New iPhone 4 Verified: Vol.RIP Gray Powell UPDATE!: Gizmodo is being reckless now...

[treewing]

Something better than Ping! That mess was fun for like a couple days, lol....

 

[djprestige21]

Having taken journalism courses and mass communication, the front facing camera is going to revolutionize the way we talk on the phone today.

 

[suckafree85]

Originally Posted by DJprestige21

Having taken journalism courses and mass communication, the front facing camera is going to revolutionize the way we talk on the phone today.

It really is.

But dam, imagine your girl wanting to video chat and you're somewhere you're not supposed to be with somebody you're not supposed to be with.

  

Fail. 

 

[supa vegetto]

Originally Posted by jus4lafs

Originally Posted by ATLien Seeko

Originally Posted by supa vegetto

i've been a blackberry user since 06'.. never thought i'd say it but granted it comes to verizon this summer.. i'm in.

Basically.

... You'll be back...

At this point I seriously doubt it. The iPhone's apps alone give it the upper hand as far as day-to-day usefulness.. Way too many conveniences in that regard

 

[nkeair]

http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone

The story on the lost iPhone


for some reason when i read this, i thought it was a joke by gizmodo, totally sounds like it

 

[jking0821]

Originally Posted by DJprestige21

Having taken journalism courses and mass communication, the front facing camera is going to revolutionize the way we talk on the phone today.

I would actually like to hear how you think this is going to happen.

I really don't see my self ever using it.  I only really talk on the phone when i am out or on the go.  And a lot of time its just more convenient to put my head set on or blue tooth and toss my phone in my pocket.  I don't know when il have time to sit down and look at my phone.  Not to mention that this would only work iphone to iphone.  So if the person im calling doesn't have one its useless. 

 

[optimusprimeaphia]

Originally Posted by Jking0821

Originally Posted by DJprestige21

Having taken journalism courses and mass communication, the front facing camera is going to revolutionize the way we talk on the phone today.

I would actually like to hear how you think this is going to happen.

I really don't see my self ever using it.  I only really talk on the phone when i am out or on the go.  And a lot of time its just more convenient to put my head set on or blue tooth and toss my phone in my pocket.  I don't know when il have time to sit down and look at my phone.  Not to mention that this would only work iphone to iphone.  So if the person im calling doesn't have one its useless. 

Every piece of technology or advancement ever widely produced or implemented had this same criticism.

 

[onetwothreewick]

Originally Posted by DJprestige21

Having taken journalism courses and mass communication, the front facing camera is going to revolutionize the way we talk on the phone today.

Hopefully they do a better job with the feature because video calling phones with front facing cameras have been out in europe and asia for years now and it tanked sales wise.  Nearly every 3G phone sold there has a front facing camera.

Integrating it for free with iChat will be good, but if at&t plans to make you pay for it, they lose.

 

[iheartboost]

Originally Posted by NKEAIR

http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone

The story on the lost iPhone


for some reason when i read this, i thought it was a joke by gizmodo, totally sounds like it

Cool story bro (I had too). Naw, real talk, that was, good %+%! Giz

 

[optimusprimeaphia]

Originally Posted by NKEAIR

http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone

The story on the lost iPhone


for some reason when i read this,
 i thought it was a joke by gizmodo, totally sounds like it

[h1]How Apple Lost the Next iPhone[/h1]
TheGourmet Haus Staudt. A nice place to enjoy good German ales. And if youare an Apple Software Engineer named Gray Powell and you get one toomany beers, it's also a nice place to lose the next-generation iPhone.

The 27-year-old Powell—a North Carolina State University 2006 graduate and talented amateur photographer—isan Apple Software Engineer working on the iPhone Baseband Software, thelittle program that enables the iPhone to make calls.

Onthe night of March 18, he was enjoying the fine imported ales atGourmet Haus Staudt, a nice German beer garden in Redwood City,California. He was happy. The place was great. The beer was excellent."I underestimated how good German beer is," he typed into thenext-generation iPhone he was testing on the field, cleverly disguisedas an iPhone 3GS. It was his last Facebook update from the secretiPhone. It was the last time he ever saw the iPhone, right before heabandoned it on bar stool, leaving to go home.

Knowing how ferocious and ruthless Apple is about product leaks, those beers may have turned out to be the bitterest of his life.
[h2](Almost) Impenetrable Security[/h2]
Until now, Apple's legendary security has always worked perfectly.Perhaps there was a blurry factory photo here, or some last-minuteinformation strategically whispered to some friendly media there. Butwhen it comes to the big stuff, everything is airtight. At theirCupertino campus, any gadget or computer that is worth protecting isbehind armored doors, with security locks with codes that change everyfew minutes. Prototypes are bolted to desks. Hidden in these labs,hardware, software and industrial-design elves toil separately on thesame devices, without really having the complete picture of the finalproduct.

