Ecamm Network has released iPhoneDrive, an application enabling iPhone owners to use the cellular handset as file storage. iPhoneDrive features a familiar Mac OS X interface to simplify the process of transferring files between a Mac and an iPhone, offering drag-and-drop support between the iPhoneDrive window and the desktop. The application stores any type of data, is priced at $10, and requires Mac OS X 10.4.10 with iTunes 7.3 or later and a Mac with USB 2.0 connectivity.

The “Red Ring of Death” may cost them about 1.1 billion during its fourth quarter. No the “Red Ring of Death” is not a new Xbox 360 game. But it is well known to many gamers that have been ranting on online message boards about the “Red Ring of Death” ever since Microsoft launched the console in November 2005.

For Xbox 360 owners “a circle of flashing LED lights around the power button that indicates a massive hardware failure is known as the “Red Ring of Death.” Some Xbox 360 owners have returned their consoles to Microsoft for repairs, only to have the system fail a second, third or even fourth time.

Microsoft has extended the warranty of the plagued systems for the second time, but will not state how many of them are plagued by hardware malfunctions. Anyway, spending over a billion dollars is not “a game” (pun intended). With Zune sales not exactly lighting the world on fire with iPod and now iPhone sales crushing them. It may be easy to say that Microsoft’s Entertainment Division is not doing well.

GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) announced today that it is expanding its offerings to the Mac community. Intel-based Mac users now have access to GameTap’s Lite Player, which offers more than 500 titles to play from GameTap’s massive library of new and classic video games, as well as more than 600 streaming videos of original programming from GameTap TV.

The GameTap client for the Mac is available here (direct download). There are some games you can play for free, but most games will require a subscription. This client is actually the “Lite” version– GameTap says the deluxe version is coming later this year which will offer full screen gameplay, the ability to download more games while playing.

Ars Technica’s does a massive, comprehensive review of Apple’s iPhone, which they award a score of “a big, juicy 8″ out of 10, here. Well worth the read.

We have an iPhone in our household now and have been using it since this past Friday night. I will be posting my two-cents after I use this device for a bit longer.

According to the NY Times, Google is taking further aim at one of Microsoft’s core franchises, as Google acquires the e-mail security and management company Postini for $625 million in cash.

The acquisition of Postini is an effort by Google help to persuade businesses to replace existing e-mail systems and other programs with the company’s own package of business software. That package, called Google Apps, includes the Gmail service, an online calendar and programs that can read and edit documents created with the Word and Excel programs from Microsoft.

With the introduction of the very capable Safari browser inside Apple’s iPhone developers are bringing lots of web based applications for the over one million new iPhone users. Here is a sample of webapps for the iPhone with more coming everyday.

AppMarks is a web desktop for your iPhone’s web browser. Watch our video above for a quick demo. Try it out on your iPhone.

Continue reading iPhone Web-based Applications Released…

Continue reading iPhone Tip #2: Punctuation Shortcut on Keyboard…

Continue reading iPhone Tip #1: Solve Earphone/Headset Jack Woes…

Universal Music has confirmed that they will not renew their current contract with Apple and will only supply music “at will.” This means that Universal will have the discretion to supply whatever part of the Universal catalog to iTunes and will have the right to sell to other online stores.

This is not really huge news or as bad as you might think. Universal is just taking note that it owns the content and wants the right to do business with whoever they want, whenever they want.

iTunes is the third largest music retailer in the U.S. Apple has sold well over 100 Million iPods and it seems about 1 Million iPhones (that are also iPods) in less than a week. I really doubt Universal wants to not have full access to these customers!

It has been reported by several sources that AT&T has activated more than one million iPhones in less than a week. The iPhone only went on sale on Friday June 29 at 6 PM and is sold out in all Apple stores except for two – one in Pittsburgh, the other outside Portland, Oregon according to Apple’s own website. I personally spoke to employees at the two Apple Stores in New Jersey — Tices in Woodcliff Lake and the Garden State Plaza Mall that said they were sold out, but expected more, maybe even as soon as today. One AT&T store we spoke to also had no stock on iPhones.

