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, an airline trade group. Congress has yet to provide funding for the satellite system. In the meantime, the Federal Aviation Administration is implementing an Airspace Flow Program, Castelveter said. Simply put, the program gives airlines the option of either accepting delays for flights scheduled to fly through storms or opt to fly longer routes to safely avoid them. In tests conducted last summer, the program cut delays by 9 percent, according to the FAA, and saved airlines an estimated $100 million.

Travelers can research flights and airport bottlenecks at such Web sites as flightstats.com, avoiddelays.com and the National Air Traffic Controllers site, www.natca.org. Or they can air complaints at www.dot.gov, airlinecomplaints.org or smartertravel.com. Good luck!

Apple Chooses O2 as Exclusive Carrier for iPhone in UK

LONDON – September 18, 2007 – Apple® and O2 announced today that O2, the leading wireless carrier in the UK, will be the exclusive UK carrier for Apple's revolutionary iPhone™ when it makes its debut in the UK on November 9. iPhone combines three devices into one—a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod®, and the best mobile Internet device ever—all based on Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers. Apple sold its one millionth iPhone just 74 days after it went on sale in the US on June 29.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with O2 to offer our revolutionary iPhone to UK customers,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “US iPhone customer satisfaction is off the charts, and we can’t wait to let UK customers get their hands on it and learn what they think of it.”

“Our strategy at O2 is to bring our customers the best products and experiences,” said Matthew Key, CEO, O2 UK. “The iPhone is a breakthrough that is changing the way people use their mobiles forever, and we're thrilled to have it exclusively for O2 customers in the UK.”

iPhone users in the UK will be able to activate their new iPhones using Apple’s popular iTunes software running on a PC or Mac computer in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store while their phone is activated. Activating iPhone takes only minutes as iTunes® guides the user through simple steps to choose their tariff, undertake a credit check and activate their iPhone. Once iPhone is activated, users can then easily sync all of their phone numbers and other contact information, calendars, email accounts, web browser bookmarks, music, photos, podcasts and TV shows just like they do when they sync their iPods with iTunes.

In addition to all the revolutionary features that made iPhone so popular in the US, iPhone users in the UK will have access to Apple's latest music offerings on iPhone including the recently launched iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store offers customers the ability to browse, search, preview, purchase and download songs and albums from iTunes over the built-in Wi-Fi on their iPhone. No computer is required and when the customer connects their iPhone back with their PC or Mac, their music automatically syncs back into their iTunes library.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone is scheduled to go on sale on November 9 and will be sold exclusively in the UK through Apple’s retail and online stores, O2 and The Carphone Warehouse's retail and online stores. iPhone will be available in an 8GB model for £269 (inc VAT) and will work with either a PC or Mac. Three new great value iPhone tariffs will be available from O2 starting at £35, which all include unlimited anytime, anywhere mobile data usage and, in a market first, free unlimited use of the UK’s largest single public Wi-Fi network, covering over 7,500 cafes, restaurants, airport lounges, pubs and other locations across the UK.

iPhone activation will require an Internet connection; an iTunes Store account or a major credit card; the latest version of iTunes available at www.itunes.com and a PC or Mac with a USB 2.0 port and one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later; or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate Edition. iPhone requires a new 18-month contract with O2. Existing O2 customers will have the option of keeping their existing phone number and upgrading their account to work with iPhone while new customers can also simply and easily transfer their current mobile number to O2.

O2 is a leading provider of mobile services to consumers and businesses in the UK. These services include voice, text, media messaging, games, music and video, as well as always on data connections via GPRS, EDGE, 3G and WLAN. Every month, O2’s 17.8 million customers send well over a billion text messages. O2 UK is part of Telefónica O2 Europe which comprises mobile network operators in the UK, Ireland and Slovakia along with integrated fixed / mobile businesses in Germany and the Czech Republic. Telefónica O2 Europe also owns 50 percent of the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses in the UK and Germany respectively as well as having 100 percent ownership of Be, a leading UK fixed broadband provider.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone.

Indonesians tune in to digital Koran

JAKARTA — With her tiny earphones and slim digital player, Jakarta office worker Mira Indriarti looks like any other young music lover — only she's not listening to the latest tunes, but to a recording of the Koran.

