USA: Virgin Mobile to offer prepaid iPhone 4 and 4S.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

USA:  Virgin Mobile to offer prepaid iPhone 4 and 4S.

Virgin Mobile USA, the prepaid brand owned by US number-three operator Sprint, is to begin offering the iPhone later this month, marking the second deal Apple has struck with a prepaid carrier in as many weeks.

Virgin Mobile will offer the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S beginning 29 June, offering unlimited data and messaging plans from as low as US$30 per month without a contract. Customers can also use the device as a mobile hotspot for an additional US$15 per month.

The base tariffs are lower than the iPhone prices unveiled by rival prepaid operator Leap Wireless last week, which will offer a US$55 per-month, all-inclusive unlimited talk, text and data iPhone plan when it launches the device via its Cricket brand on 22 June.

However, Virgin Mobile’s up-front costs for the devices are higher, charging US$549 for the 8GB iPhone 4 and US$649 for the 16GB iPhone 4S, compared to US$399 and US$499 at Cricket.

Sprint already offers the iPhone to its postpaid customers and analysts believe the Virgin Mobile prepaid deal may see it lure more iPhone customers away from larger rivals AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

“At US$50 per month (versus comparable unlimited options from AT&T at US$100-plus per month), we believe this could gain some traction among U.S. customers who are able to pay the upfront costs,” Brian Marshall, an analyst at ISI Group, told Bloomberg. 

UK: Samsung Galaxy S 2 is the most popular smartphone.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

The Samsung Galaxy S 2 is the number one popular smartphone in the UK, followed by the iPhone 4S, Samsung Ace, HTC WildfireS, HTC Desire S, Samsung Galaxy Y, Nokia Lumia 800, iPhone 3GS 8GB and the Sony Ericcson Arc S Black.

In The USA Apple recovered its position of number one in the Q4 2011,not only thanks to the iPhone 4S but for the iPhone 3GS with a lower price. Apple knows they have to keep the brand presence in the market with before models as Samsung did with the Ace and Galaxy Y, reason why Samsung is number one for the full year 2011, followed by Apple.

The uSwitch.com Mobile Tracker, which ranks the UK’s most popular handsets based on live searches and sales, shows that the iPhone 4S still has not managed to garner the same level of popularity as the Galaxy S II for the ninth consecutive month.

Samsung has leveraged the Android mobile operating system to assault the market with a range of smartphones to suit all wallets, from entry-level to high-end that give the best competition a run for their money.”

Samsung’s rise is forcing Apple to continue offering older models to keep ahead. While Apple sold four million iPhone 4Ss within three days of launch, its return to top spot was partly driven by continuing to offer the iPhone 3GS – launched in 2009 – at rock-bottom prices.

Source: uswitch

Verizon iPhone 4 run out pre-orders. Purchases online for Feb 9 and in stores for Feb 10. New Video Ad.

WorldWideTech& Science. Francisco De Jesús

Verizon have run out of pre-sale stock of the new CDMA iPhone and are directing customers to wait until Feb. 9 to purchase the device online or Feb. 10 for in-store purchases.

Verizon has begun airing a new advertisement for the iPhone 4, featuring the "Verizon Guy," actor Paul Marcarelli. Displaying dramatic closeups of the iPhone 4, a voice-over says, ""It's beautiful. It's intelligent, even genius. But does your network work?" The phone rings and Marcarelli answers: "Yes, I can hear you now," in an apparent jab at AT&T's notoriously poor coverage.

iPhone 4 Verizon Ad "It begins". Video.

WorldWideTech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

"To our millions of customer who never stop believing this day will come. Thank you. "

Breaking news: Verizon iphone4 announcement Tuesday, launch end of January

WorldWideTech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.


As we posted before here: Breaking news: Steve Jobs to join at Verizon iphone launch event.?
Verizon is going to carry the iphone4 and will make the annoucement this Tuesday Jan 11, 2011, but it is also said by Allthingsdigital , that Apple like to announce a  launch date with 2 or 3 weeks of antcipation:

Quote:

"Apple has a track record of releasing phones between two and four weeks after it announces a new device. For example, the iPhone 4 was announced on June 7 this year and available in stores by June 24. The earlier versions of the phone, like the 3GS and the 3G, followed a similar pattern."

