Verizon is once more firing back at AT&T’s 3G ads by releasing three more TV spots titled “Big Red”, “Sail” and “Shadows”. You will see that two of the three ads are actually spoofs of classic commercial campaigns. “Big Red” spoofs those Big Red gum commercials while “Shadows” spoofs DaBeers Diamonds are forever commercials.

Verizon just loves to try to push what seems to be it’s only advantage over AT&T, more 3G coverage. Once AT&T proceeds with their plans to enhance their network and coverage what will happen to these commercials? What then will Verizon have over AT&T? Sound off in the comments below!

Commercials after the break!

[Thanks for the tip Bruce!]

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

Verizon is Back with 3 More Anti AT&T TV Spots

Silicon Alley Insider not only says Steve Jobs showed up to show off his new iPad in a secret set of meetings in New York with New York Times and Wall Street Journal bosses, but he topped it off by wearing a top hat. Yeabuwhat?!

More intriguing: Jobs showed up wearing “a very funny hat – a big top hat kind of thing,” said Daily Intel’s source. So apparently the obsessively secretive Apple chief was disguised as the Planter’s Peanut guy for his trip to Gotham, with his John Lennon spectacles replacing the Peanut’s usual monocle. We’re told, however, that Jobs was wearing no plutocratic hat or other headgear for his visit to the Times newsroom, which, given his already all-too-imperious image, is probably for the best.

Just. Wow.

More importantly, Jobs was apparently there to discuss adding magazines and newspapers to the new iBook service announced last week along with the iPad.

Ask and we shall receive?

[Thanks to The Reptile for the tip!]

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

Steve Jobs Shows Up in Top Hat to Show off iPad to New York Media Bosses?

Developers take note: Interpret is looking to find a bit more about you and they have a brief survey to do just that – finish it, enter your info at the end, and be entered into a drawing for a FREE 32GB iPod touch. Non-developers, feel free to take part to be entered as well. Either way, go on and let ‘em know how you’re feeling about mobile apps these days.

Click here to take the survey and enter for your chance to win!

(Keep in mind the survey is being run by the folks at Interpret, not everybody who takes the survey may be eligible to finish it. If you don’t qualify, fret not, we’re giving away an iPhone 3GS next week for the Smartphone Round Robin, here’s the latest forum thread for you chance to win)

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

Win a 32GB iPod touch! (Survey)

For those of you holding your breath for Skype to work over AT&T’s 3G network, you will soon be able to relax as Skype has told TiPb it’s only a matter of time. From their blog:

You may have seen other apps offering calls over 3G, but we're holding ours back for a little bit longer. Why? So that we can give you the very best audio quality we can. When our 3G-capable Skype for iPhone app is released, it'll let you make calls in wideband audio, giving you greater clarity and fidelity – because that's what you expect from Skype.

We’ve been waiting since way back in November, when AT&T decided to allow VoIP over their 3G network, and Apple’s iPhone 3.2 SDK for iPad has now removed the last hurdle.

It’s no surprise we heard earlier that AT&T has been working with Apple to improve their network before the release of the highly anticipated Apple iPad. Perfect timing don’t you think?

More from Skype via video, after the break!

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

iPhone Skype App Going 3G: “Real Soon”

AT&T has announced that it’s granting an optimized version of SlingPlayer Mobile [$29.99 - iTunes link] permission to send TV over their 3G network, something that up until now has been expressly banned under AT&T terms of service.

“Just as we’ve worked with Sling Media in this instance, we look forward to collaborating with other developers so that mobile customers can access a wider, more bandwidth-sensitive, and powerful range of applications in the future,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Collaboration with developers like Sling Media ensures that all apps are optimized for our 3G network to conserve wireless spectrum and reduce the risk that an app will cause such extreme levels of congestion that they disrupt the experience of other wireless customers. Our focus continues to be on delivering the nation’s most advanced mobile broadband experience and giving our customers the widest possible array of mobile applications.”

The updated SlingPlayer Mobile will be a free update for existing users, and ends a long, winding story of controversy and constraint for US iPhone users. Whether international carriers follow AT&T’s lead and allow the app to operate on their networks as well, of course, remains to be seen.

(And how ironic we post this right after the US government expresses concerns about network congestion…!)

[MarketWatch via NYT Bits via Engadget -- Thanks Pat C for the tip!]

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

AT&T Grants SlingPlayer 3G Streaming Access!

The US Government seems to be a bit concerned about Apple’s iPad, fearing its release in combination with the iPhone and other data-heavy devices, will wreak havoc on wireless networks.

Phil Bellaria of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau recently published in his blog his concerns about the future of our data networks.

“With the iPad pointing to even greater demand for mobile broadband on the horizon, we must ensure that network congestion doesn't choke off a service that consumers clearly find so appealing or frustrate mobile broadband's ability to keep us competitive in the global broadband economy.”

