Some people may not be happy with the iPhone running on the AT&T 3G network, but at least it appears that network will be running faster. AT&T is already in advanced testing of its new faster 3G network, which was first revealed by Scott McElroy, AT&T VP of Technology Realization, in an interview with Telephony Online.

AT&T says it is going to increase the downlink capacity on its high speed packet access (HSPA) from 3.6 megabits per second to 7.2 megabits per second by upgrading the software at the base stations. Currently, AT&T has the enhanced network running in two test markets, but plans to extend the faster spec to its entire network. Then, AT&T plans to start migrating its networks to 'Evolved HSPA' which would triple peak speeds.

Of course the big question for many of us is will the iPhone work with these enhanced speeds? AT&T says most of the data cards, smartphones, and the iPhone will support the new tweaked specs, at least up to 14.4 Mb/s. It's probably a good idea for AT&T to drastically improve its network, especially as it is begging Apple to renew its partnership for another year.

Maybe that will get the SlingBox Mobile app running happily if it ever arrives. Grrrr.

As Macworld notes, this is it for the ol' Firewire 400. With the introduction of the new Mac mini the other day and the refresh of the Mac Pro and iMac lines, the old version of Firewire is left only on the white MacBook. It's evolution at its finest, and our good friend Nilay Patel over at Engadget put together this perfect video showing just how hard it is to say goodbye to yesterday.

As I said on the Talkcast a long time ago when this was first hinted at, it's not a huge loss in my eyes. This is an outdated standard, and if you've got anything sitting around that absolutely requires a FireWire 400 port (and you've already upgraded completely to a computer that doesn't have one), then it's time for an upgrade. Those happen, you know -- there's a reason they're not selling Polaroid film any more. Besides, FW800 ports can easily drive your FW400 gear with a $8 cable.

Nostalgia, however, is a powerful force. So it's with a damp hankerchief and wet eyes that some of us will bid farewell to FireWire 400. Long live FireWire 800!

Have you ever thought about upgrading your MacBook's scrawny 2GBs of RAM that Apple ships to something a little more deserving? Well, ChannelFlip has a very cool video showing you how to upgrade the RAM in either a MacBook or MacBook Pro. In addition they tested the performance of the 2GB and 4GB Apple RAM and the new Corsair 4GB low-latency Mac RAM. They show off the results in the video.


Thanks, Wil!

Yesterday, Twitter was abuzz with incorrect rumors that current iPhone owners would have to trade-in their 2G phones in order to upgrade to the iPhone 3G. I spoke with AT&T's mobility media contact yesterday and confirmed that the rumors were bogus, but after the original source posted a clarification and retraction, we didn't think it was necessary to post, fearing it might just confuse readers further.

However, today we received a tip from a reader linking to a FinancialWire story that mentions an exchange/rebate option for AT&T customers, but does not properly explain the procedure and the eligibility. Because I spoke with AT&T yesterday, I would like to set the record straight.

As Mark Siegel from AT&T explained to me yesterday, "AT&T wants to be as fair as possible to customers who very recently purchased an iPhone." Thus, if you purchased an iPhone from an AT&T store AFTER May 27, 2008, you have the option of returning the phone to an AT&T store between July 11, 2008 and August 1, 2008 for the new iPhone 3G. Those customers will also be refunded the difference between the price paid for the 2G iPhone and the iPhone 3G.

I commend AT&T on taking such a proactive and consumer-friendly approach.

Just to reiterate: if you bought a 2G iPhone BEFORE May 27, 2008 and you want to upgrade to the new iPhone 3G, you can do so at the subsidized price ($199 or $299), as long as you sign and new two-year contract and add-on the 3G data plan (this plan will replace any data plan you currently have for the iPhone). You do NOT need to trade-in your old phone.


Thanks Mark!

A heads-up for those who are struggling to get iPhones updated: If you've tried upgrading your iPhone or iPod touch to 1.1.3 and are getting mysterious errors that keep you from finishing the upgrade or restore process, make sure you're already running iTunes 7.6. I'm hearing reports from various parties that pre-7.6 iTunes installations will may fail to properly upgrade iPhones and touches. After installing the newer software, the upgrades begin to work properly.

iTunes 7.6 is available in Software Update or directly from Apple.