The Verizon phone will be similar to the iPhone 4 but run on the carrier's CDMA technology, people familiar with the matter have said. Is not clear if the device will run just on the Verizon  3G CDMA network only or  for now or if this iphone4 will have the option to run on the 4G Verizon networks some time or if it will come just ready to. We will know it this next Tuesday. (The image below is not an Apple´s official, is a mock up)

Also, analysts agree Apple will likely sell 9 million to 12 million iPhones on Verizon's network this year, a huge boost in the iconic phone's most important market.

To put that into perspective, AT&T Inc. sold 11.1 million iPhones in the first nine months of 2010. Piper Jaffray & Co. estimates a full-year total of 14.5 million iPhones for AT&T, accounting for 12% of Apple's overall revenue and 30% of its iPhone sales. In its fiscal year, ended September, Apple reported revenue of $20.34 billion.

Source: AllThingsDigital.

CES 2011: GoPayment and mophie Credit Card Reader Available for iPhone 4

WorldWideTech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Swipe This Card! GoPayment and mophie Credit Card Reader Available for iPhone 4

All-in-one Mobile Payment Solution Gets Small Businesses Paid Fast

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Jan. 5, 2011 – Accepting credit card payments just got easier and faster for small businesses that use an iPhone 4.

The all-in-one credit card reader and processing solution from Intuit Inc. and mophie is now available for small businesses that use an iPhone 4.

The solution combines two best-in-breed mobile payment offerings – Intuit’s GoPayment app and merchant account and mophie’s credit card reader. The combined package gives small businesses everything they need to get paid fast on the latest iPhone with no arbitrary transaction limits that delay them from getting their money.

GoPayment has been helping small businesses get paid quickly for nearly two years and was one of the first mobile payment services in the market. Since then, it has processed more than $70 million in transaction volume and continues to be a leader in the mobile payments space in both growth and innovation.

With GoPayment and the mophie card reader, payments are processed just seconds after a business owner swipes a credit card through the form-fitting mophie card reader. To get up and running quickly, there is a quick-to-activate merchant account that lets business owners start processing credit cards in as few as 15 minutes.

GoPayment also provides 24 x 7 live customer support for help if needed. 

“GoPayment and the mophie card reader are one more weapon in my arsenal –and that is big for my tiny business,” said Andrew Huff, owner of LuLu Redstar, a jewelry design business in Milton, Ga. “Together they help me be more competitive and not miss out on potential sales.

“I was at an antique show recently and a customer gave me his Amex card to buy a piece of jewelry. Thankfully I didn’t have to tell him to go to the ATM like I used to.

When I swiped his card, the payment went through immediately. There’s a lot of competition at these shows, and giving people the option to pay by credit card really helps.”

GoPayment: Offers the Features Small Businesses Need Most

GoPayment offers the features that small businesses want in a mobile payment app. These features let them create and sell from a list of frequently sold items, apply sales tax, and send customized receipts via text and e-mail with a map of where the transaction occurred.

GoPayment is also compatible with QuickBooks® -- both PC and Mac -- to help the more than 4 million small businesses that use QuickBooks save time by keeping their financial files up to date.

The solution protects customer data throughout the payment process. Sensitive credit card data is never stored on the phone. In addition, card data is double encrypted –once via the mophie marketplace card reader and a second time via the GoPayment app.

mophie marketplace: Design-focused Hardware Innovation mophie is well-known for its award-winning design and innovation of iPhone accessories, such as the juice pack line of rechargeable external battery cases, which have virtually doubled the battery life of more than 1 million iPhones. mophie’s marketplace is the only design-focused hardware innovation that adds layers of intelligence to enable payments on the go.

 The form-fitting, lightweight design is paired with instant cardencryption capabilities, ensuring that all data is secure the moment the card is swiped.

In addition, the marketplace protects iPhones from bumps and scratches.

Pricing and Availability

GoPayment and the mophie card reader are now available for the iPhone 4 for $179.95 on GoPayment.com, mophie.com, Amazon.com and ATT.com.

 The mophie card readers works exclusively with the GoPayment App, which is available for free from the App Store at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/intuit-gopayment/id324389392?mt=8.

GoPayment, including the Intuit merchant account, offers competitive pricing at $12.95 a month, a 30-cent per transaction fees and the following discount rates:.

• 1.7 percent for card swiped.

• 2.7 percent for key entered.

• 3.7 percent for non-qualified cards, such as corporate and loyalty cards.

There are no long-term contracts, cancellation, gateway or set-up fees, and one account can enable up to 50 users.

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals.

 Its flagship products and services,

including QuickBooks®, Quicken® and TurboTax®, simplify small business management, payment and and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. Intuit Financial Services helps banks and credit unions grow by providing on-demand solutions and services that make it easier for consumers and businesses to manage their money.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.5 billion in its fiscal year 2010.

