After all the previewed features and great news about iOS 5 (OTA updates, wireless sync, new apps, iMessage), Apple confirmed that iOS 5 will ship this Fall (perhaps with a new iPhone?), with a first developer seed available later today. The best part? Just like iOS 4, iOS 5 will run on your iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS (unlike a previous report claimed, 3GS is supported), iPad and iPad 2, iPod touch 3rd and 4th gen.

Photos courtesy of This is my Next.

With Apple wrapping up its software announcements for the WWDC set to kick off in San Francisco on June 6, a new rumor suggests the two-year old iPhone 3GS won’t get the iOS 5 upgrade when Apple releases the first betas this summer and the final version of the OS likely this Fall. According to Russian analyst and Mobile Review editor Eldar Murtazin, the 2009 iPhone 3GS will stay on iOS 4, thus leaving the iPhone 4 and next-generation device Apple is scheduled to announce later this year as the only iPhone models capable of running iOS 5. Murtazin wrote in a tweet posted earlier today:

Just one comment. Apple iPhone 3Gs wont be upgradable to iOS 5.x. iPhone 4 will.

No additional details are provided by Murtazin in his Twitter timeline, leaving room for much speculation in regards to reliability of the rumor. When Apple released iOS 4 in summer 2010, for example, the company made sure it could run on the iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4. It was only with the first beta of iOS 4.3 (seeded in January) that Apple dropped support for the iPhone 3G and iPod touch 2nd gen — older devices the software team at Cupertino thought wouldn’t be capable of running the latest versions of iOS anymore. And again, Apple “unofficially” confirmed they were dropping support for the original 2007 iPhone in 2010, when Steve Jobs replied to a customer email and said Apple wouldn’t update the original iPhone in the future. Indeed, the 2007 iPhone can’t run iOS 4.

At this point, it’s unclear whether or not the iPhone 3GS will receive an upgrade to iOS 5, though Apple’s history seems to indicate that an iPhone lifespan varies from two to two years and a half. A report posted by 9to5mac earlier this month claimed that Apple was internally testing iOS 5 on the iPhone 3GS, although the website suggested that it wasn’t “immediately clear” whether the 3GS would eventually get the public version of iOS 5.

The iPhone 3GS was introduced on June 8, 2009, at the WWDC in San Francisco. It was released on June 19 in the United States, Canada and six more European countries, featuring faster performances with 256 MB of RAM, better camera with video capabilities, voice control and digital compass. The device is still available on Apple’s website at a discounted price of $49 for the 8 GB version. The iPhone 3GS runs the latest iOS 4.3.3, though the difference in performances is notable when compared to A4 and A5-enabled devices like the iPhone 4 and iPad 2.

[Thanks, Kevin]

Just as promised last week, the Dev Team released a few minutes ago a new version of carrier unlocking tool ultrasn0w that now works with iOS 4.2.1. The updated tool, however, won’t work with the iPhone 4 due to baseband optimizations performed by Apple. So basically, this version of ultrasn0w only works for iPhone 3G and 3GS owners running iOS 4.2.1 and willing to unlock their phones. (more…)

As previewed earlier today, FaceIt 3GS is a new Cydia tweak developed by iPhoneIslam which allows you to have FaceTime calls on older iPhone 3GS models, even if they don’t officially support FaceTime nor do they come with a front-facing camera.

The tweak simply enables FaceTime in the Settings app and lets you use the standard 3GS camera to capture what’s around you in a video call. To install the tweak, open Cydia (your device must be jailbroken) and install the following source:

http://apps.iphoneislam.com

Hit “Add” and wait for Cydia to refresh. Then search for FaceIt 3GS and install it. Reboot your iPhone, and you’ll find the FaceTime functionality inside the Settings app, just like on the iPhone 4 or the latest iPod Touch. Insert your number, wait for activation and your device will be ready to go.

iPhoneIslam demoes the tweak in action in the video below. iPhone 3GS owners and jailbreakers, you know what to do.

iPhone development group iPhoneislam (the same guys behind FaceTime Hacktivator) managed to get FaceTime up and running on an iPhone 3GS — without video transmission. As you can see in the video below, the developer installs a tweak called FaceIt-3GS on the device, which can receive calls. They haven’t figured out a way to use the 3GS camera yet, but I guess the hack will be complete and available in Cydia soon.

Without a front-facing camera, FaceTime doesn’t make much sense. Still, it’ll be useful for those die-hard 3GS users that want FaceTime, with a trade-off.

[Thanks, khlaed] (more…)

Target, US-based retail store chain, will carry the iPhone 4 (and iPhone 3GS) just in time for the holidays season starting November 7th. Target will be selling the iPhone 4 across all its 846 stores that come with Target Mobile centers. The retail chain will also provide quick in-store activations.

Press release embedded below. (more…)