Digital Koran is increasingly popular in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, where such gadgets sell especially well during the fasting month of Ramadan when religious fervour is high and reading the scripture is an essential part of the observance.

Indriarti said she bought the gadget because she wanted to study the Koran to be a better Muslim.

"I can listen to the recital or read the verses and the translation anywhere," she said. "It's uncomfortable if I read a Koran book on the bus and people around me may look at me in amazement."

The device, the size of an iPod digital player, carries the entire text of the Koran, in Arabic with an Indonesian translation, and its audio recitation. Fans say it provides a handy alternative to the bulky printed version of the holy book.

"Sales have been good this month. On average we sell 50 a day," said Arief Syaifullah, who sells digital Koran.

"Indonesian Muslims are becoming more technology savvy in their religious activity," he told Reuters.

Many Indonesians travelling on the haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia carry the device because it contains prayers to be recited during the annual ritual, he added.

HOLY VERSES

The Koran is in Arabic, a language most Indonesians do not understand, and to memorize the verses students must recite them repeatedly.

The most popular voice in the digital Koran is that of Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, the imam of the Grand Mosque of Mecca known for his precise and emotional recital of the holy verses.

Many of the digital Koran sold in Indonesia are made by a South Korean company, which also markets the products in the Middle East, Britain and the United States.

Prices of the gadgets, sold under the brand name Iqra'a, range from 900,000 rupiah ($98) to 1.9 million rupiah, which is equivalent to a month's salary for many Indonesians.

For a similar price, Indonesians can buy a PDA, or personal digital assistant, or mobile phone that can be installed with Koran software, some of which can be downloaded for free on the Internet.

The latest digital Koran produced by the Korean company looks like an iPod and has similar features to the popular music player, including a full colour LCD screen and a video player.

In addition to the Koran, translated into nine different languages, it includes the sayings of the Prophet Mohammad, prayers, prayer time and the direction toward Mecca that Muslims face to pray.

Has the iPhone fanboy well dried up?

I could have bought a Zune with that $200!

(Credit: News.com.com)

With last week's announcement by Steve Jobs that his company would be reducing the price of the iPhone from $599 to $399, many people were wondering why.

Some said it dropped the price to look more attractive to holiday shoppers. Others claimed it was due to the fact that production costs were lower, and Apple could afford to drop the price and still make a nice profit. And as for me? Well, I think Apple dropped the price because its fanboy well dried up, and the average consumer wasn't willing to spend that kind of money for a cell phone.

Now, before you start throwing these vaunted numbers of 1 million iPhones sold in just 74 days, don't you think Apple has at least one million fanboys in this country? Sure, not all Apple fanboys ran out and bought one, but I can assure you the vast majority of them did. If I had to guess, I would say that Apple fanboys accounted for more than 75 percent of that one million units.

Realizing this, Apple needed to do something before it would be forced to tell the world that its iPhone wasn't selling nearly as well as it hoped in the few weeks leading up to last week's press event. So, using simple economics, the company decided to bring the price down to a more consumer-friendly level so average Joe and Jane would run to the store to buy one. After all, $400 is reasonable for the average person who pays a mortgage, pays for the kids and puts food on the table--$600 isn't.

Last month, many news outlets (this one included) reported that the iPhone was the best selling smartphone in July. Citing analyst iSuppli, reports noted that the iPhone accounted for 1.8 percent of all phone sales in July, which sent Apple shares up.

Unfortunately, iSuppli was forced to backpedal after watchdogs discovered that the iPhone did not outsell total Blackberry sales in the same period. In fact, Blackberry sales doubled the number of iPhone sales in July.

If nothing else, this report and eventual clarification highlights one interesting nugget of information: maybe the iPhone appeals to the tech-savvy, Apple fanboy, while the Blackberry, with its cheaper price and broader appeal, is the everyday worker's smartphone.

Now, as an iPhone owner, I was happy to buy one on the first day it was out. And while some have called me an Apple fanboy in the past (although this should create the ever-popular moniker of "Apple-hater"), I can assure you that I am no such person. In fact, I'm included in the 25 percent of people who bought the iPhone without any undying love for Apple, but just wanted to have a slick, new device. Unfortunately for Apple, I'm not in the majority.

