It's official: Virgin Mobile USA will indeed begin selling the iPhone with contract-free, prepaid plans for as low as $30 per month for some users. The company made its announcement early Thursday morning on its website, offering both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S on its CDMA network licensed through Sprint.
As earlier rumors suggested, the devices will indeed be available before July rolls around—Virgin Mobile says its new iPhones will hit the streets on June 29. The 8GB iPhone 4 will sell for $549 while the 16GB iPhone 4S will go for $649. The tradeoff for those relatively high handset prices is the lack of a contract—users can pay as low as $30 per month for 300 voice minutes, unlimited text messages, and "unlimited" data—throttled after the 2.5GB mark is crossed—when you set up your account to autopay. (Without autopay, the plans are $5 more per month.) For $40/month with autopay, users can get 1,200 voice minutes with unlimited messaging and data, and for $50/month, they can get unlimited everything.
Virgin Mobile is the second prepaid cell carrier in the US to offer the iPhone. Cricket was the first to announce its plans in May, offering the 8GB iPhone 4 for $400 and the 16GB iPhone 4S for $500. Those up-front prices are lower than Virgin Mobile's by a good $149 each, but Cricket's monthly plans are higher—the company offers a $55 monthly plan with unlimited calls, texts, and data, with the same caveat that data speeds will be throttled after 2.3GB.
If you only use a handful of voice minutes per month and don't need unlimited calls, though, Virgin's $30/month plan will likely save you the most money—about $180 per year, which would make up for the extra $149 premium you'd pay for the handset through Virgin, and then some (especially if you stick around after the first year). Virgin Mobile's network has a wider reach than Cricket's as well, so there's a good possibility that some users might live in a market that only has one of these carrier options.
The lingering question is whether these prepaid carriers will offer the next-generation iPhone when it is announced (most likely later this year). If so, will any of you be ditching your contracts for one of these prepaid options, or will you be too drawn to the inevitable LTE support that will likely only come through Verizon and AT&T?
iPhone 5 design confirmed by in-depth video leak - Electric Pig
This is it. We’re pretty sure that this is the back casing for the iPhone 5. Why so confident? Well, it’s pretty much exactly the same as the version that 9to5Mac and iFixyouri revealed last week. This time, though, there’s an in-depth video hands-on. So what’s new? Read on to find out.
The video below shows an iPhone back plate that’s exactly the same as seen in previously leaked images. It’s a handsome thing that’s not too dissimilar to the iPhone 4S, but there’s still enough to get excited about. Let’s deconstruct…
Taller design
This iPhone is roughly the same width as the current model, but is about half a centimetre taller. That’s obviously to accommodate a larger screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio, but it doesn’t look as though the iPhone 5 will be a huge amount bigger in the hand.
Two-tone back
The rear casing looks to be two-tone, with aluminium top and bottom, surrounding a middle plate of what’s likely anodised aluminium. This means two things: firstly that the phone is a little bit thinner for not having a rear glass plate, and secondly that it looks as though Apple might be readying a set of iPhones in different colours for the first time.
Smaller dock connector
The oft-rumoured smaller dock connector makes an appearance here, which has given Apple the chance to include what looks like some meatier inbuilt speakers. The extra room may also provide space for a larger battery.
iPhone 5: The complete rumour roundup
Headphone jack
The headphone jack’s been moved to the bottom of the handset on the iPhone 5. Whether Apple’s had this in mind all along or not, it pulls the iPhone back in line with the old iPods, and makes sense if you think about the direction in which you put a phone in your pocket.
Smaller home button
If you look at the top and bottom panels on the back here, and imagine that they represent where the edges of the display will be on the other side, it seems as though the space underneath the screen for the home button is less than on the iPhone 4S. That means that the home button could be smaller or may, for the first time, be replaced by a touch-sensitive one.
Microphone
The secondary microphone hole, which currently resides on the top of the iPhone, looks to have been moved to sit next to the camera and LED flash. Nothing major, but still worthy of note.
Of course, all of this is still speculation. We don’t know if the leaked part is legit, but there’s enough behind it to suggest that it may well be. We’ll have to wait until Apple unveils the iPhone 5 to know for sure, but we’d be willing to put a bit of cash down that says this is what it’ll end up looking like.
Your thoughts? Let us know below.