The company has approximately 7,700 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

About mophie

mophie is a California-based, award-winning designer and manufacturer of mobile intelligent devices and accessories. It is widely recognized and highly acclaimed for its creative designs and innovative solutions. mophie was the proud developer of the juice pack, first ever "Works With iPhone" portable battery case certified by Apple Inc.

All mophie’s products are developed to address real consumer and business needs and are seamless integrations of industrial, electronic, software and artistic designs. Its products are available in Apple Stores, Best Buy, AT&T stores and on www.mophie.com. Follow mophie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mophielovesyou.

Intuit Contacts: Sharna Brockett Jen Garcia

Intuit Inc. Access Communications

sharna_brockett@intuit.com jgarcia@accesspr.com

650-944-3856 415-844-6244

mophie Contact:

Erica McCarthy

619-234-0345

mophie@formulapr.com

Swipe This Card! GoPayment and Intuit Contacts: Sharna Brockett Jen Garcia

Intuit Inc. Access Communications

sharna_brockett@intuit.com jgarcia@accesspr.com

650-944-3856 415-844-6244

mophie Contact:

Erica McCarthy

619-234-0345

mophie@formulapr.com

Apple iPhone 4 now available on Amazon

WorldWideTech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

The Apple iphone 4 , 16GB and 32 GB  is now available on Amazon.

Product Features and Technical Details

Product Features

• Does not include AT&T service contract 
• Facetime
• Retina Display
• Multitasking
• HD Video Recording
• 5MP Camera

 

NYT: Verizon iPhone coming early 2011

The New York Times is reporting that Apple and Verizon will begin selling a version of the iPhone 4 early next year, echoing earlier reports from The Wall Street Journal and Wall Street analysts.

An anonymous source "in direct contact with Apple" told the Times this week that Apple is readying a version of the iPhone 4 for Verizon's network for an early 2011 release. 

The long-rumored Verizon iPhone "could significantly alter the dynamics of the smartphone market in the United States," wrote author Miguel Helft. Though Google's Android mobile OS now outsells the iPhone, Helft notes that a deal between Apple and Verizon "could quickly tilt the marketplace back in Apple's favor."

According to the report, numerous surveys show that "many owners" of Android handsets would switch to an iPhone if it was offered on Verizon's network. The Verizon iPhone "is going to have a fairly disruptive impact when it lands," the paper quoted Needham & Company analyst Charles Wolf as saying.

The report references The Wall Street Journal's Wednesday story as part of "the flurry of reports" predicting a Verizon iPhone. Rumors of a Verizon iPhone have persisted for over a year, coming to a head this week with coverage by both the Times and theJournal.

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal are both widely respected publications, but as recently as this summer, their Apple sources have been off the mark. On the eve of the "Antennagate" press conference in July, Helft authored a Times report, citing a source with "direct knowledge" of the iPhone 4 design that the antenna problem. The source asserted that the iPhone antenna problem was a software issue that could "presumably be fixed with a software update."

Also prior to the iPhone 4 antenna press conference, the Journal's sources claimed that Apple engineers had known of the problem for almost a year. Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs denied those claims at the press conference, saying the company had only learned of the problem 22 days earlier.

Verizon will bring LTE magic to the Apple iPhone.

Apple will reportedly bring its iPhone to the Verizon Wireless network in early 2011. Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless is launching Long-Term Evolution in 38 markets by the end of the year. That’s a recipe for gadget nirvana.

Let’s add up the moving parts:

• The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will produce a CDMA iPhone by the end of the year. Verizon Wireless will sell these devices in early 2011.
• In addition, the Journal reports the first iPhone to hit Verizon Wireless will similar to the iPhone 4 at AT&T.
• However, there’s a “new iPhone model” coming that will have a different form factor.
• Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless just happens to be launching its LTE service in 38 markets by the end of the year.

Add it up and you have a potential iPhone-LTE match that could be a game changer, but Verizon appears to hold the cards. Verizon Wireless chief Lowell McAdam said “I expect at some point in time our business interests will align.” He added that LTE could be a great catalyst for Apple to want to bring smartphones and tablets to Verizon.

The only downside—for Verizon—is that this news will freeze a lot of upgrades.
In some respects, Apple had to make the Verizon move. Android devices are swamping the market and Apple was losing share by being exclusive to AT&T. A Verizon Wireless-iPhone should move more units and give Apple a major shot of doubling distribution in the U.S.