Could it be that the vast majority of people who owned an iPhone before the price drop were Apple fanboys? You bet. Now, I obviously haven't taken a poll and I'm sure someone will come up with an obscure figure that supports and discounts this point, but the facts stand by themselves: Apple dropped the price in the first week of September, just two months after the initial release of the iPhone.

If a price drop was initiated to appeal to holiday shoppers, why would Apple do it in the first week of September? Historically speaking, most companies drop prices around late October or early November to capitalize on the holiday season--no sooner, no later. And if Apple was releasing a new iPhone that would sport 3G and all of those other goodies we all want in the next few months, don't you think it would create an even worse firestorm than this pricing fiasco?

The iPhone price was high for one reason and one reason only: Apple did its market research and found that the vast majority of its cult following would stand in line on the first day and pay anything just to have the iPhone. In fact, I would venture to say that it expected a sales slowdown, realizing that the average non-Apple fanboy wouldn't even consider paying $600 for a cell phone.

People can cite any figures they'd like to show Apple sales in the past two months and tell me that the price drop was the result of Apple wanting to give back to the community or some other rubbish, but the truth is this: Apple played us all and did so without reservation. It knew its installed base would support it through thick and thin and realized that a $600 price tag meant nothing if they could own another Apple product.

And now, Apple has come back down to Earth to appeal to the average consumer. The fanboy well has dried up--it's time to attract new members.

iPhone ringtone feature live: one for you, one for me, another one for you...

A while back I wrote about the iPhone's limited ringtone selection and the phone's inability to relegate an unwanted call to a silent ringtone. In other words, when that pesky boss or ex calls you don't want to know they ever called. The silent ringtone becomes an exercise in call avoidance, a technique for diverting them to voicemail without them ever knowing what you're up to. Now that iPhone problem is, well, no longer a problem.

Hand in hand with the ability to have no ringtone for a specific caller would be the desire to assign specific ringtones to specific friends. So, when Steve Jobs announced that ringtones with iTunes for the iPhone were coming, I was again stoked. While the last update of iTunes enabled you to see a little bell icon for ringtones in the iTunes store and desktop interface, it wasn't until this morning that I could purchase ringtones on iTunes and try them out. (This is why I ended up being late to work this morning--doh!)

The iPhone's ringtone feature is pretty straightforward: if a song can be used as a ringtone, it'll have a little bell icon lit up next to the track. I looked at my purchased music and sorted by the bell. Not that many songs appeared, but a good number did. In the iTunes store the little bell icon will be lit up too if the track can be used as a ringtone. Sadly, some of my favorites, like "Glamorous" by Fergie or "Because of You" by Ne Yo, are not available. (I suppose I can use a third-party fix that other bloggers have talked about to record and convert a song into a ringtone to be fed into iTunes, but hell, I'm too lazy sometimes.) Strangely, however, songs like "The Chairman's Waltz," from Memoirs of a Geisha, were available. How did these license deals get worked out?

Anyway, once you highlight a song you want to use as a ringtone, a new window appears--the complete song appears in that seismic-graph way. You then drag the 15-second highlight blue box to the portion of the song you want to use as your ringtone. I mistakenly thought that you could manipulate this selection after you buy it. Nope. So choose wisely or you have to drop another $.99 to get another 15 seconds of the song.

So as a start, I picked four ringtones for songs that I already had: "Sexyback" by Justin Timberlake (as picked for my friend Gideon, who truly is bringing sexy back); "Vogue" by Madonna (for my fabulous friend Max); "Seven Days in Sunny June" by Jamiroquai (for sunny, happy calls); and "Love on the Run" by the dance group Chicane (to be assigned).

After you select the portion of the song you want, you are prompted to make your final selection, and then all you have to do is double-click to purchase. The ringtone downloads and will now appear in the iTunes sync window (right under podcasts for me). So once your iPhone is plugged into iTunes, a new tab--"ringtones"--appears as well. Like any other podcast, TV show, or music list, you can pick and choose which ones get synced. Once the ringtones reside on the iPhone you can then assign them to a particular contact by editing the person's details. (A note: I had to reauthorize my computer after downloading the ringtones--not sure why, but nevertheless it only worked after this. This, of course, drove me crazy and made me later for work by yet another 10 minutes.)

Now, these ringtones will definitely test the iPhone's speakers. Before, I had observed that some standard ringtones were barely audible if, for example, you have your iPhone in a pocket or bag. I selected the beginning of "Vogue" (the finger-snapping part) for Max's ringtone. Works like a charm. Loud enough, but not too intrusive, and subtle--just like my friend Max. However, the portion of "Sexyback" I picked was jarring, shocking and would scare the hell out of me if it rang, especially given the iPhone's less-than-stellar speakers. It's almost akin to the standard iPhone "ALARM" ringtone. This is not at all like the person who is bringing sexy back. Oops. I still have a lot to play with. but the iPhone/iTunes ringtone feature does meet my expectations.

Overall, it's pretty neat to have customizable ringtones. But this is not a new idea. Other carriers and other phones have had similar features too. (I'm not sure if those other ringtone services are as customizable as the iTunes platform.) The difference here is that the interface is slick and easily integrated with the iPhone. Other phones and services I've had in the past did not make the process of downloading ringtones simple or fast. The iPhone/iTunes ringtone feature is both of those things. Sure, I wish there were more songs available, but at at least now there are some tracks that have 15 seconds of silence that can be used as a ringtone...excellent.

Apple details $100 iPhone credit

Apple even finds a hip way to make amends.

The company will send a $100 store credit for early iPhone buyers directly as an SMS text message to the iPhone. To be eligible, the phone must have been purchased before August 22 and service needs to be activated on the device to claim the credit.

The move is aimed at placating early iPhone buyers irked by the fact Apple shaved $200 off the price of the gadget roughly two months after its introduction.

Devices purchased between August 22 and September 4 are eligible to get $200 refunded because of Apple's price protection policies. To get the refund, however, claims must be made by September 19.

Apple posted the details of the offer on its Web site on Friday.

Getting touchy with the newest iPod

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET Networks)

Apple's iPod Touch has made it into the wild and folks are finding lots of little details to note about Cupertino's latest addition to the iPod lineup.

First off, the hacks that work on the iPhone to add additional software don't appear to be working on the iPod Touch, though many in the macosphere expressed hope that it's just a temporary setback.

Second, a few people say that, rather than running Mac OS X, they got a device that only runs diagnostics. That's no fun when it comes to music playing, but folks are playing up the fact there is a "bluetooth" control panel, even if it does say "nothing to see here."

Finally, the iPod Touch doesn't appear to be showing up as a drive within the Mac OS, something that many had hoped for and appears to be a feature on Apple's technical spec sheet for the device. "Stores data via USB flash drive," is Apple's exact wording on that point.

Some folks are also saying the screen isn't as easy to view as the iPhones and that the virtual keyboard is less responsive. And, there's still grumbling over the fact that one can't add calendar items on the fly--a feature originally expected for the device.

The gadget did arrive a little earlier than expected. Folks reported getting the devices starting Thursday. The Apple store in downtown San Francisco was sold out by mid-day Friday, however.

My online order, placed the day Steve Jobs introduced the device, has had its status changed to "prepared for shipping." Hey, I've been prepared for it to ship since Sept. 5. As Veruca Salt would say. "I want it now."

Zune gets a Jobs-esque price cut

Deal-a-day Web site Woot.com is offering Microsoft's Zune player for $129, just a month after it offered the same Zune for $20 more.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Having learned a thing from Apple's iPhone mess, the folks at Woot are taking no chances (or rather, seizing a chance to poke great fun at the turtlenecked one), the company is reaching out to those who paid the higher price.

The site posted an "emergency open letter" and is offering a coupon to all those who bought the Zune last month for $149.

"Being in technology for 1+years, give or take a year, I can attest to the fact that the technology road is bumpy," Woot "CYA Officer" Larry Stalin said in the faux-pology. "There is always some idiot changing lanes without signaling, and the potholes never seem to get fixed. If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you'll never buy any technology product. I mean, why should you? Truth is, you don't really need any of this junk. We're afraid you'll catch on to that fact and overpaid frauds like me will have to go back into fields like telemarketing and burrito construction."

Customers who bought the Zune the last time around can get $10 off their next $40 purchase.

"We want to convincingly pretend to do the right thing for our valued Zune customers," the site said. "We'd apologize for disappointing some of you, but we long ago lost the capacity for sincere remorse. We will continue to do our best to trick you into having high expectations of Woot."

The company highlighted its rationale behind the price cut.

