How to Repair Your Cracked iPhone Display

IMAGE: FLICKR, WILLIAM HOOK

BY TAYLOR CASTI1 DAY AGO

We've all experienced those three seconds of dread as you bend down to pick up your dropped iPhone — the sinking feeling of regret and loss when you see that spidery crack across your once unblemished screen.

It’s heartbreaking, tragic and it can happen to anyone. And if you don’t have AppleCare+ or another warranty to fix the damage, you may end up with some bandaged fingers or the need to buy a new cell phone. But complicated as it seems, it's possible to fix a cracked iPhone display. If you don’t want to bite the bullet and get a new phone, or take it to a repair shop, you can fix it yourself at home with just a few tools and a lot of patience.

Now, before you jump into this project, remember that it's a challenging, do-it-yourself fix, which doesn’t guarantee results. It’s easy to rip a ribbon cable or otherwise damage the internal components of your phone. You can also cut your finger on a cracked display or otherwise injure yourself while trying to fix your phone.

If you're feeling hesitant, a repair shop may be the way to go. However, if you’re confident in your abilities working with small parts and complicated electronics, there’s no reason you shouldn’t tackle this project yourself. Use the video below to see all the parts of the device in detail, and then follow our instructions for step-by-step help.

Note: Each model of the iPhone, as well as each carrier’s version of each iPhone model, contains slight differences. This guide is for the iPhone 5.

Materials

First, you’ll need to get a replacement screen and LCD panel. Since the iPhone’s front panel and LCD are fused together, you’ll probably want to buy both as a single unit, but it is possible to separate them. It’ll run you between $70 and $120 online. If this seems steep, remember that it’s cheaper than a new phone.

You'll also need:

• a suction cup
• a plastic spudger or case-opening tool
• a Phillips head #00 screwdriver
• a pentalobe screwdriver

Instructions

1. Back up and power down.

Remember that this is a risky fix, so be sure to back up your data using iTunes or the cloud, and then power down your device.

IMAGE: IMORE

2. Remove the pentalobe screws.

At the bottom of your device, on either side of the Lighting connector port, are two pentalobe screws. Remove them using the pentalobe screwdriver. You may also want to consider replacing them with Phillips head screws when reassembling, as the pentalobe screwdriver can strip the screws, rendering them difficult to work with.

IMAGE: IMORE

3. Use a suction cup to pry up the screen.

Using a slightly wetted suction cup, pry up the unscrewed screen. Make sure that the cup is firmly attached to the front panel and don’t be afraid to use a little force; this display is more firmly rooted to the back panel than most devices.

You will want to use your plastic opening tool once you’ve separated the display enough from the device.

IMAGE: IMORE

4. Lift up the screen.

Start from the bottom and loosen the display, working your way up the right and left sides. Do not fully detach, as there are still several ribbon cables attached to the display that you will need later.

IMAGE: IMORE

5. Remove the front panel assembly cable bracket.

Once you’ve removed the front display enough to lift it about 90 degrees off the rear case, you can remove the front panel assembly cable bracket from the logic board, near the top of the device. Look to the right of the battery, where there is a small metal panel held down by the three Phillips screws. Remove them.

IMAGE: IMORE

6. Disconnect the ribbon cables.

Once you remove the metal panel, use your plastic opening tool to disconnect the three front panel assembly cables for the front-facing camera, digitizer cable and the LCD cable.

You can now fully remove the front panel display from the rear case.

IMAGE: IMORE

7. Remove the LCD display

Now you’re left with the front screen and LCD display. If your LCD display is also damaged, you can start reassembling your phone with the new LCD and front display. If you’re planning on using your old LCD display and just replacing the cracked screen, you’ll want to remove the six screws holding the LCD display to the front panel. There are two on both the left and right sides of the LCD, and two on the back panel. Remove the LCD panel.

IMAGE: IMORE

8. Remove the earpiece speaker.

Now you need to remove the components that you’ll need from your existing front panel display, starting with the earpiece speaker. It’s attached by two Phillips screws and should be fairly obvious, since you already know its location. Remove the bracket and then the speaker from your phone.

IMAGE: IMORE

9. Remove the front-facing camera.

Next, use your plastic opening tool to remove the front facing camera cable out of the display. You may have to do a bit of prying. Once the cable is out, you can remove the camera itself.

