A new report citing sources in the Taiwan handset supply chain says Apple has contracted to produce a UMTS/CDMA hybrid iPhone due in the third quarter of next year that will enable the company to sell a single global handset to all carriers, and specifically to Verizon Wireless in the US. 

The report by OTR Global, provided to AppleInsider by an industry analyst, says the new “worldmode” iPhone will gain compatibility with CDMA2000 networks (including Verizon’s US network, which is currently incompatible with existing iPhone models) while retaining compatibility with UMTS 3G networks globally using a new hybrid chip produced by Qualcomm. 

According to OTR’s sources, Asustek subsidiary Pegatron will build the new hybrid phone devices for Apple rather than Hon Hai, the iPhone’s current manufacturer. This decision was reportedly made to prevent the company from being “constrained by a single-source assembler.” 

A smaller body

The research note also identified the new phone as having a 2.8″ screen, which is significantly smaller than the current iPhone’s 3.5″ display. 

Last summer, component pictures indicating the development of a smaller 2.8″ iPhone model appeared on the web next to the standard 3.5″ parts currently in production, and a Chinese-language newspaper reported that an upcoming model of the iPhone would be smaller and lighter. 

Without any mention of both larger and smaller versions in OTR’s report, it appears but has not yet been confirmed that next year’s iPhone will scale down in size while also gaining compatibility with all major mobile networks. 

CDMA vs. WCDMA

The American technological rift between CDMA providers (including Sprint and Verizon) and GSM/UMTS providers (T-Moblie and AT&T) was widely expected to remain in place until Verizon moved to LTE, the next generation of UMTS service. 

In other countries, CDMA providers have either shut down their networks and moved entirely to UMTS service (as Telstra did in Australia) or added a UMTS overlay to their existing CDMA service (as Bell and Telus just recently did in Canada). In the US, Verizon decided to do neither, and instead will only be investing in a new next generation LTE network that won’t be completed for years. 

This appeared to leave little opportunity for a Verizon iPhone before 2011, but Qualcomm’s “worldmode” hybrid component enables Apple to continue offering a single iPhone version that can be sold by both AT&T and Verizon in the US, and on virtually every carrier outside the US. 

UMTS is the 3G service associated with GSM providers, but it uses radio carrier technology (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) similar to but incompatible with Qualcomm’s CDMA2000/EVDO used by Verizon. Despite the technical similarities, CDMA2000 and UMTS/WCDMA are competing, non-interoperable 3G technologies. With nearly all mobile carriers having announced plans to shift to UMTS or LTE in the future, CDMA2000 represents a dead end. 

It still remains widely deployed in various markets however, including the US, where Verizon’s CDMA2000 3G network is widely regarded as having wider reach and providing better data service than AT&T’s newer UMTS 3G network. AT&T’s 3G service is rated particularly poorly in San Francisco and New York City, where coverage holes have been exacerbated by a huge influx of data-hungry iPhone users. AT&T has yet to introduce its 3G MicroCell to enable users to solve their own dead zones at home or work. 

Qualcomm’s new hybrid CDMA/WCDMA chip offers the potential for a single, global iPhone that users can take to any major carrier, solving the network fractionalization problem. It also solves other issues that had served as roadblocks, including the issue of user confusion that would result from Apple selling separate CDMA and GSM/UMTS versions of the iPhone. 

With one phone that works on both types of networks, any differences between the two (such as in features like conference calling and simultaneous voice and data, unique to UMTS) will be more apparently tied to the provider’s network rather than to an iPhone model itself. 

Verizon’s DROID, cancelation fee launch

Verizon’s merciless attacks on AT&T’s 3G network coverage in ads spoofing the iPhone’s “there’s an app for that” slogan were another factor which left some observers to think that Verizon could not possibly be in talks with Apple to sell the iPhone anytime soon, but the OTR report indicates that Verizon and Apple have already hammered out an agreement to sell the new iPhone model within the year. 

Verizon recently launched two smartphones aimed squarely at the iPhone: the BlackBerry Storm 2 and Motorola Droid. At the same time, the provider also announced a new cancelation policy that charges users a hefty $350 when they attempt to back out of contracts involving “advanced devices.” 

