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The next generation of iphone appears set to claim exclusive access to advanced graphics core and video decoding technology, thanks to a secret licensing deal between Apple, mobile graphics leader Imagination Technologies, and Samsung, the iphone’s ARM “system on a chip” manufacturer. The result may be an ideal platform for handheld gaming and high definition video playback.
Continues: iphones”>Apple’s bionic ARM to muscle advanced gaming graphics into iphones

Apple has posted a new Knowledge Base article about iphone/iPod Touch backups that is definitely worth a read. The article describes when backups occur, the difference between syncing and backing up, and how to restore from backups. It also details the process for deleting unwanted backups:

“You can also use iTunes to create a backup of settings and certain other information on your iphone or iPod touch to use in case you want to restore the software on your iphone or iPod touch or transfer this information to a different device. Backup information includes information such as mail settings, text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, certain network settings, and other preferences.”

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

Daniel Eran Dilger
Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi appears to fit well into the company’s plans to pioneer the development of a new WiFi mobile platform with the iphone and iPod Touch. Apple is certainly not the only company to see the vast potential in mobile devices. The market for smartphones and mobile Internet devices is currently broad and diverse, with lots of competition both in the hardware components used and in the operating system and development platforms offered.

Today’s growth in mobile messaging and computing devices bears some similarity with the explosion of desktop personal computing in the early 80s described in the previous segment. The difference is that today there is no big equivalent to IBM threatening to enter the market; all the existing, leading competitors in mobile devices are already large and established companies.

Unlike the 1981 IBM PC, which pushed the unremarkable x86 processor and Microsoft’s copycat software ahead of superior technology, mobile devices today are being sold on their actual merits in terms of hardware and software. Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anyone working to shoehorn the square pegs of x86 processors and Microsoft Windows software into the round hole of mobile devices. Here’s a look at the state of chips in mobiles, and how PA Semi expands the options for Apple in the mobile market.

How Apple’s PA Semi Acquisition Fits Into Its Chip History
Why Did Apple Buy PA Semi?

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The latest build of iphone OS 2.0 (5a258f), now available to developers who have been accepted into Apple’s $99 iphone Developer program, includes a feature dubbed “Import SIM Contacts” that presumably does as its name implies, extracting contacts stored on the SIM and copying them to the iphone’s internal storage. Theoretically, this would allow SIM cards pulled from other phones to have contact information transferred to the iphone permanent — assuming the cards came from the same carrier.

This task could previously be accomplished with some jailbreak applications like “SIMport,” though with mixed results.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

AT&T introduced a new Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) for the iphone today developed with the help of representatives from the hearing and speech impaired community. The plan was developed for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have another speech or hearing loss disability.

The cost of the iphone only TAP is $40.00 per month. TAP includes: unlimited SMS messages, unlimited data usage (email and web) and Visual VoiceMail (which would have limited use for the hearing impaired). Voice calling is available at $.40 per minute on a pay-per-use basis. So phone calls can be placed in an emergency if needed.

Customers need to qualify for TAP by submitting an application to the program.

The iphone must be activated using the usual means of activation with iTunes. Once the iphone is activated the customer can call the AT&T National Center for Customers with Disabilities to learn more about the iphone TAP program. See the this site for more information.

Rogers Communications, the largest wireless carrier in Canada, will soon be carrying the iphone. Atypically, however, the announcement comes directly from Ted Rogers, President and CEO of Rogers Communications, with no co-announcement from Apple and scant detail. Rogers’ statement reads only:

“We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iphone to Canada later this year. We can’t tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned.”

Speculation holds that the lack of detail — no specific release date, etc. — indicates the pending introduction of a 3G-capable iphone. Rogers rolled out its 3G (HSPA) network in late 2007, for areas of Canada including Greater Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler, Calgary, Edmonton, FWinnipeg, Saskatoon, Ottawa/Gatineau, Greater Montreal, Quebec City and others.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

We’d like to welcome David Martin to the iphone Atlas editorial team. David has more than 20 years of experience in the industry as a programmer, systems and business analyst, author, and consultant. He cut his teeth on the memorable Commodore PET writing in BASIC doing advanced things with the POKE command, learned assembly language programming on the Commodore Vic 20 and C64, and later spent several years working on and testing Space Shuttle applications. Recently, David has produced a number of high-profile articles for MacLife. He comes to CNET’s iphone Atlas with deep knowledge and passion for the iphone/iPod Touch platform.

When David isn’t writing, you’ll find him spending time volunteering in his community, teaching, spending time with his Dachshund Bertha (and her new little buddy Gretchen), family or friends.

Though it’s somewhat buggy and a significant drain on battery, a new unofficial application distributed under the jailbreak umbrella allows users to replace the static wallpaper (background) image on their iphones with dynamic videos in the .mov format.

In order to use this application, dubbed vWallpaper, use our guide to jailbreak your iphone and get it ready for unofficial third-party applications. Next, add the software repository i.danstaface.net to Installer.app — as described under “Adding sources” in our guide.

Next you’ll need to put some movies on your phone in the appropriate directory. Follow these steps:

Install an SSH client or file transfter utility capable of transferring files via secure copy (scp), like Cyberduck for Mac OS X or WinSCP for Windows.

Determine your iphone’s IP address — make sure your iphone is connected to a Wi-Fi network, then get its IP address by tapping Settings, then “Wi-Fi,” — tap the arrow next to the name of the Wi-Fi network to which your iphone and look at the IP Address.

• Connect to the iphone in your file transfer utility, using the username root and password alpine
• If you’re using a command-line client (such as the Terminal in Mac OS X Type scp -r
• Put properly sized movie files (320×480, for the iphone’s screen) in the following directories: /Applications/vWallpaper.app/Library/Skrew/Videos and /Library/Skrew/Videos. A modmyifone thread links to some great sample videos.
• Restart your iphone, then use vWallpaper to set your wallpaper movie.

Below is a video demonstrating vWallpaper in action. Click here to see it if you’re on an iphone.

Again, this application has some bugs and can cause problems with battery life as well as conflicts with other applications, but it certainly qualifies as a stellar concept.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

Daniel Eran Dilger
Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi does not signal an entirely new direction for the company. Throughout its history, Apple has designed sophisticated custom chips for use in its computers, in addition to codeveloping complete microprocessors. According to those in the know, it appears that after acting to jettison its internal custom silicon efforts and delegate much of that work to Intel, Apple experienced some remorse and acquired PA Semi to get right back into the chip design business. Here’s a look at Apple’s history in chips, leading up to how Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi relates to the beleaguered future of Microsoft’s Windows.

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The iPhone music is making the long trip across to Europe. How will it fare? That is anyone’s guess but if we can judge by the reaction in the US then ‘pretty well’ will be a good answer.
Carriers have been chosen to represent Apple with the iPhone  in the UK, Germany and in France. These carriers have not been announced.
How Apple choose to price the iPhone music downloads and its tariff will be interesting, especially with a very weak dollar against a fairly strong Euro and Pound Sterling. The tariffs are likely to have to be fairly competitive in what is going to be a harder market to impress.
Hardcore Apple fans are sure to be hardcore iPhone fans, but is there enough there to tempt in those who are as yet undecided? New iPhone software and features – coupled with the benefit of already having the public bug testing phase completed – might just swing a few people Apple’s way.