iPhone 3G

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.

Talk of a Verizon iPhone settled down in recent months, but Peter Misek is re-igniting the fire, predicting that it is a likely announcement for the coming Apple media event. The Canaccord Adams analyst says that it will likely be alongside an introduction to iPhone OS 4.0 at the event scheduled to take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Steve is known for his signature "One more thing..." announcements, often saving some of the most impressive or surprising announcements for last, and Misek believes his next one will be a Verizon iPhone, according to intel from "industry 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.

Japanese wireless carrier Softbank has launched a new promotion for the iPhone 3GS wherein customers willing to sign a two-year contract can now receive a 16GB 3GS for free, as part of the company's "iPhone for Everybody" campaign. The 32GB 3GS should be newly available at a cost of 480 yen ($6) per month, down from 960 yen.

To promote RingtoneStudio for Mac, PocketMac has announced a contest to give away a factory-unlocked iPhone 3G to one lucky participant. The iPhone 3G was unlocked by Apple and therefore does not require any hacking, jailbreaking, or any other types of foolery to maintain the unlock. It can be used on any carrier and updated normally through iTunes. PocketMac is also giving away three $15 iTunes gift cards and two $50 iTunes gift cards.

To win the iPhone 3G, all you need to do is purchase a copy of RingtoneStudio for Mac ($19.95). As the contest progresses, the prizes get better. Starting now, you can win a $15 iTunes gift card. Once 100 copies are sold, the $50 gift cards are unlocked. Once 250 copies are sold, one lucky winner will receive an unlocked iPhone 3G. Read on for further details!

When the iPhone hits the other Canadian carriers, users will at least have a speedy network to jump onto. Wireless carrier Bell today confirmed that the company will launch its awaited HSPA+ 3G network on November 4th. The 21Mbps network will launch just a day ahead of its Telus equivalent and should come with multiple phones and modems ready on the same day. Roaming deals will also be in effect immediately and should let Bell users roam on AT&T in the US as well as in most other countries.

Only weeks after attacking AT&T's 3G network and indirectly the iPhone with a "There's a map for that" ad campaign, Verizon has rolled out a new campaign for a yet-to-be-introduced device from Motorola known as the "Droid", the ad focusing on what it perceives as deficiencies in the iPhone. According to Boy Genius Report, the new television commercial, introduced yesterday, features iPhone-like fonts and music listing things the iPhone "doesn't do" and ends with a teaser asking users to sign up at DroidDoes.com for more information.

A new web site has surfaced that allows users you watch live television via a QuickTime player in Safari. Per Macworld UK, tvcatchup.com allows both iPhone and desktop conputer users to currently watch 11 channels - BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, ITV2, Channel 4, Five, BBC Three, Film4, E4, More4, and 4Music.

Wireless carrier China Unicom announced that it plans to offer five versions of Apple’s iPhone through an array of two-year service plans when the operator puts the smartphones on sale next month. According to Macworld, China Unicom initially said the iPhone 3G would be priced at around 5,000 yuan (US$732) when it goes on sale in October, though the operator didn’t offer detailed pricing for the eight service plans that it will offer customers. On Tuesday, China Unicom offered more specifics of its pricing plans, saying it would begin taking preorders for the phones on Oct. 1, when it launches its commercial 3G service.

AT&T is apparently selling refurbished iPhone 3G units on the cheap according to the company's Facebook page. The current ad is now offering the 8GB unit for $49 while the 16GB is retailing for $99.