TechBytes: iPhone 4 Arrives Early

June 23, 2010— -- The new iPhone has arrived early. Some people who pre-ordered iPhone 4, and chose to have it delivered, received it yesterday. And many more people got an e-mail from Apple saying they will get theirs today, a day before it arrives in stores. While Apple is early, AT&T is late. It will fill pre-orders beginning tomorrow, but it won't start selling the device to everyone else until next week.

One of the biggest complaints about the iPhone since it first launched has been AT&T. Its network has not been able to handle the demand from these devices. AT&T has been investing in its network, but some experts say the new phone could add to the strain."A lot of the new features of the iPhone are split among things that take advantage of the 3G network and some that work only on Wi-Fi," said Ross Rubin of NPD Group. "In particular, the new video conferencing software called FaceTime, works only on Wi-Fi, and part of the reason for that is to minimize the impact on ATT's network." One thing AT&T did to ease demand is end its unlimited monthly data plans in favor of plans that cap usage.

Microsoft is adding an entertainment section to its Bing search engine. Microsoft says the idea is to merge the search box with a universal remote control. People will be able to listen to 5 million songs for free, one time before being asked to pay. Bing will also give people access to more than 1,000 TV episodes and about 100 casual games, all without having to go to another site.

The Xbox is getting more family friendly. Microsoft will begin offering an Xbox Live Family Pack this November. The $100 plan gives users four memberships for the price of two. And also features a family center for households to control their console settings and account info.