TiPb is getting reports of an AT&T data network outage in California. If you’re having trouble connecting to EDGE/3G with your iPhone, let us know where and when in the comments, and if it comes back up, let us know that as well.

[Thanks to Luke for the tip]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

AT&T Data Outage in California? Is Your iPhone Offline?

Apple today announced that they’ve added Mexico to growing list of international iTunes Stores. And we say… it wasn’t there already?

"The iTunes Store in Mexico is off to a great start with music from all of the majors and hundreds of indie labels," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet Services. "And the revolutionary App Store in Mexico gets bigger and better with great new apps using amazing new features, and we can't wait to see what developers come up with next."

So, Mexican Readers, if you liked the App Store, tell us how you feel about music coming your way…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Launches iTunes Store (Music) in Mexico!

Crazy rumor of the day, courtesy of Silicon Alley Insider, has Apple considering turning iTunes accounts into a Paypal competitor. Though they’re careful to classify it as gossip and not confirmed news (heh), it’s not beyond imagination that someone, somewhere, wanted to gauge a little public reaction to this idea.

Now, TiPb has given Microsoft a lot of negative feedback for losing focus and getting into areas they have no business getting into (pun intended). So, we have to do the same for Apple.

Does iTunes need to become a Paypal competitor? No doubt someone has to, given the more onerous sides of Paypal and the lack of Google Check Out, and still vaporish Pay with Facebook making eBay sweat enough to straighten up and behave properly, but Apple?

The link above suggests maybe Apple is interested in using the iPhone platform itself as a real-world payment system (they’ve only been doing that outside North America for years, after all), or they wish to diversify a la General Electric and this may be an easy and logical way to do it.

If it’s the former, and it works with typical Apple magic, then yes please and now. If it’s the latter then Apple should likely remember that focus, not diversification, has led them to tremendous success so far, even as their competition has floundered.

What do you think?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Crazy Rumor Tuesday: Apple to Turn iTunes Accounts into Paypal Competitor?!

In light of AT&T’s continuing challenge to support the iPhone and provide adequate coverage and service to iPhone users, TiPb asked our readers whether they thought Verizon could better handle the iPhone. Rumored to have been Apple’s first choice, Verizon’s advertising focuses specifically on the reliability and reach of their network. Could things have been different if Apple went with them instead?

The results of TiPb’s poll to date are:

• 34% (901 votes) thought Verizon’s network would be crushed by the iPhone, same as AT&T has been.
• 22% (604 votes) thought Verizon could handle the iPhone better than AT&T, but not without problems of their own.
• 22% (588 votes) thought Verizon could indeed handle the iPhone reliably.
• 17% (451 votes) thought no single network, Verizon or AT&T could handle iPhone level traffic alone, and that it needed to be spread out over several networks.
• 5% (142 votes) thought that it didn’t matter, since they were outside the US and their carriers handled the iPhone with no problem.

Taken together, fully 73% (1956 votes) feel Verizon would strain under the weight of the iPhone to one degree or another. These results seem to match the consensus that iPhone users use more features and consumer more data than any other handset user, putting a significantly higher demand on cellular networks. In large cities or at large events, this demand can result in the network failing to provide service. Only building more network capacity faster, or splitting up iPhone usage over several networks, are likely to solve this problem.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Poll Results: Verizon Couldn’t Handle the iPhone Either

Twitbit [$4.99 - iTunes link] is a Twitter client for iPhone and iPod touch that includes built-in push notification for not only @mentions but direct messages as well.

It was not long ago that Rene introduced us all to the app, and we wouldn’t be telling the truth if we didn’t say things started off pretty rough with the initial launch. TiPb is happy to report, however, with the latest upcoming update, 1.1, things have changed greatly.

