In yet another round of “Deal, or No Deal” rumor regarding the UK launch of the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone, it seems that O2 (NYSE: TEF) has secured the exclusive rights for UK distribution of the iPhone - again. Speculation has already pinned the UK iPhone carrier as O2, so we’re not too surprised by this report.

Nic Fildes at The Independent writes, “O2 expects the launch of broadband and Apple’s iPhone to maintain its momentum during the second half of the year, after it outperformed the market over the past three month,” adding that “Peter Erskine, chief executive of O2, said: ‘We’re excited about this product and we certainly hope to be marketing it later in the year when it launches.’”

When O2’s head honcho alludes to marketing the iPhone, the deal is most likely at least in the works. We’re going to put our money on O2 for now. As long as that wheel keeps spinning, we can still change our bet.

[Via: MacDailyNews]

Mobile phone watches are a pretty cool idea. Who wouldn’t want to get all Dick Tracy on their wristwatches? Past cellphone watches have flopped on account of being too big with too few features - but, current mobile phone watch manufacturers seem to have gotten hang of it, they’re actually pretty slick. Apparently CECT didn’t get the memo, they’ve got this hugely craptastic mobile phone-watch prototype that looks, well, like a huge piece of crap.

The watch phone claims GSM connectivity, Bluetooth, media player, large LCD, and even a built-in microphone and speaker. Be still our gadget-loving hearts! How in the world could they fit all that and three-buttons on each side of the non-touchscreen into that tiny little device? Oh, it’s not tiny you say? So that’s how they did it!

At least they’re planning on launching this thing in a range of colors that would make the Skittles rainbow feel inadequate.

Keep reading for more pics.

Read the full article »

Don’t look down. Don’t lick the frozen flag pole. Don’t, under any circumstances, push that RED button. What is the very first thing you do when someone tells you not to do something? Well, you do it, of course. It’s okay, we do too. That’s why we love this little “Self-Destruct Button” cell phone charm.

The mobile phone accessory is basically a black box, with a conspicuous red button, protected by a clear plastic hood that clearly indicates that something nasty will happen if you press that button. We love it because we can finally take out our button-pushing angst on this little black box, with no ill-effects. We can’t imagine a $10 accessory will actually do anything more than make some cool sounds and flash some fun lights - which is more than we can say after having licked that frozen flag pole. Oh yea, don’t ever lick a frozen pole. Just take our word for it.

[Via: Slashphone]

With Amp’d Mobile’s business circling the drain, and their wireless assets up on the chopping block, Prexar Mobile has made the move to acquire strategic assets from Amp’d. It seems the demise of the once-hopeful MVNO is a boost for Prexar Mobile. MocoNews is reporting that Amp’d Mobile customers are now getting SMS text messages offering customers of the now-defunct company a promotional offer of 100 free SMS text messages for switching to Prexar Mobile’s network. Interesting, since Prexar Mobile only offers the conventional post-paid accounts that Amp’d Mobile customers were likely looking to avoid.

Prexar’s parent company, United Systems Access Telecom, Inc., also owns VOIP service Teleblend, which is also trying to lure in customers from the shuttered VOIP service, SunRocket. Talk about picking up the leftovers. These guys seem to be making a business out of it.

[Via: MocoNews]

Leave it to a group of enthusiastic Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) fanatics to compile the most exhaustive database of SE phones to date. The excel file includes all the detailed specifications you could want to know about any phone from the T68i through the present.

Download the database from SE-community. Or, you know, you could just hit up our IntoMobile Wiki

[Via: JUSTAMP]

We brought you the XML file almost a month ago. We knew it was going to have S40 5th Edition, A2DP support and a 320 x 240 screen; today we are finding out that it will be ultra thin (it was compared to the Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) W880 which is 9.5 mm thin) and black with a rubbery texture.

It will also have a 2 megapixel camera and microSDHC support! Best of all it is supposed to be very cheap.

Well, someone had to officially say. Following on that retarded poor, misguided guy’s class-action lawsuit over the iPhone’s sealed battery, New York State’s Consumer Protection Board has officially put in their two-cents on the iPhone’s fleecing of America. The organization took issue with the additional costs associated with owning an iPhone, and sent Stevie a letter to that regard.

The battery’s $80 replacement fee, $29 iPhone loaner, short 14-day return period and the 10% restocking fee are among the poor customer service tactics cited by the CPB.

We completely agree. While we don’t condone a free battery replacement, the cost of doing so should be considerably lower, especially considering the ridiculous profits that Jobs is making on each iPhone. And charging for a loaner? We get free loaners for our cars (which cost considerably more than even a high-end gadget)! But, we can’t really say that a restocking fee is a bad idea, it keeps the non-serious lookey-loos from buying and returning the iPhone on a whim.
iPhone Central seems to think restocking fees should be abolished industry-wide, while they don’t understand the need for a longer trial period. We think they got this one backwards. Restocking fees are necessary, and so are longer trial periods.

We’re hoping more consumer protection agencies throw their hat into the ring on these issues. Afterall, their job is to make sure that greedy CEOs don’t overcharge or take advantage of us poor, little consumers. But, then again, Jobs is about as stubborn as they come, so we’re not holding our collective breath for any leniency from Apple (NSDQ: AAPL).

[Via: MacWorld]

It’s been about a month and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is prepping the first release of iPhone updates. We’ve been looking for the first update to enable iChat features and possibly even MMS support, so imagine our excitement when we heard that the upcoming update might include new widgets, chat client, location-based services, MMS support, and maybe even some Mac OS X Leopard integration!

Greg Joswiak, Apple VP of iPod Product Marketing, told RBC Captial Markets analysts Mike Abramsky that “An iPhone update patch is expected shortly.” However, there’s no word on Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Exchange integration - but that doesn’t mean it’s not coming, or slated for a subsequent update.

Now, if only we could get 3G enabled on the iPhone. Alas, there are no hidden 3G chips to enable, and Abramsky believes that the 3G version of the iPhone will not be available (even in Europe) until Spring of 2008.

Thanks, Apple! We love the fact that our iPhones can be easily updated through a simple download, rather than waiting months for a whole new firmware version.

[Via: Apple Insider]

Remember that Ericsson commercial where soccer fans lit up a blacked-out stadium with their green cell phone backlights? Well, we do and this story just brought that memory back. Reuters is reporting that a July 21 blackout caused the lights to go out in Villa Mercedes in San Luis, Argentina. The town’s hospital was performing an emergency appendectomy when the lights faded and emergency backup lights failed to come online.

Leonardo Molina was on the surgeon’s table, all opened up and in the middle of the procedure. So, how could the surgeons complete the surgery without light? Apparently, Leonardo’s family rounded up mobile phones from people throughout the hospital and brought them into the OR to be used as light sources.

Now that’s convergence. Phone, email, text, music/video player, web browser, and now, Operating Room light!

[Via: Switched]

No details, but boy is it pretty.

[Via: Mobile Whack]