Source: 9to5Mac
The iPhone Gives 'Sonic the Hedgehog' a Second Chance - Wall Street Journal
By IAN SHERR
![[0606oldgamejpg]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tZXwxfpO8vAaHb0RKpaxyp2b6ReKzD4l-OFb_N0nok6mwkFkbHRlajq9qPwPkdDvLdduEJvY6Xq5gN1g7DwPb1j4Xt8JeHpwpH6K_nZsiSt_WLObQkliBZ5SVSgdts72bsW0lLW52fD_S7U97rLFvxxg=s0-d)
Bloomberg Playing a videogame on an iPhone
LOS ANGELES—Old is the new cool in videogames.
Videogame titles that once gathered dust on collectors' shelves have found a new life on mobile devices such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone, giving companies a cheap way to make money while also helping to promote new software.
It is what Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. did when it was preparing to release the third installment in a popular film-noire series called "Max Payne." About a month before the new title went on sale, the company released "Max Payne Mobile"—the first game in the series released 11 years ago, reworked to run on smartphones and tablet computers rather than videogame consoles and personal computers.
"It used to be people were skeptical there was any library value at all [to these old games]," said Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two's chief executive, in an interview at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, trade show here.
The company also has released the decade-old "Grand Theft Auto III" for mobile devices, and "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars." Reselling older games both on mobile devices and traditional videogame consoles and personal computers has become a big business for Take-Two, representing as much as almost a third of the company's revenue in some quarters.
"If they're beloved and highly regarded and at the right price, they might be appealing," Mr. Zelnick said.
At the E3 Conference
Take-Two's efforts came as customers are flocking to mobile applications or apps. Prime examples include Zynga Inc.'s "Words With Friends" and Rovio Entertainment Ltd.'s "Angry Birds," which are played on a variety of devices as well as on the Internet.
The recycled products fetch a fraction of the price of the original videogames, which often cost about $60. Many mobile versions, such as "Max Payne Mobile," are priced at $2.99.
Yet bringing old games to mobile platforms still brings in revenue at little extra expense for software companies.
"They're dumb if they don't take existing games and remonetize them," said Lewis Ward, an analyst at industry research firm IDC.
Offering older titles that were big sellers when they were released also helps to strengthen a company's brand, Mr. Ward said, and serves as a form of advertising for coming titles, such as what Take-Two did with the "Max Payne" franchise. "You can remonetize those older-generation games and you advertise the heck out of the new one," he said.
Take-Two isn't alone in adopting the strategy. Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. has started dusting off old games such as "Sonic the Hedgehog," "Streets of Rage" and "Virtua Fighter," bringing them to mobile devices with much fanfare from fans of these series.
Sony Corp. is one of the largest companies to embrace this trend. The company, which makes the PlayStation 3 videogame console, has been releasing older console games through its PlayStation Network, as well as targeting some mobile devices powered by Google Inc.'s Android operating system.
Andrew House, head of Sony's videogame business, said the company was surprised when customers began signing up for its PlayStation Network's premium Internet service, called PlayStation Plus, because it offered free access to the company's decades-old games.
"There is that nostalgia factor," Mr. House said. "We're learning about the length of life this content has and how it can be repurposed for new audiences."
Remarketing old software isn't the only way companies are exploiting earlier titles. Another approach, pioneered by Nintendo Co., is to take characters from old titles and use them in a new one. Sony has taken that approach in a videogame, "PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale," that pits popular characters from the action-fighting series "God of War" and the car-fighting game "Twisted Metal" against one another. Reaction from industry insiders has been positive so far, and Sony said its fans are excited.
Write to Ian Sherr at ian.sherr@dowjones.com
A version of this article appeared June 7, 2012, on page B4 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: 'Sonic' Gets a Second Chance.
iOS 5.1.1 Untethered Jailbreak: How to Unlock iPhone 4/3GS Using Ultrasn0w 1.2.7 [TUTORIAL] - ibtimes.co.uk
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Here is the complete step-by-step procedure to unlock your iPhone using the latest version of Ultrasn0w 1.2.7.
How to Unlock iOS 5.1.1 on iPhone 4/3GS Using Ultrasn0w 1.2.7 (Older basebands only)
Step 1: You must first tether or untether jailbreak the device running iOS 5.1.1, with the older baseband preserved. This is accomplished by creating a custom firmware using one of three jailbreak tools - Redsn0w/PwnageTool or Sn0wbreeze.
