News

Novothink's Surge for iPhone and iPod Touch is the first solar charger to be certified by Apple. This device has its own internal battery and LED status indicators, in addition to a full-fledged solar panel on the back of the unit.

Surge allows full access to the iPhone when docked, with openings to the speakers, USB port, and camera lens. There's even a cord included to hang the iPhone from a backpack or your wrist while outside to facilitate charging.

Only three short weeks until AT&T activates iPhone MMS on the 3G and 3GS. The company announced today that service would be made available via software update on September 25.

AT&T has been coping with an onslaught of data usage, and they expect the situation will get worse as soon as iPhone users start texting with pictures and videos. Wireless use on the AT&T network has grown 350 percent year-over-year for the past two years. The company released the following announcement:

Next year could be it for AT&T. Customers are losing patience with spotty service. Lawyers are filing class action lawsuits about the lack of MMS. Now Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Gene Munster has forecast the end of Apple's iPhone exclusivity deal with AT&T.

According to Munster, the economics of the situation don't make sense for Apple, as evidenced with the success they've had in France moving to a multiple carrier business model. Market share for the iPhone in France has increased to 40 percent since they ended an exclusive deal with Orange.

Subscribers to the Rhapsody music service will soon have their own iPhone app. That is, if Apple approves the software for distribution in the App Store.

Rhapsody is a service developed by RealNetworks, charging $14.99 monthly for streaming access to over eight million songs. The iPhone application would make it possible for Rhapsody To Go plan subscribers to listen via Wi-Fi, 3G or EDGE.

Apparently if you have an iPhone 3GS and you're looking for the nearest burger in Paris you're in luck. Presselite has released their 99 cent iPhone application, Metro Paris Subway.

It allows iPhone users to view many points of interest, including metro and bus stations, superimposed over live video of current surroundings. Just a month ago we explored a video of the prototype NYC version of a similar augmented reality application.