IMAGE: IMORE

10. Remove the rear microphone assembly.

Next, remove the rear microphone assembly. This will not require the removal of any more screws; you should be able to just lift them out.

IMAGE: IMORE

11. Remove the home button.

Finally, you’ll want to remove your home button, starting with the bracket that holds it in place. You’ll need to remove two Phillips screws to access it. Once you remove the bracket, you’ll use your plastic opening tool to pry the edge of the home button ribbon cable from the display assembly.

This is important: Start under the contact point on the right and work to the left. Going left to right could rip your ribbon cable. Once you’ve finished removing the ribbon cable, you can pry up the home button from the display assembly to remove it.

IMAGE: IMORE

12. Reassemble with the new display.

You’ve now fully detached your cracked front display from the components that you'll need in order to put your phone back together. But you’re only halfway done. Now you get to start the reassembly.

Working in reverse order, reattach the home button, front facing camera, earpiece speaker and other components to the new display, then reattach the front panel to the rest of the device.

Congratulations, you now have a good-as-new device that you fixed yourself.

IMAGE: IMORE

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EISA 2010 Awards Announce Mobile Winners in All Categories

EISA - the European Imaging and Sound Association - announced its 2009-2010 awards for mobile devices and greenness. More than 50 prominent tech magazines from all over Europe got together to judge this and here are the results.

The European Camera Phone award was snatched by the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD. If you thought the Samsung Pixon12 was a sure-win - EISA was looking at overall performance, and 8 megapixels of still resolution and 720p/24fps video were enough to nail it. The 3.7" 360x640 pixels AMOLED screen was also noted among the phone's strongest point.

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD

The European Music Phone is… the Sony Ericsson W995. EISA looks at not only combining the most desired and technologically advanced features but value for money as well, things most likely to be appreciated by enthusiastic public. It seems this is what tipped the scales towards the W995.

Sony Ericsson W995

The European Business Phone award went to the Nokia E75. We guess the E71 would have felt right at home the the top of the ladder in this category as well, but we guess technically it's not a 2009 model and the Nokia E75 was noted as extremely well designed and capable of fulfilling all communication needs. Robust build quality and long battery life were also major factors in the decision.

Nokia E75

The European Smartphone award may be a surprise to some - in this category the iPhone, and more specifically the iPhone 3GS, is King Kong standing on the Empire State Building, with countless of other phones buzzing around it while trying to shoot it down. Try as they might, the "iPhone-killers" still have a way to go, as the iPhone still clutches the beautiful maiden of user-friendly, simple but sleek UI. According to the EISA, the 3GS is a huge leap forward, even if it doesn't seem like it at first glance.

Apple iPhone 3GS (artwork has no connection to the official EISA awards panel and is purely fictional)

The ever-growing importance of companies becoming eco-friendly also got a nod from EISA, and while there were plenty of eco phones that were either light-weight versions of normal phones (mostly in packaging) or low-end phones, the LG KM900 Arena won the European Green award by being the "greenest fully featured mobile phone on the market today". The retail package is said to be the best in terms of eco friendliness as were the build components of the phone itself. The emphasis seems to be that "feature-rich" and "green" can fit very comfortably in the description of one phone, no compromises necessary.

LG KM900 Arena

Sure, some people won't agree with these awards. The iPhone platform for example was patted on the back for having its smart function upgraded. Indeed those were just holes in the core functionality that begged for plugging for quite some time now, but Apple have done a nice job in updating the software platform to a more mature level.

If you're interested, you might as well check out last year's EISA awards and see what we were up to last August.

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Apple announces 1.5 billion Apple App Store downloads

Today Apple announced that the number of downloaded applications from their App Store has just exceeded 1.5 billion.

Just one short year after the launch of the online application store the figures unequivocally suggest that this is one of the most successful projects in the mobile industry history.

What's even better for Apple is that the download rate is increasing - it was less than 3 months ago when the counter on the company's website flipped over the one billion mark. This suggests that since that moment an average of more than 6 million apps have been downloaded every day.

With more than 65,000 apps available to 40 million iPhone and iPod touch consumers in 77 countries those numbers aren't really surprising but they are a success nonetheless. We are only hoping the quantity will improve quality and the percentage of actually useful apps will be too be on the rise in the future.