• More granular push configuration
• Selectively push DMs, mentions, neither, or both.
• Better push support while the app is running (new message badges, vibrations, etc.)
• New direct message workflow
• Summary/inbox view that’s modeled after the built-in “Messages” app, organized by user
• Threaded conversations
• Landscape tweet and direct message composition
• Built-in photo browser with landscape support
• Landscape mode in the built-in web browser
• Saved searches
• Person search
• Saved timeline position
• More tweet actions (open in browser, send in email)
• More browser actions (send in email, post link in tweet)
• Customizable tab order
• Customizable re-tweet format
• Fix for the “HTTP 401″ error when posting tweets and direct messages.
• Lots of other UI enhancements and bug fixes

TiPb has been putting this latest beta through it’s paces the past two weeks and so far so we’ve been impressed. Look for Twitbit 1.1 to hit Apple’s App Store any day now.

Pictures of Twitbit 1.1 in action after the break!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Quick App: Twitbit 1.1 iPhone Twitter Client with Push Notification

According to sibling site WMExperts, Microsoft has released a developers guide for porting iPhone apps to — shock and horror — Windows Mobile.

Can’t blame them, though, 65,000 apps via a unified, on-device store, fart apps and rejected apps aside, is a huge competitive gap to make up, especially when your previous generation was stuck in a Windows 95-style user experience.

Selfishly, we hope the competition helps force out those fart apps and get those rejected apps back into Apple’s iTunes App Store where they belong…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

The Competition: Microsoft Gives Devs Guide to iCloning iPhone Apps for Windows Mobile

The Register, (via Engadget Mobile) is reporting that T-Mobile UK is slipping unlocked iPhones to high-value customers in an attempt to keep them from switching to the exclusive UK iPhone carrier, O2.

It seems if you do indeed appear to be a big spender on T-Mobile, you just need to find a willing customer service rep, threaten to take your money and go to O2, and they’ll slip you an unlocked iPhone (smuggled over from T-Mobile Germany, perhaps?). Apparently, however, they’re limiting this to 150 units a week so as not to be too overt — or called out to joust by angry O2 bigwigs.

Any UK readers nab one?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

T-Mobile UK Offering Unlocked iPhones to Retain High-Value Customers?

Buy.com is offering the iPhone 3GS at 32GB “Never-Locked LEGALLY Unlocked” for $999. You can also get the iPhone 3G at 16GB for $849.

While seller DB Electronics doesn’t source the gear, we can only guess they’re picking them up somewhere Apple sells unlocked iPhones (like Hong Kong) and reselling them here (if someone knows better, drop us a correction in the comments).

What that means for manufacturers warranties and/or Apple Care, well, we don’t fancy the plane ride. If you don’t either, make sure you establish how the reseller will be covering exchanges/repairs for you.

So, any world-travelers going to take the plunge at 1K?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Want a Legit Unlocked iPhone 3GS 32GB? Got $999

Can’t believe we missed this iPhone 3GS headed robot! (Don’t tell Dieter). Which exact ancestor of our future robotic iPhone overlords we don’t know, but we figure when the day does come, if they’re rocking iPhone heads, at least Apple might still reject “wipe out humanity” or somesuch from their overlord App Store… (insert your own duplicates functionality joke here!)

[via Engadget via Gearfuse]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Tuesday Fun Video: iPhone 3GS Headed Robot!

David over at ironicsans shared this little piece of inspired genius with us: Google Voice Speed Dial Bookmarklet Generator.

Bookmarklets are little snippets of JavaScript saved as bookmarks that, before there were apps on the iPhone, did all sorts of wonderful things (editor emeritus Mike Overbo whipped up a smorgasbord of them a couple years back). Since Google Voice apps are currently forbidden in the App Store, David’s solution works similar wonders for them:

With bookmarklets you can call your GV contacts with one tap, and keep them organized in Safari Bookmarks folders. [The] simplest way to use it is to point your iPhone browser to http://www.ironicsans.com/gv

If you give it a try, let us know how it works for you!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Want Easy Google Voice Access on Your iPhone? Go Old School with a Bookmarklet!