Last year, the company found little lasting enthusiasm from users who assumed that the original Storm would be closer to the iPhone in terms of features; whether the new fee is an attempt to penalize unsatisfied users or to profit from switchers next year, it may result in users rethinking their purchases right now. 

With reports breaking the news that Verizon will be selling the iPhone within the year, sales of the Storm 2, Droid, and next year’s Palm Pre may end up repressed if customers decide they’d rather wait for the iPhone to arrive instead of facing the prospect of a major cancelation penalty and the loss of their subsidy credit by buying an alternative device now. 

Droid reviews have largely described it as a second place alternative for users who want to stick with Verizon. That being the case, the prospect of a Verizon iPhone appears poised to deflate Droid sales this holiday season. 

End of AT&T exclusivity

The news might not be good for AT&T either, considering that many users have switched to AT&T solely because they wanted to get the iPhone. The availability of a Verizon iPhone may cause AT&T buyers to hold off on new purchases until they see what kinds of competitive deals AT&T and Verizon will offer once the iPhone’s exclusivity with AT&T ends next summer and the new “worldmode” iPhone appears. 

It does however give AT&T a year to improve its 3G network and roll out the 3G MicroCell before being hit with mass defections from iPhone users irate over service issues. AT&T can still advertise that its 3G network is faster than Verizon’s CDMA2000 coverage, and that it offers some features that CDMA2000 does not, including simultaneous voice and data and easy to use, multiple party conference calling. 

AT&T has struggled to keep up with the pace of iPhone development, failing to immediately implement iPhone 3.0’s MMS and tethering features, and remaining unable to take advantage of the faster 7.2 Mbps HSPA data potential of the iPhone 3GS. The threat posed by a “worldmode” iPhone should push AT&T to deliver a year of high priority network upgrades, and potentially result in more competitive service plans.

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ZodTTD is working on a port of N64 for the iPhone 3GS and the iPod touch 3G. 

The port is being developed for these two models because: 
- They’re the fastest Apple handhelds in term of raw CPU performance. 
- They both have a faster GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) which allows for OpenGL ES 2.0 specifications. 

So yes you may soon see N64 on your favorite Apple device. But I can’t promise it will run games top notch just yet, as things are too early to say. There’s hope though, with a 3D accelerated graphics plugin, as well as an ARM dynarec. If you have a previous generation device, I can use software rendering, but it will slow things down further, along with the slower CPU.

(via iClarified.com)

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Apple may be developing a Radio app for the iPhone and iPod touch, according to 9to5Mac. 

The application is said to run in the background like the iPod app and be very similar to the FM radio in the new iPod nanos. It could even be incorporated into the iPod app. 

The holdup on this app is apparently the integration of iTunes with the program. When listening to the radio you will be able to easily purchase the song using the Mobile iTunes Store. 

9to5Mac also hypothesis that the app will likely have the same Live Pause functionality that the Nanos currently enjoy. 

Both the Broadcom BCM4325 chip in the iPhone 3GS and the Broadcom BCM4329FKUBG chip in the new iPod touch support FM.

(via iClarified.com)

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Apple reportedly purchased the Placebase mapping service in July to possibly end its dependence on Google Maps, according to ComputerWorld. 

The first indication of this was a tweet on July 7th by Fred Lalonde, the founder of openplaces.org. 

“Apple bought PlaceBase - all hush hush. Pushpin site taken offline. Hyperlocal iPhone?” 

ComputerWorld did a background check on PlaceBase’s founder and CEO, Jaron Waldman and found that his LinkedIn profile indicates he’s no longer founder and CEO of PlaceBase in Los Angeles. He’s now part of the “Geo Team” at Apple. 

Placebase.com has been pulled offline and the site for their software API, Pushpin.com, forwards to the API help pages. 

GigaOM described the Placebase service over a year ago: 
Waldman thought differently. He decided to compete with Google and other free mapping services by doing two things: One, by offering customizations and tons of features that integrated private and public data sets in many diverse ways. (He knew it would be a while before Google would get around to offering customization). His other twist was to offer a way to layer commercial and other data sets (such as demographics and crime data) onto the maps using an easy-to-use application programming interface (API). The product is called PushPin. 