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iPhone 3G gets unlocked under 3.0 OS, iPhone 3G S still waiting

Celluloco.com announces unlocking of iPhones that are sold in our site under 3.0 O.S. while 3GS is still pending.....Stay put for the release of the 3GS units unlocked in our site as we strive to make this happen as soon as possible!

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Navigon release their Mobile Navigator app for the iPhone

One of the major SatNav suppliers Navigon have released a version of their Mobile Navigator through Apple AppStore. The new app runs on the Apple iPhone turning it into a fully-fledged SatNav solution.

The Navigon Mobile Navigator is now available at the App Stores in Europe. North America will be following shortly, Australia is in the works.

The Mobile Navigator app uses map data by NAVTEQ, so you should be getting the same grade of map coverage and details as provided by Nokia Maps. The maps will be preloaded on the device so there will be no need downloading it live as you go around.

TomTom might have been the first company to announce mobile navigation software for the iPhone but it seems that Navigon are the first to release one.

The Navigon's Mobile Navigator makes use of the popular NAVTEQ maps, which can be preloaded in the storage memory so the software doesn't need any data connection. This will be very helpful especially when navigating abroad where roaming charges can be hard on your monthly bill.

The Navigon Mobile Navigator for iPhone will have 2D and 3D maps, automatic portrait and landscape modes, precise voice navigation, pause during calls, speed assistant, real signpost display, take-me-home function and much more familiar features of the current Navigon software product

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First Look: Trip Cubby 2 App for iPhone

In the past year, my iPhone has become packed to the gills with apps. Some are for fun and some are for work. A prime example of the latter is Trip Cubby. My job (and Uncle Sam) requires me to keep close tabs on mileage. Trip Cubby makes recording my trips simple and fun, and version 2 improves upon a winner.

To get started, add a new trip and fill in your destination, purpose, any tags you'd like and so on. Designate a vehicle and its starting odometer reading. You can also categorize a trip (business, charity, etc.) and add relevant notes (tip: Add frequent trips to favorites for future reference).

From there, click done and you're off! Once you arrive, select your trip again, enter the final odometer reading and click Done. Trip Cubby assumes a mileage rate of $0.550, but you're free to change that if need be.

Here's where it gets good. You can sync all of your data online at App Cubby, should you lose anything. Also, you can mail all of your data to yourself from within the app as a CSV (a HUGE time saver at tax time). Typically I'm a pen-and-paper guy, but Trip Cubby has replaced the notebook in my glovebox.Here's where it gets really good. Version 2 has introduced fantastic new features, including:

1. Predictive text input and data entry shortcuts. The main reason I use paper for text-heavy input is that I can write much faster than I can type. Predictive input helps a lot.


2. Charts. Oh, the charts. My favorite aspect of Gas Cubby is the beautiful and informative charts and graphs. It's so very helpful to see your data presented with a graph, and with a simple tilt of the iPhone you can view your Trip Cubby data depicted by category, paid vs. unpaid and miles driven per day, all across various amounts of time.


3. Bulk edit trips. Delete several trips or mark them paid all at once.

There's more to this update, but these are the highlights for me. Trip Cubby is an app that I use and rely upon every day. It's a free upgrade for registered users and can be purchased via the App Store for $9.99US

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Diamond Covered IPhone Headsets for $3500 Anyone?

Fones de ouvido custam US$ 3.499

Desenhadas por uma joalheria, as cinco unidades são cobertas com base de ouro branco e diamantes incrustados

Não são apenas os players de música que têm suas versões caríssimas com ouro, brilhante e outras peças preciosas. Para quem está disposto a gastar um bom dinheiro, é possível ter uma jóia em forma de fone de ouvido.Uma empresa desenhou fones de ouvidos cobertos com uma base de ouro branco de 14 quilates e diamantes incrustados.

A empresa criadora da a peça é a nova-iorquina Olympus Jewels, que desenha jóias exclusivas e resolveu entrar no mundo dos gadgtes de luxo. A peça, que está sendo vendida por US$ 3.499 no Ebay, faria um belo par com um dos iPods da coleção de luxo de uma empresa sueca, que levam banho de ouro e têm cristais Swarovski.

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Leaked Software Screenshots of iPhone 2009

A leaked screenshot recently showed more info about the updated hardware of the upcoming iPhone 2009 (to be announced this June, guys). That screenie backs up all the numerous speculations and rumors.

