A California man, Timothy Smith, has filed a lawsuit against Apple in a Santa Clara County Superior court, accusing the company of turning his unlocked iPhone into useless piece of electronics.
In court papers filed by Smith's attorney Damian Fernandez, it is alleged that Apple is violating California's antitrust laws.
Smith argues in court papers filed Friday and made available at InfoWeek Apple is in violation of California's Cartwright Act because "Apple prohibits iPhone consumers from using and purchasing a cell phone service other than through AT&T."
The case may also hinge on a clause in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that Fernandez interprets to mean a carrier-subsidized phone can be unlocked 90 days after purchase.
Link: Apple Gets Hit with iBrick Suit [PC World]]]>
In what already has Apple stock moving up because of the overseas impact this could have, a NJ teen has broken the lock that ties Apple's iPhone to AT&T's wireless network, freeing the most hyped cell phone ever for use on the networks of other carriers, including overseas ones.
George Hotz, 17, confirmed Friday that he had unlocked an iPhone and was using it on T-Mobile's network, the only major U.S. carrier apart from AT&T that is compatible with the iPhone's cellular technology.
While the possibility of switching from AT&T to T-Mobile may not be a major development for U.S. consumers, it opens up the iPhone for use on the networks of overseas carriers.
Read more: NJ teen unlocks iPhone from AT&T network [Business Week]
George Hotz Official Blog [iPhone Unlocking Instructions]
EBAY Listing for the unlocked phone [EBAY.com]]]>
First of all, I'm amazed at just how many people covered the Jobs-Gates session from All Things D earlier this week. Business, technology, pop culture, even political outlets took their turn dissecting the exchange.
Here is an excerpt from The Huffington Post where Arianna get advice from Steve Jobs himself on how to get an iPhone faster when they begin selling...
Talking to Steve Jobs after his speech, I got a hot tip on how to be one of the first people to score a new iPhone when they go on sale in June. "Don't go to an Apple store," Jobs told me. "It will be a madhouse there. People will be lined up around the block, sleeping on the sidewalk to get one. Go to an AT&T/Cingular store. Most people don't know that they will be selling them too." - Huffington Post [link]]]>
Every time I turn around, I see another iPhone clone. Will these products ever exist? Will they launch before the iPhone?
Love 'em or hate 'em, Apple has once again raised the bar and made our tech life more exciting. Rock on Steve!
From ZDnet - The Meizu M8 is almost an exact clone of Apple's iPhone and it's sure to be raising some eyebrows in Cupertino's Infinite Loop. First reported by Engadget in late January, the Meizu M8 (as it was known then) is reported to measure 57 x 105 x 11.5mm with both a GSM and Chinese TD-SCDMA 3G radio, 3.3-inch 720×480 pixel display, Bluetooth, 3 megapixel camera and an ARM11 CPU capable of recording video at 30fps at full 720 x 480 resolution.
Link: Meizu miniOne: A dead ringer for iPhone [ZDnet]
MEIZU Me [Meizu Fan Site]]]>
Apple Inc. confirmed today that its new Apple TV entertainment appliance won't go on sale until mid-March, a several-week delay that it declined to explain in detail.
"Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected, and we now expect to begin shipments mid-March," Apple spokeswoman Teresa Brewer said today.
Unveiled in September 2006, the $299 video- and audio-streaming wireless hardware was expected to ship this month, based on promises from CEO Steve Jobs at last month's MacWorld show in San Francisco. The device will sport a 40GB hard drive that's able to store about 50 hours of video or 9,000 audio tracks and will sync to and stream from both PCs and Macs.
The box will be sold via Apple's online store and through its retail outlets. It's priced at $299.]]>
Samsung Electronics Co. has unveiled a new mobile phone that features some of the sleek design and functions of Apple Inc.'s much-hyped iPhone.
Samsung's Ultra Smart F700 will be exhibited at next week's 3GSM World Congress, a Barcelona telecommunications exhibition, Samsung spokeswoman Sonia Kim said Friday.
Mobile phone makers have been scrambling to match the iPhone, unveiled last month by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The device, which will be available starting in June, marks the iPod and Macintosh computer maker's entry into the mobile phone business.
Link: Samsung announces competition for Apple's iPhone [AP]