Google’s new voice-recognition search tool for the iPhone has problems understanding Australian accents, leading to some bizarre answers to spoken queries.

Users down under have noticed searches for the word “iPhone” can return pages of results for “priceline”, “mustang” or simply a message saying “try again.”

The number eight becomes a search for “ike”, seven turns into “Clinton”, and don’t even try searching for the number six.

Google recommends the tool, which is available as a free download for the iPhone and iPod Touch in Apple’s Application Store, works best with a North American accent.

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Tags: Google, iPhone

Apple announced today that the iPhone will be receiving the much-anticipated iPhone 2.1 software update this Friday 12 September 2008. According to Steve Jobs, the update is “big”. Of note, Jobs points out that there should be fewer dropped calls, lots of bug fixes, and huge battery life improvements. Additionally, applications should stop crashing and backups will be significantly faster.

Well personally i hope the expected tweaks happen as my backups are sometimes extremely long and I’m currently only using about 5GB of the 16GB space. The battery life has been so, so but hey i cant put the thing down. I have been lucky with only a couple of freeze ups requiring a restart and ive loaded about 20 apps.  Compared to my Nokia N95 the reception and signal strength has been low at times so that can only improve. I guess now we just have to wait and see what we get on Friday or Saturday down under.

Tags: Apple, iPhone

After what seemed an eternity since the release of the iPhone 3G on the 11th July 2008, i finally placed my order for the iPhone after watching the plans offered by all carriers here in Australia.

I would have probably signed the Optus plan earlier but they never had any phones in store and you had to pay and wait. No other carrier plans met my needs until the released Virgin plans. Both the 1GB ($70) and 5GB ($100) data plans were good in review and in comparison to the others.

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Tags: iPhone, Virgin

As announced the iPhone 3G was launched in an additional 20 countries on August 22. You can view the list on Apple.com of the countries the 3G is available in and will be available in soon.

This is great news for those of us waiting to get our hands on an iPhone but with the already short supplies and waiting times, lets hope production can keep up with the demand. Despite this, CFO Tim Cook believes that production is ready to meet the increased demand.

Tags: Apple, iPhone

What could be worse than not being able to get that iPhone 3G you have been waiting for? This story just about answers that question.

OPTUS customers who agreed to a raincheck purchase of Apple’s iPhone 3G are complaining of being billed even though they are yet to receive the popular handheld device.

Since the iPhone 3G’s Australian launch on July 11, customers have been scrambling to get their hands on the device, but many have gone home empty handed because of a stock shortage.

In response, Optus introduced a raincheck system to ensure customers could get priority access to the iPhone. The raincheck system guarantees Optus customers an iPhone when they sign up to a contract at one of the telco’s Optus World retail stores.

Now, several weeks after customers signed up to the raincheck system, it appears they are still without the iPhone and are being billed for it.

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Source: Australian IT

Tags: Apple, iPhone, Optus

Virgin Mobile has officially commenced sale of the iPhone 3G in Australia effective today Friday 1 August 2008. The iPhone 3G went on sale at Virgin stores around Australia offering the best data plan currently available in the country at a huge 5GB.

Now this is more like it, its still not unlimited but we are now starting to see plans with realistic data allowances.

Virgin will sell the 8GB iPhone 3G for $0 upfront on a $70 monthly plan, which includes $520 worth of calls and 1GB of data. If you are willing to cough up an extra $30 per month, you will receive an extra 4GB of data and get the 16GB iPhone 3G for $0 up front. All Virgin iPhone plans are based on 24 month contracts.

Virgin is also offering the option to unlock the iPhone from its network for $80, plus an additional $250 “early evacuation” fee if users opt out within six months.

Now note that Virgin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Optus.  What will this mean for all those customers who have already signed up with Optus and recieved much less data?

In less than 3 weeks we have seen many plans in Australia for the iPhone 3G, from the bad through to plans that are now more in the ball park. I think this is only the start and i expect things to heat up as carriers push for customers.

My decision to hold of being an early adopter has been difficult, but I’m relieved not to have signed a plan weeks ago and be waiting for a phone with this latest news.

View full details of the Virgin plans

Tags: Apple, iPhone, Virgin

One of my friends Kim called me last night with the news he had just got his iPhone 3G and wanted to share the news. A couple of hours later he called by to show off his new gadget. Its a white 16GB model and i must say the white is a classic Mac looking product. A couple more friends have contacted me after waiting for weeks and weeks for their providers to get stock, including Jane who got her black 16gb iPhone just before a trip away. So lets look in the box.

Tags: Apple, iPhone

Optus has launched new mobile plans that include unlimited calls (including video calls) and SMS/MMS plus large data usage allowances.

This applies to iPhone users too!

The plans are called ‘yes’ Timeless plans and Optus says they have “unlimited value”.

The plan with the 2Gb of data is the ‘yes’ Timeless $129 plan Cap which will be available on the 28th of July 2008.

Minimum monthly spend - $129

What this ‘yes’ Timeless Plan includes

• Unlimited Standard voice calls to any network within Australia - local, national and GSM mobiles
• Unlimited National Video Calls
• Unlimited Standard National text to any networks
• Unlimited National MMS
• Unlimited deposits and retrieval of Voicemail
• Mobile Internet Browsing: 2GB Included

“This plan includes 2GB of data to access services on Optus Zoo, as well as browsing the Internet from your mobile. If you exceed the included monthly data allowance, excess usage charges will be charged at $0.35 per MB or part thereof.”

View full details of the new plans on the Optus website

Tags: Apple, iPhone, Optus

The iPhone release here in Perth has been dismal at best, very poorly launched and i wish i could say over hyped and under delivered but that would give undue credit where it is not due.

I have been amazed at the lack of advertising here for the iPhone and today i walked into the city center from my office to check first hand what was happening.

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Tags: Apple, iPhone, Optus, telstra, Vodafone

THE 3G version of Apple’s touchy-feely iPhone, the first official version of the gadget to work on Australian phone networks, finally went on sale here today after hype worthy of the second coming.

Media and consumer attention over the past months have won it the nickname “Jesus phone”.

But is the 3G iPhone, which combines phone calls and speedy mobile data connections with an advanced touch-screen interface and iPod-like multimedia handling, really a religious experience?

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Tags: Apple, iPhone