The iPhone 2009 is expected to be announced quite soon and according to the leaked info should have a 600MHz CPU (currently 400MHz), 256MB RAM (currently 128MB), 32GB internal memory (currently a maximum of 16GB), a 3.2 megapixel autofocus snapper, digital compass and FM radio.

Those specs definitely sound good although they are far from the best-of-class smartphones and we would have liked them to be even better.

Unfortunately, the rumors don't suggest any changes regarding the screen, battery or design.

Finally, the poster named Patapon200 mentions that Apple also have in store a 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet. It is expected to be announced later this year.

All that of course is just rumors, but in the past this particular forum was a trusted source of leaked information about Apple's stuff.

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ZunePhone takes on iPhone and Pre

Microsoft has jumped on the Twitter bandwagon - the latest buzz-generator of choice - with an account for Office 2010 but two somewhat cryptic tweets suggest a new Zune product launch is just around the corner.

They advise us to hold off on buying an iPhone 2009 or a Pre because June will be "an important month for Zune lovers." Seeing how they mention two quite popular phones, could this product be the ZunePhone? With Windows Mobile 6.5 launch imminent, a PocketPC with the new OS and a Zune software package doesn't seem too unlikely.

In related news, yesterday Windows Marketplace opened for developer registrations. According to the Marketplace FAQ, this means it should be open for application submissions soon. During the registration process, developers will be provided with documentation about distributing apps through Marketplace. Unfortunately, currently the registration seems restricted to US residents only.

So far, there's no indication that the Zune Marketplace will merge with Windows Marketplace but it seems a logical step if a ZunePhone is released.

Either way, with the Pre very, very likely coming in early June, not just Zune lovers, but all gadget lovers in general will have a ball next month. We know we would...

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First Look: 24: Special Ops for iPhone

Digital Chocolate has nabbed the 24 license (along with a few sounds and music bits) from Fox, and they've released an iPhone game based on my favorite TV show ever. Unfortunately, things don't get quite as good as they probably should, but the run-and-gun gameplay mixes it up with a nice variety of minigames, so if you're a 24 completist (and have an iPhone -- apparently this doesn't work for iPod touch at the moment), it might be worth spending the $5.

If not, there's a "lite" version on the App Store which will take you through the game's first few "hours" (in reality, just a few minutes per segment) of stages. The game itself features Jack Bauer backed up by Chloe doing what else but saving Los Angeles from various terrorist threats. The grid-based action gameplay is simple but fun, and the shooter stages are broken up with encryption and driving minigames. None of it is brilliant, but just like the show, watching Jack Bauer kill bad guys is usually good enough.

It's too bad they didn't do more -- 24's strengths have always been in its breakneck story pace and twists and turns, and just from playing the first few hours in the lite version, this seems like a Jack-and-Chloe story only (Bill appears in a suit on the menu screen, so apparently he shows up later, in some role at old CTU). If there are any cool story twists or turns, they take place more than four hours in -- it would be great to see Michelle or even Nina (if this is before Day 3) again, but I doubt we get that. Still, it's got Jack killing and blowing stuff up, and that's never a bad thing.

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Twitterrific 2.0: It's real, and it's SPECTACULAR.

I'll be honest, I adore Twitter. I don't mean "Oh it's so cute and Oprah's on it," I mean in a way that is likely unhealthy. It was just another technology I had an account for but only sort of used until I found out that the Iconfactory created an application for my desktop called Twitterrific that allowed me to have a little corner of my desktop devoted to microblogging. So then I used it a little more.

Then I got my iPhone 3G and the Iconfactory made a version of Twitterrific for that, too. Today, here I sit more than sixteen thousand updates later. Twitterrific was among the first desktop and mobile Twitter apps and terribly exciting. Then some other folks came on the scene, having re-imagined what an iPhone Twitter app could look like. We got Twitterfon and Tweetie, and I found myself very disappointed to have bumped Twitterrific from my home screen.

All of that has changed. Twitterrific 2.0 is out and once again I have an Iconfactory app on my home screen. There are loads of changes, but the standout feature is the option to turn some of these off and on as you desire.

Multiple account support was the revolutionary feature of other clients, and it has now been added to Twitterrific. Adding more is a piece of cake, and the nice thing about it is that your account(s) live on a "Sources" page with the public timeline, saved searches and a list of the current trending topics. I really like this view and it makes things very convenient, especially if you want to check the trending topics on the go.