Update: It looks like there are 1.1.3 successes on both Mac and Windows without 7.6. If you do get the update error, go ahead and upgrade but as reader responses are showing, you may not need to upgrade beforehand.

Update 2: The specific errors you may encounter are 1603 and 1604. If you get these errors, update to 7.6, and if possible reboot both iPhone and your computer.

Yes, the most recent rumor about Apple's announcement tomorrow has been debunked by commenters and other sites, but this one stems from a scheduled maintenance message Apple has posted on their oft-debated .Mac service page (tip of the hat to reader Jake Coventry). Quoth Apple's message at www.mac.com:

Due to scheduled maintenance, .Mac members might be intermittently unable to access some .Mac services from 10 AM to 12 PM PDT on 08/07/2007. We apologize for any inconvenience.

While this doesn't necessarily guarantee .Mac will be getting any kind of upgrade or new features, it is a bit uncharacteristic for the service to tell its users about such a major downtime before it happens. On top of that, this outage is happening during the day of a big announcement that Apple clearly stated was going to be all about the Mac. Here's hoping for the best.

As we noticed yesterday, Apple is now offering two versions of the Apple TV: the original 40GB model for $299, and a new 160GB model for $399, which is shipping in 1-2 business days. This should make things interesting for those 3rd party services we found that can sell you pre-upgraded Apple TVs, DIY kits or overnight upgrades if you've already bought an Apple TV, especially since the latter two void Apple's warranty (though note that the pre-upgraded drives are covered under their own warranty from PowerMax, not Apple).

So who's excited and who got stung? I picked up a 40GB Apple TV not long after they started shipping so I'm a little ticked about it. Still, I like to try and look at the bright side; at least I didn't get nailed by the Apple Upgrade Syndrome on something slightly more expensive, like my MacBook Pro.

If you're stuck at work and can't get away to take a peek at the new iTunes 7.2 update, we've put together this handy gallery of screen shots showing you the new 7.2 features. In iTunes 7.2, you'll find a new link to iTunes Plus in the iTunes Quick Links. Select it and iTunes will prompt you to update preferences (whether to use iTunes plus for your albums whenever possible) and your licensing agreement--that's another agreement on top of the one you had to agree to just to install the program.

TUAW's 7.2 gallery is a work in progress. Expect updates throughout the day as the new features come on line.

MacRabbit has released CSSEdit 2.5, a significant update to their fantastic CSS editing and manipulating application. As if CSSEdit 2.0 didn't bring enough cool features, v2.5 is almost like sneaking a peek at your v3.0 birthday presents that are stashed away in your parent's closet the day before your party. There is a list of what's new on the MacRabbit's blog.

Quite the update, but a free one for registered owners of v2.x. Users of 1.x can upgrade for $14.95 instead of CSSEdit's regular price of $29.95, and of course a demo is available from MacRabbit.

[via Nik Fletcher's Twitter]

Yesterday we found a couple of companies who are offering hard drive upgrade plans for Apple TVs. For those of us who already scored one of Apple's latest gadgets, this post-purchase service is music to our ears (though maybe not to our wallets) - but for potential buyers, PowerMax does one better by selling Apple TVs straight out the gate with a pre-upgraded 120GB hard drive for $449. This is a serious advantage over both MacService and TechRestore, as their post-Apple TV purchase upgrade services raise your total investment to $534 and $497.99 for the same size drive, respectively. As icing on the cake, however, PowerMax goes yet another step further by offering a full 1-year warranty on the Apple TV, though no hard drive-specific warranty is specified (as I mentioned yesterday, MacService and TechRestore both warranty the drives they install - not the Apple TV itself, however - for up to 3-5 years).

All these upgrade options are fantastic for both new and existing Apple TV owners who are experiencing bouts of 40GB-induced claustrophobia. While I'm glad these companies are doing a great job of picking up the ball that Apple so horribly dropped, I still hope the company pays attention to the market and treats us right with the Apple TV 2.0. Heck, it isn't too late even for an Apple TV 1.5 that offers decently sized hard drives. Hey Apple, *knock knock* - you listening?

