If you ask me a question via YouTube messaging, I'll probably get to it.  But it'll take awhile.  Nothing personal, I just respond to the PhoneDog messages and comments faster.  And we like the traffic on our blog comment rolls, too.  So ask away, but do it right here on the Dawg.

That said, here's the latest YouTube mailbag of your Q's and my A's, some of which might even be helpful to you:

Q:
i just watched your rumor review and i was wondering if you can make a more detailed one because i'll be getting my rumor in a couple of days and i have no idea about any of the features and i also think many other youtubers will find that resourceful too thanks blandfordski

A:
Blandfordski,

Thanks for watching the Rumor video.  We try to keep it to one video per phone, so we probably won't do another Rumor video. 

BUT ... I wrote a full-length review of Rumor that goes into more detail and gives my opinion of the phone after testing it for a few weeks.  You can read the review right here on PhoneDog.

Q:
Hi...can you please tell me the process of unlocking the iphone so that it can be used with t-mobile?..im due to get it this week and also can you tell me which plan features i would need to have all of its functions working such as stocks, youtube, internet. etc. thanks

A:
You need to use an unlocking program - I used Ziphone to upgrade and unlock/jailbreak my iPhone to the most recent firmware version.  I used the Mac OS X version and it was free, easy, and worked like a charm.  There's a Windows version available, as well.

You'll also have to make sure you have a T-Mobile data plan and then perform an additional step to get data services working on your iPhone.  I have the $5.99 T-Zones plan and it works great.  There are different methods of enabling the data plan on iPhone, but the one I used is super easy.  Once your iPhone is Jailbroken you'll have a program called Installer installed on it (you'll see the blue Installer icon on the home screen).  Open installer and you'll see lots of software you can download and install on your iPhone.  One of the programs is a "T-Zones hack" that tweaks the settings you need to use iPhone with the T-Zones plan.  Worked for me. 

You also may need to perform another hack to enable YouTube.  YouTube worked just fine at first for me, then it stopped connecting.  I haven't tried in in awhile.

If you search the Internet for "T-Mobile iPhone Jailbreak YouTube" you should get links to lots of different methods you can try.

Good luck!

* * *
Q:
 if you jailbreak/unlock iphone (I have TMOBILE) can you factory reset the phone after you unlock it???

A:
What do you mean by factory reset? Restore it to original, locked firmware? Yes, you can, but I'm not positive if you can restore the baseband to the factory settings in all cases. I know that I'm able to relock my iPhone to AT&T and restore the jailbroken firmware to the original Apple firmware.

Hope that helps!

* * *

Q:
hey i just ordered a moto z9 from att and was wondering if the phone was capable of applying ringtones saved to your memory card as your ringtones because i know for sure that the rizr z3 from tmobile did that i was just wondering because i like that feature and also can u apply ringtones longer that 30 like a full song cuz again the old rizer did that thankz

A:
Looks like the answer is no, unfortunately.

I asked my reps got this official response, which actually came from AT&T:

Checked with AT&T on this one and this is what we were told:

"Setting a size restriction for ringtone use allows us [AT&T] to display
only the smaller sized content that would logically be a ringtone when
someone pulls up the folder of ringtones on their phone."

So the official answer seems to be "No, you can't, but it's for your own good.  We want to easily separate ringtones (shorter) from full music tracks (longer), and the best way to do that is by setting a length limitation on ringtones."

* * *
Q:
hey im Ron,
 
ok my question is i hear that the Nokia N810(the pocket pc) is similar to the iPhone. but, it cannot make cell phone calls, is this true? i hope not because i have the iPhone and i really really want this nokia n810 phone. but, if it does not make or receive calls (like a regular cell phone would) then ill just stick to my iphone. anyway, i have a laptop i would not need a "pocket pc" just for the internet and does not make calls. p.s. i like all of your videos about this phone, they are very imformational that's why im asking you these questions.

A:
Hey Ron,

The N810 is not a cell phone.  It's an "Internet tablet" with WiFi and Bluetooth, but no cellular radio.  The new WiMax Edition will have a WiMax radio in it when it launches, but no cellular radio.

Nokia ships the device with Skype software pre-installed so you can make Internet (VoIP) calls from the device.  In order to use Skype you'll have to have a Skype account and also be connected to a WiFi network for Internet service.  So no, it's not a phone capable of making and receiving cell phone calls.