You'll notice you get three views of your timeline: A "mini" view with just a name and a tweet, the "standard" Twitterrific view of an avatar and bold name with a tweet, and an additional "mega" view, with a larger picture and the text a bit bigger as well (including the client). So far I am loving the mini view, since I can scan easily.

In case a black background with lighter text isn't your thing, you also have the option of three different color schemes, Raven (the classic black), Snowy (lighter, with some 3D elements for selected tweets), and Basic (a black and white option). Right now Snowy is the one that's working for me. I really like the way selected tweets stand out.

Now you can also pick your reply method which is one of the most impressive features. If you have a tweet selected when the entry window comes up, you get your pick of whether or not to tweet, tweet a public @ reply, or DM the author of that tweet based on which tab you choose at the bottom of the window. You can also hide the keyboard to peek back at the timeline in case you want another look at the tweet. This is a really elegant method for entry since a lot of times I want to reply via DM to someone who sent me something publicly, or inadvertently have a tweet selected but I don't want to reply to it. Every time I use this interface I am happier with it in a new way.

To keep from using a lot of screen for the buttons for different views (one each for your timeline, replies, and DMs) there's a little funnel you tap that pops up a bar with those view options in it. As a fan of the mini view this helps me pack even more information on the screen and I like how it's implemented. Next to this icon is a little snowflake/asterisk icon you can tap to get buttons for a link to a selected tweet, retweet, reply to the author, the author's info page, see the conversation thread, email it, or favorite it. You also get a button to mark a tweet. Marking a tweet is like a favorite, but currently those marks are only saved on your phone (it has been mentioned that this will sync with the desktop version eventually).

Other features I really like: the left-handed option made it forward from the previous version, configurable options for tapping an avatar (1, 2, or 3 taps can be set to different actions like show the author or the conversation, add it as a favorite), and there is a notes field on authors so if you are out and about and add someone you can take note of where you met them or how you know them or whatever else you can sometimes want to keep track of.

I love the new version, and I like to think it came about because others came along and innovated which made the Iconfactory step up THEIR game, so now there are a variety of easy to use and nice looking Twitter clients for the iPhone. Now, on to the desktop!

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iPod touch, iPhone required for journalism students

Brian Brooks, associate dean of the University of Missouri's Journalism School, knows how his students learn. "Lectures are the worst possible learning format," he told Columbia Missourian. "There's been some research done that shows if a student can hear that lecture a second time, they retain three times as much of that lecture."

I can distinctly remember a former French instructor giving us cassette tapes of lessons from week to week (this was long before iPods, kids), and walking around with the voices of Mireille and Robert in my ears. Even all these years later, I can still manage marginally useless phrases like, "The red shirt of my brother is on the dresser."

The point is repetition increases retention, and that's why Mizzou is requiring incoming journalism students to have iPod touches or iPhones to carry audio versions of class lectures. Mr. Brooks points out that students who lack an iPhone or iPod touch won't be punished or miss out on anything, but they've described them as "required" so that students with financial need can include their cost in aid.

Apple has historically offered a laptop/iPod combo as a back-to-school special that these students could potentially take part in, provided that the touch is included (the iPod is typically a nano in the bundle).

The good news is, if you're going to Mizzou next year for journalism, you've got an excuse to buy a shiny new gadget.

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Microsoft fans flames with non-response to iPhone-alike rumor

There’s a reason most companies have a policy against responding to rumors and speculation. When a company responds to a rumor with PR-speak it simply spawns more speculation. Of course sometimes that’s exactly what a company wants to do — fan the flames, keep the hype going, etc. If we were betting men (and a woman), we’d say this just so happens to be one of those times. Yesterday the Journal ran a rumor that Microsoft and Verizon were in the kitchen cooking up a handset to combat the iPhone. In a nutshell, Microsoft was said to be tweaking its OS with a multimedia focus, assisting with the design and that a third party would be building the handset. Microsoft’s official response: “Microsoft is not going into the phone hardware business.” Right then. While the rumor does suggest Microsoft would be assisting with the design of the handset, it puts Microsoft on the software side of the project for the most part. This hardly suggests Redmond is getting into the “phone hardware business”. So there you have it folks — Microsoft might be working with Verizon and using its Danger resources to develop a handset and modified OS that attack the iPhone on all fronts, but its not getting into the phone hardware business. Microsoft’s full response:

Microsoft is not going into the phone hardware business. Microsoft is not building a Zune-specific phone. We’re deepening our relationships with our hardware partners in order to create even better performing phones that are competitively priced, have the features people want, that are easy-to-use and just downright lust-worthy. The upcoming availability of Windows Mobile 6.5 software will enable our OEM partners to build even more compelling devices in a wide-range of form factors for customers around the world.

