Knowledge's Blog

You know how your 3GS-wielding friends can shoot video with their iPhones, but you with your regular 3G or 2G or even (snicker) first-gen iPhone are stuck with the lowly still photograph? Suffer no longer, thanks to iVideoCamera, newly available in the App Store.

Well, let me clarify. You won’t have to suffer from “lack of ability to shoot video” with your non-3GS iPhone, but you will need to suffer though a host of limitations within the iVideoCamera app itself. The biggest limitation is the unfortunate 3 frames-per-second (FPS) maximum. (The iPhone 3GS camera maxes out at a much more standard 30fps.)

Other limitations include a pretty junky resolution (160-by-213) and a brutal time limit (no more than 60 seconds per video clip). Still, if you love jerky, low-quality, and short video, iVideoCamera lets you shoot it, and share it too–you can post your limited masterpiece to YouTube, Vimeo, and even Facebook.

iVideoCamera costs $1, and is available now.

NEW YORK – Wireless data hogs who jam the airwaves by watching video on their iPhones will be put on tighter leashes, an AT&T Inc. executive said Wednesday.

The carrier has had trouble keeping up with wireless data usage, leading to dropped connections and long waits for users trying to run programs on their devices. AT&T is upgrading its network to cope, but its head of consumer services, Ralph de la Vega, told investors at a UBS conference in New York that it will also give high-bandwidth users incentives to “reduce or modify their usage.”

De la Vega didn’t say exactly how or when the carrier would change its policies, but he said some form of usage-based pricing for data is inevitable.

Right now, the carrier doesn’t limit data usage for smart phones. It also doesn’t make it easy for subscribers to know how much data they’re consuming.

“We need to educate the customer … We’ve got to get them to understand what represents a megabyte of data,” de la Vega said. “We’re improving all our systems to let consumers get real-time information on their data usage.”

Just 3 percent of “smart” phone users are consuming 40 percent of the network capacity, de la Vega said, adding that the most high-bandwidth activity is video and audio streaming. Several applications on the iPhone provide nonstop Internet radio.

De la Vega also defended the network’s performance, saying testing showed that AT&T’s third-generation, or 3G, network was faster than that of competitors, and that major problems are concentrated in New York and San Francisco, which are packed with smart phone users.

AT&T is locked in a TV ad war with Verizon Wireless, which is touting its wider 3G network coverage. The two recently agreed to drop two lawsuits about their dueling claims.

(This version corrects that AT&T doesn’t limit data usage on phones. 5-gigabyte limit applies to data cards.)

There’s been a lot of talk in 2009 about the next generation of wireless technology, known as 4G wireless broadband, but the current generation of 3G wireless technology is far from dead.

For many wireless operators, especially those that have built their networks using the global standard GSM, the current 3G wireless technology called HSPA still has some legs left.

And while many carriers are planning their 4G networks, hundreds of wireless providers throughout the world are also expected to upgrade existing network infrastructure with the latest versions of the 3G wireless technology to increase speeds and offer new services.

And because these network speeds will match current 4G speeds, consumers will likely see no difference in capability.

For this reason, the next few years will likely continue to be all about 3G technology. And 4G services, where they will be available, will likely appeal only to niche audiences.

“The average consumer doesn’t care about peak data rates or network acronyms,” said Dan Warren, the GSM Association’s director of technology. “They just care about the experience. They want to be able to watch YouTube or get live traffic updates on their smartphones. And they don’t care whether it’s a new network or a current network that is being upgraded.” Click here to read more.. »

Apple iPhone Ad – Did You See My Email? from Arik Hesseldahl on Vimeo.

On the heels of a judge’s decision to allow Verizon to continue running commercials that attack AT&T’s 3G network, Apple is reportedly prepping an iPhone ad campaign that defends AT&T’s capabilities.

Apple will kick off the campaign Monday night with two ads that show an iPhone user talking to a friend while simultaneously surfing the phone’s browser for information about movies and restaurants, or accessing e-mail, Engadget reports,

“Can your phone and your network do that?” a voiceover asks at the end.

The ads come several days after a judge denied AT&T’s request to pull several Verizon ads that criticize AT&T’s 3G network. Earlier this month, AT&T sued Verizon, claiming that Verizon’s ads erroneously suggest that customers not connected to AT&T’s network will not be able to use their phones at all. Verizon’s response – the truth hurts.

Recently, AT&T debuted an ad starring actor Luke Wilson, which defended the company’s network.

An AT&T spokesman said that questions about the ads should be directed to Apple. Apple has not yet responded to a request for comment.