The relationship between Google and Apple has become increasingly competitive over the last year. Google has launched its own mobile platform, its own browser, and soon its own operating system. Apple has rejected several Google applications from launching on the iPhone sparking an FCC investigation into the issue. Conflicting reports to the FCC were published and the Google CEO was asked to resign from the Apple board. 

Seems logical that Apple would want to free itself from being dependent on Google for the iPhone’s killer app. Or at least have a backup ready, just in case…

(via iClarified.com)

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Apple’s worldwide single-carrier exclusivity model for each nation is seen as fleeting, as a new report suggests the iPhone could be available for carriers other than AT&T in the U.S. within a year.

In his latest note to investors, Gene Munster, senior research analyst with Piper Jaffray, takes on 14 “unanswered questions” that surround Apple. They address the company’s financial guidance, the iPhone, iTunes, iPods and Apple retail stores. One prediction suggests Apple would add new iPhone carriers in the U.S. with the debut of a new product in the summer of 2010.

“For various reasons the company moved from an exclusive relationship with French wireless carrier Orange to a multi-carrier model,” Munster said. “In France, the company now enjoys dramatically higher market share (in the 40 percent range vs. about 15 percent in ROW) than in countries with exclusive carrier agreements (such as AT&T in the U.S. where the iPhone has market share in the mid-teens). We believe Apple is seeing the increased unit sell-through more than offset the slightly (~10 percent) deteriorated economics per unit involved in non-exclusive agreements.”

This as the iPhone 3GS has had an outstanding launch, with Apple having trouble keeping the device in stock. The Piper Jaffray report states that the new iteration of the iPhone “seems to have exceeded Apple’s internal expectations.” Additionally, Munster does not believe Apple will offer another model below the $99 iPhone 3G with a cheap, mass-market device. Noting that $10 basic phone models dominate markets like India, he said Apple would likely pass on that segment of the market.

The Piper Jaffray analyst is not alone in believing the iPhone could jump ship next year, as others believe Apple is looking to Verizon as a possible alternative. Even Denny Strigle, Verizon’s president, has been complimentary of the iPhone this year, as his company is rumored to be fast-trackingits new 4G network for launch by early 2010. AT&T, meanwhile, is said to be continuing its negotiations with Apple, in an attempt to keep the iPhone exclusive through 2011. While customers have been extremely satisfied with Apple’s phone and have embraced it, many U.S. customers have been disappointed with the AT&T network.

In his report, Munster also believes that Apple is dissatisfied with the current status of video content offered in iTunes. Specifically, he said the video store is lacking HBO and is often tied to limited movie availability periods.

“We believe Apple is unhappy with the current status of video on the iTunes Store and is working to change it,” Munster said. “These changes, however, will take time, in the form of lengthy negotiations, in order to bring the rights for TV and movies up to speed in a digital world.”

Munster believes that Apple will eventually offer a monthly subscription offer for TV shows on iTunes. At a cost of $30 to $40 a month, he said the company could offer unlimited access to content from network and cable providers. If the Cupertino, Calif., company were to offer a subscription model, he believes it would replace a consumer’s cable bill.

“While timing on the launch of such a new product is very uncertain given the negotiations that would need to take place, Apple may work to launch it simultaneously with a new version of Apple TV, or an undated Apple TV software within the next year,” he said. “Moreover, we believe Apple has wisely avoided a subscription music model, as music listeners prefer to listen to their own music, and listen to it frequently. Movie watchers, on the other hand, prefer to rent, and typically only want to see a movie once or twice. Likewise, TV viewers are not accustomed to purchasing TV shows on an a-la-carte basis, and a subscription TV service would likely be more appealing.”

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Apple is exploring a new system that would automatically allow a portable device such as an iPhone or iPod to be safely disconnected from a host computer with a simple touch, according to a newly revealed patent filing.

Another patent made public Thursday shows that Apple is interested in a system that reads text messages and broadcasts them audibly on a separate device.

Touch and go

Currently, a USB device or similar attached to a computer like an iPod or thumb drive must be “ejected” before it can be physically disconnected. This is to ensure that no communication between the computer and the device is taking place when it is disconnected. If a device is unexpectedly unplugged, it can result in corrupted data.

