Regarding all those iPhone on T-Mobile US stories clogging the interwebs lately… that’s all they are. Stories. No leaked carrier roadmaps, no Cupertino commuters logging into popular Twitter apps via a T-Mobile IP. No Steven P. Jobs standing on a stage, announcing the CEO of T-Mobile, and a new, magenta (TM) iPhone.

It’s just some analyst who thinks AT&T will lose exclusivity and Verizon is Droid‘ed up, and T-Mobile is GSM like the iPhone (though not on the same 3G frequencies — d’oh!)

We know some of you already rock an unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile US, on 2.5G/EDGE. We know a lot of you would like an alternative to AT&T.

But there’s no more to the story than that for now. In fact, there’s less.

[Still, many thanks to everyone who sent every version our way!]

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

Regarding All Those iPhone on T-Mobile US Stories

Square is a new startup that aims to let the iPhone and iPod touch (and eventually other mobile devices) to handle real-world credit card transactions via a small swipe-able accessory plug-in. Founded by the man created by Twitter, Jack Dorsey, TechCrunch scored the video demo above:

It's a bit hard to see the iPhone's screen due to the daylight, but you can easily see just how fast Square works for transactions. Simply put, it's amazing.

Also note how I can sign with my finger on the iPod touch's screen. And I can request to get a receipt via email, which I enter the first time, but the app will remember every time you come back and use the same credit card.

TechCrunch later posted a copy of what the receipt looks like. Apple Retail, as they point out, has been doing mobile transactions for a while, and are in the midst of switching from their old Windows CE boxes to iPod touch-based EasyPay solutions, but this solution is slick and looks to be well funded.

So, what do you think, is this the future of physical transactions, and do you want it now?

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

Square Enables iPhone to Handle Real-World Credit Card Purchases

In Stock: Griffin PowerDock 2 Charging Cradle

Griffin PowerDock 2 Charging Cradle [$39.95 - TiPb store link] Does your family own a family of iPod or iPhone models? Can you only find one charger when all of you need to recharge? Call a cease-fire with PowerDock, a charging base where every iPod and iPhone in the house can get together to charge its batteries.

Just slip your iPod or iPhone into place to safely charge. Models available with two or four Apple Universal Docks built into a single charging base. Substantial brushed aluminum with a grippy rubber base stays put on countertops and desktops. Includes a collection of Universal Dock insert adapters to ensure that every iPod and iPhone in the house gets a place at the table.

Features:

• Charging base plugs into standard 120VAC wall outlet
• Sturdy bushed metal base stays put on your desk
• Charges any combination of iPod/iPhone models
• 8 Universal Dock inserts included to fit most iPod models that charge by Dock Connector
• Certified by Apple as a “Works with iPhone” Product
• Certified by Apple as a “Works with iPod” Product

Technical Specifications:

• Power input: 1110-240V AC @ 50-60 Hz
• Power output: 5V DV @ 1.2 Amps
• AC Power Supply: 6′ (1.8m)
• 8 Universal Dock inserts included to fit most iPod models that charge by Dock Connector

Learn more about Griffin PowerDock 2 Charging Cradle at the TiPb store…

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

In Stock: Griffin PowerDock 2 Charging Cradle

It is safe to say that it will be a while before AT&T wins any awards for their customer satisfaction. AT&T has come in last place in a Consumer Reports mobile survey of customer service of all four major U.S. cell carriers.

This particular survey involved 50,000 readers in 26 U.S. cities. Questions that were included asked about the four carriers in different categories related to service and customer support. AT&T ranked dead last in 19 of the 26 cities surveyed and overall ranked last in every single city. Sadly the pain does not end there as voice service also ranked last while messaging and data were only average. On the customer service side of things, both the phone and internet service along with overall staff knowledge ranked poorly. Ouch…

And if you are curious as to where the other carriers ranked, Verizon came in 1st while T-Mobile and Sprint respectively took 2nd and 3rd place.

[Via AppleInsider]

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

AT&T Ranks Dead Last in Customer Satisfaction in Consumer Reports Survey

According to MediaMemo, Google might be looking to ink an agreement with networks to let YouTube stream TV shows — for $1.99, just like iTunes (and Amazon).

Of course, when you pay iTunes $1.99 you get a local copy of the TV show on your PC — to keep — and the ability to view it from iTunes or Apple TV or iPhone or iPod and back. Now all those devices can hook into YouTube (it’s built into Apple TV and iPhone/iPod touch) but do consumers really want to pay the same for a stream as a download, especially if there’s no guarantee (yet?) that you can “pay once, stream forever on all devices”?

Executives at YouTube and TV insist that the disparity is simply a perception problem and cite studies showing that most people who download TV episodes only watch them once, anyway. But that's a tough sell.