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg seemed to throw cold water on the iPhone chatter last month, but left the window open to a deal. Translation: Verizon’s comments were a negotiating ploy. Seidenberg said:

"So the iPhone, AT&T has done a wonderful job with it, Apple obviously has done a wonderful job with it. We were not in the game because it was GSM-based, it was global standard, really not there. We have worked hard at building a franchise out of Droid which proves that if there is an alternative, an acceptable alternative to the iPhone, and a great network and a great distribution channel, the market will go that direction.

I’m hoping that the success we have had with the Droid will lead us to the place where Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Huawei even, will want to build 4G devices and accelerate the ecosystem development so that the number of devices that will be available on 4G will be extraordinary. And our view would be we would want to carry them all.I can’t speak for Apple but my view is there is a lot of momentum in the industry for people to move on the 4G issues quicker."

Bottom line: Apple and Verizon are playing iPhone negotiation games, but the LTE card may be too hard to resist for both parties.

VIDEO: China Unicom customers got the iphone 4 today

Despite a somewhat tepid reception last year for an earlier version of the iPhone, customers in China turned out in force Saturday to try to get their hands on the latest incarnation, the iPhone 4, as it made its debut in the country.

According to various reports, more than 1,000 people mobbed the new Apple Store in Beijing's Joy City shopping mall Saturday, and carrier China Unicom said it had taken almost 50,000 preorders for the device in one day. That compares with a mere 5,000 iPhones sold last year during the first weekend that the earlier version of the gadget was available in China.

On a faster boat to China.

(Credit: Apple)

That version was 3G only, with Wi-Fi disabled because of Chinese regulations prohibiting gadgets that don't use the country's WAPI (Wired Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure) wireless standard. The iPhone 4, however, has been made Wi-Fi-ready for the Chinese market--Apple having acquired a network access license in the country in July.

The price, too, has come down. A 16GB iPhone 4 is selling for about $743 and the 32GB version for about $892 without a contract at Apple Stores in China, the company said on Monday. (The phone will also be available through China Unicom with a two-year contract at prices Apple did not detail.) Last year's iPhone 3--Wi-Fi-less in China--went on sale in the country at about $732 for an 8GB model and about $1,025 for a 32GB version.

Apple is no doubt pleased by the seeming uptick in iPhone love among the Chinese--the country is the world's largest mobile market. The company opened two new Apple Stores there Saturday, according to an item in The Wall Street Journal: the Joy City location, and another across town at a mall called The Village. That doubles the number of Apple's Chinese retail outlets. The company plans to open 25 Apple Stores in China by the end of next year, the Journal said. Apple also began selling its iPad in the country on September 17.

Still, there's a ways to go. When the iPhone 4 debuted in the United States earlier this year, it sold, according to Apple, 1.7 million units in three days, the company's most successful product launch ever. And Apple was only the fifth-largest smartphone seller in China as of the second quarter of this year, according to figures quoted by the Journal. Nokia held the top spot.

On a side note, Apple may be able to duck iPhone 4 "Antennagate" issues in China--China Unicom said last month that the device would be sold with a free case there.

  

How to get phone on the ipod

This young man made a tutorial video on how you can get phone  on the ipod touch.



On this video you can meet the young chinese developers who invented this creative change.

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• iPod Touch 4 Tutorial: Using the Video Features (brighthub.com)

iPhone 4 Available in China on September 25

iPhone 4 Available in China on September 25

New Apple Retail Stores Opening in Shanghai & Beijing

CUPERTINO, California-September 19, 2010-Apple® today announced that iPhone® 4 will be available to customers in China beginning Saturday, September 25 at 8:00 a.m. at Apple Retail Stores including the new Apple Store® Hong Kong Plaza in Shanghai and the new Apple Store Xidan Joy City in Beijing opening on the same day. iPhone 4 will also be available on Saturday at China Unicom retail stores for qualified buyers with a new two year contract.

iPhone 4 features FaceTime®, which makes the dream of video calling a reality, and Apple's stunning new Retina™ display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone, resulting in super crisp text, images and video. iPhone 4 also features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple's A4 processor, a 3-axis gyro and up to 40 percent longer talk time-in a beautiful all-new design of glass and stainless steel that is the thinnest smartphone in the world. iPhone 4 comes with iOS 4, the newest version of the world's most advanced mobile operating system, which includes over 100 new features. The revolutionary App Store℠ provides access to more than 250,000 apps including the new iMovie® app built just for iPhone 4.