He then brings us back to 1996 to remind us of the time AOL first introduced unlimited data and how that particular instance brought about major connection trouble for all of it’s users. AOL, after the fact, then took the appropriate actions in beefing up it’s network to allow for all of that traffic. In regards to the iPad it seems like Apple has been closely working with AT&T to make sure network improvements are made being the products release.

Does Phil have a valid point? Should we be worried about our data networks? Sound off in the comments below (especially if you life in SF or NYC…)!

[Via TUAW]

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

US Government Fears iPad, iPhone and Other Data Devices May Cripple Networks

Music Skins make premium vinyl adhesive skins for iPhone and iPod that protect from scuffs and scrapes without being all bulky about it, and while they features tons of artists, their big release right now is the Beatles. That’s right, your iPhone can get the Fab Four on the outside before the iTunes Store offers them inside!

We’ll take a look — and start our give-away — after the break!

If you haven’t used a vinyl skin before, the process is simple and stress free. You peel them off, just like a sticker, align them on your iPhone or iPod touch, and then firmly press them down working your way from the center towards the edges. I typically use the camera on the iPhone as a guide but on the iPod touch I just eyeballed it and it worked out fine as well. I don’t know (and no one will tell me) what roll NASA or Massive Dynamics played in coming up with the material, but it looks like a grid of tiny air pockets that make readjusting it in case of misalignment, and removing it if your tastes change, a relatively easy and hassle free process.

Now, it’s important to remember that while a vinyl skin will sacrifice itself to protect your device from nicks, it won’t protect it from a fall. On the other hand, there’s almost zero added bulk and you won’t notice any difference in the pocket. Also, because of the extremely low profile, most of the hard cases I tried out fit over it no problem (the softer, leather cases were a bit tight, especially with the added friction from the vinyl).

As to the quality of the skins themselves, the printing was colorfully retro, the edges clean and precise, and the fit was well finished. They also provide matching wall paper for your lock screen.

TiPb met up with Music Skins at CES 2010 where they showed us their latest, greatest Beatles Limited Edition Collector’s Set for iPod and iPhone (only 250 available world wide!) and sent one on for us to show you. And like we mentioned in the title, now that we’re done showing it they’re letting us give it away, and that’s not all. Here’s the complete rundown:

• One (1) grand give-away, Beatles Limited Edition Collector’s Set for iPod and iPhone!
• Five (5) runner-up giveaways: Music Skin, style and device of your choosing!

Want? Here’s all you have to do:

• Head on over to the TiPb Forums and tell us your favorite Beatles song (and if you don’t have one, tell us your favorite non-Beatles song!)
• Contest starts now and ends Saturday, Feb. 6 at 12pm PST
• We’ll randomly pick the winners and let you know via PM.

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

TiPb Give-Away: Music Skins Beatles Limited Edition Collector’s Set (8 iPhone and iPod Skins!) and More!

In Stock: Jawbone ICON for iPhone

The Jawbone ICON for iPhone is the newest addition to the Aliph Jawbone series.

• Custom ICON audio tones whisper important information like remaining battery life and caller ID into your ear.
• Introducing our most significant innovation since NoiseAssassin®. You can now dynamically update and personalize each individual Jawbone ICON with an array of convenient apps.
• Simultaneous Multipoint means that your Jawbone ICON can manage two calls from two different phones at the same time. For example, you can be on a call with your personal phone and then answer a call on your work phone and seamlessly switch between each call. Jawbone ICON handles the experience with the simplicity of traditional call-waiting.
• Be free to keep your conversation going while walking down a gusty street because our team of scientists developed a unique Digital Sensor Signal Fusion system to reduce wind noise. ICON uses an algorithm that digitally fuses together the best audio from its two electret microphones and its patented Voice Activity Sensor to create a single, natural sounding speech signal.
• Your Jawbone ICON’s remaining battery life is displayed on your iPhone’s status bar

The Jawbone ICON for iPhone is in stock now, check out TiPb’s iPhone Accessory Store for details!

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

In Stock: Jawbone ICON for iPhone

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Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
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This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Presents: iPhone Live! #86 — The Whole iPhone Platform

iTunes has followed up their recent addition of in-browser music previews with in-browser App Store previews, changing the way iTunes link work from a simple redirect to desktop iTunes to a full-on web showcase for the app in question.

Whether or not this is a step towards the much rumored iTunes.com — the moving of iTunes from desktop to cloud — is harder to say. For Safari users on Mac, the old browser redirect process was so fast as to be pretty much invisible. You click the link, see a brief message, and boom — iTunes is open, on top, and displaying the item you requested. For other browsers on other OS, like Windows, it could be a less elegant experience at times. iTunes might not launch at all (especially on Linux where there’s still no iTunes).

While this doesn’t provide a solution in actually getting to iTunes, it does make sure that, when you don’t move past the browser, you still get to see information based on the link you clicked.

Let us know how it works for you on your system!

(Thanks to Glasshouse Apps for the tip!)

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

iTunes Adds In-Browser App Store Previews