And hidden in every corner, the Apple secret police, a team ofpeople with a single mission: To make sure nobody speaks. And ifthere's a leak, hunt down the traitor, and escort him out of thebuilding. Using lockdowns and other fear tactics, these men in blackare the last line of defense against any sneaky eyes. The Gran JefeSteve trusts them to avoid Apple's worst nightmare: The leak of astrategic product that could cost them millions of dollars in freemarketing promotion. One that would make them lose control of the product news cycle.

But the fact is that there's no perfect security. Not when humans are involved. Humans that can lose things. You know, like the next generation iPhone.
[h2]Lost and Found[/h2]
Apple security'smighty walls fell on the midnight of Thursday, March 18. At that time,Powell was at Gourmet Haus Staudt, just 20 miles from the company'sInfinite Loop headquarters, having his fun. Around him, other groups ofpeople were sharing the jolly atmosphere, and plenty of the goldenliquid.

The person who eventually ended up with the lost iPhonewas sitting next to Powell. He was drinking with a friend too. Henoticed Powell on the stool next to him but didn't think twice abouthim at the time. Not until Powell had already left the bar, and arandom really drunk guy—who'd been sitting on the other side ofPowell—returned from the bathroom to his own stool.

The Random Really Drunk Guy pointed at the iPhone sitting on the stool, the precious prototype left by the young Apple engineer.

"Hey man, is that your iPhone?" asked Random Really Drunk Guy.

"Hmmm, what?" replied the person who ended up with the iPhone. "No, no, it isn't mine."

"Ooooh, I guess it's your friend's then," referring to a friend whoat the time was in the bathroom. "Here, take it," said the RandomReally Drunk Guy, handing it to him. "You don't want to lose it." Afterthat, the Random Really Drunk Guy also left the bar.

The person who ended up with the iPhone asked around, but nobodyclaimed it. He thought about that young guy sitting next to him, so heand his friend stayed there for some time, waiting. Powell never cameback.

During that time, he played with it. It seemed like a normal iPhone."I thought it was just an iPhone 3GS," he told me in a telephoneinterview. "It just looked like one. I tried the camera, but it crashedthree times." The iPhone didn't seem to have any special features, justtwo bar codes stuck on its back: 8800601pex1 and N90_DVT_GE4X_0493. Next to the volume keys there was another sticker: iPhone SWE-L200221.Apart from that, just six pages of applications. One of them wasFacebook. And there, on the Facebook screen, was the Apple engineer,Gray Powell.



Thinking about returning the phone the next day, he left. When hewoke up after the hazy night, the phone was dead. Bricked remotely,through MobileMe, the service Apple provides to track and wipe out lostiPhones. It was only then that he realized that there was somethingstrange that iPhone. The exterior didn't feel right and there was acamera on the front. After tinkering with it, he managed to open thefake 3GS.

There it was, a shiny thing, completely different from everything that came before.
[h2]The Aftermath[/h2]
Weeks later, Gizmodo got it. It was the real thing. Once we saw itinside and out, there was no doubt about it. We learnt about thisstory, but we didn't know for sure it was Powell's phone until today,when we contacted him via his phone.

Gray Powell: Hello?

John Herrman: Is this Gray?

G: Yeah.

J: Hi, this is John Herrman from Gizmodo.com.

G: Hey!

J: You work at Apple, right?

G: Um, I mean I can't really talk too much right now.

J: I understand. We have a device, and we think that maybe you misplaced it at a bar, and we would like to give it back.

G: Yeah, I forwarded your email [asking him if it was his iPhone], someone should be contacting you.

J: OK.

G: Can I send this phone number along?

J: [Contact information]


He sounded tired and broken. But at least, he's alive. Andapparently, he may still be working at Apple. As it should be, becauseit's just a !*$!+@+ iPhone. It can happen to everyone, Gray Powell,Phil Schiller, you, me, and even Steve Jobs

Unlike Apple's legendary impenetrable security, breached by the power of German beer and one single human mistake.

Additional reporting by John Herrman; extra thanks to Kyle VanHemert, Matt Buchanan, and Arianna Reiche


Send an email to Jesus Diaz, the author of this post, at /gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone">http://gizmodo.com/552043...ple-lost-the-next-iphone">[email protected].



damn...they ruined this dudes LIFE...

