iPhone Passion

AppleGadget is comparing, side by side, the iPhone with some other common gadgets. Wow, that’s a pretty big phone, I might say…; a small pocket pc, though…

Eesite provides us with insights on the iPhone’s insides (pun intended )

According to a report from FBR Research, the winners are Samsung Electronics (applications/video processor), Marvell (802.11), Infineon Technologies (baseband), Broadcom Corp. (touch screen controller), and Cambridge Silicon Radio (Bluetooth).
FBR believes that Apple has contracted with Taiwan suppliers for 6 million units this year, with an option for another three million units if demand is good.

A report from Macquarie Research noted several Taiwan companies will also benefit, including Foxconn International (assembly), Catcher and Foxconn Tech (stainless casing and mechanical parts) Cheng Uei and Entery (connectors/cable and Bluetooth module), Unimicron and Tripod (PCB), Largan Precision (camera lens) and Altus (camera module).

Why the Samsung processor? The answer is obvious: Intel processors, while economic enough to power the MacBooks, were never ment to be mobile processors: they consume waay too much power. Still, Samsung is a surprise, given that Motorola has been a past Apple ally and would have seamed like a first choice.

What does this tell us again? That the stripped-down OSX version that Steve Jobs boasted runs on Samsung. Since it’s obviously OSX based(runs Safari and Dashboard at the least), this tells us quite a lot about the multi-platform capabilities that OSX has in store. Hmm… another of many Apple mysteries…

Forbes has an insightful article today on our favorite gadget and its European version.

“The general standard in Europe is you get a handset for free or a small premium of maybe 50 or 100 euros ($65 or $130) at most,” said Arber from his office in London.

The bad news comes for Vodafone, Orange and Whampoa users, which might not get their favorite mobile iPod on the network; the good news might come for UK users:

Niek Van Veen, an associate analyst at Forrester Research in the Netherlands, said the phone would not be attractive to networks like Vodafone and Hutchison Whampoa’s 3, which already have their own music download services.

He points to British cellular operator O2, a subsidiary of Telefonica (nyse: TEF – news – people ), as a potential initial carrier, given the quick way it picked up the Motorola (nyse: MOT – news – people ) Rokr when it launched in Europe in September 2005. Rokr was the first cellular phone to be integrated with Apple’s iTunes music player. “I see O2 as a more relevant operator to start with.”

A lack of capability third-generation capability had also looked like an initial problem for the iPhone’s acceptance in Europe, since all operators there have launched 3G phones, whose broadband capabilities make them useful for music and video downloads. “To come into the European market at the end of 2007 with a non-3G phone for high-end users,” said Van Veen, “just wouldn’t be attractive for the target audience.”

After all, the current EDGE specs for the iPhone are a bit slim for Europe’s 3G spoiled asses; the download speed is orders of magnitude slower. The good news is that Steve said he’ll eventually add 3G to the iPhone. Maybe the European version will have it?

CBS’s video is without any doubt the one showing best the cool features of the iPhone: the multitouch screen, scroll, address book in sync with the OSX one, contact calling, and the innovative video voice mail where you can jump directly to the call you want. Neat!
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgW7or1TuFk[/video]

First iPhone videos online.

Tuesday, 9th January 2007. The date that changed history. Well… at least mobile gadgets history.

The date Apple launched the iPhone. Probably the coolest gadget ever. Here starts the countdown.

6 long, sweaty, enormous, unbearable months of waiting for the iPhone to come.

Let’s wait together.