Blackberry, Electronics | featured news

Apple has released its latest iPhone operating system, iOS 4.0 and just as quickly, the hacker community has managed to jailbreak it. For the uninitiated, "jailbreaking" refers to the ability to unlock a device in order to install unapproved, third-party applications. Given both AT&T and Apple's restrictions regarding the iPhone, this process is a must for many Apple device owners.

Apple has run out of white iPhone 4s on the eve of the launch of the hot-selling next-generation smartphone, the latest hiccup in the gadget's closely watched global roll-out. Apple said on Wednesday that supplies of its more popular black model remain ample.

A day before the the much-hyped release of the iPhone 4, Verizon is announcing a new Droid phone that's got some analysts more excited.

As Apple's chosen reviewers sounded off first on the iPhone 4 Tuesday night, they all agreed that it was a major improvement over its predecessor, the iPhone 3GS, and a champion when compared to challengers from other phone makers. Still, many pointed out that call reception was no better.

Looks like Verizon and Motorola are coming clean with the Droid X a little earlier than planned -- it just appeared on the official Droid page, complete with comfirmation of that 4.3-inch screen size.

Apple and AT&T have now both sold out of their initial batches of iPhone 4 devices.

As promised, Apple early today began taking pre-orders for its new iPhone 4, although only the black model was immediately available. Around 6 a.m. Eastern, however, the iPhone 4 page on Apple's U.S. online store was returning an "Oops! An error occurred" message. Minutes later, the entire store went down. It was back up around 8 a.m., and a Computerworld editor successfully ordered one of the iPhones (in black). But by 8:15 a.m., the store was again down, displaying a "We'll be back soon" message.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is testing a tablet that could act as a companion to its BlackBerry phone, says the Wall Street Journal. The BlackBerry

The iPhone will be available on other cell phone networks as early as this fall and will likely come first to T-Mobile USA, one analyst who follows Apple Inc. closely said Thursday.

I spent about 45 minutes playing with Apple's new iPhone 4. In a word: Wow. And I don't throw that word around lightly. Here are a few of my first hands-on impressions.