Tuesday, June 28, 2005, 10:00 am

iTunes 4.9 riddled with iTunes phone references

By AppleInsider Staff

The latest version of Apple's iTunes jukebox software was in circulation only a matter of minutes before Apple enthusiasts began tearing the application's resources to bits, searching for clues on the highly anticipated iTunes music phone scheduled for release in a matter of days.

Of course, iTunes 4.9 did not disappoint. Instead, it continued to whet the appetite of consumers who seem to have been waiting for the Motorola-designed phone to debut for almost a year.

Immediately, enthusiasts located phrases such as "Eject mobile phone," "iPod Phone Prefs," "iPodPhoneiTunes Setup," and "PhoneUpdating contacts" from inside the application's resources.

"iTunes will automatically fill your mobile phone with a random selection of songs from your library. You may fill your mobile phone with a different selection of songs by pressing Autofill in the mobile phone playlist," reads a more telling messages from within the iTunes software.

A small icon image resource, possibly depicting the new phone, was also located.

According to a report in French newspaper Le Figaro, Apple and Motorola plan to announce the device, dubbed iPhone, as early as this week.

Meanwhile, Reuters cited sources in saying that Cingular Wireless, the No. 1 U.S. mobile service, is considering selling the device.