Today Apple announced the availability of their iPhone SDK. Now anyone can develop applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. If you watch the iPhone Event, it will amaze you. The iPhone truely is a Macintosh just in mini form. The operating system and core libraries are those of OS X. The v2.0 firmware should be released to the public in late June at no cost to iPhone owners. For more details about this event, below are links to the Event, SDK download, and Enterprise Beta program:March 6 EventiPhone Developer Program (SDK) iPhone Enterprise Beta Program

Today I received the new Cradlepoint PHS-300 I ordered. This is a phenominal device. It is a personal WiFi router that allows you to plug in your EVDO or HDSPA (3G) broadband USB modem into it and then share that connection with up to 16 WiFi devices. You can also use your cell phone as a tethered modem to provide the 3G connectivity. You can connect to the WiFi with either 802.11b or 802.11g and includes a complete NAT with SPI firewall. It features 64/128 bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryption and supports all operating systems and PDAs with WiFi support. It also includes a Lithium-Ion battery for up to 3 hours of use (ships with an AC adapter but you can also purchase a car-adapter to charge it as well). I use it to connect my MacBook Pro and iPhone on the road allowing me to utilize the faster 3G network with the iPhone. The best of all worlds.

Today I purchased my two Apple iPhones and could not wait to get it up and running. With all the horror stories about activation with AT&T, I did my homework and with tips found at The Apple Phone Show website, my experience was flawless. Now my setup was a bit complicated considering I am activating two iPhones, on an AT&T Family Plan, and porting two of my four Verizon Wireless phones over to AT&T.

1. two iPhones to activate

2. utilizing an AT&T Family Plan
3. porting two of my four Verizon Wireless phones
4. maintain my BlackBerry and EVDO card on Verizon Wireless

The first thing I did was find the iPhones so I called around and found them locally here in Portland, OR so I also saved the sales tax (cool!). I purchased the last two 8gb iPhones they had in stock. I then went over to the AT&T store just around the corner and explained my situation and concerns about porting from Verizon Wireless. Mike, the AT&T sales consultant hooked me up. We first created two new AT&T accounts on a family plan. He assigned them to two temporary SIMs. Then while he was doing that, I called Verizon Wireless and informed them what I wanted to do about keeping my BlackBerry and EVDO card. The Verizon rep noted my account about porting the two main cell numbers and kept the other two devices on their data plans. Then Mike called his activation center and started the porting process to move my Verizon numbers to the two new temporary SIMs. Then he gave me the breakdown on the AT&T family plan and told me the phones would be ported at a specific time (about 2 hours from when he started).

So then we shook hands and were on our way home. When we arrived at home, it was time to prepare for the iPhone activations. I made sure both MacBook Pros had the latest iTunes (v7.3) and latest software updates. I then unboxed the first iPhone. It was minutes away from the porting process. I turned off the two old Motorola Razrs. Then I connected the first iPhone to my first MacBook Pro and started the setup. I selected that I had an existing AT&T account and wanted to activate this phone on the account. Three minutes later, DONE. I then unboxed the second iPhone, connected it to the MacBook Pro and did the same process. Three minutes later, DONE!

That was it! No issues. No hassles. Everything worked, EDGE, phone calls, etc. I then setup the items to sync and I was all set up. I love these iPhones and the best part is that all my contacts, calendars, bookmarks, mail accounts, and music syncs beautifully.

Tags: iphone, at&t, activation