Geek In Me

via gizmodo.com

Soon after the iPhone Mark 1 launch last year, we brought you an estimate of its manufacturing cost, and now the same analysts have looked at the iPhone 3G. Portelligent thinks that this time Apple may pay as little as $100 for the components, down from $220 for the original. The saving’s made in engineering advances and Apple’s buying power: the extra 8GB in the 16GB version may cost as little as $20, but you’ll pay $100 for it. “But we’re only paying $199 for the phone, so Apple make less!” you may point out. True, but Apple may be charging AT&T as much as $400 for each unit. And with 70 countries eager to buy iPhones, the analysis suggests it might be Apple’s most profitable device yet.

by Thomas Ricker via engadget.com

This morning we’re getting a first look at unsubsidized prices for the iPhone 3G in Europe. Vodafone Italy has set an out-of-contract price for the iPhone 3G at 499/€569 ($773/$881) for the 8GB/16GB models, respectively. Subscription rates have not yet been announced. While steep, those prices are actually smartphone-reasonable in Italy (and around Europe) where an HTC Touch Cruise with its WiFi, tri-band HSDPA data, GPS, and touchscreen sells for €549. Capisce?

via dsfanboy.com

With the recent hubbub over Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, many are wondering if it will threaten the market dominance that Nintendo enjoys with their DS handheld. Even though Forbes thinks Apple has a chance at dethroning the DS, we’re realists and know that just isn’t possible. But, then the price point for iPhone games was revealed and we got a tad bit worried.

Sure, games sell the system, but the titles available on the iPhone and iPod Touch will go for 17-18 Euros (which comes to about $25-$28, less than Nintendo’s first-party titles), according to LemonQuest CEO Ignacio Cavero. It’s not much, but it’s something, and definitely a lot more noticeable when compared to Square Enix games, which often debut at a $34.99 price point. But, we could also see even cheaper stuff, because Apple is leaving the final pricing up to the publishers.

By Andrew Liszewski via ohgizmo.com

I’ll admit that I’m getting pretty tired of cleaning fingerprints off my iPhone. But I don’t know if I’ve quite reached the point where I’m willing to carry a stylus around again. Of course traditional plastic tipped styli won’t work with the iPhone or iPod Touch’s screen since it uses a capacitive system instead of a pressure one, so you need to get a stylus that’s specifically designed to mimic a finger or other bodypart.

This one from BrightonNet is certainly not the first to hit the market, but it does appear to be the fanciest. It features a soft tip attached to a flexible neck which is supposed to help when you’re making dragging motions, however you’ll have to make it doesn’t ‘flick’ when you lift the stylus since the iPhone will detect that motion and react accordingly. While the size of the stylus makes it feel more like using a pen (even though you never have to write or print on the iPhone) I think it’s a bit large given it can’t be used to write on paper. And I have no idea what the price is, but keep in mind you’ll need to buy 2 of them if you want to do multitouch without the fingerprints.