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Apple Announces Surprising Financial Quarter Results

It now came Apple's turn for announcing their financial results for the first quarter of 2009. The company acquired a revenue of 8.16 billion US dollars and a net quarterly profit of 1.21 billion US dollars.

It seems that the world economical downturn has been merciful to the guys over at Cupertino as it's obviously has been the most successful non-holiday quarter in Apple's history.

The current results results compare quite favorably to the revenue of 7.51 billion US dollars (8.6% increase) and net quarterly profit of 1.05 billion US dollars (15.2% increase) achieved in the same period last year. .

According to Apple the nice results are mainly due to the strong sales of the iPhone and Apple TV. The iPhone 3G units sold this quarter were 3.79 million, which is exactly 123% more than the sales for the same period last year. The company also managed to move 2.22 million Macs (3 percent decline YoY) and 11.01 million iPods (3 percent growth).

The introduction of the Apple's AppStore is also playing a decisive role in the company's success. The app distribution network has helped almost a billion apps reach their new owners in less than a year existence. By the way, just as a trivia, Apple have a huge AppStore counter all over their website right now, counting up to the one billionth download, which should be due these days.

With the company's financial health so good we can't help but wait for the rumored iPhone 2009 announcement in June.

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Streaming Orange TV app is now rolling to the Apple iPhone

Orange offers the new "TV from Orange" application for download from the Apple Apps Store, provide to iPhone owners with live streaming of more than 60 TV channels live in what they claim as "high-def mobile quality". The application "TV from Orange" is ready to stream on EDGE, 3G and Wi-Fi networks from Orange.

The streaming TV service from Orange has started on 7 April along with a new range of 5 monthly plans called "Origami Star for the iPhone", starting at 42 euro.

Unlimited access (up to 1GB/month) to a bundle of 20 TV channels will be included free of charge in the new range of plans. The other plans offer unlimited internet access, unlimited email, plus unlimited SMS and calls with some restrictions. They will also include unlimited Wi-Fi in mainland France across the 30,000 Orange Wi-Fi access hotspots.

Customers who prefer to keep their current data plan can also take advantage of the TV from Orange app. All they have to do is to subscribe to the TV option at the expense of 6 or 9 euro monthly for the TV max or watch TV on their iPhones on a pay-as-you-go basis billed either by volume (1 cents/10KB) or per session (50 cents/20 minutes).

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iPhone OS 3.0 hides a promise of video recording on iPhone 2009

The iPhone inabilities have been a matter of discussion at least as much as its virtues. Unfortunately, video recording (or better yet the lack of it) has often been a subject of criticism. But that will surely become a thing of the past since the developer's beta of iPhone OS 3.0 is supposedly sprinkled with clues that video recording will definitely be coming to the upcoming iPhone 2009.

It's this time of the year again, and with Apple's next announcement in June nearing, not a day goes by without some new iPhone rumors surfacing. Rumors are always to be taken with a pinch of salt, but this one seems as solid as a rock.

The iPhone 2009 is rumored to have a better 3.2 megapixel camera in store for us but no matter the megapixel count, it will almost certainly support video recording as the following camera screenshot reveals. Video recording has never been a part of the originally announced iPhone OS 3.0 new features, so it's highly possible that iPhone 2G and 3G will most probably be left out in the cold.

Screenshot of the updated camera application by MacRumors.com

Boy Genius Report have also gotten their hands on quite a few screenshots of the developer's beta OS, and one of their shots confirms video recording as well.

There are other yet undocumented 3.0 features as well - voice dialing (or perhaps even full-on voice commands), a digital compass (the most reasonable translation of "magnetometer"), as well as some changes to the UI, including an accessibility menu and OpenGL ES getting bumped to version 2.0 (it's the 3D library used by the iPhone SDK).

iPhone OS 3.0 Beta screenshots from Boy Genius Report

Unfortunately, there's no info on the captured video specs. Thanks to some unofficial third-party applications, the iPhones have already been able to record video in CIF resolution at 15-20fps. We really hope that the iPhone 2009 will do better than that.