Um, yeah, no. I’ve watched some episodes of some shows a dozen or more times. Still, Google’s a huge player, YouTube has a dominant streaming video footprint, and it will be interesting to see what, if any, deal emerges, and how this mythical service would compete with the mythical iTunes TV subscriptions we’ve also heard rumored.

What say you?

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

Google Looking to Turn YouTube Into iTunes TV Competitor?

If you are a big online gamer and own a Xbox, 360 Live [$1.99 - iTunes Link] is the app for you. There are many apps within the App Store that perform many of the same functions as 360 Live but none of them are this well integrated.

• Sign in securely using your Xbox Live credentials. 360 Live automatically retrieves your friends.
• Complete Gamertags management. Add, remove, accept or reject pending requests.
• An organized Friends List. Grouped by status (Online, Offline, etc.)
• Gamer Profile and details including gamerscore, bio, location, country, gamercard, avatar, etc.
• Check your friends complete games history.
• Compare locked and unlocked achievements per game and gamertag.
• Send and receive messages. You can even send messages to multiple recipients!
• Gamercard coverflow style carrousel on landscape mode!

The only negative that I’ve seen testing this app out is that at times, it can take some time to load. Hopefully that is cleared up with an update or two and if it is, this will be hands down the best Xbox Live companion piece.

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

Quick App for Xbox 360 Owners: 360 Live

Boy Genius has an unconfirmed source claiming that, as part of Apple’s rumored iLife 2010, long-ignored iDVD will finally see an update — and that update will be support for iTunes LP (and we’re assuming iTunes Extras) creation/authoring.

It certainly makes sense, not only to keep iDVD relevant (though would it need a name refresh as well?), but also since Apple recently made iTunes LP and iTunes Extra (and TuneKit) resources available to developers. A consumer/prosumer-friendly development environment, similar to GarageBand or iMovie, makes the kind of sense that does.

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

iLife 2010’s New iDVD to Include iTunes LP, iTunes Extra Creation?

9to5Mac brings word of Unity’s latest update:

Unity iPhone 1.5.1 includes improved XCode support and improved AssetBundle support, but more importantly Native APIs (NSGetEnviron and exc_server functions) have been removed to comply with new Apple requirements.

"The main reason for this is to avoid problems with applications breaking when Apple releases new versions of the iPhone OS," the company explains.

In case you hadn’t been following the story, Apple is using a new static analysis tool to find and reject apps using private APIs, and in so doing flagged a bunch of them caused by some calls inside the Unity game development engine (and the Three20 framework, perhaps among others).

On the flip side, it’s possible the same static analysis tool is also generating false positives when it comes to apps using Apple’s own recommended backward compatibility guidelines.

According to Apple’s Dev Center:

By using "weak linking" in your Xcode project, you can include frameworks you'll need for the newer features, and check for API availability when your application is running. This technique provides you with the broadest possible audience for your application.

Yet developer Juicy Bits Software speculates that:

we've been bitten yet again by the static analysis tool. 3D Camera Lite runs on iPhone OS 3.0 or later, and we check the OS version before calling any of the new 3.1 APIs…

So, basically, Apple’s not acknowledging the OS check, and rejecting based on 3.1 APIs being used for apps that run on earlier versions of the iPhone OS that don’t include those APIs as public.

If correct, that’s certainly “frustrating” as they put it, and yet another sore point Apple will need to address and quickly.

[Thanks to Jordan for the Juicy Bits tip!]

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

iPhone APInsanity: Unity Updates to Avoid Rejections, Compatibility Causing False Positive Dejection

Fring [Free - iTunes link] dropped us a note to let us know that with version 3.0.0.4 — now in the App Store — they’ve delivered on their promise of video calls for the iPhone.

Now, since the iPhone doesn’t (yet?) have a front-facing camera, you’re limited to seeing the other person on a Skype or Fring Video call using their PC webcam (or Nokia phone — sigh, jealousy), but it’s still a wondrous step towards the future.

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

[Thanks to Icebike for the link!]

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

Fring Brings Video Calls to iPhone

Actor Luke Wilson and AT&T are at it once again and this time they want you to know all about AT&T’s rollover minutes. Yes, it is true that AT&T lets you use your unused monthly minutes but keep in mind, they eventually do expire after a year if you do not use them. We do not mean to keep beating the same drum but come on AT&T, quit spending money, time, and effort on these mediocre commercials and spend time on making your network better for everyone.

As AT&T keeps pumping out the commercials Verizon/Motorola are not sitting quietly on the sidelines. They’ve gone and released another Droid commercial that takes aim at, you guessed it, Apple’s iPhone. This latest commercial caters to the male consumers and pretty much paints the iPhone as being nothing more than “pretty”. Smart move as Motorola continues to beat Apple in brand loyalty with males 18 years old and up.

[Thanks to matrix2004 for the tip!]

View the new Droid commercial after the break!

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

AT&T and Verizon are Back Again with Two New Commercials