PineApple iPhone

Contract Free iPhone 3G: Comparison Shop

Validating Rumors

Beginning March 26, 2009, you can expect to see the iPhone 3G sold without a contract and still locked to everyone’s least favorite carrier, AT&T.

The contract-less iPhone 3G will be available at a $400 premium over the subsidized iPhone 3G, which requires a two year commitment to AT&T ($199/$299). The new pricing model puts the 8GB iPhone 3G at $599 and the 16GB at $699.

Not surprisingly, it is still cheaper to buy an already unlocked iPhone 3G on Craigslist or eBay.

Before rushing into AT&T next week, think about the real value of an overpriced and soon to be outdated, locked iPhone 3G.

Prospective Purchases:
For the same price as a contract-free iPhone 3G from AT&T you can get:

Two MSI Wind netbooks (only because you install Mac OS)

200 tall soy hot chocolates from Starbucks

5 Harry Potter Hardcover Boxsets (Books 1-7)

1 Playstation 3 and Xbox 360

1 Wii and Wii Bundled with Wii Fit

3 Flip Video minoHDs or 6 Flip Video Ultra

4 Nintendo DSi’s

40 Snuggies (with 40 bonus book lights)

2 Amazon Kindle 2s

600+ iPhone Apps

215 slices of Famous Rays pizza (on 11th and 6th)

2 round trip tickets to somewhere in the U.S.

6 Broadway Musicals (12 if you use TKTS in Times Square)

15 trips to JFK Airport from anywhere in Manhattan

At least 75 total items featured on Dealnews.com

1 Labra-doodle

AT&T’s motives behind offering the iPhone 3G without a contract may center around their attempt to liquidate* the current iPhone 3G model, at a premium, before the new model is released, which as many predict, will be in June.

————————————————-
*AT&T’s stated motives for contract-free pricing are: to cater to customers who would like to purchase a gift, add a line or are ineligible for an upgrade.

iPhone Firmware 3.0: Bananas for Monkeys

Apple’s Latest Firmware Update Does Nothing More than Satisfy Some of the Long List of Complaints Formulated by the “Subordinate” Masses

The Apple marketing machine is at it again, passing off secondhand technology at a breakneck speed, re-wrapping it and dubbing it revolutionary. Two years in the begging, iPhone fanatics can finally begin to cross items off their request lists.

Hello:

New Features Include:

Copy and Paste. Everyone said you’d make headlines and they were right. Although you were available on jailbroken iPhones for quite some time. It’s kind of like Columbus “discovering” America.

MMS. Don’t send SwirlyMMS packing just yet. Apple reveals that only the iPhone 3G will be capable of picture messaging. The original iPhone seems to lack the hardware to make MMS possible…hmm…

Spotlight. Search your iPhone. Okay I can’t come up with a clever enough quip for the extra feature on your remote control you paid extra for, but never use.

Landscape Keyboard. What’s the quickest way to alienate developers and anger consumers who’ve already purchased apps that give you landscape capability for email and text? Provide landscape capability for email, text, and other programs in a firmware update.

Tethering. On again, off again, Apple’s relationship with tethering is like Ike and Tina’s (or for the younger generations, Chris and Rihanna). Apple loves you, then Apple gets a text from AT&T, Apple says it’s nothing, you two argue, Apple does some things it regrets, then Apple wants you back, and here you are. Thanks Apple for officially giving us permission to use the iPhone’s data plan/Internet connection on our laptops/computers, even though we would being doing it regardless.

Sync Notes. Syncing notes with iTunes is ingenious. Forget todo lists that sync wirelessly to servers that save, transfer, update and send notifications. Nope, use the Apple umbilical chord to keep you hooked on iTunes.

GPS. Turn by turn directions. That’s great because, essentially, if you couldn’t figure it out before, you really shouldn’t have had an iPhone.

Push. “Notifications” Instant messaging apps can now run in the background and notify the user when a new message arrives. Some apps already did that, but I can only imagine how streamlined and better integrated Apple will make it, although in earlier reports Apple stated it would never allow programs to run in the background.

App Add-ons. Get new in-game levels, maps, etc, a la carte via this option. This is fun if a 3.5 inch screen is all you need to get your game on.

Bluetooth. Has essentially been inoperable and useless on the iPhone. iBluetooth seemed to be the only app that exploited the Bluetooth capability of the iPhone. Now you get stereo capability with bluetooth headsets. Whoop.

This is Apple’s way of giving Spam to those who ordered and paid for filet mignon.

If you’re starting to feel like Oliver Twist, join the millions of other iPhone users who are lined up with open palms asking, “Please Apple, can we have some more.”

SwirlyMMS 1.2.15 Cracked (Patched)

XSellize Successfully Unlocks SwirlyMMS Version 1.2.15

SwirlyMMS is nothing short of a Goliath when it comes to providing multimedia messaging for the iPhone and iPhone 3G.