David Watanabe (of NewsFire fame) has released a second public beta of Xtorrent, his BitTorrent client that first appeared on the scene back in September. The largest change is one of the least visible: a major overhaul under the hood of the downloads pane to pave the way for upcoming integration between the search pane, downloads pane and a future RSS module (oh Dave, you're such a tease). The swarm column was also redesigned to be more forthcoming on seeds and leeches (expand yours if it's too thin), and the main window now allows you to drag-and-drop torrent files, complete with a "slick informational overlay."

Xtorrent is free while in beta and is available from Xtorrentp2p.com.

Thanks Junior

David Watanabe wins a tip of my hat today for being one of the first 3rd party developers to add Leopard compatibility to NewsFire, his popular, streamlined RSS newsreader. From the release notes, this new version 1.4 build 68 also adds prefix/suffix string rules (I'm assuming for feed searches?).

It's great to see developers firing off Leopard-compatible updates so quickly, even though Leopard isn't going to be available to the public for at least another 4-5 months. Who wants to take bets as to how long it takes Adobe to update CS3 for Leopard? Of course, with the way things are going over there, we might have to wait for CS4 and 10.6.

This Leopard-compatible version of NewsFire is available from NewsFire's site.

[via Macworld]

It was another packed week for software premieres and updates, so here is a roundup in case you missed them the first time around:

Shareware

• Groupcal 3 - manage your Exchange calendar from iCal
• EyeTV 2.3 - Front Row-like menu and speed boosts
• OmniPlan (beta) - OmniGroup's brand new project management app
• BurnAgain - powerful and standards-compliant multi-session 'smart' CDR/RW burning utility
• Rax 2 - virtual rack software for musicians
• Übercaster (beta) - all-in-one podcasting application
• NewsFire 1.4 - feature update for popular RSS reader
• mira 1.1 - make your Apple Remote control more than just Front Row

Freeware

• Automator action to change wallpaper
• Fenêtres Volantes (Flying Windows) - gorgeous 3D screensaver that gives your open windows something to do
• Suggest-a-ZOT - be the first to suggest a new macZOT app, get a free copy
• Skype 1.5 beta and video preview - more Mac OS X integration and a 'preview' version with video support

Donationware

• iStat Pro 3.0 - powerful system monitoring widget gets a major upgrade and a new UI

Widgets

• bpiDash - finally, a second widget for Backpack
• Basecamp - widget for 37Signals' much-loved online project management service

Universal

• Flip4Mac - QuickTime codec for playing Windows Media files
• ShapeShifter (beta) - Unsanity's Mac OS X skinning utility gets a speed boost (thanks Intel!)
• Now Up to Date and Contact 5.3 - contact management software
• MaxMenus - application launcher
• LiteSwitch X - application switcher
• Democracy Player - popular and powerful IPTV player gets the Intel treatment

Earlier this month, the Omni Group offered a sneak peek of their upcoming 5.5 release of OmniWeb, their feature-rich web browser that pre-dated Netscape by a year. If the preview piqued your interest, you might be interested in their public beta. While this new release doesn't pack in a boatload of up-front whiz-bang features, they have implemented some great back-end stuff like using a more recent version of WebKit than Safari, a Site Inspector (also known as a DOM Inspector) and allowing site-specific CSS rules that update in real time.

John Hicks of hickdesign has a few more details of what's new and upcoming in the final 5.5 release, and if you want to get in on the public beta, you'll have to register in the Omni Group's forums in order to see the forum thread with details on how to download your own copy.

One of my favorite Mac sites, PBFixit, has been renamed iFixit. iFixit provides parts and great step-by-step repair and upgrade tutorials for the Mac mini, Powerbook G3 (233-500mhz), iBook G3 (300mhz-900mhz) and iBook G4 (800mhz-1.42GHz), plus the titanium and aluminum PowerBooks. The tutorials are fully illustrated and, best of all, include pages that allow you to keep track of all the screws and parts you remove, in order.

iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens had this to say about the name change: "Why are we changing names? A few reasons. The first: iFixit sounds cooler. Secondly, Apple is discontinuing the PowerBook name and we want to stay relevant to all Mac owners. But most important, we want to keep our options open. Our team is working incredibly hard to improve our product line and develop the Fixit Guide series."

Check out iFixit if you haven't. They're a very good resource.