"It benefits both Woot and every Zune user (but especially Woot) to drag as many new victims as possible into the Zune 'dungeon,'" it said. "We strongly believe that misery loves company this holiday season."

It's a brilliant read, slamming both Microsoft and Jobs, while at the same time probably racking up more than a few sales.

Is Steve Jobs really smarter than anyone else?

With Apple announcing its entry into the European cell phone market on Tuesday on the back of O2, the United Kingdom has officially rejoiced at the possibility of having the iPhone that Americans have been coveting for so long.

But amid the excitement and hype, everyone seemed to gloss over one important fact from yesterday's announcement: Apple's iPhone business model is second to none, and Steve Jobs really is smarter than the rest of the world.

The new deal with O2 highlighted two interesting points: first off, O2, much like AT&T, is more than happy to share revenue with Apple. Secondly, it displayed the naivete of O2 to actually believe that Apple will stand by it through thick and thin. Hasn't O2 watched any of the iPhone-unlocking news hitting the wire in the past few weeks? Steve Jobs doesn't care about O2; he only cares about profits. And with this new deal, Great Britain may become the best profit center Apple has ever seen.

Consider first that all of the U.K. is covered by GSM carriers. Whether it's T-Mobile, O2 or Vodafone, anyone in the country can put any phone on any carrier at anytime. And while this may be troublesome for the carriers, it works quite well for the cell phone manufacturers and more importantly, for Apple.

As I've mentioned before, Apple is perfectly fine with people unlocking iPhones. And while I originally stated that the U.K. would be the breeding ground for iPhone unlocking, it will now become the spiritual headquarters of iPhone unlocking.

In the United States, GSM carriers are not the only option, and more often than not, people are willing to go with Verizon Wireless or Sprint Nextel, regardless of the inability to easily switch between the aforementioned companies.

But in the U.K., the economical landscape is much different. In fact, most Britons are more than happy to change carriers and are keenly aware of the terms "unlocking" and "SIM cards." In fact, many people in the U.K. have already purchased an iPhone in the States, brought it home, unlocked it and added it to their own carrier.

Steve Jobs knew that the U.K. is rife with unlocked phones and exclusively GSM coverage. And by looking like the best friend to O2, he's effectively pulling the same trick out of his bag: tell everyone they can only have an iPhone on one carrier, ignore unlocking, take the revenue from O2, and enjoy higher hardware sales due to simple unlocking procedures. Once completed, head to France and Germany, rinse and repeat.

It's amazing to me just how much control one device wields all over the world. Can you think of any other product that could command such respect from a massive cell phone carrier and create a whole new way of doing business in the cell phone industry? I certainly can't.

Once again, Steve Jobs has proven that he can outsmart CEOs. Only this time, he has done it in another country. In essence, Steve let the iPhone hype soar and allowed U.K. carriers to drool over the long lines and 1 million-units-sold mark. And once they took the bait, Jobs had them right where he wanted them. From there, he walked in with his AT&T contract in hand and walked out laughing.

Steve Jobs has once again proven why he is the most competent CEO in the world. But more than anything else, we've learned that a sucker is born every day. Only this time, its name isn't AT&T-- it's O2.

Motorola unveils the 2nd generation Razr

Motorola undoubtedly dug out a lot from its first generation of Razr phones but such a successful model could not be terminated soon, so the cellphone manufacturer that is desperately seeking similar sensation has rolled out its successor – the Motorola Razr2 series.

The second-generation of Razr phones comes in a fresh design besides some feature improvements over the last generation models, so in case you think you’ve had enough of those flip phones, check out the latest release; it just might get you interested.

These phones will be marketed under the official names of ‘V9’ (3G HSDPA), ‘V9m’ (3G EVDO CDMA) and ‘V8’ (GSM).

While the CDMA Razr2 V9m will be rolled out by Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, and Alltel, the GSM Razr V9 will come to AT&T, within a fortnight.

Besides the network support, the new Razr is 2mm thinner than its predecessors and gives a richer feel. The casing of the phone is scratch-resistant and the lens-cover is made with chemically hardened glass, claims the company.

It is a flip phone but allows you to run three applications without opening – with a mere touch of your fingertip to on-screen buttons on an exceptionally large (2 inches) and sharp (QVGA) external color screen. These-two dimensional buttons vibrate briefly on touching, providing slight feedback.