One million unit sales in less than a week would probably cement the iPhone as Apple’s fastest selling new product, and one of the hottest new technology gadgets in all history. Outselling Apple’s own iPod, Microsoft’s Zune, and even the Motorola Razr phone. These numbers probably do not include iPhones sold on the Apple.com website as they showed shipment times as 2-4 weeks. The iPhone has not even gone global yet as it is only available in the U.S. Mobile phone operator O2 is reported to have won the sought-after deal to sell Apple’s iPhone in the UK. Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile division has reported to have won a deal to sell Apple Inc.’s iPhone in Germany starting on Nov. 1.

Continue reading One Million iPhones Activated So Far…

Neither Apple or AT&T has released any sale numbers yet. But, Apple has reported to have estimated sales in the first weekend between 500,000 to 700,000 iPhones by several sources. That is a lot of iPhones. Even though most iPhones were sold at Apple Retail Stores AT&T sold an amazing amount of units. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said, “We sold more iPhones in the first weekend of sales than in the first month of sales for any device in AT&T history.” Probably Apple history too!

“It’s a phenomenal start,” said Gene Munster of equity firm Piper Jaffray. “Apple had an incredible weekend.” Munster estimates that 95% of iPhone buyers bought the more-expensive $599 iPhone with 8 gigabytes of storage (it’s also available for $499 with 4 GB of storage).

Continue reading So How Are Those iPhones Selling Anyway?…

According to a New York Times report, Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest music corporation, has notified Apple that it will not renew its annual contract to offer its music catalog through iTunes. Universal has said that it will instead market its music to Apple at will, a move that may allow Universal to pull its songs from the iTunes Store with little if any notice should the two companies not come to an agreement on pricing and other key terms. However, such a move might spell financial hardship for Universal, which saw 15 percent of its first quarter revenue come from sales of digital music — more than $200 million.

Continue reading Universal vs. Apple iTunes…

The iPhone is already giving road warriors a treat. First they speed up EDGE, nowe free Wi-Fi. According to Multichannel, AT&T has just annonced they will offer millions of its broadband Internet customers free access to nearly 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide.

The free Wi-Fi service — which will help AT&T to compete against Comcast, Time Warner Cable and other cable operators offering high-speed-Internet access — is available at McDonalds restaurants, Barnes & Noble bookstores, coffee shops and sporting venues.

Continue reading AT&T Brings Free Wi-Fi…

Verizon gets a last minute exemption from the set-top box rules that went into effect on July 1. The FCC turning down a blanket request to delay the new rules for most of the cable industry making exempt a few specific companies in addition to Verizon, primarily those companies who have agreed to go all-digital by February 2009.

These new rules mandated by the FCC are said to be designed to open up competition for set top boxes that are needed for most cable TV providers. The rule pushes providers to move their security features to a cable card that is in a slot on the STB (set top boxes) instead of having it built-in that most subscribers rent from them.

Continue reading FiOS Exempt From New STB Rule…

According to Forbes, AT&T had time while selling the iPhone to have purchased Dobson Communications, which operates the Cellular One network in most regions. AT&T will buy Dobson for $13 per share adding about 1.7 million customers to AT&T’s nearly 62 million, as well as assuming the regional carrier’s debt, which will cost the nation’s largest carrier about $5.1 billion total. Oklahoma City-based Dobson does business under the Cellular One brand in rural and suburban markets in 17 states and has provided roaming services to AT&T since 1990.

AT&T confirmed that it spent $50 million on “Operation Fine Edge” that was set out to improve its EDGE data network just before the iPhone goes on sale. Before the improvements, AT&T reported that its EDGE network delivered speeds between 75-135 kbps. After the improvements, users can expect up to 200 kbps.

Continue reading AT&T Buys Dobson Communications, Enhances EDGE Network for iPhone…

Apple has sold at least 500,000 iPhones this weekend according to Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster anyway. Up to 50% of the buyers are reported to be new to AT&T or “switchers” to a new carrier. Reuters reports 525,000 iPhones sold. I doubt we can really know how many were purchased online. It is safe to say the iPhone is off to a great start. Oh, if you have heard that typing on the virtual keyboard is slow and hard, watch the video above and see the Apple demo.