Apple’s possible solution for this problem would generate a signal when the device is touched by the user, or even if an impending touch is detected. The signal would trigger the host to initiate operations to disengage the device.

“These features allow a user to disconnect from the host system more quickly and also prevents data corruption due to failure of the user to follow proper procedures,” the filing reads.

The patent covers USB devices, SD cards, mobile phones, media players, game consoles computer peripherals, biometric sensors, headsets and more.

Text message to speech

While this patent filing centers around multimedia data transfer, the most interesting part of the summary deals specifically with text messages.

“The reading of text messages can be troublesome due to, in part, the small size of the typical display screen or the inability to control ambient light conditions,” the patent states. “This is particularly troublesome to those users having impaired vision where reading a text message, of any reasonable size, for example, is difficult.”

Filed for on March 27, 2009, this patent, revealed Thursday, describes the transmission of vocalized multimedia data to a “receiver unit by way of the voice channel without the use of a backend server.” Essentially, it would directly transmit the audible interpretation of a text message to an independent receiver.

(via AppleInsider.com)

&

Apple has officially patetented the dell’iPhone box which is the box that you get when you buy a new iPhone. The actual document was released today. Click HERE to see for yourself. It is said that it took 17 designers including the Steve Jobs and Jonathon Ive to complete.

(via TheiPhoneSpot.net)

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These images come from Italian iPhone blogger iSpazio, who posted an image yesterday and a more convincing set today. There appears to be an extra button on the lower-side of the case (camera shutter?) and the headphone jack for the iPhone appears to have moved down to the bottom of the unit. What are your thoughts?

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Apple has spent some time outlining technology that would add a new level of interaction between iPhone users, such as the ability to share and control playback of digital media files like music tracks and video during a telephone call. 

The concept is outlined in a 19-page patent filing discovered by AppleInsider this week titled “Methods and systems for mixing media with communications” and credited to Apple software engineer Jeffrey Terlizzi. It begins by noting that while media items are becoming increasingly portable for mobile users these days, they’re still not as easily shared with others located remotely in real time. 

“For example, an individual may call his friend to discuss music, but in order for the friend to listen to the music, the individual either may have to send the music to the friend using a device other than his telephone,” according to the filing, “or he may have to end the phone call and use the telephone to send the friend an email with the music attached.” 

Cut-and-dried, Apple’s approach to improving upon this limitation is to include an “Add Media” option to the iPhone’s phone application that would allow users to attach and transmit media items to another iPhone user with whom they’re currently engaged in a phone call. Among the listed types of media suitable for transmission during calls are music files, video, images, voicemails, and podcasts. 

“For example, the user may initiate a telephone call with his friend in order to ask the friend if she is familiar with a particular song,” Apple said. “Once the phone call has been established between the user and his friend, the user may select the song of interest from his communications device, and he may send the song to his friend over the same communication path used by the communications device to establish the communications operation, so that the two may continue their phone conversation while the song plays simultaneously.” 

Alternatively, the filing notes that “the communications device may receive a communications operation in the form of a request for a video conference, and once the conference is established, the user may select a video (e.g., a YouTube.TM. selection) to be sent back to the conference initiator by the communications device over the same communication path.” 

iPhone users would also have full control over playback of media items once they’re shared, according to Apple. For example, they could pause and resume playback of a shared digital music track, skip to the next or previous track in the sender’s music library, or switch to transmitting a different media item entirely.

Throughout the filing, the Cupertino-based company makes numerous references to interactive iPhone video conferences where digital media files are shared, something not possible with today’s iPhone models because they don’t include include a forward-facing video camera. 

“For example, the user may wish to transmit a video media item to the recipient of a communications operation, where the ongoing communications operation is in the form of a video conference,” Apple said. “Thus, there may be two video data streams to transmit to the recipient, one related to the media item and one related to the communications operation.”

“There may also be two audio data streams to transmit. In order to transmit all of the streams over the same communication path, the control circuitry may employ a multiplexer to combine together any video streams, and to combine together any audio streams,” the filing adds. “The multiplexer may then combine into one fixed stream the two combined streams. The control circuitry may signal the communications circuitry to transmit the fixed stream to the recipient of the communications operation using any suitable approach.”

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