The feature set includes a big (2.2-inch) QVGA internal screen, integrated 2-megapixel camera with multi-shot capability, stereo bluetooth, voice recognition, and support for up to 2GB of on-board flash memory with an optional microSD card in addition to the essentials like a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calculator, currency and unit converters, a notepad, a tip calculator, a stopwatch.

According to Motorola, the core of each phone has a 500 MHz ARM 11 processor which is about 10 times as fast as the original Razr CPU.

Audio quality is fine but does nothing to be a replacement for your stand alone MP3 player, the video is compromised. Moderate distortion and pixilation are encountered on the main display.

The price tag for the Sprint version will be $250 with a two-year contract while for AT&T and Verizon versions it’ll be $300.

Will the second generation Razr phones be able to repeat the success of the first? No, according to me but the devoted Razr fans should be pleased to own one.

That's what happens in technology

In my recent review of the iPod touch, while acknowledging that the touch bore the iPod name rather than something along the lines of “noPhone,” I suggested this iPod must be viewed through the filter of the iPhone rather than compared to “traditional” iPods like the new 3G nano and iPod classic. Try as one might to dismiss its faults because “it’s an iPod, not an iPhone,” the iPhone’s existence necessarily changes how we view the device.

Were there no iPhone with a gloriously bright display, I and others like me wouldn’t be clucking our disapproving tongues at the quality of the iPod touch’s display.

Were there no iPhone with a calendar application that allowed us to input events on the device, we wouldn’t be scratching our heads over why this feature was intentionally removed—particularly when the touch’s Contacts application does allow editing.

Were there no iPhone with volume buttons and a headset that contains a tiny remote you might not question Apple’s decision to place no physical controls on a portable media player that begs to be controlled.

Were there no iPhone with a virtual keyboard and a Notes application to take advantage of that keyboard, the lack of a similar application on the touch might not have elicited a collective “Huh!?”

Were there no iPhone with Mail, Maps, Stocks, and Weather applications that take advantage of the device’s Wi-Fi capabilities, some looking at the iPod touch might not question why their Apple Wi-Fi device can’t do the same thing.

Were the iPhone and 16GB iPod touch not priced exactly the same, those considering the iPod touch who don’t need or want a new mobile phone wouldn’t wonder, “What harm would it have done to give me most of the phone’s features on the iPod touch? Buying a phone and a media player are two completely different propositions. I’m going to buy one or the other so what’s it to you where my $400 goes?”

Unfair? Perhaps. But in defense of this argument I’ll quote one Steven P. Jobs who, when asked how Apple might respond to customers upset about the recent iPhone price cuts, replied:

“That’s what happens in technology.”

The fact is that the iPhone does exist. The iPod touch was clearly built on that technology and you can’t avoid comparing the two simply because the thing has a shiny metal back with iPod imprinted on it.

It makes sense that Apple would try to distinguish the two. Ideally, customers would buy both. But spin doesn’t match reality in this case because Apple hasn’t clearly defined the two feature sets. It gives us some very cool parts of the iPhone (Safari, the touch screen interface, contacts, and YouTube), leaves out others (calendar editing, physical controls, the iPhone’s brighter display), and skips expected iPod features (notes, games, and compatibility with a lot of iPod accessories).

While there’s much to like in the iPod touch it remains a confusing compromise.

Privacy Via A Foot Pedal?

Protect your privacy with… A foot pedal?

The StealthSwitch “hides in the shadows and just a light tap of your toes will let it work its magic. Based on your preferences, it can hide the current window, hide all windows, or hide all windows except for specified windows. Not just minimize, mind you, but totally erase from your screen. The Stealth Switch can also mute the sound, hide the taskbar, hide the desktop icons, and password protect the restore function.” Another foot tap, and you’re back to whatever you were doing before.
If nothing else, it’s an interesting and unique approach to privacy. But I wouldn’t risk bringing something like this to the workplace… If you’re interested, you can get one here!
If you’re legitimately interested in privacy while surfing at work, a better bet would probably be using an anonymous surfing site, or maybe checking out some of these Firefox extensions.