Apple has refused to release the all-to common and simple function over countless firmware updates, AT&T has refused to allow any iteration of MMS on Apple products opting instead to run a rumored, daily iPhone MMS disabling agent, and the AppStore has released apps that claim to have answered the demand of MMS for iPhone, but have dubiously fallen short in an unheralded fashion.

If you are desperate for MMS on your iPhone, SwirlyMMS is the only true MMS iPhone application. Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks.

1. It can only be installed on a jailbroken iPhone (3G)
2. It will rarely work with AT&T*
3. The App is permanently linked to only one iPhone
(if you lose, replace or upgrade your iPhone, expect to repurchase this app)

As far as iPhone apps are concerned, SwirlyMMS is a giant among an army of mini-me’s, yet the practice of repurchasing the app is a questionable method to impose on its users; as an $8 price tag per license can add up.

The AppStore shines in the respect that it records your purchases, so if you were to lose, upgrade or replace your iPhone, you could re-download previously purchased apps for free.

SwirlyMMS is in a position to re-engage in the successful, yet rather underhanded marketing of A Tale of Two Cities. Charles Dickens first released the story in a weekly paper that was purchased, then as a collected works from the paper, then in a leather bound collection, essentially selling the same book to the same group of people three times.

There is also a school of thought that perhaps SwirlyMMS has not established a method of tracking purchasers and therefore is enacting a primitive method of purchasing and non-tracking.

If you find yourself in the position of having broken, lost or updated your iPhone and feel conflicted over repurchasing SwirlyMMS, XSellize and its talented iPhone dev team have released a working solution. The fortress that was SwirlyMMS has collapsed and you can now install SwirlyMMS without repurchasing or downloading a two week demo license.

Goliath meet David.

Steps to Install

1. Add the XSellize Cydia Source to Cydia
(http://xsellize.com/cydia/)
2. Install SwirlyMMS
3. Do NOT change your iPhone date after install

How to Install Manually:
Remove SwirlyMMS from Cydia

1. SSH into iPhone
2. Copy Swirly.deb to /var/root/
3. Open Terminal

Steps in Terminal:
(Type)

1. ssh root@ur.ip.address.here
2. enter password (alpine)
3. dpkg -i Swirly.deb

How to Remove:
1. Open Cydia
2. Manage Packages
3. Remove Swirly Crack Package.

 
 
 
 
 
 
*A great deal of other carriers are supported including FIDO, T-Mobile, Roger, O2, Vodafone, etc.

Best Buy Reward Zone $99 iPhone 3G

Best Buy offers Reward Zone members savings up to $100
on a new Apple iPhone 3G

For one week only, between 2/22 and 2/28/09, Premium Silver Reward Zone members receive a $100 discount on new iPhone 3G purchases. All other Reward Zone members will receive a $50 discount.

Will the $99 iPhone 3G be able to carve its niche in the market without losing its identity? As made evident by the recent $99 iPhone 3G promotions, $99 iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3G will either take the legs out from under the competition or cannibalize the iPod in the process.

Regardless, these market adjustments from the iPhone 3G identity crisis will continue to benefit consumers. If AT&T can’t entice you with the cheapest version of the most innovative product of the century, then Apple should begin to seriously reconsider its business agreement with this carrier.

If you are looking to switch to AT&T or looking to get an iPhone 3G for a hefty discount (Cheaper iPhone 3G No Contract), now is one of your best opportunities too.

Apple iPhone 3G Best Buy Offer
8 GB or 16 GB (in Black or White)

Discounts as Follows:

Premium Silver Reward Zone members

8 GB iPhone 3G
regular price: $599.99
-$400 instant savings
-$100 additional savings
= $99

16 GB iPhone 3G
regular price: $699.99
-$400 instant savings
-$100 additional savings
= $199

Reward Zone members

8 GB iPhone 3G
regular price: $599.99
-$400 instant savings
-$50 additional savings
= $149

16 GB iPhone 3G
regular price: $699.99
-$400 instant savings
-$50 additional savings
= $249

$99 iPhone 3G Refurb from AT&T Returns

AT&T Online has dropped refurbished prices on the iPhone 3G by $100.

You can now get an 8 GB iPhone 3G for $99
or a 16 GB iPhone 3G in Black or White for $199

They did this back in December for a short time before
prices went back up $50. So if you want one act fast.

If you don’t care for AT&T you can cancel service after 30 Days.
Here’s an estimated cost sheet:

$99 Refurb iPhone 3G + $175 ETF + $36 Activation + $70 Month + $8 Taxes = $388 Cheap 8 GB iPhone 3G

The 16 GB will cost an estimated $488.

Cheaper than eBay, cheaper than buying the iPhone 3G sans contract, possibly cheaper than Craigslist and you still have a 1 year warranty from Apple. The only con is the credit check, that can reduce points if you receive a lot of inquiries.

Standard AT&T Memo: To cancel service within the first 30 days, the customer must return their equipment to the place of purchase (no exceptions). If the customer cancels service after 30 days, they will be charged the ETF. The customer is not required to return the device to cancel after 30 days.