Join us along with special Round Robin guest CrackBerry Kevin Michaluk of CrackBerry.com, for a look at how the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Storm2 compare to TiPb’s own iPhone. Plus all the week’s news, views, and rants. If you have any questions, leave a comment below, hit us up on Twitter @theiphoneblog, or better still — join us live in the chat room via http://www.tipb.com/live

REMINDER: You can watch us live on your iPhone with the Ustream Viewer app [Free - iTunes link]. Just wait until the show starts (8pm ET) and search for iPhone. We’ll pop up. Literally.

Chat with you soon!

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iPhone Live! with CrackBerry’s Kevin Michaluk Tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT (1am GMT)

Given the rumors culminating today in the Tuesday, January 26th Special Media Event mother of all rumors, the speculation about the when is only compounded by the what, and on that raging inferno of fantasy, TiPb is once again wondering if maybe not only (or not even) an iTablet fits the bill — but an iPhone 4.0 unveiled early in advance of an iPhone HD.

Yes, we’re speculating about iPhone HD again (not just 5 megapixel cameras, thanksfortheflash). As we’ve noted many times, iPhone 3.2 has been screamingly loud in its absence, and one of the reasons we keep hearing being whispered is that’s because Apple’s investing all their energy into iPhone 4.0.

In the last year, devices like the Android Droid (and especially Nexus One) and Windows Mobile HD2 have been in-Apple’s-face about taking it to the iPhone in terms of size and quality of the displays, and while TiPb was straight-up wrong in thinking Apple would give us an iPhone HD in 2009, could they afford not to, competitively, make that jump in 2010?

If they do, it will break the much-ballyhooed “single platform” model of the iPhone that so appeals to developers, but that’s already straining under GSP/no-GPS, cell/no-cell, Cortex A8 processor/old slow, processor today. Apple will need to suck up the screen size break at some point, and if they do, holding an event in January rather than March like they’ve done for the previous two years would give developers more time to adapt their applications to fill an (AM)OLED WVGA screen (480 by 800something).

No other change, not 802.11n, HD-TV out, WiFi Direct, iTunes TV subscriptions, even multitasking or better notification system, the ever-popular glowing Apple logo, or even a shift to multi-core chips, will likely affect more developers in more ways than a jump in screen size. And if Apple is planning to show off an iTablet, either in January or in the near future, getting developers thinking about resolution independence sooner is much better than later.

Could that be why there’s signs of iPhone 4.0 and a 4th generation iPhone? Or is that just part of the regular cycle just like years past, and this just more fanboy-fed speculation, just like years past?

In January 2007 Steve Jobs showed off the almost final Apple TV and introduced the iPhone. In January 2010 could he show off the iPhone HD and introduce the iTablet?

(Tip of the hat to antonioj for speculative re-enforcement)

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

TiPb Speculates: What if Apple Unveils iPhone 4.0 HD in January?

The Financial Times is dropping the Apple Special Media Event bomb:

Apple is expected to use the venue to make a major product announcement on Tuesday, January 26th. Both YBCA and Apple declined to comment.

Apple’s last event introduced the iPod touch G3 back in September. Absent Macworld this year, their next cyclical event would be an iPhone OS Sneak Preview in March.

If this event is real, there’s no way to know what Apple will announce. Of course, everyone and their Twitter account will be guessing, and perhaps hoping for, an actual Apple iTablet. (Which means if it’s “only” iLife ‘10 there’ll be a mini riot on the interwebs, right?)

It’s almost new year; put on your prediction hat and tell us what will happen!

[Thanks to everyone who made our inbox 'splode with this!]

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

Rumorous Maximus: Apple Holding Special Event January 26

From analysts to so-called insiders, the rumors are growing that Apple just might have an event in January to just maybe announce the just possibly new iTablet with just a few select iPhone apps running full screen, resolution independent by showtime.

Meh. Apple has held January events for a long time — they introduced the iPhone at Macworld 2007 after all, and while Apple has pulled out of that event this year, there’s nothing to stop them trying to once-again upstage CES and put on their own invitation-only shindig sometime during the first month of 2010.