I actually just posted a full text review of the N810.  You can read it here if you want more info and my full opinion of the device.

Thanks for watching the videos!  Glad you find them informative.

* * *

Alright, that's it for now.  Stay tuned for Part Two of the April YouTube Mailbag in a few days ....

Let's face it: Nobody has any idea what's coming from Apple in June except the guy with the closet full of black mock turtlenecks.

CrunchGear's got some dish on how the next iPhone "may look 'radically different'," and it includes a juicy bit about a possible slide-out QWERTY board and/or clamshell form factor, courtesy of a new Times Online article citing those always talkative "industry sources" and "analysts" :

Industry sources told Times Online that the device will have a "radically different" appearance to the current device, which has a 4.5 inch screen and slick, aluminum backing. Among the possibilities are flip version, which would enable the screen to be larger, and a sliding model with a regular qwerty keyboard - as opposed to a touchscreen one.

"I think ultimately you going to see multiple versions," one Asia-based analyst, said. "One for customers who want it principally as a music and video device, which will be similar to the existing model, one for people who want to communicate - with the keyboard, and one for people who want it as a substitute for their laptop - that will let them browse the internet on a larger screen."

At the same time, though, Macrumors is calling bs on the whole thing, choosing to cite an actual person who actually knows something about the situation, Apple CEO Steve Jobs:

The reliability of Times Online's sources are unknown, but such a departure from the existing iPhone's design seems very unlikely. Jobs specifically criticized the inclusion of an built-in keyboards amongst existing smartphones when the iPhone was first introduced. Apple is also in the midst of launching a Software Development Kit (SDK) intended for their multi-touch OS X. Radically changing the form factor would splinter the audience for iPhone applications.

Me, I'd settle for an iPhone with a better camera (with a flash).  And for the dumb thing to just rear its head already so I can stop blogging about it.  Clearly I don't have the self-control to stop reporting on these rumors on my own.  I'm turning my computer off now.

Learn More from Nokia

A Wi-Fi enabled GSM/EDGE BlackBerry Pearl - the 8120 - has been spotted on the FCC's site.  PhoneScoop has reported that the user manual included with the FCC filings mentions a UMA client, which - taken along with the lack of 3G support - could indicate that this newest Pearl will be a T-Mobile HotSpot@Home device.  The 8120 features GPS, a 3.5mm stereo headset jack, stereo Bluetooth, and a new mail client.

Learn More from Phonescoop

AT&T has launched the Samsung SLM, a slim flip phone that is the first device to feature AT&T's new Napster Mobile service for over the air purchase and download of music.  The SLM features a brushed metal finish, 2 MP camera with video capture and support for AT&T Video Share, and a microSD memory card slot.  Additionally, the SLM will be the first handset to ship with AT&T's mobile banking application pre-loaded.  SLM will be available on November 23.

Learn More from AT&T Wireless

Check it out!

The N810 is the latest revision of Nokia's N-Series Tablets, and according to Nokia execs is positioned as the third in a series of five milestones for the line of portable devices.  The N810 improves upon the N800 with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, brighter screen, longer battery life, and location-based services featuring GPS-enabled Maps and Navigation software.

But it's not a phone ... yet ... The N810 is designed to connect to the Internet via built-in WiFi or tethered to a cell phone via integrated Bluetooth, and features Skype and Gizmo clients for Internet voice and video calling.  The N810 also features a Mozilla Web browser will full support for Flash (yes, YouTube works on it!) and AJAX and other Web 2.0 technologies.  Nokia has already announced that they will be shipping a WiMax tablet device, and execs confirmed for me this morning that that device will be available in the US during the first half of 2008.

Priced at $479 USD, the N810 will be available in November.  I played with one for awhile, and it's pretty nice - though I really want there to be a cellular radio in the thing (more on that later).  The form factor is perfect for times when you want something more robust than a phone but don't need the power of a full-on laptop.  It's got a WVGA resolution screen that's bright and sharp, a built-in stand to prop the thing up for watching videos, and 2GB of internal memory backed by an SD card slot.

Nokia made a point of saying that this device is intended for "technology leaders" and not necessarily the general market.  But, of course, there's that WiMax tablet coming next year ... likely to be backed by Sprint as they roll out their Xohm WiMax network across the US.  That should be pretty interesting.

More on the N810, Nokia's comments about Apple, and some video of the device in the coming hours.