We've already covered the most notable new features of the iPhone OS 3.0 version and only time will tell if these newfound capabilities will remain in rumor-land or they will make it to the new iPhone 2009 along with (hopefully) the old ones.

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Skype arrives to Apple iPhone, Screen Shots Included....

Skype kept to its promise and released the long awaited official Skype application for the iPhone. One of the most popular IM clients is available for free from the App Store as of today. Having several iPhones at hand we were quite happy to give this newbie a spin and share with you our first impressions.

The most important thing to note seems to be that the Skype app is a no-go for jailbroken iPhones. When installed on one it constantly crashes, becoming virtually useless.

Also calling through 3G is impossible at this stage (both SkypeOut to other phones and regular Skype to Skype calls). We read several reports suggesting that iPhones running on the OS 3.0 beta but than again the application is pretty unstable on this version too.

On the other hand using the application the way it is meant to be used (or rather the way Apple meant for it to be used) - over Wi-Fi on non-beta firmware - is a very positive experience indeed. It launches very fast and is generally really responsive with audio quality way better than what the third party apps for the iPhone can offer.

The Skype app itself consists of five tabs for contacts, chats, call, history and my info.

Contacts are sorted in alphabetic order with blocked ones sent to the end of the list. The search option is very effective, as it looks throughout the names much like on the desktop computer version of the app. In case you have too long a contact list you may also opt for seeing the online users only.

Contacts tab • viewing a profile • skype call are not supported over 3G but only with Wi-Fi connection

The chat section lists all chats chronologically with the newest on top of the list. When a single chat is selected a profile image appears next to each message which helps a lot for the visual perception but takes more space on the screen with less room for text. The date and time of sending of each message also appear here. Unlike the desktop version however older chats cannot be deleted from the chat list.

Chat tab

The call tab needs no further explanation as it is quite simple - access to the contacts, green/red call key and the correction key.

The SkypeOut call pad • talking via the speakerphone is also available

The history tab reveals the call history with dialed, missed and received calls. Again calls are listed chronologically with the newest on top. Pressing a name from the log gives direct access to the caller profile with call and chat shortcuts. You can easily clear the entire call history should you find the need to do so.

My info tab allows the user to edit their entire profile, change their status, buy Skype credit, online number or voice mail. Changing a picture of your profile is as easy as it gets - make a new one with the camera or choose existing photo from the ones available in the photo albums.

My info tab • changing the online status

Some nice touches to the application allow the user to use the loudspeaker or the headphones for making a Skype call.

While we certainly find the official Skype application quite nice we simply cannot let trough its drawbacks. First of all, it somehow manages to drain the battery even faster than using the GPS. About two hours of keeping Skype online with the display switched off for the most part, except for two short voice calls via Wi-Fi network used almost half the battery.

Another great disadvantage is the lack of a landscape keyboard. You shouldn't also look for smilies - there isn't any. There is no incoming message alert too so if the display is switched off, you will be only be signaled of incoming calls. Quite strangely incoming calls are not signaled when you are using Skype through 3G no matter if the display is on or off.

The final shortcoming of the Skype app we noticed is that an incoming SMS message or call (regular network one that is) turns off the Skype. At least after a call the app logs back in automatically.

The settings menu is quite bare with the only configurable option being whether you want or not Skype to log in automatically once started.

So that's about as much as we can tell you at this stage. The rest is left for you to find out by downloading the app from the App store - it's not like it's going to cost you anything after all.

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Talks to bring iPhone to China 'ongoing' - Apple's Steve Jobs Insists on Taking the Marvel Mobile to China and We Love Him for That!

China Mobile, the world's largest mobile phone network operator, said Thursday it had not yet reached an agreement with Apple to launch the iPhone in China, but that the firms were still in talks.

"We have been discussing with Apple, but until now no agreement has been reached," chief executive officer Wang Jianzhou told reporters in Hong Kong after his company released its annual results for 2008.

Wang said his company welcomed outsiders' use of its network in China as long as it was a profitable partnership.

"The door of China Mobile's network is always open," he said.

China Mobile said in June last year the main obstacle to introducing the iPhone in China, which had more than 630 million mobile users at the end of 2008, had been cleared when Apple dropped its revenue-sharing demands.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs had said he would have liked to see the device introduced in China last year.

A thriving black market in the popular handset has since established itself in China.

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