By now you’re probably aware that it is possible to add custom ringtones on your iPhone. However, as this process isn’t actually supported by Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), thus it’s not that easy to do it. Luckily, “iPhone hackers” have been working on this and now we have an application called iFuntastic, which simplifies the whole thing. Actually, it’s better to say that iFuntastic makes the adding of custom ringtones more manageable — it brings a GUI for the Jailbreak application, making you feel like you know what you’re doing. You’ll still have to do all the (seven) necessary steps, though.

Anyway, iFuntastic works only on Intel-based Macs and is available for download from here.

[Via: Gizmodo]

TrafficGauge, the service which offers live traffic information for 17 metropolitan areas, just added iPhone to its list of the supported devices. As expected, the iPhone version of TrafficGauge’s service works pretty much the same as their “Mobile Web” version – it’s just optimized for iPhone’s larger screen.

Now, all you need to do is jump over to TrafficGauge’s site, enter your phone number, and wait for them to send you the link to TrafficGauge for iPhone. Alternatively, you are free to browse from here.

TrafficGauge’s coverage is still not nationwide – at the moment they are providing the service for the following cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Portland, OC / Inland Empire, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, San Fernando, and Seattle.

[Via: Navigadget]

Here’s something for all the iPhone users who love reading the newspapers, but don’t want to bother with all the paper. NewspaperDirect’s PressDisplay.com is now offering “500 newspapers from 70 countries in 37 languages” — all optimized for your beloved handset.

According to NewspaperDirect’s CEO Alexander Kroogman iPhone’s huge touchscreen is ideal for PressDisplay.com because “its rich user interface complements the advanced navigation and browsing capabilities of PressDisplay.”

Interested? Plans are starting from $2.75 for a single paper (issue) to between $9.95 and $199.95 per month for various levels of access.

[Via: CrunchGear]

While there is no real iPhone RSS feed reader application, there are a number of web-based solutions which could be easily used on your shiny new handset — Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) even made its own web-based RSS reader optimized for their phone. Still, you may want to use your current RSS reader on your iPhone, to keep track of all the saved entries and categories/tags. In case you’re using Bloglines, well… now you can use it on your iPhone! The popular web-based RSS reader just launched the version of its service optimized for iPhone’s touchscreen at i.bloglines.com. All your feeds are there and the images are re-sized for faster loading time, which I find especially important when accessing through EDGE network. One thing that bothers me is that I can’t see my saved entries. Hopefully, Bloglines will fix this…

Why won’t our brand-new G900’s come out of stand-by? That was the question asked by many new Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) G900 owners last week. New G900 users, eager to start playing with their slick new devices, were riddled with “standby of death” problems. It was like Toshiba’s first-batch of G900 Windows Mobile 6.0 smartphone just loved to sleep – the units would repeatedly refuse to come out of standby.

Toshiba has answered the call of the disgruntled masses with a new software patch that should bring the Toshiba G900 out of standby without issue. The patch can be easily downloaded and applied. However, a hard reset will require you to re-apply the patch to keep your G900’s heavy-eyelids open.

Download the patch here.

Given the huge success of the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone, it’s not surprise that throngs of windows shoppers have hit their local Apple Store to get a chance to play with the almost iconic device. What is surprising is Apple’s newest move to help curb the incredible crowds that have started to inundate Apple Stores. Following a successful pilot program in Canoga Park, California, Apple Stores across the nation may start to institute a $5 “cover charge” for iPhone window shoppers.

Vince Sciopiano, vice president for Apple’s retail stores, said that, “Part of the move was to limit crowds to keep the stores safe, but also we wanted to keep the right kind of people in the stores. By ‘right kind of people’ I mean true Apple customers with money, willing to pay just to look at our newest wares.”

Shoppers would buy a $5 badge that would track the customer’s movements throughout the Apple Store. Upon purchasing an item, the $5 entrance fee would be deducted from the purchase price.

However, Mr. Sciopiano’s statement that Apple wants to limit entry into their stores to people “with money, willing to pay just to look a” Apple products seems a bit elitist. Sciopiano asserts, “That’s exactly the case.”

Update:
Turns out the source of this story was a parody of Apple’s techno-snobbery. Hilarious.

[Via: Tech.co.uk]

Image courtesy of CartoonStock

When it comes to the Verizon (NYSE: VZ) wireless network, it doesn’t get much better than the dated Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Treo 700p for Treo fans. For now, anyway. Engadget Mobile’s gotten their hands on a live shot of the Verizon-branded Palm Treo 755p. Could the highly desirable Treo 755p (with its sleek, antenna-less design) be making its way to Verizon sometime soon? According to these pics, it sure looks like it!

We were expecting the Palm Treo 755p to drop on Verizon in July, so these new photos might just be hinting at a launch for this month!

More sneak peek pics after the break.

Read the full article »

Those silly geeks over at PC Magazine have put together an “iPhone Death Watch.” Essentially a countdown timer for your iPhone’s battery, the “watch” ticks off the seconds to the day that your iPhone will die. They say their countdown timer is based on “scientific calculations.”

Don’t take this “Death Watch” seriously folks. As we mentioned before, the battery is not dead after 400 charge-cycles, just reduced to 80% capacity. You’re not likely going to need to replace the batter at such time, but if you want, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) offers their battery replacement program.

Keep in mind that a charge-cycle is defined by a full discharge followed by a battery-topping refill charge. So, the 400 charge-cycle estimate is bound to last quite some time. PC Mag estimates that after 675 days, the iPhone’s battery will have such reduced performance that you will likely be looking for replacement.

Honestly, we’re not likely to keep the iPhone for anywhere close to two years, so the battery life problems is something of a non-issue for us. And, we figure most early adopters of the iPhone will be looking to replace it with the next-gen iPhone before the battery craps out.

Still, the “iPhone Death Watch” is pretty amusing. We got a good chuckle out of it.

Check out the countdown timer here.

[Via: The Raw Feed]

A huge congratulations to my favorite company in Northern Europe. Apparently the Taiwanese love your stuff, buying 600,000 units in June versus 580,000 in May. That boosted market share from 30% to 31.8%.

Who is number 2 and 3? Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) with 17.3% and 17.2% of the market.

[Via: Digitimes]

Absolutely beautiful language. You can view the specifications over at Forum Nokia. The video was made by the fine folks over at Symbian France: