ON EVOLUTION IN AN iPHONE WORLD

CHANGE IS AFOOT

Engadget reports that Apple's iPhone is being successfully unlocked in dozens of countries around the world:

"According to that list above compiled by the iPhone Dev Team, the freebie iPhone software unlock has now been tested to work in 32 countries and 69 national carriers -- a list which is changing by the minute. Testing is based on calls in/out, SMS in/out, EDGE/GPRS access, and voicemail access..."

"Update: Make that 42 countries and 90 local carriers according to our readers!" 

Separately, this piece in Wired News reports how folks are focused on making free custom ring-tones work on the iPhone, as this piece in Wired News reports:

"Apple started selling iPhone ringtones for $2 apiece through its iTunes store last week, but if you aren't afraid of a little tinkering, you can get that "Hey Ya" or "Sexy Back" ringtone without shelling out the extra bucks.

Users have to pay Apple $1 for a song, plus an extra $1 to convert that song into a ringtone. Of course, hackers immediately set out to find a way to generate iPhone ringtones for free.

In a classic game of cat and mouse, Apple has spent the last few days trying to block iPhone owners from installing free ringtones on their devices -- only to watch hackers come up with workarounds just hours after each patch is released."

Of course all this is being vigorously fought by the the various wireless carriers focused on preserving as much of their old cash cows as possible against the tsunami of internet technologies.  And they know how the iPhone is already shaking up the traditional relationship between phone manufacturers and carriers.

Both pieces brought to mind the line by Jeff Goldblum's mathematician character in Jurassic Park, that "Nature will find a way".

As long we all don't forget one day how dinosaurs ruled the communications world.

Comments

[Alex Tolley]

My fantasy portable PC would be:

3 layers:
1. Large, very low power, flexible, OLED screen.
2. paper thin batteries backing the screen (carbon nanotube + paper prototypes already demonstrated).
3. Organic or amorphous silicon solar panel.

Memory and storage using low power static RAM. Software OS with built-in touch screen keypad and gesture recognition ala the iPhone/iTouch.

I see this as being possibly on the market within 5 years.