Many Apple fans have been counting days till they can get their hands on Apple’s new “creation” iPad. The company has announced the device and is removing the last obstacles to start taking orders and shipping the device. But that’s not the only thing that Apple fans are looking forward to. According to many credible sources, Apple is getting ready to reduce iPhone prices yet again to put itself in a better competitive position, considering that many companies are introducing “iPhone killers” these days.

According to Morgan Stanley, the new iPhone models are on the way, and they’ll be cheaper than you think. Getting an iPhone for $199 is only one part of the story. Paying for the 2 year contract puts the iPhone out of many people’s range. Apparently, there is going to be a change in Apple’s pricing scheme to make the device more affordable to more people:

We expect Apple to launch new iPhones in June that offer both a lower total cost of ownership and new functionality, potentially including gesture-based technology

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Credit: Billy Alexander

A guest post by Mike Smithwick, author of Distant Suns 2 for the iPhone and blogger at distantsuns.com. Mike is a seasoned iPhone developer who has developed numerous iPhone applications. Follow Mike’s work on Twitter for more information.

Okay, okay, so why yet another column on beginning iPhone programming when the net is gravid with similar articles?

Well, when I was asked to start a semi-irregular column by the kind folks at www.iPhoneness.com the general topic would be from an app author’s point of view. So I really need to start at the very beginning (from which I understand is a very good place to start).

It was just about two years ago when the first version of the SDK (Software Developer’s Kit) was unleashed upon the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. While iPhone homebrew was out and about through the dedicated efforts of folks like the iPhone Dev Team, setting up the initial development environment was not for the faint of heart and would bring a frown upon the brow of the mothership once the official app store was open for business.  So if you care about being able to proudly point out your app in iTunes to your friends, you gotta play by the rules. And that means Apple’s SDK and Apple’s restrictions.

There are good reasons for this: Apple wanted to assure to their customers that the apps have been proven to be safe from malicious code and were future-proofed by using the approved library calls. The latter would be essential, especially in the early days of the iPhone’s operating system, as it would likely be updated frequently. Apple would need the flexibility to tinker with the underlying “private” calls without having to worry about breaking existing applications. And as various systems mature we can (hopefully) expect more of the secret sauce to be approved for outside development.

So with this in mind what does it take to write a cool app and make a million bucks? (Uh, start with a cool app idea and two million bucks?) Read the rest of the story.

One thing that you can never run out of when it comes to iPhone accessories is options. There are so many of them around that you can spend days going through them. Most people tend to go with bestsellers and accessories that are more mainstream. But there are hidden gems out there that not everybody knows about. That’s what makes them fun to own. If you are looking for such items, here are 11 cool accessories for iPhone that fit that bill:

Digital King Fish-eye Magnet Mount Conversion Lens for iPhone 3G&3GS: did you know you could mount lenses on your iPhone’s camera? This is a great tool if you want to take higher quality pictures on your phone.

Optoma EP-PK-101 PICO Pocket Projector: needs no introduction. It’s a super portable projector that you can connect to your iPod Touch to view your views like never before.

PowerPlate Wireless Induction Charger for iPhone: a cool induction charger that powers up your iPhone 3G or 3GS without wires. Just put your iPhone in the included case on the charging surface, and you are set.

Owle Bubo Camera Mount, Microphone, Stabilizer & 37mm Wide-Angle Lens: a complete package for anyone planning to use an iPhone to take higher quality pictures on the go. Read the rest of this entry »

Apple iPhone may be one of the most popular smart-phones on the market. It may give its owners access to thousands of apps available in iTunes. But it’s certainly not a perfect device, nor is the company that has turned it into what it is today. Apple is known for being controlling and obsessed with its image. Who can blame it? After all, the company has made a fortune by leveraging its premium brand. When a company owns a premium brand, it does everything it can to protect it. Sometimes, it may even go overboard just to cover its behind. That seems to be the case with Apple these days. We knew from the past that Apple doesn’t hesitate to strike down dubious iPhone apps as well as those that were being promoted by its competitors (e.g. Google). But Apple now seems to have gone overboard by removing sexually explicit apps from iTunes.

Many sex apps have been removed from iTunes in the past few days, and while the company has allowed some back on, there are many developers who have been devastated by this move. It’s one thing to monitor apps for bad taste and hateful content. It’s another thing to shut down a major category of apps. Let’s face it. Sexual content are all over the place on the Internet. You don’t see your ISP filtering them out. Of course, Apple is trying to protect its brand and reduce its liabilities. It’s true that many kids own an iPhone today. If you are a parent, it’s your job to make sure your kids don’t access to sexy apps on your or their own phones. That doesn’t mean Apple should get rid of all these apps. Read the rest of this entry »

Credit: Engadget

There has been controversy brewing in the iPhone world in the past couple of days with the emergence of photos of a titanium iPhone. A device that looks so cool that many wrote it off a myth and a fake. Let’s face it. In today’s iPhone world, a titanium model sounds as believable as nessie monster. Of course, in this case there is video. Before you lose your cool, know that there is no official titanium iPhone. Not one you can buy online or from a niche store.

The one discussed on iPhone blogs for the past few days is a modified version of a regular iPhone. The back is built out of an titanium alloy that passes through RF waves and doesn’t hinder your ability to make calls from your iPhone. Martin Schrotz posted about his device in a popular forum but of course needed to provide video to make his story provable:

Basically I designed a new back cover for the 3GS. I had the original cover measured digitally, and I then started to draw the new cover in CAD. It’s made out of a special titanium alloy that is RF transparent. I had tried aluminum but that was a complete disaster. Read the rest of this entry »