TiPb has long believed Apple has an iTablet in the labs since before the iPhone, and they’re only waiting on Steve Jobs to decide it has a place in the Apple lineup (other than toilet web-reader, apparently) for it to go to market. If Jobs is happy enough with whatever the current working prototype is, we’ll see it soon-ish. If not, we’ll be waiting until he is. That’s why Apple pulled out of Macworld — to keep to their own schedule.

As to iPhone app developers being asked to ready “full screen” versions of their apps… okay. Some apps like Safari, Mail, iPod (movies) will of course need to work “full screen” regardless of the size of the device, be it an iPhone, iTablet, or WVGA-style 4th generation iPhone HD. In fact, a larger iPhone is theoretically more of a problem than a tablet, because they’ll have to scale while many 3rd party apps could just run as smaller windows on a tablet UI. Do calculators really need to be “full screen”? Do Twitter apps? (Tweetie and Twitterrific for Mac OS X aren’t “full screen”, and that’s considered an advantage). Sure, games will want to use every pixel Apple gives them, as will some other apps. For many, “widgets” will be the way to go. In a mythical iTablet universe, Apple would have a mythical UI brilliant enough to handle “full screen” and widget elegantly. (And would have already been telling developers to do stuff like use web-based UI and CSS buttons for scalability, where appropriate).

So, as we head into this magical time of year — no, not the holidays, the “next Apple rumorpalooza!” — let us know what you think.

Apple iTablet: signs point to yes, it is uncertain, at this time no, or ask again later?

[Silicone Alley Insider via MacRumors]

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

Rumors! Mythical iTablet Event in January, iPhone Devs Asked to make “Full Screen” Apps

MMA Underground [$1.99 - iTunes Link] brings your daily fix of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) news to the iPhone and iPod touch. If you are fan like Rene and myself, there’s finally a worthwhile application that has elbowed it’s way into the App Store, and it sports some great features.

• Breaking MMA and UFC news
• Fighters record search – Name a fighter and he/she is here. Over 250,000 fighters in total with a full fight history and detailed information.
• Upcoming event information such as fight cards, results, etc…
• Access to the Underground Forum.

If the information you are seeking is on the MMA Underground website, you can be sure to find it in this top notch MMA application.

More screenshots after the break!

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

MMA Underground Brings Mixed Martial Arts, UFC News to iPhone

The past few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to test out the latest and greatest Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset for the iPhone [TiPb Store Link - $119.95]. I’ve tested a lot of Bluetooth headsets since I’ve been here at TiPb and while some have been all around impressive, others have left me scratching my head. Is the Discovery 975 a definite keeper, or just a dud?

See for yourself after the break!

First thing you need to do is pair your headset with your iPhone and with the Discovery 975 and Plantronics QuickPair technology, it’s a breeze. Simply turn on your iPhone’s Bluetooth feature and follow the commands of your earpiece. That’s all there is to it. And if you are like me and have more than one phone, activate the Multipoint technology to pair your earpiece with a second device, so you can stay connected with one headset for home and at the office.

Right off the bat if you look at Discovery 975 you can clearly see it is a little larger than most other recently released headsets, but looks can be deceiving as it weighs in at only .28 oz. It’s a very simple headset with just a single button along with answer call/end call/power button. This is a very good thing if you are a minimalist. A concern you may have, looking a the headset, is how well does it fit in your ear? While I will admit I am not a huge fan of headsets that do not come with an ear loop, the 975 does a decent job with the provided gel ear tips. Of course, this will vary completely depending on your ears and it may just be a deal breaker for some.

When it comes down to it, the Discovery 975 has a very clean design that just works.

Let’s get to the good stuff — call quality and battery life. I am happy to report with Plantronics Dual-mic AudioIQ² technology, the call quality is spectacular. The only time I had the slightest of call quality issues was when I was in a noisy area. Now that’s not to say the person on the other end of the call could not hear me but there was background noise that could be heard on the receiver’s end. So is the noise cancellation as good as a Jawbone? No, but it makes up for that in the other big area I mentioned — battery life.

Battery life is really where the Discovery shines. Plantronics claims you can get 5 hours of actual talk time and 168 hours of stand by time. Now that may seem very common amongst other headsets. Where the Discovery has the upper hand, however, is with the supplied carrying case that recharges the headset and triples talk and standby time. As far as I know this is the only current headset available on the market with such a case included with the device.