I'm sure Apple Black-Balled him in everyway...dude probably has a rap-sheet dating back to his teenage years full of petty crimes and what not they just hacked into his file...

 

[onetwothreewick]

smh at gizmodo posting that guy's name though...I'm starting to believe this is actually just marketing %+@@%!%%. Too many holes in that story. "Random #$* drunk guy?" Not to mention the phone was missing for a month before today?

 

[owensstr8clownin]

Redwood City Baby!.

When I first read it I couldn't believe it. Redwood City right where I live the new Iphone is lost haha. BTW that bar is very popular right now. A lot of my friends talk about it I haven't had a chance to go yet

 

[tj detweiler]

Originally Posted by dopestop

Originally Posted by loskickking23

Originally Posted by dopestop

I got a 3gs last week!!!
noooooooooooooo...
is there anything I can do

u gotta a few days to return it!

do you know how many?I think its been 10 days..
I had to pay a $150 security deposit, will I lose it? 

you have 30 days. They might or will charge you a 10% restocking fee as well. I'd say keep it as much as possible then return it since your gonna have to pay a restocking fee
might as well get to use it for a while.

 

[tacc4]

Originally Posted by Diego

Originally Posted by TacC4


and most of you seem to be taking these improvements in a vacuum. i can't think of a situation where i would want to video chat w/someone using a phone.

This argument is as stupid as people getting moist over a phone we have not seen in operation.
  

How so? Video chat, as a concept, is cool. But how many scenarios can you think of where you'd like to stare into a 4" screen for 30 minutes? I wouldn't want to use it in public b/c I don't want some idiot looking over my shoulder. Its bad enough having people look @you texting. Now they're gonna be making appearances in your convos w/your boss/gf/mum. And if you're @home, you can use your laptop. Two scenarios I can think of: 1)you work in sales and you can show someone a product remotely 2)you need help and you can show show someone your problem in real time. But even then, any product worth showing video of probably requires an in-person visit, anyway. And you guys swear like its impossible to prepare a video ahead of time w/a quality camera. You think you're gonna send your real estate agent to a house and the buy it cause it looked to be in good condition during your video chat? Over/Under 18 months til there's a YouTube or LiveLeak video of some kid video chatting while getting hit by a car? $500 on the under. Rack me.

SUCKAFREE85 wrote:

But dam, imagine your girl wanting to video chat and you're somewhere you're not supposed to be with somebody you're not supposed to be with. 

  

OptimusPrimeAPhiA wrote:

All iPhones can be remotely disabled using mobile me and I'm sure this phone had that active.

Riddle me this. If this phone had MobileMe (assuming the OS is even compatible), it must also have an OS, right? Then why are there no vids of the phone in use? The phone in these pics is just a piece of plastic; no different than the prototypes we see @auto shows every year. You guys are going overboard w/the conspiracy theory. You think other manufacturers are shook? Over a piece of plastic? That looks worse than the current models? Please. Most of these features are already available on other phones. Apple isn't breaking any new ground. And any legit company is going to be pushing the envelope on their own, Apple just speeds that process up.
edit: thanks for riddling me that.

 

[memphisboi55]

I like

 

[optimusprimeaphia]

Originally Posted by TacC4

Originally Posted by Diego

Originally Posted by TacC4


and most of you seem to be taking these improvements in a vacuum. i can't think of a situation where i would want to video chat w/someone using a phone.

This argument is as stupid as people getting moist over a phone we have not seen in operation.
  

How so? Video chat, as a concept, is cool. But how many scenarios can you think of where you'd like to stare into a 4" screen for 30 minutes? I wouldn't want to use it in public b/c I don't want some idiot looking over my shoulder. Its bad enough having people look @you texting. Now they're gonna be making appearances in your convos w/your boss/gf/mum. And if you're @home, you can use your laptop. Two scenarios I can think of: 1)you work in sales and you can show someone a product remotely 2)you need help and you can show show someone your problem in real time. But even then, any product worth showing video of probably requires an in-person visit, anyway. And you guys swear like its impossible to prepare a video ahead of time w/a quality camera. You think you're gonna send your real estate agent to a house and the buy it cause it looked to be in good condition during your video chat? Over/Under 18 months til there's a YouTube or LiveLeak video of some kid video chatting while getting hit by a car? $500 on the under. Rack me.

SUCKAFREE85 wrote:

But dam, imagine your girl wanting to video chat and you're somewhere you're not supposed to be with somebody you're not supposed to be with. 