>>>www.free2surf.org

Why Some Apple Fans Won't Buy the iPhone

Apple Inc.'s move last week to cut the price of its iPhone by $200 seems like just the inducement to persuade those on the fence to buy. But despite strong sales overall, some potential buyers -- even Apple devotees -- say the gadget still has too many drawbacks.
Cellphone users and tech enthusiasts have fawned over the iPhone's elegant interface, the luxury of having a full-blown Web browser on a phone, and the coolness of rolling several of their favorite gadgets into one. But some still won't buy it.
Apple sold its one millionth iPhone 74 days after its debut.
Sticker shock is a big impediment. Even with the price cut, the iPhone (at $399 now) is one of the pricier phones on the market. And Apple isn't offering the discounts and promotions that other smart phones and cellphones offer periodically for buyers. Also, for now, the phone is available only via AT&T Wireless. For some who now get their cell service via another provider, the hassle of switching to AT&T is enough to stop them from buying. And while some say that the email capabilities of the iPhone work well enough, many are still hesitant to leave their trusty BlackBerrys and Treos.
Still, the iPhone is selling fairly swiftly. Earlier this week, Apple announced that it sold its one millionth iPhone -- 74 days after its debut. And even with the iPhone's hefty price tag before the reduction, the phone made up 1.8% of all cellphone sales in July, the first full month of sales for the phone, according to a survey released by iSuppli Corp., an electronic research firm. It also was able to beat the sales of all smart-phone models, including the BlackBerry series, and it matched the sales of the top selling traditional cellphone model, LG's Chocolate. ISuppli estimates that 4.5 million iPhones will be shipped by the end of the year.
But even some big Apple fans are holding out. Matthew Clark, a 36-year-old director and cinematographer from Seattle, owns several Apple products including a MacBook Pro and a video iPod. A few weeks ago, he and several of his friends were out on a bike ride and decided to find a coffee shop for a break. One of his friends used his iPhone to find the nearest coffee shop using Google maps. Mr. Clark says he couldn't help but be impressed. "I thought that was pretty cool," he says.
Mr. Clark says he fell in love with the iPhone's user interface but has yet to purchase the phone. "I thought it was a little too early to jump into the technology," Mr. Clark says. "I'm waiting for things to get flushed out." He says he is waiting for a second generation iPhone to make sure he isn't taking a risk on a hip product that may still need to have some bugs worked out. And Mr. Clark says he would like to be able to choose his own cellphone carrier instead of being forced to work with AT&T should he choose to purchase the phone.
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Bruce Oksol, a 56-year-old retiree from San Antonio, Texas, has been buying Apple products since the 1980s. Mr. Oksol says he's enamored with the phone, and that Apple's Safari Web browser is the phone's most attractive feature.
Despite his fondness for the phone, Mr. Oksol says he refuses to switch to AT&T. He would have bought the phone for the original $599 price if he would be able to keep his current phone carrier, Sprint Nextel. Mr. Oksol says he hasn't changed cellphone carriers in more than 10 years, and has no intention of changing now. "You are always surprised with what you are going to get" in your phone bill when you switch, Mr. Oksol says.
This holiday season, however, he says that he may buy an iPhone for his daughter, and "let her deal with the bill."
AT&T and Apple signed a multiyear agreement where AT&T will be the exclusive provider of iPhone service. Todd Smith, a spokesman for AT&T, says some people may be put off from having to switch phone carriers, but "that's going to be a challenge for any device that is exclusive." He noted that 40% of iPhone users have come from other cellphone service providers.
After iPhone owners voiced their anger over last week's price cut, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said Apple would offer a $100 credit for all buyers who paid the original price. Apple and AT&T also said customers who bought the $599 iPhone within the past 14 days of the price slashing can choose a $200 refund instead of the $100 store credit.
Some Apple fans who did buy the iPhone say it has some kinks. Ren Finley, 40-year-old director for advanced engineering for Comcast Corp. who lives in Castle Rock, Colo., says he loves his phone. But it could be better, he says. Mr. Finley says he has to get creative maximizing the eight gigabytes of storage on his phone. He constantly has to add and delete songs and movies on his iPhone. And he isn't happy that the Web browser doesn't support Adobe's Flash technology, which causes him to miss some online video clips of his favorite cycling highlights. And Mr. Finley says that AT&T's cellular data network, called EDGE, that allows users to connect to the Web, can be a bit sluggish.
Mr. Smith, the spokesman for AT&T, says EDGE is the largest network of its kind in the U.S., and is a good choice for customers because it gives a broad range of coverage.
Mr. Finley says he's excited about potential future iPhone's models. But as for now, "I wouldn't buy another iPhone in its current iteration," he says.