Customers who buy their iPhone 4 at an Apple Retail Store will receive free Personal Setup service, helping them customize their new iPhone by setting up their email, loading their favorite apps from the App Store, and other tips to get up and running before they leave the store. In addition, Apple Retail Stores will host special workshops throughout the day to help customers learn more about iPhone 4. Every Apple Retail Store is staffed by a highly trained team of passionate employees who deliver innovative services like these, plus free technical support at the Genius Bar®.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 4 will be sold in China through Apple's retail stores for a suggested retail price of CNY4,999 for the 16GB model and CNY5,999 for 32GB model without a contract. At China Unicom stores, iPhone 4 will be available for qualified buyers with a new two year contract, sold separately. For pricing and tariff information please visit www.10010.com. The new Apple Store Hong Kong Plaza is located at 282 Huaihai Zhong Road, Shanghai. The new Apple Store Xidan Joy City is located in the Joy City shopping center at 131 North Xidan Avenue, Beijing. For more information please visit www.apple.com.cn.

Apple to Reboot iPhone 4 on Sept. 30?

Ahead of the afternoon's Apple music announcement, its reported that an iPhone 4 update is coming later this month. Telcel's director of value-added services, Marco Quatorze, was announcing the launch of the iPhone 4 in Mexico and informed the media that Apple would be providing free cases to negate the device's antennae issue. Quatorze also let it slip that Apple would be releasing an updated iPhone 4 on Sept. 30 that does not exhibit the same attenuation flaw, DailyTech reports.

Apple, not surprisingly, did not comment on the report. There are plenty of reasons to seed doubts that a new iPhone 4 is coming as ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Huges so neatly laid out in a recent post. However if the report is true, I'm sure the fanboys out there hope the new iPhone 4 comes in white.

  

CNET Prizefight iphone 4 vs HTC Evo 4G

I will keep the suspense for you. Suggest to watch the full video. Do you agree with the Cnet guys prizefight final score.? Discuss.



  

Apple: Free cases to alleviate iPhone 4 problems

         By JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Technology Writer Jordan Robertson, Ap Technology Writer – 4 mins ago

CUPERTINO, Calif. – Apple Inc. will give free protective cases to buyers of its latest iPhone to alleviate the so-called "death grip" problem in which holding the phone with a bare hand can muffle the wireless signal.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the giveaway Friday during a news conference at the company's headquarters, even as the company denied that the iPhone 4 has an antenna problem that needs fixing. The more than 3 million people who have already bought the iPhone 4 and new buyers through Sept. 30 will all be eligible.

People who already purchased the $29 "Bumper" cases will be refunded.

Jobs began the event by saying, "We're not perfect," but was quick to point out that no cell phone is perfect. He played a video showing competing smart phones, including a BlackBerry from Research in Motion Ltd., losing signal strength when held in certain ways.

Phones usually have an antenna inside the body. In designing the iPhone 4, Apple took a gamble on a new design, using parts of the phone's outer casing as the antenna. That saved space inside the tightly packed body of the phone, but means that covering a spot on the lower left edge of the case blocks wireless signal.
Consumer Reports magazine said covering the spot with a case or even a piece of duct tape alleviates the problem. It refused to give the iPhone 4 its "recommended" stamp of approval for this reason, and it had called on Apple on Monday to compensate buyers.

On Friday, in the company's first remarks following the magazine's report, Jobs said Apple was "stunned and upset and embarrassed."

Jobs said the iPhone 4's antenna issue isn't widespread. He said just over five out of every thousand users have complained to Apple's warranty service, and less than 2 percent have returned the device.
"We're not feeling right now that we have a giant problem we need to fix," Jobs said. "This has been blown so out of proportion that it's incredible. I know it's fun to have a story, but it's less fun when you're on the other end of it."

Analysts have criticized Apple's first responses to reports of reception problems as dismissive, and cautioned that the company shouldn't come across as arrogant.

Jobs apologized to buyers who had less than perfect experiences with the new device.

"We're going to do whatever it takes to make them happy and if we can't make them happy we're going to give them a full refund and say we're really sorry we inconvenienced you, and we're going to do better next time," the CEO said.

The refund applies even for those who have long-term contracts with AT&T Inc., the iPhone's exclusive U.S. wireless carrier.
Jobs, a cancer survivor, also addressed a question about his health Friday.
"I'm doing fine. I was even better earlier in the week (when) I was having a vacation in Hawaii, but I decided this was important enough to come back for," he said. "I'm doing great."