  

OptimusPrimeAPhiA wrote:

All iPhones can be remotely disabled using mobile me and I'm sure this phone had that active.

Riddle me this. If this phone had MobileMe (assuming the OS is even compatible), it must also have an OS, right? Then why are there no vids of the phone in use? The phone in these pics is just a piece of plastic; no different than the prototypes we see @auto shows every year. You guys are going overboard w/the conspiracy theory. You think other manufacturers are shook? Over a piece of plastic? That looks worse than the current models? Please. Most of these features are already available on other phones. Apple isn't breaking any new ground. And any legit company is going to be pushing the envelope on their own, Apple just speeds that process up.

Company's aint shook that theres a new phone...they're mad about the fact that theres more hype for APPLE than their products. The notion of a "leak" means MORE to fans than waiting for the official release. It only adds to anticipation.

for you thinking INSIDE the box.

 

[hyper cutter]

Apple's marketing is at it again.

 

[mytmouse76]

i refuse to believe he just lost that phone...

and i agree video chat on my phone isn't that great...cool but not necessary...

if i have time to video chat then i can get on my laptop and i bet the battery will be better on there than my iphone...

 

[ludex360]

what does it matter if he lost the phone or not? you guys are all talking about it so apple won

 

[mr jordan04]

Originally Posted by SUCKAFREE85

Originally Posted by DJprestige21

Having taken journalism courses and mass communication, the front facing camera is going to revolutionize the way we talk on the phone today.

It really is.

But dam, imagine your girl wanting to video chat and you're somewhere you're not supposed to be with somebody you're not supposed to be with.   

Fail. 

me having tmobile and having crappy service in my area i ALWAYS used the "i never got the call" line

  

 

[onetwothreewick]

The guy on the previous page brought up a good point. Gizmodo gushed at how booting the phone brought up the recovery mode screen with the iTunes logo and the USB cable and claimed it was higher resolution, yet they provide no pictures of this screen.

It should still boot to that screen, the guy who found it mentioned that the phone worked initially but after a while the phone was remotely disabled, which is when he noticed it was new. Why are there no pictures of this? They were able to take a picture of every other angle of the device after all...

 

[hella handsome]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrimeAPhiA

Originally Posted by Jking0821

Wait so this is all we get

• Front-facing video chat camera DONT CARE
• Improved regular back-camera (the lens is quite noticeably larger than the iPhone 3GS) DONT CARE
• Camera flash DONT CARE
• Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad) DONT CARE but don't really know what the difference is
• Improved display. It's unclear if it's the 960x460 display thrown around before—it certainly looks like it, with the "Connect to iTunes" screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS. DONT CARE
• What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack CARE
• Split buttons for volume DONT CARE
• Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic DONT CARE AT ALL

 I've said it before, and I'll say it again, dudes hate on the iPhone just to hate. 
if these were upgrades to a blackberry or HTC phone it would be getting tons of 

's and 

's

but instead, these are improvements that people have been begging for from apple, and when apple gives the people what they have been asking for, you still arent satisfied.

go sit down

what the $%@+ do you want it to have? digital cable? a !$*%%@# toaster? want it to come with a bag full of money? 

hell, the phone can multitask, finally has a flash camera, front facing camera with video chat for ichat (which obviously will be apples answer to BBM... hence why ichat is only on apple products (duh...), removable battery, better battery life, new design (because everyone complained at the 3GS looking like the 3G), gamecenter which is like xbox live for iphone game apps, and a bunch of other upgrades in 4.0 firmware...

how much do you want to bet that after this phone drops, every one of apple's competitors will make phones with video chat capabilities with dual cameras for it? I give HTC 3-4 months before they come up with a new "killer" for this, and I give Google until December to upgrade that crappy Nexus One to the Nexus "Two" or some %$$# to compete. 

they made the candybar, all touch screen phone and everyone followed suit, this will be next. and all of the haters will eat up the competition, because thats all you care about, seeing apples competition "take them down"

ohyeah, but i can't sound like an apple fanboy... 

/exits thread. 

 

[shatterkneesinc]

Originally Posted by ludex360

what does it matter if he lost the phone or not? you guys are all talking about it so apple won

exactly
apple knows how to play the hype machine game

 

[notoriuswes]

I might cop a 3gs when this drop

 

[superblytrife]

I've never REALLY wanted an iPhone.

After seeing the leaked pics, I REALLY want this joint. Loving the sharp lines of it, as opposed to the soft look of the current gen iPhone. Makes it look so much more stout and solid, kind of like the original BB Bold.

HD2 may be hitting eBay soon lol