Are Technology Limits In MP3s and iPods Ruining Pop Music?

If it seems like you are listening to music more but enjoying it less, some people in the recording industry say they know why. They blame that iPod that you can't live without, along with all the compressed MP3 music files you've loaded on it.
Those who work behind-the-mic in the music industry -- producers, engineers, mixers and the like -- say they increasingly assume their recordings will be heard as MP3s on an iPod music player. That combination is thus becoming the "reference platform" used as a test of how a track should sound. (Movie makers make much the same complaint when they see their filmed images in low-quality digital form.)

But because both compressed music and the iPod's relatively low-quality earbuds have many limitations, music producers fret that they are engineering music to a technical lowest common denominator. The result, many say, is music that is loud but harsh and flat, and thus not enjoyable for long periods of time.
"Right now, when you are done recording a track, the first thing the band does is to load it onto an iPod and give it a listen," said Alan Douches, who has worked with Fleetwood Mac and others. "Years ago, we might have checked the sound of a track on a Walkman, but no one believed that was the best it could sound. Today, young artists think MP3s are a high-quality medium and the iPod is state-of-the-art sound."
It isn't. Producers and engineers say there are many ways they might change a track to accommodate an iPod MP3. Sometimes, the changes are for the worse.
For example, says veteran Los Angeles studio owner Skip Saylor, high frequencies that might seem splendid on a CD might not sound as good as an MP3 file and so will get taken out of the mix. "The result might make you happy on an MP3, but it wouldn't make you happy on a CD," he says. "Am I glad I am doing this? No. But it's the real world and so you make adjustments."
This shift to compressed music heard via an iPod is occurring at the same time as another music trend that bothers audiophiles: Music today is released at higher volume levels than ever before, on the assumption that louder music sells better. The process of boosting volume, though, tends to eliminate a track's distinct highs and lows.

As a result, contemporary pop music has a characteristic sound, says veteran L.A. engineer Jack Joseph Puig, whose credits include the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. "Ten years ago, music was warmer; it was rich and thick, with more tones and more 'real power.' But newer records are more brittle and bright. They have what I call 'implied power.' It's all done with delays and reverbs and compression to fool your brain."
All these engineers tend to be audiophiles, the sort who would fuss over a track to make it perfect. But they're beginning to wonder if they should bother.
"I care about quality, even though the kid on the street might like what he hears on MySpace, which is even worse than an MP3," said Stuart Brawley, an L.A. engineer who has recorded Cher and Michael Jackson. "We try to make the best quality sound we can, but we increasingly have to be realistic about how much time we can spend doing it."
Howard Benson, who has done work for Santana and Chris Daughtry, says members of a studio recording crew will sometimes complain after a session, "I just spent all this time getting the greatest guitar and drums solo, and it ends up as an MP3."
Even those who complain about MP3s say they own and enjoy iPods, and appreciate how they have made music so widely available. They just wish, they say, the device wasn't setting the technical standard for how music gets made.
Of course, not all music producers agree that MP3s and iPods are affecting music in quite so bad a way. Larry Klein, noted for his work with Joni Mitchell, said, "If something sounds really good on an average pair of speakers, it will sound great on earbuds. I can't imagine mixing a record so that it sounds better on earbuds."
And Clif Magness, who has recorded with Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken, says music recorded by young artists in living rooms via MP3s, while technically crude, can sometimes have an urgency and immediacy that might be missing from slick studio projects.
When CDs were first introduced, they were regarded as cold and flat, compared with vinyl. But their sound improved as engineers learned the medium, a process many hope will happen again with MP3s and portable music players.
Michael Bradford, who has produced Kid Rock, notes that as storage and bandwidth capabilities grow, music won't need to be as compressed. Even now, some audio buffs, such as Stereophile magazine columnist Michael Fremer, insist on a best-of-both-worlds approach to digital music. He uses $500 earbuds with his iPod to listen to digital, but uncompressed, music he captures from vinyl LPs.
Still, engineers experience some nostalgia about earlier technologies. Says Mr. Saylor, "What we've lost with this new era of massive compression and low fidelity are the records that sounds so good that you get lost in them. "Dark Side of the Moon" -- records like that just aren't being made today."