iPhone

According to an unnamed source from within O2, AT&T's problems aren't all their fault. Apparently the iPhone's hardware really is to blame, at least in part. The source says that the iPhone was the first device to use a radio (the hardware bit that talks to the cell tower) that drops the connection as soon as it's finished doing what it's doing, which saves battery life but is much harder on cell tower sites.

Yet more evidence is raising hopes for video chat finally making its way on to the iPhone and iPad. 9to5 Mac has found two icons titled "AcceptVideo" and "DeclineOrEndVideo" in the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK inside the TelephonyUI.framework folder, which houses graphical elements related to telephony. That could mean video calling is in the future, but as that would require a front-facing camera, it could mean video chatting through 3rd party apps as well.

According to a study from the analysis firm Validas, considering data from more than 1,000 smartphone users, iPhone users use around twice the amount of data than other smartphone users, and almost five times as much as Blackberry users. The difference is strikingly apparent when you see that that nearly 80% of Blackberry users and 54% of other smartphone users use less than 50MB per month.

Steve Jobs is known to be calm and reserved when the media is around, but employees get to see his more outspoken side. According to a few anonymous Apple employees, they all got to see that side of him at a company town hall meeting a few days after the keynote. The events give employees to ask questions about the direction of the company. This time, it resulted in him bashing Google's motto and calling Adobe lazy.

Our pals at Qik have announced that their video recording app, Qik VideoCamera [App Store, $0.99], now records video at 15 frames per second on the iPhone and iPhone 3GS. As far as we know, this is the first app to allow this high of frame rate on non-3GS iPhone's. We haven't had a chance to check out the quality, but we're guessing that it's decent if not good. Remember, these guys have been playing with video on the iPhone for a long time.

Additionally, Qik VideoCamera also sports some effects like black & white, "red effect," and "Avatar movie mode" which lets you turn your friends into blue aliens. Yeah, it's gimmicky, but the point is that you can record at 15fps. If you're on a non-3GS, Qik VideoCamera might be a good choice.

Almost immediately after the launch of the iPhone, competitors were trying to dethrone Apple with their own touchscreen handhelds. These days, if it doesn't have a touchscreen, it's yesterday's news, and touching the screen to interact with your phone is now commonplace. However, all touchscreens are not created equal, as a study published by MOTO labs (no relation to Motorola) confirms. The results show clear differences between the iPhone and others, exposing the copycats for what they are.

Over at CES, peripheral maker Macally unleashed a slew of new products. The first, known as the AmpTune, functions as a stereo speaker for Apple's iPods and iPhone and users both horizontal or vertical docking which charges the unit while docked.

Next, the FMport functions as a full-channel GM transmitter for both the iPod and iPhone and also features a remote control

The PowerGo functions as a three-in-one battery charger and features an internal battery that draws power from either AC, car or USB sources.

There's a part in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" where one of the main characters, upon losing 500,000 British pounds in a rigged poker game and being threatened with gradual dismemberment if unable to pay the debt, walks into a bar. His friends just look up at him and mention "This dinnae look good."

Per Chinese e-tailer Taobao.com, the site has sold only five iPhone units in its first two weeks of availability on the Web site, which is fairly similar to that line in the movie.

In spite of a slow sales start, China Unicom continues to hold high hopes for the iPhone with an unnamed senior executive citing that the handset will carry 10% of China's 3G users within two to three years. In addition, China Unicom Chairman Chang Xiaobing publicly said this week that he expects the iPhone to be the best-selling smartphone in all of China.

If you're wishing for FM radio functionality on your iPhone or iPod touch, you may not have much longer to wait. Per 9 to 5 Mac, a new tips is claiming that Apple is in the process of bringing FM radio functionality to the handsets. The functionality would reportedly be similar to that found in the fifth-generation iPod nano, which offers the ability pause radio and tag songs for use in iTunes.