Step 2: Once the device is successfully jailbroken, you will see the Cydia icon on the home screen. Now, launch the Cydia app from the springboard and wait until all the data is reloaded from the default repositories.
Step 3: Note that the Ultrasn0w tool is available on one of the default repositories that is pre-installed with Cydia. Hence, no additional repository needs to be added. Select Search from bottom navigation bar and enter Ultrasn0w. Now, tap the Search button.
Step 4: In case some package is not found on the default repository and you want to manually add the repository then click Manage followed by Sources button and finally select Add in the top left hand corner. In the ensuing pop-up box on the screen, type: http://www.repo666.ultrasn0w.com and tap Add Source.
Step 5: Wait as Cydia refreshes and adds packages to its repository. Once that is done, select Ultrasnow package and tap the Install button.
Step 6: Provide confirmation to proceed with the installation of the package and wait for the install process to complete.
Step 7: After the package is fully installed, you will get the prompt for Restart/Reboot. Proceed with the restart. Once the device has successfully rebooted to the home screen, your iPhone should be unlocked for use with the cellular network of your choice.
[Source: Redmond Pie]
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From AT&T to Virgin: How iPhone availability grows - AP - msnbc.com
Since Verizon Wireless broke AT&T's exclusive grip on the iPhone last year, several other phone carriers now offer Apple's popular smartphone. Here's a look at how iPhone availability has expanded in the U.S.:
— COMING TO NO. 1: AT&T Inc. was the only U.S. carrier offering the iPhone when the first model came out in 2007. It lost its exclusive status in February 2011 when Verizon Wireless, the nation's top wireless carrier, started selling the iPhone.
— ANOTHER NATIONAL CARRIER: Sprint Nextel Corp., the No. 3 carrier, also got the iPhone, starting in October with Apple Inc.'s introduction of the iPhone 4S. It also sells the iPhone 4 with AT&T and Verizon Wireless.
— REGIONAL OFFERING: C Spire Wireless, a small company that provides service in Mississippi and surrounding states, started selling the iPhone late last year. It bypassed larger carriers including T-Mobile USA and U.S. Cellular in getting the right to sell it. U.S. Cellular Corp. says it turned down the chance to sell the phone because it didn't want to spend a few hundred dollars per phone, as other carriers do, so customers can buy it at Apple's listed, subsidized price.
— CHEAPER IPHONES: Several small, regional cellphone companies began selling the iPhone at prices that undercut the big carriers. For instance, the cost for a basic 4S model through those carriers is $150, which is $49 less than what national carriers charge. Carriers making this cheaper offering include NTelos Wireless of Virginia; Appalachian Wireless of Kentucky; and Alaska Communications, Matanuska Telephone Association and GCI of Alaska.
— NO CONTRACTS: Leap Wireless International Inc., the parent of the Cricket cellphone service, will be the first mainland U.S. phone company to sell the latest iPhone models on a prepaid, no-contract basis, starting June 22. Open Mobile, which serves Puerto Rico, started selling no-contract, prepaid iPhones on May 18.
— MORE NOW, LESS LATER: Virgin Mobile USA, one of Sprint's brands for prepaid, no-contract phone service, will start selling the iPhone on June 29. It will cost $549 for a basic model, higher than the $100 charged for Sprint-branded service. However, service will cost $30 a month and won't require a contract. Sprint charges $80 per month and requires a two-year contract. The Virgin Mobile customer can save nearly $800 over two years.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Next iPhone and iPad models to get September unveiling - v3.co.uk
Apple is reportedly planning to unveil the next versions of its iPad and iPhone mobile devices at a company event in September.
According to Brian White, an analyst with Topeka Capital Markets, unidentified manufacturing industry sources have reported Apple is set to hold an Autumn event that will introduce the next iPhone model and a new iPad "mini" tablet device.
A September release date would put Apple slightly ahead of last year's October iPhone unveiling. Previous reports have indicated that Apple was targeting an Autumn time frame for the handset's introduction.
The release could position Apple for another strong holiday shopping season. Last year, the company logged its best quarter ever over the final three months of the calendar, due in part to unprecedented iPhone sales numbers.
Early reports from manufacturers and analysts suggest that in addition to processor and capacity upgrades, the new iPhone will sport a larger screen and a slimmer case design.
Apple is set to provide information on the next version of the iOS platform for both the iPad and the iPhone next week at its Worldwide Developer Conference. The company has also said it will be detailing the next version of the OS X platform.
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