We're not 100% convinced of the safety of his approach, but Kevin Miller's determination to recover his lost iPhone -- combined with the power of MobileMe's new Find My iPhone feature -- led him on a wild chase across Chicago, which he visited while he was attending a LEGO convention in nearby Wheeling, IL.

After leaving his phone in a bar, Kevin tried to get FMI working (via a friend's laptop & broadband adapter, ironically from Sprint; as Megan & Michael pointed out, you can't access the MobileMe page from the iPhone browser anyway) with no luck. The next morning, however, the phone began responding and Kevin's three-man team began the hunt. With laptop in hand and a succession of more and more specific location details, the guys began tracking down the errant phone.

We won't spoil the end of the story for you; Kevin's post is quite entertaining and worth a read. Still, once you do know how the plot turns out you may want to consider enlisting the police for a missing phone, rather than choosing to use their methods.

In a shot across the iPhone's bow, Palm is launching its new Palm Pre smartphone the weekend before Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference. This means any iPhone announcements at WWDC will be undoubtedly compared to Palm's new platform.

The Pre handset will cost $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate, and if you sign up for a two-year contract with Sprint. The monthly service costs roughly the same as AT&T's iPhone plan but offers unlimited text messaging -- a $20 option with Ma Bell.

Electronista points out that the Pre has some small technical advantages over the iPhone as well: a three megapixel camera, an optional inductive charger, and EVDO networking. Depending on the area, EVDO can be faster than both EDGE and GPRS, but not faster than HSDPA (the latter of which AT&T is rolling out across the U.S.). In any case, AT&T is already preparing its sales staff for the looming battle.

Also, Sprint claims that having a Pre will cost $1,430 less over the two-year contract period compared to owning an iPhone for the same period.

Meanwhile, for those of us on Verizon, we'll just have to make do with calculators connected by string. Which reminds me -- you all got the notice Verizon was upgrading us to nylon cord this week, right?

[Via IGM]

It looks like Samsung and Sprint are going after some of the iPhone market share as they show off their video recording capability on the Samsung Instinct. As Apple's competitors are slowly catching up, is it time for Apple to release video recording capabilities for the iPhone? I'm sure that most iPhone users would like to see video recording on the next iteration of the device.

As I've often said right here at TUAW, I have a need for speed. I want my computers, my phones, and especially my Internet access to be as fast as possible. When I'm at home, secure in the knowledge that my Time Warner Business Cable connection is the fastest I can get (until FIOS comes to my hood), things are going well for me and looking good.

But what happens if I have to leave the house and go on the road as I frequently do? How can I possibly maintain my connection to the Internet while mobile and still get the speed I need? Fortunately, there a a few solutions to this problem such as using wireless "hotspots" around town or using a cell phone's data connection as a high speed modem for my Mac Book Pro.

However, for true freedom, a hotspot isn't the answer for me as you can't always find one when you need one or they cost too much money. As an iPhone user, the option to use my cell phone as a high speed modem was also out. So, that left one obvious choice for me: EVDO cards. Now that I had decided an EVDO card was the answer to my needs, several more questions immediately came to mind.

Which card should I get and from which provider? Would the cards work with my laptop of choice: the Apple Mac Book Pro? How much would the cards and data plans cost me? And the most important question of all: what kind of speed would I get?

Engadget is reporting that a rumored firmware update to Microsoft's Zune DAP (Digital Audio Player) could usher in wireless downloads from their Zune Marketplace digital media store. No word yet on whether these would be all-you-can-eat subscription downloads or purchases made via the Zune Marketplace's points system, but regardless: if Microsoft gets this out in the near future and Apple hasn't stepped up to the plate (possibly with wireless iTunes downloads to the iPhone), they'll be one of the last major players in the DAP market that hasn't snipped the chord on downloading yet. Mobile phones and services from the likes of Cingular, Sprint and Verizon are all enabling wireless downloads, with Sprint recently matching the iTunes price of $.99 per song.

While Microsoft doesn't seem to be causing any loss of sleep for Apple in terms of iPod sales just yet, wireless downloads is one of the undeniable holy grails that digital media lovers everywhere have been clamoring for since the rumor mongers first began posting their silly claims of 'wireless iPods any day now' many years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if the debut of this feature alone made at least a few potential iPod switchers finally make the leap to black, white and brown waters.

AppleInsider is reporting that Sprint is about to offer $0.99 music downloads that can be accessed directly from their upcoming "Upstage" phone. The $149US phone will require a 2 year contract and feature access to the company's over-the-air Sprint Music Store.

This is something that I dearly wish the iPhone - and even more so a future iPod - could do. Imagine sitting in Starbucks and downloading music directly to your iPhone/iPod. No video, of course, but it would be fun to grab a song just when you think of it. Now Sprint is going to beat them to it, and with a phone called "Upstage."

Earlier today, Apple posted WWAN Support Update 1.0 for Intel-based Mac portables. According to Apple, this update offers support for the following:

Available on the Cingular network:

• Novatel Merlin XU870 ExpressCard (HSDPA)

Available on the Sprint network:

• Novatel Wireless Merlin EX720 Express Card (EVDO Rev. A)
• Novatel Wireless Ovation U720 USB Modem (USB Adapter, EVDO Rev. A)

Available on the Verizon network:

• Novatel XV620 ExpressCard (EVDO Rev. 0)
• Novatel V740 ExpressCard (EVDO Rev. A)
• Novatel Wireless Ovation U720 (USB Adapter, EVDO Rev. A)

Thanks, Alex!