The Plantronics Discovery 975 is one of those headsets that either you will love or you will hate. The only concern I have is the lack of the ear loop as at times I had issues with the fit. Again, that will vary among users and you may love how it fits. Other that one negative, this is a excellent headset that is worth every penny and it can be purchased at TiPb’s very own store for $119.95.

Disclaimer: The TiPb iPhone Accessory Store provided the headset for this review.

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

Review: Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Headset for iPhone 3G/3GS

Gizmodo got somes hands on a Google Phone Nexus One and shared some impressions.

A tad thinner, lighter, and “silky”-er feeling in the hand compared to the iPhone, Nexus One also sports a less cheap, more rubbery back. (The rubber lobby is no doubt thrilled with that bump in cachet). Its screen POPS and blows everything away, and it’s (likely 1GHz processor powered) web rendering is a bit faster than the iPhone 3GS, both of which are faster than the Droid. (Though the iPhone 3GS still outscored all comers on JavaScript benchmarks. Nitro FTW!) It’s also got a crazy animated background system that can launch bit blocks or ripple when you touch it, but becomes a visualizer when music is playing. Like Sense UI’s animated weather, that kind of eye candy is just sweet.

With iPhone 4.0 and a 4th generation iPhone due June/July 2010, how selfish are we to beg all comers to “bring the awesome!” so that Apple is incentivized to bring their own innovation to market faster? Exactly this selfish: well done, Nexus One, you’re not failing to impress.

Speaking of which, check out Android Guys video UI walkthrough after the break, and tell us what you think!

UPDATED: Engadget scores an invitation-only pre-sale rumor starting Jan. 5 with a T-Mobile rollout, perhaps, to follow. Also, specs galore, with what looks like 802.11n(!) support, 8??x480 WVGA AMOLED screen, 1 GHz proc, and all the trimmings.

[via Android Central]

[YouTube link]

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

UPDATED: The Competition: Google Nexus One Phone Gets Hands-on, UI Walkthrough

I’m an iPhone. Phil’s a Windows Phone. But this week our good buddy from WMExperts is taking a look at TiPb’s signature device, and to he’s asking TiPb iPhone Forum members for their help in understanding Apple’s integrated, iTunes-bound universe dent’er. And remember, every day you reply to that thread, you’re entered for a chance to WIN AN iPHONE 3GS! (smartphoneroundrobin.com has all your details!)

Meanwhile, I’m over at CrackBerry.com trying to figure out why the BlackBerry Bold 9700’s touchscreen just won’t work! (And why the Storm2 holds such a grudge!) Head on over to the CrackBerry Forums and give me a hand, and you could win the BlackBerry smartphone of your choice as well!

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

iPhone from a Windows Phone User’s Perspective, Smartphone Round Robin

Digitimes is reporting that OmniVision has received an order from Apple for 40-45 million CMOS sensors packing 5 megapixels, bound for next year’s 4th generation iPhone. That’s nearly double the unites — and a huge increase in pixel count — from the iPhone 3GS cameras OmniVision currently supplies.

As with all next-gen iPhone rumors, take this one with an iTablet-sized grain of salt, but it does make competitive sense for Apple to bump the camera next year, among other things (cough iPhone HD cough).

(Personally, I prefer lower pixel counts and higher sensor sizes; cutting them up so much results in bigger pictures, not better. Low light should be the arms race here, manufacturers.)

Of course, we’ll never know for sure until WWDC 2010 when Steve Jobs (or Phil Schiller) hoists it up on stage.

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

Rumor: 4th Generation iPhone to Pack 5 Megapixel Camera?

[YouTube video link]

The often NSFW-L, sometimes inebriated Walt Mosspuppet is back with a last-minute gift giving guide just in time for the holidays. For the record, we agree with #4 completely, but wouldn’t restrict it to just your wife, even if she is a prom queen. The others we either think are okay, or want to distance ourselves from completely.

Gift. Up.

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

Wednesday Fun Video: Mosspuppet’s Last-Minute Gift Guide