iPhone

HSBC could order 200,000 iPhones

Global banking giant HSBC is considering ditching the BlackBerry and adopting Apple's iPhone as its standard staff mobile device, a move that could result in an order for some 200,000 iPhones.

"We are actually reviewing iPhones from a HSBC Group perspective...and when I say that, I mean globally," Brenton Hush, HSBC's Australia and New Zealand chief information officer, told ZDNet.com.au this week.

HSBC has some 300,000 staff internationally. A decision to standardize on the iPhone on its corporate networks would likely lead to one of the world's largest iPhone orders.

"A decision on a piece of hardware like that would potentially be deployed, conservatively, to 200,000 people," Hush said. "You know, it's a big decision, especially when you have an existing fleet out there."

"But it's definitely something we are considering from a HSBC Group perspective," he said. "We always explore the potential application of new technologies, and this is no different."

Should HSBC select the iPhone as its official corporate mobile device, the decision would be a major blow to Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, which is HSBC's current standard staff mobile. … Read more

Swedish researcher claims iPhone 3G's sensitivity is poor

Updated 3:15pm with some clarifications due to language issues.

A wireless researcher in Sweden claims to have identified the issue causing iPhone 3G reception problems around the world.

Ny Teknik, a Swedish tech newspaper, has published the account of a scientist at the University of Gälve who investigated the iPhone 3G and discovered that the phone is not as sensitive to 3G signals as other phones. Claes Beckman is claiming that the iPhone 3G's nominal sensitivity is below that of published standards for 3G phones, meaning the phone drops the connection with a 3G tower more … Read more

Best Buy to sell iPhones in September

Best Buy stores will begin selling Apple's iPhone 3G next month, becoming the first national retail chain outside of Apple and carrier AT&T to offer the wildly popular device.

Starting September 7, the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3Gs will go on sale at 970 Best Buy stores and 16 smaller Best Buy Mobile stores, the retailer said. The deal is a coup for the Richfield, Minn.-based chain, which has been expanding its wireless offerings and introducing cell phone departments to its U.S. stores.

"It solidifies us as the place to go for the cool … Read more

T-Mobile Netherlands puts reception issues on Apple

T-Mobile's Netherlands division is blaming the iPhone 3G's reception issues on Apple.

In a company blog posting Tuesday morning spotted by a forum contributor at MacRumors, T-Mobile Netherlands threw the iPhone 3G under the bus, blaming Apple for the problems its customers have been experiencing connecting to 3G networks in that country. Complaints have been cropping up in the U.S. as well about the iPhone 3G's performance on AT&T's network.

"The 3G coverage of T-Mobile is as good as the competition, there can therefore not lie. We suspect that it is a … Read more

Analyst: Infineon chipset possible cause of iPhone 3G issues

A financial analyst believes Apple's iPhone 3G reception issues may be the result of some faulty chips.

Richard Windsor of Nomura published a research note (spotted at GigaOm) Tuesday singling out the iPhone 3G's chipset, made by Infineon, as the probable culprit for the reception problems we reported on Monday. The dropped calls, service interruptions, and abrupt network switches experienced by iPhone 3G users reminded Windsor of similar complaints five years ago, when 3G phones were first launched in Europe.

"We believe that these issues are typical of an immature chipset and radio protocol stack where we … Read more

iPhone 3G: What's the frequency?

If you're an iPhone 3G owner in the U.S., we need your help.

Earlier Monday, we reported on the 3G reception issues that a number of iPhone 3G users have run into during their first month with the device. We'd like to have a little more data to see if there are any patterns connected to who is having problems, and who isn't.

In the comments below, or in an e-mail to me (tom.krazit@cnet.com) please post the following:

Area in which you live.

Date on which you bought your iPhone 3G.

Do you … Read more

Apple's MobileMe suffers more downtime

Apple's MobileMe suite of Web services suffered another outage Monday that affected an unknown number of its users.

Of the included services, Mail was inaccessible for approximately two hours. Earlier in the day we had received scattered reports from users who were unable to access their mail. Those reports were later confirmed both through Apple's MobileMe status ticker and Twitter's real-time search tool. For those affected, all other aspects of MobileMe were reportedly up and running.

Monday's problems centered on a lack of access to Mail on three fronts: through the Web, on the iPhone, and … Read more

Report: Microsoft seeks exclusive video for Zune

According to a report in the Hollywood Reporter by way of Reuters, Microsoft is talking to talent agencies and production studios in Hollywood in hopes of licensing some exclusive video content for the Zune. This isn't a first for Microsoft: the company has exclusive Internet-only shows on MSN Video through its MSN Originals program, and just last month the company announced a plan to offer original short movies through the Xbox Live service.

Are these rumors true? I have no idea. Will they help the Zune? Probably not. Exclusive video makes sense for a game console because it's … Read more

Daily Debrief: Apple's iPhone apps sell, 3G network flails

It's been a month of mixed reviews for Apple's iPhone 3G. One on hand, millions of users have clearly given the Apps Store a vote of approval by downloading 60 million applications to their phones in the first month. Even though many of them are free, Apple CEO Steve Jobs tells The Wall Street Journal that translates into roughly $30 million in sales, or 1 million bucks per day.

The bad news for Apple is the constant stream of complaints coming in about the phones' 3G connectivity. In Monday's edition of the Daily Debrief, I sit down … Read more

Jobs confirms iPhone app blacklist feature

Straight from the horse's mouth: Apple's iPhones do indeed have the capability to check for, and potentially defang, software that Apple deems unfit for the iPhone.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed the existence of the so-called "kill switch" capability, following last week's ruckus over early reports of just such a function. The word from Jobs was tucked at the bottom of a story in The Wall Street Journal about Apple's hot-as-a-pistol first month of sales at its App Store.

The intent behind the capability is high-minded, Jobs said. Apple would need it in case … Read more