Dive into OS X

Playboy has just released a free-to-download package named ‘iPlayboy’ for the iPhone owners.

The 76MB package includes wallpapers, photos, video and a music track. Samples can be found on the site.

All the images are non-nude. But they look GREAT anyway!

A direct download link to iPlayboy.

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Apple has just posted 10 interesting iPhone tips on their site, labeled “finger tips“. So, you can check out some of the hidden features of the iPhone.

With only twelve hours left before the launch of the iPhone, pictures are finally starting to leak. These pictures were found on Flickr.

You can check it out here.

After Apple made an exclusive five-year deal with AT&T for the US iPhone distribution rights, it has been widely speculated that a similar single company deal would be sought for the European market.

Given the fragmented nature of coverage in Europe across regions in comparison to the US, a sole distributor may end up causing a lot of problems. So, maybe Apple wants to make a deal with more than one distributor.

For the moment, Vodafone is the frontrunner to carry sole rights to the iPhone in Europe. Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom’s Orange are also in the running to bring the iPhone to Europe. Deutsche Telekom is better known as T-Mobile in the mobile space.

Apple has a preference for Vodafone, probably due to their coverage. Vodafone is one of the few cell carriers with a presence in almost all of Europe. Orange European coverage is significantly less than that of Vodafone. And Deutsche Telekom network is even more limited than that of Orange.

The deal between Apple and Vodafone is not signed yet. Apple wants Vodafone to take a guaranteed number of iPhones off their hands, but Vodafone doesn’t want that. and Vodafone does want the ability to subsidize the gadget and influence its retail price, which Apple doesn’t like.

What’s interesting about this possible partnership is that Vodafone runs a true 3G network, while Apple has designed the iPhone to run on a 2G network here in the States. The iPhone would likely have to be upgraded to support the faster data network. And, funny enough, 5 million units of the 2nd generation iPhone are rumored to begin shipping from Taiwan in September.

Apple has not yet announced a European launch date for the iPhone. The price is expected to be around 500 euros with a two year contract required.

AT&T return policy normally gives you 30-days to decide. However, that’s not the case for the iPhone; you only have 14 days. And  if you return the iPhone within the 14-day window you will only receive 90% of the money you paid. Apple is keeping 10% for restocking fees.

So, when you just want to buy the iPhone to test it out, you better think twice, because it can cost you 10%; which is a lot.

This type of auction scams are back, again!

iPhone auction scam on eBay

Last time we saw them was last year during the PS3 launch.

I don’t know how many people were ripped off but this scam appears to be to the scale of tens of thousands. So watch out, and DO NOT BUY!!

Check out the last secret features of the IPhone.
1 The ringtone exterminator

2 Pranks: a barrel of fun apps

3 iSpy suite

4 Tricorder

All revealed by Joy of Tech.

Apple has created a 20-minute video describing how to use the features of the iPhone in detail.

You can check it out at Apple’s site, or you can watch it at YouTube:
Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Apple has announced today that content from Google’s popular video-sharing Web site YouTube will be accessible via either Wi-Fi or EDGE networks for the upcoming iPhone.
Apple also said YouTube videos are now available on its Apple TV device. Until now, the Apple TV has mainly been able to show videos from the user’s iTunes library, and some movie trailers from Apple’s site.

YouTube has begun encoding their videos in the advanced H.264 format, which results in higher video quality and longer battery life on mobile devices. Because the iPhone will be the first mobile device to leverage YouTube’s encoding of video in H.264 format, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was right when he said in a statement that “iPhone delivers the best YouTube mobile experience by far”.

Initially, only about 10,000 YouTube videos will be available for the iPhone’s launch, but the complete video catalog will be available in H.264 format by the end of the third quarter of 2007.

To take advantage of Youtube, iPhone buyers will have to subscribe to a data plan from AT&T, which will be the only wireless carrier offering the iPhone initially. A plan with web and email access as well as unlimited data transfer volume is currently priced at $20 per month. Voice plans are available from $40 per month.

Apple announced Monday that the battery of its widely anticipated music-playing iPhone will last longer than expected. The iPhone will have a battery life that supports 8 hours of mobile phone talk time, much better than the five hours of talk time the company originally estimated in January.
The company also said its device can support six hours of Internet use, seven hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback and 250 hours of standby time before requiring a recharge.

Apple said its battery claims are dependent upon specific configurations and “many other factors.” It did not give further details on the longer battery life.

In comparison to Apple’s eight hours of talk time, one rival music player phone from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the Upstage, has a battery life of up to 6.3 hours. The BlackJack, another Samsung phone, has talk time of up to 5 1/2 hours. And Sony Ericsson, a venture of Sony Corp. and Ericsson, has touted a talk time of up to 9 hours for some of its Walkman music-playing phone models.

All manufacturers are battling to increase the battery life of their cell phones. This is mainly because cell phones became smart phones, which need lots of power as they also aim to handle Web browsing, personal data storage and music and video playback. And the constant communication with radio broadcast towers tends to drain power more quickly than “ancient” unconnected consumer electronics devices.

Apple also pointed out that the IPhone’s top surface of the touch-sensitive screen has been upgraded to optical-quality glass from plastic, making it more resistant to scratches.

Improving the iPhone’s battery life and upgrading the top surface of the screen addresses two key weaknesses that competitors and critics have leveled in the run-up to the device’s launch.

So Apple upgrades the iPhone before releasing it!